Chapter 1379: Nine Prison Platform

Qin Mu's eyes widened. As he looked at the Dragon Qilin's "godfather" on the throne and Dragon Xan's "adopted son" below it, a sense of bizarre absurdity welled up within him. He had been worried that the Dragon Qilin might have been eaten by the monstrous beast, only to find that Dragon Qilin had been captured by Dragon Xan and adopted as his son! What's more, it seemed the Dragon Qilin was doing surprisingly well by Dragon Xan's side!

With a buzz, Qin Mu unfurled his Divine Treasure Domain and activated the Grand Beginning Dao, causing the chains around his neck to simply fall away.

Dragon Xan suddenly raised his head, his eighteen eyes fixed intently on Qin Mu. "You can defy the rules of this place and use your divine arts?" he exclaimed in shock.

Qin Mu stretched his body and looked around. "This place creates natural Dao shackles, specifically designed to suppress cultivation," he explained. "I can only access a limited amount of Dao cultivation, just four types."

Dragon Xan appeared uncertain and surprised. After a moment, he burst into laughter. "Remarkable, truly remarkable! No wonder you're revered as Heavenly Venerate Mu. I originally thought you were a fraud, just one of the Heavenly Venerates used to fill a quota. I never imagined you'd truly possess such capability!"

He rose from the throne and, in a few strides, came to Qin Mu's side. His long body circled Qin Mu several times. Seven of his nine heads had broken necks, and although the Dragon Qilin had been treating his injuries, they had not yet fully healed. He appraised Qin Mu from head to toe, as if evaluating livestock. "Truly remarkable," he praised. "Your cultivation isn't high, but your abilities are truly exceptional."

He returned to his throne, which seemed to be crafted from the thorny mountains of this place. Though it resembled a thicket of thorns, it couldn't harm him in the slightest.

Qin Mu glanced at the Dragon Qilin and smiled. "Dragon Xan, your adopted son is quite unique," he remarked. "Half dragon, half qilin."

The Dragon Qilin retorted, "For your information, Mount Heavenly Venerate Mu, my name is Long Pi! You may call me Young Master Pi! While I was fleeing, I used a divine art, and a few 'good brothers' who were also fleeing spotted me. Without a word, they picked me up and ran. Later, my godfather arrived, found me clever and exceptionally intelligent, and adopted me as his son."

Qin Mu blinked, instantly understanding the situation. During the battle where he, Wei Suifeng, and Prince Youming slew Earth Mother Yuanjun, the area covered by the Glazed Azure Sky Banner was too vast. The Dragon Qilin and other nearby giant beasts were all fleeing to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Presumably, the Dragon Qilin was still attempting to use his reverse summoning divine art to summon himself to the Ancestral Court's Great Black Mountain when he was discovered by other fleeing monstrous beasts. Mistaking the Dragon Qilin for one of their own kind, and seeing that he wasn't running fast enough, those monstrous beasts picked him up in their mouths and carried him to safety. The Dragon Qilin was unable to use his reverse summoning divine art, and once they reached a safe distance, he encountered the fleeing Dragon Xan. Dragon Xan swept them up and continued his escape, eventually hiding in this location.

Although the Dragon Qilin's medical skills were terrible, they were still far superior to those of the other monstrous beasts. Thus, he eagerly offered to treat Dragon Xan's injuries. Dragon Xan must have grown quite fond of him, finding him intelligent and capable, and so adopted him as his son.

Dragon Xan burst into laughter. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, do you know what this place is called? It's Mount Qi, formerly known by the Creators as the Heavenly Prison, or the Nine Hell Platform! In the past, Creators and ancient gods who committed heinous crimes were often cast here. In this place, not to mention you, even ancient gods are reduced to mortals. Every step brings excruciating pain, causing them to writhe and wail. Eventually, you'll become grotesquely distorted and die a horrific death!"

"Mount Qi, Heavenly Prison?"

Qin Mu paused, looking around as he mumbled, "There's also a Heavenly Prison in the Celestial Heavens, but it's not nearly as terrifying... If the Heavenly Prison also corresponds to a cultivation realm, then which of the seven Celestial Palace realms would it be?"

Dragon Xan glanced at him. "This is just the outermost layer of the Heavenly Prison, the first level of the Nine Hell Platform," he said. "If you reach the Ninth Prison, not only would you be unable to use your divine arts, but even the so-called Ten Heavenly Venerates would face certain death! There are at least dozens of ancient god remains there! Surrender to me, become my mount, and you'll enjoy boundless prestige on the other side of the Ancestral Court. Refuse me, and I'll throw you into the Ninth Prison, letting you experience a fate worse than death!"

Qin Mu burst into laughter. "Dragon Xan, you're already on the brink of death, yet you're still clinging to pipe dreams." He then repeated Wei Suifeng's analysis verbatim. "You now have only one path to survival," he said calmly, "and that is to ally with me. Otherwise, when the Ten Heavenly Venerates arrive, you will certainly perish!"

Dragon Xan snorted coldly. "If I side with one of the Heavenly Venerates, I could live in peace and freedom. What danger to my life could there be?"

"If you side with one of them, the other nine Heavenly Venerates will feel greatly threatened. To preserve the balance of power among them, you will certainly be eliminated." Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Dragon Xan, I have extended two invitations to you. I will not invite you a third time."

Dragon Xan raised a dragon claw, lightly tapping the throne. His nine faces shifted between expressions as he studied Qin Mu intently. Suddenly, one of his dragon heads roared, "You must have a solution for my current predicament, that's why you came to me with such certainty! If you don't reveal your method, I'll throw you into the Ninth Prison!"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, glancing around. "You don't have to throw me in," he said with a laugh. "I'll go in myself."

Dragon Xan's eyes widened. Qin Mu simply walked past him and headed into the deeper parts of the Heavenly Prison. The Heavenly Prison's second level was directly behind Dragon Xan's throne, a precipice into which Qin Mu leaped. He had long wanted to see if the Nine Hell Platform could correspond to a realm within the Celestial Palace, and now was the perfect opportunity to test it.

Dragon Xan rushed to the edge of the precipice, peering down. He sneered, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, if you can't stand it, just let out a sound, and I'll rescue you. However, I wouldn't dare enter the Ninth Prison myself. If you jump in there and manage to come out alive, I'll ally with you."

The Dragon Qilin approached the precipice, peering over the edge. "How can Godfather ally with a mere human pet?" he exclaimed.

Dragon Xan glanced at him and spat. "You two are good friends, did you think I wouldn't know? Don't give me that."

The Dragon Qilin felt a chill down his spine.

Dragon Xan chuckled. "You're still a bit too naive, not as seasoned as Heavenly Venerate Mu. When I first encountered you, I used my divine consciousness to learn everything about your ancestry. The reason I adopted you, besides admiring your shamelessness, was also to gain the upper hand on Heavenly Venerate Mu by outranking him in terms of seniority! Furthermore, I needed to use you to establish a connection with Heavenly Venerate Mu so that I wouldn't alienate him if I couldn't make him my mount."

The Dragon Qilin instantly became docile, sincerely praising, "Godfather is sagacious!"

"Naturally!" Dragon Xan retorted. "But don't even think about taming me." He sneered, "Even God King Boyang, as shrewd as he was, wasn't he thoroughly manipulated by me to die in my stead?"

The Dragon Qilin's eyes lit up, and he gazed at him adoringly, his tail wagging excitedly behind him.

Dragon Xan found himself a little unnerved by his gaze and quickly said, "I've read your Human Taming Sutra in your memories. Don't try your experiments on me!"

The Dragon Qilin hung his head dejectedly. "Godfather is truly worthy of taming God King Boyang, the leader of the three primordial God Kings. Your humble child is truly inferior."

Dragon Xan chuckled. "You're not bad yourself. Don't worry, as my adopted son, half of the Ancestral Court's backside territory will be yours!"

The Dragon Qilin blinked. "I'm unwittingly taming him, and he's also unwittingly taming me. He's a true master!"