Chapter 1053: Unexpected Turn

“So it is a Creator!”

Age Star Lord, gripped in Luo Xiao's hand, was startled. This Creator was incredibly powerful, far stronger than any he had encountered before, likely an exceptional talent among Creators. However, ancient gods each had their own methods for dealing with Creators.

Creators did not cultivate spiritual arts or divine powers; they only trained their divine sense, using it to hone their physical bodies. They also visualized external objects without a primordial spirit, leaving them with a significant weakness in their soul. Creators were powerful, yet also inherently fragile.

Age Star Lord commanded the path of life and sacrifice. The moment Luo Xiao grasped him, Luo Xiao's palm began to swell, growing four or five times its normal size in a short period, exceeding his physical limits. His palm started to collapse, the sheer weight of the muscle crushing the bones!

Not only that, but his arm also began to swell like a torrent, spreading upwards along his limb, causing his body to grow continuously larger.

Luo Xiao's body in its complete form was already enormous. Age Star Lord used the path of life to stimulate his bodily functions, causing his flesh to grow without limit, ultimately crushing itself.

As far back as the Primordial Era, Age Star Lord's technique had been unfailingly effective. During the Blood Rust War, countless Creators surged towards him, but before they could reach his side, they all began to swell, eventually crushing themselves into scattered piles of decaying flesh floating in the cosmic expanse.

Despite tens of thousands of years having passed, the Blood Rust War remained the grandest, most spectacular, and most shocking battle in history.

In that war, various ancient gods distinguished themselves, thereby establishing the framework of ancient god rule.

Even through the million years from the Dragon Han to the Eternal Peace era, the structure of ancient god rule had not entirely vanished.

This was precisely the lasting effect of the Blood Rust War.

Luo Xiao was also aware that ancient gods possessed methods to restrain him. Thus, the moment he seized Age Star Lord, he immediately flung him backward. Age Star Lord flew from his grasp and plummeted downwards, while Luo Xiao's arm had already turned to bone, the muscles completely decaying and continuing to spread towards his shoulder.

Luo Xiao made a decisive move, raising his other arm and visualizing a divine blade. With a swift stroke, he severed his own limb, halting the spread of the decay.

Age Star Lord, flung towards the Primordial Realm, immediately flapped his wings, attempting to steady himself. But at that moment, Luo Xiao's divine sense surged forward, visualizing meteors that successively struck him, knocking him back relentlessly, utterly unable to halt his descent.

Luo Xiao's body rapidly shrank. He strode towards Age Star Lord, his visualized meteors increasing in number, continuously bombarding him. Age Star Lord, both surprised and enraged, was suddenly struck by two divine beads on the back of his head; the Dragon Qilin had arrived behind him.

Age Star Lord was left dazed, his three souls scattered. Yan'er flew in, extending her sharp claws to tear him apart. Simultaneously, Qin Mu's sword light arrived, instantly obliterating his three souls: Heaven, Earth, and Spirit.

Luo Xiao ceased his visualization and descended. He tore off a piece of his clothing to bind his severed arm, preventing blood loss, then bowed to Qin Mu. "Heavenly Venerable Mu, my identity is now exposed. The ancient gods will surely come to kill me and search for my kin. My time is short, and I am deeply ashamed to have implicated you. I fear there will be no opportunity to repay you in this lifetime. Farewell!"

Qin Mu smiled. "Creator Luo Xiao, we are both on the same path. Why the rush to leave? Don't you wish to find your people's ancestral ground? Without my help, you'll never be able to locate it."

Luo Xiao's heart stirred slightly, and he stopped.

Qin Mu invited him, "Currently, I am the only one who can help you. Your enemies are all the ancient gods, and I'm not doing too badly myself. We are in... *cough cough*, united against a common foe. Perhaps we can help each other."

Luo Xiao stared at him in a daze. Qin Mu approached the Celestial Dragon Carriage and lifted the beaded curtain. Luo Xiao hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and climbed inside.

The Dragon Qilin dismissed the Dragon Herding Scripture and tethered the Celestial Dragons. Yan'er, meanwhile, scurried about, collecting the corpses of the Five Luminaries, thinking to herself, "This will last me a long time..."

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the sky. The Dragon Qilin and Yan'er looked up to see that the divine stars — Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and others — lacking the summons of the Five Luminary Star Lords, were instantly and forcefully sliced in half by the Primordial Realm's barrier!

The Five Luminary divine races residing on those stars scattered in panic. Many gods and devils were literally cleaved in two by the world barrier, while the five severed stars remained suspended in the heavens.

The Dragon Qilin calculated the star orbits and told Yan'er, who was still moving "food" into the carriage, "In five thousand years, these five stars will fall one by one from the sky and crash onto the Primordial Realm. Their orbits are very dangerous."

Yan'er was completely unconcerned. She transformed into a plump green sparrow and struggled to fly beside the Dragon Qilin, saying, "By then, we'll be long gone. Let's hurry and find my mother!"

The Dragon Qilin hesitated, then whispered, "We've caused a huge disaster this time. Killing the Five Luminary Star Lords here probably won't escape the notice of Heavenly Duke, nor Earth Mother, and perhaps even Earth Count is watching this place. The Celestial Heavens and other ancient gods will soon know about this. I don't think we can go to the Celestial Heavens anymore..."

Yan'er froze for a moment, then turned to look at Qin Mu inside the carriage.

Qin Mu's voice came just in time: "Yan'er, let's go find the ancestral ground first. We'll have plenty of opportunities to see your mother."

Yan'er could only agree.

The Dragon Qilin asked, "Cult Master, where is the ancestral ground?"

"That depends on how high the Celestial Heavens are."

Qin Mu explained, "To know the exact location of the ancestral ground, we need to know the height of the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens, in conjunction with Xuandu, Youdu, the Four Extreme Heavens, the Primordial Realm, and Guixu. I already know the positions of Xuandu and other places on the cosmic star map; the only unknown is the original height of the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens. However, now that we're here, it shouldn't be difficult to measure the Celestial Heavens' precise location."

He pushed open the carriage window, gazed up at the Celestial Heavens along the Celestial River, and said with a deep gaze, "By now, the Celestial Heavens should have learned of the Five Luminary ancient gods' deaths. They will likely dispatch the Ten Heavenly Guards or numerous ancient gods to pursue and capture us. We'll get a bit closer, measure the height of the Celestial Heavens, and then leave."

The Dragon Qilin, trembling, drove the Celestial Dragon Carriage towards the Celestial Heavens, thinking, "What if we can't get away in time? Killing ancient gods, in this era, is likely an earth-shattering event..."

Indeed, as he had expected, the battle above the Celestial River in the Primordial Realm had caused an immense stir. Earth Mother Yuanjun, residing on the Primordial Tree, was also observing this battle, and for Heavenly Duke, who resided high in Xuandu, this battle likewise did not escape his notice.

Earth Count's gaze from Youdu also fell upon the Celestial River battle.

However, they seemed to share a silent understanding, unanimously choosing not to interfere in the Celestial River battle, instead silently observing the unfolding situation.

The Five Luminary Star Lords were ancient gods dispatched by the Heavenly Emperor to monitor them in the Primordial Realm, Xuandu, and Youdu. They were well aware of this, which is why they chose to stand by. The death of the Five Luminaries was, for them, a welcome event.

Furthermore, the battle began and ended quickly. Before the Celestial Heavens could react, the fighting was over, and the Five Luminary ancient gods had successively perished. Heavenly Duke, Earth Count, and the others, even if they had wished to intervene, would have been too late.

Nevertheless, the profound implications of this battle compelled Heavenly Duke, Earth Mother, and Earth Count to ponder deeply.

Heavenly Venerable Mu, who had caused such a stir at the Jade Pool all those years ago, reappeared after more than a thousand years, now possessing the power to slay ancient gods.

"Civilization begins when mortals gradually master the power of gods."

In Xuandu, Heavenly Duke's brows were snow-white, his long eyebrows shimmering with bright light that swept through the realm, gently stirring the radiant suns. His voice boomed, echoing throughout Xuandu.

"Initially, people learned the language of gods, enabling communication. Later, they learned to use and create tools."

"Then, they mastered runes and divine powers."

"And now, they are beginning to master the Great Dao."

Heavenly Duke's emotionless face showed a hint of stir. He said, "Ancestral God King, this is civilization. A revolution to replace the ancient gods has begun. I foresee the future decline of the ancient gods, the gradual demise of the ancient god era."

Ancestral God King floated before Heavenly Duke's vast, boundless face, bowing. "Father God, since humanity has established civilization and seeks to overthrow the ancient gods' rule, why not destroy them? Your son shall descend now to accomplish this!"

Heavenly Duke calmly replied, "You are mistaken, Ancestral God King, my son. As the master of Xuandu, a deity born of the Heavenly Dao, one should not feel joy or anger, nor make choices based on likes or dislikes when facing changes in the world. Heavenly Duke must neither support nor interfere, but rather silently observe this transformation. This is the true Heavenly Dao."

Ancestral God King protested, "Must we wait until they alter the operation of the Great Dao and weaken the Heavenly Dao before Father God acts?"

Heavenly Duke said, "Even if they change the Heavenly Dao, as deities born of the Heavenly Dao, we should not interfere. We govern the operation of all heavens, the trajectories of countless stars. We should view the changes in the world with a mind devoid of joy or sorrow, bestowing civilization upon the ages. This is joy in tranquility."

"Father God is too pedantic!"

Ancestral God King turned, his cloak flapping, obscuring half of Heavenly Duke's face. "The ancient gods have disregarded divine glory, allowing mortals to trample upon it. You may tolerate it, but I cannot! I shall descend to the lower realm now!" With a shout, countless divine beings rose from Heavenly Duke's enormous body and descended with Ancestral God King.

Heavenly Duke remained indifferent, not interfering with them.

Youdu.

Demonic energy filled this vast and boundless domain. Earth Count calmly ruled the dark side of all realms and myriad worlds. Looking out, countless worlds and their myriad beings fell within his gaze.

The young Heavenly Venerable You floated before him, witnessing the battle on the Celestial River through Earth Count's third eye in his brow.

The enormous eye in Earth Count's brow blinked, and the scene vanished.

"You, your era has arrived."

From his eyes, Earth Count's primordial spirit emerged and spoke to Heavenly Venerable You: "You should rejoice. Your tiny lives are finally poised to become the masters of the universe. I have already witnessed the decline and waning of the ancient gods' destiny."

Heavenly Venerable You bowed. "Does Earth Count intend to destroy my race?"

Earth Count shook his head. "I am a manifestation of the Dao, governing the netherworld. All matters within the netherworld fall under my purview; affairs of the living realm do not concern me. However, this revolution brings a certain anticipation to my tranquil heart. I believe I am looking too far ahead, my thoughts extending tens of thousands, even millions of years into the future, seeing the end of the ancient god era and the postnatal beings mastering powerful Great Dao forces. I am pleased. I wish to change like you, You."

He even smiled and said, "Perhaps one day, I will take a journey to the living realm, live like a mortal, and seek a breakthrough. Grow quickly, for when I reincarnate as a human, I will need you to manage Youdu for me."

The Primordial Realm.

Earth Mother Yuanjun stood before her palace within the Primordial Tree, surrounded by the terrified ancient gods of the Primordial Realm: Qilin, Phoenix, divine dragons formed from dragon veins, Pixiu, Taotie, and other ancient gods born in the Primordial Realm.

They had also witnessed the battle in the Celestial River and felt a deep fear of death.

Earth Mother Yuanjun glanced back at them. "The era of great change has begun, yet you tremble in fear. This shows your incompetence and disappoints me."

The ancient gods of the Primordial Realm spoke up one after another: "Mortals have mastered divine powers, and they've begun to alter the land's geography, change river courses, reshape mountains, excavate minerals, cut down trees, and even modify plant growth, capturing and domesticating wild beasts. And now Heavenly Venerable Mu has slain the Five Luminary Star Lords. We can't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow."

Earth Mother Yuanjun smiled. "Although they have begun to master the power of the Dao, the Dao they wield is merely *our* ancient gods' Dao. Can they create a Great Dao from nothing? Ancient gods are uniquely blessed. We only need to fully comprehend our own Dao, find the end of our Great Dao, and unleash its full potential, and mortals and postnatal beings will never be able to surpass us. The Five Luminary Star Lords were merely fools, presuming their birth from the Dao excused them from seeking the source of their own power. Their deaths are no surprise."

Ancient Qilin said, "But postnatal beings are born in greater numbers than us, and their reproductive capacity is too strong."

"Then you should bear more children, the more the better."

Earth Mother Yuanjun smiled. "Population is the true source of power. The more children born, the more stable the rule."

In the Cloud Han Celestial Heavens, Heavenly Venerable Yun looked at the five stars suspended in the sky, each severed in half, all incomplete divine stars.

"Old Daoist, Old Daoist!"

He called over Dao Ancestor and said, "The Five Great Disaster Stars are dead, leaving behind their ancestral divine stars. There must be good fortune there. Can we go up? While the Great Dao's auspicious light of the Five Luminary Disaster Gods hasn't dissipated, let's go thoroughly study their Great Dao."

Dao Ancestor replied, "The ancient gods' Great Dao is too profound; it would likely be extremely difficult to study."

"This is precisely the time for your numerology to shine!"

Heavenly Venerable Yun, accompanied by some human gods and immortals skilled in numerology, went with him to the Five Luminary Stars. He said, "Have you heard? Heavenly Venerable Mu is the one who killed the Five Luminary Disaster Gods. I really want to meet him and talk with him, but unfortunately, he's disappeared again."

He appeared very excited: "I want to meet him!"

The Celestial Dragon Carriage stopped far from the Celestial Heavens. Qin Mu used triangulation to determine the Celestial Heavens' height and spatial position, calculating the ancestral ground's precise location. Only then did he sigh in relief and smile, "I've found the exact location of the ancestral ground."

Luo Xiao stared straight at him, then suddenly asked, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, who exactly are you?"

Qin Mu smiled slightly. "You will know in due time."

"Cult Master, the Celestial Heavens' army is charging this way! It looks like the Celestial River Navy!" the Dragon Qilin's voice came.

Qin Mu quickly said, "Let's leave at once!"

Just then, a figure sprinted across the river surface, rapidly approaching the Celestial Dragon Carriage, calling out, "The Celestial River Navy is pursuing me! Please, save me!"

Qin Mu pushed open the carriage window and saw a young man, dressed in a loose robe, with an anxious expression.

"And you are?" Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly as he inquired.

"My name is Hong, Da Hong!"

Goosebumps erupted on the back of Qin Mu's neck, his hair standing on end.