Chapter 649: Qin Mu's Big-Eyed Monsters
"How exactly should the Heavenly Palace be treated?"
After healing the injuries of the First Ancestor's physical body, Qin Mu spent another two days regulating his divine hides. When medicinal herbs were lacking, he directly planted and cultivated them. However, although the First Ancestor's physical injuries had healed, his complexion grew worse and worse, and he frequently fell into comas.
This was because the injuries to his primordial spirit and Heavenly Palace were too severe.
Faced with the First Ancestor's primordial spirit and Heavenly Palace injuries, Qin Mu was at a complete loss.
The medical skills and healing arts that the Medicine Master had taught him could treat cultivators at the Divine Bridge realm or those who had not yet entered the Southern Heavenly Gate. But injuries to the Heavenly Palace at the divine realm were an uncharted territory even for the Medicine Master.
Moreover, silver needles could no longer reach into the Heavenly Palace. How to guide medicinal power there became a major problem. Steaming or boiling was also unlikely, as the power couldn't penetrate the Heavenly Palace. As for taking miraculous pills and elixirs, there was no way to make the medicinal power reach the Heavenly Palace directly.
The First Ancestor's primordial spirit was no longer in the Fetal Hide Divine Hide but resided within the Heavenly Palace. Judging by his cultivation level, he had likely already reached the realm of the Execution Platform or Jade Capital. Only by entering the First Ancestor's Heavenly Palace could one know his exact cultivation realm.
The First Ancestor's primordial spirit was in a terrible state. He couldn't release his own primordial spirit for Qin Mu to treat. To heal him, one had to enter the Heavenly Palace.
"I can transform into a shadow and invade his divine hides, guiding the medicinal power to help him heal, but I can't enter the Southern Heavenly Gate!"
Qin Mu paced around the First Ancestor, carefully calculating. The Southern Heavenly Gate was a crucial pass—the checkpoint for a deity to transition from a false god to a true god. One's primordial spirit needed the power of a true god to enter.
Although the Great Cultivation Demon Scripture contained all kinds of marvelous techniques, no matter how exquisite the technique, it had to follow a basic principle: cultivation realm.
Qin Mu's cultivation realm was far from reaching the level needed to enter the Southern Heavenly Gate!
The First Ancestor had fallen unconscious again. This time, he didn't know what he was dreaming about, but he kept talking in his sleep.
"I am guilty..."
"I will run no more..."
"I have come to atone..."
"I'm sorry..."
...
Qin Mu frowned. This kind of unconscious state was extremely dangerous, indicating that the First Ancestor's primordial spirit was beginning to disintegrate. There was no more time to delay; he had to deliver the medicinal power to the Heavenly Palace as soon as possible!
"I can't get through the Southern Heavenly Gate, but some things can!"
Qin Mu quickly refined pills to treat primordial spirit injuries. He made more and more, until finally, he gathered all the miraculous medicines and said to Ling Yuxiu, "Sister Xiu, I'm going to treat the First Ancestor. Stay here and be careful of Chixi!"
Ling Yuxiu nervously clutched the box and nodded heavily.
Suddenly, Qin Mu's body turned into a shadow and drilled into the First Ancestor's brow. He sped through the Fetal Hide, Five Luminaries, Six Harmonies, and other divine hides. After a long time, he finally arrived at the Divine Bridge Divine Hide.
Standing on the First Ancestor's Divine Bridge, he saw that the bridge was as radiant as a rainbow. Below it, the various divine hides were layered and interlocked—Five Luminaries, Seven Stars, Six Harmonies, Heaven and Man. Beneath the Six Harmonies lay the pitch-black Netherworld, which was the Life and Death Divine Hide.
Qin Mu steadied himself and walked along the bridge toward the other end, where the First Ancestor's Heavenly Palace lay.
When he reached the middle of the bridge, he was stunned to see that the First Ancestor's Divine Bridge was completely connected—not broken!
The Divine Bridges of cultivators in Yanguo were all severed. Even with the Magpie Bridge Technique, the Mystic Attraction Technique, and the Divine Crossing Technique, part of the bridge remained disconnected, requiring the final Divine Crossing Technique to fly across to the other shore.
But the First Ancestor's Divine Bridge was fully joined, not broken.
"That's right. He's like me—both of us are descended from the Kaihuang bloodline. Our Divine Bridges are not severed."
Qin Mu walked forward. After a long time, he reached the end of the Divine Bridge and looked up. The Southern Heavenly Gate stood tall amidst the drifting clouds and mist, vast and majestic, exuding an air of antiquity.
This Southern Heavenly Gate was the portal to the Heavenly Palace. The surrounding clouds naturally formed various runic patterns—ram's horns, kui dragons, vermilion birds, black tortoises, phoenixes—along with thunder patterns, wind patterns, and other wondrous cloud textures. The gate itself pressed down on Qin Mu with an incomparable, heavy pressure.
Entering this gate, if one couldn't withstand it, their primordial spirit would scatter!
Qin Mu steadied himself, took out his Taotie pouch, fumbled around, and retrieved two jade eyes.
The Lunar Jade Eye and the Solar Jade Eye.
Qin Mu thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and activated the Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art, attempting to bestow intelligence upon these two jade eyes!
His mastery of the Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art was not high—he had only dabbled in it. He had no confidence in whether he could successfully awaken them.
He waited for a long time, but the two jade eyes remained still. Qin Mu frowned and was about to use the Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art again when suddenly, with a pop-pop sound, the Lunar Jade Eye sprouted two thin legs from beneath its big eyeball. Then, with another pop-pop, two thin arms grew from the eye. It stretched lazily and shouted, "I'm suffocating! Bro, bro, don't hold yourself in!"
Qin Mu was dumbfounded. Suddenly, the Solar Jade Eye beside it started laughing with a snort-snort sound. Its two thin arms hugged its big eyeball as it rolled on the ground laughing. The Lunar Jade Eye also laughed like crazy, kneeling on the ground, its little arms pounding the floor wildly: "He thought we weren't awake yet and was going to wake us up again!"
The two big eyeballs rolled around on the ground.
Qin Mu's face darkened. "Alright, that's enough. Stop laughing... If you laugh again, I'll turn you back to your original form!"
The two jade eyes quickly shut up, stood up straight with their thin arms and legs, and the Lunar Jade Eye said, "I think our legs are a bit too thin. I'm worried they might break."
The Solar Jade Eye's big eyeball drooped down, trying to see its own legs, but how could it?
Thump.
The Solar Jade Eye rolled out, tumbling over a dozen times before stopping. The Lunar Jade Eye was beside itself with laughter, falling to its knees and pounding the ground madly!
Qin Mu's hand trembled as he viciously plucked out two of his own beard hairs, shouting, "Have you had enough fun? I awakened you with spirit-bestowal, not to watch you clown around!"
The two jade eyes quickly stood together again, obediently listening to the lecture.
Qin Mu took out the miraculous pills he had refined, wrapped them into a large bundle, and said, "After you enter the gate, keep going straight. Bring these pills near the First Ancestor's primordial spirit, then dissolve the medicinal power."
He was about to hand the pills to the two big eyeballs when he suddenly realized something: "It seems my Ten Thousand Spirits Natural Art isn't cultivated well enough. Every time I summon something, it's a bit unreliable. For example, when I awakened the box, it always liked collecting bones and corpses. When I summoned a sand dune giant in the Upper Emperor Desert of the Great Ruins, it could only shout 'Ahhh' and ran extremely slowly. These two guys might also be unreliable..."
He thought for a moment, took out one pill, and said, "Try dissolving the medicinal power."
The Lunar Jade Eye suddenly shot out a beam of light, cutting the pill in half.
Qin Mu was about to speak when the Solar Jade Eye shot out a beam of fire, turning the pill to ash.
"That's not the right way."
Qin Mu patiently explained, "You are one Lunar and one Solar. Yin and Yang must combine. You should dissolve the medicinal power like this."
He took out another pill, and his eyes changed—his left eye became Solar, his right eye Lunar. Two beams of light shone simultaneously on the pill, and instantly, the pill's medicinal power dissolved, releasing a fragrant aroma.
"Try again. Both of you catalyze the medicinal power together!"
The two jade eyes burned the pill to ash once more. Qin Mu patiently guided them to control their power. After more than a dozen attempts, they finally succeeded once.
Qin Mu had them try another dozen times, and the success rate gradually improved. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "With a forty to fifty percent success rate, it's acceptable. After you go in, dissolve the medicinal power of the pills one by one. Don't dissolve them all at once. If you fail, all your effort will be wasted. Remember, don't be playful. You must dissolve the pills, or I'll turn you back to your original form!"
The two big eyes walked toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. The Lunar Jade Eye carried the large bundle on its back. As they stepped through the Southern Heavenly Gate, both big eyeballs paused for a moment, then walked inside.
Qin Mu grew nervous, watching the two eyeballs go far away. Suddenly, the Solar Jade Eye said, "Walking is too slow. Let's roll!"
"Good!"
Qin Mu's eyes widened as he saw the two jade eyes roll with a clatter deep into the Heavenly Palace. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, but fortunately, the bundle didn't come undone.
"Unreliable, unreliable. Why are the things I awaken with spirit-bestowal always so unreliable..."
The two jade eyes rolled along swiftly, occasionally punching and kicking each other, sending each other flying, utterly joyful. Qin Mu's face turned green as he kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Soon, he could no longer see them, only hearing the thump-thump-thump of collisions from within the Heavenly Palace behind the Southern Heavenly Gate. Occasionally, he could see a big round ball fly up and fall down, likely kicked into the air by the other jade eye.
He waited for a long time. The two jade eyes finally arrived at the Execution Platform. The platform was filled with murderous aura. A man knelt there, offering his neck for execution. In the air, a blade of light swung down automatically, chopping at the kneeling man's neck, again and again.
The kneeling man's neck was almost severed. Soon, he would be beheaded.
The two big eyeballs looked at each other: "This should be the place, right? Is this man seeking death?"
"If he's seeking death, we can't save him. Let's go back."
The two jade eyes rolled back down the mountain, then suddenly stopped: "The master said that if we don't dissolve these pills, he'll turn us back to our original form. If we go back now, we're dead."
The two jade eyes rolled back up, hopping and skipping up the mountain, and arrived at the Execution Platform. The Lunar Jade Eye opened the bundle, took out one pill, and the two jade eyes activated their Lunar and Solar energies to dissolve the pill.
After dissolving over a dozen pills and ruining seven or eight, both jade eyes grew impatient. The Solar Jade Eye suggested, "Why don't we dissolve them all at once? When we go back, we'll tell the master we dissolved them all!"
"Good!"
The two jade eyes widened with excitement, and with a hum, two beams of light shone onto the bundle!
Ling Yuxiu stayed by the First Ancestor's side, growing anxious. Qin Mu had turned into a shadow and entered the First Ancestor's divine hides a long time ago, yet he still hadn't reappeared. She didn't know if Qin Mu could successfully save the First Ancestor.
But the First Ancestor's breath was gradually weakening, clearly showing his injuries were getting worse!
Suddenly, Ling Yuxiu stood up, cautiously watching the approaching Banguocuo.
Banguocuo walked over slowly with a full smile, saying, "Princess Xiu, how is the First Ancestor's injury? I am also skilled in medicine. Perhaps I can contribute a small effort."
Ling Yuxiu clutched the small box and said calmly, "No need for your trouble. The cowherd's medical skills are far better than yours."
Chixi approached from another direction, speaking unhurriedly, "Little girl, Young Friend Qin's medical skills are indeed superb, but no matter how superb he is, he can't deliver medicinal power to the Heavenly Palace. If we delay any longer, the First Ancestor will surely die. Only I can save him here. Only I can enter his Heavenly Palace."
Tap.
Ling Yuxiu opened the small box a crack. Chixi's heart tightened, and he stopped in his tracks, his muscles contracting, ready to flee far away at any moment to avoid the Execution Platform Mystic Blade.
His other head looked at Banguocuo. Banguocuo cautiously stepped forward, stepping onto the medicinal garden, kicking around wildly, trampling the herbs Qin Mu had planted into a mess.
He was trying to distract Ling Yuxiu.
Many of the herbs in the garden were planted by Qin Mu to treat the First Ancestor's injuries. If they were destroyed, the First Ancestor's wounds might be beyond saving!
Moreover, if Ling Yuxiu was distracted, Chixi would seize the opportunity to snatch back the small box!
By then, the First Ancestor, Ling Yuxiu, and Qin Mu would be at their mercy!
Ling Yuxiu's forehead bulged with veins, but she still stared fixedly at Chixi, gritting her teeth and saying in a low voice, "Great Venerable, you are also a descendant of the people the First Ancestor saved. Don't you have any gratitude?"
Banguocuo was momentarily stunned, then said with a half-smile, "I am a vicious and evil person. Everyone in the world wants to kill me. If the First Ancestor knew that the person he saved back then would have a descendant like me, he definitely wouldn't have come to the rescue. I don't feel the slightest gratitude toward him!"
Chixi shot him a look. Banguocuo hesitated but didn't continue forward. He laughed, "I poisoned millions of my own tribesmen on the grasslands. How could I feel grateful to the First Ancestor for his righteous act back then? I won't..."
Chixi shot him another look.
Banguocuo gritted his teeth and stepped forward. Ling Yuxiu's gaze remained locked on Chixi as she shouted sternly, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you with the Execution Platform Mystic Blade?"
Banguocuo's expression was complicated. He walked up behind her, slowly reaching out, inch by inch, toward the box in her hand.
Ling Yuxiu could no longer hold back. She kicked backward, hitting Banguocuo square in the face. Banguocuo fell backward, unconscious.
"Useless piece of trash!"
Chixi was furious, but he seized the opportunity when Ling Yuxiu kicked. His divine technique was about to erupt and blast Ling Yuxiu to death when suddenly, the First Ancestor sat up. Chixi was startled, turned around, and disappeared into the forest.
"I will save you."
The First Ancestor's face was sallow, and he said softly, "No matter how evil you were back then, I would still save you, because you were the last of humanity."
Banguocuo opened his eyes, turned over, and knelt before the First Ancestor, kowtowing heavily several times. Then his body turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared.
Ling Yuxiu finally relaxed. Her legs gave way, and she sat down on the ground, watching in surprise as Banguocuo vanished into black smoke. She murmured, "That kick of mine definitely couldn't have knocked him out. Could he still have some humanity left?"
Qin Mu flew out from the First Ancestor's brow and said, "Humanity? There should still be a little bit left, I suppose."
——Four-thousand-word chapter. Thank you all for the generous tips yesterday! You've spent too much!