Chapter 656: The Brain of the Crimson Emperor
The Crimson Bright Divine Son turned back, beaming as he said, "I invite you into the sacred hall—it's not an offense, I assure you. Please."
Qin Mu hesitated, glancing back at the First Ancestor. The First Ancestor looked sickly and listless, trudging forward slowly.
"His injuries should be mostly healed by now. Why is he still so dispirited?"
Qin Mu was puzzled. Although the First Ancestor had always been cold and aloof, ignoring everyone, his aura had been restrained. Ever since this journey to the Suspended Void Realm began, he had seemed languid and dejected, clearly not due to injury.
He followed the Crimson Bright Divine Son toward the sacred hall alongside the First Ancestor. The Crimson Bright Divine Son chuckled, "This friend of yours has been protecting you all along, yet he doesn't protect the Yan Kang Princess. Clearly, in his heart, you are far more important than she is."
Qin Mu was about to speak when the Crimson Bright Divine Son continued, "In truth, in my heart, you are not only more important than the Yan Kang Princess but also far more important than Emperor Yan Feng."
Qin Mu was taken aback and smiled, "Your Highness, why do you say that?"
The Crimson Bright Divine Son didn't answer. He stepped into the hall and said, "Since this sacred hall was first built, no outsider has ever been allowed inside. Not just outsiders—even among my own people, few have the qualification to come and pay homage to the Brain of the Crimson Emperor."
Qin Mu replied, "Your Highness allowing us in makes me feel deeply honored."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son turned back, scrutinizing Qin Mu's face closely, as if to see whether he truly felt honored.
Qin Mu looked deeply honored.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son shook his head. "Your expression is vivid and lifelike, but it's just pretense—not heartfelt. You're merely curious, with not a trace of genuine honor. If you could fake it to the point of sincerity, you might fool me."
Qin Mu blushed.
"Still fake."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son continued forward, saying, "You may not know this, but I am not actually a descendant of the Crimson Emperor or the Bright Emperor. I have no blood relation to either of them."
Qin Mu was astonished. Even the First Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, grew curious and took the initiative to ask, "Brother, if you're not their descendant, why are you honored as the Crimson Bright Divine Son?"
The Crimson Bright Divine Son seemed lost in recollection. "Before the cataclysm struck, the Bright Emperor had already sensed it coming. He gathered the young talents of the realm and held a martial arts assembly. After layers of selection, a thousand people were chosen to meet the Bright Emperor, and I was among them. The Bright Emperor imparted teachings and doctrines, greatly inspiring us thousand youths. I was not the most outstanding—whether in talent, comprehension, or divine techniques and spells, I couldn't rank in the top ten. Yet in the end, the Bright Emperor chose me. He told me that what the Crimson Bright Era needed was not the person with the highest talent or comprehension, but someone who could unite the people and lead them forward after failure. He revealed to me the path to the Suspended Void Realm, and then the cataclysm struck."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son's expression darkened. After a moment, it returned to normal, and he continued, "I never understood why he chose me until the cataclysm erupted. The Bright Emperor publicly declared that I was the destined divine son of the Crimson Bright Era, which gave me many followers when doomsday arrived. They firmly believed I was the destined divine son, capable of bringing them hope. So I led the remaining people—the last hope of the Crimson Bright Era—into the starry sky, searching for the Suspended Void Realm, where we settled."
His face was calm as he said, "I understood why the Bright Emperor chose me: because I could endure failure, unite people's hearts, and give my people hope. I am not the destined divine son of the Crimson Bright Era, but I can lead my people out of death, out of failure. I can also lead them out of their comfort zone, give them the will to fight, and awaken the wild spirit of the Crimson Bright Era within them!"
The First Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, remained silent.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son's experience was very similar to his own.
Yet their choices were completely different.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son endured and moved forward, an outstanding leader who knew when to hold back and when to strike.
But he, after leading the remnants of his people to Yan Kang, had sunk into despair, doing nothing for twenty thousand years, bringing no hope to his people.
These days, he had been feeling dejected and ashen-hearted, precisely because the Suspended Void Realm reminded him of Carefree Village. The current state of the Suspended Void Realm was no different from the state of Carefree Village!
The Crimson Bright Divine Son was trying to leave the Suspended Void Realm, but who could lead the remnants of the Kai Huang Era out of Carefree Village? Carefree Village also needed a divine son of the Kai Huang Era!
Now, learning about the Crimson Bright Divine Son's past, he recalled his own.
"I am not the divine son of the Kai Huang Era..."
Bitterness welled up in his heart again. "The Celestial Master was absolutely right. I am a deserter, always a deserter..."
Suddenly, Qin Mu spoke up, "Your Highness, you've revealed all these secrets to us without reservation. Are you planning to silence us by killing us?"
The Crimson Bright Divine Son laughed heartily and shook his head. "No. This friend of yours is very strong, and you harbor a terrifying power within you, suppressed and sealed, yet it still makes my heart race. I don't intend to kill you two; rather, I want to win you over and bridge the distance between us."
He said earnestly, "Emperor Yan Feng has the aura of a Heavenly Emperor, but he was born at the wrong time—a pity. He is doomed to die. If you assist him, you will gain nothing. If Lord Sacrificial Officer Qin could assist me, I could prolong the fortunes of Yan Kang and Crimson Bright, regroup, and contend with Heaven again! I beg Lord Sacrificial Officer Qin to help me!"
Qin Mu was taken aback, then suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the sacred hall.
After a long while, his laughter gradually subsided, and the smile on his face slowly faded. He shook his head. "Your Highness, you've misunderstood. I am not the pillar of Yan Kang, nor the state teacher of reform and transformation. I am merely a Grand Sacrificial Officer of Yan Kang, who happened to be involved in the reforms. If you want to win someone over, you should approach the Yan Kang State Teacher. His talent and insight surpass mine by a hundred... well, twice! About twice, maybe not even that, but close enough..."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son smiled faintly. "The Yan Kang State Teacher? In the future, I will meet him in person and see if he lives up to your praise. Lord Sacrificial Officer, don't be hasty in refusing. Who can say what the future holds? Think it over. Ahead lies the Brain of the Crimson Emperor."
Qin Mu and the First Ancestor looked forward. A bright light shone ahead, interweaving and intersecting, shaped like a brain covering several acres of land. Standing there, one immediately felt their own insignificance and the lowliness of their wisdom.
Though called the Brain of the Crimson Emperor, this mass of light was not a real brain. The Crimson Emperor had transformed into the Suspended Void Realm; his brain no longer existed. These lights were the lingering radiance of his thoughts.
The brain-shaped light had some areas bright and others dim, but not absolutely so, as the lights flowed in linear patterns, constantly changing, as if the Crimson Emperor were still thinking, still possessing vitality.
"What an immensely powerful being! Though his body died and his spirit perished, his consciousness endures, his thoughts eternal!"
Qin Mu felt reverence and bowed to the mass of light—a heartfelt respect, with no pretense.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son approached the Brain of the Crimson Emperor and said, "Back then, the Bright Emperor sacrificed to the Crimson Emperor, obtaining a thread of his consciousness, and thus learned the path to the Suspended Void Realm, finding a retreat for the people of Crimson Bright. So I suspect that the Crimson Emperor might not have intended for us to find the Suspended Void Realm to escape disaster. He may have wanted us to use that thread of consciousness to find his Brain and obtain certain thoughts or memories within it."
Qin Mu was startled and thought to himself, "This Divine Son may not be the true destined divine son, but he knows how to think in reverse. His way of thinking is similar to mine."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son's expression was complex. He gently touched the Brain of the Crimson Emperor, and suddenly the streams of thought-light on the brain became intense, flowing across its surface, flickering on and off!
"He indeed wants to tell me something, but I am dull-witted. Over the years, I've often come to see him, hoping to gain more information, yet I've never been able to receive his guidance."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son sighed. "Since you two are here, why not give it a try? Perhaps you can receive the Crimson Emperor's guidance."
Qin Mu reached out to touch the Brain of the Crimson Emperor, but suddenly the First Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, slapped his hand away with a sharp crack. "Be careful—the Crimson Emperor might try to possess you."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son said, "The Crimson Emperor, who founded the Crimson Bright Era, would never stoop to such a despicable act. If he wanted to possess someone, he could have possessed me long ago. Unfortunately, I am willing to sacrifice myself, but he has already scattered his soul, transforming into this Suspended Void Realm."
Qin Mu thought for a moment, then peeled off the golden willow leaf from his forehead, reached out, and laughed, "Touching it won't kill me..."
The First Ancestor frowned. At the same time, he extended his hand, and both their palms pressed against the Brain of the Crimson Emperor almost simultaneously.
Boom—
A thunderous sound, as if heaven and earth were being created, erupted in their minds. Countless complex images and voices surged wildly into their brains. Every voice belonged to the same person, but the words were short—just a single phrase—yet the quantity was immense. In an instant, tens of thousands of phrases rang out simultaneously!
The images were equally chaotic, tens of thousands flashing before their eyes. It was like the bizarre, dazzling scenes born at the dawn of creation. Qin Mu and the First Ancestor's eyeballs darted left and right like spinning rattles, almost impossible to track!
Buzz—
The eye on Qin Mu's forehead opened. Within that eye was another eye, curiously peering outward.
At that moment, within the Qin Continent in Qin Mu's eye, the chubby baby Qin Fengqing sat on the Heavenly Lord's avatar, pried open a crack in the seal—just enough for one eye to see the outside. The giant infant was intensely curious, using Qin Mu's forehead eye to stare at the Brain of the Crimson Emperor, drooling heavily.
Suddenly, the violent information from the Brain of the Crimson Emperor surged in, pouring into his brain in a torrent!
"What kind of trick is this, ambushing me?"
The giant infant was startled. The violent information flooded his mind, freezing him in place.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu's pressure greatly diminished, but the First Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, bled from all seven orifices. His hand involuntarily released its grip, and he fell stiffly to the ground, unconscious.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son sighed softly. "You can't handle the information in the Brain of the Crimson Emperor either. Indeed, your cultivation and strength are slightly inferior to mine. If I can't accept it, how could you?"
He raised his hand, revealing a transparent glove. He had touched the Brain of the Crimson Emperor through this glove, so he hadn't been affected.
"But Lord Sacrificial Officer Qin..."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son's eyes flickered. All three of his eyes opened, fixed on Qin Mu, his voice strange. "How have you managed to stay conscious without fainting? But it doesn't matter now. You've fallen into the thought maze of the Crimson Emperor's Brain—you probably won't wake up."
He gently raised his hand, and the unconscious First Ancestor floated up. The Crimson Bright Divine Son turned and walked out, with the First Ancestor drifting behind him.
"I've seen people like you. You'll never pledge allegiance to me. Even if the Yan Kang Emperor fails in his reforms and dies, you won't come to me—you'll only go to assist Princess Yuxiu."
He stepped out of the sacred hall, his gaze deep and distant, and murmured softly, "You won't die, but your thoughts will merge with the Crimson Emperor's, trapping you in his maze. Even if you eventually escape, you'll find that the future world is no longer the one you remember, and the people of the future won't be the ones you know now..."
He walked downward. Just then, a faint ripple came from within the sacred hall.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son was startled and turned back to look at the hall's entrance.
The sacred hall suddenly fell into darkness, and Qin Mu's surprised voice came through: "It went out? How could this... First Ancestor? Divine Son? Where are you... No one here... Time to slip away!"
The Crimson Bright Divine Son saw Qin Mu sneakily slink out of the sacred hall. When he spotted him outside, the Lord Sacrificial Officer's furtive demeanor instantly vanished.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son's expression shifted. He immediately dropped the First Ancestor on the ground, flashed back into the sacred hall, and when he saw the Brain of the Crimson Emperor, his hands and feet went cold, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.
The Brain of the Crimson Emperor had gone dark!
—Three thousand six hundred words... Qin the Demolisher has struck! Please subscribe!