Chapter 898: Meeting an Old Acquaintance on the Way to the Great Prison
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord was terrified. When Qin Mu left Yan-Kang's capital and traveled here, he had originally thought this would be an easy target.
Although Qin Mu bore the title of Yan-Kang's Overlord Body and was the Mu Heavenly Lord among the Nine Heavenly Lords who had been renowned since the early years of the Dragon Han Era, the Celestial Court's big shots all knew the truth behind Qin Mu's status as Mu Heavenly Lord.
He was merely an insignificant figure from Yan-Kang who had accidentally traveled back to the early Dragon Han Era, using knowledge a million years ahead of its time to swindle himself the title of Heavenly Lord.
As for the so-called Overlord Body, it was just a joke about dominating in the small mud pit of Yan-Kang.
What truly made people wary was his identity as the Divine Son of Netherworld. But now, Qin Mu was no longer the Divine Son of Netherworld; instead, he had become a man without a soul, with little time left to live. Therefore, anyone could take a shot at him.
Yet now, it seemed this Mu Heavenly Lord was not as simple as he had imagined!
His personal strength was extremely bizarre. Although his cultivation was still very low, his divine arts were already incomprehensible.
Moreover, the strength and methods of that fat bird by his side were also terrifying, even surpassing him, the Military Governor of the Eastern Heavenly Palace!
Unless he mobilized the army of gods and demons from the Eastern Heavenly Palace to set up a formation, he wouldn't be able to capture him. And in this palace, he had no such opportunity.
More critically, he didn't dare.
Other people with backing could kill Qin Mu, but he dared not.
Those others had connections; the forces behind them didn't care about bearing the infamy of killing a Heavenly Lord. They could easily push out a scapegoat.
But the existence behind him was the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor. Even the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor couldn't bear the crime of killing a Heavenly Lord.
Qin Mu looked around and said with a smile, "Divine Lord, as a guest, I feel deeply guilty for damaging your divine hall."
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord couldn't detect any trace of guilt on his face and forced a smile, saying, "No matter. The Heavenly Lord back in the early Dragon Han Era even dismantled the Jade Pool, let alone this small place of mine?"
Qin Mu laughed heartily and raised his hand to pat his shoulder, but unfortunately, the Martial Extremity Divine Lord was too tall for him to reach.
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord quickly bent down, allowing Qin Mu to conveniently pat his shoulder. Qin Mu was quite satisfied and said with a smile, "The Divine Lord knows me very well and is also aware of my hobbies. Then, does the Divine Lord know my plans for the future?"
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord lowered his eyes and said respectfully, "May I ask the Heavenly Lord's plans for the future?"
"I plan to leave Yan-Kang."
Qin Mu said, "I'll travel around and visit old acquaintances in the Primordial Realm. The first place I'll go is the Great Prison to visit inmates and see how my old friends are doing. Then, I plan to go to the Celestial Court to pay respects to old acquaintances there."
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord was startled and exclaimed, "The Heavenly Lord going to the Celestial Court—wouldn't that be walking to your death?"
Qin Mu glanced at him. The Martial Extremity Divine Lord quickly bent down, but Qin Mu didn't pat his shoulder this time. He said, "You're still too young. As a Heavenly Lord, I will only receive courteous treatment when I go to the Celestial Court. My old friends back then wouldn't dare to make a move against me openly; at most, they'd resort to underhanded tricks."
Even though the Martial Extremity Divine Lord felt that this Heavenly Lord title was merely nominal and that the reality didn't match the reputation, he couldn't help but admire his courage and boldness. He said, "Mu Heavenly Lord possesses such bravery, truly admirable. Then I wish the Heavenly Lord a smooth journey..."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words. However, I'm not quite sure where the Great Prison is. Please, Divine Lord, point me in the right direction."
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord's expression turned solemn. He said, "Heavenly Lord, head in the direction of the Primordial Wood. Once you reach the foot of the Primordial Wood, you'll find the Great Prison."
Qin Mu expressed his thanks and said, "Divine Lord, there's no need to see me off. Please stay."
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord said politely, "I must see you off. After all, the Heavenly Lord is a Heavenly Lord. If I didn't, wouldn't that be a breach of etiquette? Heavenly Lord, there's no need to be so polite. My name is Wu Shengji. If the Heavenly Lord doesn't mind, you can call me Little Wu."
Qin Mu nodded and walked out of the divine hall.
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord followed closely behind him. When they reached outside the divine hall, they saw thousands of gods and demons forming a battle formation, sealing off the hall with a murderous aura.
The Celestial Court's killing formation was terrifying, its momentum crushing the sky. The light of countless divine weapons shot up into the clouds, merging together, and countless runes interlocked, transforming into a green tree that suppressed the heavens!
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord flew into a rage. He stepped forward and shouted sternly, "How dare you! This is Mu Heavenly Lord, a distinguished guest of my Eastern Heavenly Palace! How dare you draw weapons? How insolent! Withdraw at once!"
The divine generals and soldiers of the Eastern Heavenly Palace were bewildered. They had sensed a terrifying aura erupting from within the divine hall and had gathered their army to come here.
When they arrived, they saw a fat bird inside the hall eating a person, and the walls of the hall had been swept away, leaving only the pillars and beams supporting the structure. Hence, they had formed the formation, ready for battle.
But since the Martial Extremity Divine Lord had given the order, they had no choice but to withdraw.
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Heavenly Lord, please."
Qin Mu nodded. He stood on the Dragon Qilin's head, and the Dragon Qilin stepped on fiery clouds and walked forward. Yan'er transformed into a plump green sparrow and perched on the Martial Extremity Divine Lord's shoulder. The Martial Extremity Divine Lord walked ahead of the Dragon Qilin, personally guiding the way.
He escorted Qin Mu a thousand miles. Qin Mu smiled and said, "Divine Lord, a farewell after a thousand miles must eventually come to an end. Let's stop here."
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord bowed and stood respectfully, saying, "I bid the Heavenly Lord farewell."
Yan'er flew up from his shoulder and landed on Qin Mu's shoulder. Qin Mu said, "The Divine Lord has treated me with great hospitality and also told me the story of the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor. I have benefited greatly. Before we part, I have one piece of advice for you."
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord quickly said, "I am all ears."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon did not treat the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor well, which led to a grudge between them, and now he is in danger of being replaced, his life hanging by a thread. Divine Lord, if your enmity with Yan-Kang runs too deep, who's to say that Yan-Kang won't become another Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor in the future? Always leave some leeway. I have left you this leeway by not taking your life. If the Divine Lord leaves some leeway for Yan-Kang, there will still be room for negotiation in the future. Fatty Dragon, let's go."
The Dragon Qilin carried them into the distance.
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders. He carefully pondered Qin Mu's words, and a chill ran down his spine.
After a while, the army of the Eastern Heavenly Palace caught up from behind. Warships filled the sky, banners fluttered, and the killing intent soared to the heavens.
"Divine Lord, should we pursue?" a divine general asked loudly.
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord waved his hand and said, "No need to pursue. Pass down the order: treat the Dragon Tamer Lord well, and be a bit kinder to the Dragon King of the Surging River. Don't be too harsh. Also, as for those mortals of Yan-Kang, if they pay their tributes on time and in full, there's no need to push them too hard. Give them a way to survive."
The heavenly soldiers and generals were puzzled but still bowed and acknowledged the order.
"Pass down another order!"
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord said in a deep voice, "Yan-Kang's Qin Overlord Body, the Dragon Han Era's Mu Heavenly Lord, is about to head to the Great Prison! Have the fastest divine general take the fastest ship to notify the Southern Heavenly Palace, the Northern Heavenly Palace, and the Western Heavenly Palace. Let them prepare early!"
The many heavenly soldiers and generals were even more confused.
The Martial Extremity Divine Lord narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, "Mu Heavenly Lord knows that many people want him dead, so why would he reveal his whereabouts to me? But since he has disclosed his movements, I'll go along with it. Whether he kills the Celestial Court's strongmen or they kill him, it has nothing to do with me!"
He exhaled a turbid breath. "He wants to go to the Celestial Court... To the Celestial Court! This guy has audacity beyond measure!"
The Dragon Qilin traveled upstream along the Surging River. Qin Mu sat on his forehead, breathing and cultivating, practicing the techniques he had comprehended. His cultivation improved day by day. Four months later, his cultivation was close to what it had been before, about to return to its peak.
But strangely, even though he was about to return to his peak, he still felt that the potential of the Embryonic Divine Treasure was enormous, far from reaching its limit!
This left him greatly puzzled.
He had destroyed the Heavenly Palace and the various divine treasures, reopened the heavens and earth, and re-established the Embryonic Divine Treasure. He had kept a single spark of his primordial spirit indestructible, giving birth to a soul from the creation of the world. The path he was now on was vastly different from the old divine treasure cultivation system and the Heavenly Palace cultivation system.
When would the Embryonic Divine Treasure need to be cultivated until it reached its end? And what lay at the end? He had no idea.
He also activated the Limitless Calamity Sutra, entering dreams several times to deduce countless possibilities. But he could never find where the limit of the Embryonic Divine Treasure lay, nor could he find the path beyond the limit.
If he couldn't find the limit, he couldn't enter the next realm, and he couldn't become a god.
"At the Jade Pool Gathering in the early Dragon Han Era, Ling Heavenly Lord once said that the art of creation could achieve immortality, agelessness, and indestructibility. Once one reached that step, they would be equal to gods. It wouldn't matter whether they became a god or not. So, what is a god? How is a god defined?"
"Is crossing the Divine Bridge and entering the Heavenly Palace considered becoming a god?"
"This so-called god is merely a term for a powerful practitioner who has achieved immortality and longevity, living as long as heaven and earth. Those who break through the divine treasures and enter the Heavenly Palace are just stronger practitioners. They are not true gods!"
"What about the ancient gods?"
"Ancient gods are powerful beings born from the great Dao of heaven and earth. Are they gods? Probably not. They are limited by their own Dao and find it difficult to break through their shackles. They are not omnipotent. They are not gods. They are just powerful living beings."
"In this world, there are no gods at all."
Qin Mu laughed. He looked up. The Dragon Qilin had reached the middle reaches of the Surging River, and the Primordial Wood deep within the Primordial Realm was growing ever larger.
"My technique has already broken free from the scope of the original Overlord Body Three Dan Technique and is no longer within the current cultivation system. So, what should I name this new technique?"
He fell into a daze again. Suddenly, he laughed and said, "My technique cannot be passed on to others, so what does it matter what it's called? I'll just keep the original name and still call it the Overlord Body Three Dan Technique."
Ahead, the roots of the Primordial Wood stretched across the Surging River. One root lay across the river's surface, with a hundred zhang of space between the water and the root. Countless root tendrils hung down from the water's surface like curtains.
The Dragon Qilin stopped. They saw a green sprout suddenly grow from the top of a pitch-black root. The sprout grew rapidly, producing a flower with two green leaves and a large bud in the center.
This flower hung down from above, reaching the water's surface. The flower bloomed, opened, and spat out a stone coffin. However, the stone coffin did not fall into the river.
"Some demon is causing trouble!" The Dragon Qilin was startled.
Qin Mu walked down from his forehead and came to the flower. The river surged, and a faint voice came from within the flower: "Mu Heavenly Lord..."
"Earth Mother Primordial Lord."
Qin Mu revealed a smile. "I thought you had already died at the hands of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor. Earth Mother, your remnant soul is not extinguished. What business do you have blocking my way?"