Chapter 1070: Cloud Luo Emperor Attempts to Split the Ancient God Egg

Qin Mu arrived at the Vermillion Bird Celestial Palace, but Southern Emperor Vermillion Bird was not there. The divine guard at the palace gate said, "After the great chaos, Southern Emperor left to visit Northern Emperor, Eastern Emperor, and others."

Qin Mu frowned deeply. He requested writing tools from the divine guard—a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone—and wrote a letter. Handing it to the guard, he instructed, "When Southern Emperor returns, give her this letter and tell her that her younger brother was here, and that she should act according to what is written in it."

The divine guard carefully put the letter away.

Not long after, the theft at Zhaoyang Hall was discovered, enraging the Celestial Emperor. He ordered Grand Solar Star Lord to lead the Stellar Gods of the Heavens to seal off the Celestial Heavens and interrogate everyone, sparing no one, not even the celestial palaces of the Four Emperors.

Tu Bo, Celestial Venerable, Earth Mother, Celestial Yin, and the Empress's sisters also had celestial palaces within the Celestial Heavens, but they too were ordered by the Celestial Emperor to be investigated.

The Celestial Heavens' inescapable net was cast wide, with dense beams of light, formed from grand dao laws, floating everywhere in the sky. Under these circumstances, it was almost impossible to leave the Celestial Heavens.

"I wonder if it's possible to bring matter from the past into the future?"

Qin Mu pondered. According to the principle of matter's immutability, it should indeed be possible to bring matter from the past into the future, but he wasn't entirely certain.

At that moment, with celestial soldiers and generals about to search the area, Qin Mu decisively extinguished his lantern.

After the turmoil in the Celestial Heavens subsided, some time passed. Southern Emperor, having visited the other three Ancient Gods, returned to the Vermillion Bird Celestial Palace.

The divine guard at the palace gate presented the letter, smiling, "Your Majesty, a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes came carrying a lantern and claimed to be your younger brother. Strangely enough, he left a letter for you, but he didn't have writing tools and had to ask for them from our Vermillion Bird Palace."

"My younger brother? Carrying a lantern?"

Southern Emperor was puzzled. She took the letter and walked into the palace, thinking, "Those two cunning old foxes, Northern Emperor and Eastern Emperor, were right. The Celestial Emperor originally ordered the Twenty-Eight Mansions to take our places and rule the Four Extremities Heavens. Now that the Twenty-Eight Mansions have died by Tu Bo's hand, there are no deities guarding the Four Extremities Heavens. Chaos will surely erupt sooner or later. When that happens, it will be our chance, the Four Emperors, to return to the Four Extremities Heavens!"

She sat in a bird's nest within the Vermillion Bird Palace. Her red robes draped across the nest, creating a vibrant vermillion display that seemed to dance like flames, making her fair complexion stand out even more.

Southern Emperor set the letter aside, thinking, "The Celestial Emperor built these celestial palaces for us, the Four Ancient Emperors, seemingly for our benefit. In reality, he stripped us of all our power, imprisoning us in the Celestial Heavens like captives! To leave this place, there must be a major upheaval, something even greater than Ah Chou Tu Bo's assault on the Celestial Heavens!"

"The heavens are high, and the emperor is far away. As long as I return to the Four Extremities Heavens, I will be free and unconstrained, no longer confined to the Celestial Heavens."

Her face was filled with worry. Where would this upheaval, greater than Ah Chou Tu Bo's havoc in the Celestial Palace, come from?

After a moment, she let out a faint sigh and picked up Qin Mu's letter. She noticed a seal on it, an imprint in the shape of a Vermillion Bird.

Southern Emperor Vermillion Bird was astonished. The imprint was remarkably lifelike, and the runes used were all Vermillion Bird patterns. Even someone who understood her deeply could not have mastered so many Vermillion Bird Grand Dao runes!

Yet, the person who left the seal had effortlessly laid down an incredibly complete Vermillion Bird seal.

This seal could only be undone by her; if anyone else so much as touched it, the letter would instantly combust and turn to ash!

"The person who left the letter said he's my younger brother? Could it be?"

She undid the seal and opened the letter. The characters on the paper suddenly leaped up and slowly burned away in the air.

The characters transformed into flames, which continuously rearranged themselves.

Southern Emperor Vermillion Bird watched for a long time, finishing the letter's content just as the paper in her hand had turned to ash.

"It really is Brother Mu Qing."

Southern Emperor's narrow eyes blinked as she whispered, "His letter implies that I will face mortal danger in the future and should prepare beforehand. He offered two strategies: one is to contact Human Moon Celestial Venerable and entrust her with a feather for safekeeping; the other is to separate a soul and reincarnate early to make arrangements."

Southern Emperor lay reclining in the bird's nest, her slender foot slipping out from beneath her vibrant red robe. She mused, "However, Eastern Emperor warned me to be wary of Celestial Venerable Mu and other human Celestial Venerables, because Celestial Venerable Mu has killed many Ancient Gods and poses a great threat to them. Eastern Emperor is right; the Five Planetary Star Lords indeed died by Brother Mu Qing's hand..."

She found herself in a dilemma. She sat up again and paced back and forth, then suddenly made up her mind: "First, I'll go meet Human Moon Celestial Venerable! If her character is poor and she's truly scheming against me, I'll keep my distance. But if her character is excellent, then I can certainly befriend her! I do know that little girl Celestial Venerable Ling, yes, Celestial Venerable Ling even formed the Celestial Alliance with Brother Mu and the others..."

In the same year, Celestial Venerable Yun traveled to the Primordial Realm and handed a primordial raw stone to the Creators there, saying, "Luo Xiao left this gem, saying it's for you to construct Void Bridges and the Other Shore World."

The Creators were very surprised but asked no further questions.

Celestial Venerable Yun looked at these guileless Creators and couldn't help but shake his head.

He feared it would be extremely difficult for the Creators to confront the impending invasion by Grand Emperor.

He then saw Lang Wo again. The Creator maiden had grown even more beautiful and captivating, and every encounter stirred unusual thoughts within him.

A thought arose in his mind, but he couldn't bear to let this young woman face danger.

Returning to the Celestial Heavens, he saw Celestial Venerable Ling deducing the path of creation and manufacturing many strange species. His heart stirred slightly as he asked, "Ling, can you create a true human?"

Celestial Venerable Ling lifted her head from countless scriptures and looked at him in confusion.

"A perfect maiden."

Celestial Venerable Yun's eyes flickered. "I'll take you to meet her."

Soon after, Celestial Venerable Ling met Lang Wo and was also captivated by the maiden's beauty. She praised, "A celestial maiden with a face of snow and delicate brows, like a phoenix flute and a roc's wings ready to soar. Her jade-like steps are dust-free, and her slender waist sways like a willow in spring. Such a girl should be called Peerless Wu Chen!"

Hearing this, Lang Wo was overcome with shyness.

Celestial Venerable Yun asked, "Can you use the path of creation to create a Peerless Wu Chen?"

Celestial Venerable Ling thought for a moment. "I can try, but my path of creation isn't perfect yet. I'll need some time. Once I perfect it and create a divine artifact of creation, I can bring Peerless Wu Chen into being."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know, just wait."

Celestial Venerable Yun had no choice but to let her be. He then recalled Luo Xiao, thinking, "Is that Luo Xiao really Luo Xiao? Or is Luo Xiao not Luo Xiao, but that person..."

The shadow of Mu Qing appeared before his eyes. He shook his head, whispering, "It can't be him. Ling said he's just a shadow from the future. However, I truly hope to see this future shadow; I have many ambitions I want to share with him..."

He gazed blankly at the carefree Creators in the Primordial Realm, silently thinking, "I feel he is the same kind of person as I am. Why then is he a shadow from the future? In this era, I have no true companion in the dao. Why is my only companion in the future..."

He had a misconception that he and his future companion in the dao were supporting and advancing together across boundless ages, yet they were also so far apart.

Centuries later, Crown Prince Qi led the Celestial Heavens' Ten Guards in rebellion, plunging the Celestial Heavens into chaos. Many Ancient Gods also joined the uprising.

This calamity originated from the imperial harem. Crown Prince Qi, the most powerful demigod, possessed the bloodline of both the Empress and the Celestial Emperor. Being an adult, he was the most formidable existence among demigods.

His combat strength was unfathomable, far surpassing even Divine Emperor Lang Xuan and Ancestral God King.

The chaos he caused was also extraordinary, as this rebellion involved not only demigods and the Ancient Gods who followed him, but also the Empress supporting him from behind.

When Crown Prince Qi unleashed his Return to the Ruins divine ability, engulfing the Celestial Heavens, even the Ancient Gods trembled.

Yet, Crown Prince Qi was defeated. He was suppressed by the Ancient God Celestial Emperor without even a single exchange of blows and cast into the deepest part of Youdu's Jade Lock Pass.

A high, distant voice reached directly into Youdu, its tone icy: "From this day forth, your surname shall be stripped, leaving only sin. From this day forth, you shall forever wallow, tormented in karmic fire! From this day forth, you are..."

"...Xie Wuqi—"

This war caused immense casualties in the Celestial Heavens, far exceeding even Ah Chou's rebellion. Even the Empress was relegated to the cold palace because of it.

Nearly all of the Celestial Heavens' Ten Guards were marched onto the newly constructed God-Slaying Platform, which claimed countless heads over a hundred continuous days of executions.

The newly forged divine blade became incredibly sinister from all the executions, its two streams of malevolent energy refined into an indestructible force that could sever primordial spirits and destroy physical bodies as easily as slicing melons and dicing vegetables.

The Celestial Emperor selected new powerhouses from various races to fill the Celestial Heavens' Ten Guards, virtually exhausting the elite of every race.

Previously, the Celestial Heavens' Ten Guards were all powerful demigods, whereas now, they were deities from various races who had cultivated to the Jade Capital realm.

The Celestial Heavens' power thus imperceptibly transformed.

After experiencing Ah Chou Tu Bo's rebellion and Xie Wuqi's rebellion, the old forces of the Celestial Heavens had declined to a freezing point. A new era had thus imperceptibly arrived.

The Divine Treasure Heavenly Palace system henceforth replaced the bloodline system, becoming the mainstream for all races across the heavens.

Before this, bloodline determined status and power.

After this, cultivation determined status and power.

Ancient Gods could rule the world due to their bloodlines, but after these two major events, the Divine Treasure Heavenly Palace system comprehensively rose to prominence!

This was a revolution of the Dragon Han Era, quietly accomplished by the subtle manipulations of the Ancient God Celestial Emperor.

The power that constrained the Ancient God Celestial Emperor was precisely that of the other Ancient Gods. Now, the Celestial Emperor used the strength of the acquired races and demigods to suppress these meritorious officials and their descendants.

The Ancient Gods were weakened, but he was not.

His rule became exceptionally stable.

On the ghost ship, Qin Mu took out the round egg he had stolen from Zhaoyang Hall and began studying it with Wei Suifeng.

Wei Suifeng tapped the round egg. The sound emanating from within was the hum of the Grand Dao, as if someone were speaking inside, but the language was obscure and difficult to understand.

Wei Suifeng studied it for a moment, using various divine eyes and abilities to look inside the egg, yet he couldn't discern what was within. He conjectured, "If it's an Ancient God, logically all Ancient Gods should have been born already; there shouldn't be new ones, unless it's a nature deity formed from dragon veins or mountain spirits. Could it be a demigod inside the egg?"

He leaned on the round egg and listened. The Grand Dao hum coming from within was very strange, and the heartbeat-like sound was also peculiar, sounding extremely distant.

"Can it be cracked open?" Wei Suifeng asked.

Qin Mu pondered, "I used this round egg to block attacks from Celestial Venerable Yun and Celestial Venerable Hao, and the egg didn't crack. Celestial Venerable Yun's realm is already Emperor's Throne, and although Celestial Venerable Hao is at the Numinous Sky realm, his bloodline power is very strong; he's almost an adult."

"In the era you visited, Celestial Venerable Yun and Celestial Venerable Hao weren't strong enough—they're not as powerful as I am now!"

Wei Suifeng let out a roar, and above his head, countless dazzling stars spun wildly, resembling a celestial dome!

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly; his senior brother's combat strength was immeasurably superior to that of the Woodcutter Saint!

The celestial dome rotated, with the Celestial River flowing around it, creating the wondrous phenomenon of the Celestial River hanging down from the Heavenly Dipper!

The Grand Celestial River Heavenly Dipper!

This was a phenomenon unseen in later generations; only during the Dragon Han years and even more ancient times could the true complete form of Xuandu be observed.

Clearly, when Wei Suifeng traveled through time to the Dragon Han era and became the leader of the Feathered Forest Army, he saw the true Xuandu and comprehended his own cultivation methods and divine abilities!

Wei Suifeng raised his right hand, and the power of the Grand Celestial River Heavenly Dipper flowed into his palm. Using his hand as a blade, Wei Suifeng powerfully chopped down onto the round egg.

His combat strength was indeed much greater than that of Celestial Venerable Yun and Celestial Venerable Hao from that era!

As Wei Suifeng's strike landed, the round egg emitted a brilliant light. Suddenly, on the ghost ship, Qin Mu, Wei Suifeng, and even the Feathered Forest Army soldiers all heard a tremendous clangor of bells and chimes, like the sound erupting at the creation of the universe!

Countless magnificent grand dao patterns flew out from the round egg, making the ghost ship appear as if it were immersed in a rich glow of dao patterns!

In that instant, Qin Mu and Wei Suifeng surprisingly felt the ghost ship detach from its immutable state, entering a hazy condition of Yin and Yang unity, tangible yet formless.

Simultaneously, various complex and resonant grand dao sounds rang out, as if countless Ancient Gods were chanting dao scriptures at once, or as if all sentient beings were calling out the same name—bizarre yet sacred!

Soon, the grand dao sounds vanished, and the dao patterns rapidly retracted into the round egg. The ghost ship re-entered its immutable state.

Wei Suifeng's eye twitched, and his right hand dropped, his palm trembling uncontrollably.

"Did it break?" Qin Mu asked without turning his head, his gaze fixed on the gradually dissipating dao patterns around the round egg, his expression grave.

"Mm."

Cold sweat beaded on Wei Suifeng's forehead from the pain. He said, "Three fingers are broken, and the bone in my little finger is shattered. This egg is too hard!"