Chapter 824: Offering Tea on the River
Luo Wushuang’s small boat drifted far away, and from the river behind him came an utterly terrifying aura of Netherworld demonic energy. Even without turning his head to look, he could imagine the horrific scene.
It was as if the most fearsome and hideous demon god had reached out from another world, using its majestic power to tear and crush everything in the world, devouring all that could be eaten!
Zhe Huali had not concealed the matter of the Netherworld Divine Son from him, so when Luo Wushuang sensed something was wrong, he immediately withdrew.
“Teacher Luo, Zhe Huali…” On the small boat, a disciple spoke cautiously.
Luo Wushuang’s face was as heavy as water. He looked at his empty sleeve, and the pain of his severed arm seemed to strike again, piercing his heart.
“Forty thousand years ago, the Supreme Emperor’s Overlord Body severed one of my arms. Now, he has severed another.”
Luo Wushuang closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again, speaking softly: “Zhe Huali has already walked his own path. On this road, he will not travel with us but will go in the opposite direction. I thought he was my right hand, but I never expected… In the future, when you encounter him, you must be cautious. You must fight to the death and show no mercy! He has entered the Dao through the blade, his strength is formidable, and his future achievements will be extraordinary!”
The ripples on the river subsided.
The Crimson Bright Divine Son, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, and the Village Chief were still somewhat fearful. That scene just now was too terrifying, sending chills down their spines as well.
The river water was stained red. The two visitors from the Heavenly Court died quickly, surprisingly quickly.
Qin Mu, on the other hand, was fine. He took out the willow leaf, stuck it on his brow, and ran to the riverbank to check the cultivation progress of the human sovereigns like Qi Kang and Yi Shan.
“Zhe Huali, is what happened on the boat true?” the Village Chief asked.
Zhe Huali nodded and recounted what had happened on the ghost ship. The crowd was stunned. The Crimson Bright Divine Son felt a lingering fear and glanced at the river below, where the ghost ship had long since vanished.
“Dragon Ancestor King and Feng Qiuyun entered the ghost ship. I don’t know if they are alive or dead.”
The Village Chief felt a warmth in his heart: “Mu’er risked his life to save me. Even the Four Ancient God Emperors couldn’t handle this, but he did. He has truly grown up and is very confident. The truth about the Overlord Body is no longer that important.”
He wanted to tell the First Ancestor that he had created the legend of the Overlord Body, but thinking that revealing the truth would likely get him beaten up again—not only by the successive human sovereigns but also by the First Ancestor, who might not be able to resist striking him—he held back.
They arrived at the riverbank. For the successive human sovereigns, Qin Mu and the others had gone to the river’s center and fought a great battle there, which didn’t take long. But for Qin Mu, more than a month had passed on the boat.
After dawn, Human Sovereign Qi Kang and Human Sovereign Yi Shan sensed the power of the Heavenly River and opened the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, filling everyone with excitement.
Their successful opening meant that the Heavenly River Divine Treasury could replace the Divine Bridge Divine Treasury and become the seventh divine treasury!
However, the process of replacement would likely be very long.
“Chief Qin, did you open this Heavenly River Divine Treasury?” Zhe Huali examined the newly opened Heavenly River Divine Treasuries of the two human sovereigns, utterly astonished.
Qin Mu couldn’t help but feel proud. He smiled and said, “I made a bet with Xu Shenghua to see who could open the new seventh divine treasury first. The winner would be the true Overlord Body, and the loser would be the female. Originally, I wasn’t confident I could beat him, but then I met Earth Mother Yuanjun, who gave me an Earth Yuan Dao Fruit, allowing me to break through life and death and enter the life-and-death realm. Xu Shenghua’s talent is extremely high; anything I could think of, he could too, but his cultivation progress was a step slower than mine, so I managed to pioneer the Heavenly River Divine Treasury first!”
Zhe Huali was captivated, saying, “To have such a Dao companion constantly spurring you on is truly a great fortune in life.”
He stayed behind to study the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, while Qin Mu packed his belongings and headed for the opposite shore of the Heavenly River.
Since the Heavenly River Divine Treasury could be opened, the rest was no longer his concern. The Eternal Peace Kingdom would promote it nationwide, and the Eternal Peace National Teacher would also develop techniques to seal off the Southern Heavenly Gate, allowing the gods of Eternal Peace to cultivate the Heavenly River Divine Treasury as well.
At the river’s center, Qin Mu sat on the head of the Dragon Tamer Lord with the Dragon Qilin, as the Dragon Tamer Lord rode clouds and mist toward the Hundred-Year Mountain on the opposite shore.
In the river, the azure-blue Dragon King surfaced, following alongside, swimming swiftly toward the opposite shore with Qin Mu.
After the battle yesterday, the Dragon Tamer Lord was arrogant, even domineering, charging recklessly through the river, wanting every Dragon King and demigod in the river to know he had a formidable master.
The sun rose in the east, casting its light. Qin Mu looked eastward and saw the sun seeming to leap out of the Heavenly River’s waters, golden waves rippling on the surface like golden snakes dancing wildly.
Qin Mu and the Dragon Qilin cheered in unison, both praising the sight.
Then, Qin Mu’s face darkened. He saw the sun rising from the river’s center in the east become twisted and crooked, like a misshapen gourd, indescribably ugly.
Ever since the Primordial Realm reappeared, the celestial map ten thousand miles high could no longer cover Eternal Peace, and the gods of the Heavenly Court who maintained the celestial phenomena in the sky grew more negligent day by day.
This wasn’t entirely their fault. The celestial map was ten thousand miles high and three hundred zhang thick. Now that the Primordial Realm had reappeared, many magnificent towering mountains within it were higher than the sky, propping up the celestial map unevenly. The movement of the sun, moon, and stars became chaotic, leaving the Heavenly Court gods in charge of the celestial map scrambling.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and stopped looking. Suddenly, the river water churned, and an old man with a dragon head and human body rose slowly from the river’s center, standing on the water. Behind him were many dragon sons and grandsons, blocking their path.
Divine clouds soared on the river, and divine light swirled.
Among them, two dragon maidens transformed into human forms. One held various jewels, their radiance shooting into the sky, while the other carried tea and snacks.
Qin Mu had the Dragon Tamer Lord stop and said, “Old sir, why are you blocking my way?”
The old Dragon King quickly bowed, saying, “This humble dragon is the Dragon King of this section of the Heavenly River, having guarded this place for a million years since the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, maintaining the river’s flow. Yesterday, I witnessed the honored god display great divine power, and today, as the honored god passes by, I come to offer hospitality.”
“Honored god?”
Qin Mu laughed heartily, shaking his head. “I am not yet an honored god. I am merely a cultivator who has opened the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, still one step away from the divine realm.”
The old Dragon King stammered, “The honored god is weary. I humbly offer modest gifts, all aquatic products from the Heavenly River.”
Qin Mu jumped down from the Dragon Tamer Lord’s head and landed on the water. The old Dragon King waved his hand, and shrimp soldiers, crab generals, dragon sons, and grandsons immediately stepped forward, using their magical power to manipulate the great waters, building a water palace on the river, inviting Qin Mu to take a seat.
This river palace was made of Heavenly River water, with tables and chairs carved from white jade. Sitting inside, one could not feel the wind or sun but could still see the scenery outside.
Qin Mu sat down, and the old Dragon King accompanied him.
The two dragon maidens quickly stepped forward, offering treasures and tea.
Qin Mu drank the tea, glanced at the treasures, and said, “Dragon Tamer Lord, take them first.”
The Dragon Tamer Lord was overjoyed and hastily collected the various jewels.
Qin Mu looked deeply at the old Dragon King across from him and said, “I have already appointed the Dragon Tamer Lord as the Heavenly River Dragon King. From now on, you will follow him, and I can ensure your descendants will live peacefully here.”
The old Dragon King hesitated, then said cautiously, “Honored god, the Dragon Tamer Lord is wise and martial, but his bloodline is impure…”
Qin Mu laughed heartily, saying, “If bloodline were useful, how could I have killed Prince Qiuming with a single sword strike? If bloodline were useful, why would Earth Mother Yuanjun have been defeated and died?”
The old Dragon King dared not speak.
“Since you have guarded this place for generations, I will not make things difficult for you. This section of the Heavenly River will still be managed by your family. I want this place to have favorable weather and no reckless flooding to harm the people on both banks. You may enjoy the sacrifices of the people on the shore, but you must not plunder or enslave them.”
Qin Mu set down his teacup, walked out of the water palace, and said, “The Dragon Tamer Lord will establish a Lesser Earth Lord Covenant with you, leaving no room for betrayal. I have drunk the tea and accepted the offerings. You may withdraw. After crossing the river, the Dragon Tamer Lord will come to find you.”
The old Dragon King acknowledged, and suddenly the water palace dissolved with a splash. The old Dragon King and his many dragon sons and grandsons vanished.
“Lesser Earth Lord Covenant?”
The Dragon Tamer Lord blinked, his heart filled with joy. He thought to himself, “The Lesser Earth Lord Covenant is even more ruthless than the Earth Lord Covenant. Perhaps I really can become the Heavenly River Dragon King.”
Elated, he carried Qin Mu and the Dragon Qilin onward. Not far ahead, another Dragon King appeared on the river with various treasures, offering fragrant tea.
Qin Mu drank the tea, spoke similarly, and continued on his way.
Along the way, Dragon Kings from the river continuously appeared to offer tea and present treasures. The battle last night had caused a huge commotion. Dragon Kings from tens of thousands of miles up and down the Heavenly River had gathered. Every stretch of the way, a Dragon King would lead his followers to greet him, extremely courteous.
Qin Mu stopped and started, drinking tea until his stomach was full. By the time he reached the opposite shore of the Heavenly River, it was already noon.
The Dragon Qilin whispered, “Chief, these Dragon Kings are only pretending to submit because the Dragon Ancestor King has disappeared, leaving them without a leader. Once Earth Mother gives the order, all these Dragon Kings will rebel! The Dragon Tamer Lord’s skills are not weak, but he can’t control the Heavenly River. We need to invite the Azure Desolate Elder from Dragon Village to suppress them.”
The Dragon Tamer Lord was displeased, but the Dragon Qilin spoke the truth. The Azure Desolate Elder was the second Heavenly King of the Kaihuang Heavenly Court, second only to the first Heavenly King, Di Yiyue, and far superior to him.
The Azure Desolate Elder’s strength was even greater than the Dragon Ancestor King’s. He would be the most suitable to guard the Heavenly River.
“Even if the Azure Desolate Elder comes out of retirement, he can’t control this Heavenly River.”
Qin Mu shook his head and said, “As soon as Earth Mother gives the order, all these Dragon Kings and demigods who have surrendered to us will rebel. Not a single one will truly submit to us!”
The Dragon Qilin was confused and asked, “Then why did the Chief accept their surrender? If these Dragon Kings rebel, they can manipulate the Heavenly River’s great waters to flood Eternal Peace, drowning it completely, turning countless people into food for the fish and shrimp in the water!”
Qin Mu turned back to look at the surging surface of the Heavenly River and said calmly, “I know. I’m just waiting for Earth Mother to give the order.”
The Dragon Qilin and the Dragon Tamer Lord were stunned.
“If Earth Mother gives the order, these Dragon Kings and demigods will rebel. As soon as they rebel, they will violate the Lesser Earth Lord Covenant.”
Qin Mu’s face darkened. “If they don’t rebel, nothing will happen. But if they do rebel, overnight, countless dragon corpses will float on this river! Earth Mother Yuanjun’s strongest means of threatening Eternal Peace will be eliminated, and the Heavenly River will no longer pose a flood threat! From then on, the name of the Lesser Earth Lord will shake the world!”
The Dragon Tamer Lord shivered several times, unable to imagine that scene.
Meanwhile, in the Qin Continent, the Big Head Doll was excitedly sitting by the stone table, waiting for the meal to begin.
Qin Mu looked ahead at the Hundred-Year Mountain and said, “Dragon Tamer Lord, go back. Sign the Lesser Earth Lord Covenant with them. All demigods in the Heavenly River with divine realm strength must sign the Lesser Earth Lord Covenant! Go!”
“Your subordinate obeys!”
The Dragon Tamer Lord sank into the water and disappeared.
The gloom on Qin Mu’s face vanished. He looked at the White Gap Deity on the small hill and smiled, saying, “White Gap Honored God, I’ve come to see you.”
The White Gap Deity quickly bowed, not daring to lose his temper, but still had some resentment, saying, “Master, was that the Dragon Tamer Lord just now? He’s lucky—the Yong River has become so big! Master, look at the mountain next to me—isn’t it tall?”
Qin Mu looked up and saw that the mountain range beside the Hundred-Year Mountain stretched for nearly ten thousand li, with peaks upon peaks, tall and elegant. Many divine temples and shrines dotted the mountains, and various rare beasts roamed among them. Large deer rode clouds and mist, flying back and forth.
Qin Mu smiled gently and said leisurely, “This mountain will henceforth be renamed Hundred-Year Mountain. What do you think?”