Chapter 1183: New and Old Heroes

Qin Mu left the Yin Realm, carrying a lantern as he walked towards the capital of Eternal Peace. Suddenly, he felt a sensation and turned his head, seeing the vibrant Primordial Tree standing tall in the center of the Primordial World.

Exalted Heaven Venerable's celestial palace floated among the Primordial Tree's canopy. Beside it was Exalted Heaven Venerable's divine artifact, Heaven Suppressing Divine Artifact, which kept the Primordial World stable.

At that moment, the Heaven Suppressing Divine Artifact was looking at him.

Qin Mu smiled slightly and bowed in greeting. The Heaven Suppressing Divine Artifact nodded and averted its gaze.

Qin Mu was about to return to the capital when a swallow suddenly flew down, transforming into Yan Qinling. She stood gracefully before him and bowed, saying, "My master sent me to see Heavenly Venerable Mu. He said that if Heavenly Venerable Mu cannot defend the ancestral land, my master can offer assistance, as he commands many powerful individuals."

Qin Mu paused and replied, "Go back and tell him that I can defend my territory myself; he needn't worry."

Yan Qinling gave him a deep look and said, "This time, my master has ordered me to the ancestral land to guard the Primordial Ore Vein and mine Primordial Divine Stones."

"Be careful," Qin Mu advised.

Yan Qinling was slightly surprised, then smiled. "I will," she said, before turning and leaving.

Upon Qin Mu's return to the Eternal Peace capital, the Apothecary, First Ancestor Human Emperor, and previous Human Emperors had already been there for some time, along with the Blind Man and the Mute Man. The Mute Man was accompanied by over a dozen elegantly dressed girls, who were artisans under the Western Emperor. A group of talented young individuals from Eternal Peace was also present.

Qin Mu looked around and recognized several familiar faces among the young people, including Jiang Yunjian, the son of the former Imperial Preceptor Jiang Baigui, who had grown into a handsome young man in his twenties.

Jiang Yunjian hastily greeted Qin Mu, calling him "Uncle." Qin Mu seemed slightly displeased and said earnestly, "Yunjian, your father is older than me, so you shouldn't call me uncle."

Jiang Yunjian hesitated, then offered, "Godfather..."

Qin Mu's face flushed. He pushed the young man aside, who then timidly suggested, "Adoptive father..."

On the other side was a large-headed youth, Shu Jun, lurking furtively in the crowd, hoping Qin Mu wouldn't notice him. However, his prominent head gave him away. Qin Mu spotted him, pulled him out, and angrily asked, "You're going to the ancestral land too?"

Divine King Shu Jun replied with an ingratiating smile, "Why shouldn't I go to the ancestral land? It's the ancestral land of the Creation Spirit, not yours."

Qin Mu's expression changed. Divine King Shu Jun quickly added, "I'm familiar with the ancestral land. I'm essentially a local, so I can definitely help you! Besides, what would I rebel against you for there? The Creation Spirits are weakened now, and I don't even have a single Creation Spirit under my command. Even I no longer resemble a Creation Spirit; I'm more like a human. I'm a rising young talent in Eternal Peace with a great reputation!"

Qin Mu hesitated. "I'm worried you'll recall your former glory and cause trouble. Your territory has already been occupied by the Grand Emperor."

Shu Jun, unconcerned, chuckled, "I'll just take it back later."

Qin Mu could only concede.

Everyone prepared for departure. Ling Yuxiu ordered the manufacturing plant to send a fast boat. They boarded the vessel, which was not large, measuring only about ten *zhang* in length.

Ling Yuxiu saw them off, handing Qin Mu a Taotie Bag. "Inside is a spirit energy transfer bridge," she explained. "Once you're outside the ancestral land, you can set it up to establish a connection with Eternal Peace."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then nodded.

The fast boat entered the spirit energy transfer bridge leading to Creation Palace and soon appeared within the palace.

No sooner had they arrived at Creation Palace than they saw numerous massive battleships, some dozens or even hundreds of miles long, already setting sail from this supreme holy land of Heavenly Court's artifact refining!

These colossal battleships belonged to the disciples of the Heavenly Court's Ten Heavenly Venerables. Like floating landmasses, they had been refitted in Creation Palace, replenished with elixirs and minerals. Onboard, fully armed divine and demonic soldiers stood in dense ranks, radiating an air of impending battle, seemingly also bound for the ancestral land.

On these great battleships, the alchemical furnaces blazed fiercely, emitting white light. The gigantic furnaces resembled small suns.

Each battleship also had a spirit energy transfer bridge in the center of its deck, allowing connection between the battleship and Heavenly Court for convenient support.

Every large vessel flew banners emblazoned with different totems and characters, representing the Ten Heavenly Venerables: Hao, Xiao, Hong, Gong, Qiang, Huo, and others.

"Godfather, should we raise Heavenly Venerable Mu's banner?" Jiang Yunjian asked.

Just as Qin Mu was about to speak, the Mute Man and the Blind Man excitedly unfurled their banner. It depicted an ox and a herdsman, along with the character "Mu," and they hung it up.

The battleships on either side looked down at their small boat, and bursts of laughter erupted.

"Heavenly Venerable Mu!" A divine being on one of the ships leaned down and chuckled, "Your Venerable's boat is small and slow, hardly befitting your esteemed status. Why not come aboard here? We're all headed to the ancestral land; we can give your Venerable a ride."

The Blind Man angrily retorted, "You ignorant fools, the advantages of this boat are beyond the imagination of shallow-minded people like you!"

Despite his bold words, he was still uneasy and quietly asked the Mute Man, "Blacksmith, how's this boat? Can it compete with Heavenly Court's battleships?" The Mute Man observed Heavenly Court's battleships and shook his head. "Although Heavenly Court's ships are older models and consume more elixirs and minerals, their firepower is substantial. Our boat is small and not as sturdy; it can't compare. If Heavenly Court's ships activate all their alchemical furnaces, they can easily outpace us."

The Apothecary nodded, sniffing the air. "The spiritual energy from the elixirs and minerals in their furnaces isn't fully combusted, but they're using top-grade materials, which burn with fierce power. While Eternal Peace's furnaces are more refined, they're smaller and can't match them."

As the fleet departed Heavenly Court, the battleships under the Ten Heavenly Venerables unleashed their full alchemical furnace power, accelerating at an astonishing rate. They left streaks of light in the starry sky, leaving their small boat far behind.

Qin Mu took out Heavenly Venerable Yue's lantern and hung it on the mast.

The fast boat continued to move leisurely, yet it soon spotted the Heavenly Court battleships ahead. Before long, the fast boat was in front of them.

On the battleships, countless faces registered shock.

Everyone turned back to look, only to see that the Heavenly Court battleships had been left far behind, completely out of sight.

A few days later, the fast boat arrived near the ancestral land. From a distance, they saw a crimson, blood-stained rift in the heavens.

Qin Mu approached the rift in the heavens, stopped the small boat, and took out the Taotie Bag Ling Yuxiu had given him, retrieving the components of the spirit energy transfer bridge.

Everyone quickly came forward to help, hastily assembling the spirit energy transfer bridge.

Qin Mu activated the transfer bridge, and immediately a pillar of light shot up from the top of the altar, piercing through the void.

Simultaneously, a transfer bridge far away in Eternal Peace of the Primordial World lit up, its array activating, connecting the two bridges.

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then unleashed his divine arts, imprinting them onto the spirit energy transfer bridge. "It's ready now," he said. "Let's enter the ancestral land."

The divine art he employed was Heavenly Venerable Ling's unchanging matter divine art. Even if the bridge were destroyed, it would quickly restore itself, ensuring the path remained unbroken.

Everyone arrived before the rift in the heavens, looking at the seals left by the eight Heavenly Venerables, feeling a sense of apprehension.

Qin Mu smiled. "The eight Heavenly Venerables sealed this place, and I've also applied my own seal. You can easily pass through my seal."

"Mu'er, where is your seal?" the Blind Man asked, peering for a long time without seeing Qin Mu's seal.

"It's right there. Do you see that faint line passing through the eight Heavenly Venerables' seals?"

Qin Mu pointed for a moment before everyone finally saw it, their expressions peculiar. "What a subtle seal. How do we pass through it?"