Chapter 1326: Same Year, Same Month, Same Day Death

Qin Mu paced back and forth, forcibly suppressing his curiosity, and decided not to think about Ancestral Court Jade Capital anymore.

The Grand Emperor smiled, knowing that the more Qin Mu suppressed his curiosity, the stronger it would become. Sooner or later, Qin Mu would be unable to resist, and would undoubtedly scurry to Ancestral Court Jade Capital to his doom! Throughout history, people who achieved great things shared a common trait: a vibrant curiosity, an eagerness for the unknown that often led them to disregard the dangers they might face. Those who survived achieved fame and success, but countless others perished because of it!

The Grand Emperor chuckled, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, I've told you the map of Jade Capital Holy City. You can now go to my territory and pass the test of the God-Slaying Platform!"

Qin Mu shook his head. "My cultivation level isn't high enough yet. I can't ascend the God-Slaying Platform."

The Grand Emperor was stunned. "What is your current cultivation level?"

Qin Mu hesitated, feeling a bit guilty. "Spirit Embryo..."

"Bah!" The Grand Emperor's head, located in the center of the great seal, spat out a stream of divine consciousness, fuming, "Spirit Embryo realm? Why don't you just say you're a mere martial artist? Speak plainly!"

Qin Mu hesitated, then honestly replied, "The Heavenly Palace realm within the Spirit Embryo realm. Heavenly Palace is a minor realm within my Spirit Embryo realm, and it's further divided into seven sub-realms: Honored God, True God, Jade Platform, God-Slaying Platform, Jade Capital, Empyrean, and Emperor's Throne. I'm currently at the peak of True God, about to enter the Jade Platform realm..."

The Grand Emperor fell silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the information embedded in Qin Mu's words. After a long pause, he shook his head and probed, "By Dao Realm standards, how many heavens of Dao Realm are you?"

"Dao Realm twenty-four heavens." Qin Mu said, "However, my Dao Realm seems to be a bit different from others; it appears to be stronger..."

The corner of the Grand Emperor's eye twitched. Dao Realm twenty-four heavens should correspond to the Jade Capital realm within the Heavenly Palace cultivation system. Yet, during their recent fight, even without a primordial spirit, the Grand Emperor had reached the Emperor's Throne realm! Given his combat prowess, even without a primordial spirit, his true fighting strength wouldn't be much inferior to an Emperor's Throne expert. Nevertheless, in his battle with Qin Mu, he was utterly defeated, his armor shattered, and even his most powerful divine ability was broken by Qin Mu! It was crucial to remember that since ancient times, no one had ever been able to break his Divine Consciousness Grand Luo Heaven divine ability! This divine ability contained the Dao Fruit and Dao Flower, and Qin Mu was the first person to ever break it! Even Heavenly Venerable Hao hadn't been able to break his divine ability!

"Your cultivation is a bit strange, strange..." The Grand Emperor pondered carefully, still unable to grasp the source of Qin Mu's immense strength. He could only attribute it to Qin Mu simultaneously cultivating both the Heavenly Palace and Dao Realm paths.

"Since we've reached an agreement, Heavenly Venerable Mu, you can now release the seal and let me out." The Grand Emperor chuckled, "Don't worry. As an emperor from the primordial era, I wouldn't go back on my word for such a trivial matter."

Qin Mu hesitated.

The Grand Emperor, suspicious, sneered, "Are you going to break your promise? Don't forget, Heavenly Venerable Mu, I have another identity: Heavenly Consort Qiang! Furthermore, I can summon the Divine Consciousness Grand Luo Heaven imprint from the ultimate void and blast you to oblivion! Don't force me to burn my bridges."

Qin Mu quickly smiled. "Dao Brother, you worry too much! Have you forgotten? We're sworn brothers! We promised to die on the same day, month, and year! How could I go back on my word?"

The Grand Emperor's face turned ashen. Mentioning this matter filled him with indignation. He sneered, "I swore brotherhood with you as Great Hong back then. It doesn't count."

"By the way, Big Brother, do you know? Third Brother Luo Xiao is already dead. Little Brother has been thinking about sending Big Brother and Second Brother to accompany him." Qin Mu sighed dramatically, his face flushed with excitement, and choked out, "Sending both elder brothers to accompany Third Brother has always been Little Brother's long-cherished wish! Third Brother has been gone for eighty thousand years..."

"Enough nonsense!" The Grand Emperor was furious, barking, "Are you going to release me or not?"

Qin Mu sternly said, "Brother, calm down. You say you won't break your word, and I say I won't break my word, and Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu also said he wouldn't break his word. But the three of us are all untrustworthy individuals. The four of us swore to die on the same day, month, and year, but Third Brother has been gone for eighty thousand years while the three of us are still perfectly fine, with no one accompanying him in death. Therefore, I can't trust Big Brother."

Just as the Grand Emperor was about to explode, Qin Mu quickly added, "What I mean is, I'll release Big Brother once I've reached the God-Slaying Platform. Let's settle accounts clearly, like close brothers..."

"Don't call me Big Brother!" the Grand Emperor snarled.

Qin Mu changed his address, smiling, "Brother..."

"Bah!" Qin Mu was sprayed full of divine consciousness, but he remained unfazed, letting the mental spittle dry on his face. He said, "Dao Brother, calm down. Neither of us is a man of our word. How do I know you won't go back on yours? If I release you and you suddenly renege, wouldn't all my efforts be in vain?"

The Grand Emperor's expression darkened. After a moment, he sneered, "I can wait for you to reach the God-Slaying Platform. But during this period, you are not to use me as a treasure to fight others. The Grand Emperor's dignity must not be tarnished!"

Qin Mu nodded repeatedly, smiling, "I understand Brother's thoughts..."

"Another thing: don't call me Brother, and you're forbidden to call me Big Brother!"

Qin Mu smiled, "After all, we did become sworn brothers. Though we didn't seek to be born on the same day, month, and year..."

"And don't bring that up again!"

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then transferred various collections from his vertical-eyed Qin Character Continent into his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. Only then did he put the precious seal into his glabella. After all, his Qin Character Continent contained many hidden treasures, some of which were not meant to be seen, such as the divine bow of a powerful expert from the previous epoch, and the physical body of Madam Yuanmu. The Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure was also located in his glabella, but it didn't intersect with the Qin Character Continent. Normally, the Grand Beginning Egg was kept within the Grand Beginning ore vein of the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure.

Inside the precious seal, the Grand Emperor's head looked around. Suddenly, he glimpsed the pupil of Qin Mu's vertical eye, specifically the Taiji raw stone embedded in the center of the Qin Character Continent. He quickly surged his divine consciousness, straining to lift the precious seal and panting as he flew towards the Taiji raw stone. Just as he flew close and was about to examine the raw stone carefully, Qin Mu sensed trouble. He immediately pulled him out of the Qin Character Continent and said pleasantly, "Dao Brother Grand Emperor, I have a small secret here that I'd rather not share with you. So, I'll have to inconvenience you by carrying you on my back." With that, he took out a golden rope and tied the great seal to his back.

The Grand Emperor's head faced outward, pointing downwards, allowing him to see only Qin Mu's heels. He sneered, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, although you acted quickly, I still spotted the key. That stone is a divine stone just like the Grand Beginning raw stone, of the same caliber, both excavated from ancient ore veins!"

Qin Mu walked towards the Great Blackwood, a half-smile on his face. "The Grand Emperor's insight is indeed astonishing. However, my raw stone is different from your Grand Beginning raw stone. This one was voluntarily given to me by the mine's owner, whereas you forcibly seized yours from Grand Beginning. You have a deep-seated enmity with Grand Beginning, while the mine owner and I are kindred spirits!"

The Grand Emperor burst out laughing. "How important are raw stones to the ancient gods in that mine? Why would he *give* it to you? You must have blackmailed him, forcing him to hand it over. Heavenly Venerable Mu, perhaps you misunderstand the meaning of 'friendship'? That ancient god definitely holds no friendship for you; rather, he's plotting against you."

Qin Mu hesitated, then shook his head, sincerely saying, "I still believe in the inherent goodness of human nature."

The Grand Emperor laughed exasperatedly. "For such words to come from your kind-faced, dark-hearted mouth is truly a satire on the inherent goodness of human nature! Putting that aside, I detected Grand Beginning's aura in your pupil. So, you were the one who stole Grand Beginning's eggshell, weren't you?"

"Don't slander me!" Qin Mu's face flushed. He stammered, "Slander... A gentleman remains upright even in poverty, while a scoundrel falls into depravity. How could I do such a thing? It would be disgraceful! Slander..."

The Grand Emperor continued to sneer. Just then, a root quietly emerged from the ground behind them. The Grand Emperor's heart stirred. "Earth Mother Yuanjun?" Earth Mother Yuanjun's root stretched longer and longer, gently touching the precious seal strapped to Qin Mu's back, attempting to undo the seal on it.

The Grand Emperor's eyes flickered. He thought to himself, "We're both in similar predicaments. Perhaps Earth Mother Yuanjun will be my liberator. Earth Mother is severely injured and besieged on all sides, with no allies. She wants to join forces with me... Though we had past grievances, an alliance might not be out of the question..."