Chapter 975: The First Spirits (Second Update!)
In the sky, the diamond-shaped giant eye slowly closed, leaving only a slit stretching from north to south, like the eyelid of a sleeping beauty, twitching slightly from time to time. The light spilling from the First Spirit Realm resembled a beauty's eyelashes, except they were not black but shimmering with various colors.
If Qin Mu were here, he would be extremely astonished. Unfortunately, he was not here now; he had already entered the First Spirit Realm.
Qin Mu found it difficult to describe his current sensation.
He stood in the palm of Lang Wan the Divine King, floating amidst the boundless radiance of thoughts. Those flickering streams of consciousness resembled the light-wave signals of a brain. As they traveled through them, they heard from those brain-like thoughts a grand sound, like the long cries of enormous Kun fish swimming in the sea—meaningless yet profound. They also saw magnificent mountains and rivers rapidly receding before their eyes.
He saw the starry sky, the footprints of giants appearing within the Milky Way, roaming through the universe. He witnessed the birth of worlds both large and small, so vast and enchanting that they spun and swallowed him whole. He also saw the destruction of worlds, which possessed a breathtaking beauty of its own.
These were the memories of the Creator First Spirits. He and Lang Wan the Divine King were passing through the consciousness of these Creators, glimpsing certain scenes from their memories.
He heard many grand sounds. Some whispered in his mind, while others seemed like battles on a warfront—the rumble of war drums, the roar of slaughter shaking the heavens. He also heard wondrous chants, as if countless people were gathered in solemn ritual, offering sacrifices to something. Among the sounds were insights into nature and understandings of the world.
These, too, were the memories of the Creator First Spirits. Memories were not just images but also sounds.
After a moment, Lang Wan the Divine King brought Qin Mu to the center of the First Spirit Realm.
Here, Qin Mu saw the ancient beings who had sacrificed themselves, merging with the Primal Chaos Stone to create the First Spirit Realm. They were towering figures, hazy and indistinct, standing in red light like colossal giants that held up the sky and stood firm on the earth.
There were twenty-seven of them. These twenty-seven Creators were the leaders who had guided the last of the Creator race through countless dangers, forging the Other Shore with toil and hardship.
Every race had heroes who contributed wisdom and sacrificed their lives for their people, and the Creators were no exception. At the most critical moment for the Creators, a group of heroic Creators emerged, willingly shouldering the burden, fighting the Primordial Emperor to the death and trapping him in the Supreme Divine Consciousness Domain.
After that, another group of Creator heroes appeared, leading the surviving remnants to evade pursuit, crossing the great desert to reach the end of the Void Domain. It was there they built the Void Bridge and the three mysterious rooms, leading the remaining people to open up the Other Shore. It was also there, knowing they were doomed when their strength was exhausted, that they merged themselves with the Primal Chaos Stone to form the First Spirit Realm, determined to protect their people even in death.
They were either exceptionally gifted, extraordinarily wise, or possessed boundless combat power, which enabled them to design such ingenious Void Bridge and three rooms, capable of trapping even Void Heavenly Lord and Fire Heavenly Lord.
"People worthy of respect." Qin Mu felt a deep reverence.
Lang Wan the Divine King set him down, her divine consciousness rippling as she awakened these ancient Creators, telling them about the Saint Child.
The twenty-seven Creators awoke, their obscure divine consciousness intertwining and colliding as they exchanged views.
Qin Mu stood in the void, feeling somewhat uneasy. He even wondered if these ancient thought entities decided to kill him, could Lang Wan the Divine King withstand them? Would the twenty-seven Creator leaders listen to Lang Wan the Divine King's words?
A vast thought gently rippled, transforming into a voice that resonated through the First Spirit Realm. Qin Mu felt as if countless gazes were fixed on him in that instant, seeing through everything about him, leaving him with no secrets.
"An outsider becoming the Saint Child of our Creator race—this is indeed absurd. Yet the prophecy is not without foundation; the divine consciousness of our ancestors in the Ancestral Court did not specify that the Saint Child must be a Creator."
That vast thought spoke unhurriedly: "Since the Divine King and the people have brought you here, you must have something extraordinary to convince them."
Another vast thought said, "However, the Saint Child is one who bears the wisdom of our race, facing our enemies and leading us toward revival. We have some questions we wish you to answer, to see if you possess such wisdom."
Qin Mu acknowledged.
A weighty thought spoke: "A man named Qin Ye came to the Other Shore world. He had ties with our benefactor, Cloud Heavenly Lord, and sought a sword's breadth of land. In the end, he cut off nearly half of the Other Shore with one sword stroke, establishing Carefree Village. The enmity between the Creators and Carefree Village has lasted nearly twenty thousand years. How would you eliminate Qin Ye and Carefree Village, restoring peace to the Other Shore?"
Qin Mu replied, "I can restore peace to the Other Shore, but I will not eliminate Carefree Village."
"Pray, elaborate."
Qin Mu said, "I am the 107th-generation descendant of Qin Ye of the Opening Heaven Era. Becoming the Saint Child, I can preside over peace between the Creator race and Carefree Village."
The towering figures trembled, causing the First Spirit Realm to shake violently. A terrifying storm of thought erupted within the First Spirit Realm, divine consciousness surging and churning without rest.
Lang Wan the Divine King frowned slightly, inwardly blaming Qin Mu for revealing his identity so hastily. If he had slowly moved the First Spirits before disclosing his identity, they might hesitate to act even if they wanted to. Revealing his relationship with Qin Ye of the Opening Heaven Era now seemed somewhat rash.
"You are an outsider and a descendant of Qin Ye—could you be a spy?"
Another vast thought vibrated, saying, "We'll give you a chance to explain. If you fail to satisfy us, we might as well forget about this Saint Child."
Qin Mu asked, "May I ask, honored First Spirits, what is a Creator? What is the Creator race?"
The majestic figures each paused in surprise.
Qin Mu continued, "I now possess the Primal Chaos Stone, with vast divine consciousness capable of creation. Am I a Creator?"
A First Spirit's divine consciousness rippled, saying, "You may be called a Creator."
"Since an outsider like me can become a Creator, one of your own kind, why do you reject the Opening Heaven Emperor and insist on the destruction of Carefree Village?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.
Another First Spirit's divine consciousness said, "Qin Ye led the people of Carefree Village, occupying the space and land of our Other Shore world, killing our people. The deep hatred is irreconcilable."
Qin Mu asked, "I have seen the history of the Creators. In ancient times, the Creators were divided into different tribes and clans, warring against each other, even committing genocide and wiping out entire families. How does their conduct compare to that of the Opening Heaven Emperor?"
The First Spirits fell silent. One First Spirit said, "Far worse."
Qin Mu said, "So-called Creators were originally ordinary people who, upon obtaining the Primal Chaos Stone, gained the ability to create from nothing. Over time, based on identity recognition, the Creator race formed. The Opening Heaven Emperor Qin Ye sought a place for his people to survive and used some tricks, but he never actively attacked the Creators of the Other Shore, did he? The enmity between the two sides arose because the Creators wanted to reclaim their territory, leading to constant war. Carefree Village suffered heavier casualties than the Creator race."
Another First Spirit said, "They are invaders; we are the victims of aggression. Driving them out and reclaiming our land is only natural. Not long ago, a big-headed monster baby descended, killing many of our people. Your explanation is insufficient. Lang Wan, you should create another Saint Child!"
A surge of terrifying thought energy was about to strike Qin Mu down when suddenly he said, "Then what if Carefree Village could restore the vitality of the Void Domain?"
The thought energy ceased.
Qin Mu said, "The big-headed monster baby, Qin Fengqing, is my brother. He was born in the Netherworld, the Netherworld Divine Son, a god who controls death. He can establish a Netherworld in the Void Domain and the Other Shore, allowing souls to enter the Netherworld for rebirth! He can revive the souls of your ancestors who died in battle in the Void Domain, purge all demonic monsters there, stabilize the collapsing order, and prevent the Other Shore from becoming another Void Domain."
He paused, then said, "The more Creators die in the Other Shore, the more scattered divine consciousness accumulates, the greater the trend toward becoming another Void Domain. That's why you honored First Spirits established the First Spirit Realm, isn't it?"
The First Spirits fell silent.
"But the Primal Chaos Stone's capacity to contain divine consciousness is ultimately limited. One day, the scattered divine consciousness of the Other Shore will exceed the First Spirit Realm's limit. The First Spirit Realm will collapse, and the Other Shore will become another Void Domain."
Qin Mu continued, "The great enemy of the Other Shore Creators, the big-headed monster baby Qin Fengqing, is precisely the one who can establish order in the Other Shore and make the Void Domain safe and habitable. The Creators gifted the Opening Heaven Emperor a sword's breadth of land to build Carefree Village; the Opening Heaven Emperor's descendants return a world without hidden dangers and make the Void Domain livable. Why not do it?"
The twenty-seven First Spirits' thoughts collided as they exchanged views.
After a moment, one First Spirit said, "The conflict between the Creator race and Carefree Village can be resolved. However, even if order is established in the Void Domain, enemies will still go there, leaving our race with the threat of extinction."
Qin Mu smiled and asked, "May I ask, honored First Spirits, are the Creators of today stronger or weaker than those of twenty thousand years ago?"
The First Spirits were taken aback.
One First Spirit said, "The Creators of today are stronger."
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Isolation from the world is self-imposed exile. The Creator race fled into the void to establish the Void Domain, thinking themselves safe. Yet as soon as the Primordial Emperor arrived, the Void Domain collapsed, making you vulnerable. Cloud Heavenly Lord came here, bringing knowledge from the outside world, helping you eliminate the Primordial Emperor. But then the Creator race hid again in the Other Shore, isolating themselves. The Opening Heaven Emperor came and established Carefree Village, bringing outside knowledge. Your contact with Carefree Village allowed your Dao techniques and divine abilities to advance by leaps and bounds, surpassing the past."
His voice rang out powerfully: "I see your people number at most a million. If the Opening Heaven Emperor had not come here, how many tens of thousands of years would the Creator race have lasted before extinction? Settled here without internal or external threats, your race would only slowly wither away, not thrive and multiply. The Other Shore is your habitat, and the Void Domain is your window to the outside world. With this window, the Creator race will gradually grow and prosper."
The thoughts of the many First Spirits intertwined and clashed, clearly in heated discussion.
Qin Mu said no more.
After a long time, the will of the First Spirits unified.
An aged voice came, saying, "We have not yet asked the Saint Child's name. May we know how to address you?"
"Qin Mu of the Yan Kang Era."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "You may not have heard this name, but you must have heard of my title from Cloud Heavenly Lord. I am the Mu Heavenly Lord of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, one of the Five Founders of the Heavenly Alliance!"
The First Spirits fell silent. After a moment, one First Spirit said, "Cloud Heavenly Lord never mentioned it."
Qin Mu's face darkened, feeling somewhat embarrassed and humiliated.
Lang Wan the Divine King had remained expressionless and unmoved, but now she couldn't help but secretly laugh.
Qin Mu's face turned from black to red, and he stammered to her, "The title of Mu Heavenly Lord is very famous! The Dragon Han Overlord Body of the Dragon Han Era, the Supreme Emperor Overlord Body of the Supreme Emperor Era, and the Yan Kang Overlord Body of the Yan Kang Era—I'm very powerful..."
Lang Wan the Divine King couldn't hold back her smile and turned her head away.
"Saint Child, are you ready to receive the wisdom of our Creator race, accumulated over billions of years?" The countless divine consciousnesses of the First Spirit Realm vibrated, merging into a single voice.
Qin Mu's heart tightened. He steadied himself and said solemnly, "I am ready!"
The entire First Spirit Realm shook, and streams of light formed by countless divine consciousnesses surged toward him, engulfing him!
—The third update will be around ten o'clock!