Chapter 857: The Celestial Alliance Elder
Qin Mu guided the massive head of the Heavenly Dragon King into another ruin. The ground within this ruin was littered with bones, and blood seeped from the cliffs and the earth, filling the place with an ominous aura.
As they ventured deeper, more and more white figures emerged around them.
At first, one or two of these white figures appeared, then more and more. Some suddenly materialized on mountain peaks, others on flat ground, staring blankly at them without any extra movement.
Qin Mu looked toward them but could not see their faces.
"Master, there's a person in white riding on your neck," Yan'er whispered.
Qin Mu quickly turned his head but saw nothing, a chill creeping up his spine.
He hastily took out a mirror and looked into it. Sure enough, a white figure was perched on his neck, its faceless face peering out from behind him, seemingly examining the mirror.
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. He looked at Dragon Qilin, and found that several white figures had somehow climbed onto him as well, blurry and indistinct.
He glanced at Yan'er—a white figure clung to her back, making a sucking motion toward the back of her head.
Qin Mu then looked at the Heavenly Dragon King's head. Even more white figures were clinging to it.
"This place is not safe to stay!"
Qin Mu made a swift decision and opened the Gate of Heaven's Succession. Dragon Qilin carried them as they leaped into the gate, escaping from that ruin and arriving at the Nether Realm.
The moment they stepped into the Nether Realm, Qin Mu faintly heard faint yet piercing cries coming from their backs. He quickly looked up and saw that outside the Gate of Heaven's Succession, countless white figures were crowded together, reaching their hands toward the Nether Realm.
Qin Mu dispelled the gate, and severed arms fell from where it had vanished, tumbling into the darkness.
"The ruins of the Primordial Realm are truly bizarre..."
Still shaken, Qin Mu watched as Dragon Qilin and Yan'er flailed and tumbled into the darkness of the Nether Realm. He inverted his divine storage, transforming it into a demonic divine storage, and used Nether Realm techniques to pull them back.
Qin Mu smiled. "Your divine power can't work here, so I'll have to carry you along. We won't leave just yet; we'll wait for someone to pick us up and hitch a ride."
Yan'er was puzzled, looking around. "Where is this ride?"
Qin Mu was confident. "It'll be here soon!"
After a moment, his face darkened, and he said awkwardly, "Did the Nether Lord slack off today? He hasn't shown up. Usually, as soon as I open the Gate of Heaven's Succession, his little boat comes to pick me up..."
"Usually, the Sect Leader stands on my head. Can I stand on the Sect Leader's head this time?" Dragon Qilin asked, both surprised and delighted.
Qin Mu peeled off the willow leaf from his brow and sent his divine sense into the Qin Continent, manifesting as his own image. He asked, "Earth Lord, why hasn't the Nether Lord come to pick me up today?"
The Lava Earth Lord connected with his main body and replied, "A celestial realm has been destroyed, with too many dead. The Nether Lord has gone there to guide the souls."
"I see. Can the Earth Lord send an expert to take me to the Li River Academy?" Qin Mu asked.
The Lava Earth Lord stared at him. Qin Mu met his gaze sincerely, unflinching. "I don't know the way to the Li River Academy from the Nether Realm."
The Lava Earth Lord was silent for a moment. "I'll take you myself. How about that?"
Qin Mu was overjoyed. "How could I trouble you with that?"
He withdrew his divine sense, feeling quite pleased, and said modestly to Dragon Qilin and Yan'er, "The Earth Lord says he'll personally take us to the Li River Academy."
Dragon Qilin was a bit disappointed, but then a fierce wind suddenly howled from the depths of the Nether Realm, sweeping up Qin Mu, Dragon Qilin, and Yan'er. They tumbled and rolled, flying an unknown distance in an instant.
Dizzy and disoriented, they found themselves in a chaotic space. When the wind subsided, Dragon Qilin was face-first embedded in a cliff outside the Li River Academy, Yan'er had transformed into a blue bird and was hanging belly-up on a treetop atop the cliff, and Qin Mu had plunged headfirst into the Li River.
After a moment, they tidied themselves up. Qin Mu's face was dark, and he growled, "What happened today stays between the three of us. If anyone talks, I'll kill them! Got it?"
Dragon Qilin and Blue Sparrow nodded repeatedly.
Qin Mu stared at Dragon Qilin, his tone gentle. "Do you know how the Great Sun Star Lord died, Fatty Dragon?"
Dragon Qilin quickly replied, "Sect Leader, my lips are sealed. Look, I've never told anyone about the Ancestral Master's embarrassing moments!"
Two months later, Qin Mu brought back Imperial Heaven and arrived at the source of the Surging River. The river no longer flowed from the cliffs of the Great Wasteland but passed through various celestial realms.
The heavenly river flowed from a celestial realm hanging beyond the heavens, cascading down like flying jade and splashing pearls, a magnificent sight.
Qin Mu waited at the source of the Surging River for half a day, sitting on the river's surface, but the mist in the river never appeared.
"Ling Imperial Heaven must have cut off the heavenly river here, using her divine technique to replace the river's substance with herself, unleashing that stunning technique."
Qin Mu stood up and found the Nether Yin Realm.
In the Nether Yin Realm, ships loaded with Nether Yin Gold were sailing out, following the heavenly river toward Eternal Peace.
Qin Mu boarded one of the ships and asked. The cultivator guarding it said, "The National Preceptor ordered us to transport the Nether Yin Gold. He said that since Eternal Peace is divided and hard to defend, we're to refine Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons. Every major city will have one."
"How are the medicine and stone issues being handled?" Qin Mu asked.
"I don't know."
Qin Mu pressed on. "Is the route safe?"
The cultivator replied, "The Dragon Tamer Lord leads the river dragons to guard the ships, so it's mostly peaceful. Occasionally, river monsters cause trouble and sink a few vessels."
Qin Mu nodded and let them go.
At the Nether Yin Realm, before the Nether Yin Lady's Sea Palace, Qin Mu looked out at the sea. Many cultivators were hard at work, dredging sand from the sea to extract Nether Yin Gold and transport it outside.
By the shore, there were towns where people from Eternal Peace and the Great Wasteland lived, avoiding the chaos outside. Many cultivators were also teaching, making the place less desolate.
"The Nether Yin Realm becoming like this is something I never expected."
Behind Qin Mu, black sand rolled, forming the figure of a majestic man. He spoke, "Eternal Peace is truly extraordinary. If given time, how far would you grow? You even frighten me."
Qin Mu turned around and smiled. "I should have realized earlier that Your Majesty's soul sand was hidden in the Nether Yin Realm. Because your soul was here, the Nether Yin Lady died. The Nether King wanted to control the Nether Yin Realm not to deal with the Nether Yin Lady, but to watch over your scattered soul. Unfortunately, she didn't realize this and was ambushed by the Nether King."
Within the surging black soul sand, a figure was faintly visible. When it spoke, the sand expanded outward but remained bound.
"Pastoral Celestial Lord, you revived the Nether Yin Lady, and you could revive me too. After you brought her back, I saw my chance. But you're a tough nut to crack, always thwarting me."
The figure in the black sand continued, "But you're right. I am a fallen ancient god, and you do have the right to bargain with me, to form an alliance."
Qin Mu looked him up and down, then suddenly asked, "Who gathered your soul?"
The figure in the black sand paused, then laughed. "Why do you ask, my minister?"
"The technique to revive souls was created by me. I can tell at a glance if someone gathered your soul."
Qin Mu said calmly, "There aren't many in the world with the power to revive an ancient god—only me. But many can gather souls. Years ago, I invited five people here to organize the Nether Yin Realm's runic system: the Nether King of Fengdu, the Eternal Peace National Preceptor, Xu Shenghua, the First Human Sovereign, and the Woodcutter Sage. They perfected the runic system, carving the runes into the cliffs by the sea. Even with that system, deducing the soul-gathering technique isn't something ordinary people can do. Gathering the soul of a Heavenly Emperor requires a master among masters. Who was it?"
The Heavenly Emperor in the black sand didn't answer.
Just then, a figure emerged from the Nether Yin Palace, laughing. "It was me. Pastoral Celestial Lord, long time no see. Remember that little adjustment you made to my compass?"
Qin Mu's eyes widened as he looked at the figure. A disheveled old Daoist walked out, his hair a mess, holding a compass. Though he looked old and ragged, his eyes were incredibly bright, brimming with endless wisdom.
Qin Mu took a deep breath and smiled. "Dao Ancestor, long time no see."
The disheveled old Daoist stepped forward to greet him. "The Celestial Alliance's old Daoist, greeting Pastoral Celestial Lord."
Qin Mu's heart pounded, and his brow twitched. He exclaimed, "Dao Ancestor, you're also a member of the Celestial Alliance?"
The disheveled old Daoist laughed. "Pastoral Celestial Lord must have already met the old monk, right? He's also one of the Celestial Alliance's elders."
Qin Mu's head spun.
The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha was also in the Celestial Alliance?
One of this great Buddha's avatars had been residing in the Qin Continent within Qin Mu's brow, sleeping lazily, but nothing in the Qin Continent escaped his notice!
Did that mean they also had a hand in controlling the Heavenly Court?
The Nether Yin Lady approached. "Everyone, please come into the palace to rest."
Qin Mu steadied himself and followed her into the Nether Yin Palace. He looked back. "Fatty Dragon, Sister Yan'er, stay outside. Imperial Heaven, you... come with me!"
Imperial Heaven, confused, followed him into the palace. They all took seats, with no distinction between host and guest.
Qin Mu calmed his mind. "Worst case, I'll tear it all apart. I'll merge with my brother to become the Little Earth Lord, turn this place into the Nether Realm, and bring the Earth Lord in to take them all down!"
With that thought, he smiled. "Dao Ancestor, you led me to the Hidden Pavilion and truly opened my eyes. So, when did you realize the Nether Yin Realm's runic system was established? When did you find this place? Cultivating a disciple like Yan Qiling isn't something you can do in a year or two. Even if you revived the Heavenly Emperor, he couldn't have trained such an outstanding disciple in such a short time."
The disheveled old Daoist laughed. "The Heavenly Emperor still has one soul left, hidden in the Heavenly Court. That soul is also one of the Celestial Alliance's elders, so naturally, he taught many disciples."