Chapter 1176: Youtian Zun's Yellow Talisman

Qin Mu returned to Yanfang on the ark, traveling with a Yanfang merchant caravan. He first met with the Mute and the Blind and informed them about the Ancestral Court. Their eyes lit up, the Blind's even more so, and they immediately wanted to depart for the Ancestral Court.

Qin Mu quickly dissuaded them, saying, "That place holds many rare treasures and exotic herbs, so we must bring Grandpa Pharmacist along. Furthermore, my special land there is the most precious site in the Ancestral Court. It needs powerful experts to guard it, preventing it from being seized by those from the Ten Celestials' lineage. Therefore, I plan to invite all past Human Emperors from the Human Emperor Palace to reside there and protect it. The Ancestral Court is quite distant and perilous, so it's best if we all go together to look out for each other."

Only then did the two elders curb their eagerness.

Ling Yuxiu immediately ordered someone to contact Pharmacist and the First Ancestor Human Emperor, telling Qin Mu, "It will take them a few days to arrive, so please wait a few days."

Qin Mu took out the Lumberjack Sage's letter and silently activated the Soul-Leading Art. After a moment, he put away the letter, retrieved Celestial Venerable Yue's lantern, and departed.

He had already sensed the Lumberjack Sage's whereabouts and knew that following that direction would lead him to Fengdu.

The Primordial Realm was vast. Qin Mu journeyed with the lantern for half a day until he finally reached the source of the Surging River.

Here, the Surging River was no longer a mere river but the Heavenly River itself, flowing from various Heavens within the Primordial Realm. It gathered its waters, ascending majestically from the Primordial Realm to the Heavenly Court in the outer reaches, and then on to the Four Extreme Heavens.

Qin Mu arrived at the source of the Surging River and looked around. He saw that the fractured cliffs, which once stretched across the Great Ruins from north to south, had been broken into countless segments by the unsealed Primordial Realm, now extending intermittently from the southern to the northern reaches of the realm.

Carrying the lantern, he ambled along. Soon after, his figure suddenly flickered and vanished from the Primordial Realm.

Simultaneously, inside the Heavenly Palace on the Primordial Tree, Celestial Venerable Xiao's clay idol suddenly stirred. Outside the palace, the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu, instantly opened its eyes and scanned the area where Qin Mu had vanished.

Its gaze pierced through layers of void and through various heavens, yet it could not find any trace of Qin Mu.

"Could that brat have gone to Youdu?"

The divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu, shifted its gaze towards Youdu. The clay idol in the Heavenly Palace, surprisingly agile, frowned and muttered, "It's one thing for him to come to Yanfang to recruit forces this time, but him running around everywhere definitely means he's plotting something. Celestial Venerable Mu, why can't you just be an obedient chess piece..."

The divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu's gaze swept into Youdu like two immense, radiant beams of light. It scanned the darkness but found no sign of Qin Mu, so its gaze then shifted towards Earth Count's physical body within the dark Youdu.

Just then, a paper boat slowly drifted into view. An elder on the boat held a horse lantern and shined it onto the face of the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu. The clay idol's eyes suddenly went black, rendering it blind.

The elder held a yellow talisman paper and pressed it against the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu.

When the clay idol's vision returned, it looked up to see a yellow talisman paper stuck to the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu's brow. Written on it were Youdu characters, resembling ghostly scrawls.

"Celestial Venerable You!"

The clay idol was enraged. Celestial Venerable You's technique was formidable; a single talisman paper had sealed its divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu, closing off all its vital points and preventing it from controlling the artifact!

"This talisman isn't easily removed. You'll need to be careful."

It flew up, approaching the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu's brow. It channeled the magical power within the clay idol, cautiously extending a hand towards the yellow talisman.

Just then, the yellow talisman on the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu's brow suddenly floated up—revealing that there were actually two talismans!

With a whoosh, the second talisman paper slapped onto the clay idol's brow!

The clay idol instantly felt every part of its body sealed. Neither primordial qi nor divine consciousness could leave its form to manifest as divine abilities.

Not only that, it also felt its body become incredibly heavy, plummeting uncontrollably from the air!

After a long while, a loud thud echoed as the heavy object hit the ground. The clay idol was shattered into countless pieces, beyond repair!

Only then did the divine consciousness and primordial qi within the clay idol feel free again. It saw the yellow talisman paper float away, and from within it came Celestial Venerable You's chilling voice: "Don't provoke Youdu..."

The yellow talisman paper vanished.

Simultaneously, the yellow talisman on the divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu's forehead also detached and disappeared.

"Celestial Venerable You!" The divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu, clenched its fists tightly, but did not strike into Youdu.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu arrived in the Tianyin Realm.

Ever since the Primordial Realm's seal was broken, the Tianyin Realm had lost contact with the outside world, and the rift that once connected it to the Great Ruins had vanished.

As Qin Mu entered the Tianyin Realm, he saw from a distance that numerous Yanfang divine arts practitioners and deities had already constructed divine cities there, flourishing and multiplying.

Since Qin Mu discovered the Tianyin Realm, Emperor Yanfeng and former Imperial Advisor Jiang Baigui had sent Yanfang divine arts practitioners and common folk to reside there, assisting Empress Tianyin in developing the realm.

After all, Empress Tianyin had been virtually alone there.

Although no longer an ancient god, she still possessed power comparable to one. More significantly, she had broken free from the Great Dao restrictions of the ancient gods and could now cultivate other Great Daos.

Of course, Qin Mu had also invited the Lumberjack Sage, King Yama, Xu Shenghua, and others to decipher the Tianyin Realm's Great Dao runes at the time. This had prompted Empress Tianyin to comprehend her own Great Dao divine abilities, resolving the issues of soul black sand and famished spirits within the Tianyin Realm.

Emperor Yanfeng's decision to send Yanfang divine arts practitioners and common folk was also aimed at developing the Tianyin Realm's divine abilities, which would bring immense benefits to both Yanfang and Empress Tianyin.

Fortunately, when the Yanfang Calamity erupted, this place remained largely unaffected.

"Back then, because we resurrected Empress Tianyin, quelled the chaos in the Tianyin Realm, and deciphered the Great Dao runes of the Tianyin Realm, Empress Tianyin gave each of us a treasure pearl."

Qin Mu looked from afar and saw Empress Tianyin cultivating above the Sea of Tianyin. All shattered souls in the world converged upon the Tianyin Realm, subject to Empress Tianyin's divine powers.

Empress Tianyin's cultivation had clearly increased significantly, and her strength was growing. From a distance, Qin Mu could see a magnificent Heavenly Palace, resembling black sand, situated behind her.

"Empress Tianyin used her own Great Dao divine light to forge seven treasure pearls, which she gifted to the Imperial Advisor, First Ancestor, King Yama, Xu Shenghua, me, Yan Jingjing, and Teacher Lumberjack. She stated that she would provide full assistance to anyone who came bearing one of these pearls!"

Qin Mu smiled as he walked towards the Sea of Tianyin, thinking to himself, "I should have realized that the reason Fengdu managed to evade the Heavenly Court's Four Emperors was because either the Lumberjack or King Yama possessed a treasure pearl and asked her to conceal Fengdu. I simply never used my own pearl and had forgotten all about it."

Empress Tianyin sensed his arrival, stirring from her meditation to turn and look at Qin Mu.

She rose, divine light swirling around her, transforming into flowing ribbons or an oval halo obliquely positioned behind her head. Her hair was styled beautifully, with jet-black strands, like the black sand of souls, dancing ethereally in the air, imbued with an indescribable grace.

"My sixteenth Heavenly Palace, the Tianyin Heavenly Palace, is within reach!"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and called out, "Fellow Daoist, I trust you have been well since we last met?"