Chapter 751: Unbearable Memories
The military tally left by the founding master gradually shed its ancient traces, becoming brand new. The jade tablet was crystal clear, as if it had just been crafted.
Qin Mu examined the characters and runes, his expression strange. These were indeed Dragon Han era script, differing only slightly from the characters and runes on Old Ox's Golden Guard Commander tally.
Having returned to the early Dragon Han era, Qin Mu had some exposure to the script of that time. Although it differed from later scripts, he could recognize most of it.
The characters on the tally were divine script in seal form, a type of bird-and-insect script.
These characters contained the mysteries of the heavenly dao. Some sects in the present day that cultivated the way of talismans used bird-and-insect script, but compared to true divine script, there was still a gap.
After all, the divine script of the early Dragon Han era was far too ancient, and much of it had been lost.
The two tallies were not the same. The Golden Guard Commander was a general guarding the Jade Capital of the Heavenly Court, and the tally bore the raised characters "Golden Guard."
This tally, however, used incised carving, with the characters "Feather Forest."
"Feather Forest Army of the Heavenly Court?"
Qin Mu blinked. "Which Heavenly Court's Feather Forest Army?"
The Dragon Han era had three Heavenly Courts, and presumably each had a Feather Forest Army. From the tally left by the founding master alone, it was hard to tell which Heavenly Court it belonged to.
The runes in the tally were a type of command method, used to command the gods.
Command methods were a type of formation art, extremely profound. In the present day, those skilled in command methods were exceedingly rare.
During the Yan Kang reforms, even the Yan Kang National Teacher lacked knowledge of command methods. Fortunately, Blind, a master of formations, came out of retirement to organize a set of command methods for the Yan Kang army.
"Why did Senior Brother leave this tally? Where did he get it? There must be deep meaning in his leaving it behind! Perhaps this tally is from the Outer Heavenly Court! If we can identify which Heavenly Court the tally belongs to, we can learn the true identity of the Outer Heavenly Court!"
A sudden thought struck Qin Mu: "Could Senior Brother have also traveled back to the Dragon Han era?"
He shook his head. The tally was ancient. If Senior Brother had traveled to the Dragon Han era and brought back this Feather Forest tally, it should have looked as new as Old Ox's tally.
Now that the tally had become new, it was because Old Ox's tally had triggered the command runes within it, washing away the marks of time. But originally, the tally had indeed undergone long years to become that way.
"Unless he traveled to the Dragon Han era and never returned."
Qin Mu felt a strange sensation but dismissed the idea. This speculation was too absurd. If the founding master never returned, wouldn't that mean he had been stuck in perpetual day or perpetual night?
A place stuck in perpetual day or night—how could such a place exist in the world?
"Actually, it does exist."
His expression turned strange again. "The Xuan Du is always in daylight, the Ancient God Heavenly Court is also always in daylight, while the You Du is always in night, with no alternation of day and night. If Senior Master stayed in the You Du, Xuan Du, or the Heavenly Court, he could remain in the past forever. Why am I thinking about such things? Senior Master couldn't possibly stay in the past."
He chuckled to himself, put away the Feather Forest tally, and walked with Old Ox toward the cliff. "The command method in these runes is used to command the Feather Forest Army, but I don't know which Heavenly Court's Feather Forest Army. That Heavenly Court might have already fallen and no longer exists. The tally is probably useless now, but the command method inside can be given to Grandpa Blind for study."
Old Ox avoided the Yong River beneath the cliff, clearly wary of it.
"Third Senior Brother, Martial Heavenly Master asked you to escort me to the Tian Yin Realm. The Tian Yin Realm is right below the cliff."
Qin Mu smiled. "You can go back now. No need to escort me further. I'll go to the Tian Yin Realm first and see if Sister Di Yi Yue has arrived before making a decision."
Old Ox hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't really want to go back. The master is a very boring man. All he does every day is practice martial arts and throw punches. I can only drink tea and smoke a water pipe, and when I'm bored, I plow the fields. I find that following you is much more interesting. As long as you don't cause trouble or stir things up, it's far more fun than staying by the master's side."
Qin Mu laughed. "If Martial Heavenly Master finds out I've taken you away, won't he punch me to death?"
Old Ox laughed heartily, standing upright and putting his hooves on his hips. "Would he dare? The Golden Guard Commander of the Primordial Heavenly Court is here—does he think he can act recklessly?"
The two laughed together.
They entered the Tian Yin Realm together. Niu San Duo chuckled, "I saw Lady Tian Yin once before at the Dragon Han Heavenly Court. She was truly formidable. I wonder if Lady Tian Yin remembers us."
When they arrived at the Tian Yin Realm, they saw many Yan Kang scholars building pavilions and houses, as if planning to settle there. Some scholars were practicing Tian Yin Realm techniques, but Lady Tian Yin was not there.
Qin Mu was surprised and asked about it. A scholar replied, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, the lady has gone to visit an old friend. She left several days ago."
"Have King Tian Shu and King Di come?"
"Not seen."
Qin Mu had no choice but to leave the Tian Yin Realm. "Lady Tian Yin went to visit an old friend? She died in the Dragon Han era, so her old friends are likely ancient gods. I wonder which ancient god she went to visit?"
Niu San Duo carried him on his back and galloped off. Soon they reached the opposite side of Tai Huang Tian. Qin Mu looked back and saw six or seven massive sun ships and moon ships walking across the sky above Tai Huang Tian.
In Luo Fu Tian, there were also several sun ships and moon ships, illuminating the realm and allowing all things to grow.
At this time, Tai Huang Tian and Luo Fu Tian actually had a few scattered cities, presumably built by Pang Yu the True God and Fu Ri Luo with their remaining forces.
"The National Teacher is fast!"
Qin Mu praised repeatedly. By afternoon, they arrived at Xiang Long City.
Outside the city, cultivators were harvesting rice. Niu San Duo itched to join in and plowed over a dozen acres. Qin Mu called out repeatedly before the old ox reluctantly left the rice field, laughing, "Finally got my fix. I've been suffocating these past few days!"
They entered the city and passed through the Boundary Between Life and Death into Feng Du. Suddenly, a rumbling vibration came continuously. Qin Mu stood on the bridge and saw the heavens and earth of Feng Du trembling constantly. The dark continent was expanding, and patches of land were being opened up!
Di Yi Yue, King Tian Shu, and King Yan were each using their methods to open up the land of Feng Du. Demonic fire surged from the earth, connecting with the Nai River of Feng Du.
The earth shook, mountains rose, and the space of Feng Du expanded rapidly.
Qin Mu watched, dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening.
"Feng Du is the Horn of Tu Bo—both a world and a treasure."
Old Ox, knowledgeable and experienced, explained the reason. "If the Horn of Tu Bo is refined into a treasure, its power is immense, a peerless divine weapon. Back then, the master planned to pull out one of Tu Bo's horns to forge a blade, but after going to the You Du, he was beaten back by the Tian Qi Ren Sheng Wang, quite disgracefully. The Tian Qi Ren Sheng Wang chased him relentlessly. Fortunately, I ran fast and carried him to the Xuan Du, saving the master's life."
Qin Mu was at a loss for words. So Martial Heavenly Master had such an unbearable memory from back then?
"Another function of the Horn of Tu Bo is to transform into a vast world."
Old Ox continued, "King Yan is still a junior and doesn't know the true power of the Horn of Tu Bo. The original Feng Du was too small. If it could be fully manifested, it would be even larger than Tai Huang Tian and Luo Fu Tian."
Di Yi Yue, King Tian Shu, and King Yan transformed into majestic deities, walking through the darkness. Hand seals flew from their palms in all directions, expanding space continuously. The earth shook, a spectacular sight.
Qin Mu even felt that Feng Du was developing increasingly powerful rules—the rules of the You Du. Although Feng Du was only a small fragment of the Horn of Tu Bo, the You Du rules contained within it were astonishing!
"In the past, the Realm of the Dead couldn't suppress True Gods or experts at the Yao Chi realm. Now, even Yao Chi realm deities entering the Boundary Between Life and Death would be suppressed and turned into skeletons."
He observed closely. The hand seals the three were using were You Du seals. Among them, King Tian Shu was the most proficient, worthy of being crowned the King of Ming Du by Tu Bo. His mastery of You Du techniques was indeed profound.
King Tian Shu carried the Di Que Divine Blade on his back, exuding domineering aura with every move.
"King Tian Shu has been drinking."
Qin Mu watched for a while and said confidently, "If he hadn't been drinking, he wouldn't have such an imposing presence."
Di Yi Yue and King Yan were somewhat clumsy with their hand seals, clearly having just learned them from King Tian Shu. They hadn't mastered them yet.
"King Yan, having cultivated You Du techniques deeply, can naturally learn King Tian Shu's seals. But how can Sister Di Yi Yue also learn them?"
Qin Mu was puzzled. "Third Senior Brother, how can Sister Di Yi Yue perform all kinds of techniques? Is she also a Dominator Body?"
Old Ox shook his head. "What Dominator Body is she? The First Heavenly King has a unique spiritual body—a Duo Ling Body with almost no attribute restrictions. It's said that the Duo Ling Body has the bloodline of the Heavenly Duke, so she can learn any technique or skill. Back then, the Kai Huang had high hopes for her and went to great lengths to have her become a disciple of the Four Emperors."
"A Duo Ling Body with the Heavenly Duke's bloodline?"
Qin Mu was stunned. He immediately peeled off the willow leaf from his brow, and his indestructible divine consciousness surged into the Qin Continent. He asked, "Heavenly Duke, do you know about the Duo Ling Body?"
The white-browed, white-bearded old man immediately became alert upon hearing this. "Surnamed Qin, what do you know?"
Qin Mu quickly withdrew his indestructible divine consciousness, stuck the willow leaf back on his brow, and chuckled. "They all say the Heavenly Duke is as impartial as Tu Bo, but it seems he also has some unbearable memories."
"Besides the Duo Ling Body, there is also the You Ming Body."
Old Ox continued. "The You Ming Body is related to Tu Bo. It's said to carry Tu Bo's bloodline. Both bloodlines are extremely rare. The First Heavenly King is a Duo Ling Body. The Kai Huang also tried to find a You Ming Body but never succeeded."
Qin Mu exclaimed, "Tu Bo? Tu Bo also has such a history?"
Old Ox wagged his tail. "I don't know the specifics. I've only heard of such spiritual bodies."
Qin Mu steadied himself, feeling something crumbling inside him.
Suddenly, the dark waters of the Nai River beneath the bridge churned. In the darkness, a stunning face slowly emerged, gazing at Qin Mu on the bridge.
Qin Mu looked down and saw the beautiful woman had a long serpentine tail, swaying in the darkness and flames.
His heart skipped a beat, then he relaxed and smiled. "Lu Li?"
"Qin Feng Qing." The beautiful woman also smiled.
"You're looking for my brother?"
Qin Mu chuckled. "Wait a moment. I'll call my brother out to see you."
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