Chapter 1296: Evil Earth Mother

Consort Yan's eyes gleamed. "I want my physical body back first. Once you've obtained the primordial stone, then you can give me Hao'er's blood!"

Qin Mu immediately produced the Empress's Coffin and placed it upright before Consort Yan.

With a flick of Consort Yan's sleeve, the coffin lid opened. She surveyed her body from head to toe.

Inside, besides the Empress's physical body, lay another body: Jue Wuchen's, the woman for whom Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu had died.

Qin Mu offering her Jue Wuchen's body was clearly malicious, intended to provoke conflict between her and Heavenly Venerable Xiao.

Consort Yan was well aware of this, but her conflict with Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu was already irreconcilable, so possessing Jue Wuchen's body was an added bonus.

"Revered Heavenly Venerable Mu, which hand did you use to touch my body?" Consort Yan suddenly asked.

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, a flash of light severed both of Qin Mu's hands at the wrist!

"It doesn't matter which hand," Consort Yan said indifferently. "Chopping off both is fine. I detest foul-smelling men touching my body, beautiful men excepted, of course."

Qin Mu's face darkened as he activated his Hegemon Body Three Elixirs Art, and two new hands rapidly grew back.

"There's no sense of accomplishment in chopping off your hands," Consort Yan mused. She admired the two stunning beauties within the coffin. "You can enter the mining area to excavate the primordial stone whenever you wish. After you die, I will enter the mining area and retrieve Hao'er's blood from your body, along with any other treasures you possess."

Qin Mu said grimly, "I need some time to prepare. Every mineral vein is extremely dangerous; without thorough preparation, entering one would be suicidal!"

"As you wish."

Consort Yan's consciousness suddenly entered Jue Wuchen's body. The stunning woman from the imperial coffin stepped out, moving with an enchanting grace reminiscent of Langwan in her youth, captivating all who beheld her.

Consort Yan controlled Jue Wuchen, making her spin and dance before Qin Mu, as light as a swallow, her figure alluring.

"Is it beautiful?" Her gaze was indescribably charming, and her voice held a watery tenderness.

Qin Mu stared, his eyes wide, and blurted out without thinking, "Beautiful!"

"Foul man!" Consort Yan abruptly withdrew her consciousness and said coldly, "None of you are any good!"

Qin Mu was taken aback; Consort Yan's personality was truly strange. This woman's thoughts were utterly unfathomable.

As he was about to exit the side palace hall, a young general in silver armor wielding a silver spear entered. He was handsome, and upon seeing Qin Mu, he cast a wary glance and snorted.

Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Little Seven."

The young general suddenly transformed into a white cat, scurried past Qin Mu, and leaped. Consort Yan opened her arms, and the white cat jumped into her embrace, nuzzling her. "Your Majesty, I've uncovered some clues regarding these giant beasts."

He paused, casting a wary glance at Qin Mu.

Consort Yan glanced at Qin Mu, who showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he stopped, his ears growing slightly larger, clearly unwilling to miss anything interesting.

"Little Seven, Heavenly Venerable Mu is not an outsider. You may continue," Consort Yan said.

Hearing this, the white cat instinctively showed hostility towards Qin Mu, its tail fur bristling, emitting a low growl of warning. Then, it continued, "I found some scattered altars in the Ancestral Court. These altars are used for rituals to forcibly draw giant beasts from the reverse sides of various worlds into the Ancestral Court. Although the altars are well-hidden, I managed to find some. There's a lingering aura on them left by an old acquaintance of Your Majesty. Do you still remember the Xuandu Massacre, Your Majesty?"

Consort Yan's heart stirred slightly, and she nodded gently.

"The Xuandu Massacre?" Qin Mu's interest piqued further. "What is the Xuandu Massacre?" he asked curiously.

The white cat gave him a disdainful look, intending not to tell him.

Consort Yan explained, "The Xuandu Massacre happened six years ago. Six years ago, Earth Mother Yuanjun bloodbathed Xuandu, slaughtering countless gods and devils dwelling on Heavenly Duke's body and destroying innumerable divine cities, both large and small. Great Sun Star Lord was also severely wounded by Earth Mother Yuanjun and barely managed to escape. Ancestral God King was absolutely furious and ranted about killing his father on the spot – though he only spoke of it, he didn't actually act."

Qin Mu's eyes widened. "Such a thing happened?" He actually missed something so interesting!

"Earth Mother Yuanjun was responsible for the Xuandu Massacre. Ancestral God King had originally planned to spend two hundred years mapping Heavenly Duke's Great Dao, and now he still has 180 years left. He can't wait that long." Consort Yan continued, "Little Seven, are you saying Earth Mother Yuanjun has infiltrated this place? She's certainly down but not out."

The white cat replied, "It is indeed Earth Mother Yuanjun. I smelled her aura on those altars. Although her current power isn't at its peak, it's still formidable. I wanted to track her, but I didn't dare get too close, fearing she would detect me. So, I returned to report this to Your Majesty."

"You were right not to continue tracking her," Consort Yan said. "You didn't witness the horrors of the Xuandu Massacre. If you had, you would never dare approach her again. Xuandu is vast, no less so than Youdu. Countless rays of light form Heavenly Duke's body, upon which stand innumerable sleepless divine cities, home to countless deities. All those deities died within a single day."

Her expression calm, she added, "I went to see the devastation there. All the deities were transformed into dried corpses, their vital energy and blood drained, their primordial spirits withered, devoid of any vitality. Only Great Sun Star Lord, being swift, managed to escape. The evilized Earth Mother Yuanjun is truly terrifying."

Qin Mu shivered involuntarily.

Consort Yan said, "Earth Mother has gone astray. Her arrival in the Ancestral Court indicates significant schemes. In the past, as the Mother of Earth, she controlled those giant beasts. Now, by summoning them again, her aim is likely to recreate her past glory here. However..." She shook her head. "Times have changed; her era passed long ago. Heavenly Venerable Mu, you've heard enough. Aren't you going to leave and prepare?"

Qin Mu bid farewell and exited the side palace.

The white cat began, "This fellow..."

Consort Yan raised a finger and pointed to the ground. "He's still listening."

The white cat immediately fell silent. On the ground were two hands, Qin Mu's hands, and these hands had actually grown two ears!

At that moment, the ears seemed to have heard their conversation, twitching slightly. Then, the two hands scuttled away at high speed, fingers wriggling like a large spider.

Consort Yan waved her sleeve, and the two hands disintegrated into ash. "He's gone far enough. You may continue."

The white cat said, "I've heard that Earth Mother was brought to such a miserable state by Heavenly Venerable Mu. Heavenly Venerable Mu seized her cultivation and transferred it to Earth Virtue Yuanjun, then used sinister arts to destroy Earth Mother's celestial and terrestrial souls. If word gets out that Heavenly Venerable Mu is here, then Earth Mother Yuanjun..."

Consort Yan shook her head. "No need. He intends to enter the mineral vein to retrieve the primordial stone, and that journey will be a death sentence for him. Why bother informing Earth Mother? Her temperament is irksome even to me."

The white cat could only cease speaking, gently curling up in her arms to doze.

After Qin Mu left Consort Yan's territory, the long-dormant Egg of Grand Beginning immediately stirred, complaining, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, why didn't you just directly enter the mineral vein to search for the primordial stone? With me, the 'landlord,' here, the mining area couldn't harm you in the slightest!"

Qin Mu chuckled. "If I had entered the mining area without preparation, Consort Yan would have suspected I was absolutely confident in obtaining the primordial stone, and consequently, she would have suspected your presence beside me. By retreating now to advance later, she won't suspect anything further. Furthermore, I need this time to cultivate the Dao of Grand Beginning. Dao Brother, you promised to teach me the Dao of Grand Beginning; now is the perfect time."