Chapter 399: Fishing for a Sun
Qin Mu had seen many divine eyes, and he was well-versed in deconstructing them. He had learned Blind Man’s Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method, forged the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, obtained the Sun Jade Eye and Moon Jade Eye, and the sun forged by Zi Qing—despite its complex internal structure, the principles remained the same.
When others saw such intricate formations inside a sun, they would often be at a loss, but he could quickly locate the key parts of various formations.
Zi Qing had forged the sun not as a weapon but for illumination, so these formations had no power and were not dangerous. He could experiment boldly and without fear.
Moreover, Zi Qing had left mechanisms that allowed one to retract the sun.
Once the sun was retracted, it became a metal wall. Since Qin Mu had smashed this sun in two, there were two walls.
The many Sun Herders suppressed their shock and retracted the chains.
“Without a hook, how can we fish out another sun from the Sun Well?”
Everyone turned to look at Qin Mu, hope shining in their eyes.
The old chieftain quickly shook his head. “Your Highness’s cultivation is insufficient to descend into the Sun Well and open a sun.”
The temperature inside the Sun Well was extremely high. Any treasure forged by the Sun Herders would melt if it entered, let alone Qin Mu, who was merely a Six Harmonies realm cultivator.
Qin Mu smiled. “Chieftain, have you forgotten? If I become the Sun Guardian and command the Sun Ship’s energy, wouldn’t I have the divine power of a god? Once I fish out the sun, I can break free without worrying about being devoured by the Sun Ship.”
The old chieftain hesitated. “What if you can’t fish it out…”
“There’s no ‘what if’! I broke your sun, so it’s only right that I replace it!”
Qin Mu made a decisive move, grabbing a pillar as his body swelled section by section. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly sent a voice transmission: “Chieftain, prepare a set of clothes. I’ve used up all my spare ones.”
The old chieftain didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Every time Qin Mu became the Sun Guardian, he would burst his clothes and need to change into spares. He didn’t have many spares left; the ones he wore were his last set.
After this sun-fishing, if he didn’t have new clothes, he would definitely end up naked—because when he became the full-form Sun Guardian, a third leg would grow from his rear, bursting his pants.
“Fetch our tribe’s Sky Sun Azure Gold Thread and weave it into cloth to make a set of clothes for His Highness!”
Just as the old chieftain said this, he remembered another matter and quickly added, “Also, invite Chieftain Yu Zhao Qing of the Sky Feather Tribe and have them tailor the clothes for His Highness, ensuring they fit well and look dignified.”
Several Sun Herders hurried off.
Qin Mu took control of the Sun Ship, which strode forward on its twelve legs, rumbling as it headed toward the Sun Well.
Now that the Sun Ship had no sun, it began to devour his life force, causing his body to slowly sink into the ship, gradually merging with it.
This rate of consumption was many times faster than when the sun had gone out!
He had to fish out the sun as quickly as possible; the longer he delayed, the more dangerous it became.
At the edge of the Sun Well, Qin Mu’s mana surged wildly, sending chains whistling into the well. The chains, like black dragons, twisted and turned, heading straight for the core of another spatial galaxy.
That was the Sun Well—a circular abyss where countless suns, like balls of light, crowded into this unimaginably deep well. Outside the well, stars of various colors formed a Milky Way that revolved around the two great wells, constantly in motion.
Though the Sun Ship’s chains were thick, compared to the Sun Well, they were like thin threads. This scene truly resembled fishing, with Qin Mu on the well as the angler.
Finally, the chains reached the Sun Well. Qin Mu’s palm trembled, and he frowned slightly.
The Sun Ship’s chains had reached their limit without touching a sun in the well.
“Chieftain, order everyone off the ship immediately!” Qin Mu shouted.
The Sun Herder chieftain quickly relayed the order. Everyone on the ship hurriedly flew off, and as they did, they saw the Sun Ship stride into the light pillar of the Sun Well on its twelve legs.
The giant ship tilted, entering the well’s mouth, while at the center of the four pillars, Qin Mu, transformed into a god-like giant, swayed unsteadily, guiding the colossal ship into the sea of stars.
“Your Highness, the Sun Ship has already swallowed your calves!”
The old chieftain shouted urgently, “Don’t stay on the ship too long, or you’ll be devoured by it!”
In the Sea of Constellations, a giant ship sailed vertically along the light pillar, with a giant standing at its bow, controlling the chains as they approached the abyss below the pillar. Around them, colorful stars spun endlessly.
In the abyss, massive suns emitted blinding light, making it hard to open one’s eyes.
Qin Mu’s face was scorched red, as if about to melt. His eyes had already manifested the Nine Heavens formation patterns, using Blind Man’s divine eye technique to see everything in the well and resist the intense light.
The Sun Ship continued to approach the abyss where the suns were hidden. The rocks on this giant ship had already turned red-hot, but fortunately, it was forged by ancient gods and hadn’t melted yet.
Finally, Qin Mu saw the chains touch one of the suns and breathed a sigh of relief.
But then he noticed that the Sun Ship had already swallowed his waist.
“Damn! Without a sun as an energy source, the devouring speed is too fast!”
Qin Mu steadied himself, gritting his teeth, and used the four chains as his hands, gently touching the sun’s surface to find the mechanism.
His body slowly sank into the ship, past his waist.
Without a sun, using the Sun Ship’s power would inevitably trigger its backlash, but the speed of that backlash exceeded Qin Mu’s expectations!
“Not this formation pattern… not this one either…”
Even with his Nine Heavens eyes open, he couldn’t clearly see the formation patterns on the sun’s surface. He had to rely on the four chains’ touch to distinguish them.
The four chains moved slowly across the sun’s surface like four great dragons, his mana spilling out from the chains as strands of energy, identifying the texture and structure of the sun’s surface.
“Not this one either…”
His body had been swallowed up to his neck, yet Qin Mu still hadn’t found the mechanism’s location on this sun. Cold sweat poured from his forehead, but it evaporated before it could seep from his pores, turning into flames that danced around his body.
The Sun Ship swallowed his neck. Qin Mu tilted his head back, keeping his mouth exposed, and strained to control the ship. The massive Sun Ship slowly moved, its deck facing the Sun Well.
Qin Mu stared fixedly at the Sun Well as his body continued to sink into the ship, covering his mouth.
His nostrils were about to be submerged too!
Finally, his eyes sank into the Sun Ship, and his nose bridge slowly descended. Just as his eyes were swallowed by the ship, he saw an eye among the many suns.
Qin Mu was startled. “Zi Qing’s divine eye!”
That eye was as dazzling as a sun, seeming to gaze at him, giving Qin Mu a strange feeling. As this eye looked at him, he felt layers of runic imprints appear in his own eyes!
This sensation didn’t last long before the Sun Ship swallowed his eyes.
“Found it!”
Qin Mu’s spirit soared. Sensing the unusual touch from his energy, he immediately channeled all his mana. His energy surged down through the four chains, violently striking the mechanism on the sun’s surface!
A series of cracking sounds came as the formations on the sun’s surface opened. The four chains drilled into the sun, locked in place by layer after layer of formations.
Inside the Sun Ship, Qin Mu immediately felt a vast, surging power flow from the sun into the ship. By then, the ship had completely swallowed him, leaving only the tip of his nose exposed!
Whoosh—
The four chains pulled a sun out of the well. The sun rose high, stretching the chains taut.
Outside the Sun Well, the old chieftain and the others watched the light pillar nervously. “Too long, far too long. His Highness might not hold out… If he’s any later, he might not escape the Sun Ship!”
Suddenly, the Sun Well blazed with light as a sun rose from the pillar, forcing everyone back as waves of heat swept across the area.
Then, the Sun Ship’s massive hull emerged from the well, its twelve legs slowly touching down.
Thud.
The ship landed, shaking the ground, and magma flowed, forming channels.
The Sun Ship steadied itself.
The old chieftain and the others quickly flew onto the ship and rushed to the center of the four pillars. There, they saw Qin Mu lying face down, clothes in tatters, completely motionless!
The Sun Ship had drained too much of his life force. Even though capturing a sun had freed him from the ship, the life force he’d lost couldn’t be restored.
“Move aside, all of you!”
Hu Ling’er dashed over, her little feet smoking from the hot ground, and shouted, “I have medicine here!”
The old chieftain and the others made way. Hu Ling’er ran to Qin Mu, ignoring the blisters forming on her soles, and hastily stuffed the elixir Qin Mu had made for Yan Jingjing into his mouth. Using her own energy, she guided the elixir into his stomach and activated its power.
Once the medicine took effect, Qin Mu slowly regained consciousness. He felt incredibly weak, without even the strength to open his eyes, and could only breathe feebly.
Hu Ling’er sighed in relief, then felt the pain in her feet. She quickly jumped onto the old chieftain’s head, tears streaming from the pain.
The old chieftain and the others hurriedly lifted Qin Mu and shouted, “Take him to the lake!”
After a moment, by the lake at the center of the Sun Ship, Qin Mu was placed in a hot spring on the small island to soak. Beside him was a frail little girl, also soaking in the water.
“Little cowherd brother,” the frail girl said with a weak smile.
“My feet are hurt too!” Hu Ling’er sat on the old chieftain’s head, her soles not touching the ground, and demanded to soak in the hot spring with righteous indignation.
The old chieftain had no choice but to put her in the spring. “Little ancestor, this spring isn’t ordinary water; it’s condensed pure yang energy. You can soak, but don’t pee in it.”
“Pfft, you’re the one who pees!”
Hu Ling’er sat down excitedly, feeling waves of power surge from the water, nourishing her limbs and bones, soothing her spirit, soul, and divine treasures. She looked at the frail girl beside her and said happily, “Sister Jing of the Yan family, so you’re here too. Young master, why aren’t you opening your eyes? Oh, by the way, when you were lying there earlier, your butt was showing!”
Qin Mu slowly opened his eyes. The two girls felt a blinding white light, like countless suns exploding with intense radiance, making their eyes sting and tears flow!
—Second update. The first update has already been posted, don’t forget to check it out!