Chapter 816: Precious Steeds and Carved Carriages, Fragrance Filling the Road
"Flowers are not flowers, mist is not mist. Coming at midnight, leaving at dawn..."
Qin Mu pondered, savoring this poem repeatedly.
At the Jade Pool Grand Assembly a million years ago, he and the Founding Emperor had once studied a divine ability with Ling Zuntian that could make matter unchanging, neither increasing nor decreasing. Although the time was short, they had managed to grope along a vague path.
Of course, Ling Zuntian was the main force in the research, while he and the Founding Emperor only assisted, helping her with deductions and teaching her the art of creation.
However, Qin Mu was still perfectly clear about Ling Zuntian's research results.
It was at that time that the foundation of Ling Zuntian's divine ability was established.
In the long years that followed, Ling Zuntian alone deduced and perfected this divine ability.
Judging from the ghost ship, Ling Zuntian had not yet perfected this divine ability when she used it, thus leaving behind the flaw of the thirty-six unchanging constants.
Every time this ship reset time and space, it would leave behind a flaw.
This flaw would lead to three results.
First, it would cause the living and non-living things on the ship to merge, turning into monsters that were neither human nor object. This was why many who boarded the ship grew together with the ship's hull.
Second, the divine ability merged with the ship, and the ship merged with life, turning the divine ability and the ship into a strange life form. This life form wandered through thirty-six different eras and would attack anyone among the boarders who had the ability to threaten its existence.
Third, the ship cycled through thirty-six different eras, and the cycle would cause the boarders to become ethereal, eventually turning into an invisible state of neither life nor death.
For the boarders, this was a bizarre and terrifying divine ability, but for Ling Zuntian, it was the result of her own imperfect divine ability.
What was bizarre to the boarders was a flaw to her, not her intention.
The time when Ling Zuntian left this poem should have been in the later years when she boarded this ship again, sensed the imperfection of the divine ability, and left the poem. The poem spoke of the flaws in her divine ability.
The boarders' chance of survival did not lie in comprehending Ling Zuntian's divine ability, but in finding a way to survive from the flaws of her divine ability and break her divine ability!
Qin Mu vaguely grasped a direction to break this divine ability, but the feeling was too hazy, and he couldn't figure it out in a moment.
Suddenly, a terrifying tremor came from behind the hall. They quickly circled around the hall and saw the Crimson Bright Divine Son fighting with two attendants of Prince Autumn Abyss!
The Crimson Bright Divine Son and those two divine beings had already become half-ethereal, their physical bodies and primordial spirits hazy and unreal, yet their combat power was still astonishing.
After Qin Mu passed on the Crimson Emperor's Three Primordial Spirits Indestructible Divine Awareness to him, the Crimson Bright Divine Son had finally made up for his shortcomings. His primordial spirit had also cultivated three heads and six arms, and combined with the Bright Emperor's Leakless Creation Mystic Art, he was unstoppable!
However, the two divine beings who followed Prince Autumn Abyss were also extraordinary. One of them, with a silver rope hanging from the moon, left a deep impression on Qin Mu.
The silver rope was a hundred thousand miles long, hanging down from the moon, and after landing, it was collected into his sleeve.
Now he was activating the silver rope, but not as a rope—rather as a whip. This silver whip could be long or short, using techniques like flicking, splitting, lifting, sweeping, entangling, circling, wrapping, and thrusting. The changes of the silver whip did not stop there; the whip head would sometimes turn into a silver dragon, baring its fangs and claws, and sometimes into a silver spear, thrusting and stabbing, ever-changing.
The other divine being was also extremely powerful, joining forces with him to besiege the Crimson Bright Divine Son, causing one building after another on the ship to collapse.
Village Chief suddenly said, "Their strength is much weaker than before. It should be because their cultivation has also become ethereal. It seems that the stronger one's strength on this ship, the more they are weakened."
Qin Mu nodded. At that moment, the three of them felt their hairs stand on end, locked onto by an incredibly terrifying aura, unable to move a muscle.
It was a terrifying dragon might.
Village Chief's voice was hoarse: "Ancestral Dragon King!"
Qin Mu suddenly turned around. The Ancestral Dragon King was charging toward them, already within a hundred steps behind them. This old dragon, at the Lingxiao realm, had an enormous head, and its dragon mouth opened wide like a sky-swallowing maw, about to devour them in one gulp!
But the moment Qin Mu turned around to look at him, the Ancestral Dragon King's physical body instantly became ethereal, turning into a hazy shadow!
His strength was extremely high, slightly inferior to Feng Qiuyun, and his condition was similar to hers. Feng Qiuyun had grown together with the mural on the ship's hall, and her body had become so ethereal it was hard to see clearly. The Ancestral Dragon King was slightly better, but not by much.
If Qin Mu had not forcefully broken through the suppression of the dragon's might and turned around, he would have been in an unobserved state and would not have become ethereal. However, being stared at by Qin Mu, his physical body and primordial spirit rapidly became ethereal, and his strength was almost gone.
The Ancestral Dragon King immediately fled into the void. His speed was extremely fast, and the next moment he appeared behind Qin Mu, but Village Chief and Dragon Tamer Lord's gazes fell on him.
"Clever brats! I'll let you off!"
The Ancestral Dragon King charged away. The next moment, the Crimson Bright Divine Son, who was fighting the two heavenly court divine beings, suddenly closed all three of his heads at once. The Ancestral Dragon King's figure appeared behind the silver whip divine being and tore him apart!
The Crimson Bright Divine Son flipped backward and leaped away. The other heavenly court divine being then fell victim to the Ancestral Dragon King, smashed to pieces by his staff!
The Crimson Bright Divine Son suddenly opened all three of his heads. The Ancestral Dragon King had already arrived in front of him, and under his gaze, the dragon king's body instantly became ethereal.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son struck out fiercely. The ethereal Ancestral Dragon King's strength was greatly diminished, and after a few moves, he spat blood and fled in panic.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son could not catch up and said loudly, "Ancestral Dragon King, don't struggle. You won't last through the next cycle before becoming ethereal. If I were you, I would hide quietly and wait for complete etherealization to turn into another life form, rather than losing your life."
He turned around, looked at Qin Mu, Village Chief, and Dragon Tamer Lord, and walked toward the three of them.
Village Chief gripped the Carefree Sword tightly, his gaze fixed on his moving steps, and said calmly, "Crimson Bright Divine Son, if you want to escape the fate of becoming ethereal, you can only rely on the unparalleled Overlord Body to solve the ghost ship problem. If you kill us, you will never return to see your people."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son stopped, his gaze falling on Qin Mu, and said softly, "I have always admired Qin the Overlord Body's intelligence and wisdom. But relying solely on the word 'Overlord Body' to make me give up my only chance is a bit childish. Qin the Overlord Body, what ability do you have to make me give up?"
"Divine Son, you can gamble."
Qin Mu said, "Gamble that I can break the ghost ship and you will return alive. Gamble that if you kill us, whether you will become one of the thirty-six unchanging constants on the ghost ship."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son was silent. After a moment, he said, "Is the Crimson Emperor on you?"
Qin Mu nodded and said, "He currently only has thinking consciousness, no soul or spirit."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son closed his eyes. After a long time, he opened them again, his killing intent dissipating, his bearing transcendent, and he smiled slightly, "I won't last through the next cycle after this one before my strength is greatly diminished by etherealization. After I become ethereal, you will have to rely on yourselves."
Village Chief said solemnly, "Thank you."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son said, "The danger is not only from our batch of boarders, but also from boarders of other eras. The thirty-six people will not become ethereal, but that does not mean these thirty-six will not die. When we came to this ship, we did not see the other unchanging constants. They have likely already met with misfortune."
Village Chief said deeply, "I understand. That lantern is very problematic."
The Crimson Bright Divine Son turned and left, saying, "The Ancestral Dragon King will be completely ethereal in the next cycle. The experts outside still include the One-Armed Divine Blade Luo Wushuang and the half-gods under the Ancestral Dragon King, as well as boarders from other cycles. I will go and eliminate them."
Village Chief watched him go.
After a while, light burst forth again, enveloping the ship once more. When the light faded, Qin Mu quickly looked at Village Chief and saw that his body had become even more ethereal.
"I'm fine. After this cycle, the Crimson Bright Divine Son's strength has probably been etherealized by eighty or ninety percent, and the Ancestral Dragon King has probably completely turned into a void."
Village Chief said, "Now, the Crimson Bright Divine Son can no longer protect us. We can only rely on ourselves."
At that moment, they saw outside the Heavenly River a lush primeval tree, covering the Primordial Realm.
Many gods and demons from the Upper Emperor Era discovered the ship. They each used their divine abilities to trap the ship and flew toward it. Those people were a group of half-gods, likely experts from the Northern Upper Emperor Heavenly Court.
The number of these half-gods was enormous. They boarded the ship from all directions, coming with fierce momentum.
"Heavenly Traveler God, there are humans and a dragon here!" Some half-gods from the Upper Emperor discovered them and surged toward them.
Village Chief revealed a smile, examining the sword in his hand, and laughed, "This is truly a fine sword. Mu'er, the sword has the words 'Carefree' on it. Could it be called the Carefree Sword?"
Qin Mu nodded and said solemnly, "This is the Founding Emperor's personal sword."
Village Chief was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "The Founding Emperor? The one I admire most is the Founding Emperor. When I was young, I roamed the world with a sword, traveling through the Great Ruins, where I saw many ancient relics, once-glorious civilizations, and countless stone statues. I thought to myself, what kind of hero was the Founding Emperor that he made these heroes swear loyalty, fighting for an ideal and a dream for their entire lives? That's why the second form of my sword diagram is called 'Sword Emerges, Founding Emperor.' Being able to wield his sword is the greatest fortune of my life!"
He drew his sword and pointed it, strumming the blade and singing. The sword light moved, spreading like an ocean, like moonlight spilling over the sea, each wave a leaping silver scale.
At this moment, Village Chief was full of spirit and vigor, like an emperor sitting in a precious carriage drawn by fine steeds, cruising the sea to quell rebellions across the four seas.
The second form of the sword diagram: Sword Emerges, Founding Emperor.
"The east wind at night sets off a thousand trees of blossoms!"
His sword path flowed freely. He was imagining the Founding Emperor quelling rebellions, as if that emperor had encountered enemies, risen from his precious carriage, and leveled the four directions with his sword!
"And blows down stars like rain! Precious steeds and carved carriages, fragrance filling the road. The sound of phoenix flutes moves, the jade pot light turns, all night long, fish and dragons dance!"
The sword light was like scales, dancing like fish and dragons in the ocean of the sword sea.
Qin Mu had also learned the move "Sword Emerges, Founding Emperor," but the same sword move, when executed by him and by Village Chief, produced completely different artistic conceptions.
And the same move, executed by Village Chief in the past and by Village Chief now, also had a completely different artistic conception.
When Village Chief executed this move in the past, it was as if the mountains and rivers were still there, but his heart was lost. Looking around, his homeland was no more, and people still wore old clothes. There was a sense of desolation and loneliness, remembering the martyrs and recalling the past years.
But now, Village Chief's sword gave one the feeling of a young emperor quelling rebellions in all directions, free and unrestrained, with the sentiments of a young hero, a rare spirit of vigor!
Different state of mind, different experiences, different sword paths.
He had died once. The resurrected Village Chief seemed to have returned to his youth, with a youthful spirit of striving and determination, sweeping away the sorrowful and tragic feelings of the past from his sword path, replaced by the enterprising and struggling spirit of youth, full of passion.
The half-gods of the Northern Upper Emperor Heavenly Court surged forward, only to be buried in the sword light. Village Chief was like a young emperor, standing on a precious carriage drawn by fine steeds, slaying the invading strongmen one by one.
His sword path was transforming, becoming sharper, more proactive, adapting to the era of reform in Yancheng and guiding this era of reform!
He was a man walking at the forefront of the times!
"Excellent sword technique! Worthy of being the master who taught Qin the Overlord Body!"
A deep voice came from afar. Blade light flashed, splitting a path of life and death, cutting through the waves, breaking through the ocean of the sword sea, and sending many Upper Emperor half-gods tumbling.
The One-Armed Divine Blade Luo Wushuang charged in with momentum, breaking through the sword diagram all the way, his blade slashing at the young emperor on the precious carriage, and said loudly, "Yancheng Sword God, the Overlord Body's sword technique came from you. I'll kill you first, then kill him!"
His body was even more ethereal, but after all, he was the number one divine blade of the Outer Heavenly Court, and his strength was still terrifying. He had entered the path through the blade, achieving astonishing accomplishments in blade technique.
Village Chief's sword light changed, turning into the Upper Emperor Calamity, the sword sea surging, angry waves splitting the sky, clashing head-on with Luo Wushuang.
One was revered as the number one divine blade of the Heavenly Court, the other as the Yancheng Sword God. They unleashed various path-entering ultimate techniques, dazzling Qin Mu and Dragon Tamer Lord, who were caught in the rain of blades and swords.
The half-gods who charged into the blade and sword techniques of these two masters died miserably, unable to withstand the collision between such path-realm experts.
Suddenly, an extremely bright light burst forth, and the ghost ship cycled again.
Luo Wushuang grunted and withdrew.
This cycle had made his etherealization even more severe, putting him at a great disadvantage. He had to find a safe place, avoid his enemies, and wait for the next cycle to become completely ethereal.
Village Chief sheathed his sword, lowered his head to examine the Carefree Sword, and praised, "Truly a fine sword. Luo Wushuang is indeed worthy of the name 'Divine Blade.' The butcher wants to hunt him down, but he's still one step away."
Qin Mu looked at Village Chief's body and saw that his physical body and primordial spirit were also severely etherealized. Dragon Tamer Lord was also slowly becoming ethereal.
They had gone through two more cycles and two more incidents of outsiders boarding the ship. Village Chief's etherealization was becoming more and more severe, to the point where he could barely hold the Carefree Sword.
"Mu'er, the next etherealization is coming soon. I'm afraid I will disappear soon."
They sat on the ridge of the hall. Village Chief looked at the sun rising from the east and said, "But don't worry. Even if I completely turn into a void, I will still be by your side and will not leave you."
Qin Mu nodded gently. "I know."
"Dragon Tamer Lord, it's up to you. Protect your lord."
Another burst of light erupted, engulfing them. When the light faded, only Qin Mu and Dragon Tamer Lord remained on the ridge of the hall.
"I know you are still by my side."
Qin Mu stood up, looking at the unfamiliar world outside the Heavenly River. "I will definitely find a way to break this and bring you back from the void to reality! You are still my Village Chief Grandpa, and no one can take you away!"
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