Chapter 284: The Divine Temple
Speaking of this, Si Yunxiang herself was stunned, murmuring, "Could this place have been land in the past? No, there is no record of such an absurd geographical change in my sect's history..."
The Heavenly Demon Sect had existed in the world for twenty thousand years, which was an extremely long time, but for those twenty thousand years, the Eastern Sea had always been the Eastern Sea. There had never been any claim that the Eastern Sea was once land.
As for the history of the Yan Kang Kingdom, it was even shorter, making it even less likely to know when the Eastern Sea had changed.
"This sea area is extremely deep. Even for cultivators at the Six Harmonies realm like us, swimming here is somewhat unbearable. I'm afraid the minimum depth is a thousand zhang."
Qin Mu arrived beside the great cauldron, extended a finger, and his primordial energy flew out, rising straight up. After a moment, he withdrew his primordial energy, his expression grave. "Deeper than I expected—one thousand six hundred and fifty-two zhang. Since it's a mountain god, there should be a mountain. This divine temple should have been built on Qu Mountain. A mountain capable of enshrining a god is at least a thousand zhang tall..."
Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu immediately understood his meaning. The place where the Qu Mountain Divine Temple stood should have been Qu Mountain, and the surrounding area should have been a vast expanse of land.
Then a cataclysmic change occurred, and the land turned into a sea!
The land where Qu Mountain was located had likely sunk two to three thousand zhang into the seabed!
Imagine if the entire Yan Kang Kingdom suddenly suffered an earthquake, sinking three thousand zhang and being submerged by a massive flood—what would that be like?
The continent where the Qu Mountain Divine Temple was located must have experienced such a terrifying scenario.
Qin Mu looked around. Judging by this absurdly large cauldron, the owner of this place must have been refining pills when the cataclysm struck. He hadn't even had time to collect the spiritual pills inside the cauldron.
Qin Mu looked into the cauldron and saw some broken metal fragments inside, likely shattered weapons.
Qin Mu jumped back into the cauldron to examine it. The weapons inside were thoroughly shattered, and he found nothing useful. However, the patterns on the cauldron's walls caught his attention. These patterns were runic symbols, but they differed from any runes he had seen before, possessing a strange kind of beauty.
"This cauldron is not from this era. It's somewhat similar to the runes in the ruins of the Great Wasteland, but there are differences."
After examining it, he jumped out again.
Qin Mu dried the water from his body and took the lead to walk forward. "Our spiritual weapons were all taken by Dragon Jiao Nan. We don't have any suitable weapons, so there might be danger. Everyone, be careful."
Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang followed him. Ling Yuxiu said, "The Six Harmonies Divine Repository gestates and births spiritual weapons, which are more suitable than others' spiritual weapons. If we can forge our Six Harmonies spiritual weapons, we should be able to protect ourselves."
Qin Mu was slightly startled and asked, "How do you gestate and birth a spiritual weapon?"
He had heard the great demon Xian Qing'er mention this before. She said that spiritual weapons were treasures gestated and birthed by the Six Harmonies Divine Repository, but he had never understood how a spiritual weapon could be gestated within the divine repository.
He still knew too little about the Six Harmonies realm.
Si Yunxiang said in surprise, "Chief, you don't even know this? Master Hong Fa of the Six Harmonies Hall taught about the gestation and birth of spiritual weapons in the Six Harmonies Divine Repository."
Qin Mu shook his head. "I've only been to the Six Harmonies Hall once, and I was kicked out as soon as I arrived, standing in the corner with you."
Si Yunxiang remembered the time they stood in the corner together and couldn't help but laugh.
Ling Yuxiu said, "The gestation and birth of spiritual weapons in the Six Harmonies Divine Repository is actually a general statement. What the Six Harmonies Divine Repository gestates and births is the form of the spiritual weapon—a form without substance. By activating your own cultivation technique, you can see the primordial energy in the Six Harmonies Divine Repository converge and take the shape of a spiritual weapon."
She activated the Nine Dragons Imperial Art and said, "I followed Elder Ba Shan in my cultivation and took the path of combining combat and magic. My spiritual weapon takes the form of nine dragons."
She released the form of her spiritual weapon. Dragon roars rang out as nine dragons soared and circled around her. Then, behind her, the dragon heads gathered together, and the dragon bodies coiled around each other, forming a massive hammer over one zhang and six or seven chi long, with a head as big as a small mountain.
Si Yunxiang's expression was strange. "Princess Xiu, your spiritual weapon is a hammer?"
"Not just that."
Ling Yuxiu said, "I walk the path of combining combat and magic, studying whether the Nine Dragons Imperial Art can unify combat techniques and spells. So, this Nine Dragons Hammer is one form of my spiritual weapon. The nine dragons can separate and take other forms. Saintess Xiang, what form does your spiritual weapon take?"
Si Yunxiang smiled lightly. She activated her cultivation technique, and primordial energy flew out from her Six Harmonies Divine Repository, forming a single thread. That thread changed in countless ways, interweaving and crisscrossing, flying around her like a chain. She laughed, "This is the form of my spiritual weapon. Chief, what form does your spiritual weapon take?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "My cultivation technique for the Six Harmonies realm is not yet perfected, so I don't know what form my spiritual weapon will take. You both have the forms of your spiritual weapons, but how do you forge the actual spiritual weapon?"
They walked toward the palace in the mist. Ling Yuxiu said, "That requires skilled craftsmen to forge the spiritual weapon. A good spiritual weapon can perfectly match the form of your spiritual weapon, maximizing its power. If the craftsmanship is poor, the forged spiritual weapon might even be inferior to the power of spells. I plan to wait until the form of my spiritual weapon stabilizes, then ask the Vice Minister of Works and others to help forge my spiritual weapon. However, my spiritual weapon's structure is complex, so it will likely be very difficult to forge. It's better to practice swordsmanship. There's no need to deliberately forge your own spiritual weapon; any sword pellet will do."
Si Yunxiang said, "The Master of the Heavenly Workshop Hall has superb skills. I also plan to ask him to forge my spiritual weapon. My spiritual weapon has too many variations, making it very difficult to refine."
They were both referring to the same person—the Master of the Heavenly Workshop Hall, who was also the Vice Minister of Works, Shan Youxin.
Qin Mu opened his Azure Sky Divine Eye and walked into the hall. "I can help you forge them. I'm not weak in the art of forging. I can forge both of your spiritual weapons. If we can find some mystic gold or mystic iron here, I can refine them for you in just a day or two."
Ling Yuxiu said in surprise, "The Divine Doctor Saintly Hand, skilled in painting—are you also skilled in forging?"
Si Yunxiang was also surprised. "Chief, do you also have achievements in forging?"
"Achievements? Not really."
Qin Mu said modestly, "I just know how to hammer iron, using a bit of brute force. In the village, I managed to pass the test of Grandpa Mute by using a trick. Grandpa Mute is the best blacksmith in our village and the surrounding areas. His tests are very strict."
The two women exchanged glances, a bit amused and exasperated.
The interior of this great hall was vast. Qin Mu took one look and showed a look of shock. Then he backed out of the hall, walked around it, and measured its length with his steps.
"So big!" Ling Yuxiu poked her head into the hall and exclaimed.
Si Yunxiang also looked into the hall, her eyes wide as she exclaimed, "How can the inside be this big?"
Qin Mu returned to the hall and quickly walked along the walls, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Herding boy, what's wrong?" Ling Yuxiu asked, puzzled.
"The hall is ninety steps long and fifty steps wide outside, but inside it's nine thousand steps long and five thousand steps wide."
Qin Mu looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling was as high as the sky, with huge gems carved into brilliant stars. The constellations were completely different from those of the present day. The stars were about two to three thousand zhang above them.
Besides the stars, there was also a bright moon and a sun. These were treasures refined by some unknown magical technique or divine power. The sun was still burning, illuminating the hall.
This was no longer a hall; it was clearly a small world!
"The space inside the hall is ten thousand times larger than it appears from the outside!"
Qin Mu suppressed the pounding in his heart and said solemnly, "The positions of the sun and moon on the ceiling are the eye sockets of a Taotie divine beast! This entire hall is built on the divine bones of a Taotie—likely a Taotie that had already become a god! It's even more powerful than my Taotie pouch, a true pure-blooded Taotie! Sister Yuxiu, the oppressive feeling you sensed is probably because of this."
Si Yunxiang's eyes lit up, then dimmed. "Unfortunately, this hall is too big to move..."
Qin Mu deeply agreed. "Unfortunately..."
His gaze fell on the sun, and suddenly his heart stirred. "This sun is also man-made. I wonder if it can light the sun on the Sun Ship?"
His heart pounded wildly. If he could light that sun, the Sun Guardian Yan Jingjing wouldn't have to be devoured by the Sun Ship.
Qin Mu had once been the Moon Guardian and knew all too well how terrifying it was to have one's life devoured by the Moon Ship. He had always been concerned about that Sun Guardian and didn't want her to die like that.
If he could light the sun on the Sun Ship, he would definitely do it.
He leaped into the air and rapidly rushed toward the ceiling. The interior of this hall was extremely high. Qin Mu ran at full speed toward the sky, intending to take down the sun. However, the closer he got to the sun, the hotter it became, to the point where he couldn't bear it!
Qin Mu shook his body, activated the Blazing Flame Star Lord Fire Hou True Art, and transformed into the form of the Blazing Flame Star Lord—a bull-headed, human-bodied figure standing on twin dragons—and continued to approach the sun.
The closer he got, the higher the temperature. Qin Mu's eyes were stung by the bright light, causing tears to stream down, but the tears evaporated instantly.
He stared wide-eyed at the increasingly close sun. This treasure was a massive pearl, emitting fierce firepower. It seemed to have been refined from the eye of a strange beast. He could still see the pupil, which was a perfect circle. The terrifying firepower and blinding light shot out from the pupil of this eye!
He tried to get closer, but suddenly his skin stung as if countless needles were piercing him.
Qin Mu quickly descended. The light from the pupil shot out like a bunch of scorching needles. If he recklessly got closer, he wouldn't be burned to ashes by the high temperature but would be killed by the sunlight.
Thud.
Qin Mu landed, shook his bull's tail, and showed a thoughtful expression.
Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu were surprised and looked him up and down. Si Yunxiang boldly reached out and touched Qin Mu's plump, round, hippo-like bull's rear, exclaiming in surprise, "It's a real butt! Princess Xiu, come and feel it too!"
"No way."
Despite saying that, Ling Yuxiu also reached out and touched Qin Mu's bull's rear.
"It's a real butt!"
The princess said in shock, "So plump!"
Slap.
Qin Mu flicked his tail, knocking the two girls' hands away, and strode out of the hall. The two girls covered their hands, crying out in pain, and watched Chief Qin, who had transformed into a bull, walking with his two plump butt cheeks jiggling. They still couldn't resist the urge to touch them again.
Qin Mu arrived outside the hall, suddenly stepped on the twin dragons, leaped into the air, flew to the roof, and lifted a glazed tile.
This hall was extraordinary. Every brick and tile was imprinted with runic marks, making them difficult to damage even by spells or spiritual weapons.
After a moment, Qin Mu removed many glazed tiles, and light shone through from inside. He laughed, "As expected, there's no light behind the eye."
Si Yunxiang looked up and saw a bull's head peering down from beyond the sky, appearing behind the sun, enormous. Then a large hand reached over, grabbed behind the sun in the air, and gently shook it. The sun immediately went out.