Chapter 773: Forty Thousand Years Like a Song
"Lord Tu, you dare to speak of the word righteousness!"
Qin Mu felt quite indignant in his heart, but dared not voice it aloud.
The battle in Youdu was clearly Lord Tu using his hand to purge the Heavenly Court's forces within Youdu. Since his parents were in Youdu, and Lord Tu had treated them reasonably well, he had to help Lord Tu with this task.
Yet now it seemed, aside from the black pot of the Heavenly Court, Earth Mother Primordial Lord also had a large black pot waiting for him.
In the battle at the Jade Lock Pass of Youdu, the son of Earth Mother who died by his hand should have been Yan Jiuxi. During the battle, Yan Jiuxi seemed to have mentioned that he was of Earth Mother Primordial Lord's bloodline, a son of Earth Mother.
Moreover, the divine ability Yan Jiuxi mastered was the Primordial Magnetic divine ability.
Although his Primordial Magnetic divine ability was not as exquisite as Granny Si's, it was still extraordinary, forcing Qin Mu to use the Heavenly Fire Great Path to break it.
Yan Jiuxi's fate was to be devoured by Qin Fengqing.
However, since Earth Mother Primordial Lord was already dead, there was no need to worry.
"The number of primordial spirits devoured by my brother is vast. Who knows how many black pots are waiting for me."
Qin Mu thought to himself: "Granny Si used the Primordial Magnetic Great Divine Ability, causing the Primordial Realm to reappear in the world. Is Earth Mother Primordial Lord truly dead? Why did the Primordial Magnetic divine ability trigger this anomaly here?"
The Great Ruins were like a folding fan.
And now, the fan was opening.
When the fan was closed, it was the Great Ruins; when opened, it became Earth Mother's Primordial Realm.
Why was Earth Mother's Primordial Realm folded into the Great Ruins? And why was it now opened?
Who folded such a vast and boundless world as Earth Mother's Primordial Realm into the Great Ruins?
Why did the Primordial Magnetic divine ability essentially vanish after Earth Mother Primordial Lord's death?
Had someone erased all cultivators of the Primordial Magnetic divine ability?
"The only remaining records of the Primordial Magnetic divine ability in the world today are in the Great Yu Heavenly Demon Scripture, and only a few types exist, not forming a complete system. That's why I had the idea to create Primordial Magnetic runes."
Qin Mu thought: "Who exactly erased the Primordial Magnetic divine ability? Were those who erased it the same group who killed Earth Mother Primordial Lord? When Granny used the Primordial Magnetic divine ability, the Primordial Realm was opened. Could this be a contingency left by Earth Mother Primordial Lord for her own resurrection?"
He withdrew his divine sense and looked around. The Primordial Realm was now even more magnificent. The distant Yan Kang was no longer visible, nor was the former Southern Sea.
The expansion of the Great Ruins gradually slowed. Amid the swirling mists in the distance, magnificent mountain peaks stood tall and graceful.
"With such astonishing changes in the Great Ruins, has Yan Kang undergone similar changes?" Granny Si asked.
Everyone's hearts tightened. If Yan Kang had also grown larger, the distances between cities and regions would be immense, instantly weakening the Yan Kang court's control to its lowest point.
Reduced control over various regions was a precursor to a dynasty's collapse.
The Yan Kang Kingdom originally ruled the Western Grasslands and the Northern Icefields, but now it was hard to say.
Everyone's hearts felt heavy.
"The most critical thing is still the safety of the people."
Qin Mu said solemnly: "The Great Ruins have undergone a drastic transformation into the Primordial Realm. Many places are spewing out radiant light. That light should not be natural radiance but residual divine abilities. If people mistakenly enter those places, the casualties would be severe. The Great Ruins are now dangerous everywhere. We need to warn the people in the Great Ruins!"
Everyone nodded. Now was not the time to worry about Yan Kang; the safety of the Great Ruins' people was more important.
"True God Pang Yu, I trouble you to invite the divine ability practitioners and gods of Taihuang Heaven to go to various places and warn the people there."
Qin Mu said.
"Others should also go to various places to ensure every city and every village is notified."
True God Pang Yu said: "Rest assured, I will go immediately!"
He was about to head to the divine city of Taihuang Heaven when suddenly a deep, startling roar came from the wilderness of the Primordial Realm. True God Pang Yu stopped and looked in that direction.
They saw vast mountains, with faint traces of giant beasts moving among the peaks, revealing enormous blue backs.
Everyone was startled. Deity Sang Ye murmured: "What is that thing? Its size is so huge..."
Qin Mu's heart shook violently, and he exhaled a turbid breath: "Demi-gods."
Everyone was puzzled and looked at him: "What are demi-gods? Are they false gods?"
Qin Mu said solemnly: "These demi-gods are extremely dangerous. They are the offspring of ancient gods, possessing the bloodline of ancient gods. You must act with caution! You need to be careful. The seal of the Great Ruins has been broken, transforming it into the Primordial Realm. I'm afraid many demi-gods have survived."
Deity Sang Ye asked in confusion: "What are ancient gods?"
Qin Mu explained: "They are innate sacred beings like Heaven Duke, Lord Tu, and Earth Mother. Demi-gods are the descendants of these innate sacred beings. Like the Dragon Qilin, he is also a demi-god, growing stronger with age. These demi-gods rely on the power of bloodline, but they can also cultivate like us, and they become even more powerful after cultivation. You must be careful!"
True God Pang Yu shouted loudly: "Soldiers of Taihuang Heaven, follow me!"
He led the crowd away. Xu Shenghua said: "I need to return to the Western Lands to see if it's safe there."
Qin Mu nodded: "It might take you a year or two, or even longer, to reach the Western Lands. Be careful on the road."
"Rest assured, I didn't die at your hands, and I won't die at the hands of demi-gods either." Xu Shenghua hurriedly departed.
Granny Si led the scholars of the Heavenly Saint Academy to pack their belongings, saying: "Mu'er, I will go with these scholars to notify the villagers in the western Great Ruins. Take care of yourself."
Qin Mu said: "Granny, rest assured. You go west, I'll go east. Also, don't release your primordial spirit to contact Yan Kang. There are too many war zones in the Primordial Realm, danger everywhere, and demi-gods roaming about. Be careful not to damage your primordial spirit."
"Brat, you're starting to teach me now."
Granny Si led the crowd away, laughing: "I raised you. Which of your schemes and tricks wasn't taught by Granny?"
Qin Mu watched them disappear into the distance, thinking: "Now I should go find the Bullfighting Realm, find Martial Combat Celestial Master, and ask the warriors of the Bullfighting Realm for help. That way, I can notify the people in the Great Ruins faster."
He discerned the direction, then led Imperial Heavenly Lord down from Taihuang Heaven, heading straight for the small mountain village where the Bullfighting Realm was located: "I wonder if the Bullfighting Realm has been thrown out of the Primordial Realm by now..."
When the drastic change in the Great Ruins occurred, many heavens flew out from the cliff faces. These heavens were thrown out of the sky by the Primordial Magnetic divine power when the Primordial Realm's seal was broken.
The Bullfighting Realm was also a heaven, crafted by the Bullfighting Heavenly Palace. Martial Combat Celestial Master had hidden this heaven in the Great Ruins, and it might also have been thrown out of the sky.
"Brother Mu, slow down." Imperial Heavenly Lord panted as he followed behind him.
Qin Mu circulated his primordial energy, using a surge of magical power to lift Imperial Heavenly Lord, speeding up.
With his profound cultivation now, carrying Imperial Heavenly Lord was not too strenuous.
Qin Mu raced along, as if entering a completely unfamiliar primeval forest. The surrounding mountains were towering and majestic, and even the trees were exceptionally tall, much taller than those in the Great Ruins.
The Primordial Realm hid many unsolved mysteries. It was still a completely unfamiliar world to him, but even if it was fraught with danger, he had to venture in.
The Great Ruins were where he grew up, and the residents of the Great Ruins were his family.
After traveling who knows how many miles, Qin Mu slowed down and looked up at the mountains ahead. Clusters of radiant light rose from the mountains. Using his Jade Firmament Divine Eye, he saw that those lights were extremely dangerous divine abilities.
"Go around!"
Qin Mu made a prompt decision and circled around the base of this great mountain. When he reached the shadow of the mountain, he was stunned. A vast, boundless ancient battlefield appeared before him. Countless rays of light, like the smoke of war, filled this ancient battlefield, hiding among the broken walls and ruins—dazzling, eye-catching, and extremely enchanting.
Qin Mu steadied himself and flew upward. After flying over ten miles, he looked down again. This ancient battlefield was very long, but not as wide as he had expected—only a thousand miles across.
"Fly over from the air?"
Qin Mu examined the sky above the battlefield. The sky was quite clear. He was about to fly over when suddenly a golden eagle flew past above his head, flapping its wings and flying forward.
That golden eagle flew over ten miles, then suddenly split into pieces, falling from the sky as a pile of flesh.
Then, those pieces of flesh continued to split apart as they fell, turning into tiny cubes of meat.
The meat cubes fell, growing smaller and smaller, until by the time they hit the ground, they were too small to see clearly.
Qin Mu was startled. He opened his third eye on his forehead, and all three divine eyes looked at the sky together. Only then did he see black lines crisscrossing the sky above this ancient battlefield, like barely perceptible spider webs, forming a chaotic net in the sky.
"Space cracks!"
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. Flying over from above, it would be hard to notice these nearly thickness-less space cracks. If he flew through them, he would likely end up like that golden eagle.
"A thousand miles across. Walking through it won't take too long. But going around would waste too much time."
He descended and said to Imperial Heavenly Lord: "Follow me. Don't wander off."
Imperial Heavenly Lord also saw the danger and nodded repeatedly.
The two delved into this ancient battlefield. They saw eerie ghost fires rising from piles of fallen bones, drifting everywhere. Qin Mu avoided the radiant lights and ghost fires, using his primordial energy to drive his sword pellet. The sword pellet rolled ahead of them, testing for danger.
The journey was safe for a hundred miles. Ahead, a ruined city appeared.
They arrived at the city gate and faintly heard the sound of a zither coming from within the city. The zither music was sobbing, like a young girl crying softly, lamenting the sorrows of the past.
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. This ancient battlefield was covered with bones everywhere—how could there be zither music?
At the collapsed city gate, there were several broken stone tablets. The breaks on the tablets looked fresh. Qin Mu motioned for Imperial Heavenly Lord to be silent, then carefully brushed away the rubble on the tablets. The inscriptions recorded a battle.
"Upper Emperor's Seventy-Second Hall, Phoenix Hall, Hall Master Qi Xiayu, slays the Domain Outer Heavenly Court's Southern Heaven Red Emperor Yan Qianzhong here!"
Beside this stone tablet was another broken one, recording a different battle. Qin Mu read it: it said that the Crown Prince captured Qi Xiayu here, Qi Xiayu was defeated and surrendered, and the Crown Prince promised her the position of the new Southern Heaven Red Emperor. Thus, this stone tablet was erected to commemorate his achievement.
"This zither music..."
Qin Mu was slightly stunned, then exclaimed: "Could it be the zither music of Red Emperor Qi Xiayu? No wonder it sounds familiar! Wasn't she tracking Emperor Shakya Heavenly Buddha? Did Emperor Shakya Heavenly Buddha also come to the Great Ruins?"
Just as he thought this, a woman's voice suddenly came: "Phoenix Hall Master Qi Xiayu!"
Qin Mu was dazed: "This voice sounds familiar..."
Just as he thought this, the zither music in the city stopped. Radiant light suddenly surged, and countless rays of light carried a magnificent Phoenix Ship as it rose. The Phoenix wings on both sides of the great ship flapped, stirring up terrifying winds, sending stones flying.
"Phoenix Hall Master, don't leave! Bai Qiong'er of Bailong City requests an audience!" Another voice sounded from within the city.
Qin Mu's mind buzzed. He stood there dumbfounded, watching the Phoenix Ship break through the sky. Behind the Phoenix Ship, a girl soared into the air, holding a divine sword. With a clang, she broke through the space cracks in the sky. Suddenly, her body shook, and she transformed into a white dragon, swaying her head and tail, gracefully chasing after the Phoenix Ship!
"Bai Qiong'er of Bailong City..."
Qin Mu watched the distant white dragon, murmuring: "She's still alive, she's still alive... She also came to the Great Ruins!"
He couldn't help but recall that night forty thousand years ago, when he, Dragon Qilin, the Box, and Ban Gongcuo escorted the people of Bailong City eastward.
Bai Qiong'er was somewhat weak, somewhat stubborn, leading the last people of the Upper Emperor era on a difficult search for a way to survive.
When the sun rose, Qin Mu and the others, like guests in a dream, turned into black sand and vanished with the darkness, leaving only that girl protecting the defenseless mortals.
How had she gotten through these forty thousand years?
"Debts of the heart are hard to repay; why become a monk?"
Another faint voice came from the city, seemingly self-pitying: "Years pass like a song, but they cannot fully recount the tenderness of love."
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