Chapter 628: Phoenix Seeks the Mate
"The second heaven of the Kaicang Heavenly Court..."
Qin Mu looked around, and what met his eyes was an endless expanse of ruins—collapsed city walls and palaces, broken flying cities in the sky, desolate mountains and rivers, and bones scattered everywhere.
The distant mountains were incomplete, their peaks resembling corn cobs gnawed at countless times, with even the cores bitten away, teetering precariously.
The cracked earth was filled with volcanoes and magma, rivers flowing like the blood of the land, and here, that blood was great rivers of molten rock!
In the sky, there were bizarre fragments of stars and oddly shaped clouds, which should be traces left behind by divine abilities.
Qin Mu stomped the ground; the soil here had completely hardened, unable to grow any plants. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, and he saw a sight he would never forget. Numerous human bones were swept up by the wind, forming a clump of pale white bones that rolled clattering past him.
Then, more large white bone balls were blown across the ground by the gale, tumbling everywhere.
When the wind stopped, those bone balls scattered, lying all over the ground.
Then, from those bones emerged remnant souls, drifting like ghostly flames, flying back and forth. Vaguely, one could make out the faces of many living beings, though their bodies were tattered, missing arms and legs.
When the wind picked up again, the floating ghostly remnant souls quickly dove back into the bones, and those skeletons sprinted away, trying to avoid the gale. But as they ran, they were knocked head over heels by the wind, so many skeletons linked arms, piling up into huge bone balls that were blown away.
Qin Mu had never seen or heard of such a bizarre and surreal scene.
"These remnant souls should be the spirits of the deceased, incomplete, so the Netherworld doesn't accept them, leaving them to wander the world."
Qin Mu thought to himself, "They have no anchor, so they burrow into the bones. Only by entering the bones can they feel like they're still alive, right?"
"I'm probably going to die."
Behind him, the Imperial Jade Buddha was barely breathing, speaking dejectedly, "The Southern Heavenly Red Emperor Qi Xiayu's skill is too great. She played a tune that's enough to take my life. I think I'm dying. Young friend Qin, you'll have to go on alone from here..."
"Alright!"
Qin Mu said cheerfully, "After you die, I'll bury you and then be on my way. Do you prefer cremation or burial, Buddha?"
The Imperial Jade Buddha widened his eyes, furious, "I'm not dead yet, and you're already thinking about cremation or burial?"
Qin Mu laughed, "Although I haven't practiced the Imperial Jade Buddha Sutra for long, I know well the power of this technique. Both the physical body and the primordial spirit are supreme, indestructible as diamond, not far off from the Imperial Throne technique. You've cultivated for so many years, Buddha—how could a single tune kill you?"
The Imperial Jade Buddha blinked, his face sallow, "I had to withstand the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor Qi Xiayu's zither sound to protect you, and it has shattered my life force..."
"Qi Xiayu's divine ability pursued us across space, first destroying the energy of the teleportation bridge. That ability was nearly half destroyed by that energy."
Qin Mu analyzed, "So what you faced, Buddha, was the other half of its power. That power shouldn't be enough to take your life, right? Besides, I've heard the Red Emperor's tune before. It's a famous zither piece. The name of this piece is 'Phoenix Seeks the Mate.'"
The Imperial Jade Buddha kept blinking, speaking weakly, "What 'Phoenix Seeks the Mate'? Never heard of it..."
"There is a beauty, unforgettable at first sight. A day without her, longing drives me mad. The phoenix soars, seeking its mate across the seas. But alas, the fair one is not by the eastern wall. I use the zither as words, to pour out my heart. When will she grant me her favor, to soothe my wandering?"
Qin Mu chanted a verse, his hand strumming in the air. Though there was no zither or strings beneath his hand, his primal energy transformed into vibrating strings, producing zither sounds that matched the tune Qi Xiayu was using to hunt them!
The young man played and sang loudly, quite unrestrained: "Why not become a pair of mandarin ducks, soaring together in harmony? Phoenix, oh phoenix, come dwell with me, let us be mates forever. Our hearts in tune, our spirits united, who knows we follow each other in the dead of night? Spread our wings and fly high, let not my longing bring you sorrow—"
The lingering notes of the zither piece surrounded the two of them for a long time before fading. His playing and singing attracted many skeletons, who ran over and gathered around them, tilting their heads to listen, and some even danced and moved, accompanying him.
Qin Mu dispersed his primal energy, saying, "'Phoenix Seeks the Mate' was written by a man for a woman. The lyrics are a man persuading a woman to elope with him. They had shared intimacy before, and he wanted her to cherish that bond, to abandon everything and fly away together."
The Imperial Jade Buddha fell silent, then suddenly sat up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and waved away the eavesdropping skeletons: "What are you looking at? Nothing to see! Scram, scram. Young friend Qin, the Kaicang Heavenly Court has thirty-three heavens. The Supreme Imperial Heaven is the first heaven, and this second heaven is called the Supreme Bright Heaven. The thirty-three heavens are actually connected. Now that we're in the Supreme Bright Heaven, we're not far from the Supreme Imperial Heaven..."
Qin Mu continued, "I once learned this piece from Deaf Grandpa in our village. He was one of the most learned in our village, so what he taught me couldn't be wrong. But the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor Qi Xiayu is a woman, right? This piece was composed by a man, so it's a bit strange for her to play it. Moreover, her rendition clearly carries resentment, as if it's not meant to kill but to mock—to mock the one who wrote the poem and composed the music..."
The Imperial Jade Buddha's injuries seemed to heal instantly, and he strode forward, saying, "Above the Supreme Bright Heaven is the Pure Bright Heaven, and above that is the Mysterious Embryo Heaven. In those days, this place was extremely prosperous..."
The skeletons he had driven away gathered again like a herd of curious antelopes.
Qin Mu continued, "For a woman to play this piece, and to mock the one who wrote the poem and composed the music, then who is the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor Qi Xiayu trying to mock..."
Suddenly, the Imperial Jade Buddha turned around and snapped, "What exactly do you want?"
Qin Mu was startled and quickly shut his mouth. The skeletons also scattered with a clatter.
The Imperial Jade Buddha snorted coldly and stormed off, fuming, "I've achieved emptiness in all four elements. I've let everything go. There's no need to bring up the past! I let it go long ago. It's her who can't let go, pestering me endlessly. She got a hold on me and came to kill me—is that my fault?"
Qin Mu smiled and followed behind him, listening. The Imperial Jade Buddha sneered, "It's clearly her being petty, not my fault. In my early years, before I entered the gate of emptiness, I had that youthful time. I thought I could be with her, ignoring the conflict between the Heavenly Court and the Kaicang Heavenly Court. But she couldn't bear to give up her power and position, unwilling to leave with me. Later, when we met on the battlefield, she killed countless of my brothers and sisters, ruthless and merciless. That's when I cut ties with her!"
Qin Mu shooed away the curious skeletons that had gathered again. The Imperial Jade Buddha sighed, "The reason the Heavenly Court reacted so quickly this time is because she still holds a grudge against me, thinking I betrayed her. If her divine ability had killed me just now, that would have been fine. If I died, she wouldn't chase me. But since she didn't kill me, it means she will definitely come after me. Her speed is unmatched in the world. With you in tow, we can't escape. So I pretended to be gravely wounded to let you leave alone. But you saw through me, young friend Qin. Being too clever isn't always good."
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can you escape the Red Emperor's pursuit?"
The Imperial Jade Buddha shook his head, "Her ship can traverse the myriad worlds, unhindered by barriers. Her speed advantage is number one in the world—how could I escape? I plan to go upward against the flow, through Kaicang's thirty-three heavens, to hide there. She won't find me and will retreat. I can't take you with me; if I do, you'll surely die."
Some ships could travel between different worlds. Qin Mu had seen such ships before, like the Heavenly Craftsman Clan's Ark of the Other Shore, and his father Qin Hanzhen's ship, which had sailed into the sky above the Great Ruins from another world.
As the Southern Heavenly Red Emperor, Qi Xiayu owning such a ship was not surprising.
Qin Mu nodded silently, "Taking me would also burden you. Buddha, let's part ways here."
The Imperial Jade Buddha nodded lightly, "She'll be here soon. I have to separate from you. Can you find your way back to the Supreme Imperial Heaven?"
Qin Mu smiled, "At worst, I'll rebuild a spiritual energy teleportation bridge. Don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you."
The Imperial Jade Buddha sped up, pointing east, and his voice faded as he moved away: "Head that way, and you should find the path to the Supreme Imperial Heaven!"
His figure rapidly receded and disappeared.
Qin Mu opened his eyes, feeling his eyesight had recovered a bit. He stuck the golden willow leaf back over his third eye. Exposing his third eye made him afraid to activate the Dominator Body Three Dan Technique, so he usually kept it covered.
He headed east. This place was desolate, with no living beings in sight, only groups of bone balls blown around by the wind. When the wind stopped, those skeleton monsters would follow him like curious antelopes. The bolder ones even touched his clothes and pinched his face.
Qin Mu ignored these undead and kept moving east. Suddenly, he heard zither music from the sky.
It was the tune "Phoenix Seeks the Mate." Though it was clearly a courtship melody, it carried sorrow and hatred.
The dim sky suddenly brightened. A multi-story ship with pairs of phoenix wings sailed in from another world, appearing in the sky of the Supreme Bright Heaven. The zither music came from that ship.
Qin Mu listened intently. Then, a terrifying wave of spiritual energy swept through, spreading in all directions, covering the desolate land of the Supreme Bright Heaven like a tide, seeping into everything!
When that wave of spiritual energy swept over Qin Mu's body, it paused slightly, then passed over without targeting him.
The ship, with its pairs of phoenix wings vibrating, traced an elegant arc in the sky. It didn't pursue Qin Mu but followed the direction the Imperial Jade Buddha had gone.
The Southern Heavenly Red Emperor Qi Xiayu wasn't interested in capturing Qin Mu at all. She was only interested in the Imperial Jade Buddha.
"What story did the Imperial Jade Buddha have with her? Perhaps they were the protagonists of their own story..."
Qin Mu watched the ship disappear into the distance, relieved. He continued east, honing his techniques as he walked. Behind him, his demonic path divine treasury manifested, attempting to merge the Seven Star Divine Treasury with the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury.
He walked for who knows how long, but the Supreme Bright Heaven still showed no end.
Suddenly, Qin Mu stopped and looked ahead. A magnificent divine city stood there, bustling with people coming and going. Divine beings and demons stood on high, watching their surroundings warily.
Qin Mu's body trembled. He looked around and saw that the ruined Supreme Bright Heaven had vanished, replaced by the Supreme Bright Heaven before it was ravaged by war!
Qin Mu surveyed the geography, and his mind buzzed. The collapsed mountains stood again, and the destroyed divine city reappeared, fresh and new. And from the geography, it matched exactly a geographical map left by the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Saint Cult!
And that geographical map pointed to this very divine city!
"Senior Brother was a person from after the Kaicang era. He couldn't have drawn the geography of the Kaicang era before its destruction, nor could he have pointed to this divine city that no longer exists! Something's wrong, something's off..." Qin Mu's mind was in chaos.
--- The green ox, leaning against the wall with a flower in its mouth: Master planted a garden of peonies for me. When these flowers bloom, they bear monthly tickets, and I'll use those tickets to find my heart's ox~