Chapter 765: A-Chou (Four-Thousand-Word Chapter)
Qin Mu called out a few times, but Qin Fengqing never responded. This big-headed baby had actually fallen asleep at this critical moment, with a thumb stuffed in his mouth.
Qin Mu pulled the thumb out of his mouth and wiped it on his clothes. Qin Fengqing had been sucking on his finger.
With his three heads and six arms, one head and two arms were controlled by Qin Fengqing, while the other two heads and four arms were under his own control. During battle, Qin Mu would also manipulate all six arms.
Earlier, when Qin Fengqing was sleeping, he had pulled Qin Mu's hand over and stuffed his thumb into his mouth.
With nothing in his mouth, Qin Fengqing didn't sleep very soundly. He smacked his lips and mumbled a few words.
Qin Mu lifted Qin Fengqing's left hand and stuffed his thumb back into his mouth. Only then did he settle down.
"Is he the older brother, or am I?"
Qin Mu shook his head and drifted through the darkness of the Life-Death Cauldron, searching for a way out. But no matter how long he flew, he could never find the edge.
Although the Life-Death Cauldron didn't look very large, the space inside seemed endless, with no boundary in sight.
Qin Mu tried using teleportation techniques, but he still couldn't escape this cauldron.
After a long time, he finally gave up searching for the edge of the Life-Death Cauldron and instead flew upward. The Life-Death Cauldron was refined by Earth Lord. How vast were Earth Lord's divine powers? Although Qin Fengqing's strength was very high, he was still an extremely long way from Earth Lord. Therefore, starting with the Chaos Sky Net was actually the best way to leave.
He reached the sky dome. Before he even got close, he saw countless stars swirling in the heavens, the star rivers shifting and coiling like dragons surging toward him.
Qin Mu raised his hand to block, his dharma power forming a barrier. The star river immediately crashed into the barrier.
The stars in the river were not solid but strange imprints, crashing violently. At first, a dozen or so struck together, with little force. But in an instant, countless stars poured like a great river. The barrier Qin Mu had formed kept lighting up with points of starlight, and the next moment, it turned into an incredibly bright wall of light!
Boom—
A violent tremor came, and his dharma power barrier collapsed. The star river slammed into his physical body, sending him hurtling downward from the high altitude with a roar!
In just a short moment, countless stars struck his body. Intense pain came, and Qin Mu forcibly withstood the impact. He let out a roar, and from his mouth came a vast and mighty Underworld demonic language: "Where my body is, there is the Underworld!"
Below, the demonic qi in the Life-Death Cauldron surged upward, forming a dark continent beneath his feet. Then the Underworld demonic qi shot up into the sky, charging toward the star river above!
Qin Mu was surprised and delighted to find that he could actually mobilize the power of the Life-Death Cauldron. The star river rushing at him was scattered by the Underworld demonic qi. He stepped on the Underworld continent, his body rising higher and higher until he reached the star river.
The star river churned violently, becoming more and more intense. Suddenly, the starlight of countless stars hummed and connected, forming an incredibly dense net of starlight that crisscrossed in all directions. It descended from the sky, cutting through the Underworld demonic qi, and fell downward.
Qin Mu was startled. He mobilized the Underworld demonic qi, and the violent demonic qi condensed into a long blade in his hand. He slashed at the falling net of starlight!
A single line across the vast sky!
The blade light went vertical and horizontal, tearing open the net of starlight. Qin Mu took a deep breath, his body swelling section by section, turning into a giant ten thousand zhang tall. His four arms madly struck upward, and in an instant, countless fists shattered the star river!
Outside the cauldron, Yan Qianchong, High Heavenly King, and other ancient beings were still in a standoff, none willing to give up this opportunity. Suddenly, the Life-Death Cauldron shook violently. The lid clanged and clattered, and the great cauldron wobbled back and forth, as if a huge monster was suppressed inside, ready to break out at any moment!
Everyone was startled. Lu Li quickly shouted, "Seniors, this is not the time to throw tantrums. Let's first refine the Underworld God Son to death, then we'll make our plans!"
She, along with Xuan Ming, Yu Fei, and Han Lei, immediately stepped forward. Their four palms pressed simultaneously on the four corners of the Chaos Sky Net, activating its power.
"Good!"
Yan Qianchong stepped forward. Behind him, halos of light spun wildly like wheels. The dharma power of his primordial spirit shot out like a beam of fire, striking the Life-Death Cauldron. He shouted, "First, refine the Underworld God Son to death!"
High Heavenly King saw this, extended a finger, and gently drew it across his brow. His brow split open, revealing a jade-green eye. A beam of light shot from the eye, also striking the Life-Death Cauldron. He laughed, "Fine. The ownership of the Underworld God Son's physical body can be discussed after he's refined to death."
Other ancient beings stretched out their palms, spat out dharma power from their mouths, or manifested vast heavenly palaces behind them. Each used their own methods, pouring their dharma power into the Life-Death Cauldron and the Chaos Sky Net, activating the power of these two great treasures!
"First, knock him down from the Chaos Sky Net!"
Lu Li shouted, "Let the Life-Death Cauldron refine him to death!"
Qin Mu had already reached the star river at the sky's zenith. He stepped on the Underworld continent, moving with great force. It seemed he could break free, but suddenly the star river spun wildly, its power greatly increased.
At the same time, four heads of Earth Lord appeared around the star river, opening their bloody mouths wide. The four Earth Lord heads actually bit down with a crunch on his Underworld continent.
Above, the star river turned into a heavenly net and earthly snare. Starlight chains formed a net of starlight that sliced downward, its power more than ten times greater than before!
"Can't fight head-on!"
The Underworld continent was suppressed by the four Earth Lord heads. Qin Mu was about to use a teleportation formation to dodge when suddenly he felt the endless power of the Life-Death Cauldron surging toward him. In an instant, it filled his entire body. He was both surprised and delighted: "Originally, I couldn't mobilize much power from the Life-Death Cauldron. How come I can suddenly mobilize so much?"
He didn't know that High Heavenly King, Yan Qianchong, and the others were activating the Life-Death Cauldron. And High Heavenly King, Yan Qianchong, and the others also didn't know that activating the Life-Death Cauldron only allowed Qin Mu to mobilize more Underworld power.
Qin Mu's aura surged. He let out a roar, tore apart the starlight chains, broke through the net of starlight, and charged upward. But the star river howled and rolled, pressing down on him.
Qin Mu punched and kicked, causing the star river to shake violently. The four Earth Lord heads around him could no longer suppress the Underworld continent. The Underworld continent carried Qin Mu higher and higher.
Outside the cauldron, Lu Li and the others were shaken until their arms were numb, both shocked and terrified.
The Qin Mu inside the cauldron was simply overbearing. Even the Life-Death Cauldron and the Chaos Sky Net couldn't suppress him. If this continued, he would likely shake the Chaos Sky Net flying and break free to wreak havoc!
"Isn't the Life-Death Cauldron the number one killing treasure of the Underworld? Why can't it refine him to death?"
Everyone was in a panic, frantically outputting dharma power to activate the Life-Death Cauldron and the Chaos Sky Net. Lu Li quickly shouted, "First, fully activate the Chaos Sky Net's power and knock him to the bottom of the cauldron!"
Immediately, more than a dozen ancient beings stopped activating the Life-Death Cauldron. Each poured their dharma power into the Chaos Sky Net. The Chaos Sky Net's power greatly increased. A loud boom came from inside the cauldron, and everyone felt the pressure lighten. They were uneasy, not knowing the situation inside the cauldron.
"The Underworld God Son isn't dead from the Chaos Sky Net, is he?" Yan Qianchong muttered.
Inside the cauldron, Qin Mu stood on the Underworld continent. Starlight shot out from the star river coiling in the sky. Net after net of starlight continuously sliced downward, their light flickering. He was forced to attack madly to block the cutting of the heavenly net and earthly snare.
The power of the Chaos Sky Net was pushed to its limit by Lu Li and the others. The star river surged and suddenly turned into a giant palm print, pressing down with a boom. Qin Mu raised his four arms high, barely catching this huge star hand. He was pressed down, his body sinking continuously.
At that moment, the third eyes of the four Earth Lord heads opened. Four beams of light sliced down simultaneously. The Earth Lord continent beneath Qin Mu's feet was cut into pieces, shattered into four parts.
The star hand pressed down on Qin Mu and slammed him hard. Qin Mu was crushed beneath the hand. The wind howled in his ears, the sound merging into a single line. The demonic qi was compressed into a thick wall, into a continent, sandwiching him in the middle.
Boom!
The power of this star hand exploded. The palm force reached the bottom of the Life-Death Cauldron. The great cauldron shook violently. Qin Mu's bones were broken, his neck twisted, his four arms snapped, and his legs contorted. He lay on the ground in a strange posture. As for Qin Fengqing, he was still sucking his finger and sleeping soundly.
Just now, Qin Mu had actively resisted the power of the star hand, protecting him with all his strength, so he wasn't injured. But Qin Mu himself was severely wounded.
The star hand dispersed. The starlight swirled upward like a tornado and quickly disappeared.
Qin Mu had never been beaten this badly before. He lay there motionless. The dharma power in his body was completely chaotic, and his primordial spirit was also severely damaged. At that moment, the power of the Life-Death Cauldron suddenly exploded. Rolling Underworld demonic qi surged in, quickly filling his entire body.
Qin Mu was both surprised and delighted: "Who is healing me? Is it Earth Lord? He doesn't seem like such a good person..."
His dharma power immediately became full. He quickly activated the Creation Art to heal his injuries.
But the power of the Life-Death Cauldron grew stronger and stronger, and the dharma power surging in became more and more abundant. Qin Mu soon recovered from his injuries, and the Life-Death Cauldron's power was still rising madly!
"Something's not right..."
Qin Mu was swollen by the violent demonic qi, his body bulging and growing larger and larger. He couldn't help but panic. He quickly said, "Brother, brother, wake up quickly. Have you finished digesting? I can't hold on much longer..."
He was swollen until his vision blurred. Suddenly, an old, aged voice laughed, "A-Chou, don't just stand around. Your wife is pregnant. How can you let her do the housework? Go help her!"
Qin Mu's vision gradually became clear. The surroundings were picturesque, with birds singing and flowers fragrant. A white-haired old woman leaned on a cane, sitting in front of the door, smiling at him.
Qin Mu was stunned, but he heard his own voice become thick and rough, rumbling like a jar: "Mother, I understand. I'll go help right away."
Qin Mu was dazed. Only then did he notice that he was fiddling with an iron plow.
He saw his own rough hands put down the iron plow and stand up. His body was very tall, about one zhang and two chi.
Qin Mu was confused. He looked down at the shadow on the ground, and his mind exploded.
On the ground was a shadow with ox horns and an ox tail behind its butt!
"No, this isn't me..."
He felt that he couldn't control his body. It walked toward the house ahead. In this not-so-large manor, he saw a gentle and virtuous woman, heavily pregnant, laboriously washing clothes.
He hurried forward and said in a voice as gentle as possible, "Wife, be careful not to disturb the baby. Let me do it!"
The woman struggled to straighten her waist. He quickly helped her up and sat down himself to rub the clothes.
At that moment, Qin Mu saw his own face in the water.
He had tiger-like eyes, tiger stripes on his face, and a pair of nine-curved ox horns on his head.
Although his eyes were like a tiger's, they were full of tenderness.
"Earth Lord..."
Qin Mu's mind went blank. After a moment, he came back to his senses: "This is the memory of this Life-Death Cauldron, isn't it? That means I'm now inside the memory of Earth Lord's Life-Death Cauldron. This cauldron has a spirit..."
Earth Lord had reincarnated in the distant past. The Suppressing Soul Left Attendant had mentioned this, saying that Earth Lord was so ugly that he was unwelcome and hunted down. Later, the ancient gods and demigods conspired against him, killing his wife and daughter, causing Earth Lord's demonic nature to spiral out of control, killing countless terrifying beings.
"The memory of the Life-Death Cauldron is probably about this matter."
Qin Mu felt as if he had become Earth Lord, reliving that memory.
Earth Lord was very gentle. Although he was a rough man, he was extremely good to his wife, a virtuous woman who was filial to her elders. The old woman was Earth Lord's mother. She was pregnant for several years but couldn't give birth. When she finally gave birth to Earth Lord that year, crows filled the sky outside the window. When the child was born, it turned out to be a monster, with a tiger face and ox horns.
Everyone around said it was a demon king reincarnated and wanted to kill it. But the old woman kept Earth Lord, gave him the nickname A-Chou, and raised him with great hardship until he grew up.
After Earth Lord grew up, he displayed extraordinary strength and gained remarkable divine powers. But he was attached to his home and reluctant to leave his old mother.
However, ugly as he was, someone still fell in love with him—his wife.
"No matter how ugly, there's someone who wants him." The old woman was very happy and doted on her daughter-in-law.
But his wife didn't like calling him A-Chou. She preferred to call him A-Niu Ge.
This family was harmonious and happy. Soon, his wife gave birth to a boy and a girl. Earth Lord wept with joy, holding the two children very happily, teaching them to cultivate. Life was carefree.
The current Earth Lord, though ugly, was more like a human than the selfless ancient god of the Underworld.
He was famous but very peaceful, never making enemies with outsiders. However, famines often occurred in the surrounding areas. Earth Lord generously distributed wealth to help the nearby families. Gradually, everyone treated him better and better.
"I heard from the neighboring village that some demigods have been appearing lately."
His wife coaxed the children and said to him, "They've eaten several people and are asking about you."
Earth Lord grunted. When he looked up, he saw the demigod his wife had mentioned.
"A-Chou, A-Niu."
That demigod's body was as vast as a hill. Their small manor seemed incredibly tiny. The demigod held a few people in his hand, grinned at him, and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing vigorously. He laughed, "Who would have thought that the Lord of the Underworld would reincarnate and even marry a human woman? Earth Lord, since you've reincarnated, hand over the Underworld. You don't need it anymore anyway!"
Earth Lord didn't answer. He looked behind the demigod, where one demigod after another emerged, all extremely powerful.
The surrounding villages and hamlets had already been flattened by these demigods.
"A-Chou."
The old woman tottered out of the room and asked, "What's going on?"
"Nothing."
Qin Mu heard his own voice rumble, "Mother, go back inside first. Gentlemen, you want to become the Lord of the Underworld? The Underworld is empty now. Go ahead and be the Lord of the Underworld. Why bother me?"
"If you don't die, we don't dare!" Those demigods burst into loud laughter.
"A-Niu Ge..." The voice of his wife came from behind him.
Qin Mu turned his head and saw a demigod transformed into a feathered serpent coiled around his wife, holding the two children.
Qin Mu's heart trembled. He almost couldn't bear to watch.
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