Chapter 787: The Mystery of Truth and Falsehood
The Lingxiao Hall was filled with a murderous atmosphere.
This was originally the Northern Heavenly Court of the Sovereign Era, and the Lingxiao Hall was where the Sovereign held court assemblies with his ministers, where the gods discussed affairs. Hence, the hall was vast and spacious.
Now, thousands of gods, great and small, filled the hall, their expressions tense as they watched the "man and woman" engaged in a zither duel within the hall, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
The sound of zither music filled the hall. The two playing were a scholar, with a donkey standing behind her, and the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu, behind whom streaks of multicolored clouds spread out like phoenix feathers.
The two stood, one to the east and one to the west, with no one else nearby. Even the most powerful demigods kept their distance from them.
The scholar played wildly, her zither spinning around her as if she had countless arms, her fingers flying across the strings, displaying astonishing skill. In terms of melody and technique, she was flawless!
The Red Emperor Qi Xiayu, however, appeared quite composed. She lacked the scholar's many techniques, giving off a sense of simplicity and unadornedness. Yet her music was filled with surging, majestic emotion!
The scholar's mastery of technique was unmatched; even Qi Xiayu could not rival her. She was a paragon of musical perfection. However, she fell far short of Qi Xiayu in terms of emotion.
Although her zither music contained emotion, it was not as abundant and varied as Qi Xiayu's.
Their zither music clashed in deadly combat. The space around them would warp, stretch, or turn into layers of membranes, as if space itself had become visible musical notes, leaping and dancing around them!
The scholar gradually began to lose ground. Her skills in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting had all reached unparalleled heights. Yet it was precisely this natural deficiency in emotion that limited her from advancing further.
The Four Heavenly Masters of the Kaihuang Era each had their own achievements and strengths. However, the scholar's personality had flaws, making her less capable than Qi Xiayu of loving and hating fiercely, and of possessing such surging emotions.
Her weakness became increasingly apparent. Suddenly, the donkey behind her stood up on its hind legs, transforming into a donkey demon king. It opened its huge mouth and began to bray loudly, a sound so piercing it was unbearable.
The music of the two women fell into chaos, and each pressed down on their zither strings.
The donkey's braying was extremely harsh, causing all the powerful beings in the Lingxiao Hall to frown and cover their ears.
In the hall, whether demigods, gods, or demons, all looked at the two with fear, and even felt some terror towards the donkey.
The zither duel between these two was fortunately directed at each other. If it had been aimed at them, the powerful beings in the hall would likely have suffered heavy casualties.
However, six or seven people remained expressionless, clearly each possessing their own strengths, their cultivation and power extremely high, and not afraid of the scholar or Qi Xiayu.
"Hahaha, I have lost after all!"
The scholar put away her zither and bowed to the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu, saying, "The Red Emperor's skills are indeed extraordinary. After all these years, you can still surpass me by a hair."
"You flatter me, Heavenly Master Zixi."
Qi Xiayu stood up and returned the bow, her eyes flickering with caution. She was also extremely wary of the scholar and unwilling to fight to the death. She smiled and said, "The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign has yet to appear, yet we have already fought a round. Won't this make everyone laugh?"
The scholar's gaze swept across the faces of the thousands of powerful beings in the hall. She smiled and said, "The envoy from the Outer Heavenly Court, the Sword God of the Sovereign, the subordinates of the Earth Mother, the Red Emperor, and the Heavenly Master of the Kaihuang Era. We are all gathered here, having braved dangers along the way and endured countless hardships to arrive. Yet the host is nowhere to be seen. What is the meaning of this?"
Qi Xiayu looked around lazily and smiled, "Indeed. It is said that the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign died long ago, yet she suddenly reappears now. The Primordial Realm has re-emerged in the world, and she is summoning her old subordinates. Although I am the Red Emperor of the Heavenly Court, I once served the Earth Mother in my early years. How could I not come to pay my respects? Unfortunately, I still have not been able to see the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign."
Suddenly, her gaze fell on Bai Qu'er. Bai Qu'er was carrying a sword on her back, dressed simply, and her eyes met Qi Xiayu's.
Qi Xiayu felt a pang of guilt and quickly averted her gaze.
Her eyes then met those of a one-armed man. He carried a divine blade on his back and gave her a slight bow.
Qi Xiayu nodded lightly, thinking to herself, "Luo Divine Blade is here. That means other Heavenly Court experts are also present. The Earth Mother is indeed dead. Could it be that the Heavenly Court has secretly arranged this, using the Earth Mother's name to lure these people here and wipe them all out at once?"
The hall was a mix of dragons and snakes, with demigods, gods, and demons all having their own purposes, none of them simple.
Qi Xiayu also saw many terrifying existences among the demigods. Although their skills were inferior to hers, there were many of them, and they were all troublesome opponents.
Outside the hall, countless demigods stood in orderly ranks, silently waiting outside the Lingxiao Hall, like soldiers awaiting inspection.
Suddenly, a voice came from the rear hall, laughing, "Sorry to keep you all waiting. The Earth Mother will be here shortly."
The notable figures in the hall all turned to look. From where the voice came, several young girls walked around a screen, escorting a girl out.
The girl had delicate features, red lips, and white teeth. She first emerged from behind the screen surrounded by the girls, with only half her face visible. When she turned her head, everyone in the hall felt their hearts stir, silently praising, "What a beautiful person."
The halo behind the girl's head swayed slightly. She greeted everyone, saying, "Back then, my master, the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign, was severely injured and had to seal the Primordial Realm. Now that the Primordial Realm has reappeared in the world, my master has summoned you all, intending to gather her old subordinates and make a comeback."
"Your master? This girl is the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign's disciple?" Everyone was greatly shocked.
Qi Xiayu looked at the girl and smiled, "Waiting a while is no problem. However, I am unaware of when the Earth Mother ever took on a disciple. The Earth Mother never accepted disciples. Even the Sovereign of the Northern Heavenly Court was mostly her child. This disciple of yours makes me a bit suspicious."
The girl smiled faintly, "The Earth Mother originally did not take disciples, but after her last severe injury, she accepted me as her disciple. The Red Emperor was once just a carriage driver for my master. What could you possibly know?"
Qi Xiayu forcibly suppressed her anger and smiled, "I'll settle accounts with you, little girl, after the Earth Mother comes out."
Bai Qu'er said softly, "Little sister, how can you prove that you are the Earth Mother's disciple?"
The girl looked at her and smiled, "So it's Bai of the Sword God clan from the False Dynasty. This halo behind my head is the Earth Mother's blessing, protecting me from aging and death, granting me endless fortune. Can this serve as proof?"
Bai Qu'er looked at the halo behind her head but couldn't tell if it was real or fake.
"A halo alone is hard to distinguish between true and false."
Luo Wushuang, the Divine Blade, suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "The Earth Mother's divine powers are vast and profound. She is the most complex ancient god in terms of Dao techniques. Even His Majesty holds the Earth Mother in great esteem. Have you learned the Earth Mother's divine techniques?"
The girl looked at him and smiled, "So it's the one-armed Luo Divine Blade from the False Dynasty. The Earth Mother's thirty-six great Daos, I am quite proficient in all thirty-six of them."
The scholar smiled, "Words are cheap."
The girl said, "Heavenly Master Zixi of the False Dynasty, please calm down. What does it matter whether I am real or fake? When the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign arrives later, and you all see her true form, won't you know the truth?"
The scholar's heart trembled, "She even knows about me? I am from the Kaihuang Era, when the Earth Mother was already dead, the Primordial Realm was sealed, and only the Great Ruins remained. How does she know about me? She doesn't look very old, and her cultivation isn't that high. She doesn't seem like an ancient monster. There's no way she could know about my affairs. She just called the Southern Dynasty, the Outer Heavenly Court, and the Kaihuang Heavenly Court all 'False Dynasties.' Could she really be from the Earth Mother's Sovereign Heavenly Court? Could the Earth Mother really still be alive, silently watching the events of the Kaihuang Era from beneath the earth?"
—Three thousand seven hundred words, updated one minute early.
Suddenly, a demigod with a dragon head and human body spoke in a deep voice, "I saw with my own eyes that the Earth Mother was killed. I saw her physical body cut down, her heart pierced. The Earth Mother cannot possibly still be alive. Little sister, impersonating the Earth Mother and summoning us here is a capital offense."
The girl looked at him and said solemnly, "So it's the Dragon Ancestor King. The Earth Mother was attacked and severely injured, but the Earth Mother is, after all, the most ancient and greatest of the ancient gods. How could she simply die like that? Dragon Ancestor King, can you imagine the Earth Lord or the Heavenly Lord being killed?"
The demigod lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said, "No. But I saw with my own eyes that the Earth Mother was clearly dead..."
The girl smiled, "What your eyes see may not be the truth. The Earth Mother still exists in this world. After tens of thousands of years of recuperation, her injuries have finally healed, and she has summoned you all here. You may not believe me, the Earth Mother's disciple, but when you see the Earth Mother's true form later, you will have no choice but to believe..."
Just then, a laugh came from outside the hall: "Big sister, you are the Earth Mother's disciple? Since when did my master, the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign, accept a female disciple?"
Everyone turned to look. The scholar's heart skipped a beat, "How did this kid get here? He really doesn't know his place!"
The donkey behind her showed a surprised expression and asked in a low voice, "Hui hui?"
The scholar nodded, suppressing her anger, and said, "Hui! It's his voice! That little bastard, how dare he impersonate the Earth Mother's disciple and sneak in here?"
Bai Qu'er, upon hearing this voice, suddenly stiffened, an expression of disbelief on her face. She turned around abruptly, staring blankly outside the hall, murmuring, "Your voice... your voice has appeared again, not an illusion..."
In the scabbard behind the one-armed Divine Blade Luo Wushuang, the divine blade hummed softly, extremely excited.
Luo Wushuang was also extremely excited. He looked outside the hall and whispered with a low laugh, "Forty thousand years, I have waited for you for forty thousand years. I have never forgotten your voice. When I wield my divine blade, your shadow appears in my mind, and your voice rings in my ears..."
At the entrance of the Lingxiao Hall, a demigod with a qilin head and human body pulled a gleaming rope, leading a massive creature into the hall.
That creature was half dragon, half qilin, majestic and extraordinary, with an excellent appearance.
On the dragon qilin's large head sat a woman holding a wooden sword, surrounded by steaming multicolored clouds that resembled phoenix fire.
Another woman had a halo swaying behind her head, with a small sapling inside it. She held a duster in her arms, her temperament otherworldly, leaning against a young man's shoulder.
Behind the young man was a servant, with layers of flames behind his head, and a large cauldron rising and falling within them, floating unsteadily.
The young man himself appeared somewhat lazy, with a half-smile on his face as he looked at the girl standing before the imperial throne in the Lingxiao Hall. He didn't get up from the dragon qilin's head and said with a smile, "Logically, I should call you senior sister, but unfortunately, my master never accepted you as a disciple. Who exactly are you?"
Inside the Lingxiao Hall, an uproar broke out, with discussions everywhere.
The water qilin, seeing so many divine beings, trembled with fear, its legs shaking. It bravely led the dragon qilin towards the imperial throne, muttering to itself, "Heavenly Court, this is the Sovereign's Heavenly Court. Ahead is the imperial throne, the place where the Heavenly Emperor sits! What good fortune do I have in this life to be so close to the imperial throne..."
The dragon qilin yawned, looking around, and licked its lips with its crimson tongue, appearing fierce and ferocious. It thought to itself, "Thousands of powerful beings, each one could easily kill me. But if the sky falls, the Sect Leader will hold it up..."
Before the imperial throne, the girl was astonished, momentarily unable to react.
The dragon qilin stopped before the imperial throne.
Qin Mu stood up, looking down at the girl from his height, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Senior sister, can you give me an explanation?"
The astonishment on the girl's face gradually faded. She chuckled and said, "The Heavenly Saint Sect Leader of the Yanguo Kingdom, Qin Mu, Qin Fengqing, when did you become the Earth Mother's disciple? You're quite mischievous."
The scholar clenched her fist and took a small bundle from the donkey's back, thinking to herself, "It seems I'll have to step in to save this kid. This kid is incredibly bold, impersonating anyone. He's been exposed immediately! At least you could have changed your appearance..."
"I am the fake?" Qin Mu laughed heartily.
"You are the fake."
Behind him, Luo Wushuang's voice came, word by word: "Old acquaintance from the Sovereign Era, do you still remember that dark night, the boy whose arm you cut off with a single sword strike?"
Qin Mu turned his head, his gaze falling on Luo Wushuang. Then he searched among the Lingxiu Army youths beside Luo Wushuang. These youths were all missing arms, both male and female.
However, he still saw Zhe Huali, and his heart sank. "Fu Riluo, you have betrayed me after all..."
He averted his gaze and ignored Luo Wushuang.
At that moment, he saw another girl, standing alone in the crowd, looking very lonely.
Their eyes met. Everything around Qin Mu seemed to vanish, as if they were back on that night, leaning against each other, waiting for the dawn.