Chapter 636: The Ring of Creation
Qin Mu stared blankly at the massive fish swimming through the ancient seabed ruins, each with three heads and six fins. His mind trembled violently, and he blurted out, "Do you mean to say these fish are gods and demons from the Red Ming Era?"
"Not just the fish, but also the other sea creatures!"
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign looked elsewhere, where colossal sea monsters also swam, likewise with three heads and six arms. Between their arms grew enormous webbed membranes that flapped up and down as they moved, granting them incredible speed and agility in the water.
Beyond these sea beasts, there were even three-headed, six-armed sea serpent demons, some with male heads, others with female heads, all bearing arms and flat, serpentine tails. They too swam toward the ruins.
Qin Mu also spotted walking plants, resembling coral or other underwater trees, each crowned with three treetops, while their trunks inevitably split into six branches.
Floating in the water were strange creatures like sea anemones and jellyfish, also with three heads and six arms. Some jellyfish even bore faces!
Their tendrils undulated as if responding to some barely perceptible call, drawing them toward the seabed ruins.
"Have they lost their intelligence?" Qin Mu asked in astonishment.
These bizarre sea beasts and massive fish paid them no heed, drifting aimlessly through the ruins, emitting calls that ranged from deep and melodious to short and fierce.
They did not treat Qin Mu and the First Ancestor as intruders, likely because they had not awakened their intellect and were merely following the summons in a daze.
"They have no intelligence."
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign led him before a massive fish. The fish, dazed and confused, stared at the two tiny figures before it with its enormous eyes, quickly lost interest, and flicked its tail as it swam away.
"This is the only way they could avoid the Heavenly Court's pursuit and extermination."
The First Ancestor sighed with some emotion, saying, "It seems they suffered the same devastating defeat as the Kai Huang Era, utterly routed and powerless to resist. So they took the initiative to transform themselves into mindless sea beasts and monsters, showing the Heavenly Court they posed no threat. That's how they escaped disaster."
The gods and demons of the Red Ming Era had altered their physical forms, and their primordial spirits must have been sealed as well, turning them into sea creatures. Without their divine power and abilities, they naturally posed no threat.
Thus, they survived.
Meanwhile, another group of Red Ming Era gods and demons had fled to distant lands, seeking a place to settle and multiply.
"The one who summoned them here is Red Creek. He's arrived! Does he have some method to restore these Red Ming Era behemoths to their true forms and reawaken their consciousness?"
Qin Mu pondered, "No wonder he kept saying he had to return to his ancestral land. If all these giant beasts are gods and demons, then Red Creek the Divine Man could instantly gather an army of tens of thousands! And then Yan Kang..."
He shuddered.
More and more strange beasts gathered in the sea, of all kinds and forms. If all these colossal sea creatures transformed into three-headed, six-armed gods and demons and came ashore, Yan Kang would be the first to face them!
Yan Kang also had some gods and demons, but due to its short development time—still less than twenty years—most of them were currently in the Supreme Heavenly Realm, battling the demon race. If the Red Ming Era gods and demons landed, Emperor Yan Feng would surely be wailing in despair.
Suddenly, beams of light erupted from the center of these ruins.
Whoosh—
A sphere of light expanded, carrying seawater that crashed into Qin Mu and the First Ancestor. Qin Mu vaguely felt as if the light had sifted through him, shaking his primal energy, primordial spirit, limbs, and bones. The vibrations were subtle but profound, as if the tiniest particles of his body were being excited and set into relentless motion, sending a tingling numbness through both his body and spirit.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
One sphere of light after another expanded from the center of the ruins, sweeping over them in succession. The seawater surged, pushed back by these rings of light, which formed a massive barrier. Within these ruins, not a trace of moisture remained—even the ground was dry!
Thud, thud, thud! Giant beasts fell from the air, crashing into the ruins. Some landed on palaces, others tumbled into streets, causing a momentary chaos.
Inside the light sphere, there was no air. These giant beasts opened their mouths wide, trying to gulp in air but finding nothing. Some three-headed, six-finned fish thrashed their heads and tails, crawling outward with their fins. Many sea trees and plants also moved their roots, trying to escape the ruins, though the sea beasts were faster.
Just then, a pillar of light shot up from where the glow had erupted, piercing through the sea above and opening a passage. A fierce wind howled in, flooding this underwater divine city.
The giant beasts finally caught their breath, though the large fish still couldn't breathe and continued crawling out.
At that moment, Qin Mu and the First Ancestor saw the ground at the light's origin begin to tremble. A massive circular wheel slowly rose, and then came the sound of cracking as it split apart, revealing a second wheel within, then a third, a fourth...
Each wheel bore incredibly intricate runic structures. The three-headed, six-armed divine being, Red Creek, stood at the center of the wheels, his six arms spread in all directions.
The wheels began to spin, with Red Creek the Divine Man as their axis. As they turned, the runes on them lit up, and bright runic symbols flew out, shining in every direction!
Qin Mu immediately saw a rune land on a three-headed, six-armed sea beast. A runic mark appeared on the beast's body, a mark that looked like an incredibly complex, interlocking lock—a seal. When the rune from the wheel shone on this seal, the lock began to open layer by layer!
"Not good! He's preparing to unseal these Red Ming Era gods and demons, restoring their true forms!"
Qin Mu acted without hesitation. He patted his gluttony pouch, and several mirrors flew out—the ones he used to tidy his appearance. There were only five or six of them.
Qin Mu also took out his sword orb. The orb expanded, and with a hum, eight thousand swords assembled into a massive, gleaming mirror.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign quickly stopped him, puzzled. "What are you doing?"
"Breaking the spell!"
Qin Mu said rapidly, "Red Creek the Divine Man is using the runes from his wheel to shine on these beasts, unlocking their seals and returning them to their divine forms. I just need to reflect those runes with my mirrors. The reflected runes will be reversed, preventing him from unsealing these sealed gods and demons!"
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign stared wide-eyed in surprise. After a moment, he praised, "This divine weapon of Red Creek's is a creation divine weapon, with incredibly complex runes. Even I would need to put in great effort to decipher them. I didn't expect you to come up with such a simple way to counter it. You're not just a dominant body; you also have a remarkably dominant brain. But you don't need to go to all that trouble. Let him unseal them."
Qin Mu shook his head, tense with worry. "No! The Red Ming Era gods and demons are fierce warriors, and from Red Creek's behavior, he's a man who stops at nothing. If they're unsealed and restored to their true forms, it would be a catastrophe for Yan Kang! The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily a friend; they could also be an enemy! He won't join forces with us, so I have to stop this..."
"It's no longer necessary. You're looking at this from a racial standpoint, but I'm looking at it from the perspective of Dao techniques and divine abilities."
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign showed a hint of pity, shaking his head. "Three hundred and fifty thousand years have passed. Red Creek probably never imagined that the gods and demons of his era, after undergoing three hundred and fifty thousand years of transformation, would have primordial spirits that are no longer what they once were, and souls that are no longer what they once were."
Qin Mu was taken aback. He put away the small mirrors but kept the large mirror formed by the sword orb, asking, "Do you mean the primordial spirits of these sea beasts and giant fish can no longer be restored?"
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign nodded. "It's been too long. Their primordial spirits and souls have already been twisted. The Red Ming Era probably didn't have as high an attainment in souls and primordial spirits as the Kai Huang Era. They forcibly used creation divine abilities to alter the physical structure and the structure of the primordial spirits and souls of these gods and demons. If they had been changed back then, they might have awakened. But after three hundred and fifty thousand years of such mutation, very few primordial spirits or souls can still awaken. The person who gave them this idea likely had ill intentions."
Qin Mu's heart shook violently. He found it hard to believe. "Do you mean the person who came up with this idea back then deliberately did so, turning the Red Ming Era gods and demons into sea beasts and monsters from which they could never return?"
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign nodded gently. "It's possible that person had already defected to the Heavenly Court and set a trap for the Red Ming Era gods and demons."
Qin Mu shuddered several times. "No wonder Village Chief and Blind Grandpa said I was too naive and not cunning enough. I really am too naive."
The wheel continued to spin, countless runic marks flying out rapidly. More seals appeared on the sea beasts, giant fish, monsters, and sea trees, and the seals kept unlocking. Their bodies began to change.
When the wheel slowly stopped turning, the magnificent underwater divine city was filled with naked gods and demons lying everywhere. These gods and demons had three heads and six arms, their bodies marked with the unique patterns of the Red Ming Era.
Their physical forms were incredibly powerful—the ultimate battle bodies!
Yet these gods and demons lay on the ground, writhing as if they were still giant fish or monsters. Some stood up, spreading their six arms as if they were still sea trees.
Qin Mu even saw a Red Ming Era god and demon wiggling his toes on the ground, having returned from a jellyfish state to human form but still imagining he had tentacles. He blinked frantically, as if trying to glow like a jellyfish.
"Awaken! My people! I have returned!"
Red Creek the Divine Man's voice echoed through the divine city, trembling with excitement, his three voices overlapping: "The Red Ming Era has returned! The battle is not over! The divine sons of the Red Ming Era await your news! Awaken!"
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign dispersed his hand seals, landed on the ground, and walked toward the source of Red Creek's voice. "Let's go over."
Qin Mu followed him. Red Creek's voice came again, this time tinged with confusion and fear: "What's wrong with you? Why haven't you awakened yet? Wake up! Have you forgotten the glory of three hundred and fifty thousand years ago?"
His voice grew more panicked. He couldn't understand why these Red Ming Era gods and demons hadn't awakened as he expected. He activated the wheel again, and it spun, sending runes flying in all directions, but they had no effect on these gods and demons.
Soon, Qin Mu and the First Ancestor Human Sovereign arrived beneath the wheel. Red Creek the Divine Man sensed them, and the wheel stopped spinning. The old era's executioner turned all three of his heads to face them coldly.
"Chief Qin!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out. Qin Mu followed the sound and saw Ban Gongcuo standing atop a tall tower, looking at him excitedly.
Qin Mu was pleasantly surprised and waved. "Great Venerable! What are you doing here?"
Ban Gongcuo laughed heartily, shook his body, and transformed into his three-headed, six-armed form. He charged down from the tower, shouting with all three heads, "I've been searching for you for a long time! Now I can finally take my revenge! Watch my Leakless Battle Divine Art!"
His feet pounded against the tower as he descended, his six arms flailing wildly. His six palm strikes were unpredictable, exploding the air with thunderous sounds as lightning crackled and flashed!
The Leakless Battle Divine Art's hand seals were terrifying, and with so many arms, there were no openings in front, behind, above, or below. His attack speed was greatly increased, and this technique wasn't just flawless—it could also devour others' blood and energy to strengthen itself, keeping him at peak condition at all times!
Qin Mu looked up. Before Ban Gongcuo even reached him, the wind pressed down like a mountain. The ground around Qin Mu kept sinking, showing the immense pressure he was under!
Ban Gongcuo laughed loudly as he descended from the sky, unleashing the full power of the Leakless Battle Divine Art!
Boom—
Ban Gongcuo's body shook violently, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall of a great hall. The smiles on his three faces hadn't even fully faded.
"Stacked Hands!"
Qin Mu placed his right hand in front and his left hand behind, pressing his palms together. He pushed toward Ban Gongcuo from a distance. The power of the Yin-Yang Reversal Hand stacked and erupted. Another boom rang out as rubble flew and the wall collapsed, sending Ban Gongcuo and the palace wall tumbling into the hall.
Qin Mu pushed dozens of times, and dozens of booming sounds echoed from within the hall before he finally stopped.
"He ran fast."
Qin Mu shook his head and praised, "As expected of the Great Venerable. His cultivation has improved astonishingly; he's probably not far from the Life and Death Realm. The Great Venerable is still so tough and so clever."
Behind Red Creek the Divine Man, Ban Gongcuo's figure suddenly appeared, covered in blood. Five of his six arms were broken, two of his three necks were snapped, and two of his heads hung limply. His body swayed, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
"Qin, you bastard..." Ban Gongcuo spat out a mouthful of blood.
Qin Mu turned around, as if he had done something trivial, and greeted Red Creek: "Senior Red Creek, we meet again. The Red Ming Era is truly astonishing. Are the runes on this wheel the symbols of creation divine abilities? Could you explain them to me?"
His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he humbly sought knowledge.
"That expression is exactly like a silly roe deer..." The First Ancestor Human Sovereign's forehead bulged with veins as he thought to himself.
---The butcher sharpens his knife, a pig tied up beside him. The butcher rubs the blade with his thumb and glances sideways at the pig: "If you can't beg for monthly votes, what use are you? Today, the pig goes on the table!"