Chapter 967: Langwan Divine King
The clan leaders of the Creator races, including Zili, Zhuqiu, Yanlong, and Xiatai, stepped forward one after another, nearly pressing their faces against the Grand Emperor Seal to examine it, and they inspected the Grand Emperor Altar with meticulous care.
After a long while, these clan leaders straightened up, exchanged glances, and murmured among themselves in heated discussion.
"Could it be that the third prophecy of the ancestors has truly come to pass?"
"But looking at this kid, he doesn't seem much like a Creator. He even has an Adam's apple, more like an adult among the wicked."
"His facial features also resemble that traitor Qin!"
"Now that you mention it, the Holy Infant does look a bit like Traitor Qin, and the more you look, the more similar he seems..."
"Yet he has the Authority Seal and the Altar, and the Origin Stone in his brow. Traitor Qin couldn't have schemed to this extent, could he? Even if he were that cunning, he'd have no way to obtain the Authority Seal and the Altar, let alone the Origin Stone."
"Traitor Qin is sly; we must be wary. Back then, who could have imagined that the Sword Domain was so vast?"
...
Within the Origin Stone, Shujun was tense and anxious, unable to resist reminding these Creator clan leaders: "He wasn't born holding the Authority Seal, nor did he descend onto the Altar! The Grand Emperor Seal and the Grand Emperor Altar were given to him by someone else! The Primordial Origin Stone was also snatched from me! Hey, use your brains!"
The clan leaders deliberated among themselves, and the white-haired leader of the Xiatai clan said, "The Holy Infant is a matter of great importance. We must first verify his true identity, lest he be a spy sent by Traitor Qin. If we rashly acknowledge him as the Holy Infant, wouldn't Traitor Qin be laughing behind our backs?"
Xiu Zhong nodded and said, "The descent of the Holy Infant indeed requires the utmost caution. I myself am not certain whether he is the Holy Infant, which is why I invited you all here. Do any of you have methods to determine if he is the Holy Infant?"
"Everything else can be faked, but the soul cannot be faked!"
The female Creator of the Zili clan, Silkworm Woman, said, "The treasure of my Zili clan is the Seven Soul Grass, a sacred object envisioned by my people over millions of years. Besides devouring souls, it can also identify them. Last time, when we used it against that big-headed monster baby of the Qin family, he gnawed off most of it. Fortunately, some roots and stems remain."
She carefully produced a plant with purple roots and stems, the roots and stems much larger than the leaves, like purple yams growing from the roots. However, there were bite marks on the roots and stems, and it had been chewed quite badly.
This plant was a sacred object envisioned by the Creators of the Zili clan over countless years, extremely powerful and adept at devouring souls, but it had suffered greatly when facing Qin Fengqing.
At that time, Qin Fengqing was rampant, charging out from Carefree Village and slaughtering Creators. Silkworm Woman and her clan had raised this treasure, intending to ambush him with the Seven Soul Grass, but he simply grabbed it and started gnawing.
Silkworm Woman and her clan hurriedly retrieved it, but Qin Fengqing had already eaten most of it, partly because the Seven Soul Grass wasn't very tasty.
Since retrieving the Seven Soul Grass, it had been listless and dispirited. Even with the combined worship of Silkworm Woman and her clan, they couldn't restore it to its peak state.
Fortunately, this time it was only needed to identify the age of Qin Mu's soul, which was well within the Seven Soul Grass's capabilities.
Silkworm Woman raised the Seven Soul Grass, and this listless sacred object wobbled over to the altar, arriving before Qin Mu. Purple energy swirled, flew into Qin Mu's body, and made a circuit.
The Seven Soul Grass weakly lifted two root stems as thick as a thumb, one standing straight up while the other drooped.
"The Seven Soul Grass says he is less than two years old!"
Silkworm Woman withdrew the Seven Soul Grass and said, "Then he is indeed of our Creator race. I have seen human infants; at one or two years old, they are just little things."
Shujun was furious, his big head bouncing around on the Origin Stone altar as he shouted, "That stupid grass of yours is useless! It can't identify his physical body! This kid's physical body is over thirty years old!"
Dongming, the clan leader of the Zhuqiu clan, said, "Since the soul is genuine, there should be no falsehood. However, the prophecy says the Holy Infant is immensely powerful and wise. Holy Infant, would you allow us to test you?"
Qin Mu said helplessly, "Please, go ahead."
Even if he objected, these Creators wouldn't allow him to refuse, so he might as well let them test him freely.
"Anyway, Xiu Zhong has said more than once that there's no danger," Qin Mu thought to himself.
Xiu Zhong discussed with the several clan leaders to determine the testing procedure. Xiu Zhong said, "The Divine King hasn't arrived yet. Logically, with her speed, she should have been here quickly. Could she have been delayed by something? Let's wait a bit longer. When the Divine King arrives, she can preside over the matter."
Dongming, Silkworm Woman, and the others nodded.
At that moment, the cry of a phoenix rang out. Everyone looked up to see heavenly flowers falling in a riot of colors, like a waterfall of petals descending from the sky.
Colorful phoenixes flapped and soared, pulling a magnificently ornate treasure carriage slowly down from the flower waterfall. Where the carriage passed, a river of flowers stretched across the void, extending an unknown distance.
The flower river dissipated, and the treasure carriage landed directly.
"The Divine King has arrived!"
The clan leaders and elders of the various races who had come to the Xiu race bowed in reverence, saying in unison, "We welcome Langwan Divine King!"
"No need for formalities."
A woman's voice came from the treasure carriage. Qin Mu looked toward the carriage but couldn't see the woman inside. However, unlike the other Creator clan leaders, the colorful phoenixes did not dissipate into divine consciousness upon landing.
The mounts of the Creator clan leaders were all envisioned from divine consciousness, which would scatter into divine consciousness upon landing and be retrieved by them. But this Langwan Divine King's mount seemed to be made of real phoenixes.
"Could these colorful phoenixes be deities created through envisioning?"
Qin Mu's heart stirred: "From envisioning to reality, these phoenixes might be no different from ancient gods! Who is this Langwan Divine King? Shujun Divine King, have you heard of this woman?"
"I have not."
Shujun was also somewhat surprised and said, "In our era of the Three Kings, we were all as ancient as I am: Shujun, Boyang, and Xinfu, collectively known as the Three Divine Kings, second only to the Grand Emperor. Boyang and Xinfu both died in the final battle and did not survive. This Langwan Divine King, I have never heard of. Could she be a Divine King appointed by later generations of Creators?"
From the treasure carriage, Langwan Divine King's voice came: "The descent of the Holy Infant is a great omen of joy. However, the ancestors' prophecy says the Holy Infant will lead our race out of the Great Void and restore the glory of our forebears. Therefore, the Holy Infant's abilities must be assessed."
The Xiatai clan leader said, "We were just waiting for the Divine King to come and test him."
Langwan Divine King laughed and said, "You have already verified the Holy Infant's identity and confirmed that he is a Creator of our race. Have you asked about his origins and teacher?"
Xiu Zhong quickly bowed and said, "The Holy Infant said his teacher is a Creator named Shujun. The Holy Infant's divine consciousness is very strong, no less than that of an adult Creator. It seems Shujun is also a formidable figure among our race."
"Shujun?"
A surprised voice came from the treasure carriage. Langwan Divine King laughed and said, "So it's Shujun Divine King, one of the Three Kings of antiquity. Wasn't he dead for millions of years? Speaking of which, he is also my predecessor. I have heard of his great name. Back then, our Creator race's defeat was not unrelated to him. How could a dead man be the Holy Infant's teacher? Ah, I understand."
Her voice was pleasant to the ear, and she laughed, "Shujun Divine King, please show yourself!"
In Qin Mu's third eye, within the Primordial Origin Stone, Shujun snorted coldly and said indifferently, "A junior from a later generation dares to look down on me."
Qin Mu asked curiously, "Divine King, won't you go see this Langwan Divine King?"
Shujun sneered, "Why should I see her? I am an ancient Divine King, and she is merely a Divine King appointed by later Creators. If I run to see her just because she calls, wouldn't that lower my status? Besides, I'm now just a big head with no brain inside. If I go out and be ridiculed, losing all face as a Divine King, I won't go!"
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Divine King, I think a Divine King who can introduce the cultivation system of Divine Treasures and Heavenly Palaces and reform the divine consciousness cultivation system must be broad-minded and concerned with the world, not so petty... I'm not talking about you; I mean Langwan Divine King."
Shujun was furious, his big head bouncing up as he roared, "Even if I wanted to go out, could you let me out? Aren't you afraid I'll expose you as a fake Holy Infant?"
Qin Mu smiled slightly and said, "Shujun, haven't you realized yet? The Holy Infant mentioned in the three prophecies is me."
Shujun was stunned, his expression complex.
Now that he thought about it carefully, the Holy Infant in the third prophecy circulating among the Creator race was indeed Qin Mu. There was no one else but Qin Mu!
Qin Mu had obtained the Primordial Origin Stone, and Yun Tianzun had sent him the Grand Emperor Seal and the Grand Emperor Altar. Everything seemed fated by some unseen force, destined for him to come to the Creator's Other Shore and become this Holy Infant!
As for whether Qin Mu was a Creator, did it really matter that much?
Because the third prophecy never said the Holy Infant had to be a Creator!
Langwan Divine King's divine consciousness spread across the void, even exploding in Qin Mu's mind as she laughed, "Shujun Divine King, since you're here, why not show yourself?"
"I'll go out."
Shujun said calmly, "Each generation produces its own talents, and the former is washed away by the latter on the beach. I don't believe this Langwan Divine King's vision and insight can surpass mine! Remove your Supreme Divine Consciousness!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu dispersed his Supreme Divine Consciousness.
Langwan Divine King was about to speak again when suddenly a massive head flew out from Qin Mu's brow, landing with a thud on the altar.
Shujun said lazily, "Langwan Divine King, why all the shouting?"
Beside the treasure carriage, two colorful phoenixes stretched their necks, using their beaks to hook the curtains and pull them apart. A divine woman inside the carriage rose gracefully and stepped out, her phoenix crown and tassels swaying slightly.
"I pay respects to the ancient Shujun Divine King."
The divine woman was stunningly beautiful, causing Qin Mu's mind to blur as he felt a strange shock.
"In this world, there really is a Jue Wuchen!"
His mind roared. This Langwan Divine King actually looked exactly like Jue Wuchen, equally flawless, equally captivating, equally intoxicating!
"Impossible! Impossible! Jue Wuchen was created by Ling Tianzun to seduce lecherous types like the ancient Heavenly Emperor. Such a beautiful woman cannot exist in this world!"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on this divine king's chest, and he became even more convinced: "This divine king is definitely envisioned! This chest... pfft, I mean, she's too beautiful, truly beautiful!"
——This pig has a cold and hasn't been able to eat for several days, slowing down the writing speed. That won't do. How about we turn it into... hmm, give it some monthly votes!