Chapter 1063: The Death of Luoxiao

Qin Mu repeatedly tried, and failed, to sense the altar outside the Ancestral Court; a force in the void consistently interfered with his divine sense. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead; the interference clearly originated from the mineral vein, indicating the Grand Emperor was sabotaging his reverse summons.

Suddenly, he felt the interference vanish, his spirits immediately soaring as his divine sense finally connected with the altar outside the Ancestral Court! Overjoyed, Qin Mu immediately activated his reverse summoning divine ability, mixing his vital qi with his divine sense to remotely activate the altar outside the Ancestral Court.

Just then, he seemed to hear a beautiful, drawn-out song, yet it was also mournful, desolate, and filled with sorrow, like an abandoned woman singing by a river as she slowly walked into its cold depths, gradually disappearing beneath the water. He looked back and saw a queen in elaborate attire, carrying the Grand Emperor, walking towards him.

Qin Mu's vision blurred; the Ancestral Court vanished from his sight, replaced by the sound of flowing water. The scene before him shifted; a river appeared, faintly shrouded in mist, and a sorrowful woman walked towards its center, her body gradually being submerged by the water. She hummed a mournful ballad, but the lyrics were unintelligible.

"Illusion!" Qin Mu abruptly surged his divine sense, shouting furiously, "A divine sense illusion! Daring to show off in front of me? I am a grandmaster of divine sense illusions!" He then heard a woman's voice softly whisper in his ear, "I am the ancestor of divine sense illusions."

Gritting his teeth, Qin Mu activated the Hegemon Body Three Elixir Art, mobilizing the Grand Luo Supreme Divine Sense and the Limitless Kalpa Scripture, employing every divine sense ability he knew to break through this sudden illusion. Yet, he felt his body and primordial spirit were beyond his control, continuing the reverse summoning divine ability, and the connection with the altar outside the Ancestral Court grew ever tighter.

Cold sweat beaded on Qin Mu's forehead; Goddess King Gong Yun's divine sense illusion had already infiltrated his physical body, compelling him to carry himself and the Grand Emperor away from this place. He attempted to break free, but it was clear that Goddess King Gong Yun's divine sense was superior, consistently holding him firmly in check.

As the reverse summoning commenced, the void rippled, and another altar emerged from its depths. Light flashed brilliantly!

Qin Mu gritted his teeth, desperately fighting against Goddess King Gong Yun's divine sense illusion. The river and the woman within it alternately vanished and reappeared, repeatedly shifting from clear to hazy and back again. The mournful song faded into the distance, then gradually drew near again, repeatedly assaulting Qin Mu's divine sense.

Suddenly, the woman's voice echoed in Qin Mu's ear: "Are you Mu Qing? The divine sense abilities of later generations are truly extraordinary. Perhaps in the future, we shall meet again... if you do not die."

As the voice faded, all illusions before Qin Mu vanished. The surroundings were brightly lit, and the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage appeared on the altar outside the Ancestral Court. The illumination came from the large warships of the Heavenly River Navy! Countless large warships had heavily surrounded the area, their banners fluttering from the masts. Innumerable Heavenly Court soldiers and generals stood on the altar, including forces from the Heavenly River Navy and the Nanluo Sect. After they entered the Ancestral Court, these two armies pursued them all the way here, waiting outside the altar to trap them.

Luo Xiao, riding the void behemoth, had already charged into the encirclement, attempting to break through, and shouted loudly, "Brother Mu, fight our way out with me!" Innumerable Heavenly soldiers and generals activated their formations, surrounding him tightly. Countless divine weapons and divine abilities flew from the ships, raining down upon him. Additionally, countless Heavenly soldiers and generals surrounded the altar and charged towards it.

Qin Mu looked around but saw neither Goddess King Gong Yun nor the Grand Emperor. For that ancient Goddess King, not even a greater army could hold her, as even Qin Mu's divine sense couldn't break her divine sense illusion. She moved through the armies of the Heavenly River Navy and Nanluo Sect as if they were uninhabited territory. This Goddess King had departed with the Grand Emperor; endless torment and humiliation would be the Grand Emperor's fate.

"Could Gong Yun be Celestial Venerable Gong from later generations?" Qin Mu wondered. His gaze swept past the charging gods and devils, settling on Luo Xiao, who was fighting desperately. Luo Xiao was already heavily besieged; the Heavenly River Navy and Nanluo Sect had laid an inescapable net, one that even Qin Mu would struggle to escape.

"Luo Xiao!" Qin Mu's divine sense surged as he charged towards Luo Xiao, but his divine sense constantly shattered amidst the power of countless divine abilities and weapons. "Don't take the void beast back to the Primordial Realm! That void beast wasn't subdued by you; it was subdued by the Primordial Emperor and deliberately given to you! Do not bring it back to the Primordial Realm!"

Countless divine weapons whistled upwards, forming a dense, dark mass that completely engulfed the altar. Yan'er hurriedly raised her lantern, watching the scene with a pale face, and urged, "Young Master! If we don't leave now, it will be too late!" Qin Mu's divine sense surged once more, but he still couldn't make it reach Luo Xiao.

"Yan'er." Qin Mu stopped trying, closed his eyes, and softly said, "Extinguish the lamp." Yan'er blew out the lantern, but the light from the divine weapons and abilities made the area around the altar as bright as day, preventing them from returning to the ghost ship. Yan'er, Long Qilin, and the six Heavenly Dragons watched the incoming divine weapons and abilities with despair, unable to help but close their eyes.

"Where my body is, there is Youdu," Qin Mu softly declared. Infinite darkness radiated from him, rapidly enveloping the altar. The darkness came and went swiftly, dispersed by the light of divine weapons and abilities. The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage on the altar, along with Qin Mu, Long Qilin, and Yan'er on it, all vanished without a trace.

The Heavenly River surged with waves, its waters flowing serenely through all heavens and ages. A ghost ship suddenly burst from beneath the surface, rising to float upon the river. Banners bearing the characters "Yu Lin" fluttered in the wind. Wei Suifeng stood at the bow, gazing at the dense fog ahead. He then turned back and asked, "Junior brother, you've been gone for so long; what have you encountered?"

Qin Mu stepped down from the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage, quietly gazing at the mist on the Heavenly River's surface. After a long moment of contemplation, he finally spoke, "I encountered history."

"History is like that," Wei Suifeng understood his words and said pensively, "It will not change because of your interference or experiences. All your efforts will become a part of the past. I feel this deeply." Qin Mu came to his side, and the two of them gripped the gunwale, looking out as if trying to pierce through the mists of history. Wei Suifeng had experienced more, and a simple, profound wisdom had settled in his Dao heart, making him less wild and unrestrained than before.

"Junior brother, where do you want to go next?" he asked.

"Next stop?" Qin Mu's gaze was profound, and his face remained calm as he said, "I want to seek out the Southern Emperor Vermillion Bird. I still haven't met her, and I must find her. Can this ship travel to an even older era? I wish to meet her in the early years of the Dragon Han."

"It cannot," Wei Suifeng replied, "The nature of matter makes it so. This ship can only travel as far back as the era in which it was built. It cannot reach times before that, because, simply put, the ship did not yet exist. Celestial Venerable Ling's divine ability operates on the same principle; the Heavenly River mist can only transport you to eras after Celestial Venerable Ling's birth. She, too, is powerless to reach more ancient times. The ghost ship was constructed about a thousand years after the early Dragon Han era, so the oldest period it can access is the one you visited previously."

Qin Mu nodded gently and said, "In that case, let us remain in the Dragon Han era." Wei Suifeng looked at him, asking with a hint of doubt, "Junior brother, I sense a certain melancholy about you. Why is this?"

"I befriended a brother who was very simple, honest, and sincere in his dealings, yet I could not save him," Qin Mu said sadly, "I knew his fate, and time and again I tried to change it, only to discover, each time, that he was destined for that very end. I wonder where he is now, and what dangers he will face. I also think that perhaps when he encounters me again in the future, he might go mad, or hate me for deceiving him..."

The ghost ship drifted on the river, about to emerge from the mist. Wei Suifeng urged, "It's time for you to depart. Pull yourself together; you are Celestial Venerable Mu!" Qin Mu roused his spirits and stepped onto the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage.

Wei Suifeng stepped forward, took the reins, and looked up at him. "You've been traveling tirelessly," he said. "I should let you rest on the ship, but I cannot. These soldiers and I have already merged with the ghost ship; we have become unchanging matter. The longer you remain on this ghost ship, the more likely you are to be assimilated. By then, you will be unable to leave, eventually becoming like us: a wild ghost of time and space."

Qin Mu's gaze settled on his face, and he calmly asked, "Then how many more times can I borrow the ghost ship?"

"No more than five times," Wei Suifeng said, "The sixth time, you will be assimilated by the ghost ship into unchanging matter. By then, we will all be beyond redemption! Junior brother, you must cherish these five opportunities. After five times, I will send you back to Yankang!"

Qin Mu nodded. The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage drove out of the ghost ship and into the mist.

Near the altar outside the Ancestral Court, Luo Xiao endured countless battles, repeatedly escaping the encirclement by the Heavenly River Navy's divine soldiers and generals and the Nanluo Sect.

"How is Brother Mu?" He escaped onto the Heavenly River, dazed and utterly exhausted, unable to continue. His physical body was nearing death, yet he relied on his last shred of belief to flee to this point. He yearned to return to the Primordial Realm and relay these three prophecies to his clansmen there. He lay sprawled on the void beast's back, aware of death gradually approaching him. "I must return alive," he thought, "This is the last hope of the Primordial Realm's creators..."

His vision grew hazy; the death of his physical body was slowly blinding his eyes. He could still observe his surroundings with the vertical eye in his glabella, but everything appeared very blurry. The young creator again sensed enemies pursuing him, and could only exert his last reserves of divine sense to control the void beast and flee.

Finally, he vaguely saw a ship on the Heavenly River approaching him. The void beast, having exhausted its strength, collapsed onto the water. The ship stopped, and a young man walked off it.

"Who are you?" Luo Xiao heard his own voice ask.

"My name is Yun, others call me Celestial Venerable Yun." The young man said, "Your injuries are severe; I can no longer save you. My friend, do you have any final wishes?"

"Celestial Venerable Yun!" Luo Xiao felt his cold hand grasp the young man's wrist. Two lines of cold tears slid down from his eyes. His heart had stopped beating; his body was already cold. But he thought of the first prophecy.

"Celestial Venerable Yun," he said, "I will tell you where the Primordial Realm is. Take me there to see my clansmen. My divine sense is about to become dormant, but it will awaken once we arrive!" Luo Xiao stared with wide, unseeing eyes—his pupils already grayish-white. "I will gouge out the eye from my glabella and give it to you," he stated. "It is a divine stone, a token of my people. When they see this stone, they will believe you!"

"What about your corpse?" Celestial Venerable Yun asked.

"The Heavenly River Navy and the Nanluo Sect are hunting me; they won't give up until they see my corpse." Luo Xiao struggled to his feet, raised his palm, and with his last reserves of divine sense, forcefully gouged out the vertical eye from his glabella. Holding it in his palm, he conveyed the geographical location of the Primordial Realm, then bowed and said, "I implore you, Celestial Venerable Yun!" Though his breath had ceased, he remained standing on the Heavenly River.

Celestial Venerable Yun gazed at him blankly, then finally took the Primordial Divine Stone. "I promise you, brave one," he said. Luo Xiao smiled, then fell backward, his corpse carried downstream by the Heavenly River's currents.

Celestial Venerable Yun returned to the ship with the divine stone. The void beast also followed him aboard and quietly settled down. Celestial Venerable Yun glanced at the void beast, shook his head, and simply regarded it as Luo Xiao's mount.

Years later, Celestial Venerable Yun finally located the Primordial Realm. He entered it and encountered some simple, honest creators. He took out the Primordial Divine Stone from Luo Xiao's glabella and presented it to the patriarch there. The creators received him warmly and held a grand sacrificial ceremony, transforming Luo Xiao's divine sense into an ancestral spirit.

"He is a hero." Celestial Venerable Yun encountered a lovely, pure girl who was also a creator. She greatly admired both Luo Xiao and Celestial Venerable Yun. "Only a hero among creators can subdue such a void behemoth!" Though small, the girl was taller than Celestial Venerable Yun. Looking at the void behemoth that had accompanied Celestial Venerable Yun to the Primordial Realm, she said clearly, "When I grow up, I want to become a creator like Ancestral Spirit Luo Xiao."

"What is your name?" Celestial Venerable Yun asked, momentarily lost in thought as he gazed at her delicate face.

"Lang Wo!"

"You are truly beautiful."

"Yes, everyone says so!"