Chapter 1007: Heavenly Dream

Dutian Devil King claimed he was going to Tai Xu to earn merit, but in reality, he was seeking death. He entrusted the devil race of the Dutian world to Qin Mu, knowing that if he died in Tai Xu, Qin Mu would be obligated to care for his people. For Dutian, this would fulfill a long-held wish.

In his heart, the exalted Heavenly Venerate Mu would certainly have the means to resettle his people.

He believed that after his death, Qin Mu, out of their past acquaintance, would not necessarily provide meticulous care for his people, but would at least ensure they had a place to live, sparing them from endless wandering in the universe with no secure future.

The devil masses had had enough of their rootless existence over the years.

After the destruction of the Dutian world, he had wandered with his people. No celestial world welcomed them, and powerful realms occasionally plundered, hunted, and enslaved them.

If this continued, the Dutian devil race would inevitably face extinction. Dutian Devil King was truly desperate. He was an intelligent man; when he first invaded Yan Kang, he thought it was a minor celestial realm, but upon seeing the stone statues in the Great Ruins, he immediately realized he had bitten off more than he could chew and abandoned the invasion.

Qin Mu had achieved great success in devil language and numerology, and Dutian Devil King had also contributed significantly, especially in numerology, where his expertise was profound.

He knew that going to Tai Xu was a path to certain death, yet he had no choice.

Qin Mu, of course, understood his intentions perfectly. He looked up at Dutian Devil King's face, etched with hardships as if suffering had sharpened it like a knife. For gods and devils, time alone did not bring aging, yet Dutian Devil King looked old, and his spirit was not what it once was.

His ambitions had withered during his arduous journey of struggling for survival away from his homeland.

"How many devils are left from the Dutian world?" Qin Mu asked.

Dutian Devil King's face showed joy, but he quickly tried to temper it, saying, "Only a million heavenly devils remain. It's really not many. As long as they have a small place to live, with abundant water and grass, they can survive..."

"A million heavenly devils are indeed not many," Qin Mu said, "but although I bear the title of Heavenly Venerate, I have no actual power in the Celestial Heavens, making it difficult to settle them. Where are they now?"

"They are on the Celestial River outside the Celestial Heavens," Dutian Devil King chuckled apologetically. "They are not permitted to enter. I told them to stay outside, near the bank, to avoid being hit by passing boats. Heavenly Venerate..."

Qin Mu interrupted him, "Very well. Sister Yan'er, Dragon Fatty, come here."

Yan'er stood on the Dragon Qilin's head as it quickly trotted over. Qin Mu took out a small bottle and said, "Take this treasure and go with Dutian Devil King outside the Celestial Heavens. Gather his million devils into the bottle."

This bottle, called the Vast Sky Bottle, was a treasure of the Zangshan clan of the Creation Masters. Qin Mu and Luo Wushuang had encountered the heroic spirits of the Zangshan clan chief in Tai Xu and promised to establish a Netherworld for Tai Xu. In return, the Zangshan clan gifted him this treasure.

The Vast Sky Bottle contained an immense space, encompassing an entire large celestial realm within it.

Qin Mu had been using this Vast Sky Bottle to store Primordial Essence Liquid for his own cultivation. However, allocating a planet from the bottle for the devils to temporarily inhabit was certainly possible.

Dutian Devil King was moved to tears with gratitude. The Dragon Qilin glanced at him, surprised, and asked, "Brother Dutian? When did you become so old?" Dutian Devil King gave a wry smile and replied, "Brother Dragon, please don't joke."

He led the way, taking the Dragon Qilin and Yan'er to the Celestial Heavens' perimeter. There, they saw many ragged and dilapidated devils standing on a dark, broken ship. There weren't many; they seemed to be devilish divine abilities practitioners, along with one devil god.

The broken ship also contained several damaged divine treasures. The Dragon Qilin peeked inside and saw it was a devil god's Six Directions Continent, inhabited by tens of thousands of devils. It appeared a deceased devil god had offered his Six Directions Divine Treasure so his people could have a temporary refuge.

Yan'er relocated these devils to one of the planets within the Vast Sky Bottle. It was a scenic and fertile place, suitable for habitation, where they wouldn't have to worry about their livelihood.

Dutian Devil King let out a long sigh of relief and followed the two back to Heavenly Venerate Mu's residence. Yan'er and the Dragon Qilin went inside to announce their arrival, asking him to wait outside.

After a moment, Yan'er returned and said, "My lord says he won't see you. He also said his own days are not easy, and he wished you to take care."

Dutian Devil King bowed deeply towards Heavenly Venerate Mu's residence, kowtowing and saying, "Heavenly Venerate's kindness, I will repay in my next life!" Then he rose and departed.

He arrived at the West Heaven Gate, where the Celestial Heavens were recruiting. Numerous gods and devils from various celestial realms were signing up for the army, preparing for the expedition to Tai Xu.

Dutian Devil King also signed up. The overseeing divine official saw that he was a skilled and capable warrior with a high cultivation realm—peak Jade Pool realm—and appointed him as a captain, commanding a hundred gods and devils.

The Celestial Heavens recruited gods and devils from various realms, and within two months, millions had gathered. Grand warships, with towering decks, set sail, a truly magnificent sight.

Onboard the ships, the generals passed down the "Neither Thought Nor Non-Thought" technique to counter the bizarre phenomena of Tai Xu.

After several months of travel, they finally arrived at Tai Xu.

Various bizarre phenomena assailed them in Tai Xu, causing innumerable casualties among the millions-strong divine-devil army. Dutian Devil King led his own army in a fierce battle. Fortunately, they encountered the Corpse Walkers of Tai Xu, which allowed them to reach the Tai Xu land alive.

The Tai Xu land presented more bizarre events, and of the millions of gods and devils, fewer than five hundred thousand remained. Dutian Devil King miraculously survived, and his rank was promoted to guerrilla general, as many commanders had perished in the bizarre attacks.

Dutian Devil King led his subordinates in a desperate fight, resisting various bizarre events, and finally established a stronghold in the Tai Xu land.

As time passed, the soldiers by his side dwindled. Just as they were running out of troops and supplies, they finally received reinforcements.

The Celestial Heavens' grand army arrived, led by Crown Prince Mingya, son of the Heavenly Emperor, assisted by the Three Dukes, commanding the Celestial River Naval Army.

Crown Prince Mingya and the Three Dukes greatly rewarded Dutian Devil King for his bravery, promoting him on the spot to Loyal Martial General, a fourth-rank divine position, and appointing him to lead an army to campaign with the Crown Prince.

Campaigning in Tai Xu was extremely perilous, yet Dutian Devil King seemed divinely blessed, repeatedly achieving extraordinary feats. His cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, breaking through to the God-Slaying Platform realm, then to the Jade Capital realm. He earned Crown Prince Mingya's increasing appreciation and was repeatedly promoted.

Unbeknownst to him, a thousand years of campaigning passed. Under the leadership of the Crown Prince and the Three Dukes, Dutian Devil King faced the Creation Masters' counterattack, repeatedly repelling them and achieving great military merits.

His military achievements grew, and he was ultimately enfeoffed as General of Returning Virtue.

One day, a Heavenly Venerate descended upon Tai Xu, preparing to fully encircle and suppress the Creation Masters, clearing the path to Wuyou Village.

The Crown Prince and the Three Dukes relinquished their military authority and brought him back to the Celestial Heavens in triumph to receive rewards.

The Heavenly Emperor personally summoned him for an audience to bestow rewards. When asked what he desired, Dutian Devil King knelt and said, "I wish for a celestial realm to provide a home for my people."

The Heavenly Emperor and all the officials and gods laughed, saying, "My esteemed subject has achieved such great merit, yet only asks for a single celestial realm. How truly humble." Thereupon, they bestowed countless treasures upon him, granted two additional large celestial realms, and enfeoffed him as a Marquis.

Dutian Devil King's reputation spread throughout the court, and he prepared to visit Heavenly Venerate Mu's residence. However, the Crown Prince summoned him and said, "Heavenly Venerate Mu has long harbored rebellious intentions. His Majesty has tolerated him for a long time but cannot find concrete evidence. Marquis, you have an old acquaintance with him, so he will surely not be on guard when you visit. You are to hide this Imperial Robe and Imperial Seal in his residence. When I go to search and find them, I will charge him with treason and execute him! This way, His Majesty can rest easy!"

Dutian Devil King was horrified and dared not accept the Imperial Seal and Imperial Robe.

"Are you worried about your people? Dutian, after Heavenly Venerate Mu is killed, your people will still be yours." Crown Prince Mingya's face darkened, and he sneered, "Don't forget, I am your patron. It was I who promoted you, granting you your current status. Now it is time for you to repay my kindness!"

Dutian Devil King knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness has indeed shown me great favor, but Heavenly Venerate Mu's kindness to me is as vast as a mountain. It would be one thing if I could not repay his kindness, but I cannot repay kindness with enmity. Please reconsider your command!"

Crown Prince Mingya flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the table and roaring, "To kill Heavenly Venerate Mu, we still need to fabricate a crime for him, but to kill you, I don't even need to make one up! Dutian, I give you two choices: either you face the God-Slaying Platform, or you take the Imperial Robe and Imperial Seal to Heavenly Venerate Mu's residence! Choose one!"

Dutian Devil King's mind reeled, and he struggled internally. After a long silence, he finally said, "Your humble servant is willing to face the God-Slaying Platform."

The Crown Prince flicked his sleeve, "Then you shall die!"

On the God-Slaying Platform, Dutian Devil King knelt, staring blankly, reflecting on his life's encounters. With a myriad of emotions, he thought, "My people are with Heavenly Venerate Mu; they should be well..."

Two flashes of blade light, and his head fell to the ground. His primordial spirit was also severed, scattering his soul, preventing him from entering the Netherworld.

Dutian Devil King's vision plunged into pure darkness.

Just then, he heard the calling voice of the woman named Yan'er. Dutian Devil King quickly opened his eyes, looked around, feeling a moment of daze, and murmured, "Where is this?"

"Dutian, why are you sleeping outside the Heavenly Venerate's residence?" Yan'er chuckled. "My lord told me to call you inside."

Dutian Devil King asked blankly, "Didn't I die? Where am I? Where's the God-Slaying Platform? And Crown Prince Mingya?"

Yan'er burst into laughter, "What God-Slaying Platform? This is Heavenly Venerate Mu's residence! There's no Crown Prince Mingya here; I heard he fled and disappeared without a trace. Dragon Fatty and I just went to see my lord, and he told me to come out and call you in. Who would have thought you'd be lying here asleep?"

Dutian Devil King stood up, still somewhat bewildered. He looked around; the sun shone brightly, and this was indeed Heavenly Venerate Mu's residence in the Jade Capital City of the Celestial Heavens. The passersby from over a thousand years ago seemed not to have gone far, as if only a brief moment had passed. Yet, in his dream, a millennium had already passed. He had endured countless fierce battles in Tai Xu, even returned in triumph to receive the Heavenly Emperor's rewards, only to ultimately be led to the God-Slaying Platform!

Yan'er led him towards the residence, saying, "You must be very tired, exhausted from your long journey. My lord doesn't like people kneeling to him, so don't kneel when you meet him again. Are you taking any elixirs?"

Dutian Devil King shook his head and said, "I don't take elixirs."

Yan'er handed him one, and Dutian Devil King tasted it; it wasn't bad.

"Sister Yan'er, I just fell asleep, and unknowingly, a thousand years passed in my dream. Everything in it was so vivid, so incredibly real." Dutian Devil King followed her, recounting his dream while eating the elixir. "Waking from this dream feels like a lifetime has passed; I don't know if the dream was real, or if this present moment is the dream."

"Of course you were dreaming just now; you're awake now." Yan'er couldn't help but laugh, "How can things that happen in a dream be real? For example, in your dream, you were a Marquis, having reached the Jade Capital realm, but now you are only at the Jade Terrace realm. If what happened in your dream were true, wouldn't you easily be able to break through to the God-Slaying Platform realm now?"

As she spoke, Dutian Devil King's aura suddenly surged. His primordial spirit stood upon the God-Slaying Platform in his Heavenly Palace, having undergone its trials without dying!

Yan'er was startled and exclaimed, "How did you do that?"

All four of Dutian Devil King's faces showed a bewildered and ignorant expression. He was at a loss, murmuring, "I just... inexplicably broke through based on what I understood in my dream... Sister Yan'er, was that really a dream?"

Yan'er thought for a moment, then chuckled, "It must be that your accumulated power reached its peak, allowing you to naturally break through and achieve the God-Slaying Platform. Try again, can you enter the Jade Capital City of your Heavenly Palace?"

Dutian Devil King tried and shook his head, "I cannot enter."

Yan'er laughed, "Exactly. Your accumulation isn't enough yet, so the dream remains a dream. My lord, Dutian has arrived!"

Qin Mu was in the garden ahead, jesting with Divine King Lang Wo and Yun Chuxiu. The Dragon Qilin lay beside him, a small bottle hanging from its neck—the Vast Sky Bottle.

Qin Mu turned his head and chuckled, "Brother Dutian, I've thought about it. I'm not familiar with your devil subjects, and it would take a lot of effort for me to manage them for you. It's better if you don't go to Tai Xu and stay to look after them yourself."

Dutian Devil King almost knelt again, but remembering Yan'er's reminder, he bowed and said, "Thank you, Heavenly Venerate."

"Just call me Cult Master," Qin Mu said with a half-smile. "You said you would repay my kindness in your next life. Well, this is your next life."

Dutian Devil King's mind reeled, and he stared at Qin Mu, dumbfounded. He then saw Qin Mu resume his playful banter with the two charming girls.

"Weren't those things from the dream?" he thought, utterly disoriented.