Chapter 445: Night Raid
At the end of the Kaihuang era, celestial phenomena underwent a great upheaval. The gods of that time created the Sun Ship and the Moon Ship to dispel the darkness, allowing all things to grow, enabling the common people to survive. However, these two ships were also formidable weapons of war. The Sun Guardian of the Sun Ship and the Moon Guardian of the Moon Ship could harness the vast and majestic power of their respective vessels, elevating their own strength to the level of celestial gods, with the might to reshape heaven and earth.
Qin Mu had once used the Sun Ship and had also borrowed the Moon Ship, so he deeply understood their extraordinary power and unique qualities. Using the Dragon Taming Art’s Dragon Control Technique, he could borrow the power of the Dragon King God and the host of dragons to open the Divine Bridge divine repository, allowing his primordial spirit to reach the Heavenly Court. However, he could only enter the Southern Heavenly Gate, with no chance to venture deeper into the Heavenly Court. But by borrowing the power of the Sun Ship and the Moon Ship, he could reach the Jasper Terrace and stand beside the Jasper Pool!
Yet, the Sun Ship and the Moon Ship also had their nemesis: the True Heaven Palace’s Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art was precisely that counter.
The power the Sun Ship lent to the Sun Guardian and the Moon Ship lent to the Moon Guardian came from the vessels themselves, not from the guardians’ own strength. These two ships possessed immense and terrifying energy, fueled by the man-made Sun and Moon as their power source, enabling them to dispel the darkness. The Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art, on the other hand, revered the concept that all things have spirits and souls. By perceiving nature, it created elemental spirits, awakening heaven and earth and all things to fight for its practitioners.
If a deity who cultivated the Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art could awaken the spirits of the Sun Ship and Moon Ship to fight for them, then what awaited the Sun Guardian, the Moon Guardian, and the Sun Herders and Moon Herders aboard would be nothing but bloody slaughter and death—even the guardians themselves would have no escape!
“Many years ago, there must have been a terrible battle here. The Sun Ship and Moon Ship encountered a deity who cultivated the Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art and were destroyed one by one. And this…” Qin Mu looked westward, his eyes flickering like a candle flame in the wind. “…must be closely connected to the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands.”
He had always taken it for granted that the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands was a sacred ground like the Great Thunderclap Monastery or the Dao Sect. Although the palace master’s divine techniques and Dao arts were miraculous and transcendent, they were still a powerhouse trapped at the Divine Bridge realm. This sacred ground would be no different from others.
But now, it seemed the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands harbored many secrets, perhaps even terrifying entities!
Moreover, the very name “True Heaven Palace” was worth pondering.
The Heaven Saint Sect was named because the Woodcutter transmitted scriptures and was revered as a saint, hence “Heaven Saint.” The Great Thunderclap Monastery got its name because Mount Sumeru was so high it lay within the thunderclouds, where thunder and Buddha’s voice roared together, deafening and enlightening. The Dao Sect was named after the Dao Sword and the gateway to Mount Kunlun. Little Jade Capital itself was a fragment of the Kaihuang era’s Jade Capital. The names of these sacred grounds often revealed their origins.
So, what was the origin of the True Heaven Palace?
Why did the deity of the True Heaven Palace destroy the Sun Ship and Moon Ship?
The temple ruins in the desert and the eerie sand dune giants were likely the work of the True Heaven Palace deity. And the strange fire covering the desert—the flame marks that appeared on the bodies of Great Wasteland exiles when they entered the desert, leading to their death by that fire—was that also connected to the True Heaven Palace?
Why did the Great Wasteland exiles develop flame marks upon stepping here? Why were only they burned to death by the strange fire, while others touched the flames unharmed?
How many secrets did the Western Lands hold?
The desert flames blazed fiercely, feeling scorching hot to him. Suddenly, another ruin appeared ahead. Before Long Qilin could approach, they saw wild sand howling and gathering in that ruin, forming a sand dune giant. Then more sand dune giants took shape, with swirling sand spinning and rising beneath their feet.
Long Qilin was about to circle around, but Qin Mu shook his head and said, “No need. Keep going.”
Long Qilin had no choice but to brace himself and charge toward the murderous sand dune giants. Layers of formation patterns spun in Qin Mu’s eyes as he observed the ruin from a distance. The sand dune giants charged at them, getting closer and closer. Suddenly, a sword cry rang out—the Carefree Sword whistled forth, stirring up whirlwinds along the desert surface, whipping up sand and dust!
The sand dune giants were still a hundred zhang away when they suddenly collapsed. Rolling sand surged toward them, and Long Qilin let out a mighty roar, shaking the crumbling sand apart.
Qin Mu retrieved the Carefree Sword. Long Qilin carried him into the ruin, where they saw a shrine littered with fragments of divine statues, all hacked to pieces.
Long Qilin strode away.
“We should be able to enter the Western Lands by noon tomorrow.”
On a dilapidated Sun Ship, Qin Mu lit a campfire and let Long Qilin and Xiong Qier rest. He could hold out, but Long Qilin needed rest after running so far, and Xiong Qier, being young, couldn’t endure the long journey.
The boy looked westward, his gaze piercing through the desert covered in strange fire. In the flames, a figure emerged in the distance, distorted by the heat.
Qin Mu smiled and waved. The figure, startled, quickly fled.
“The Great Venerable is getting more timid,” Qin Mu said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
Ban Gongcuo moved far away from the dilapidated Sun Ship, his expression shifting between gloom and uncertainty. His severed arm had been reattached, and his injuries were mostly healed, but he still hadn’t found an opportunity to ambush Qin Mu.
He had considered a direct assault and even thought about a head-on confrontation with Qin Mu, but the odds of winning were slim, so he had to abandon the idea. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the sand around him flowing silently. His heart stirred, and he quickly looked toward the firelight.
The desert night wasn’t completely dark; the fire illuminated it, though not far. Ban Gongcuo saw a strange figure walking in the firelight, moving like a puppet, its joints twisted, adopting an odd gait. The desert’s shifting sand followed the puppet’s steps, flowing without a sound.
Ban Gongcuo’s heart leaped. He saw another puppet-like figure, then a third, a fourth…
As the figures drew closer, he realized they were actually wooden divine statues. Their eyes were real eyes, not wood, and they approached the Sun Ship silently.
Ban Gongcuo’s heart pounded wildly. One of the wooden statues turned to look at him, revealing a sinister smile, and raised a wooden finger to its lips in a shushing gesture.
Ban Gongcuo blinked and didn’t move, watching these statues reach the Sun Ship.
Shifting sand surged, lifting the wooden statues, forming an ever-higher dune.
Ban Gongcuo’s heart tightened with excitement, his fists clenched in anticipation. The Sun Ship was surrounded by massive sand dune giants, their huge fists raised, ready to smash down on Qin Mu aboard the ship!
“That Qin kid is done for!” Ban Gongcuo nearly shouted with excitement.
Just then, a silver sword light shot out with a sharp whistle, instantly piercing through the head of one wooden statue. The statue’s head burst with a *pop*! Then a second crisp sound, a third, a fourth—the sounds merged into one continuous line.
After a few *pops*, the raised arms of the sand dune giants froze in midair, then the shifting sand slowly collapsed and slid, burying most of the Sun Ship.
“Trying to mess with me?” A soft laugh came from the ship.
Ban Gongcuo didn’t hesitate. He turned and fled. “Ambushing this kid is nearly impossible! But what’s a wasteland exile doing going to the Western Lands? Isn’t that just asking for death? I recognize the master of those wooden statues—I’ve met her once, though it’s not easy to see her again. Heh, Qin kid, why should I dirty my own hands to kill you?”
He smiled. “Besides, even if I can’t borrow that one’s power, I have a few old acquaintances in the Western Lands. Killing you will be a breeze! You brat, always opposing me. After you’re dead, I’ll use your corpse to spell out a big ‘submit’ character!”
The next day at noon, Long Qilin finally emerged from the desert. The flame patterns on Qin Mu’s body gradually faded and disappeared.
They arrived at a border town in the Western Lands. The streets were filled with men and women wearing turbans, their clothes ornate and colorful, adorned with gold and silver. Women of higher status wore silver crowns carved into phoenix, vermilion bird, and other shapes, their garments bright red or deep black, very striking and beautiful. There were many pretty girls here, though the men dressed more plainly.
As soon as they reached the town, Xiong Qier clamored for sour fish soup, chili bone, rice noodles, and insect tea. Having been away from home for over half a year, she was finally able to enjoy her hometown’s cuisine and couldn’t contain her joy, wanting to try everything.
The Western Lands used gold and silver for transactions, and Qin Mu had brought some, so he let her eat and drink to her heart’s content.
Qin Mu also ate some. The Western Lands’ food was spicy and sour, with a unique flavor, though the insect tea made him hesitant. Insect tea was made from the droppings of insects that had eaten tea leaves. Though it had a strong, exotic fragrance, he still found it off-putting.
“Grandpa Medicine likes tea. I’ll bring some for him to try,” Qin Mu thought.
He looked around. The architecture in the Western Lands was very different from Yan’kang, with unique customs and traditions. The most peculiar thing was the houses—round wooden structures, many with plaques hanging above their doors, each plaque bearing a divine statue.
After asking around, Qin Mu learned that these statues were meant to prevent people from using spells to awaken the houses’ spirits.
Since the Western Lands’ spells followed the path of “all things have spirits and souls,” if a cultivator cast a spell and a house suddenly stood up and ran away, the whole family would be left out in the cold! As long as a divine statue was enshrined on the house, it couldn’t be summoned away by cultivators.
Qin Mu blinked. A scene of a bunch of houses standing up and fighting each other—that would be quite a spectacle!
But could the statues really guarantee that houses wouldn’t be taken by cultivators?
An old man told him, “There are also many temples on the mountains to suppress the mountain spirits. Every river has an altar to prevent cultivators from taking them. But these mountains and rivers all have owners.”
Qin Mu looked around, marveling. He had thought the mountains in the Western Lands would have been leveled by cultivators, but the scenery was still lush and pleasant.
“Why do these mountains and rivers have owners?” Qin Mu asked. “Who are their masters?”
“The female master of the True Heaven Palace, of course, along with some local cultivators and other sects.”
The old man continued, “Not only the mountains and rivers, but even the flowers, grass, and trees have owners. You can’t just touch them casually. Otherwise, even selling yourself wouldn’t be enough to pay the price!”
Just then, the ground trembled slightly. The crowd panicked and quickly scattered. Qin Mu looked toward the source and saw a towering tree that had transformed into a treant striding forward. On the tree stood a woman holding a scroll. She unfurled it and announced loudly, “A fugitive from the Great Wasteland has entered the Western Lands! By order of the True Heaven Palace, this criminal is to be hunted down! Someone, hang up the portrait!”
Ps: Is Fatty Long stupid? Not at all. Someone shared a set of pictures on the public account that look very similar, very impressive. Everyone, follow the public account “Zhai Zhu,” reply “Fatty Long” or check the history to view them!