Chapter 884: Wildness for Eighty Thousand Miles
Yan Qiling's heart tightened. Just now, she had forgotten about the Heavenly Emperor's blessing behind her head and nearly blurted out her true thoughts.
Although the two souls of the Heavenly Emperor should be in a hurry to return to the Heavenly Court and merge with his soul there, leaving no time to monitor or eavesdrop on her, there was always a chance of something going wrong. If her thoughts were heard by the ancient god Heavenly Emperor, she wouldn't be able to save herself either.
Qin Mu withdrew his finger. Back then, he had gone to great lengths to decipher the various ancient god blessings behind Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu's head, inviting heroes and wise men from all over the world to the capital of Yankang to break those blessings. As a result, he was no stranger to the Heavenly Emperor's blessing.
Moreover, with the Heavenly Emperor's Dao runes also stored in the Library of Keeping Treasures, his understanding of the Heavenly Emperor's blessing had reached an even higher level.
He hadn't completely broken the Heavenly Emperor's blessing behind Yan Qiling's head; he had merely contaminated it, temporarily preventing the Heavenly Emperor from hearing their conversation through her.
This was similar to how the Woodcutter had broken the Earth Mother's blessing behind Qin Mu's head in the capital of Yankang—both were clever tricks.
"Thank you."
Yan Qiling revealed a smile and said with a laugh, "You can be especially gentle sometimes, and especially annoying at others."
Qin Mu smiled faintly, taking this as a compliment.
Yan Qiling continued, "I've realized that my master is truly heartless. The so-called bond between master and disciple probably holds no weight in his heart. That's why I spoke up for you in the Netherworld Yin Realm. Helping you is also helping myself."
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "And your master's wife..."
Yan Qiling's body trembled. After a moment, she said, "My master's wife's palace is just ahead."
Yan'er folded her wings and descended. Yan Qiling jumped off her back and said, "Will the Pastoral Celestial Venerable come in with me?"
Qin Mu hesitated, then nodded. He told Dragon Qilin and Yan'er to stay here.
This matter concerned the only chance for Yankang's survival. He had to see it with his own eyes and ensure everything was foolproof!
The two walked toward the new Earth Mother's palace. This complex seemed to have been built not long ago, guarded by many powerful beings from half-god races. These half-gods were likely subdued by the new Earth Mother Primordial Lord.
The breaking of the seal on the Primordial Realm this time had caused an enormous impact.
The true Earth Mother Primordial Lord had never dared to show herself. She had been hunted by the Heavenly Alliance until only one heavenly soul remained, while her physical body, the Primordial Wood, had been taken by the Heavenly Alliance and used to cultivate a new Earth Mother Primordial Lord.
Without a physical body, the Earth Mother Primordial Lord's influence among the half-gods couldn't compare to that of the new Earth Mother Primordial Lord. Although she still had a group of loyal and powerful followers, she couldn't match the new Earth Mother Primordial Lord's momentum back then.
In the palace, when those half-gods saw Yan Qiling and Qin Mu approaching, they showed strange expressions but didn't ask questions.
When they reached the new Earth Mother Primordial Lord's hall, Yan Qiling knelt before her and said, "Master's wife."
The new Earth Mother Primordial Lord looked exactly like the Earth Mother, but she lacked the Earth Mother's aggressive dominance. Instead, she was very gentle. She quickly said, "Get up quickly. Why do you perform such grand ceremonies when you see me? You have these rules in front of your master, but not in front of me."
She looked at Qin Mu with surprise and said with a smile, "Pastoral Celestial Venerable? How did you two end up together? Last time I heard you say you had suffered a loss at his hands and planned to get even."
Qin Mu bowed and said, "Qin Mu pays respects to the Earth Mother."
The new Earth Mother Primordial Lord laughed and said, "I dare not accept that. You are the Pastoral Celestial Venerable, of high seniority, no need for such formalities. You played a trick on my husband, giving his blessing to a black wild boar. He flew into a rage and cursed you for a long time."
She couldn't help but laugh. Noticing Yan Qiling still kneeling, she said, "Yanzi, get up quickly. With the Pastoral Celestial Venerable here, seeing you so solemn might make him think I've been mistreating you."
Yan Qiling lowered her head, holding the mirror bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor with both hands, and said, "Master has returned to the Heavenly Court and asked me to give this treasure to my master's wife."
"He's back?"
The new Earth Mother Primordial Lord took the mirror and said with a smile, "Did the Pastoral Celestial Venerable reshape his soul for him? It seems the grudge between the Pastoral Celestial Venerable and my husband has been resolved. That's good..."
Her gaze fell on the mirror and couldn't move away.
Yan Qiling prostrated herself on the ground, weeping bitterly, tears falling like rain: "Master told me to give the mirror to my master's wife. I knew what would happen when she looked into it, but I still did it! Please, my master's wife, execute me!"
The new Earth Mother Primordial Lord raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion, her spirit gradually fading.
"This is not your fault, Yanzi, this is not your fault..."
She raised her hand and gently stroked Yan Qiling's head, her palm slowly turning into green smoke. She said softly, "You can't be blamed. You were helpless too."
She turned to look at Qin Mu and smiled radiantly: "Pastoral Celestial Venerable, take good care of her..."
Her body disintegrated, turning into wisps of green smoke that were swallowed by the mirror.
The mirror clattered to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped at Qin Mu's feet.
Qin Mu picked up the mirror. Inside the mirror was a Primordial Wood, lush and verdant.
This Primordial Wood was the new Earth Mother Primordial Lord's true body, and also the Earth Mother's true form.
In the final years of the Upper Emperor Era, the Heavenly Alliance eradicated the Earth Mother Primordial Lord, took the Primordial Wood to the Heavenly Court, and the Heavenly Emperor used it to cultivate another living being. This being was the new Earth Mother Primordial Lord, whom he married.
Since the Heavenly Emperor could cultivate a new Earth Mother, he could also destroy her.
Now, the new Earth Mother had been obliterated, body and soul, and the Primordial Wood had returned.
"Rest assured."
Qin Mu murmured, "Rest assured. I can't give you any other promises, but I can guarantee that I will do my best to take care of her."
Yan Qiling was still prostrate on the ground, wailing. Qin Mu helped her up and said, "I'm going to do the real work now. Do you want to come along?"
Yan Qiling didn't get up. Qin Mu walked out. Time was pressing, and he couldn't afford to waste any.
As he walked out of the palace and climbed onto Yan'er's back, about to leave, he saw Yan Qiling approaching. The woman had regained her usual toughness and said, "I'll go with you."
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "I need a flat place, convenient for casting spells and for the Earth Mother to arrive from underground."
"I know such a place."
Yan Qiling's face showed no trace of sadness as she said, "It's the alluvial plain of the Heavenly River. I'll guide the way!"
Before long, they arrived at the alluvial plain Yan Qiling had mentioned. It stretched for ten thousand miles, with no mountains or rivers, only primeval forests with lush vegetation.
Yan'er flew to the center of the plain. Qin Mu told her to stop, then jumped down and told them to retreat, saying, "As far away as possible."
Everyone quickly retreated, leaving only Qin Mu.
Qin Mu took out the mirror and placed it on the ground. Suddenly, he drew the Carefree Sword, raised it high, and thrust it downward heavily!
Ding!
The Carefree Sword struck the mirror's surface, creating a crack, followed by more and more cracks.
Qin Mu quickly retreated. The mirror shattered, and with the mirror as the center, space violently trembled. A Primordial Wood rose from the ground, growing larger and taller, splitting the surrounding space apart!
Soon, the Primordial Wood had reached a height of ten thousand zhang and was still growing upward at a terrifying speed. Its massive trunk grew thicker and thicker, causing the earth to bulge and crack continuously. Lightning and thunder filled the space, and flames of thunder erupted everywhere, terrifying beyond measure!
Qin Mu held the Carefree Sword, his figure drifting backward, calmly dodging the spatial cracks before they reached him.
Behind him, a Gate of Inheritance suddenly appeared, and mysterious, obscure words sounded from his mouth, summoning the soul fragments of the Primordial Wood's true body.
Black sand surged from the heavens and earth, swarming toward the Primordial Wood.
He was performing a soul-summoning ritual, using this Primordial Wood to summon the soul of the Earth Mother Primordial Lord!
The Primordial Realm seemed to boil over. The earth shook, mountains trembled violently, and the land bulged wildly, as if countless divine dragons were speeding underground, rushing toward the Primordial Wood!
Soon, enormous black mountain ranges appeared on the ten-thousand-mile plain. Those were the Earth Mother Primordial Lord's roots!
Her roots were like towering mountains, moving rapidly across the surface and underground. From a distance, the mountains looked like dragons racing across the land—a breathtaking and magnificent sight!
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord still had one soul left undispersed. Qin Mu's soul-summoning immediately alerted her. Naturally, she could sense the positions of the Primordial Wood and Qin Mu and rushed over at top speed.
Meanwhile, at the center of the Primordial Realm, the "Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu," with ten thousand rays of light and rings of radiance behind his head, was also immediately alerted. He flew toward this direction at full speed.
Accompanying him were countless celestial ships and warships from the Heavenly Court, their flags fluttering in the wind. Countless heavenly soldiers and generals beat war drums, the drumbeats shaking heaven and earth, and the roar of battle surged like a great flood sweeping across the four corners of the world!
"Earth Mother, if you want to revive to your peak state, you must pay a price!"
Qin Mu's figure flew around the ever-growing Primordial Wood. The massive trunk was still expanding and growing, its canopy already level with the heavens, standing alongside the celestial realms.
Qin Mu wove through the fragments of space, transforming into a three-headed, six-armed form, accelerating his spellcasting. He shouted loudly, "I can let you revive, but first, you need to block the Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu!"
Deep underground, the Earth Mother Primordial Lord's roots connected with the Primordial Wood's trunk. The Primordial Wood grew even larger, its canopy covering tens of thousands of miles. The ten-thousand-mile plain could barely contain its massive trunk.
From underground came the Earth Mother Primordial Lord's voice, filled with boundless joy, causing the earth to rumble as if countless giant beasts were roaring in unison: "Pastoral Celestial Venerable, you've finally come to fulfill your promise!"
"What Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu? The real Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu is by your side. This Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu is merely a weapon forged by the Heavenly Court. Does he think he can contend with me?"
"My children, it's time for you to make your move!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Around the Primordial Wood, enormous imperial coffins burst out of the ground. Rows of stone beasts appeared in front of the coffins, rapidly shedding their stone exteriors to reveal flesh and blood. Qilins, lions, camels, horses, white elephants, Xiezhi, and other half-gods revived, their auras soaring to the heavens, their blood energy like an ocean.
These half-gods were once important ministers of the Northern Upper Emperor Heavenly Court. Each was incredibly powerful. They reached out, grabbed the imperial coffins, and frantically broke the seals on them.
Eight imperial coffins were opened one after another, releasing an imperial might that swept across the world. Thick corpse qi swept through the universe!
The Northern Upper Emperor Heavenly Court had a total of fourteen Heavenly Emperors, all offspring of the Earth Mother Primordial Lord!
Those were fourteen great emperors at the Imperial Throne realm. Five of those half-god emperors had been obliterated, body and soul, in the battles against the Southern Upper Emperor Heavenly Court. Another half-god emperor's corpse had been taken by Feng Qiuyun onto the ghost ship, and its whereabouts were still unknown.
The Upper Emperor Era was the wildest and most barbaric era, but also an era of brilliant stars and countless powerful beings!
In that era, the Northern and Southern Upper Emperor each had their own Heavenly Courts, each with earth-shaking great emperors.
Countless deities, in the opposing Northern and Southern Heavenly Courts, fought and killed for their respective races, refining their enemies into weapons and using their flesh and blood as sacrifices!
Among them, the Northern Upper Emperor Heavenly Court was the most brutal. The Crimson Bright Divine Son led his people into hiding in the Suspended Realm, never daring to contact the Upper Emperor Heavenly Court during that era, precisely because they had witnessed its brutality.
Now, the remaining eight Upper Emperor corpses awakened, turning into corpse demons. A sea of blood surged. The eight imperial corpse demons shot into the sky, standing above the heavens. Facing them was the Heavenly Court's most powerful divine weapon, the "Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu"!
Doo-doo—
In the sky, flags fluttered. Countless deities from the Heavenly Court blew loud horns. Those horns were made from giant beast horns, hanging from the bows of countless warships, blown by giant warriors channeling their true essence.
Countless deities stood on the warships, beating drums made from Kui dragon hide. The drumbeats boomed, shaking the sky and earth!
The "Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu" drew closer and closer. The countless warships floating around him looked like tiny insects, but in reality, these warships represented the highest achievements of the Heavenly Court's celestial engineering. Each warship was dozens of miles long, and the deities and demons on them were enormous.
But compared to him, they were insignificant.
Even the eight Upper Emperor half-god emperors turned into corpse demons were countless times smaller than him!
"Earth Mother, your sons are no match for the Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu. Let me give you another hand!"
Qin Mu tore off the willow leaf from his forehead, letting his hair hang loose. His demeanor was wild and unrestrained. His three heads roared fiercely: "Brother, lend me your power to snatch the souls of the eight Upper Emperor Heavenly Emperors from the Netherworld!"
———Zi Fei Yu, happy birthday to you!
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