Chapter 870: War Across the Heavens
By the time Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er flew back from beyond the sky, the sun had already gone out.
The sun in the Heavenly Chart was very punctual. Although no one was controlling it, the formation would automatically stop operating every six hours.
When Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er returned here, they saw that the moon had also gone out. Even the galaxy formed by tens of thousands of stars in the Heavenly Chart had now all extinguished.
These stars and the moon were the same, undergoing a cycle of light and darkness once each day.
They had recklessly opened the sun formation, causing the sun and moon to appear together, disrupting the cycle of light and darkness. Now, both the sun and moon were dark.
Bai Qiu'er led Qin Mu as they flew swiftly through the galaxy. Her robe sash fluttered, scattering starlight across the galaxy, lighting it up.
The people of Yan Kang, as well as the gods, demons, and demigods of Yuandu, now witnessed an incredibly bizarre scene.
The sky was pitch black. It was supposed to be daytime now, the time when the sun should be rising and shining brightly. Yet the sun had vanished, not even a single star could be seen.
But at that moment, countless stars suddenly appeared in the southern part of the pitch-black sky. Those starlights seemed to possess a strange magic, as stars continuously lit up from south to north, a truly mesmerizing sight.
"The stars in the sky have gone mad," people shook their heads one after another. "First the sun appears in the middle of the night, then it's pitch black during the day. When things are abnormal, there must be mischief. Most likely, some demons are causing trouble in the sky."
Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er fiddled with the galaxy in the Heavenly Chart all along the way, activating the formations. The two of them flew joyfully, lighting up the north-south galaxy along the way.
Normally, the gods who monitored the Heavenly Chart would never fully light up the galaxy. At most, they would light up a few thousand starlight formations.
But now, Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er had recklessly lit up the entire galaxy, an unimaginable luxury.
Once the galaxy was fully lit, the bright band of light resembled a wide, luminous river, running from north to south. Although it was a false celestial phenomenon, it still possessed a magnificently extraordinary beauty.
Suddenly, the moon in the sky was lit up again, its light pure and bright.
Today was the fifteenth day of the month, the moon perfectly round.
The people and demigods of Yan Kang wore strange expressions. The god in charge of the moon in the sky seemed confused. The moon had just lit up when it appeared as if someone was pulling a curtain across it, slowly covering half of the moon.
The god in charge of the moon seemed to remember that today was the fifteenth, and slowly moved the curtain aside again. The full moon reappeared in the sight of countless stunned onlookers.
Some people in Yan Kang were enjoying the cool evening air in their courtyards, drinking wine. Now the wine was dripping from the corners of their mouths. People eating flatbreads had the bread fall from their mouths, still bearing the marks of their teeth.
"Waaah—" a child burst into loud crying, but was immediately silenced by their mother's hand. The young mother warily watched the bizarre moon that had suddenly appeared in the sky, muttering incantations under her breath.
Heavenly Chart, Moon Palace.
Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er sat in front of the palace, their hands propping them up as they dangled their feet, chatting idly with no particular purpose.
Dragon Qilin silently rolled his eyes behind them, finding their conversation utterly meaningless. Yet the man and woman seemed very happy, feeling that every word they exchanged was profound and made their hearts flutter.
"It was the same with the Patriarch back in the Western Lands," Dragon Qilin rested his large head on the ground, extending a dragon claw to draw on the ground. He sketched two stick figures holding hands, thinking to himself, "During that time, the Patriarch also seemed to suddenly lose his mind. Even the most ordinary words tasted sweet as honey..."
In truth, for both Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er, the fate between them was already strange enough, and their feelings were equally peculiar.
In Bai Qiu'er's heart, Qin Mu was the big brother who protected her and gave her hope on that night when disaster struck. Even after he left for forty thousand years, she could not forget his sturdy shoulders, his resounding voice, or his words and actions.
And in Qin Mu's heart, Bai Qiu'er was the Sword Goddess of the Upper Emperor, peerlessly elegant. She was not only the woman who washed her sword at the source of the Yong River and saved him, but also the one who passed down the Upper Emperor's philosophy that human life is greater than heaven to the Kai Huang era.
She was strong enough, possessing extraordinary wisdom.
The budding emotions between them made each see the other as someone they could rely on.
If the forty thousand years of history could be turned into a single image, then the two of them would surely be leaning on each other—one at forty thousand years ago, the other at forty thousand years later.
The Yan Kang National Teacher arrived with the scholars of Yan Kang, intending to take over the Heavenly Chart. Many demigod leaders residing in Yan Kang also flew into the sky, along with forces from various heavens who had come to investigate the source of the anomalies. Among them were Taoist priests from Qingyun Heaven.
The Yan Kang National Teacher's face was very dark. This National Teacher had strict requirements for mathematical calculations. The sun and moon in the sky had always been crooked, making him wish he could shoot the sun down from the sky.
But with all the various affairs in Yan Kang keeping him busy, he had no time to do anything about the Heavenly Chart.
Now, even the cycle of day and night had been disrupted, and he could no longer bear it.
The Heavenly Chart was originally created by the Taoist priests of Qingyun Heaven. With the celestial phenomena in chaos, these Taoists also flew up into the sky, intending to repair it.
More and more people were arriving in the Heavenly Chart. Yu Chenzi was the first to run to the Moon Palace. Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er quickly stood up. Bai Qiu'er was still in her identity as the Sword God of the Upper Emperor, representing the Southern Upper Emperor. Even Kai Huang, the Woodcutter, Di Yi Yue, and others were her juniors.
She was too embarrassed to be seen, so she quickly left Qin Mu and walked into the Moon Palace.
Yu Chenzi didn't get a clear look at her, only seeing that she was a woman. He craned his neck to peer into the palace.
Qin Mu stopped him, smiling, "Yu Chenzi, how are you being treated at the National Teacher's side? Did you give my letter of recommendation to the National Teacher?"
Before Yu Chenzi could speak, the Yan Kang National Teacher walked over, asking, "What letter of recommendation?"
Qin Mu turned and smiled, "I think Yu Chenzi is exceptionally resourceful and a great talent, so I wrote a letter for him to give to you, recommending him to work in Yan Kang and achieve great things."
The Yan Kang National Teacher was surprised. "Brother Yu Chenzi, since you have a letter from my senior brother, why didn't you show it?"
Yu Chenzi smiled, "If I can be valued and appointed based on the National Teacher's own appreciation, why would I need Qin Cult Leader's letter of recommendation?"
The Yan Kang National Teacher said to Qin Mu, "He came to me, and we discussed philosophy for a few days. I think he is a great talent, so I put him in charge of Yan Kang's foreign affairs, handling negotiations with various forces within Yan Kang."
Qin Mu was happy for Yu Chenzi and smiled, "With Yu Chenzi here, the National Teacher can also take it a bit easier."
Yu Chenzi kept looking toward the Moon Palace. Qin Mu's eyes flickered, and he said, "Yu Chenzi, has the Heavenly Court sent people to create a new Heavenly Chart? I see quite a few Taoist priests from Qingyun Heaven have arrived. Why don't you go and find out?"
Yu Chenzi glanced at him and left reluctantly.
The Yan Kang National Teacher said, "Senior Brother, the celestial phenomena in the Heavenly Chart are in chaos, day and night are reversed. Do you know what caused it?"
He looked toward the Moon Palace and said, "It looks like someone has been living here."
Qin Mu coughed and said, "I just escaped from Great Dark Heaven and arrived here. I don't know what happened."
The Yan Kang National Teacher said, "A few days ago, I heard you were trapped in the Great Dark Palace. The Sword God of the Upper Emperor was very concerned about you and came to find you. Did she find you?"
Qin Mu was about to speak when suddenly Bai Qiu'er walked over from another direction, saying, "Friend Jiang, I planned to infiltrate the Great Dark Palace through the Heavenly Chart to rescue Cult Leader Qin. The gods in this Heavenly Chart were eliminated by me. But the formations here are a bit complex. I might have accidentally triggered some formation, causing the celestial phenomena to become chaotic. Now that I see Cult Leader Qin has returned safely, I am relieved."
The Yan Kang National Teacher held her in great respect and said solemnly, "Senior, you have worked hard. I originally planned to clear out the Heavenly Chart as well, but I didn't have the time or energy."
He quietly nudged Qin Mu and whispered, "Senior Brother, why aren't you paying your respects? This is the Sword God of the Upper Emperor, a senior!"
Qin Mu was stunned.
"In her early years, she guided the Woodcutter Teacher and other Heavenly Masters. I heard from Teacher that she also conveyed the Upper Emperor's philosophy that human life is greater than heaven to Kai Huang, which was a tremendous help to the Kai Huang era!"
The Yan Kang National Teacher whispered, "Such a senior and sage, upon hearing of your trouble, took the initiative to come to your rescue. She deserves our respect!"
Qin Mu had no choice but to formally perform the rites of a junior to Bai Qiu'er. The Yan Kang National Teacher still felt that Qin Mu's first greeting was too perfunctory.
Bai Qiu'er quickly said, "No need to stand on ceremony. I don't care much about formalities. When Wen Tian Ge sees me, he also doesn't bow much."
"Senior deserves it," the Yan Kang National Teacher said seriously. "When Teacher sees you, he must also pay his respects."
Yu Chenzi flew over, slowing down as he landed in front of the Moon Palace. He looked at Bai Qiu'er with surprise, then glanced suspiciously into the Moon Palace. Qin Mu coughed and said, "Yu Chenzi, what did Qingyun Heaven say? Is the Heavenly Court still investigating the death of the Heavenly Court envoy? Are they going to create a new Heavenly Chart?"
Yu Chenzi withdrew his gaze, suppressing his doubts, and said, "The Heavenly Court has indeed sent experts from the Divine Capture Camp to investigate the death of the Heavenly Court envoy. The Earth Dragon has been captured and taken to the Heavenly Court's God Execution Platform."
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat.
The Divine Capture Camp of the Heavenly Court actually had experts capable of capturing the Earth Dragon?
That Earth Dragon was likely comparable to a Jade Capital or Lingxiao realm expert, yet it was captured by the Divine Capture Camp and sent to the God Execution Platform to die!
"How did the gods of the Divine Capture Camp descend to the lower realm?" Qin Mu asked.
"I heard the Divine Capture Camp has a unique treasure that can travel between different realms to pursue and arrest fugitives," Yu Chenzi said. "Someone has seen that treasure. It looks like a three-legged Golden Crow. The Divine Capture Camp rides on it to investigate cases in various realms."
"A three-legged Golden Crow? Could it be the physical body of the Great Sun Star Lord?"
Qin Mu was startled. The Great Sun Star Lord was originally the chief of the Zhou Tian Star Lords, in charge of the Heavenly Net and Earthly Net, commanding the Heavenly Court's Zhou Tian Star Army, and overseeing the heavens. His power was immense.
Could it be that after the Great Sun Star Lord died, his physical body was refined into a treasure and given to the Divine Capture Camp?
Yu Chenzi continued, "The Heavenly Court has also sent people down to oversee the creation of the new Heavenly Chart. Qingyun Heaven is responsible for designing the chart, while the construction is handed over to Construction Heaven."
Qin Mu frowned. "Construction Heaven is?"
Yu Chenzi said, "Creation and Construction are two major heavens under the Heavenly Court responsible for refining tools and treasures. The gods there forge treasures. They have some connection with the Heavenly Artisan God Tribe of the Kai Huang era, similar to Yan Kang's Artisan Hall. The new Heavenly Chart will definitely be forged and replace the old one. It's unavoidable."
Qin Mu's heart stirred. "What is the strength of Construction Heaven and Creation Heaven?"
"These two war heavens are known as the War Heavens, forged into war machines. In the Kai Huang era, Tai Ming Heaven was where the Heavenly Artisan God Tribe lived, but compared to these two heavens, it was still inferior. To destroy these two heavens, even a million gods and demons plus a Throne realm expert might not be able to take them down!"
Yu Chenzi said, "My Qingyun Heaven often helps these two war heavens design heavy treasures. After a million years of development, these two heavens might be able to come to life, becoming terrifying world-destroying divine artifacts!"
Qin Mu and the others were stunned.
The military power of the Heavenly Court was too terrifying!
"Emperor Shakti Buddha is Kai Huang's Heavenly Artisan and War Heavenly King, but relying on him alone might not be enough to infiltrate Construction Heaven and destroy the new Heavenly Chart."
Qin Mu began to worry, thinking, "Once the new Heavenly Chart is created and spread across the sky, Yan Kang will be finished."
The Yan Kang National Teacher suddenly said, "The ones most worried about the new Heavenly Chart being created are not Yan Kang, but the two Earth Mother Primordial Lords and the Yuandu strongmen like Great Dark Heaven."
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he nodded slightly.
"Unless the Earth Mother Primordial Lords, Great Dark Heaven, and others surrender or die, this new Heavenly Chart will be hung in the sky," the Yan Kang National Teacher smiled. "So we don't need to worry about the new Heavenly Chart. As for this old Heavenly Chart, it can be used by Yan Kang. But without a strong expert to guard this treasure..."
Bai Qiu'er smiled, "I'm not used to the hustle and bustle of the lower realm. I plan to stay in the Moon Palace of the Heavenly Chart."
The Yan Kang National Teacher quickly bowed in thanks.
Qin Mu said with a serious expression, "I would like to seek the Sword God of the Upper Emperor's guidance on some difficulties in swordsmanship. Is that possible?"
Bai Qiu'er was very solemn. "Guidance is too strong a word. Cult Leader can stay here for a few days, and we can exchange ideas."
Qin Mu was overjoyed and followed her into the Moon Palace.
The Yan Kang National Teacher and Yu Chenzi watched the two walk into the Moon Palace. They saw Qin Mu try to take the Sword God of the Upper Emperor's hand, but Bai Qiu'er slapped his hand away.
The two of them looked at each other in bewilderment.