Chapter 785: Earth Origin Dao Fruit
The Water Qilin carried Qin Mu past several imperial tombs before finally spotting the Dragon Qilin. The Dragon Qilin was mingling with a group of dragons and qilins, calling them brothers and boasting endlessly.
"I keep a human, specially to refine spirit pills for me..."
Those Dragon Kings and Qilins were extremely envious. As the Dragon Qilin was speaking, he caught sight of Qin Mu and the others approaching and quickly shut his mouth.
Imperial Heaven Sovereign called the Dragon Qilin over. When the Dragon Qilin saw Qin Mu looking utterly exhausted, he was startled and hastily said, "Better let me carry the Sect Leader. I walk very steadily; I won't let the Sect Leader feel any jolts."
Imperial Heaven Sovereign lifted Qin Mu onto the Dragon Qilin's back. The Dragon Qilin secretly glanced at Qin Mu's expression and saw his face was dark and gloomy, making him uneasy: "I wonder if the Sect Leader heard what I said just now..."
Those Dragon Kings and Qilins looked at him with envy as he carried Qin Mu out. After they had gone far, they remarked one after another, "Young and promising, truly young and promising."
"Long Pi may be young, but his vision and experience are extraordinary. Raising a human to refine pills for himself—why didn't I think of that idea back in the day?"
...
The Dragon Qilin carried Qin Mu out of the underground space and into the hall of the dilapidated temple. The Phoenix also followed, looking around.
Gongsun Yan hurriedly went to tidy up the rooms, saying, "I usually live in the Yuanjun Temple and only cleaned a few rooms for myself. Let me clear out a few more rooms for Sister Feng and Brother Qin to stay in."
The Phoenix took out a golden bird's nest and said, "I'm not used to sleeping in other people's beds. Just lay out my nest."
Gongsun Yan acknowledged and took the nest.
After a while, she had everything arranged. Qin Mu sat by the bed, his complexion much improved, and said, "Sister, I'm much better now. No need to look after me. This fruit from the Earth Mother is indeed effective. I feel my primal energy has recovered somewhat; there's no serious issue."
Gongsun Yan examined him carefully and found his complexion had indeed improved significantly. She was very envious and said, "This fruit is extraordinary. It's a fruit that grows on the Primeval Tree, called the Earth Origin Dao Fruit. The Primeval Tree is the root of heaven and earth in the Primeval Capital, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth there, combined with the Earth Mother's own cultivation in the Dao. That's why it's so rare. I've heard the Earth Mother say she rarely gives Earth Origin Dao Fruits to others. Only in the early years of the Dragon Han Era did she pick a few to give to the Heavenly Emperor for feasting the ancient gods. But even then, when the Dragon Han Heavenly Court was established, the number of ancient gods qualified to eat the Earth Origin Dao Fruit was not large."
Qin Mu turned his head. The halo behind his head rotated with his movement, always staying behind him, giving him a sense of unease.
This Earth Origin Dao Fruit was right inside the halo formed by the Earth Mother Yuanjun's blessing, looking shriveled, but the energy within it was so astonishing that he couldn't just take a bite to taste it.
But what made him uneasy wasn't the Earth Origin Dao Fruit, but the Earth Mother Yuanjun's blessing.
He had met most of the Seven Sovereigns, and each of them had rings of halos behind their heads—that was the blessing of the ancient gods.
The blessings of the ancient gods had various effects: longevity, fortune, agelessness, immortality, indestructibility, and so on. But despite receiving blessings from all the ancient gods, Imperial Heaven Sovereign was still assassinated, his soul scattered.
It wasn't until a million years later that Qin Mu resurrected him, and even then, he had lost all his memory and was simple-minded.
Clearly, blessings couldn't truly guarantee safety.
"This blessing halo I've received is probably more like surveillance. Even if I escape this place, the Earth Mother Yuanjun can sense my location through this halo. I wonder if I can get rid of it?"
He was feeling low in spirits and yawned.
Gongsun Yan immediately stood up and said, "Brother Qin, rest for now."
She left the room and closed the door. Qin Mu immediately stood up, his eyes bright and energetic, completely unlike his earlier lethargy.
He activated the Creation Divine Art, transforming into a three-headed, six-armed form. Now with three heads, the halo couldn't circle behind him.
He carefully examined the halo. Within it, various extremely intricate runes were flowing. This halo was composed of runes, the tiniest particles of light.
After inspecting it, Qin Mu frowned.
Besides the magnetic runes, these runes contained many other types, far more complex than he had imagined.
The magnetic runes were easy enough—Grandma Si had already deduced over nineteen hundred magnetic runes. If the runes in the halo formed a magnetic divine ability, he might find a way to break it.
But the other runes in the halo gave Qin Mu a headache. Some had the linear structures of rivers and lakes, others took the forms of plants and flowers, and still others were mysterious patterns whose functions he couldn't discern.
Clearly, the Dao that the Earth Mother Yuanjun possessed was extremely complex.
And the halo was a divine ability formed from these runes. How to break the halo and escape the Earth Mother Yuanjun's tracking and sensing left Qin Mu completely stumped.
"Right! Zixi Heavenly Master!"
His eyes lit up. As one of the Four Great Heavenly Masters and a scholar, her knowledge might not be as vast as the Woodcutter Saint's, but her cultivation was far, far deeper. Perhaps she had a way to break the halo.
Thinking this, Qin Mu reached for the Earth Origin Dao Fruit floating unsteadily within the halo. He grabbed the fruit, but when he tried to take it out of the halo, he encountered a problem.
As he attempted to remove the Earth Origin Dao Fruit, countless rays of light surged around the halo, like thin threads connecting to the fruit. He could only move it a little before encountering unimaginable resistance!
"Others get forced sales, but the Earth Mother Yuanjun forces blessings on people, shoving the Earth Origin Dao Fruit at me whether I want it or not!"
Qin Mu was deeply indignant. The fruit and the halo seemed embedded behind him, impossible to shake off!
For others, the Earth Mother's blessing and the Earth Origin Dao Fruit were treasures they dreamed of but could never obtain. For Qin Mu, they were burdens and dangers, things he wished he could throw far away.
Streams of energy from the Earth Origin Dao Fruit continuously poured into his divine hideaways, absorbed by his primordial spirit, and then filled his divine hideaways, expanding the Six Harmonies Continent within them, making it deeper and vaster.
"The benefits of the Earth Origin Dao Fruit are still astonishing. But unfortunately, the fruit likely contains the Earth Mother Yuanjun's divine consciousness, which can sense my location."
Seeing that he couldn't remove the Earth Origin Dao Fruit, Qin Mu had to give up. He thought to himself, "If I can just absorb all the energy from the Earth Origin Dao Fruit, I can get rid of the surveillance within it, right?"
He circulated his internal energy according to the Overlord Body Three Dan Art, continuously drawing energy from the fruit, converting it into extremely pure magical power. The Overlord Body Three Dan Art also used primal energy to nourish his primordial spirit, moisturize his body, and strengthen his divine hideaways.
His cultivation and magical power rose like the tide. At this rate of cultivation, it wouldn't be long before he had enough magical power to break through the barriers of the Life and Death Divine Hideaway.
"Oh? The Jianmu Innate Divine Bridge in my Six Harmonies Continent is also absorbing the fruit's energy, even faster than I can refine it with the Overlord Body Three Dan Art!"
Qin Mu was surprised. The Jianmu Innate Divine Bridge was a concept proposed by Xu Shenghua, initially created and then perfected together with Qin Mu.
This Jianmu tree had a similar effect to the divine tree that stood at the center of the Primeval Realm, the Earth Mother Yuanjun's tree.
And now, the Jianmu was frantically absorbing the fruit's energy, strengthening itself!
Qin Mu was stunned. The Jianmu was rooted in the Six Harmonies Continent, a scene reminiscent of the ancient Primeval Realm!
The Primeval Realm also had a divine tree rooted at the center of heaven and earth!
"Xu Shenghua truly is second only to me. The Jianmu Innate Divine Bridge he created secretly aligns with the Dao of heaven and earth. Impressive!"
Qin Mu praised: "The name of the False Overlord Body is well-deserved! With the Jianmu Innate Divine Bridge absorbing the fruit's energy, I can refine the fruit faster and deprive the Earth Mother of one of her surveillance methods!"
But he soon realized he was still too naive. Although the energy surging from the Earth Origin Dao Fruit was immense, and he was refining it frantically, and the Jianmu was becoming more real, the fruit's energy showed no sign of decreasing!
The energy he had consumed during this time was less than a ten-thousandth of the fruit's total energy, probably even less than a millionth or a billionth!
"The Earth Mother Yuanjun really is generous..."
Qin Mu's head ached. He pushed open the door and walked out. By the door, the Dragon Qilin was leaning against the wall, legs spread apart, sitting on the ground in a strange posture while cultivating.
Seeing him come out, the Dragon Qilin quickly scrambled up, overjoyed, and asked, "Sect Leader, is it time to eat?"
"Mm."
Qin Mu took out some spirit pills and poured a full basin for him, saying casually, "Long Fatty, which volume and chapter of the 'Human Rearing Scripture' have you written up to?"
The Dragon Qilin lowered his head to eat, replying, "I haven't finished the sixth chapter of the second volume yet..."
He suddenly realized what he had said and felt a chill run down his spine.
Qin Mu sneered: "You're writing too slowly!"
The Dragon Qilin tucked his tail between his legs and dared not speak.
Qin Mu sneered repeatedly, and the Dragon Qilin was sweating profusely. Just then, Gongsun Yan and Imperial Heaven Sovereign came from behind the temple carrying a fruit platter. Seeing Qin Mu come out of the room, she said happily, "Brother Qin, I picked some fruits for you to eat. I grew them myself; they're very fresh!"
Qin Mu quickly thanked her and tasted one. The flavor lingered in his mouth, and he praised, "Sister's fruits are big and sweet!"
Gongsun Yan was delighted and said, "Brother Lan, take some to Sister Feng and let her try them too."
"No need to send them."
From the temple roof, the Phoenix's voice came. Qin Mu looked up and saw the brightly dressed woman transformed from the Phoenix standing on the roof, staring intently at Jade Capital City as if facing a great enemy, radiating intense battle intent.
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he leaped onto the roof. The Phoenix said displeasedly, "Get down! This is not a place for you to come!"
Qin Mu quickly said, "I've refined some spirit pills and came to ask you to taste them, see if they suit your palate. If not, I'll adjust the recipe."
The Phoenix's expression softened and she said, "Don't call me sister; it sounds too sweet and familiar. My name is Feng Qiuyun. Just call me Qiuyun Divine Lord."
She tasted a spirit pill and said, "The fire element is a bit too strong. I am a phoenix myself, cultivating the Sacred Fire Dao. The fire element in these pills is too low-grade, so it doesn't suit my taste. Get down now. This isn't a place for you to stay. Don't bother with the spirit pills for now. The Earth Mother's matter is more important. Just focus on cultivating!"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Sister Qiuyun, my daily cultivation doesn't require seclusion. In fact, I've been used to moving around since I was young, cultivating while on the move. When I'm fighting, my cultivation speed is even faster. What are you looking at, Sister Qiuyun?"
Feng Qiuyun frowned at him still calling her sister but let it go, saying, "You cultivate faster when fighting?"
Qin Mu nodded.
"Then I'll take you to fight!"
Feng Qiuyun said, "Yan'er, you stay here. I'm taking him to Jade Capital City to fight!"
Gongsun Yan quickly said, "How can this be? Brother Qin was just seriously injured. How can you take him to fight? If something goes wrong, I won't be able to explain to the Earth Mother."
The Phoenix on the roof paced restlessly, looking agitated.
Qin Mu was puzzled and asked, "Sister Qiuyun, what's on your mind?"
Feng Qiuyun didn't answer. She stopped pacing and continued staring at Jade Capital City.
Gongsun Yan said, "Brother Qin, come down and eat some fruit. There's plenty more!"
Qin Mu had no choice but to jump down from the roof and fill his stomach with fruit. When the fruit in the platter was finished, Gongsun Yan was about to go pick more from the backyard. Qin Mu laughed and said, "Sister Yan, I'm full. By the way, Sister Yan, what is this little green sprout behind your head?"
He reached out and touched the small tender sprout in the halo behind Gongsun Yan's head.
Gongsun Yan let out a soft cry, shyly blushing, and whispered, "Don't touch... You can't touch it."
Qin Mu was puzzled and asked, "Why can't I touch it?"
Gongsun Yan's face turned even redder, and she dared not speak.
"Idiot!"
Feng Qiuyun jumped down from the roof and sneered, "That's Yan'er's primordial spirit! Why are you touching her primordial spirit? It's too stimulating for her. You might as well touch her body directly! Her primordial spirit is very weak. She was originally a small sprout that grew from the core of an Earth Origin Dao Fruit. The Earth Mother had me water her with Heavenly Yin Water, which allowed her to gain intelligence and cultivate. But since the fruit core had no flesh, her primordial spirit didn't get nourishment, so it's very weak."
Qin Mu's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Sister Yan used her primordial spirit to save me. I have no way to repay her..."
"Then marry her!" Feng Qiuyun said impatiently, pacing back and forth irritably.
Qin Mu's eyes lit up, and he said, "Would the Earth Origin Dao Fruit help you, Sister? Can I use the energy from the Earth Origin Dao Fruit to strengthen your primordial spirit?"
Gongsun Yan quickly declined, saying, "How can this be? The fruit was given to you by the Earth Mother for you to cultivate to the Life and Death Realm. I..."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "There's too much energy in the fruit. It's easy to cultivate to the Life and Death Realm, and I can't use it all."
He took Gongsun Yan's hand and tried to channel some of the fruit's power to her. Gongsun Yan initially wanted to refuse, but as the power of the Earth Origin Dao Fruit surged into her, she felt an indescribable comfort, as if she had returned to the womb, to that fruit core, extremely pleasant.
The small tender sprout behind her also slowly parted, its two bud leaves gently swaying.
"No!"
Feng Qiuyun suddenly flew into a rage, her whole body bursting into phoenix flames, and she shouted, "I must go find that little wretch and teach her a harsh lesson!"
Qin Mu was startled and asked, "Sister Qiuyun, who are you talking about?"
"Qi Xiayu!"
Feng Qiuyun could barely contain her fury, grinding her teeth and saying, "That little flirt has betrayed the Phoenix Clan! Come on, all of you follow me to Jade Capital City and beat that little wretch to death!"
—Four thousand words chapter, truly four thousand words, one chapter equals two!