Chapter 716: The Southern Emperor's Face
"The Taiwei Mathematical Canon's deductions show a blank area, capable of deriving advanced Dao principles we've never noticed before. But to calculate them, we need a large number of mathematical experts."
"The Yuan Magnetic Divine Ability is much easier. Sect Leader Qin has already designed several equations to deduce the Yuan Magnetic runes. We only need to derive deeper equations and work out the basic runes of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Ability to establish the outline of this divine ability system."
Xu Shenghua discussed with Jing Yan: "I plan to establish the Upper Firmament Academy, but the Upper Firmament isn't in my hands yet. Establishing the academy is imperative; otherwise, in the future, Yan Kang will have no place for the Upper Firmament. Yanzi, what do you think?"
Jing Yan said, "The Western Lands still have no academy. Husband, why not recruit people from the Western Lands? There are many talents there, but the clan gatekeeping is deeply entrenched. If you go and establish an academy that breaks down these barriers, the True Heaven Palace Lord will surely be willing to help you. Helping you is also helping her break the great clans of the Western Lands."
She thought for a moment and added, "The Western Lands were conquered by Sect Leader Qin, and the great clans there respect him the most. If the Upper Firmament Academy is built in the Western Lands, you must invite Sect Leader Qin to serve as a libationer. With his name and the support of the True Heaven Palace Lord, there will be no resistance. Once the academy is established, Husband can counterattack the Upper Firmament, completely eradicate the Heavenly Court's dogs left there, and the Upper Firmament will fall into your hands. Moreover, with the Upper Firmament merging into Yan Kang, the Emperor will also strongly support you."
Xu Shenghua's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Yanzi, this is a great idea. Let's do it. Then, between Sect Leader Qin's Taiwei Mathematical Canon and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Ability, which direction should my Upper Firmament Academy choose?"
Jing Yan pondered, "The Dao Sect has a long history and deep foundations, while the Upper Firmament Academy hasn't been established yet. Husband has no capital to compete with the Dao Lord. Moreover, the Taiwei Mathematical Canon should be extremely troublesome, with no results for several years. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Ability, however, can yield results easily. In a few years, the Upper Firmament Academy can share the fruits of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Ability with the Heavenly Saint Academy, using the Heavenly Saint Academy's name to gain fame. Once famous, scholars from all over will gladly enter the Upper Firmament Academy to study."
She smiled, "By then, the Dao Sect's research on the Taiwei Mathematical Canon should still have few results. Husband, with fame and people, can then participate in the research of the Taiwei Mathematical Canon."
Xu Shenghua felt greatly at ease and laughed, "With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?"
The couple's plan was set. Jing Yan said, "Princess Xiu is a first-class commandery princess of the Western Lands. The Emperor trusts her greatly, and she is a woman, a heroine. The Western Lands revere women, and they trust her, giving her a wide network. I will visit Princess Xiu to open this connection and, through her, reach the True Heaven Palace. Husband, discuss with Sect Leader Qin to secure his support. Then there will be no resistance."
Xu Shenghua acted decisively and told Qin Mu about this matter.
Qin Mu smiled, "The Western Lands only have the True Heaven Palace, which was originally subordinate to the Upper Firmament. But in recent years, its control over the Western Lands has weakened, leading to the rise of many great clans. In peacetime, it's manageable, but if chaos erupts, the Western Lands will rebel. Brother Xu's idea of establishing the Upper Firmament Academy is excellent. I can put my name on your academy. You also need to visit Sister Yuxiu; she has deep roots in the Western Lands. Then, together, submit a memorial to the Emperor. He will allocate funds and personnel to help you establish the academy quickly."
Xu Shenghua was overjoyed.
After Qin Mu handled some trivial matters at the Heavenly Saint Academy, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign said, "Mu'er, it's time for us to depart!"
Qin Mu responded, bid farewell to Granny Si, and followed the Woodcutter, Di Yiyue, and the others.
"Ahead in Bazhou Prefecture, there's a calamity god stone statue."
The Woodcutter Sage said, "Heavenly King, do you want to take a look?"
Di Yiyue said calmly, "It wouldn't hurt to look."
Qin Mu followed them to Bazhou Prefecture. The stone statue had emerged from within Bazhou City, towering like a mountain in the city center.
This statue had a bird's head and a human body, with half-spread wings and extremely sharp eyes. It was a statue of a woman.
She wore fiery red feathers of the Vermilion Bird. Though her body was massive, her figure was slender and graceful. If one ignored the bird's head and claws, the overall form was quite beautiful.
The statue was surrounded by brick walls, but outside the walls were piles of incense ash and candles, left by ignorant worshippers.
"Don't these people know the statue is a calamity god, coming to annihilate them?"
Di Yiyue saw some commoners still offering incense and praying, and shook her head. "When the statue awakens and brings disaster to Yan Kang, these powerless commoners will be the first to die in the calamity. What logic is there in worshipping a calamity god that will kill you?"
Qin Mu said, "Sister, this is the difficulty of breaking the gods in people's hearts. The more terrifying the god, the more the ignorant revere it, and the easier it is to receive worship. The Imperial Preceptor's reform of customs aims to break the gods in people's hearts, so that all cultivators and deities serve humanity."
The feathers on the statue had already transformed from stone to real feathers, clearly absorbing the blood and qi of the dead, showing signs of awakening.
The scales on her legs were also becoming clear, and the skin on her neck faintly showed divine blood flowing beneath.
Although Lou Yunqu had escaped, the poison ran deep. Many stone statues within Yan Kang were on the verge of awakening, and the one in Bazhou was just one example.
In truth, even without Lou Yunqu, these statues would eventually revive. Even the natural deaths of Yan Kang's commoners would become offerings to the statues.
Lou Yunqu had merely accelerated this process many times over.
Di Yiyue approached the statue and said softly, "So it's a junior sister of the Southern Emperor. Junior Sister, you can return to report to the Southern Emperor. Tell her that your senior sister, Di Yiyue, is in Yan Kang now, and this calamity ends here."
The bird-headed goddess statue showed no reaction.
Di Yiyue chuckled lightly and said unhurriedly, "You should be able to hear my voice. Your physical body is here, and your primordial spirit is with the Southern Emperor. You can hear everything I say here."
Suddenly, the bird-headed goddess statue emitted a clear bird call, which transformed into human speech: "You are also a disciple of the Southern Emperor? Since you are my senior sister, why do you help outsiders? Senior Sister, it's not that I won't give you face, but if I leave just because of your words, where will my own face be?"
"I am giving you face by speaking to you gently and asking you to leave."
Di Yiyue smoothed a strand of hair by her temple and said with a faint smile, "You joined the sect quite late, didn't you? It seems you don't know about me, your senior sister, or my methods."
The bird-headed goddess statue suddenly moved, lowering its bird head, its petrified eyes fixed on Di Yiyue. "May I ask for guidance?"
Di Yiyue raised her hand and pressed down lightly. The mountain-like bird-headed goddess statue suddenly vanished with a loud crash, leaving only a shattered spatial hole from which piercing bird cries emerged!
Di Yiyue reached back with one hand and pulled. The bird-headed goddess statue came whistling back, crashing down into Bazhou City with a thunderous boom. The statue trembled violently, and the spatial fragments behind it clattered together, quickly repairing the hole until no trace remained!
At the same time, the flesh and blood of the bird-headed goddess statue rapidly grew, quickly transforming from a stone statue into a living deity.
The bird-headed goddess stood there, her face filled with terror, her body trembling, unable to move.
She had turned her physical body into a stone statue to send it to Yan Kang, but her primordial spirit contained too much energy to cross the world barrier and descend into this world.
Thus, she could only wait for blood sacrifices to perform an energy exchange, allowing her primordial spirit to descend and revive her body, so she could bring calamity and destruction to Yan Kang.
However, with a single press of Di Yiyue's hand, her physical body was sent back to her palace in another world.
Not only was she sent back to her origin, but her primordial spirit was also forced back into her body!
Then, Di Yiyue reached back and pulled, dragging both her body and primordial spirit to Yan Kang, allowing her to revive!
Such power, such terrifying strength, was almost comparable to her master, the Southern Emperor!
She had never heard of such a senior sister among her fellow disciples!
Di Yiyue said calmly, "Junior Sister, this is me not giving you face. I already left you plenty of face earlier. Don't force me."
The bird-headed goddess quickly stepped back and bowed, "I obey the senior sister's decree."
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly froze.
Now she had been pulled into the world of Yan Kang, separated from her own world by the world barrier. With her strength alone, she couldn't cross it.
The bird-headed goddess broke out in a cold sweat and looked at Di Yiyue.
Di Yiyue smiled, "Junior Sister, have you forgotten something?"
The bird-headed goddess suddenly understood. In the capital's treasury, the calamity divine weapon, sealed under layers of restrictions, suddenly shook violently, shattering the seals. A vermilion gourd shot up, blasted out of the treasury, and flew in a streak of light toward Bazhou.
Soon, the bird-headed goddess raised her hand and caught the vermilion gourd. With a respectful expression, she said, "Senior Sister, may this junior return now?"
Di Yiyue smiled lightly, "When my junior brother under the Northern Emperor came to bring calamity, besides taking the Northern Emperor's divine weapon, he also left behind one of his arms."
The bird-headed goddess's face changed drastically. Suddenly, her wings behind her rose like a fiery blade, and with a swoosh, she cut off her other wing.
The severed wing blazed with fire, its flames dazzling and beautiful, as if woven from countless divine rune feathers.
The bird-headed goddess endured the pain, put down her wing, stepped back, and bowed respectfully.
Di Yiyue smiled, "Junior Sister, that's enough. When you return, tell our master that Senior Sister Di Yiyue is here. It's been twenty thousand years since I last paid my respects. Kowtow to her for me."
The bird-headed goddess, sweating from the pain, said hoarsely, "This junior will definitely meet with our master!"
Di Yiyue smiled, "Tell her that if she comes to bring calamity herself, I will not show mercy. You may go."
She flicked her finger, and the bird-headed goddess suddenly spun uncontrollably, falling into the depths of space and disappearing.
Di Yiyue raised her hand and gently brushed over the spatial hole, restoring it to smoothness with no trace left.
Qin Mu said worriedly, "Sister, you made her leave a wing behind. Won't that leave trouble? She will surely hold a grudge against you."
Di Yiyue smiled, "Trouble is inevitable, but I don't care about the grudges of these junior brothers and sisters. It's my several masters who are the real tough ones. Mainly, I'm lazy and don't want to search for these stone statues one by one. When these junior brothers and sisters suffer a loss, they'll go back and tell the Northern Emperor and Southern Emperor. Knowing I'm here, they'll realize they can't bring calamity without their disciples getting hurt. So they'll recall the other statues, saving each disciple from losing an arm. And I save myself the trouble of hunting down each statue. It's a win-win."
Qin Mu picked up the bird-headed goddess's wing. Di Yiyue quickly said, "Don't touch it! That's Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame..."
But Qin Mu had already picked up the wing. Di Yiyue was surprised and examined his palm. She saw that his primordial energy had transformed into fine, complex runic flames, like crystals, perfectly blocking the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame. No matter how fierce and intense the flame was, it couldn't harm him in the slightest.
"Is this the Xuan Du Heavenly Flame?"
Di Yiyue said in surprise, "Did you deduce the Heavenly Flame Dao using the Taiwei Mathematical Canon?"
Qin Mu nodded and smiled, "I've been frugal since childhood. That senior sister just now should be at the Execution Platform realm. Her wing should be good for forging divine blades and swords, so I'll keep it."
He put the wing into his Taotie pouch, arranging a separate space to prevent the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame from burning his other treasures to ash.
Di Yiyue leaned in to look and saw that the Taotie pouch also contained an arm—the arm of the calamity god under the Northern Emperor—which he had also collected.
"Little brother is truly thrifty, good at managing a household," Di Yiyue praised.
The Woodcutter and the First Ancestor Human Sovereign wore strange expressions.
After several days of travel, they finally reached the capital. Qin Mu first went to the Tu River Supervisory Factory to unload the sword pellet from the Dragon Qilin's back. The mechanical giants at the factory forged the sword pellet.
The Tu River Supervisory Factory was Yan Kang's largest, most suitable for forging a mountain-sized sword pellet. Other factories elsewhere didn't have such large workshops.
Then news came that all the stone statues across Yan Kang had vanished overnight. The capital's treasury had exploded several times, and the calamity divine weapons stored there had also disappeared.
A great calamity had thus dissolved into nothing.
The Woodcutter waited until Qin Mu had made his arrangements, then smiled, "Now, we can go see the Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Yan Feng."