Chapter 1054: Glazed Brotherhood

"Hong, Da Hong—could this be the Hong Celestial Venerable from later generations? Does that mean he might be Emperor Tai?"

Qin Mu stared at the young man in the wide robes and long sleeves, instantly feeling as though his life was in someone's grip. He suspected that Hong Celestial Venerable was Emperor Tai's hidden identity within the Celestial Heavens. The sudden appearance of this young man named Hong now gave him the distinct feeling of being targeted. Had he not come from later generations and known nothing of a Hong Celestial Venerable, he might well have been deceived by this young man named Da Hong.

If Hong truly was Emperor Tai, it would be terrifying. Emperor Tai possessed power on par with the Celestial Emperor. His physical body was revered by the Creators as the strongest in the world, though Qin Mu personally believed the Celestial Emperor's body was superior. However, one thing was certain: Emperor Tai's divine consciousness was absolutely supreme. No one before him, and likely no one for millions of years to come, would possess such powerful divine consciousness. Even the Red Emperor, renowned for his indestructible divine consciousness, was vastly inferior. If Emperor Tai wished to kill him, it would be effortless.

Seated in the carriage, Qin Mu felt as though he were in the presence of the ancient god Celestial Emperor, a chilling sensation. He consciously suppressed his fear, though goosebumps still prickled the back of his neck.

Banners on the Heavenly River Navy's battleships and grand vessels fluttered in the breeze. Each ship carried thousands of soldiers, most of them demigods who had cultivated into gods and devils. Qin Mu glanced into the distance and smiled, "Daoist Hong, too many people are pursuing you. It would be wise not to involve us."

However, Hong suddenly boarded the Celestial Dragon Treasure Carriage, chuckling, "Celestial Venerable Mu, you yourself are on the run. What difference would it make if you brought me along?"

As he stepped into the carriage, Qin Mu fought to suppress the fear in his heart. Emperor Tai in this era had not yet been ambushed and slain by the combined forces of Celestial Venerable Yun and the Creators of the Primordial Realm. Celestial Venerable Yun and the Creators of the Primordial Realm had only managed to destroy Emperor Tai's physical body and half of his divine consciousness. The Hong before him now was likely Emperor Tai in his complete form.

Qin Mu felt cold sweat prickling at the back of his neck. Forcibly suppressing the urge to sweat, he managed a smile and said, "Celestial Hong... Daoist Hong, you know me?"

Hong sat opposite Luo Xiao, glancing nervously between Luo Xiao and the window. He said, "Celestial Venerable Mu, over a thousand years ago, you caused a great disturbance at the Jade Pool. You withstood attacks from Empress Yuanmu's projection and, even under the pressure of her dao, severely wounded Celestial Venerable Hao with a single sword strike, shaking the world. After such an earth-shattering deed, who in the world would not know of you?"

Just then, another voice cried out from outside the carriage, "Is that Celestial Venerable Mu? Please help!"

Qin Mu, Luo Xiao, and Hong looked out together, only to see another army charging out from the South Heavenly Gate. It was the Southern Fallen Teacher's Sect army, in pursuit of a handsome young man. The young man, striding across the Heavenly River, raced towards the Celestial Dragon Treasure Carriage with astonishing speed. He quickly reached the vehicle and shouted, "Hurry, hurry!"

The armies of the four great sects of the Celestial Heavens were commanded by the four Celestial Masters. Though Qin Mu didn't know who the four Celestial Masters of the Dragon Han era were, anyone important enough for the Southern Fallen Teacher's Sect to dispatch an entire army in pursuit must be extraordinary! The Celestial Dragon Treasure Carriage sped away, leaving both the Heavenly River Navy and the Southern Fallen Teacher's Sect far behind.

Qin Mu's divine consciousness pulsed as he telepathically instructed Dragon Qilin, relaying the Ancestral Court's location and telling him to proceed there. Just then, he felt his divine consciousness being probed. The divine consciousness probing him was Luo Xiao's, which was the most obvious. Luo Xiao was deeply curious about Qin Mu, knowing his divine consciousness was immensely powerful and mysterious, and that he seemed to possess a profound understanding of the Creators. Thus, after sensing Qin Mu's divine consciousness fluctuate, he attempted to probe it with his own.

However, Qin Mu still detected a second divine consciousness. This second consciousness was incredibly subtle, almost imperceptible! It emanated from layers of void, making it difficult to detect. Had Qin Mu not obtained Emperor Tai's Grand Luo Supreme Divine Consciousness, he would not have noticed this subtle probing. Yet, with Luo Xiao, Hong, and the recently boarded young man all present in the carriage, it was difficult to ascertain whose divine consciousness was probing Qin Mu.

"But one thing is certain: Emperor Tai is in this carriage!"

Qin Mu suppressed his fear and asked, "Daoist Hong, were you also in the Celestial Heavens back then? If you weren't at the Jade Pool, you must have been at the Celestial Heavens Grand Assembly. To have received an invitation from the Celestial Emperor to such a grand event, your power must be astounding—undoubtedly a leader among demigods. Why, then, are you being pursued by the Heavenly River Navy?"

Hong crossed his arms within his sleeves, sighed, and said, "Celestial Venerable Mu, you truly are a clever man. I am the world's first demon, distinct from your human race. Our demon race awakened incredibly early; we had already begun cultivating when humans were still unable to. I was the first demon to awaken, subsisting on wind and dew, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Over time, I developed sentience. The Celestial Emperor ordered me to lead the demon race and invited me to the Celestial Heavens Grand Assembly. However, I was in the High Heavens Palace at the time and did not see Celestial Venerable Mu."

"I see," Qin Mu looked at the handsome young man who had just boarded the carriage. He secretly admired the youth's good looks, thinking he was a man beautiful enough to rival Yin Tianzi and Yin Chaojin. Smiling, he asked, "May I ask, Daoist friend, how should I address you?"

"My name is Xiao," the handsome youth smiled, "Xiao of the human race, Xiao as in the dawn of spring. Celestial Venerable Mu may not have heard my name, but yours is like thunder to my ears."

Qin Mu's heart lurched, his blood almost freezing. "It couldn't be Celestial Venerable Xiao, could it? If it is, then this small treasure carriage of mine will be quite lively. Emperor Tai among the Creators and the ancient god Celestial Emperor have both honored us with their presence..." He forcibly suppressed the urge to tell Yan'er to extinguish the lamps and flee. Forcing a smile, he asked, "Xiao is your given name, but what is your surname?"

The handsome youth replied, "Celestial Venerable Mu may not know this, but surnames came much later, and only prominent figures were deemed worthy of having one. My family was poor, so I only had a given name. Later, I haphazardly adopted a surname, Gu, so I'm called Gu Xiao, but those who know me still simply call me Xiao."

Qin Mu looked at Da Hong and the human Gu Xiao in the carriage, and his heart twitched violently twice more. Da Hong appeared very young, smiling, with his hands crossed within his sleeves over his chest. His appearance vaguely hinted at the future form of Hong Celestial Venerable. Gu Xiao, meanwhile, was extraordinarily handsome, completely unlike the future Xiao Celestial Venerable. The future Xiao Celestial Venerable was arrogant, eccentric, and domineering; he was a Celestial Venerable by title among humans, but not handsome, and bore no resemblance to this young man named Gu Xiao. Furthermore, based on Celestial Venerable Xiao's age, he should not have been born yet; he only became Celestial Venerable Yun's fervent disciple in the mid-Dragon Han era.

"Is this Xiao truly Celestial Venerable Xiao?" Qin Mu mused inwardly.

Silence fell over the carriage, each of the four lost in their own thoughts. The Celestial Dragon Treasure Carriage had already left the Heavenly River far behind and was speeding towards the outer heavens. The spatial coordinates Qin Mu gave Dragon Qilin were indeed for a location beyond the heavens. Behind them, on the Heavenly River Navy's warships, countless divine beings shouted and waved banners. The Heavenly River itself seemed to split into a branch, and those warships, flags flying, continued their relentless pursuit.

Hong looked outside in surprise, his eyes flashing. "Celestial Venerable, are you attempting to flee beyond the heavens? The Primordial Realm's world barrier is incredibly thick; leaving it is no easy feat."

Qin Mu's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "Daoist Hong, do you know of a way to leave the Primordial Realm?"

Hong shook his head. "Though I wish to escape beyond the heavens, I am trapped within the Primordial Realm and helpless. However, I've heard that by following the Heavenly River, one can leave the Primordial Realm and enter the cosmic starry sky. You can even journey through the Four Extreme Lands to Xuandu and Youdu!"

"Thank you for the guidance, Daoist Hong." Qin Mu chuckled. "Daoist Hong claims to be powerless, yet he describes the method for leaving the Primordial Realm with such clarity. How curious." Hong burst out laughing.

Gu Xiao pulled out a small file, began filing his nails, and then looked at Hong with a curious expression. "Daoist Hong, why are you being pursued by the Heavenly River Navy? As far as I know, you are their Grand Marshal. It's rather puzzling for the Heavenly River Navy to be chasing their own Grand Marshal."

Qin Mu's heart seized, and he looked at Da Hong.

Hong sighed. "I was condemned for my words. To be frank, when Celestial Venerable Mu slew the Five Luminaries Star Lords on the Heavenly River, I was training the navy there and witnessed the event. I couldn't help but exclaim in praise. I was genuinely impressed by Celestial Venerable Mu's divine abilities and harbored no rebellious thoughts. Yet, someone reported me to the Celestial Emperor. The Celestial Emperor was furious and ordered my capture, intending to send me to the God-Slaying Platform. I had no choice but to flee."

Qin Mu clasped his wrist and sighed deeply, tears welling in his eyes. "I never imagined I would be the one to implicate Daoist Hong! It is my fault!"

Hong's eyes flickered, settling on Gu Xiao. He said, "I've heard the Celestial Master of the Southern Fallen Teacher's Sect is extremely mysterious, rarely seen. However, I have some friends in the Southern Fallen Teacher's Sect who told me their Celestial Master is a human deity. I was both surprised and impressed. Could that human Celestial Master be Daoist Xiao? And why are you being pursued by your own army?"

Qin Mu's gaze settled on Gu Xiao, a questioning look on his face.

Gu Xiao put down the file, sighed, and said, "I too was condemned because Celestial Venerable Mu slew the Five Luminaries ancient gods on the Heavenly River. However, my praise wasn't for Celestial Venerable Mu's profound dao arts, but for this Daoist friend." He looked at Luo Xiao and said, "I saw this Daoist friend's physical body was boundless, surpassing even that of ancient gods, and I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Only later did I learn that he was a Creator, and given the animosity between ancient gods and Creators, I was apprehended by the Celestial Heavens for my careless words."

Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh with profound emotion. "Both of you, Daoist friends, were condemned for your words. You were once in positions of great eminence, yet a single misspoken sentence led to such a dire predicament, forcing you to flee alongside me." He sighed repeatedly, tears threatening to fall once more.

Gu Xiao and Da Hong quickly interjected to console him, saying, "Everyone says Celestial Venerable Mu is righteous and benevolent, a timely savior for the world. Seeing it now, your reputation is truly well-deserved."

"Celestial Venerable, you need not trouble yourself over our fates; perhaps this calamity was destined for us."

Qin Mu stopped his tears, choking out, "Hearing your experiences, Daoist friends, and then reflecting on my own, sadness inexplicably welled up in my heart. My predicament is so remarkably similar to yours that I lost my composure. Though we are different individuals, our destinies are alike. And today, the heavens have been kind enough to bring us together in this carriage as we flee for our lives. So why don't we..." He clenched his fists and said excitedly, "Why don't we become sworn brothers? We can swear an oath of brotherhood, becoming brothers of different surnames. We may not have been born on the same day, month, and year, but we can vow to die on the same day, month, and year!"

Gu Xiao and Da Hong were dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances and unable to speak.

Qin Mu grew even more excited. He stood up, pacing back and forth in the carriage, then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "Luo Xiao, you are a Creator, an outsider stranded in a foreign land, pursued by the Celestial Heavens, and not tolerated by the ancient gods. You are just like us. Let the four of us become sworn brothers together!"

Gu Xiao and Da Hong's expressions grew even more peculiar, their brows furrowed into lines of worry.

Qin Mu, in high spirits, declared loudly, "We shall swear an oath to Earth Count, to die on the same day, month, and year!"

Cold sweat broke out on Da Hong's forehead, and he gave two dry laughs. "Celestial Venerable Mu, you are a Celestial Venerable. How could we possibly presume to be your sworn brothers?"

Gu Xiao also chuckled, "Creators are enemies of the ancient gods. If we swear an oath to Earth Count, wouldn't that be feeding Brother Luo Xiao right into Earth Count's maw? Let's consider this matter of sworn brotherhood more carefully."

Qin Mu seemed too excited to control himself. He stepped forward, pulling the hands of the two and kneeling down, laughing, "There's no better day than today! Let's kowtow and become sworn brothers right now! Brother Luo Xiao, come, come, let's all swear brotherhood together!"

Luo Xiao hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind. He too stepped forward and knelt down.

Qin Mu glanced at Gu Xiao and Da Hong, sneering, "Are you two Daoist friends looking down on me and Brother Luo Xiao? I am Celestial Venerable Mu; I have already knelt. Are you still not going to kneel?"

Gu Xiao and Da Hong exchanged glances, then reluctantly knelt. Gu Xiao whispered, "Brother Luo Xiao is a Creator; we cannot swear an oath to Earth Count, nor can we swear to the heavens..."

Qin Mu pressed down on Gu Xiao's head with one hand and Da Hong's head with the other. The four of them kowtowed together, Qin Mu laughing, "Then we simply won't swear to Earth Count or the Heavenly Duke."