Chapter 343: The Secret of Little Jade Capital (Third Update!)
"This Mirror Sky of Little Jade Capital is truly extraordinary."
Qin Mu surveyed the Mirror Sky beneath Dragon Qilin's feet, marveling endlessly. This Mirror Sky was wondrous—looking up from below, one saw a blue sky, and at night, a deep starry expanse. Yet only upon arriving atop the Mirror Sky did one discover a hidden realm.
The Mirror Sky held Little Jade Capital aloft, isolated from the world. Standing here and looking down, one could see wisps of white clouds drifting over countless mountains and rivers, gathering and dispersing, occasionally revealing the contours of peaks below and rivers winding like dragons.
"What treasure was used to forge this Mirror Sky?"
Qin Mu suddenly leaped off Dragon Qilin and reached out to touch it. The sensation was truly like water. He cupped a handful, and it actually gathered in his palm, trickling through his fingers as he lifted it.
He stood up and stomped his foot. Ripples spread across the Mirror Sky's surface, radiating outward.
"Strange. It's not water, nor air. What material was it forged from?"
His astonishment grew. "Is there a treasure-refining material in this world that I don't know about? No, I must figure this out!"
Full of enthusiasm, Qin Mu had cultivated the habit of studying forging and treasure refinement under Mute's tutelage for years. Now, arriving at Little Jade Capital and encountering a material he'd never seen before, he naturally had to investigate thoroughly—it was second nature.
He opened his Azure Sky Divine Eye, meticulously studying the Mirror Sky's structure, trying to find its composition through the runic imprints within. Yet to his disappointment, he couldn't even locate a single runic imprint.
"Impossible! The Mirror Sky is clearly a treasure. If it's a treasure, it must have runic imprints to enhance its power. There's no way I can't find even one rune!"
Qin Mu was stunned. He had seen divine sealing techniques before—like the beehive seal in the underground space of the Nether Valley, which contained flickering runic imprints. The forging techniques used for this Mirror Sky couldn't possibly surpass divine methods, could they? How could there be no visible runic imprints?
Dragon Qilin had already reached Little Jade Capital, ascending to a floating immortal mountain in the sky. Xiong Xiyu looked back and saw Qin Mu still "playing with water" on the Mirror Sky. She smiled softly. "This Lord Qin, the Human Sovereign, seems mature, but inside, he's still a child."
Qingyou Shanren and the others hurried forward, holding the Human Sovereign Seal high. They glanced at Dragon Qilin's back and saw a mother and daughter, along with a village chief reduced to a human stump. All hesitated for a moment.
Qingyou Shanren smiled. "Human Sovereign, please take back the seal!"
The village chief, along with his rocking chair, flew down from Dragon Qilin's back but didn't take the seal. He shook his head. "I am no longer the Human Sovereign. I have abdicated in favor of another."
Qingyou Shanren looked at the mother and daughter, hesitating inwardly. "The current Human Sovereign is a woman? That's not surprising. She seems formidable, already at the level of a sect leader—no small feat. But her appearance isn't from the Central Lands; she looks like she's from the Western Lands..."
Throughout history, there had been female Human Sovereigns, but Xiong Xiyu was clearly a foreigner from the West. It struck him as odd, but Western foreigners were still human, so she could be the Human Sovereign.
Just as Qingyou Shanren and the old immortals of Little Jade Capital were about to bow to Xiong Xiyu, she quickly laughed. "I am not the Human Sovereign! Don't scare me, seniors—I can't bear that title!"
Qingyou Shanren looked at Xiong Qi'er, his expression troubled.
Xiong Xiyu realized they had misunderstood and smiled. "The Human Sovereign is behind us."
Qingyou Shanren and the other old immortals looked toward the Mirror Sky and saw a youth "playing with water." Their faces darkened.
"This youth as the Human Sovereign? He's less fitting than that little girl..."
Qin Mu examined the Mirror Sky repeatedly, still unable to discern its structure. He took out a small jade bottle, secretly scooped some water, corked it, and stashed it in his Taotie pouch, planning to study it thoroughly later. This treasure-refining technique was more than simple forging—it resembled Mute's "Treasure Without Form" method, which was well worth investigating.
Mute's Treasure Without Form could refine Mystic Gold and Mystic Iron into shapeless, formless states, capable of endless transformation. Qin Mu was far from reaching that level.
"A little water missing—no one should notice..."
The youth looked up and saw a group of old immortals with immortal-bearing bones staring at him in shock. Qin Mu's expression stiffened, then he beamed, laughing heartily as he strode over, bowing deeply. "The current Human Sovereign, Qin Mu, greets all senior brothers and sisters. I apologize for disturbing your peace—my heart is uneasy."
The old immortals returned the bow.
Qingyou Shanren straightened up. "Human Sovereign, please take back the seal. Also, regarding the Mirror Sky of Little Jade Capital, I ask that you..."
"Elder Daoist Master and Elder Tathagata! Both senior brothers are here too!"
Qin Mu grabbed the Human Sovereign Seal, casually stuffing it into his Taotie pouch, and laughed as he strode toward Elder Daoist Master and Elder Tathagata. "Have you two also become immortals now? Good, good—it saves you from worldly troubles."
Elder Daoist Master and Elder Tathagata quickly returned the bow. Elder Tathagata smiled. "The old Daoist and I are free of burdens, with little time left. We've come to this peaceful place to spend our remaining years, finding a proper final resting place."
Elder Daoist Master chuckled. "Lord Qin, do you also wish to become an immortal who ignores worldly affairs? If you were willing to retire to the mountains, it would be a blessing for the world."
Qin Mu shook his head. "I cannot shirk my duty. How dare I decline?"
Elder Daoist Master and Elder Tathagata greeted the village chief, laughing. "Senior brother, you've resigned as Human Sovereign and left the Great Ruins. Do you also wish to become a carefree immortal in Little Jade Capital?"
The village chief shook his head, despondent. "Mu'er feared I'd be lonely in the village, so he takes me wherever he goes."
Qingyou Shanren stepped forward, smiling. "Old Human Sovereign, New Human Sovereign, and these three friends, this way, please."
Qin Mu followed him to an immortal mountain, looking around. The scenery was exquisite, with floating mountains connected by rope bridges, forming a wondrous formation that kept the peaks aloft.
"Borrowing from heaven and earth—this technique isn't mortal craftsmanship!" His heart pounded.
This formation was a form of borrowing power, reaching an inconceivable level of sophistication!
Though Qin Mu wasn't a formation master, all formations followed rules, requiring an energy source to function. For example, he had once planned to forge Fire Cloud Rings to create a Nine Heavens True Essence Cannon formation to guard Saint Spirit Mountain, but the massive amount of medicinal stones needed to sustain it made him abandon the idea.
But the formation formed by Little Jade Capital's immortal mountains and rope bridges borrowed energy from heaven and earth, requiring no medicinal stones or furnaces.
In terms of formation mastery, Little Jade Capital had left the Yan Kingdom far behind!
He wanted to study Little Jade Capital's formation, but after stealing a bottle of Mirror Sky water, he'd already annoyed the old immortals. It wasn't a good time to start.
"This Little Jade Capital resembles my Heavenly Saint Sect. Both use the same formation—could there be a connection?"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. The Heavenly Saint Sect's Saint Spirit Mountain also floated in the sky, protected by a formation that borrowed from heaven and earth. The sect's Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra was extraordinary but couldn't surpass the Yan Kingdom in Dao techniques and divine powers. Yet its teleportation methods seemed mythical, leaving the Yan Kingdom's spells in the dust!
And Little Jade Capital's Mirror Sky showed a treasure-refining technique of astonishing sophistication, sharing similarities with Mute's Treasure Without Form.
Clearly, Little Jade Capital must contain many techniques and teachings far beyond the mundane—truly the foremost sacred land in the world!
Qingyou Shanren offered tea to the village chief. "Brother Dao, you retreated to the Great Ruins and vanished for centuries. Many thought you were dead, and the world was at peace. Why have you emerged? Your return will bring bloodshed again! If you hadn't wanted to come, how could the Human Sovereign have forced you out?"
The village chief said calmly, "Many of our generation have already died of old age. Some, though brilliant with earth-shattering cultivation and power, willingly buried themselves, content to die quietly in this false paradise. But I don't want to die like that. Even before death, I want to go out in a blaze of glory, like a true Human Sovereign."
Qingyou Shanren sipped his tea, smiling. "Brother Dao, what use is brilliance? In your day, you were the best under heaven. Your sword illuminated countless mountains and rivers. How could we compare to you in brilliance? Yet what did you achieve?"
The village chief's gaze sharpened.
Qingyou Shanren showed no fear, setting down his cup. "Elder Tathagata, Elder Daoist Master, myself, Ling Jing, and all the immortals on this mountain—we once admired you deeply, believing you could accomplish great feats. But in the end, even someone as brilliant as you—what fate did you meet?"
The village chief fell silent.
Qingyou Shanren sighed. "Your ambition wasn't extinguished when your limbs were severed, but not everyone is like you. We think it's fine here. You are not a fish—how can you know a fish's joy? I am not you; I cannot understand your joy."
The village chief used his primal qi to lift the teacup and drank slowly.
Qingyou Shanren turned to Qin Mu, smiling faintly. "Lord Qin, I've heard of you. You are also the Saint Lord of the Heavenly Saint Sect."
Qin Mu's heart stirred. "If you are immortals who shun worldly affairs, why do you inquire about mortal matters?"
Qingyou Shanren smiled slightly, offering no explanation, exuding a sense of distance. "Human Sovereign, after drinking your tea, please leave Little Jade Capital."
Qin Mu didn't drink. He took out the Golden Book Scroll. "Senior Immortal, please take a look at this book. Might it move you?"
Qingyou Shanren opened the Golden Book, his expression shifting. His aura suddenly surged, then slowly calmed. He flipped to the second page, then the third.
After a moment, he closed the Golden Book and pushed it back to Qin Mu, smiling. "It is indeed moving. Lord Qin, please return."
Qin Mu was stunned. Anyone who saw the Golden Book Scroll would find it hard to stay calm, let alone return it. Yet this Qingyou Shanren seemed unmoved, rendering all of Qin Mu's arguments useless!
"Senior Immortal Qingyou..."
Before Qin Mu could finish, Qingyou Shanren gave him a deep look. "Every generation of Human Sovereign has the same temperament—hard to dissuade. Since that's the case, I'll be blunt with you."
He stood up. "Lord Qin, does Little Jade Capital feel familiar? Does it resemble the Heavenly Saint Sect's Saint Spirit Mountain?"
Qin Mu was startled and rose involuntarily. He did feel a sense of familiarity—at the very least, the formation borrowing from heaven and earth was nearly identical to Saint Spirit Mountain's!
"That's because Little Jade Capital and Saint Spirit Mountain share the same origin."
Qingyou Shanren gazed at Little Jade Capital's majestic immortal mountains, speaking softly. "The Heavenly Saint Sect's saint and the founder of Little Jade Capital were contemporaries who came from the same place. Not just the Heavenly Saint Sect and Little Jade Capital..."
He turned to the village chief, speaking deliberately. "The first Human Sovereign of the Human Sovereign Hall also came from there! Moreover, Little Jade Capital, Saint Spirit Mountain, and the Human Sovereign Hall are all fragments of the same place! Brother Dao, who has been to the Human Sovereign Hall, should know very well what that place is, shouldn't he?"
—Third update. This month's three owed chapters are now made up! Next month's burst will repay the Alliance Leader tips! I'll try to update more next month—everyone, prepare your monthly votes~