Chapter 1106: I Am the Heavenly Shepherd

Gongsun Yan looked up and laughed. "Master, for all your intricate calculations, you couldn't outwit me. This body will still be mine! Primordial Liquid, come!"

The ground rumbled as a thick root emerged, forming a large flower brimming with Primordial Grandmist Liquid. It then poured over Yankang's Primordial Wood.

Having successfully taken possession, she poured all the treasured Primordial Liquid onto her new body. Her intention was to use the Primordial Grandmist Liquid to rapidly enhance its power and quickly restore herself to peak condition.

As the Earth Mother's roots and Yankang's Primordial Wood absorbed the Primordial Grandmist Liquid, roots connected and grew together, intertwining ever more tightly.

The roots of Yankang's Primordial Wood merged with the Earth Mother's roots. Thick roots extended in all directions from deep underground, passing through countless divine mountains, great rivers, and streams, even reaching the molten lava deep beneath the earth.

Soon, the entirety of Yankang was enveloped by the Primordial Wood's roots.

These roots continued to extend in all directions, spreading throughout the Primordial World and drawing nutrients from its soil.

Gongsun Yan's aura grew increasingly powerful. If measured by cultivation realms, her cultivation reached Jade Capital in a few breaths, then Firmament, advancing at a terrifying speed directly towards the Emperor's Throne realm.

Soon, her power directly reached the Emperor's Throne realm and continued to rise, becoming incredibly powerful.

"Heavenly Venerate Mu, you, the Immortal Master of Ten Thousand Tribulations, have never understood your true place!"

Gongsun Yan laughed with great delight, her voice echoing throughout Yankang Imperial City, reaching the uninhabited area where Qin Mu was summoning souls. She chuckled, "You are merely a tool for us ancient gods to remain immortal, a dog raised by us ancient gods. You should have simply fulfilled your duty as a dog, yet you insisted on proclaiming yourself a collaborator and even dared to act arrogantly towards me! You must remember..."

Her voice turned utterly chilling. "You are not worthy!"

Outside, thick mist surged, flowing towards the Primordial Wood. Qin Mu's voice drifted calmly from within the mist: "Earth Mother Yuanjun, did you truly believe I would use only the simple method of sealing Gongsun Yan's body to deal with you?"

Gongsun Yan paused, slightly startled.

The mist surged as Qin Mu approached, quickly engulfing the surroundings.

Qin Mu stood in the mist, stopping before her. He said faintly, "Earth Mother, I already warned you not to harm Gongsun Yan. Yet, you stubbornly went your own way, treating my warning as idle talk. Collaborating with you ancient gods truly gives me a headache. It seems I must establish my authority."

Gongsun Yan sneered, "You are nothing more than a dog raised by us ancient gods, whose only purpose is to revive us. Do you truly consider yourself Heavenly Venerate Mu? You are just a minor devil who luckily borrowed Heavenly Venerate Ling's divine art and traveled back to the past..."

Qin Mu raised his hand and pointed at her, splaying his fingers. He softly uttered, "Boom."

Although his voice was light, when it reached the ears of Earth Mother Yuanjun inside Gongsun Yan, it was like an earth-shattering clap of thunder. With a rumble, her spirit suddenly exploded, turning into countless black soul sands that gushed out from Gongsun Yan's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Her other two souls were inexplicably terrified. Her spirit had clearly recovered; she had checked it herself and found no trace of Qin Mu's interference.

Yet now, she could no longer sense her spirit at all!

"I am Heavenly Venerate Mu, who established the path of divine arts."

The surrounding mist grew thicker. Qin Mu's voice came from within the mist, saying faintly, "You have never accepted this point, believing that anyone who traveled back to ancient times could become Heavenly Venerate Mu. But there has only been one Heavenly Venerate Mu throughout history, and that is me, and only me! I can let you live, and I can also let you die."

Gongsun Yan's pupils contracted sharply. Roots quietly probed into the mist, searching for Qin Mu's trace.

At the same time, the Primordial Wood also gently stretched its branches into the mist.

"I need to establish my authority, but not over you, rather over all ancient gods."

As Qin Mu's voice came, Gongsun Yan's eyes lit up, and countless roots and branches immediately lashed out towards that spot!

Just then, Earth Mother Yuanjun's Celestial Soul instantly collapsed, turning into black soul sands that scattered in all directions!

Earth Mother Yuanjun's shrill, incredibly ear-splitting scream came from Gongsun Yan's mouth. The scream carried panic and the fear of death.

It was the first time she had encountered such a terrifying thing.

Even though her current power far surpassed Qin Mu's by an incalculable margin, and with her current strength, crushing Qin Mu would be effortless, yet her life and death were controlled by Qin Mu!

From primordial times until now, she had survived countless calamities without dying. She had survived battle after battle in primordial times, and even at the end of the High Emperor era, when she was severed by Heavenly Venerate Ling and others from the Celestial Alliance, she still did not perish.

Even if Heavenly Venerate Hao personally intervened, she could still barely escape with her life.

Yet now, she truly felt death was so close!

She didn't even understand where Qin Mu had interfered!

"I saw myself as an equal ally, partnering with the ancient gods, but you treated me too little like an ally."

Qin Mu's tone was indifferent, desolate, and gloomy as he said, "It's one thing to use me, but you even laid hands on those close to me. Earth Mother Yuanjun, you have been insolent to an unbearable degree! Today, I will use your death to declare to all ancient gods that I am an ally, not your livestock!"

Just as he was about to completely destroy Earth Mother's Terrestrial Soul, darkness suddenly surged within the mist. At the same time, the sky above became brilliantly bright; the light emanated from beyond the heavens, piercing through the star chart that enveloped the Primordial World, and shining down upon Yankang Imperial City!

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he stopped.

The surging darkness underground swirled, and flames flickered within it as a Lava Earth Count slowly rose, rotating.

Meanwhile, the light in the sky also gathered, forming an old man with white eyebrows and a white beard who descended from the heavens, arriving at Yankang Imperial City and entering Qin Mu's residence.

Qin Mu bowed in greeting and said, "Brother Earth Count, Brother Heavenly Duke."

The Lava Earth Count and the Heavenly Duke's avatar hastily returned the greeting, saying, "Heavenly Venerate Mu."

The Heavenly Duke smiled. "We came together because we detected that you were borrowing our power to revive Earth Mother Yuanjun and thus observed this place. We didn't expect Earth Mother Yuanjun to be foolish for a moment and anger Heavenly Venerate Mu. Earth Mother Yuanjun is a magnificent being who has lived from primordial times until now, maintaining the Primordial World and protecting all living beings for billions of years. Her offense does not warrant death."

The Lava Earth Count said, "The Celestial Heavens' power is immense; even Heavenly Duke and I can barely protect ourselves. If you kill Earth Mother Yuanjun, wouldn't you lose a like-minded companion?"

Qin Mu shook his head and said, "Like-minded? I wouldn't dare accept that. She has bullied me too much; how did she treat me as an ally? Did you two brothers not hear just now that she called me a dog raised by you ancient gods?!"

The Heavenly Duke coughed. Earth Mother's Terrestrial Soul had no choice but to fly out from Gongsun Yan's body and burrow into the Primordial Wood's core.

Her voice came hoarsely from within the Primordial Wood's core: "I only have my Terrestrial Soul left, and the Primordial Wood's core is so weak. How will I fight against the Ten Heavenly Venerates in the future?"

Qin Mu tossed her a bottle of Primordial Grandmist Liquid and sneered, "I lost money reviving you! You begged me to revive you, and what you used was a bottle of Primordial Grandmist Liquid and the Primordial Wood's core. Now I've returned it all to you. You've gotten a great bargain!"