Chapter 457: The Liu Clan of the Divine Burial Valley
Xiong Qi'er held the Azure Dragon Pearl with both hands. This pearl was very large, the size of an adult's fist. She was too young, and holding it in her hands was somewhat strenuous.
Qin Mu saw Liu Ruyin's actions and immediately knew his guess was correct. This Azure Dragon Pearl indeed required a pure and innocent little girl to unleash its full power.
No wonder the Western Lands valued the little princess so much.
Liu Ruyin covered her face with her sleeve, revealing one eye. That eye was deathly white, with only a black pupil the size of a soybean, very eerie.
"Chief Qin, don't misunderstand."
Behind Liu Ruyin, there was a continuous sound of *bang bang bang* as corpse-like "bodies" fell into coffins, and the coffin lids closed automatically.
Liu Ruyin herself jumped into a coffin, lay down inside, and giggled, "We just wanted to see if the little princess was alright. Now that I see she's safe and sound, I can rest easy. Farewell!"
These coffins grew legs and intended to run up the cliff.
Qin Mu suddenly said, "Chief Liu, please wait."
Liu Ruyin was about to close the coffin lid, but upon hearing this, she stopped and sat up again, smiling stiffly, "Chief Qin, give us a way out. Don't push us to the brink."
Her voice trembled, clearly terrified to the extreme.
Qin Mu was puzzled. Wasn't it just the Azure Dragon Pearl?
Xiong Qi'er held the Azure Dragon Pearl. Although she could unleash its power, it probably wouldn't be too terrifying. Why were Liu Ruyin and the others so afraid?
"Chief Liu, did you come here on the orders of the True Heaven Palace?"
Qin Mu spoke gently, "Since it was on the orders of the True Heaven Palace, then the experts of the True Heaven Palace must still be in your clan, right? I would like to meet this expert from the True Heaven Palace. Could Chief Liu introduce me?"
Liu Ruyin was slightly stunned. Qin Mu's expression was as warm as a spring breeze, and he smiled, "Chief Liu, you may not know this, but I have no ill intentions in entering the Western Lands. I just want to see the local customs. Bringing the little princess is also a matter of common sense, after all, she is from the Western Lands and is familiar with its geography."
"Familiar with its geography?" Liu Ruyin blinked.
Xiong Qi'er was only five or six years old and had lived in the True Heaven Palace since childhood. The only geography she was likely familiar with was that of the True Heaven Palace. What impression could she have of the Western Lands' geography? Having Xiong Qi'er lead the way would be like a blind person groping an elephant.
"This Chief Qin from the Central Lands is really good at lying."
Liu Ruyin said cautiously, "Chief Qin, a strong dragon cannot crush a local snake. Although you have a powerful background, my Liu clan is not to be trifled with either. Beware of a fight to the death."
Qin Mu said in surprise, "Chief Liu, what are you talking about? I just want to meet the senior sister from the True Heaven Palace and resolve the misunderstanding between me and the True Heaven Palace. I have no ill intentions. If I did, I would have had the little princess activate the Azure Dragon Pearl long ago. Do you think you could have escaped?"
Liu Ruyin's expression shifted uncertainly. Qin Mu was extremely patient, standing there steadily, waiting for her reply.
He remained silent, and the half-corpse, half-human "bodies" in the other coffins dared not move either.
After a moment, Liu Ruyin giggled, "Since Chief Qin has spoken, how dare I disobey? Chief, please come into my coffin. I will take you to the Liu clan to meet those senior sisters from the True Heaven Palace. I wonder if Chief Qin has the courage to enter my coffin?"
Qin Mu laughed heartily, "What's there to fear?" He then jumped down from the Dragon Qilin's back, holding Xiong Qi'er, and walked to Liu Ruyin's coffin.
He looked into the coffin and was momentarily stunned. The coffin appeared small from the outside, but its internal space was astonishing. It was over ten zhang in both length and width, and five or six zhang in height, like a large house.
Moreover, there were tables, chairs, and a jade bed inside, divided into several compartments, with places for living, eating, and even quarters for servants. It was hardly different from a small palace.
Qin Mu marveled. When Liu Ruyin had jumped out of the coffin earlier, he had been startled, thinking a zombie had really jumped out. He hadn't expected the coffin to be just Liu Ruyin's residence.
He looked at the other black coffins and thought, "Are all these coffins the same, the residences of the Liu clan disciples? These coffins with legs that can walk on their own are quite similar to Sister Yiyi's mobile city."
"Fat Dragon, you can come in too!" Qin Mu called back with a smile.
The Dragon Qilin hesitated a little and shook his head, "Chief, I'm a bit superstitious. I'd rather not go in."
Qin Mu laughed and cursed, then carried Xiong Qi'er and jumped into the coffin, leaving the Dragon Qilin outside.
Liu Ruyin slammed the coffin lid shut with a *bang*. The group of coffins immediately moved their legs and sped off. Some coffins even floated in the air, surrounding Liu Ruyin's coffin as they crossed mountains and ridges, speeding towards the mountains.
The Dragon Qilin quickly followed. After crossing a few mountain peaks, he saw a huge tomb in the mountains. The many black coffins of the Liu clan were like black boats floating in the air, filing in through the tomb's massive entrance.
The Dragon Qilin shivered a few times, feeling uneasy, but still braced himself and followed the coffins into the tomb.
Inside the coffin, Qin Mu sat down, holding Xiong Qi'er in his arms. Liu Ruyin sat opposite him. The two faced each other in silence for a moment, the atmosphere somewhat tense.
Suddenly, Qin Mu smiled, "Chief Liu, who is the patriarch of your Liu clan?"
The black pupils in Liu Ruyin's eyes, which were the size of soybeans, rotated layer by layer and returned to normal size. She smiled, "Chief Qin, after all, you are an outsider and don't know the affairs of my Liu clan. I am the patriarch of the Liu clan."
Qin Mu was surprised and leaned sideways, "Then I wasn't wrong to call you Chief Liu. Sister Ruyin, your Liu clan's cultivation technique is very peculiar. When I saw you all earlier, I thought you were corpses. Could you tell me the reason for this?"
Liu Ruyin felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him happily, "You really have a sweet tongue. Which outsider, especially a man, has ever dared to speak so sweetly to me? Not being scared to death is already a stroke of luck! Those stinky men are either scared out of their wits or frightened out of their souls. But Chief Qin can still talk and laugh, and even calls me 'sister'."
Xiong Qi'er was puzzled and thought, "Big brother seems to call every woman he meets 'sister'..."
The corpse aura on Liu Ruyin faded a little, and she smiled, "My Liu clan's technique is indeed different. The Liu clan, in fact, did not originally have the surname Liu in life; they only took the surname Liu after death."
Qin Mu was shocked and exclaimed, "You are all..."
Liu Ruyin said, "The origin of our Liu clan in the Western Lands is also very ancient. We are spirits born from corpses, gaining sentience. It is said that the ancestor of the Liu clan was buried under a willow tree after death, and over time, a spirit was born from the corpse, so they took the surname Liu. Because our clan is born from corpses, our physical bodies are dead, so we cannot reproduce. But we also have a lifespan; once the spirit's time is up, it still dissipates. The world says our Liu clan has a strange temperament and doesn't associate with outsiders, but that's a misunderstanding. It's not that we don't want to associate with outsiders, but because we are spirits born from corpses, we are afraid of being captured and refined into spirit weapons."
Qin Mu said calmly, "But when the experts of the True Heaven Palace came to ask you to deal with me, you agreed. Could it be that the True Heaven Palace has the ability to wipe out your Liu clan and refine you into spirit weapons?"
Liu Ruyin's expression changed slightly.
Qin Mu laughed heartily, his expression becoming kind again, and he smiled, "Sister Ruyin, you are the patriarch of the Liu clan. Your cultivation and strength far surpass mine. How could I scare you? Little brother is really just bluffing, only good at frightening people, but I have no real confidence."
Liu Ruyin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "You really gave me a good scare. Chief Qin, what is your cultivation level?"
Qin Mu honestly replied, "I am only at the Six Harmonies realm. Sister, you should be relieved now, right?"
Liu Ruyin was indeed relieved, but she was still worried about the Azure Dragon Pearl in Xiong Qi'er's hands.
The Azure Dragon Pearl could be said to be the greatest nemesis of the Liu clan. If the power of this dragon pearl was unleashed, no matter how strong the experts of the Liu clan were, they would be completely unable to resist!
The reason the Liu clan submitted to the True Heaven Palace was also due to being intimidated by the Azure Dragon Pearl.
Qin Mu then asked, "Sister Ruyin, who is the person sent by the True Heaven Palace? What is their cultivation level?"
"The person who came is an elder of the Yu clan of the True Heaven Palace, Yu Ruyi."
Liu Ruyin said, "The experts of the Yu clan have also reached the Life and Death realm. It's no small matter."
Qin Mu nodded slightly. People in the Western Lands didn't place much emphasis on cultivation realms. The Myriad Spirits Natural Art didn't rely on cultivation to win; it relied on perceiving nature, perceiving heaven and earth. The purer the mind, the stronger the perception, and the better the communication with heaven and nature.
Of course, high cultivation and strong creation techniques were also very important for strength, but for the people of the Western Lands, the perception and understanding of nature were the most important.
"Sister Ruyin, you should be relieved now, right?"
Qin Mu smiled, "This Sister Yu Ruyi is at the Life and Death realm, while I am only at the Six Harmonies realm. Sister Ruyin, if Sister Ruyi wants to kill me, you should protect me."
Liu Ruyin showed a troubled expression and reluctantly said, "I have some friendship with Yu Ruyi. I can only guarantee that she won't make a move in the Divine Burial Valley. As for outside the Divine Burial Valley, I cannot guarantee your safety, Chief."
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her, "Thank you for your trouble, sister. What is this Divine Burial Valley where you live?"
Liu Ruyin smiled, "We are in the Divine Burial Valley right now. Chief Qin, please come out of the coffin!"
The coffin lid opened, and Liu Ruyin led him out. Qin Mu looked around and saw that this was an underground world, with passages leading in all directions. The dome of the tomb had sun, moon, and stars, and constellations. There were also passages connecting various large and small tomb chambers. Many coffins were coming and going in the chambers and passages.
A small coffin floated over. The coffin lid flipped up with a clatter, and a little girl climbed out, sitting on the coffin lid. She asked, "Mom, who is this?"
Qin Mu looked puzzled and turned to Liu Ruyin. Liu Ruyin looked dejected and said softly, "This is my daughter. We died together. The elders here awakened us, so we live here... Let's not talk about that. Don't you want to see Yu Ruyi? I'll go call her and introduce you. Maybe we can resolve the misunderstanding between you. Little girl, stay here and keep big brother company."
The little girl sweetly agreed and curiously sized up Qin Mu.
But Qin Mu did not dare to underestimate this little girl. Although she and Liu Ruyin were mother and daughter, they had died together and were awakened at the same time. Therefore, this little girl's cultivation level was likely the same as Liu Ruyin's, a great expert at the Life and Death realm or the Divine Bridge realm!
He looked towards the center of the Divine Burial Valley, where a golden coffin stood. The coffin was heavily bound with thick chains and covered with yellow paper strips inscribed with various runes.
Qin Mu asked curiously, "Who is in that coffin? Why is it locked up?"
The little girl said, "My mom said there is a god inside. The divine corpse has already become a spirit, but they are afraid it will do evil, so they locked it up."
"I see."
Qin Mu smiled, "Little girl, Qi'er, let me show you a trick."
He then took out a huge jade eye from his Taotie pouch and smiled, "This eye of mine can emit light."
The little girl said excitedly, "How does it emit light?"
Just then, Liu Ruyin's voice came, laughing, "Ruyi, this is Chief Qin. If you have any misunderstandings, why don't I act as a mediator..."
Another woman's voice came, giggling, "Resolve the grudge? Alright, hand over the little princess, and we can resolve it."
At that moment, a flash of bright light suddenly cut through the gloom of the Divine Burial Valley, flickering and disappearing.
Qin Mu's laughter came, "See? It can emit light, right?"
Liu Ruyin was stunned for a moment, then saw the Yu Ruyi beside her suddenly split cleanly in half.