Chapter 1172: Moon Heavenly Lord's Lantern

The one who destroyed Qin Mu's altar, completely obliterating the two Celestial Venerable chariots and eighteen Celestial Dragons, was an incredibly powerful Divine Weapon Celestial Venerable.

"The number of Divine Weapon Celestial Venerables is limited. So far, although Zaofu Celestial Palace has created many smaller Divine Weapon Celestial Venerables, only ten truly possess world-destroying power."

Emperor God Lang Xuan's face was clouded with uncertainty, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "But now there's an eleventh! Who created this eleventh Divine Weapon Celestial Venerable?"

"Of course, it's Madam Yuan Mu."

Celestial Venerable Gong looked around and said, "There's not a trace to be found here. Our chariots and Celestial Venerable Mu's altar seem to have been completely annihilated. Only the Empress and her sister possess such power."

Concubine Yan and Concubine Qiang nodded, saying, "Only the Empress and Madam Yuan Mu, with their Return to the Void divine art, can completely destroy matter."

The eight Celestial Venerables looked worried.

Ancestor God King whispered, "But Madam Yuan Mu was killed by Celestial Venerable Ling..."

Everyone fell silent.

In the Celestial Heavens, it seemed there truly was an eleventh Celestial Venerable, and that Celestial Venerable was none other than Madam Yuan Mu, the ancient god born from the Dao, who possessed the power to destroy matter!

Qin Mu suddenly asked, "Could Madam Yuan Mu be Celestial Venerable Huo or Celestial Venerable Void?"

Everyone's hearts froze.

Qin Mu blinked and said, "Among the Ten Celestial Venerables, only those two aren't here. They are the most suspicious!"

Celestial Venerable Hao coughed indifferently, "Celestial Venerable Mu, don't try to muddy the waters. They are leading the Celestial Heavens' army to attack the Great Void; they are too busy to be involved."

Qin Mu smiled faintly and said no more. His goal was to muddy the waters. Even if Celestial Venerable Hao said that, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't harbor suspicions towards Celestial Venerable Huo and Celestial Venerable Void. As long as there was suspicion, his words wouldn't be in vain.

"What a troubled time," Celestial Venerable Hong sighed wistfully, lamenting, "These ancient gods refuse to die. When will we be able to eliminate them and restore peace to the world? Oh, well, I'm off!"

With his large sleeves billowing, he gracefully departed into the distance. The other Celestial Venerables also left, leaving Qin Mu behind.

Qin Mu's face darkened, and he dutifully continued his journey. The starry sky stretched endlessly. Although his speed was not slow, it was immeasurably slower than that of the Celestial Venerables. He transformed into a streak of light, sprinting for several months until he finally encountered the first star.

"Traveling on foot, it might take me more than ten years to return to the Celestial Heavens!"

Qin Mu composed himself, then suddenly remembered the lantern Celestial Venerable Yue had given him. A thought stirred within him: "Celestial Venerable Yue established her Dao through spatial arts, becoming a Celestial Venerable. Is there something unusual about her lantern?"

He took out the lantern, holding it aloft. As he channeled profound vital qi into it, the vast starry sky seemed to shrink beneath his feet wherever the light shone. Under the lantern's glow, the distant sun became incredibly tiny, as if he could cross it in a single stride.

Qin Mu was stunned. He tentatively took a step and found himself crossing an entire solar system. After dozens of consecutive steps, he had traversed a nebula.

"This divine ability... truly lives up to the name of a Celestial Venerable!" He continued forward, holding the lantern, traversing the vast galaxy, filled with admiration. The lantern given to him by Celestial Venerable Yue was indeed a treasure worthy of a Celestial Venerable, inspiring nothing but awe.

"Celestial Venerable Yue possesses such immense divine power, so how were her legs broken? And why can't they be healed?" Qin Mu was puzzled. He then recalled the painting Celestial Venerable Yue had given him—a painting Qin Mu himself had drawn and given to her, which she then returned to him in the peach forest.

"I still have two opportunities to return to the past. I plan to use one to rescue Celestial Venerable Ling, and perhaps with the other, I can meet Celestial Venerable Yue..."

He traveled through the night with the lantern, weaving through the starry sky. He raised his hand and took out the Grand Beginning Egg, carefully studying the Daoist sounds emanating from it. Unconsciously, he fell into a deep sleep, yet his steps continued forward without pause. His dreams materialized in his mind, and from hundreds of these dreams, countless tiny Qin Mus emerged, diligently writing and drawing while listening to the Grand Beginning Daoist sounds.

After more than ten days, Qin Mu caught up to Celestial Venerable Gong. Under Celestial Venerable Gong's dumbfounded gaze, he strode past, holding his lantern high. Half a day later, Qin Mu overtook Concubine Yan and Ancestor God King. The two Celestial Venerables stared at him wide-eyed as Qin Mu, oblivious to their presence, carried his lantern and left them far behind.

"That boy is carrying an egg on his head and looking down on everyone!" Ancestor God King was furious and tried to chase after him, but to his surprise, he not only failed to catch up but also fell further and further behind. Ancestor God King fumed, cursing under his breath.

Qin Mu then caught up to Celestial Venerable Xiao and Celestial Venerable Qiang, who were chatting and laughing like close friends. They watched in disbelief as Qin Mu walked right past them. The two stared blankly at the sleeping Qin Mu, then exchanged glances. Celestial Venerable Qiang laughed, "Brother Dao, does that egg look like the treasure lost from Zhaoyang Hall?" Celestial Venerable Xiao replied indifferently, "I'm not from the Emperor's family; how would I know what treasures are in Zhaoyang Hall? Concubine, please don't joke."

Celestial Venerable Hao and Emperor God Lang Xuan were walking at the very front when they suddenly felt something and turned back simultaneously. They saw Qin Mu approaching from behind, snoring, and moving at an astonishing speed, passing right by them.

"Celestial Venerable Yue's divine abilities truly are among the most extraordinary," Emperor God Lang Xuan couldn't help but exclaim admiringly.

Celestial Venerable Hao said coolly, "No matter how miraculous, she is still a paralyzed person who cannot move. The only parts of her that can move now are her two hands and her head. If she isn't more compliant, she won't even be able to move her head."

Emperor God Lang Xuan chuckled, "It took quite some effort and rather unsavory methods to cripple her back then."

"The victors are kings, the vanquished are bandits. Defeat is defeat." Celestial Venerable Hao's gaze was deep and profound as he said, "After Celestial Venerable Yun died, she had already announced her retirement to the world, vowing not to reappear for over a hundred thousand years. Yet, when Celestial Venerable Ling invited her, she still broke her promise and emerged. Two women, daring to try and overturn the heavens!"

Emperor God Lang Xuan said, "It was also thanks to Celestial Venerable Xiao's deep understanding of righteousness."

Celestial Venerable Hao nodded slightly, his gaze strange, and said, "Xiao Weisu... hehe, he's very interesting. He never fought me before, and he never will!" He suddenly uttered this remark, and Emperor God Lang Xuan didn't know what it meant, but he didn't ask. The reason he had survived until now was his practice of feigning ignorance while understanding everything. Although his strength was no less than Celestial Venerable Hao's, he always avoided taking the lead, letting Celestial Venerable Hao do so instead.

Qin Mu's steps appeared slow, but his actual speed was incredibly fast. In the dream realm above his head, countless tiny Qin Mus were diligently studying the Grand Beginning Egg, organizing various Dao runes.

Suddenly, a tiny Qin Mu pointed ahead, his expression serious as he exclaimed, "Maha—" The other tiny Qin Mus looked up and saw that the Celestial Heavens were close at hand. They immediately pointed forward, shouting, "Maha Maha!"

"Goochi Goochi!"

The dream realm collapsed, and Qin Mu awoke from his slumber. He raised his hand to retrieve the Grand Beginning Egg, and his vertical eye between his brows opened, shining a divine light on the egg and taking it away. He looked up and saw the West Heavenly Gate of the Celestial Heavens directly ahead.

He put away his lantern and stepped into the West Heavenly Gate. He hadn't walked far before reaching Zaofu Celestial Palace. Qin Mu passed through Zaofu Celestial Palace and saw many cargo ships laden with goods emerging from the Spirit Energy Migration Bridge. The master of Zaofu Celestial Palace was a burly, bearded man named Shi Qiluo, rumored to be a divine stone that had gained sentience and cultivated to the Emperor's Throne realm. This man was proficient in crafting and was the foremost Grandmaster of Forging in the Celestial Heavens. Divine artifacts of creation were placed under his control.

Qin Mu stopped and looked around, seeing Ling Yuxiu personally escorting these goods from Eternal Peace, handing them over to Shi Qiluo. Yun Chuxiu was also on the ship, bustling about. Upon seeing him, the enchantress's face flushed with excitement. She stood at the bow, chest puffed out, waving to him from a distance, and then leaned her head to whisper something to Ling Yuxiu.

Qin Mu's face darkened, and he let out a cold snort: "You little hussy, how could I be tempted by you?"

With that thought, he walked towards the Eternal Peace cargo ship.