Chapter 821: Stealing the Power of the Four Emperors (Long Chapter, Asking for Monthly Votes)
One by one, the towering divine demons rose, gazing at the young man walking toward them from the front.
The military tally symbolized identity, serving as the credential to mobilize troops. The Ten Heavenly Guard Divisions recognized the tally, not the person.
The Ten Heavenly Guard Divisions were loyal only to the Heavenly Emperor. Without the military tally, even a commander-in-chief could not mobilize the army.
There were only two ways to mobilize the Ten Heavenly Guard Divisions: one was the military tally, and the other was the personal presence of the Heavenly Emperor.
Qin Mu, holding the military tally, was the Right General of the Feather Forest Guard, possessing the authority to mobilize the army!
The military tally had been taken away by the founding master, Wei Suifeng, and entrusted to the care of Old Man Qinghuang, who then gave it to Qin Mu. Qin Mu had boarded the ship with the tally but had been unable to command this most powerful group of divine demons until they arrived at the origin of the ghost ship's cycle.
As the Feather Forest Guard materialized from the void, Qin Mu could finally use the military tally to control this terrifying force.
Before the ranks of the Feather Forest Guard, Qin Mu's face gradually changed, reverting to the appearance of Mu Tianzun.
Mu Qing and Mu Tianzun among the Nine Heavenly Lords.
The divine demon soldiers of the Feather Forest Guard watched his transformation. Though surprise flickered in their eyes, they asked no questions.
During the Longhan Era, the Nine Heavenly Lords each had their own specialties and extraordinary abilities, each achieving remarkable feats. However, the most mysterious and unfathomable were Qin Tianzun and the Mu Tianzun before them, appearing and disappearing like a divine dragon, never revealing their full form.
Whoever held the military tally was their leader.
Qin Mu raised his hand, and a sword flew out, severing the pillar on which Ling Tianzun had inscribed her poem.
The pillar flew toward him. His physical body expanded dramatically, and he reached out, grabbing the pillar in his hand. He walked forward, with thousands of divine demons of the Feather Forest Guard following closely behind.
Zhe Huali, emboldened, followed right behind Qin Mu, only to find him leading these divine demons straight toward the main hall where the empress's coffin was enshrined.
In front of the hall, an immensely powerful dragon god was trapped between chains, glaring fiercely at the approaching Qin Mu and shouting harshly, "The heavens and earth may change, but the unchanging constant is thirty-six! What does it mean? Speak! What does it mean?"
Qin Mu stopped, his mind reeling.
Zhe Huali quickly said, "Chief Qin, why have you stopped? This dragon has been repeating the same words, raving madly..."
Qin Mu shook his head, snapping back to clarity. He pointed at Dragon Earl King and laughed, "When I boarded the ship, you said the same thing. I always thought you were crazy, spouting nonsense. I never realized you weren't asking others—you were asking me!"
He felt a sense of absurdity.
The old dragon, with a wild look in his eyes, snarled, "Tell me quickly! What does it mean?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Only by breaking the unchanging constant can you leave." With that, he turned and led the Feather Forest Guard soldiers into the hall.
"Breaking the unchanging constant?"
The old dragon was stunned, then shouted harshly, "How do you break it? Don't leave! Come back and tell me how to break the unchanging constant!"
Qin Mu entered the hall, where eight giant dragons guarded the empress's coffin, all chained up.
This time, the eight dragons were not petrified.
He opened the passageway again and led the Feather Forest Guard soldiers into the ship's interior, then sealed the passageway. In a deep voice, he asked, "Did General Wei teach you how to set up the Four Phases Calamity Formation?"
Thousands of divine demons immediately formed the formation, arranging themselves as the Four Phases Calamity Formation around the ship's bottom, neatly aligned, awaiting inspection.
Qin Mu made a round of inspection and breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Suifeng had trained these soldiers well, teaching them the Four Phases Calamity Formation from the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra.
He walked to the center of the formation, planted the pillar with Ling Tianzun's poem at its heart, and murmured, "The Four Emperors should also be arriving. If they don't board the ship in this cycle, then all my preparations will be useless. I hope they come..."
Suddenly, the ghost ship trembled slightly and came to a halt.
"This ship disappeared for twenty thousand years and has finally reappeared."
A deep voice came from outside—a voice Qin Mu had heard before. It was the voice of the Northern Emperor, Xuanwu.
During the Feast of the Jade Pool, Niu Sanduo had caused a ruckus in the Heavenly Court, attempting to grab the Heavenly River for battle, but the river was suppressed by the Northern Emperor, Xuanwu.
It seemed that the one who had stopped the ghost ship was the Northern Emperor, Xuanwu.
He claimed to be an ancient god born in the Heavenly River, and stopping a ship sailing on it was easy for him.
He controlled the Heavenly River, making it easy to detect the ghost ship.
The voice of the Eastern Emperor, Qinglong, came through: "Brother Xuanwu, the case of the empress's attack is full of doubts. The disappearance of the Feather Forest Guard on their return voyage only adds to the suspicion. There must be something fishy going on... Western Emperor, Southern Emperor, you've finally arrived."
Four immensely powerful and sacred auras descended. Qin Mu relaxed, thinking, "Just as I predicted, all Four Emperors have arrived! This is the only chance to escape—I cannot afford any mistakes!"
"The empress was attacked, the Feather Forest Guard suppressed the rebellion, and then they vanished on the Heavenly River. This incident caused a stir twenty thousand years ago."
Qin Mu heard a familiar voice and couldn't help but smile. It was the voice of Zhu Que'er.
Zhu Que'er was the Southern Emperor, Zhu Que.
Her voice continued: "At the time, rumors were rife. I heard that General Wei Suifeng sent a messenger ahead before the return trip to report to the Heavenly Court about what happened in the Guixu. I inquired about it. General Wei sent someone to report to the Heavenly Emperor that the empress had died in the Guixu, and he had enshrined her body and was returning by ship. However, the empress's body should have been on the Feather Forest Guard's ship, disappearing with them. But the Feather Forest Guard vanished, and the empress appeared in the Heavenly Court. That puzzled me."
Another woman's voice came through, likely the Western Emperor, Bai Hu, saying, "Sister Zhu Que, the Great Sun Star Lord told you about this, didn't he? I also asked the Great Sun Star Lord. He told me the same thing—that little bird knows many secrets. What's suspicious isn't just the empress's resurrection, but also the soldier General Wei sent to report to the Heavenly Emperor. He suddenly vanished without a trace, completely gone, and no one could find him! Too strange!"
"Even stranger, all these odd events happened on the Heavenly River, yet Brother Xuanwu claims to know nothing!"
The Southern Emperor, Zhu Que, said coldly, "How could anything on the Heavenly River escape your notice? Yet you plead ignorance. Brother Xuanwu, you are very suspicious."
The Northern Emperor, Xuanwu, snorted coldly.
The Eastern Emperor, Qinglong, coughed and said, "Brother Xuanwu is not that kind of person. He was the one who notified us when this ship reappeared, inviting us here to witness together. If he were behind it, would he have invited us? Since we're all here, let's board the ship and investigate thoroughly!"
Suddenly, the ghost ship sank slightly. It seemed the Four Emperors had broken through the black mist surrounding the ship and boarded it.
"This ship is strange!"
The Western Emperor's surprised voice came: "There's a force trying to invade me!"
"I feel it too! A very strange force trying to control me!"
"It's not control—it's draining our power... Not just draining our power, but also trying to take our physical bodies! This force is trying to merge us with it!"
"This ship... is alive! It's a trap!"
...
Boom, boom, boom—sounds echoed, and terrifying waves swept through the entire ship as the Four Emperors tried to break Ling Tianzun's divine ability.
The Eastern Emperor transformed into a green dragon, shaking his head and tail, flying out of the ghost ship into the black mist outside. The next moment, he suddenly reappeared on the ship, landing and moving quickly a few steps, a look of surprise on his face.
The Eastern Emperor flew out again, only to reappear on the ship once more. After dozens of attempts, he was still on the ship. Even the ancient god who controlled a major heavenly palace, an emperor, couldn't help but feel a bit flustered.
The other three ancient god emperors also tried various methods to leave the ship. The Southern Emperor, Zhu Que, was the fastest, transforming into a Vermilion Bird and flying away, but no matter how fast she flew, she always ended up back on the ship.
The Northern Emperor controlled the Heavenly River, trying to fling the ghost ship off it, but even when the ship was thrown away, it would return to the river's surface the next moment.
The Western Emperor manipulated the metal energy, slashing and cutting the black mist outside the ship into pieces, but the mist quickly restored itself.
This ship possessed qualities that even the Four Emperors found incredible. The ghost ship was a massive living organism, locking everything in place, and the divine ability surrounding it was something they had never seen or heard of before!
The Four Emperors had the power to reshape heaven and earth, each controlling immensely powerful great daos with profound cultivation, yet they were helpless against this ship.
"Let's join forces to break the divine ability surrounding the ship!"
The Four Emperors struck together, attacking the black mist outside the ship. At that moment, they suddenly felt the power within their divine abilities rapidly draining away, as if it were being stolen!
Alarmed, the Four Emperors frantically channeled their magical power to attack.
Inside the ship, the Four Phases Calamity Formation was activated. Qin Mu presided over the formation, stealing the power of the Four Emperors. The formation's power grew stronger and stronger, and at its center, the manifestations of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise appeared, roaring and galloping!
Suddenly, the power of the Four Emperors burst forth with a loud boom, emitting four beams of light that shone onto the pillar inscribed with Ling Tianzun's poem.
Flower not flower, mist not mist. Come at midnight, leave at dawn. Come like a spring dream, not lasting long; leave like morning clouds, nowhere to be found.
These twenty-six characters gradually began to glow, growing brighter and brighter.
"The Four Emperors don't know that it's me stealing their power."
Qin Mu smiled, shifting his steps. Arms sprouted from his armpits, and various runes shot from his fingertips, pointing at the twenty-six characters on the pillar, gradually activating the hidden divine ability within them!
The twenty-six characters grew larger and larger, peeling off from the pillar and floating in the air, each character a hundred zhang in size, spreading across the space.
These twenty-six characters were composed of countless complex, tiny runes. Qin Mu observed them, mobilized the power of the Four Phases Calamity Formation, and altered the structure of these runes. The characters remained the same, but the runes forming them changed, gradually triggering the power hidden within the characters!
This was the most critical moment. Qin Mu's smile faded, and he grew tense, feeling a mix of anxiety and hope.
Suddenly, from the ghost ship's deck came the voice of Dragon Earl King, shouting loudly, "Four Emperors, stop! You probably don't know that you're not the only ones on this ship!"
The Four Emperors abruptly stopped attacking the black mist outside the ship, and the Four Phases Calamity Formation could no longer steal their power.
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and his face darkened.
"Dragon Earl King!"
The Northern Emperor, Xuanwu's voice came: "You rebelled and caused chaos, captured by General Wei. I really don't know who gave you such audacity."
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. He shouted harshly, "All soldiers, hear my command! Channel all the power from the Four Phases Calamity Formation to me!"
The stolen power within the formation surged toward him.
Outside, Dragon Earl King's voice rang out, shouting, "There are people under this ship's deck! It's the Right General of the Feather Forest Guard! He's controlling the Feather Forest Guard to steal your power! He wants to eliminate you and trap you here! They are dead, they are ghosts—they cannot be observed!"
Qin Mu gritted his teeth, channeling all his cultivation to alter the rune structure of the twenty-six characters.
Zhe Huali, upon hearing Dragon Earl King's words, wished he could rush out and chop that old dragon king to pieces.
At that moment, the sky within the ghost ship's interior seemed to melt. Huge hands descended from above, grabbing downward, seizing the Feather Forest Guard soldiers and lifting them up!
The deck rattled and shook as planks of wood clattered together, forming black coffins that sealed the soldiers inside.
Qin Mu shouted harshly, "Maintain the formation! Don't lose your composure!"
Those soldiers were extremely powerful. If they joined forces, they could suppress a master like Dragon Earl King and even contend with the Four Emperors. But as Qin Mu, their commander, gave the order, each soldier abandoned resistance and kept the formation running.
One huge hand after another grabbed down, sealing more Feather Forest Guard soldiers. The soldiers around Qin Mu grew fewer and fewer, but with each loss, the others immediately adjusted the formation to keep it running, without any complaint.
"Senior Brother trained these Feather Forest Guard soldiers exceptionally well."
Qin Mu finally finished adjusting the rune structure of the twenty-six characters. The twenty-six characters blazed with brilliant light, shining so intensely from within the ship that it illuminated the deck, forcing even the Four Emperors to shield their eyes.
"Soldiers, wait for me."
Qin Mu bowed deeply to the remaining soldiers and said in a deep voice, "The Four Emperors' seals cannot suppress you forever. Once you turn into a void state, you will break free. In the future, I will fully decipher Ling Tianzun's divine ability and rescue you from this state of neither life nor death."
"Swear it." Faces beneath helmets looked at him.
Qin Mu raised his hand: "I swear on my life..."
At that moment, several more huge hands grabbed down, seizing the remaining soldiers, Qin Mu, and Zhe Huali, lifting them up.
"Sister, do you still remember your younger brother Mu?" Qin Mu looked up and called out loudly.
On the deck, the woman who had grabbed Qin Mu and Zhe Huali showed a look of surprise and exclaimed, "Mu Tianzun?"
"Sister, I will explain everything to you in the future. For now, let us go!"
The Southern Emperor, Zhu Que'er, released her grip. The twenty-six characters exploded with a loud hum, and light swept in all directions, clearing the black mist outside the ship in an instant!
It felt like a single moment, or perhaps countless millennia. The light before Qin Mu's eyes faded, and he found himself surrounded by darkness, standing on the surface of the Yong River. Village Chief and Huan Longjun ran up from behind and came to his side.
Qin Mu looked down into the water, where a ghost ship was sailing beneath the surface.
He turned to look at the shore. The First Ancestor of the Human Sovereign and others stood there, gazing in his direction.
Village Chief punched him hard on the head and scolded, "Take care of us? I'm the one taking care of you. Brat, after running around outside for a few years, you've got a big mouth!"
Qin Mu rubbed his head and looked up at the sky. A silver rope hung down from the moon. He looked upstream on the Yong River, where Luo Wushuang sat in a small boat speeding toward him.
Qin Mu smiled and said to Village Chief and Huan Longjun, "I kept my promise and brought you back. Village Chief, Huan Longjun, long time no see."
— Four-thousand-word long chapter, asking for subscriptions and monthly votes!