Chapter 1130: Bone

Long Qilin and Yan'er were long accustomed to Qin Mu's resurrection divine art, but it was Yu Chudu's first time witnessing it, and he couldn't help but be shocked. Qin Mu summoned the fragmented souls and reshaped them. This divine art was absolutely a destiny-defying, world-altering ability. While he had witnessed countless divine arts in the world, he had never before heard of one like Qin Mu's. This divine art transcended life, death, and reincarnation, making it impossible for even the four ancient gods born from the Great Dao—Heaven Duke, Earth Count, Empress Dowager Tian Yin, and Yuan Mu—to control Qin Mu's destiny.

Beyond the shock, Yu Chudu also felt apprehension, believing that this divine art, by keeping the dead from truly dying, defied the heavens and went against the natural cycle of life, death, and reincarnation. Yet, every divine art in this world, while inherently following the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, also, in some way, defies it. For instance, the medical arts, which save lives and heal injuries, are also a form of defiance. Likewise, the art of cultivation, which accelerates the growth of crops or livestock, also goes against natural processes. Moreover, consider metallurgy and forging, splitting mountains and seas, constructing aerial bridges, and laying roads—aren't all these acts of defiance? What's more, all divine arts in the world are inherently destructive, capable of destroying life and disrupting the natural order—another form of defiance. It's simply that people have grown accustomed to these other forms of defiance and no longer find them strange, whereas Qin Mu's divine art is genuinely astonishing and unconventional.

When the little girl awoke, she pouted her lips, on the verge of tears. Yu Chudu quickly stepped forward to gently comfort her.

"Nephew Yu," Qin Mu said, "you cannot remain in the Celestial Heavens, nor do you have a place in the White Emperor's Western Heaven territory. Why not take her with you to the Primordial Realm?" Qin Mu added, "She is now alone and helpless, and my side is too dangerous for a young girl. I must ask you to look after her."

Yu Chudu, somewhat reluctant, replied, "Disciple wishes to follow Martial Uncle and cultivate for a period to broaden my horizons."

Qin Mu chuckled, "Following me is of no use. Your master's abilities far exceed mine, and his understanding is deeper. Soon, I'll be able to rescue him. When you two reunite, you'll naturally have ample opportunity to broaden your horizons."

"It's not fun or exciting around Master..." Yu Chudu muttered under his breath.

"Exciting?" Qin Mu's expression became peculiar. "In the future," he thought, "you'll have plenty of excitement, perhaps even deadly excitement."

Yu Chudu also knew that the Celestial Heavens were determined to capture him. Wei Suifeng, eccentric and brilliant, had ventured into the Grand Primordium and devised a method to shield against inner demons, allowing safe passage through the crumbling void. Such a method could only have been created by a genius like Wei Suifeng. Yu Chudu was Wei Suifeng's most capable disciple, having inherited all his skills. The Celestial Heavens would undoubtedly stop at nothing to acquire this method!

"Even if you go to Yankang," Qin Mu said, "there's still one person who can trace your whereabouts and even seize your soul." Qin Mu produced the Book of Life and Death, shining it on Yu Chudu. "That person is the Son of Yin Heaven," he explained. "I'll remove your name from the Book of Life and Death first, so he won't be able to find you."

After erasing Yu Chudu's name from the book, Qin Mu continued, "In no more than five years, or as little as two, I'll be able to break through the ghost ship and rescue your master. Then, you two can naturally be reunited. When you reach Yankang, study humbly, gain your own insights, and forge your own path, striving to advance from third-rate to second-rate."

Yu Chudu's expression darkened slightly, but he bowed in thanks, holding the little girl's hand. "This disciple will certainly not let down Martial Uncle's teachings!" he declared.

Qin Mu bent down to look at the little girl, smiling. "Nannan, what's your name?" he asked.

The little girl still clutched the beast bone tightly, her face smudged. "Hua Xuanxiu," she timidly said, offering the bone, "Uncle, eat."

She offered the beast bone, gnawed down to mere traces of meat, to Qin Mu. He took it, smiling. "Hua Xuanxiu, what a beautiful name," he said. "Do you know that since you've been resurrected, your three souls and seven spirits have been strengthened by my divine art? Even ordinary divine practitioners of the Six Directions realm won't be your match. I'll give you another big bone!" He reached out, summoning the thigh bone of the ancient god Zhuzhu. After removing the flesh, refining it, and suppressing the formidable power within the divine bone, he placed it in her arms. "This is for your self-defense," he said with a smile.

Hua Xuanxiu clutched the exceptionally large thigh bone tightly, struggling with its weight. However, upon examining it, she looked somewhat disappointed. "Uncle," she said, "there's no meat on this. It's for dogs!"

"Dogs can't bite through this," Qin Mu replied. He laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Worthy nephew, take her," he instructed.

Yu Chudu bowed, then took Hua Xuanxiu's small hand and departed.

Qin Mu tossed the beast bone Hua Xuanxiu had given him to Long Qilin. Long Qilin bit it but immediately spat it out, grumbling, "I'm a vegetarian... Cult Master, where are we going now?"

Qin Mu strode away. "We're going to the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace," he said, "then we'll turn to the Southern, Northern, and Eastern Heavens for a look."

Long Qilin, with Yan'er, quickly followed, tentatively asking, "Are we still going to kill the ancient gods of the other Heavens? If the ancient gods of all four Heavens die, it will cause a great disturbance."

"Just walking around and observing," Qin Mu replied. His eyes gleamed. "I'm going to these worlds to observe how the people live there," he said. "It's not necessarily about attacking the ancient gods. Hehe..." He chuckled, "In truth, aren't demigods just another iteration of ancient gods? If I alone were to eliminate all these stubborn ancient gods, what would that truly achieve? If ancient gods are gone, demigods remain; kill the demigods, and another group will emerge. They can never be entirely eradicated."

Long Qilin pondered, "Then how can all this be changed?"

"It still requires self-strengthening," Qin Mu replied. "Humanity needs to strengthen itself, and so do the postnatal races." Qin Mu considered for a moment. "Only when people become strong, no longer fear demigods and ancient gods, dare to resist, and master formidable power, can true change happen," he explained. "Only then can gods serve humanity. This is why Yankang's reform is essential. Confronting injustice with a sword is merely a minor skirmish. What I truly aim to do..."

He gazed at the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace, which was growing nearer. "It is to extend Yankang's reform throughout the vast cosmos, to all the great heavens, and shatter the gods in the hearts of their people!" he stated calmly. "The Dragon Han era didn't achieve it, nor did the Crimson Light era. The Supreme Emperor and the Founding Emperor both failed. But Yankang might just succeed."

He let out a sigh. "During this time, as I journey through the four great heavens," he said, "I can also use this opportunity to quiet my mind, study Ling Tianzun's notebooks, and rescue my Senior Brother and the Feathered Forest Army from the ghost ship. More importantly..." He did not elaborate further. He needed to understand the Great Dao of the two unborn ancient gods: the ancient god egg within the Glazed Azure Sky Pagoda and the Grand Beginning egg. These two ancient gods gave him a very unsettling premonition. Especially within his Qin character continent, these two ancient gods were communicating, yet they would immediately cease whenever his divine sense entered the realm. This situation was far too bizarre! If these two beings, comparable to ancient gods and Celestial Emperors, were to be born, what terrifying turmoil would they unleash? He absolutely had to understand what they were communicating, their thoughts, and their Great Dao!