Chapter 1042: Two Thieves, One Constable

The Phoenix Pavilion hung high above the Ninth Heaven of Dao Fire. This grand hall was covered in layers of runic seals, and even after traversing to the Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone, it remained completely unaffected by the sacred flames there.

It was an ancient bronze hall, millions of years old, rustic yet extremely solemn.

The seventy-two treasure halls of the Celestial Heavens were also seventy-two astonishingly powerful exotic treasures. This hall, suspended in the air, filled Qin Mu with a deep sense of powerlessness.

It was a place beyond the reach of his Soulbeckoning and Resurrection spells.

The mighty divine being in the flames walked towards Qin Mu, growing taller and taller as raging fire gathered into his body.

Behind him stood an even taller figure.

Behind him was the divine weapon, Emperor Heaven Sovereign!

At this moment, Fire Sovereign was absorbing the Grand Dao radiance from the Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone to bolster his power. Having cultivated to this level, further improvement was incredibly difficult.

To progress, besides achieving the Celestial Heavens realm, he could also absorb the Grand Dao of heaven and earth that matched his own attributes. The Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone, where the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird was born, was undoubtedly the best treasure trove.

When the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird was alive, he couldn't forcibly seize the power here, as it was the Vermilion Bird's lair. But after the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's death, he could claim this power for himself.

Qin Mu watched Fire Sovereign emerge from the flames, so tall, so mighty, inspiring awe.

This Celestial Venerable gave him an unfamiliar feeling.

"When you became a Celestial Venerable back then, the Four Emperors blessed you, granting you eternal life and turning misfortunes into blessings."

Qin Mu suppressed his anger and said, "Now that you've killed one of the Four Emperors, are you happy in your heart?"

Behind Fire Sovereign's head, the flame wheel grew more intense, and his gaze fixed on Qin Mu. Fire Sovereign's current power was so immense that his mere gaze made Qin Mu feel as if his primordial spirit was about to ignite.

"The blessings of the Four Emperors were nothing but a form of surveillance, a means of control."

Fire Sovereign said, "In fact, as early as the mid-Dragon Han era, I had already dispelled the Four Emperors' blessings. Ever since Emperor Heaven Sovereign's death, I realized that my destiny could only be firmly held in my own hands, not in the hands of the ancient gods!"

He bent down to look at Qin Mu, extended his large hand, and clenched it hard in front of Qin Mu, saying coldly, "Emperor Heaven Sovereign simply trusted the ancient gods, hoping they could coexist equally with humans and post-celestial beings, which is why he died! The only thing I learned from following my elder brother for so many years is never to trust the ancient gods, any ancient god!"

He straightened up and said indifferently, "Celestial Venerable Mu, you are fortunate. You left directly after receiving your Celestial Venerable title and did not receive the ancient gods' blessings. How many Celestial Venerables who received ancient gods' blessings came to a good end? You are lucky not to have experienced the hardships of the Dragon Han era, but I have. The Four Emperors blessed me merely to control me. Wasn't it right for me to resist and eliminate the Southern Emperor among the Four Emperors?"

His gaze turned grim as he said, "I know why you've come. You want to use the ancient gods' power to fight the Celestial Heavens. However, you haven't considered that the Four Emperors back then were also terrifying beings who accepted blood and flesh sacrifices from post-celestial beings. This era is much better than that one!"

Qin Mu said blankly, "As long as we don't resist?"

"Yes, as long as we don't resist!"

Fire Sovereign continued to absorb the Grand Dao radiance from the Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone, proclaiming, "As long as you don't resist the Celestial Heavens and don't pursue so-called reforms, everyone can live. As a human Celestial Venerable, I can protect you! If Emperor Heaven Sovereign were still alive, he would certainly be proud of my achievements!"

Qin Mu's eyes twitched. "Fire Sovereign, you've lived in the Celestial Heavens for too long. You haven't seen the plight of the people living in the various heavens and the Primordial Realm. Every time gods and devils descend to the lower realms for blood and flesh sacrifices, aren't the offerings always human? Not resisting won't ensure survival; at most, only a portion of the powerful and wealthy will survive!"

"It's already much better than the ancient era."

Fire Sovereign bent down again, his eyes burning with raging flames, and the air exhaled from his mouth turned into a roaring sea of fire, sweeping past Qin Mu. He said, "Things will get even better in the future. I now have the strength to protect humanity, unlike the other human Celestial Venerables! Celestial Venerable Yun was defeated and died, Celestial Venerable Yue retreated, Celestial Venerable Ling was inflexible and died without a burial place, Celestial Venerable You only knows how to wallow in self-pity and hide in Youdu, and Celestial Venerable Qin only knows how to defy heaven, then hides away after failure, daring not to show himself. Only I!"

"Celestial Venerable Mu, only I have painstakingly devoted myself to humanity, seeking an opportunity for them to survive! For this opportunity, I can cooperate with those who disgust me the most, and I can feign compliance with other cunning individuals! For this opportunity, I must use their strength to eradicate the ancient gods, to eliminate all ancient gods!"

His palm extended towards Qin Mu, and he said sincerely, "Stop the reforms. Don't make things difficult for me in the Celestial Heavens. Come to the Celestial Heavens and lend me a hand. You are Celestial Venerable Mu, a powerful figure who once defeated me. I know you are talented. If we join forces, that better era will arrive sooner! By then, we will divide power with the Celestial Heavens, and we can protect humanity, and humans will no longer be used as sacrifices!"

Qin Mu did not take his hand; instead, he stared at it, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You want humanity to survive, even if it means kneeling, even if it means sacrificing a portion of them as offerings to appease gods and devils. But I also have a dream: in my dream, people live standing tall, never kneeling before anyone."

"In my dream, everyone can realize their full potential. People can become part of the gods, control celestial phenomena, and wield the Grand Dao of heaven and earth. They can also choose not to pursue power; they can read and become a God of Books, paint and become a God of Art, do what they love, and become a god in their chosen field."

"I want them to live with dignity, to live prosperous lives, and then to pursue their dreams. Not to live in a daze, merely seeking survival, as you describe."

Fire Sovereign withdrew his hand and said indifferently, "You still cling to the idea of reform. You are as stubborn as Celestial Venerable Qin. Celestial Venerable Mu, the era of the Ten Celestial Venerables has arrived. The corrupt ancient gods will eventually be buried in the tomb of history, and an era for stubborn people like you will never come."

Qin Mu clenched his fist and demanded loudly, "Where is the Southern Emperor's corpse?"

Fire Sovereign turned away, the flame wheel behind his head furiously absorbing the Grand Dao radiance, and the Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone visibly shrank.

"The ancient gods are the true source of all chaos and turmoil in the world. Emperor Kai used the power of the ancient gods to plot rebellion, leading to the Kai Emperor Calamity. The High Emperor was supported by Earth Mother Sovereign to conquer the northern High Emperor, resulting in 300,000 years of warfare and slaughter, with the populace suffering immensely. In the Crimson Light era and the Dragon Han era, it was the ancient gods who stirred up trouble behind the scenes!"

Fire Sovereign turned his head, saying coldly, "In your Eternal Peace era, are there no ancient gods stirring up trouble behind the scenes? Celestial Venerable Mu, if you still care so much about the Southern Emperor, then you are my enemy!"

The Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone was shrinking rapidly, becoming smaller and smaller. The surrounding Grand Dao radiance gradually vanished, and even the Ninth Heaven of Dao Fire slowly became faint.

Qin Mu took out his brush and ink, quickly wrote a "Severance Letter," then flicked his sleeve, sending the letter flying towards Fire Sovereign. He said indifferently, "Since you believe I am your enemy, then sign your name on this severance letter! I have already signed my name. You write yours, and from this day forward, you and I will have nothing to do with each other!"

Fire Sovereign picked up the brush and swiftly wrote his name on the severance letter.

The severance letter flew back into Qin Mu's hand.

Qin Mu took the letter, carefully examined Fire Sovereign's signature, and put the severance letter into his pocket. He then asked loudly, "Where is the Southern Emperor's corpse?"

Fire Sovereign sat down and said indifferently, "Celestial Venerable Mu, you may leave. You are merely another lackey cultivated by the ancient gods. Don't force me to kill you. If I were to act, I wouldn't fight you at the same cultivation level. I would beat you to death."

Qin Mu took out a mirror, shone it towards the Phoenix Pavilion in the sky, and said, "Fire Sovereign, please give me one of the Southern Emperor's relics. After all, we were acquaintances."

Fire Sovereign remained still, his voice resonating: "The Southern Emperor's physical body has been refined by me. I will never give her, or any ancient god, a chance to revive!"

"Young Master..." Yan'er's voice trembled.

"Let's go."

Qin Mu took Yan'er's hand and walked out. The Southern Extremity Forbidden Zone was continually collapsing, and the Grand Dao radiance rapidly flowed into Fire Sovereign's body. Before long, Fire Sovereign would have completely absorbed all the energy that gave birth to the Southern Emperor here.

The Ninth Heaven of Dao Fire collapsed, its power steadily weakening, like a tide surging towards the core of this forbidden zone.

Ultimately, all the Grand Dao radiance here would become Fire Sovereign's cultivation, and even the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's own cultivation would become part of his.

Fire Sovereign's power would greatly increase!

Qin Mu walked out of the Ninth Heaven of Dao Fire, led a dazed Yan'er onto the treasure carriage, and said, "Fat Dragon, let's depart."

The Dragon Qilin dared not speak, silently driving the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage away.

Qin Mu's hand was cold. He released Yan'er's hand, took out the severance letter from his pocket, then took out a small booklet. He opened it, revealing the signatures of Celestial Venerables such as Fire Sovereign and Celestial Venerable Ling.

These were the signatures he had shamelessly begged for from the Seven Ancient Celestial Venerables when he returned to the early Dragon Han era.

Qin Mu placed Fire Sovereign's signature from the booklet next to the one on the severance letter. Comparing them, the two signatures were identical.

"He is still the same Fire Sovereign from before, not the Grand Emperor or Heaven Emperor, but he is no longer the Fire Sovereign he once was."

Qin Mu sighed, tucked the severance letter into the booklet, and asked Yan'er, "Do you have any of your mother's relics? It must be a treasure imbued with her vital energy. With such a treasure, I can try to summon her soul. Even if I can't summon the soul suppressed in the Phoenix Pavilion, I can at least summon the fragmented souls scattered throughout heaven and earth."

Yan'er shook her head and said, "I only saw her a few times. She never gave me anything..."

Qin Mu frowned and comforted her, "The Southern Emperor and Celestial Venerable Yue had a very good relationship. Perhaps Celestial Venerable Yue might have something of your mother's. Don't worry."

The Dragon Qilin's voice came from outside: "Cult Master, Crimson Emperor seeks an audience."

Qin Mu raised his hand, and the beaded curtain automatically parted. Crimson Emperor Qi Xiayu stood bowing outside the carriage and said, "Celestial Venerable."

Qin Mu closed the beaded curtain and said, "You may leave. The Southern Emperor is dead."

Qi Xiayu's body trembled violently. It took her a moment to recover, then she hastily said, "Then, Celestial Venerable..."

Qin Mu's voice was full of helplessness: "I cannot revive her. Long Pi, set off for the Primordial Realm. Heh heh, you people..."

A few days later, the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage stopped outside a peach forest in the Primordial Realm. Qin Mu got off and walked into the peach forest, with Yan'er leading the way, carrying a lantern.

Soon after, Celestial Venerable Yue's palace came into view.

"Yan'er, you and Fat Dragon wait outside."

Qin Mu instructed, then walked alone into the palace ahead.

"The Southern Emperor left no relics with me."

Yan'er faintly heard Celestial Venerable Yue's voice say, "Celestial Venerable Mu is summoning her soul; does he still need a relic?"

"A physical body is best, followed by a relic. Without a relic, I cannot accurately summon her fragmented soul. However, Fire Sovereign has suppressed a part of her soul in the Phoenix Pavilion, and there's nothing I can do about that."

Qin Mu's voice was very soft. "Celestial Venerable Yue, did the Southern Emperor separate a soul for reincarnation?"

"That, I do not know. Although our relationship was very good, a reincarnated body is extremely important; she would not have told me."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then said, "Sister, your spatial divine abilities are vast. Could you help me find a few people?"

"Who are you looking for?"

"Two thieves and a constable. They are currently committing crimes in the various heavens of the Primordial Realm."