Chapter 754: Resurrection (Four-Thousand-Character Chapter!)
The coffin of the Imperial Heavenly Lord was well protected, surrounded by shimmering Netherworld runes that revolved gently around it, quiet and mysterious.
When Qin Mu arrived here, he felt no excitement in his heart. Instead, he calmly examined each rune, pondering its mysteries.
The runes were left by Earth Lord to protect the Imperial Heavenly Lord's physical body.
In truth, even if Earth Lord had not used runes for protection, the Imperial Heavenly Lord's body would not have aged or died.
This was because the Imperial Heavenly Lord was the only person to receive the blessings of all the ancient primordial gods!
The seven Heavenly Lords of antiquity had all received blessings from the primordial gods.
The Heavenly Lord Ling, who had opened the Five Radiance Realm, received blessings from the Five Radiance Star Lords and the Heavenly Duke, granting him an ageless body and abundant fortune.
The Heavenly Lord Hao, who had opened the Six Directions Realm, received blessings from the Mother Earth Primordial Lord, granting him endless fortune and immortality.
The Heavenly Lord Yue, who had opened the Seven Stars Realm, received blessings from the Great Sun Star Lord, the Great Yin Star Lord, and the Heavenly Duke, also granting him an ageless body free from aging and death.
The Heavenly Lord Huo, who had opened the Heavenly Man Realm, received blessings from the Four Emperors, granting him longevity and the ability to turn misfortune into good fortune.
The Heavenly Lord You, who had opened the Life and Death Realm, received blessings from Earth Lord, granting him immortality and an eternal primordial spirit.
The Heavenly Lord Yun, who had opened the Divine Bridge Realm, received blessings from the Heavenly Duke, granting him eternal youth and a clear, divine spirit.
Although these six Heavenly Lords had all received blessings and achieved immortality, the content of each blessing was different.
For example, the Heavenly Lord You received Earth Lord's blessing, granting him immortality and an eternal primordial spirit. However, immortality did not mean eternal youth, so the Heavenly Lord You still aged. This was because Earth Lord did not govern the rules of an ageless and indestructible body. He could grant the Heavenly Lord You eternal lifespan, but he could not keep him young.
The Heavenly Duke blessed the Heavenly Lord Yun with eternal youth, but the Heavenly Duke did not master the methods of an eternal primordial spirit and could not grant such a blessing. He could only bless him with a clear primordial spirit and the ability to see with heavenly eyes.
But the Imperial Heavenly Lord was blessed by all the primordial gods!
The blessings of the ancient gods were blessings of the laws, not to mention the blessings of the Heavenly Emperor and the Empress.
The Imperial Heavenly Lord should therefore have had an eternal primordial spirit, eternal youth, and immortality. Yet, in the Winding Corridor Pavilion of the Jasper Lake Lodge, his physical body died, his primordial spirit shattered, his soul did not enter the Netherworld, its fragments did not enter the Heavenly Yin Realm, and all his blessings became completely ineffective. This mystery was deeply thought-provoking.
The assassination of the Imperial Heavenly Lord by the Heavenly Lord Hao and the Nether Emperor was only superficial. There might have been deeper-level games at play. Whether the Heavenly Emperor and the Empress's younger sister had tampered with things was unknown.
Whenever Qin Mu thought about the deep-seated reasons hidden within, he couldn't help but shiver several times. The Jasper Lake Gathering at that time seemed peaceful and harmonious. Even after the Heavenly Lord Hao assassinated the Imperial Heavenly Lord, everyone was merely immersed in grief, with little turmoil and a calm atmosphere.
But who could have imagined the terrifying murderous intent hidden beneath this seemingly calm surface?
Now that he had seen Earth Lord's blessing and understood some things, he finally felt the terror!
"Could the Heavenly Lord Hao defeat such a Heavenly Emperor? In the Three-Partition of the Dragon Han Era, who was the ultimate victor?"
He glanced at the Heavenly Lord You beside him. The Heavenly Lord You had never mentioned this matter. Qin Mu didn't know if he was unaware or unwilling to speak.
"After resurrecting the Imperial Heavenly Lord, I must get to the bottom of this with the Heavenly Lord You!"
Qin Mu raised his hand, and the Buddha Yuan Red Chrome coffin immediately split open with a clang. The coffin lid flew a short distance before landing softly without making much noise.
This was the Heavenly Duke's Sage King Mansion. The ghost of the Netherworld Reaper's mother was also in the mansion, and Qin Mu didn't want to disturb the elderly lady.
Under his magical power, the Imperial Heavenly Lord floated in the air. A million years had passed, yet he remained as before, with time leaving no trace on him.
It was just like when Qin Mu had met him at Jasper Lake. This young Heavenly Lord was like a tree of jade flowers, gentle and indifferent.
A million years had passed, but for Qin Mu, it was only a few months ago. For him, it seemed the same.
"I can perform a soul-summoning ritual for him in the Netherworld, drawing his soul fragments here. But I cannot borrow the Heavenly Duke's power in the Netherworld, so I need to take him back to the mortal world. Only there can I borrow the power of the Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord to reshape his three souls and seven spirits." Qin Mu said solemnly.
The Netherworld Reaper was a bit nervous and said, "Can you really do it? His soul has been shattered for a million years. Such a long time..."
Qin Mu smiled gently and said calmly, "The Heavenly Yin Goddess died at least four or five hundred thousand years ago, and I still saved her, didn't I? Summoning the soul of a primordial god like the Heavenly Yin Goddess was extremely difficult, and I was exhausted to the point of vomiting blood. But the Imperial Heavenly Lord was at most a deity when he died, so summoning his soul will be much simpler."
He opened the willow leaf on his forehead, and instantly his divine and demonic hidden realms merged. His divine cultivation and demonic cultivation intermingled, and his magical power surged step by step!
Qin Mu activated the Soul-Pulling Incantation, which he had improved, and a sixteen-zhang primordial spirit appeared behind him. His primordial spirit was now vast and extraordinary, and with the unity of divinity and demonhood, he resembled a small primordial god.
His primordial spirit's mouth emitted rhythmic Netherworld demonic language, mixed with divine language. It was obscure and profound, leaving the Netherworld Reaper only half-understanding.
As the Heavenly Lord You, the Netherworld Reaper had profound mastery of Netherworld demonic language and Netherworld divine abilities, but he was somewhat lacking in divine language.
The divine language of the ancient Heavenly Court was derived from the Xuan Du divine language, both originating from the Heavenly Duke's Dao. Each had its own specialization. Because he had delved too deeply into Netherworld divine abilities, his understanding of Xuan Du divine abilities was inferior to Qin Mu's.
"Soul-Pulling Incantation?"
The Netherworld Reaper listened for a while before realizing and exclaimed, "This is the Soul-Pulling Incantation, but you've changed it beyond recognition!"
Qin Mu's primordial spirit continued to activate the Soul-Pulling Incantation, while he himself moved around the Imperial Heavenly Lord, walking in the air in a strange manner but as if on flat ground.
His hands flew, forming various seals and imprinting runes onto the Imperial Heavenly Lord's physical body. Compared to the awkwardness and danger when he had summoned the Heavenly Yin Goddess's soul, he was now very skilled and unhurried, even having the energy to turn his head and smile, "That's right, it's the Soul-Pulling Incantation. I taught it to you."
The Netherworld Reaper widened his eyes and said, "Even if you didn't teach me, I could have figured it out."
Qin Mu laughed heartily.
His seals and the Soul-Pulling Incantation gradually emitted obscure and unclear fluctuations, as if touching some heavenly laws, causing an inexplicable tremor in the Netherworld. Then, it extended from the Netherworld into various worlds.
The divine and demonic language emitted by his primordial spirit could not be heard by ordinary ears, not even by cultivators. However, to certain ancient beings, it sounded like the Dao whispering and humming, causing a tremor from the soul.
The shock to these ancient beings was also unparalleled, as if an ancient deity controlling immense laws was exerting its power, low and profound.
The soul particles scattered throughout the world were stirred. Gradually, particles like black sand were drawn and drifted toward the Netherworld.
These were extremely tiny soul particles, shattered beyond measure over the long ages, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, yet they truly existed.
Because a million years had passed, the Heavenly Court and the Heavenly River of that time had changed beyond recognition. The number of worlds where the Imperial Heavenly Lord's soul particles had scattered exceeded Qin Mu's expectations, and he gradually struggled. The magical power activated by his primordial spirit grew more and more immense, and his voice became louder and louder.
"Why didn't you summon his soul back then?"
The Netherworld Reaper asked in confusion, "Back then, his soul was scattered in the Heavenly Court. Summoning it would have been easier, and you wouldn't have had to work so hard."
"Back then, I didn't know Earth Lord and the Heavenly Duke. If I had rashly acted and borrowed their power, they would have definitely killed me."
Qin Mu's forehead was covered in sweat, steaming like clouds, and he said solemnly, "Now I have a good relationship with the Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord, so they won't say anything if I borrow their power. But back then, it wasn't possible."
The Netherworld Reaper's expression was strange, as if he had two eggs stuffed in his mouth, and his eyes were as wide as copper bells. He thought to himself, "Does the Mu Heavenly Lord have any misunderstanding about what a 'good relationship' means? I don't know about the Heavenly Duke, but Earth Lord's relationship with him is definitely not good. Earth Lord is just annoyed that he keeps coming to the Netherworld to cause trouble..."
Qin Mu grew even more strained. The runes he activated with every move became heavier and heavier. Each seal he imprinted on the Imperial Heavenly Lord's body felt like lifting a Mount Sumeru. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, "Moreover, the Heavenly Court back then was too dangerous. The ones who wanted to kill the Imperial Heavenly Lord were not just the Heavenly Lord Hao. The ones who wanted him dead were too powerful, so powerful that even the Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord dared not provoke them. If I had resurrected the Imperial Heavenly Lord back then, he would have died for sure, and I would have died too. That's why I resurrected his physical body and had the Heavenly Lord Ling hand it over to you. Only today did I dare to resurrect him!"
His body shook violently, and his primordial spirit and physical body both stopped moving. One stood on the ground, and the other stood at the forehead of his primordial spirit. Behind each of them, layers of light wheels rotated. Within these light wheels, various runes lit up as they spun, shining on the Imperial Heavenly Lord!
Tiny soul particles flew in, entering the Imperial Heavenly Lord's body through his facial orifices, his forehead, throat, heart, lungs, navel, and perineum.
Qin Mu and his primordial spirit stood motionless, the layers of light wheels behind them rotating without pause.
The Netherworld Reaper felt a chill in his heart, knowing this was a critical moment. He immediately became alert. In the Netherworld, paper boats flew over, densely packed, guarding the outside of the Heavenly Duke's Sage King Mansion.
After an unknown amount of time, Qin Mu looked exhausted, and the layers of light wheels behind him gradually stopped rotating and slowly dissipated.
His primordial spirit moved forward, shrinking until it merged with his physical body.
Only then did the Netherworld Reaper breathe a sigh of relief. He quickly stepped forward to ask, but before he could speak, Qin Mu frowned and said, "Part of the Imperial Heavenly Lord's soul did not completely shatter. It was suppressed by someone, and I couldn't summon it back."
The Netherworld Reaper was stunned and quickly asked, "How much is suppressed?"
"Less than a tenth."
Qin Mu exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, rested for a moment, and said, "I don't know if the missing part is significant. Who took away part of his soul is beyond my knowledge."
The Netherworld Reaper hurriedly asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Very simple. Ask Earth Lord."
Qin Mu said solemnly, "I will immediately take him back to the mortal world to reshape his soul and reassemble his spirit! After his soul is reassembled, Earth Lord can sense the other part through his soul. We only need to ask Earth Lord to know where his remnant soul is."
The two placed the Imperial Heavenly Lord's body on a small boat. The Netherworld Reaper's mother was busy cooking and quickly said, "It's almost ready! You've been busy for so long. Why don't you eat before you leave?"
The Netherworld Reaper quickly said, "Mother, we have urgent business!"
The woman smiled and said, "Then be careful on the road. I'll keep the food for you. That young man, our You'er is young, inexperienced, and doesn't know how to talk. Please be patient with him."
Qin Mu suppressed a smile and quickly said, "Auntie, don't worry. I understand."
He glanced at the Netherworld Reaper, who had a dark face and an expressionless look.
After the boat had gone far, Qin Mu burst out laughing. The Netherworld Reaper's face faded again, and he said flatly, "What are you laughing at? Back then, I couldn't beat you. Now, I can."
Qin Mu quickly stopped laughing and smiled, "Now you can even beat the Imperial Heavenly Lord. I wonder if he will still recognize us after he is resurrected?"
The Netherworld Reaper was lost in thought for a moment, then said, "He will always be my elder brother."
Qin Mu blinked and said, "And me?"
"Hmph."
The Netherworld Reaper turned his head away, revealing the ghost face mask on the back of his head. The mask suddenly made a funny face at him and stuck out its tongue.
Qin Mu was startled and looked closely. This ghost face mask was no longer the one he had carved earlier. It should be the mask the Heavenly Lord You had worn back then. Somehow, the Netherworld Reaper had taken it out again and put it on the back of his head.
"He must be worried that his appearance has changed and the Imperial Heavenly Lord won't recognize him, so he found this mask again." Qin Mu thought to himself.
When they reached the mortal world, they were still by the Yong River.
It was night in the Great Ruins. There were not many soul black sands or starving ghosts in the darkness. Qin Mu stood on the paper boat on the Yong River and performed the ritual again. The Gate of Bearing Heaven appeared, inverted, borrowing the power of the Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord, shining on the Imperial Heavenly Lord floating in the air!
The Netherworld Reaper watched him perform the ritual nervously, clenching his fists.
After a long time, Qin Mu dispersed his magical power, and the Imperial Heavenly Lord gently descended, landing on the river's surface.
"Lan Yutian, long time no see." Qin Mu smiled at the young man standing on the river in the middle of the stream.
The young man slowly opened his eyes, revealing a confused expression. The Netherworld Reaper became excited. Suddenly, with a splash, the Imperial Heavenly Lord sank to the bottom of the water. Then, he popped his head out, flailing his arms and legs, swallowing who knows how much water.
The Yong River was swift, with turbulent undercurrents, sweeping this young man, who couldn't swim, downstream!
Qin Mu and the Netherworld Reaper on the boat were dumbfounded. Suddenly, they came to their senses and shouted, "Quick, save him!"
After a moment, they pulled the soaking wet Imperial Heavenly Lord out of the water and placed him on the shore.
The Imperial Heavenly Lord was half-drowned, vomiting repeatedly to expel the water from his lungs, gasping for air.
Qin Mu and the Netherworld Reaper looked at each other. The Netherworld Reaper said in a low voice, "His cultivation is gone. It doesn't matter, though. He can cultivate it again."
The Imperial Heavenly Lord rested for a moment, then stood up and bowed to the two, saying, "Thank you, benefactors, for saving me. By the way, benefactors, what did you call me just now?"
The young man scratched his head shyly and said, "I don't remember my name."
——Four thousand one hundred words, enough sincerity, right? My pig trotters are cramping!