Chapter 1164: Not a Fierce Dragon Crossing the River

Black and white energies swirled within the eyes of each Creator, seemingly in surprise. However, they possessed no true thoughts. As Qin Mu's shout rang out, the Creators once again charged towards him with a roar.

Those who had leaped into the air leaped again, those clinging to the mountain walls continued to do so, and those on the ground still ran wildly.

Their axes and picks followed their original trajectories, imbued with the profound principles of Yin and Yang, attacking Qin Mu from all angles.

Violent tremors reverberated, and in the sky, the black and white Yin-Yang fish reappeared, swirling around each other.

At the foot of the mountain, Dragon Qilin looked up, a thought of surprise crossing his mind: "It feels like all of this has happened before..."

Inside the mining area, time seemed to rewind to its starting point.

The Creators had killed Qin Mu, pulverizing him into a bloody mess. Yet, in the next moment, they each returned to their original positions, standing in a V-formation, leaning on their axes and picks.

Qin Mu still stood before them, bursting into laughter and shouting, "Come on—"

Everything seemed to re-enact itself. The Creators charged again, raising their axes and picks once more. Again, an incredibly dazzling yet terrifying power erupted, and the Yin-Yang fish rotated at the zenith.

Yet, this time, Qin Mu survived the attack, swaying amidst the Creators without collapsing.

Each time, he employed different techniques. These three attempts had already allowed him to find a path to survival.

Qin Mu grinned, his mouth full of blood, and chuckled, "I'm not dead..."

A Creator behind him swung an axe-pick, plunging the weapon into his forehead and shattering him into pieces.

The other Creators each raised their axes and picks, striking him in turn. It was at this moment that time seemed to rewind again, and in the next instant, each Creator returned to their starting point.

Qin Mu stood there perfectly fine once more, bursting into laughter and shouting, "Come on—"

At the foot of the mountain, Dragon Qilin, Yan'er, the Void Beast, and Little Earth Count had grown accustomed to the intermittent black and white light pillars and Yin-Yang fish appearing in the sky. They continued with their own affairs.

Little Earth Count lay on the Void Beast's head, both of them drooling as they stared at the elusive primordial beasts on the mountain. Yan'er took out the Basin of Abundance given to her by God King Lang Wo, intending to conjure more spiritual pills. Meanwhile, Dragon Qilin dozed by the village gate.

Inside the mining area, Qin Mu was shattered and revived repeatedly. Each time, he survived for a progressively longer duration.

Finally, he was shattered again, just as everything seemed to return to its starting point. Suddenly, the Creators opened their mouths one by one, and streams of Yin and Yang energy, like dragons, coiled out from their mouths and swarmed into Qin Mu's body!

Clearly, the Taiji ore vein had developed a self-awareness. It recognized that Qin Mu was using this "cheating" method to grow stronger and deepen his understanding of the Way of Yin and Yang. Therefore, it decided to take advantage of Qin Mu's death to assimilate him, turning him into a part of the mining area!

As the Yin and Yang energies left the Creators' bodies, the Creators rapidly petrified, turning into stone statues!

When the Yin and Yang energies burrowed into Qin Mu's flesh, they fiercely clashed with the Immutability of Matter divine art. The pulverized Qin Mu would sometimes coalesce, sometimes turn into rocks, sometimes his flesh would reappear, sometimes he would become a multi-headed monster, and sometimes he would revert to Qin Mu's form!

Ling Tianzun, building upon the Way of Creation, developed the Immutability of Matter divine art. This art fiercely clashed with the Yin and Yang energies. One represented the immutability of matter, while the other represented the transformation of matter, evolving into all things, even life itself.

In this collision, one must yield.

If the Immutability divine art lost, Qin Mu would die.

If the Yin and Yang energies lost, Qin Mu would live.

It was that simple!

The fierce clash continued for an unknown duration. Qin Mu slowly rose from the pool of blood. Just as a hint of a smile appeared on his face, he suddenly exploded with a *bang*, transforming into an unfurled Taiji diagram.

Within the Taiji diagram, Yin and Yang energies flowed gently.

After another moment, the Yin and Yang energies gradually rose from the diagram, forming Qin Mu's figure.

It was his Spirit Embryo. Ling Tianzun's Immutability divine art had clashed with the Yin and Yang energies, obliterating his physical body and primordial spirit, leaving only his Spirit Embryo indestructible!

Qin Mu's Spirit Embryo stood in the center of the Taiji diagram, holding a broken sword.

The hilt of this broken sword bore two Taiji patterns, which were actually two Taiji divine stones embedded on its front and back sides.

The Spirit Embryo swung the sword, delivering a horizontal slash all around him!

"Heaven Opens!"

Around him, the Great Dao trembled. A colossal sound, like that of creation, resonated. A Primordial Tree was seen rising from the ground, supporting the clear and turbid energies, separating Yin and Yang. Countless stars appeared, floated, and gradually moved away, forming the Profound Capital in the firmament!

The Heavenly River descended, flowing out from the Profound Capital, surging majestically. It flowed through the Four Poles, and the Northern Pole Heaven emerged. Two ancient gods were born: Xu (Mysterious) and Wu (Martial). Xuanwu, a combination of Xu and Wu, with a coiled Tengsnake around a Black Tortoise, suddenly trembled, and countless stars and constellations were born in the Northern Heaven.

The ancient gods of the Northern Heaven, each with unique and strange forms, took their seats in various star regions.

The Heavenly River flowed to the west, and the Western Pole Heaven appeared. The White Tiger roared, and countless stars and constellations of the Western Heaven were born. The ancient gods of the Western Heaven, with vast divine powers, took their positions among the constellations.

Next, the Southern Pole Heaven's Vermillion Bird, the Eastern Pole Heaven's Azure Dragon, and various other star regions, emerged one after another.

The Heavenly River surged, flowing through the Primordial Capital. It descended from the heavens, encircling the Primordial Tree. All the heavens erupted, emitting colorful light, and hung around the Primordial Tree.

The Heavenly River flowed majestically, rushing into the sea, submerging into the dark Youdu. It passed between the two Nine Bend Yellow Springs, transforming into the Underworld River, which coiled around Earth Count's body.

The Underworld River reached Earth Count's feet, falling into Guixu and rushing into the Great Abyss.

In the Great Abyss, a twin-headed lotus lightly trembled as it met the river water, growing out from the pitch-black abyss.

At the other end of Guixu, the Heavenly River surged, appearing above the Profound Capital. It flowed through the eyebrows and eyes of Heaven Duke; his long eyebrows fluttered, reflecting the Heavenly River.

In the dark region beneath Heaven Duke's feet, the Heavenly Yin World vibrated. Countless black soul sands flew out, descending from the heavens and entering Qin Mu's Spirit Embryo, transforming into his three souls and seven ethereal souls.

On the Taiji diagram, continuous clanging sounds and waves of Daoist hymns resonated. One could see heavenly palaces, arrayed like fish scales, emerging from the Yin and Yang energies within the diagram. Within each palace, Daoist hymns boomed and vibrated, shining as if brand new.

On the God-Slaying platforms within each heavenly palace, the Yin and Yang energies coiled and transformed, resembling two divine blades, capable of severing all things.

This was Qin Mu's Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure domain!

Suddenly, the Divine Treasure domain rapidly contracted, growing smaller and smaller. In a short time, it was compressed into the shape of a brain.

Around the brain, blood vessels sprouted, bones grew, and hair unfurled. Qin Mu's face appeared, followed by the growth of his facial features, heart, internal organs, and limbs.

Qin Mu reached out and grasped the sword. The broken sword appeared in his hand, and as he moved to sheath it at his waist, the sword's scabbard also appeared there.

He stepped out of the circle of Creator statues. His clothes were also restoring themselves. By the time he walked clear of the circle formed by dozens of statues, his cape billowed behind him, flapping loudly.

A faint sigh seemed to emanate from within the mining area. Qin Mu paid it no heed and continued to press forward. No unusual phenomena were visible in the mining area; even the Yin and Yang energies on the mountain walls had ceased flowing, and the Taiji divine stones showed no changes.

After walking for a long time, a vast expanse of boundless Yin and Yang energy appeared ahead, forming an enormous Taiji pattern.

At the center of this hundred-mile-wide pattern was a magnificent altar. The altar also represented the division of Yin and Yang, and a divine egg stood silently on its central axis.

Surrounding this divine egg were eight raw stones, each imbued with the Dao rhythm of Yin and Yang.

Qin Mu approached the divine egg. He drew the sword from his waist and thrust it into the altar. Then, he sat cross-legged, his expression calm, and said, "Brother in the egg, I, Qin Mu, a stranger from afar, greet you."