Chapter 720: Cultivating Divinity Through Martial Arts
"The Bullfighting Palace should be one of the thirty-six celestial palaces of the Kaihuang Heavenly Court. Those who could possess a celestial palace were all extremely formidable figures of the Kaihuang era."
Qin Mu followed the villagers into the Bullfighting Palace. Comparatively speaking, this celestial palace was quite intact, as if it had never experienced the ravages of war.
In contrast, the Jade Bright Palace of the Human Sovereign Hall and the Vaishravana Palace of Fengdu had both been reduced to ruins by the war that marked the fall of the Kaihuang era. As for the other celestial palaces, Qin Mu had yet to see them, but he suspected many had been destroyed in the conflict.
"Why was the Bullfighting Palace able to be preserved so completely?"
He couldn't help but wonder: "Could it be that Martial Arts Heavenly Master also played the deserter back then? Did he flee with the entire Bullfighting Palace, thus preserving its strength?"
The Bullfighting Palace was different from the celestial palaces Qin Mu had seen before. The Jade Bright Palace of the Human Sovereign Hall had an air of scholarly refinement, a place within the celestial palace for teaching and learning, where the disciples of the gods continued their legacy.
Although Qin Mu was the Human Sovereign of the Human Sovereign Hall, he hadn't stayed there long. He had only visited once with the First Ancestor Human Sovereign and hadn't seen the full scope of it.
Qin Mu had never entered the Vaishravana Palace, hidden deep within Fengdu by the King Yan. He had only seen from afar a series of divine cities, dilapidated and worn.
Now, as they entered the heavens of the Bullfighting Palace, the palace gradually came into focus from far to near, allowing them to take in the entire structure.
The closest thing to them was a majestic gate. Looking forward, past layers of palace towers and pavilions, there was a Jasper Lake. Beyond the lake, two streaks of blood-red baleful energy intertwined in the air like twin dragons, spinning continuously.
Behind the God-Slaying Platform stood a square divine city, which should be the Jade Capital. The most magnificent palace within the Jade Capital was the Hall of Lingxiao.
Qin Mu was stunned. The architectural layout of the Bullfighting Palace was somewhat similar to that of the divine and demonic celestial palaces.
He drew his gaze back, looking toward the gate. He saw a rainbow bridge connecting to the continent of this heavenly realm. The bridge was very long, floating alone in the air, the only path leading to the Bullfighting Palace.
Qin Mu then looked at the continent of this heavenly realm, his heart trembling slightly.
The land of this heavenly realm was perfectly square, with five mountain ranges running north-south. Each mountain range had towering peaks standing majestically. On the land, six great rivers flowed, some east-west, some north-south, yet none of them flowed into the sea.
There was no ocean here. The six great rivers flowed underground, disappearing into abyssal depths.
At the center of this heavenly realm was an abyss, unfathomably deep.
Qin Mu looked up again, noticing that the sun, moon, and stars were below the Bullfighting Palace. The moon rose and the sun set, marking the cycle of day and night.
He blinked. If the continent was the Spiritual Platform, then the five mountain ranges were the Five Elements, the stars in the sky were the Five Luminaries, the six great rivers should be the Six Harmonies manifested, the sun, moon, and stars were the Seven Stars, and beneath the abyss was the Netherworld, the Life and Death Divine Treasury. The bridge was the Divine Bridge leading to the celestial palace.
If that was the case...
"Is this heavenly realm the physical manifestation of a Throne-Seated powerhouse?"
His eyes searched around: "There's still one thing missing: the Heavenly Human realm. The Heavenly Human realm cultivates the Primordial Spirit. If the Primordial Spirit enters the Hall of Lingxiao and ascends to the Throne, then there's indeed no need for it to reside within the continent. Could it be that on the Throne in the Hall of Lingxiao, a Throne-Seated Primordial Spirit is sitting... There's another possibility: this heavenly realm was built according to the specifications of a Throne-Seated powerhouse's divine treasury and celestial palace! After all, Throne-Seated powerhouses are few; the Kaihuang era couldn't have had that many Throne-Seated experts."
The Bullfighting Palace was one of the thirty-six celestial palaces of the Kaihuang era, and among them, the most famous were the Four Great Celestial Palaces, where the Four Heavenly Kings resided. The Bullfighting Palace was not among them.
Kaihuang couldn't have killed a Throne-Seated powerhouse just to build the Bullfighting Palace, could he?
"You all go up and prepare."
The old farmer instructed the villagers, saying, "Tell the children that today the Bullfighting Palace opens, and let them come to train."
Those villagers immediately leaped into the air, some flying into the Bullfighting Palace, others into the continent of the heavenly realm.
The old farmer, leading the old ox, walked onto the Divine Bridge with Qin Mu and the Dragon Qilin. The bridge was quite narrow. Qin Mu felt fine standing on it, but the Dragon Qilin seemed a bit cramped.
The old farmer stopped, standing on the bridge to look around and enjoy the scenery.
Qin Mu also looked around, taking in the beautiful landscape. Enjoying the scenery here was indeed refreshing.
"Disciple of Wen Tian Pavilion, you're at the Heavenly Human realm, aren't you?"
The old farmer said unhurriedly, "Among the Four Great Heavenly Masters of the Kaihuang Heavenly Court, the Woodcutter ranks first. I've never been convinced by him. What ability does he have to climb above me? Among the Four Great Heavenly Masters, he's first, and I'm third. Scholar Zixi being second, I accept wholeheartedly. But what qualifications does the Woodcutter have? Relying on a glib tongue to climb above me, the Scholar, and the Fisherman? So I'm not convinced."
Qin Mu looked down from his high vantage point at the continent of the heavenly realm, seeing many strong young people rushing this way. They leaped and bounded with great speed.
"Teacher Woodcutter still has great respect for Martial Arts Heavenly Master."
Qin Mu said seriously, "Teacher mentioned you, saying you are the strongest in martial arts, the most powerful among the Four Great Heavenly Masters. In this Yenkang Reform, Teacher planned it out. After rescuing Emperor Yi Yue, he immediately came to find Martial Arts Heavenly Master. It shows that in Teacher's heart, Martial Arts Heavenly Master's status is not inferior to Emperor Yi Yue, the Heavenly King."
"My abilities were originally not far from Emperor Yi Yue's."
The old farmer said calmly, "Twenty thousand years ago, Emperor Yi Yue was a bit stronger than me. She was the head of the Four Heavenly Kings. I fought her and was thoroughly convinced by her defeat. But after twenty thousand years, it's hard to say who is superior and who is inferior. After all, even if she is resurrected, she's lost twenty thousand years of cultivation."
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled: "Martial Arts Heavenly Master has already cultivated to the Throne-Seated realm! I really can't withstand his three punches. My brother probably can't either..."
The old farmer sneered, "I fought the Scholar. He couldn't match me in martial arts, but every time he managed to make me submit completely, so I admire him. That's real skill. But the Woodcutter, just by talking, climbed above me—that I don't accept. This time he came to invite me out of seclusion. Inviting me out is fine, but he wanted to spar. Before I even put in any effort, he was lying in the gutter."
Qin Mu smiled, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He could imagine how embarrassed Sage Woodcutter must have been at that moment.
A scholar meeting a soldier—reason can't be argued.
The cultivators from the continent of the heavenly realm drew closer. Qin Mu was momentarily startled. These people should be cultivators from the nations of that continent, but strangely, not a single one of them was truly human.
Bird-headed human bodies, beast-headed human bodies, some carrying turtle shells, some covered in animal fur, some with three heads and six arms, some with multiple heads and eyes.
"The divine races of the Kaihuang era!"
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes. He even saw a few cultivators from the White Bat Divine Race!
In this Bullfighting Celestial Palace, there were actually descendants of the divine races from the Kaihuang era!
"Chief, there are women among the White Bat Divine Race!"
The Dragon Qilin lowered his voice, whispering, "Fu Yuqiu and Fu Yuchun from the Nether Valley are probably going to be overjoyed."
Qin Mu thought of the two White Bats from the Nether Valley and smiled, but his smile soon turned into a frown.
The old farmer led the old ox along the Divine Bridge toward the Southern Heavenly Gate, unhurriedly saying, "Don't get happy too soon. If you want to follow the rules of the Jianghu, then you have to pass the test like them, to see if you're qualified. Come on, go with them from the Southern Heavenly Gate, all the way fighting to the Hall of Lingxiao."
Qin Mu quickly said, "Heavenly Master, I'm still at the Heavenly Human realm; I can't enter the Southern Heavenly Gate! How about a fair duel?"
"Fair duel?"
The old farmer turned back, his wrinkled face showing a mocking expression: "Was the battle between the Outer Heavenly Court and the Kaihuang Heavenly Court ever fair? Fight your way to the Hall of Lingxiao, and I'll let you rescue the Woodcutter!"
On the Divine Bridge, the divine races from the continent of the heavenly realm respectfully followed the old ox. The old ox unhurriedly followed the old farmer toward the Southern Heavenly Gate.
Qin Mu was also among the crowd. He secretly lifted the willow leaf and looked at these divine races, momentarily stunned. They were all at the Life and Death realm!
Everyone was extremely robust, with very high cultivation, but not a single one had cultivated the Divine Bridge!
Everyone's Divine Bridge was severed, even more thoroughly than that of the cultivators from Yenkang!
The cultivators from Yenkang still had a Divine Bridge, even if it was broken. As long as they cultivated the Three Divine Bridge Techniques taught by Qin Mu—the Magpie Bridge Technique, the Mystic Attraction Technique, and the Divine Crossing Technique—they could repair the bridge and cross the Southern Heavenly Gate.
However, the divine races dwelling in the heavens of the Bullfighting Celestial Palace had their Divine Bridges completely severed, eliminating the Divine Bridge realm entirely!
Without the Divine Bridge realm, even the Three Divine Bridge Techniques couldn't repair their bridges, meaning they could never become gods!
In other words, all the divine races living and multiplying on this continent would be trapped at the Life and Death Divine Treasury realm for their entire lives.
"What's going on here?"
Qin Mu was puzzled: "Why are their Divine Bridges so thoroughly severed?"
He was greatly confused, and those divine races were equally curious about him. Seeing that he had an eye growing on his forehead, they couldn't help but keep staring.
A few girls whispered among themselves, constantly glancing at him, and then giggled.
"Chief, they say you're ugly," the Dragon Qilin said quietly, his ears sharp.
Qin Mu's face darkened. The Dragon Qilin shivered, raised a paw, and slapped himself on the mouth, then walked obediently, thinking, "I'll probably have to go hungry for a few days before the Chief calms down..."
Although these divine races had their Divine Bridges completely severed, trapping them at the Life and Death realm, each one was terrifyingly strong, not inferior to experts at the Divine Bridge realm!
Finally, they arrived outside the Southern Heavenly Gate. The old farmer led the ox and stepped through the gate first, then stopped and turned to look at everyone.
All the divine races stopped, standing respectfully outside the gate.
Qin Mu also stopped and examined this Southern Heavenly Gate.
He had seen the Southern Heavenly Gate in the Great Ruins—towering and massive, like a sky-supporting gate standing tall. Although it was battered and worn, it still had an aura of standing tall between heaven and earth, exuding ancient grandeur and majesty.
This Southern Heavenly Gate was somewhat smaller, but still tall and imposing, like a gate formed by splitting a ten-thousand-zhang mountain.
The gate was covered with various patterns, which should be runic imprints, forming dazzling designs that flickered on and off.
"Your Divine Bridges are severed, beyond repair, and you have no hope of reaching the Southern Heavenly Gate in this life to become gods. But you are the hope of all those with severed Divine Bridges."
The old farmer's voice was loud and deep, resonating: "Twenty thousand years have passed. Generations of the divine races' descendants have aged and died, but the lineage continues to this day. As long as there is life, there is hope! You have no Divine Bridge, but that doesn't mean you cannot use martial arts to cross the void of the Divine Bridge. If there is no path, forge one!"
"If there is no path, then punch through Life and Death, use martial arts to carve out a path, and use the Martial Soul to reach the celestial palace directly!"
Qin Mu's mind shook violently. He finally understood the purpose of this celestial palace trial.
The descendants of the divine races in the Bullfighting Celestial Palace had their Divine Bridges severed. Martial Arts Heavenly Master hoped to use martial arts to continue the celestial palace's legacy, to use the Martial Soul to bridge the nonexistent Divine Bridge realm, allowing the bloodline and spirit of the divine races to continue, forging a new path!
Without the Divine Bridge realm, they would rely on the Martial Soul to cross this realm, reaching the celestial palace directly and becoming gods.
This Martial Soul was the Martial Dao Primordial Spirit, capable of crossing the void of the Divine Bridge!
Other cultivators had Primordial Spirits with Divine Bridges. They stepped on the bridge to cross and enter the celestial palace.
The cultivators of Yenkang, even if their Divine Bridges were severed, could use the Three Divine Bridge Techniques to repair them and eventually cross to the celestial palace.
But the descendants of the divine races in the Bullfighting Celestial Palace had no Divine Bridge at all. They could only rely on their Primordial Spirits to forcibly cross the void!
If they couldn't cross, they would fall into the Netherworld beneath the Life and Death Divine Treasury, perishing in body and spirit!
Martial Arts Heavenly Master had hidden in the mountain village for twenty thousand years, likely to cultivate these descendants of the divine races, allowing them to continue their cultivation and practice!
"Cultivating divinity through martial arts, this is the Martial Soul. The Martial Soul enters the Dao, this is the Martial Dao!"
The old farmer shouted, leading the ox forward: "Enter the gate! Test your martial arts! I'll be waiting for you at the Hall of Lingxiao!"