Chapter 750: A Million Years of Dust and Ash
Based on Qin Mu's experience, traveling back in time through the mist of Surge River only gave him "half a day." Here, "half a day" didn't mean six hours or a precise measure of time, but rather the transition between darkness and daylight.
There was no night in the Heavenly Court; it was eternal daylight.
Whenever they arrived, no matter how long they stayed, it was always daytime. As long as night hadn't fallen, it wasn't yet half a day.
But when Earth Lord made his move, everything changed.
The darkness of the Netherworld shrouded the Heavenly Court, causing night to descend instantly, thus fulfilling the conditions for returning to the future.
In the darkness, Qin Mu waved to Vermilion Bird and Celestial Venerable Ling. He, along with the Kai Emperor and the old ox, dissolved into the flowing darkness like black sand paintings, scattering with the wind.
Celestial Venerable Ling's mind reeled. She stared blankly at this scene.
Vermilion Bird, as if seeing a ghost, rushed to where Qin Mu, the Kai Emperor, and the old ox had stood, groping around frantically. But the three of them had vanished into thin air!
"How bizarre, how bizarre!" Vermilion Bird exclaimed in astonishment.
But Celestial Venerable Ling's heart churned with waves of emotion. Unconsciously, she recalled what Qin Mu had said to her earlier: "Perhaps in the near future, you will meet someone who traveled back in time through your divine ability, proving that the world's view of you is wrong."
Her expression was dazed, as if intoxicated, as she stared blankly at Vermilion Bird, who was still searching for Qin Mu and the others.
"Could it be that there really is a divine ability in this world that keeps matter unchanged, neither increasing nor decreasing, and that I created it?"
The storm in her heart transformed into unparalleled confidence, a belief that sustained her continued research: "I will create it. In the future, there will be Celestial Venerable Mu and Celestial Venerable Qin, who will come back to see me through my divine ability, to encourage me! I can definitely create it!"
She shook off the dejection caused by Celestial Venerable Yu's death and renewed her spirits.
Qin Mu and the Kai Emperor had studied with her for a long time, using their knowledge from the future to pave the first step for her.
All she had to do was keep laying new steps, until she entered the hall and created a peerless art that would shake the world!
She bid farewell to Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird and walked toward the Jade Pool.
On the way, she encountered Celestial Venerable Yue and Celestial Venerable Yun and greeted them.
Celestial Venerable Yue and Celestial Venerable Yun showed surprise. In their memory, Celestial Venerable Ling was a girl with a strange temper who never greeted anyone. If someone greeted her and she didn't like them, she would never respond.
But now, she had taken the initiative to greet them. It was like the sun rising from the west.
"Celestial Venerable Ling, don't leave just yet."
Celestial Venerable Yue suddenly called out to her. Celestial Venerable Ling stopped and looked back. Celestial Venerable Yue exchanged a glance with Celestial Venerable Yun, and the two approached the girl, lowering their voices. "Many things have happened at this Jade Pool Gathering. Celestial Venerable Yu is dead, Celestial Venerable Hao was severely wounded by Celestial Venerable Mu, and the Heavenly Emperor has ordered the arrest of Celestial Venerable Mu and Celestial Venerable Qin. There are too many rights and wrongs in all this."
Celestial Venerable Ling listened quietly.
Celestial Venerable Yue gathered her courage and lowered her voice further. "We can see that Celestial Venerable Hao killed Celestial Venerable Yu, and Celestial Venerable Mu avenged him. The rumors these past few days aren't baseless either. The Heavenly Emperor and the Empress sisters were also involved. The conflict between the half-gods and us Hou Tian races is beginning to show. As leaders of the Hou Tian beings, we must prepare early."
Celestial Venerable Yun added, "Celestial Venerable Mu spread Celestial Venerable Yu's method of becoming a god. The rise of the Hou Tian races is inevitable. The two of us discussed it and felt that the road ahead is fraught with danger, full of terrible crises. Therefore, we can no longer remain scattered like loose sand. We must form an alliance to plan for the future of humanity and other Hou Tian beings!"
Celestial Venerable Ling's heart stirred. "The Celestial Alliance?"
The two were startled and quickly asked, "Celestial Venerable Ling, were you also thinking of this? Planning to establish an alliance? Did you come up with the name 'Celestial Alliance'?"
Celestial Venerable Ling shook her head. "Celestial Venerable Mu named it. Celestial Venerable Qin is also in the Celestial Alliance. I was planning to find Celestial Venerable You and Celestial Venerable Fire to bring them into the alliance."
Celestial Venerable Yun quickly said, "Celestial Venerable You is fine, but Celestial Venerable Fire has a hot temper and can't keep his mouth shut. Besides, he's very close to Celestial Venerable Hao. He shouldn't be brought into the Celestial Alliance."
"Where are Celestial Venerable Qin and Celestial Venerable Mu?" Celestial Venerable Yue asked.
Celestial Venerable Ling smiled, a distant look in her eyes. "They are waiting for us in the future. When that day comes, we will meet them again. Let's go find Celestial Venerable You."
The three of them walked toward the Jade Pool Pavilion. Celestial Venerable Yun mused, "We need to set some rules. The Celestial Alliance must consider the safety of the Hou Tian races. Only the most talented individuals should be allowed to join, and we must also assess their character to prevent internal strife."
Celestial Venerable Yue said, "The rules must be well-defined. We must not be too kind to the wicked, nor too harsh to the good. We should be kinder to the good and harsher to the wicked. Only then can the Celestial Alliance endure."
Celestial Venerable Ling added, "The goal of the Celestial Alliance also needs to be determined. Let's find Celestial Venerable You first. This era is prosperous and magnificent, but there are already signs of chaos. We must prepare early!"
...
The darkness fell, but what the Kai Emperor saw was different from what Celestial Venerable Ling and Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird saw.
He saw himself still standing in the same place, but the matter around him was changing. Celestial Venerable Ling and Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird seemed to dissolve like black sand blown away by the wind, and the vast, magnificent Heavenly Court also scattered like a sand painting.
Matter receded, but it wasn't time moving forward.
"Celestial Venerable Ling was right."
Sunlight spilled down, and all darkness vanished. The place where he stood was no longer the ancient Heavenly Court but a desolate desert. The Surge River flowed endlessly in the distance.
This was the Great Ruin, the ruins of the Upper Emperor era. The Great Ruin was filled with bizarre and unpredictable events. Many survivors from the Upper Emperor era lived in the Great Ruin, while others lived outside, struggling to survive.
The Kai Emperor stared blankly at this scene. He steadied himself and walked toward the Surge River, thinking to himself, "Celestial Venerable Mu, will we meet again? Yes, I must also forge a sword like that..."
In the distance, many cultivators were searching along the Surge River. Someone spotted the Kai Emperor from afar and exclaimed joyfully, "Qin Ye is over there!"
Everyone rushed forward. Leading the way was an old ox covered in green scales. On its back sat a young farmer, strong and sturdy but short in stature.
Behind them were a girl holding a folding fan, a fisherman with two little red koi peeking out of his basket, and a woodcutter at the rear.
They ran toward the Kai Emperor. The woodcutter was the slowest, panting, "Wait for me, wait for me—"
"Qin Ye, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!"
The farmer jumped off the ox and gave him a hard punch. The Kai Emperor staggered and winced in pain. The farmer quickly said, "Stop pretending. We've fought many times before, and you always had me howling. You've been missing for days. The fisherman tracked you here, and then we lost your trail."
The Kai Emperor smiled. "I stumbled into an incredible place and encountered many unbelievable things."
Everyone gathered around, curious. "What happened?"
The Kai Emperor was lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. "Better not to say."
The old ox beside the farmer spoke. "Benefactor, that's not very straightforward. What can't you tell us?"
Hearing this voice, the Kai Emperor felt as if struck by lightning. After a moment, he came to his senses and looked at the old ox, a surreal feeling washing over him. He became even more determined to keep his experiences to himself.
Time passed.
More and more people followed the Kai Emperor. Many who would later become famous across the world, such as Di Yiyue, Tian Shu, and Di Shitian, also joined him.
One day, the Kai Emperor's kingdom was established. They built a divine dynasty on the ruins of the Upper Emperor, and he was honored as the Kai Emperor.
After the coronation ceremony, the Kai Emperor felt exhausted. He dismissed everyone and went to the imperial study to review memorials.
Just then, the door to the study opened, and a woman in green walked in.
The Kai Emperor looked up and saw her. His entire body trembled violently.
"Celestial Venerable Qin."
The woman smiled. "Long time no see. I've been waiting for you. It's been hard."
The Kai Emperor stood up, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Celestial Venerable Ling!"
"Celestial Venerable Qin, founding elder of the Celestial Alliance. Welcome back to the alliance!"
...
What Qin Mu and the old ox saw was similar to the Kai Emperor's experience. Qin Mu was witnessing matter scattering like black sand for the second time, while Niu Sanduo was seeing it for the first time, marveling at the sight.
The darkness dispersed. Qin Mu looked around and found themselves west of Supreme Heavenly Court, about a hundred miles from a cliff.
"The ancient divine Heavenly Court no longer exists. Only the Great Ruin remains. Perhaps the ancient divine Heavenly Court is buried deep beneath the Great Ruin?"
He looked down at the ground beneath his feet, a sense of melancholy washing over him as he reminisced about the past.
How many years had passed since the ancient divine Heavenly Court of the Dragon Han era?
How many brilliant geniuses had been buried in this long and profound history?
In the past, they were like stars in the sky, flickering in and out of existence, fading away as matter scattered.
Jingle.
The Carefree Sword floated, spinning around Qin Mu. This sword had also returned with him to the present, humming lightly as if awakening from death, coming back to life.
The Carefree Sword hadn't followed the Kai Emperor.
It belonged to Qin Mu's era and wouldn't leave with him.
Qin Mu gently stroked the blade. The Carefree Sword moved slowly under his fingers. He could feel the power hidden within the sword's spirit.
This sword of the Kai Emperor had come to life.
"Senior Brother Sanduo, let's go."
Qin Mu raised his hand, and the Carefree Sword let out a light hum, merging with the sword orb.
Qin Mu looked into the distance, snapping Niu Sanduo out of his daze. He smiled. "Let's go to Fengdu. Sister Di Yiyue and King Tian Shu should have already gone there to transform Fengdu. Perhaps, through Fengdu, I can go to the Netherworld and meet that old acquaintance with the ghost-face mask on the back of his head."
The old ox came to his senses, muttering, "This time feels like a dream. I don't know if what I experienced was an illusion or if I really went back in time. Junior Brother, what do you think happened in the Dragon Han era after we left? Did Celestial Venerable Ling manage to establish the third pole, the third Heavenly Court? Dragon Han split into three—who won?"
"I don't know. I'm also very curious about what happened after we left."
They walked forward together. Qin Mu continued, "But I feel that we are not far from uncovering the truth, from revealing this history. Senior Brother, you can return the yellow paper to me now."
The old ox hurriedly took off the yellow paper and handed it to him, his expression strange. "I punched the Kai Emperor, caused a ruckus in the ancient divine Heavenly Court, hit the Heavenly Emperor's woman, and beat up all kinds of ancient gods. Even the Heavenly Net couldn't catch me! I even met Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird and the oldest human Celestial Venerable! If the old master hears this, he won't believe it! Haha, it would scare him to death... Hey, my Golden Guard Commander's token is still here!"
He took the token from his waist, held it up to the sunlight, and examined it closely, laughing. "I didn't expect that I, Niu Sanduo, once held the rank of divine general in the ancient divine Heavenly Court! This token is still here, so it wasn't a dream—it really happened! When the old master sees this token, he'll be scared out of his wits!"
Qin Mu looked at the token in the sunlight, his expression shifting slightly. He took out the ancient token of the founding master, Wei Suifeng, and held both tokens up to the light. One was new, the other old.
The new token's runes flowed, and they actually activated the old token, gradually revealing many ancient characters and runes!
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