Chapter 1100: Measuring the Dao Heart

As soon as Qin Mu uttered these words, the ground beneath them shook violently. Earth Mother Yuanjun, threatened by him, was furious but did not continue to attack him; instead, she fled far away.

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his third eye in the center of his brow, peered through the ground, and after observing for a long time, confirmed that Earth Mother Yuanjun had left. Only then did he say, "You can speak now."

The Dragon Qilin also relaxed. "After Earth Mother Yuanjun's soul is revived," he said, "she will definitely occupy the Primeval Tree in Yan Kang's capital city, which is Gongsun Yan's body. Her power was severely damaged during this resurrection, making it impossible for her to reclaim her original body from Exalted Heaven Sovereign. Since that path offers no hope, she will inevitably target Gongsun Yan."

Qin Mu nodded, his voice grave. "I've already warned her once. If she insists on courting death, there's nothing I can do."

He collected the severed Primeval Tree roots that were inside the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda. The essence of Earth Mother had vanished from these roots, yet, being roots of the Primeval Tree, they remained incredibly tough.

These roots could only be damaged by Emperor's Throne divine weapons, making them an excellent choice for crafting treasures.

What amazed Qin Mu even more, however, was the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda itself.

He hadn't used much vital qi to activate the treasure's full power. Yet, relying solely on the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda's inherent strength, it had severed the Primeval Tree roots as easily as slicing vegetables, with incredible efficiency.

One could only imagine how terrifyingly powerful this treasure would be if he could unleash its full potential.

"What a magnificent treasure..."

He gazed at the exotic artifact with an expression of infatuation, then quickly shook his head. He had almost become as obsessed with the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda as Wei Suifeng.

However, the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda seemed to possess a bewitching power, causing anyone who saw it to develop an uncontrollable fascination.

A thought even crossed Qin Mu's mind: he didn't want to return this treasure to Prince Youming!

"This treasure is strange!"

Qin Mu grew inwardly wary. The Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda was far more than just the world's most supreme treasure; a mere artifact of immense power wouldn't be able to bewilder his Dao heart.

"Could it be that ancient god's egg?"

He looked at the top of the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda. The ancient god's egg seemed to grant any wish, which was unusual, differing from both Ancient God Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu and the Tai Shi egg.

"Then why did Cult Master agree to summon her soul in ten days?" the Dragon Qilin asked, puzzled.

However, the Dragon Qilin's gaze also lingered on the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda. He had once wielded this exotic artifact himself and was clearly affected, though not as severely as Wei Suifeng.

Qin Mu noticed his gaze, and with a slight inward stir, he put away the Azure Heaven Glazed Pagoda. He smiled and said, "I've given her my word, and I won't go back on it. Besides, the ten-year period is up. My revival of Earth Mother is also a way to show the other ancient gods that I am still the Grand Master of Myriad Tribulations Undying, and they must continue to support me!"

The Dragon Qilin's gaze cleared. He hesitated, then asked, "What if Earth Mother, once her three souls are reunited, truly attempts to seize Gongsun Yan's body?"

Qin Mu walked forward, his voice calm. "Then I will demonstrate to the other ancient gods: do not commit evil. I can revive them, and I can also destroy them!"

He clenched his fist and sneered, "These ancient gods should seriously consider respecting their allies!"

The group hurried towards Yan Kang's capital city, finally arriving seven days later.

From a distance, the capital appeared to have two levels: an upper city built on the Primeval Tree's canopy and a lower city constructed around the tree's base.

The last time Qin Mu left, he had given Gongsun Yan some Primordial Chaos Vital Liquid. It was likely that after Gongsun Yan absorbed this liquid, the Primeval Tree grew wildly, making the original Yan Kang capital unable to accommodate its size. Therefore, Ling Yuxiu had no choice but to lead her officials in building another capital city.

The original capital was also expanded to accommodate more people.

Outside the capital, the number of Tu River manufactories had increased. Inside these factories, furnaces burned day and night, mechanical giants operated ceaselessly, and divine arts practitioners and deities continuously forged all sorts of divine weapons and artifacts.

Qin Mu slowed his pace to observe for a week, discovering that the people of Yan Kang now lived prosperous lives with significantly more wealth than before. Merchant ships came and went in vast numbers, bustling with activity. The Tu River was crowded with vessels from the Heavenly Court, various parts of the Primordial Realm, and other heavens.

The Heavenly Court's merchant ships arrived to transport divine weapons and daily-use spirit artifacts required by its deities. Merchant ships from the various heavens and other nations within the Primordial Realm, however, typically brought minerals and ores produced in their respective regions.

Yan Kang exchanged divine weapons and daily-use spirit artifacts for Heavenly Court currency from the Heavenly Court, then used this currency to purchase minerals, ores, and other materials from the various heavens and divine kingdoms. Over ten years, a considerable industry had developed.

And this was merely a glimpse of Yan Kang's prosperity.

In fact, besides the capital, Jianling, Bazhou, Yongjiang, and Lijiang in the south had also developed significantly, some even surpassing the capital in scale.

The capital was responsible for forging divine weapons, Jianling for rune imprinting, Bazhou for designing and refining elixirs and spiritual medicines, Yongjiang for formation diagram forging, and Lijiang for the design and forging of daily-use spirit artifacts. Each region specialized in different areas.

Qin Mu sought out the Mute and the Blind, but found the Butcher also present. Qin Mu's expression subtly changed, and he felt a slight hesitation, but the Blind, with his exceptionally keen "eyesight," was the first to spot him. The Mute's booming voice rang out: "Mu'er is here!"

Qin Mu obediently walked forward. The Butcher revealed two divine blades, tossed one to him, and said, "Mu'er, let's go out and spar a bit. I want to see if you've entered the Dao with your blade these past days!"

Qin Mu caught the divine blade, which was nearly a zhang long. He joined his index and middle fingers, lightly stroked the blade from the hilt along the thin edge to the tip, and chuckled, "Grandpa Butcher, I haven't comprehended the Dao of the blade yet, but I've comprehended something even better!"

The Butcher, carrying his large blade, walked outside, his eyebrow raised. He chuckled, "Even better? You little rascal, throughout history, those who betray their masters and ancestors have always had your tone and manner. Are you planning to overthrow me now?"

Qin Mu slung the long blade over his shoulder, took off his shoes, tossing them aside, and walked barefoot, following the Butcher out of the manufactory. He chuckled, "I wouldn't dare betray my master and ancestors. My recent travels have shown me many things, and my Dao heart has made some progress."

The Butcher narrowed his eyes, stomped his foot heavily, and his shoes exploded into fragments from the surge of blade qi. "What good is a Dao heart?" he scoffed. "I'll chop your Dao heart to pieces right now!"

The Mute hastily pulled out a box, sat down, took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco, lit it, puffed on the water pipe, and watched them with a smiling expression.

The Blind also came out and leaned nearby. The Mute offered him the water pipe, but the Blind waved his hand, indicating he didn't need it, and whispered, "Are those who betray their masters and ancestors truly always like Mu'er in their tone?"

The Mute nodded.

The Blind hesitated. "I spoke to my own master like that back in the day."

The Mute gestured, grinning broadly. "Mu'er was taught by you."

The Butcher swung his long blade, and a flash of blade light swept across the sky with a whoosh, then retracted, planting itself in the ground alongside the blade. He said indifferently, "You claim your Dao heart is better, so let's first compare our Dao hearts." With that, he closed his eyes.

Qin Mu flicked his hand, planting his long blade in front of him, and also closed his eyes.

"Excellent blade technique!" the Blind exclaimed.