Chapter 1281: Taiji Divine Eye

Qin Mu ignored the noise. He opened the vertical eye on his forehead, but everything he saw was blurry. Knowing that the Ancient God of Grand Beginning in the egg was behind it, he had no choice but to remove the ancient god egg.

The Egg of Grand Beginning finally breathed a sigh of relief. The round egg rolled a few times on the ground, moving away from the gap in the Qin character continent to avoid being shoved back in and getting stuck by Qin Mu again.

"The ancient gods in the Grand Ultimate ore vein and I are on good terms; we have much in common," Qin Mu thought. "They shouldn't blame me for using the Grand Ultimate raw stones they gave me to enhance the power of my divine eye, right?"

Qin Mu comforted himself and then considered the Grand Ultimate raw stones again. He took one, rolled it up, and inserted it into the pupil of his vertical eye, plugging the gap.

"Celestial Venerable Mu, you're courting death!" cried the Ancient God of Grand Beginning from inside the egg.

The Grand Beginning, from within the egg, exclaimed, "The ancient gods in the Grand Ultimate ore vein are incredibly cunning, far more so than me! Among the five great ore veins, Grand Change was born early, and all the other ancient god eggs were unearthed except for his. You can imagine his insidious cunning, yet you dare to use his raw stones!"

Qin Mu attempted to activate the Grand Ultimate raw stone. He closed his two regular eyes and used only his vertical eye to observe his surroundings. Instantly, everything became peculiar.

Mountains, rocks, trees, rivers, clouds, and even plants, people, insects, birds, and beasts—all transformed into a bizarre spectacle of entangled Yin and Yang energies!

Qin Mu was astonished. He gently raised his palm and pinched a falling leaf. While the leaf retained its shape in his vision, its fundamental essence had already transformed into Yin and Yang energies.

With a slight thought, the leaf suddenly dissolved, becoming a wisp of Yin and Yang energies that dissipated into thin air.

Qin Mu opened his regular eyes; the leaf was entirely gone, leaving no trace, not even ashes.

He then activated his vertical eye again. With a gentle wave of his hand, a rock two or three people tall in front of him suddenly dissolved, turning into wisps of Yin and Yang energies that vanished into the world.

"This Grand Ultimate raw stone is even more powerful than the Grand Beginning raw stone!"

He couldn't help but feel excited. With another flick of his finger, a large tree suddenly transformed. The Yin and Yang energies that formed the tree shifted, turning it into a giant octopus with sprawling tentacles that scurried rapidly across rooftops and walls, disappearing into the distance.

The Grand Beginning, from within the egg, sneered, "You're doomed, you're finished. You've stolen the power of Grand Ultimate, and the karma is deeply rooted. That ancient god will never let you go."

"They're very good to me," Qin Mu said.

Qin Mu excitedly retorted, "Don't talk nonsense!"

"Good to you?"

The Grand Beginning, from within the egg, sneered, "If they're so good to you, why would they lure you to the Great Blackwood?"

Qin Mu paused for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled, "The Great Blackwood is the foremost holy land of the ancestral court; it's easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even Void Beasts don't dare to venture there easily, and the Ancient God Grand Change is stationed there. It has an abundance of ore veins, so my choice was truly wise!"

The Egg of Grand Beginning swayed back and forth, seemingly at a loss for words, unsure how to make him see reason.

"There's no hierarchy between Grand Ultimate and Grand Beginning," the Grand Beginning in the egg said, dropping the previous topic. "It's simply that the Grand Beginning raw stone isn't suitable for you, while the Grand Ultimate raw stone is more compatible."

The Grand Beginning, from within the egg, shifted the topic. "The Grand Beginning raw stone is more suitable for the Grand Emperor. By the way, why did you ask the Grand Emperor for Celestial Venerable Hao's heart?"

Qin Mu surveyed the Yankang scenery around him, orienting himself, and replied calmly, "I was merely afraid of the Grand Emperor, and I didn't want Celestial Venerable Mu to lose face, so I casually asked him for something. At least it was an exchange, not coercion."

The Grand Beginning in the egg was a hundred percent unconvinced, but since Qin Mu wouldn't elaborate, he couldn't guess his true intentions.

From a distance, Qin Mu spotted the true form of Earth Virtue Celestial Maiden Gongsun Yan. The Primal Wood was even more luxuriant and widespread, standing prominently in the eastern part of the Primal World, an exceptionally striking sight.

The Earth Virtue Heavenly Palace had been completed atop the Primal Wood's canopy. Most of the generals and soldiers within the palace hailed from Yankang. Though the Heavenly Court had enfeoffed Gongsun Yan as the Earth Virtue Celestial Maiden, granting her dominion over half the land, many in the Primal World remained defiant.

Yankang had been attacking these rebellious nations in Gongsun Yan's name, and its territory had now expanded, with its area several times larger than before.

Qin Mu observed the local customs, noting Yankang's celestial artisans diligently constructing flying bridges, laying roads, establishing manufacturing plants, and mining ore veins in the newly conquered territories. They sought to guide the people of these new lands with Yankang's philosophies.

"The Emperor is expanding too quickly," Qin Mu commented, "and Yankang's military strength hasn't kept pace. We need to pause and take time to cultivate new, young powerhouses, otherwise the empire will become unstable."

Upon entering Yankang's Upper Capital, Qin Mu told Ling Yuxiu, "The Void is already precarious and won't hold out much longer. Being too conspicuous now will only invite suppression from the Heavenly Court."

Ling Yuxiu nodded in agreement.

Qin Mu then produced a massive stack of blueprints and asked, "These blueprints are for a Divine Creation Artifact; they are extremely complex. Does Yankang have enough celestial artisans to forge this artifact?"

Ling Yuxiu gazed at the towering pile of blueprints, taken aback. She casually flipped through some of them, then frowned. "To forge something from such complex blueprints would require countless celestial artisans! It's utterly impossible to complete it in a short amount of time!"

Qin Mu cautiously inquired, "How long would that take?"

"It would take the celestial artisans over a decade just to comprehend these blueprints, and forging it would take even longer."

Ling Yuxiu calculated. "The major manufacturing plants also need to continue producing other divine weapons to sell to the Heavenly Court, so we don't have enough manpower. To forge this, it would require a century."

"A century is too long; we cannot wait that long!" Qin Mu declared.

Qin Mu stated decisively, "Since the manufacturing plants don't have many available celestial artisans, then go invite the Dao Sect; have those Daoists descend the mountains to help! Also, invite Xu Shenghua from the Western Earth to come here and work on the Divine Creation Artifact together."

Ling Yuxiu hesitated. "Is the situation so urgent that even Xu Shenghua must be called upon?"

Qin Mu nodded. "Within the next century, this world will undergo drastic changes. The Void won't even last ten years. Once the Void is pacified, the Ten Celestial Venerables will inevitably target Heavenly Duke. After Heavenly Duke's death, Earth Count alone won't be able to bear the burden, and the other three Ancient God Emperors will struggle even more. If forging this Divine Creation Artifact takes a century, then Yankang will have no hope against a unified Heavenly Court!"

A chill ran through Ling Yuxiu. She immediately dispatched messengers to invite Xu Shenghua and Dao Master Lin Xuan.

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. "I need to return to the ancestral court for a while; I won't be staying here long. In the future, if even Yankang cannot be protected, the ancestral court might serve as the last refuge for Yankang's human race."

Ling Yuxiu nodded silently. "Be careful on your journey."

Qin Mu departed immediately, traveling to the ancestral court via the spiritual energy transfer bridge.

The Egg of Grand Beginning was inexplicably excited. "This time we're entering the ancestral court," it declared, "let's first seize the Grand Beginning ore vein! We'll split the profits: one for you, nine for me!"

Qin Mu let out a wry laugh. "Brother Dao, Consort Yan is the Empress, and she occupies your territory. How could I possibly be her match? I'll take nine, you take one."

The Grand Beginning inside the egg erupted in fury, the round egg bouncing and raging in mid-air.

Qin Mu chuckled heartily. "Your ore vein wouldn't be of any use to me anyway, so don't worry; it was just a joke. However, Consort Yan is indeed not my match. Seizing the Grand Beginning ore vein from her will likely be a considerable challenge."

The Egg of Grand Beginning quieted down. "What are your plans?" it asked.

Qin Mu pondered. "I can't defeat her in a fight, so an exchange is the only option. I have her physical body here; perhaps I can trade it for treasures from the Grand Beginning ore vein, but..."

A look of intense reluctance crossed his face. Even though the Egg of Grand Beginning was hidden within his vertical eye, it could feel Qin Mu's reluctance so strongly that the Qin character continent itself began to tremble.

The Egg of Grand Beginning was silent for a moment, then offered, "I can teach you the Way of Grand Beginning as compensation."