Chapter 1104: Acupressure on Red Lips

In the future, he would undoubtedly have to ascend the Blade Dao's God-Slaying Platform and face the onslaught of two divine blades. He honestly had no idea if he could withstand it.

Qin Mu steadied his mind, and his primordial spirit entered the South Heaven Gate of the Blade Dao Heavenly Palace. Passing directly through the gate, he immersed himself in its formidable blade dao power. His cultivation improved once again, further solidifying his True God realm, as countless insights into the blade dao flooded his mind.

After a long while, Qin Mu, having absorbed the blade dao insights, opened his eyes and said, "I've brought back some treasures this time. Butcher Grandpa, take a look and see if any of them are useful to you."

With a wave of his hand, he enveloped the sky, creating an enclosed space from which he retrieved various ancestral court exotic treasures he had pilfered from Zhaoyang Palace.

Everyone was astonished, gazing at the ancestral court exotic treasures floating in the air by their own power. Mute was particularly excited, his trembling hands caressing a luminous pearl. The pearl hummed, vibrating slightly, and within it, mountains and rivers were reflected.

Mute murmured, "Mu'er, have you emptied the Heavenly Emperor's treasury?"

"Yep!" Qin Mu replied cheerfully.

"That's impressive!" The three old men gave him a thumbs-up, praising in unison, "Truly a pupil of Cripple!"

"I also have some roots from Earth Mother Yuanjun here—Primordial Wood roots, which are no less significant and just as valuable as these other treasures."

Qin Mu took out several more Primordial Wood roots and said, "Primordial Wood is also a treasure tree from the ancestral court, easily refined into Emperor's Throne divine weapons. Grandpas, feel free to take whatever you need. By the way, have any of you encountered Prince Youming?"

"Prince Youming?"

Butcher and the others pondered for a moment. When Qin Mu drew a portrait of Prince Youming, they finally recognized him. "So that's Prince Youming," they said. "He's a simple, honest fellow. He came to the Yankang capital earlier, telling the Emperor he was sent by the Northern Emperor to pledge allegiance. The Northern Emperor also sent some strange-looking men and women with him, carrying over three hundred Five-Thunder Gourds."

Qin Mu chuckled, "That's him! He's the Northern Emperor's son, an existence at the Emperor's Throne realm. Where is he serving now?"

Blind picked up a Primordial Wood root, highly satisfied. "The Emperor tested him and found him incompetent," he explained. "Although his cultivation realm is very high, everything he knows is outdated and too ancient. So, the Emperor sent him to various academies and schools to compile and transcribe different cultivation techniques and ancient texts. We don't know which school he's at now."

Prince Youming was one of the few Emperor's Throne realm powerhouses of the Dragon Han era, yet under Empress Ling Yuxiu's assessment, he was deemed incompetent, which was truly baffling.

But it was also understandable.

Although Prince Youming's talent was extraordinary, he had been suppressed for 600,000 years without external contact. His divine abilities were still those from 600,000 years ago. Even though his realm was high, making him the highest-cultivated being in Yankang, his practical use to Yankang was limited. If Prince Youming could absorb the achievements of Yankang's reforms, his cultivation and strength would undoubtedly undergo a massive leap; only then could he become a pillar of Yankang.

Blind placed the Primordial Wood root next to the Dragon Expander Divine Spear at his waist. The spear immediately coiled around the Primordial Wood root, drawing power from it. Blind continued, "The gods sent by the Northern Emperor are now under my tutelage, but even after my usual training, they're not very useful." He couldn't help but shake his head. "In terms of formations, the Northern Emperor Xuanwu's formations are far too outdated. I have to teach them from scratch, which is painstaking. So, I sent them to elementary school to study alongside the little children."

Qin Mu blinked. "There are many beautiful girls in the Xuanwu Divine Race," he remarked.

Blind, calm as ever, urged the Dragon Expander to refine the Primordial Wood root. "They are all warrior-class Teng Snake people," he said, "and none of them are as beautiful as Granny. They're just common women."

Qin Mu was speechless. He then asked if the Western Emperor had sent any gods. Mute, meanwhile, assembled a divine axe from a box, attempting to cleave a divine mountain. "Yes, there were some women," Mute said, "scantily clad and cloyingly sweet. I sent them to work at the oversight factory."

Qin Mu probed, "With women from Western Extremity Heaven being so beautiful, Mute Grandpa, have you never thought about taking a wife?"

"Women are a bother," Mute grumbled, shaking his head. "Those White Tiger goddesses, while strong and beautiful, are also a nuisance. Teaching them how to forge is already a headache; taking a wife on top of that? I don't have the time or the energy!"

Qin Mu was dumbfounded. He urged, "Mute Grandpa, you should be striving to propagate the Heavenly Craftsman Divine Race."

Mute scoffed, "The Heavenly Craftsman Divine Race is still human. Anyone who masters the path of forging is a Heavenly Craftsman! You are also a Heavenly Craftsman, so just have a few children yourself. Don't bother me with such trivial matters!"

Yan'er said to Long Qilin, "I know why Young Master has never married."

Long Qilin nodded repeatedly. "Do you think he's still salvageable?"

"No hope!"

"I think so too."

Mute was Yankang's foremost Heavenly Craftsman, with extremely high standards for materials. Unlike a boorish fellow like Wei Suifeng, who would simply pick an entire ancestral court treasure mountain, Mute took a piece from each valuable item, intending to combine different materials to forge divine weapons. He was an expert at combining materials. He had once visited Bai Que'er, the Sword God of the High Emperor Era, and obtained some High Emperor era texts from her. During the High Emperor Era, the divine metals and ores of the Primordial Realm were held by Earth Mother Yuanjun. The Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court had limited control over mining veins, which is why they developed exceptional expertise in material ratios.

"Even with the best materials, one must understand the properties of each divine metal, and even grasp their distinct characteristics, to forge a superior divine weapon," Mute remarked. He began combining various divine metals and materials. He glanced at Qin Mu. "Have the White Tiger Heavenly Craftsmen repair your battered carriage," he said. "For the next few days, you'll stay with me. I'm going to forge some treasures for the old folks in Crippled Elder Village, and I'll teach you a few things along the way. Blind will assist me, and together we'll use microscopic forging to create peerless divine weapons! Your Sword Pellet also needs to be re-forged!"

Qin Mu hesitated. "Before that," he said, "I have something else to take care of. I probably won't have time…"

Mute asked, "How long will it take?"

Qin Mu smiled. "It should be done the day after tomorrow."

Mute packed the various materials into a box, then picked it up and walked away. "Once you're done, come find us at the oversight factory," he instructed. "Butcher, go notify the Village Chief, Granny, and the others. Tell them to come here; we can't forge these peerless divine weapons for them without them present!"

Butcher departed.

Qin Mu handed his dilapidated Heavenly Dragon Imperial Carriage to the White Tiger Heavenly Craftsmen at the oversight factory. The lively women immediately became excited. "Heavenly Venerable Mu, is your carriage broken again?" they exclaimed. "We were the ones who fixed it last time! How wonderful, it breaks so quickly!"

Qin Mu left with a dark expression, returning to the capital to meet Gongsun Yan.

Gongsun Yan lived in the lower capital. She was delighted to see him arrive and immediately came forward, carrying a kettle. Qin Mu allowed her to pour water over him. "From now on," he said, "don't speak. No matter what happens, don't ask, don't say anything. I'll handle everything."

Gongsun Yan was about to open her mouth, but Qin Mu stretched out his index finger and pressed it against her lips. Gongsun Yan blinked, said nothing more, and her cheeks flushed slightly.