Chapter 793: Dragon Han's Mysteries Deepen, Kun Carries a Maiden Away
Dragon Qilin looked at him suspiciously, then suddenly a wave of bitterness surged in his heart, and grief overcame him: "Sect Leader, you tricked me. I thought you were sacrificing yourself to protect us, letting us slip away. But you used us as bait, letting us lure away those young ladies..."
Qin Mu made a snap decision: "I'll give you an extra meal."
Dragon Qilin immediately stopped his sorrow and said to the bewildered Imperial Heavenly Lord and Gongsun Yan: "The Sect Leader is wise and heroic. He used a diversion to capture this young lady in exchange for us. A brilliant move."
Water Qilin rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: "This guy's shamelessness far surpasses mine. With just a few words, he's secured himself an extra meal. Truly the height of audacity. Speaking of which, what was that scripture he had called? I need to flatter him a bit, borrow it to study, and then I can get an extra meal too..."
He had been injured protecting Imperial Heavenly Lord, but Gongsun Yan was the most seriously hurt.
The girl had been beaten badly, and her horsetail whisk had also been snatched away by Yan Qiling's maidservants.
Those maidservants of Yan Qiling were extremely powerful in cultivation. One was at the Lingxiao realm, and the others were at the Yujing realm. Although Gongsun Yan was a true god, a half-god born from the core of the Earth Yuan Dao Fruit, and had mastered the Six Harmonies Primordial Sword, she could only unleash a fraction of its power.
After a bitter struggle, she was captured and injured. The little sapling in the halo behind her head was also beaten limp and listless.
Seeing that everyone was safe, Qin Mu felt relieved and smiled: "Senior Sister Yan, the situation is clear now. You're in my hands. So what should we do now?"
Yan Qiling struggled to suppress her injuries, her breath as faint as a thread, and said with great difficulty: "Release them."
The women hesitated for a moment, then followed orders and freed Imperial Heavenly Lord and the others.
Yan Qiling's eyes were swollen into slits, completely hiding her former beauty. She said in a low voice: "What now, Mu Heavenly Lord?"
Qin Mu placed a few medicinal pills into her mouth and said: "These are healing pills. Don't worry, they're not poisoned."
Yan Qiling held the pills in her mouth but dared not swallow.
Qin Mu smiled slightly and said: "Swallow them. I have some things to ask you."
Yan Qiling remained silent.
Suddenly, Qin Mu pressed on her throat, and Yan Qiling gulped, swallowing the pills. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and back.
However, as soon as the pills entered her stomach, she immediately felt the thousands of wounds all over her body begin to itch, and the wounds slowly started to close.
"These are pills I refined using Dragon Fatty's saliva combined with several other medicinal ingredients. Normally, a single pill costs ten thousand Dafeng coins," Qin Mu said with a smile.
Dragon Qilin said nervously in a low voice: "Sect Leader, it's dragon saliva! Dragon saliva! If you call it my spit, no one will buy it."
Yan Qiling snorted coldly. Her wounds stopped bleeding, allowing her to free up some of her cultivation. She said flatly: "What do you want to ask?"
"First, return the Six Harmonies Primordial Sword," Qin Mu said.
Yan Qiling looked at the women and said: "Give him back the whisk!"
One of the women came forward holding the whisk. Imperial Heavenly Lord quickly said: "Give the whisk to me!"
The woman hesitated for a moment, then handed the whisk to Imperial Heavenly Lord. He stepped forward and gave it to Qin Mu, whispering: "Brother, these women are very powerful. I'm worried she might take the chance to ambush you."
Qin Mu accepted the whisk and praised: "You did well, brother."
He turned to look at Yan Qiling and asked with concern: "Are you from the Outer Heaven Court? How is the Heavenly Emperor?"
Yan Qiling said coldly: "The Outer Heaven Court is merely a court established by rebels. Does it deserve my loyalty? You guessed wrong. I have nothing to do with the Outer Heaven Court. I never expected that the Mu Heavenly Lord who shook the Heaven Court a million years ago would be from this era. If the Heavenly Emperor knew of this, he would certainly be greatly astonished. I'm curious, how did Mu Heavenly Lord travel a million years into the past? And the Qin Heavenly Lord who traveled with you, was he the young Kai Emperor of that time?"
Qin Mu laughed: "I ask you questions, yet you try to pry information from me. Sister, you're quite naughty. You mentioned Dao One, Dao Twenty-Two earlier. How is this classification done?"
Yan Qiling's complexion improved slightly, and she said: "The great daos of the world are divided according to their affiliations. Yuan Du has thirty-six daos. The first dao is Dao One, the second is Dao Two, and so on. You Du has sixty-four daos, Xuan Du has seventy-two, and the Zhou Tian Star Mansions have three hundred and sixty daos. Each of these daos has its own number. A technique that embodies the principles of a certain dao belongs to that dao's techniques. For example, if you use Heavenly Fire, it belongs to Xuan Du Dao Two."
Qin Mu pondered, thinking: "This classification method reminds me of the Dao Sect. Do you know a slovenly Daoist?"
"You mean the Dao Ancestor of the Dao Sect?" Yan Qiling shook her head. "I've heard of him but never seen him."
Qin Mu carefully observed her expression and continued: "Have you seen the Dao Ancestor of the Dao Sect?"
Yan Qiling said: "I haven't... I have seen the Dao Ancestor! What did you give me?"
A look of terror appeared on her face. Her thoughts and consciousness were almost beyond her control. She clearly wanted to say she hadn't seen the Dao Ancestor, but under Qin Mu's second question, she involuntarily told the truth.
"Dragon Fatty's spit," Qin Mu said gently and kindly. "Mixed with some other medicinal ingredients. It's a holy remedy for healing wounds. But this pill has a drawback—it affects the mind and consciousness, making the user's thoughts involuntarily follow others. If combined with certain dark arts from You Du that affect the user's soul, it's quite useful for interrogation. Was the Dao Ancestor the one who helped you establish these dao numbers?"
Dragon Qilin said smugly to Water Qilin: "This is the use of dragon saliva."
Water Qilin admired him greatly and said: "Brother, you must teach me when you have time!"
"This is a talent. You can't learn it!" Dragon Qilin grew even more smug.
Cold sweat beaded on Yan Qiling's forehead, turning into drops as big as beans, mixing with golden blood as it flowed down her cheeks. But she kept her mouth shut, refusing to speak.
"Even if you don't say it, I know it was him. The Dao Ancestor loves numerology and believes that the essence of all things in heaven and earth is mathematical principles. If the Heavenly Emperor invited him to rank the daos of the various realms, he would certainly go happily."
Qin Mu's voice grew even softer as he pressed on: "Was it the Dao Ancestor who compiled the various daos for the Heavenly Emperor? You've seen the techniques he compiled, haven't you? So, where is the Dao Ancestor now?"
Yan Qiling clenched her teeth, her face turning red, her body trembling as she resisted the demonic sound affecting her soul.
Qin Mu frowned slightly. If Yan Qiling refused to speak, he had no way to force her. This woman had a strong spirit and was proficient in the techniques of Yuan Du, You Du, and Xuan Du. Controlling her soul would not be easy.
"You mentioned Sword Dao as Dao One and Martial Dao as Dao One earlier. What does that mean?" Qin Mu asked.
Yan Qiling sighed with relief and said hoarsely: "Originally, there was no Sword Dao or Martial Dao in this world. These daos were formed later, created by later generations. They are not among the innate daos. The Dao Ancestor said that if a technique could directly lead to enlightenment, it belonged to Dao One. The Dao Ancestor..."
"Where is the Dao Ancestor?" Qin Mu asked rapidly.
Yan Qiling's body trembled violently. She suddenly opened her mouth, about to bite off her tongue.
Qin Mu frowned and immediately stuffed the handle of the whisk into her mouth to prevent her from biting off her tongue. He coughed and said: "Don't worry, I won't ask that question again."
Yan Qiling spat out the whisk handle and said coldly: "You're too cunning. I don't trust you! The esteemed Mu Heavenly Lord, using such despicable means, drugging me!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily, not without pride.
Yan Qiling sneered: "Imperial Heavenly Lord is still missing some fragments of his soul, isn't he? I know where his remnant soul is hidden. We have a common enemy. We should cooperate."
"The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend."
Qin Mu shook his head and said: "I don't know your true purpose, nor whether we can be friends. As for Brother Lan's remnant soul, I also know where it is."
Yan Qiling fell silent, then suddenly said: "Do you really not care about the title of Mu Heavenly Lord?"
"Mu Heavenly Lord?"
Qin Mu laughed loudly and shook his head: "The Heavenly Emperor bestowed upon me the title of Mu Heavenly Lord. What did he give me? Just a Mu Heavenly Lord plaque and an imperial decree. I haven't even looked at that plaque or decree. The other Heavenly Lords at least received blessings from the gods, but I only got a plaque. If he wants to take it back, so be it."
Yan Qiling was silent for a moment, then said: "The Heavenly Emperor's blessing is within that plaque and decree. For a million years, you didn't know?"
Qin Mu was stunned.
Yan Qiling looked at him with a half-smile. Qin Mu barely restrained the urge to immediately rummage through his Taotie pouch, coughed, and said: "I'm done asking. You can go now. Rest well and don't worry about Imperial Heavenly Lord. He's with me, and I'll take good care of him. If you truly want to join forces with me, bring his remnant soul to see me."
Yan Qiling moved her steps with difficulty, passing by him. Suddenly she stopped and said in a low voice: "Don't trust the Earth Mother. Beware of the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord. And the Heaven Alliance—they are not good people either."
Qin Mu was slightly startled, then suddenly his expression changed drastically. He immediately took out a willow leaf and was about to stick it to his forehead.
Suddenly he stopped, not sticking the willow leaf to his forehead. Instead, he silently put it away and laughed: "What a clever woman."
Yan Qiling took a few more steps. The women quickly came forward to support her, whispering: "Miss, should we..."
Yan Qiling shook her head: "He didn't kill me and even healed my wounds. We must observe some propriety. Let today's matter end here. I'll reclaim my dignity myself in the future. You don't need to help me! Let's go!"
One of the women shook her body, suddenly transforming into a massive Kun. The other women helped Yan Qiling onto its back.
The great Kun shook its head and tail, about to fly away, when Qin Mu's voice came from behind: "Sister Ling, is the Heavenly Emperor dead?"
On the Kun's back, Yan Qiling's delicate body trembled violently. She clenched her teeth, and her voice burst out through gritted teeth: "Go—"
The great Kun flapped its fin-like wings and flew into the air.
Qin Mu watched them disappear into the distance, lost in thought.
Gongsun Yan and Imperial Heavenly Lord quickly came to his side. Qin Mu snapped back to reality and said gently: "Sister Yan, you're injured. Let me treat you so you don't scar."
Gongsun Yan hummed in agreement and stood obediently, letting him undo her clothes to expose the wounds.
Qin Mu carefully applied medicine to her wounds, squeezing out the blood. His fingerwork was very delicate.
The girl's skin was very fair.
"The Heavenly Emperor is dead."
He suddenly stopped, staring blankly into space: "The ancient god Heavenly Emperor of the Dragon Han Heaven Court is dead."
Gongsun Yan was somewhat confused, not understanding why he was lost in thought or why he had uttered this seemingly random sentence.
Qin Mu snapped back to reality and continued applying medicine to her wounds, saying softly: "I always thought the Heavenly Emperor of the Outer Heaven Court was the ancient god Heavenly Emperor of the Dragon Han Heaven Court. But from the information Yan Qiling inadvertently revealed, the Heavenly Emperor should be dead. The Heavenly Emperor of the Outer Heaven Court is not him, but someone else."
He stood before Gongsun Yan, his hands very light as he gathered her clothes and carefully arranged them. But the girl could see that the young man's mind was elsewhere, thinking about other things.
Her clothes were already neat, but Qin Mu kept fussing with them.
After a moment, Qin Mu suddenly let out a long sigh and said in a low voice: "Heavenly Duke, Earth Lord, we need to have a serious talk. Don't you think so?"
Gongsun Yan was baffled, not understanding why he suddenly said that.
But in the Qin Continent, the white-bearded old man and the molten Earth Lord looked at each other, silent.
Whoosh—
In the sky of the Qin Continent, an indestructible divine consciousness descended from the heavens, landing in the form of Qin Mu. He looked at the avatars of these two ancient gods.
——The last day of June, asking for monthly votes! Monthly votes reset every month. June's votes expire at midnight tonight!