Chapter 1409: The Era of Great Struggles Is Coming

"Strange," Qin Mu thought to himself. "Even the Exalted Creator didn't know about the Land of Taiji. All that could be found was a fake Taiji ore mine. How did Empress Dowager find this place?" The ancient gods of the Land of Taiji were unique twin deities. While other divine eggs had been unearthed, only these two ancient gods escaped that fate. Furthermore, these two ancient gods were exceptionally intelligent. When Qin Mu first found this place using Grand Prime, he displayed extraordinary divine arts, making it impossible for the mine to hinder him. Consequently, the two ancient gods directly negotiated with Qin Mu, giving him a hundred Taiji divine stones and one Taiji raw stone, and told him the location of the Great Blackwood.

Empress Dowager couldn't have found this place without guidance from an ancient god; only egg-born ancient gods could locate the Land of Taiji. So, who guided Empress Dowager? Was it the Grand Prime Goddess, or God-Venerable Xiaotian?

"Grand Prime is helping God-Venerable Haotian, so it's impossible for her to guide the Empress Dowager. God-Venerable Xiaotian has a deep-seated grudge against the Empress Dowager; even if Xiaotian were willing to guide her, the Empress Dowager might not agree to come here. Grand Beginning is with me, and Grand Change would never appear to interfere in worldly affairs. So, the only one who could have guided the Empress Dowager here is..." Qin Mu's expression became strange. "It could only be the Taiji ancient gods themselves. Grand Prime sought out God-Venerable Haotian as her assistant to contend for supremacy and reclaim her Grand Prime ore vein, helping her achieve enlightenment. The Taiji ancient gods' ore vein is still intact, so their reason for roping in the Empress Dowager is probably to find an ally among the Ten Heavenly Venerables to assist them in their bid for supremacy. These two ancient gods aren't as indifferent or detached as they claimed to be."

He quickly made his judgment: "The one stirring up trouble isn't Lady Yuanmu, but the Taiji ancient gods! These two ancient gods must have seen the Ten Heavenly Venerables opening the ancestral court and realized that their ore vein would be difficult to preserve and could be discovered at any time, so they prepared early! They are about to enter the world."

At that moment, Lady Yuanmu's divine weapon, God-Venerable Yutian, was observing Peerless, while Concubine Qiangtian was watching Lady Yuanmu, and Qin Mu, in turn, was observing all three of them. Peerless seemed oblivious, continuing her walk towards the Taiji ore vein. Gradually, Qin Mu noticed something amiss and hastily looked around. "The path Peerless is taking doesn't lead to the center of the Taiji ore vein. If she continues this way, she'll only deviate from the mining area, not enter the real one... That's it, the Taiji ancient gods sensed someone was tracking her and created a fake mining area!" Qin Mu suddenly realized: "These two ancient gods are masters of deception! And Empress Dowager isn't limited to using only Peerless as a physical body; she also has her true form!"

He stopped tracking Concubine Qiangtian, Peerless, and God-Venerable Yutian. He quietly retreated and headed directly for the true mining area. The Taiji mining area was familiar territory for him. Last time he came here, he needed the power of the Grand Prime divine egg to activate the Azure Heaven Pagoda and pass through the extremely dangerous Taiji Star Domain. This time, however, mastering the four Grand Dao divine arts — Grand Beginning, Grand Initial, Grand Prime, and Taiji — he entered the Taiji Star Domain without the slightest danger.

Qin Mu followed the path to the mining area. After a long while, he abruptly turned back, only to find that he had already left the ancestral court's continent and entered a vast star-filled sky. Yet, when he turned his head forward again, it was still a great desert, still within the ancestral court. This was the extraordinary nature of the Taiji Star Domain.

"These two ancient gods possess immense divine power. Even Grand Emperor and Lady Yuanmu, who are local powers in the ancestral court, would likely go to great lengths to find the Taiji mining area. And since Peerless led them to another fake mining area created by the Taiji ancient gods, they probably won't even realize it's a decoy." Qin Mu shook his head. At that moment, he saw Empress Dowager.

As he expected, Empress Dowager was now in her true form, striding through the Black Sand Desert. The swirling black sand consisted of countless stars. Fierce winds whipped the black sand through the air, incredibly dense, far more so than a torrential downpour. These particles of sand were stars, and the gale-force winds sweeping them meant that being struck by them was like being hit by countless celestial bodies. It would be exceedingly difficult to traverse this desert relying solely on one's own power.

Qin Mu's form became ethereal, transforming into the tangible yet massless Grand Initial state. He allowed the black sand to strike him, pass through his body, and yet it didn't harm him in the slightest. Curiously, despite the extreme peril of the Black Sand Desert, the path Empress Dowager walked was calm and serene. While fierce black winds howled and black sand danced wildly on either side, a clear path lay ahead of her.

"The Taiji ancient gods are indeed guiding her," Qin Mu thought to himself. He observed his surroundings carefully. The Taiji ancient gods likely hadn't detected him; the density of black sand passing through him was the same as elsewhere, not specifically targeting him. If they had discovered him, these two ancient gods could have caused more changes in the Taiji Star Domain specifically against him. Although they couldn't kill him, they could have made it impossible for him to pinpoint the mining area's location.

Finally, Empress Dowager arrived at the center of the Taiji Star Domain, where a mountain range, resembling a dragon's pattern, traversed the entire domain, dividing it in two. To Qin Mu, this was a star domain; to her, it was merely a desolate desert. What she perceived was indeed a desert.

Empress Dowager ascended the mountain range. Ahead, peaks moved on their own. Some mountains, previously lifeless stones, suddenly transformed into colossal beasts with flesh and blood, standing up to clear a path for her. Other valleys automatically rose, becoming level ground.

"These two ancient gods are still biased," Qin Mu couldn't help but shake his head. "Last time I came here, they obstructed me at every turn. Yet, when the Empress Dowager arrives, they act completely obsequious, trying to curry favor." He shook his head and followed Empress Dowager into the mining area.

Empress Dowager proceeded deeper into the mining area, looking around. She was amazed by the unpredictable transformations of the matter within the mine. Although she was also an ancient god, she didn't possess the same abilities as the Taiji ancient gods. As one of the goddesses of the Great Ruins and an Empress ruling the world, she was incredibly envious of the Taiji ancient gods' powers.

Finally, she reached the center of the Taiji mining area. There, a natural Bagua altar stood, with seven Taiji raw stones encircling an ancient god egg. It emitted a tranquil Dao light, perfectly integrated with the mining area, radiating extreme serenity. Empress Dowager bowed to the ancient god egg on the altar, then gracefully sat down. "Brother Dao, this place is truly peaceful, undisturbed by anyone. May I ask why you summoned me here?"

From within the egg, a Daoist sound resonated, transforming into a voice, alternating between male and female, which chuckled, "I invited you here, sister, to plan a grand undertaking." Empress Dowager smiled faintly, not immediately responding. She surveyed her surroundings and said, "Although this place is peaceful, Brother Dao, it seems someone has been here, and one of your raw stones is missing."

The male voice from within the egg chuckled, "To my shame, a few years ago, an uninvited guest made his way here and extorted a raw stone and a hundred divine stones from me." Empress Dowager couldn't help but be moved, asking curiously, "Who dared to extort Brother Dao?" "That person is Qin Mu, Heavenly Venerable Mu, who is currently tracking you, sister."

The female voice from within the egg giggled, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, there's no need to hide. I detected you long ago. Seeing your divine arts and abilities, I knew I couldn't stop you, so I simply tolerated your presence. Please, reveal yourself now." Empress Dowager's heart jolted. She hastily rose and looked back, only to see Qin Mu, who had arrived behind her at some point, now stepping forward.

"His strength isn't particularly formidable, but his methods are extraordinary; he even managed to deceive me," Empress Dowager thought, her guard up. Yet, she smiled and greeted Qin Mu. Qin Mu returned the greeting, then bowed to the ancient god egg on the Bagua altar, and sat down with Empress Dowager.

He instinctively reached for his sword, intending to plunge it into the altar as he had last time, but his hand met empty air. Only then did he remember that his broken sword had been shattered by Emperor Kaihuang's Carefree Sword, and he felt a slight pang of regret. "At the Heavenly Alliance meeting, Emperor Kaihuang was truly inconsiderate, breaking my sword just to show that his sword path was supreme. Otherwise, if I had plunged my sword into the altar, it would have reminded the Taiji ancient gods of the fear of being coerced and dominated by me, saving them from playing tricks behind my back."

His spirits lifted, and he chuckled, "You two Daoist brothers in the egg are truly carefree, inviting Empress Dowager for tea but not me. Where does that leave our friendship? You pointed me to the ancestral court's foremost sacred land, the Great Blackwood of the ancestral court, a place with a hundred thousand Great Black Mountains, a godforsaken place, and I claimed it! I haven't even thanked you two yet!"

The male voice from the egg burst into hearty laughter, declaring, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, don't pretend innocence after getting a good deal! You gained countless benefits at the Great Blackwood; do I really need to spell it out for you?" The female ancient god's voice came through, clear and crisp, "To others, it's the ancestral court's most perilous place, but to you, it's the foremost sacred land. We weren't wrong in saying that, were we?"

Qin Mu snorted, instinctively reaching again to place a sword on the altar. He thought, "These two ancient gods aren't simple-minded; they only speak the truth when a sword is held to their 'egg.' What a pity... I need to find the best divine metal to forge the best divine sword! Come to think of it, I think Grandpa Mute misled me; he tricked me into believing my broken sword was the finest divine weapon..."

He stared blankly, unconsciously tugging at his chin beard again. Empress Dowager noticed his distraction even in such a setting and couldn't help but admire him. She thought, "Heavenly Venerable Mu always seems so carefree... It's strange, the Daoist brothers in the Taiji ore vein, who are of the same origin as that heartless scoundrel, possess such immense divine power, yet why do their words betray a hint of fear towards him?"

She didn't know that on Qin Mu's previous visit, he had overcome numerous formidable obstacles. Had he not learned the divine art of unchanging matter, the Taiji ancient gods and the mining area would have killed him long ago, and his corpse could have been arranged in a thousand different poses. It was precisely because the Taiji ancient gods couldn't defeat him, and he had plunged his sword into their altar, threatening them, that they harbored some fear of him. Of course, the ancient gods within the egg would not reveal such matters to the Empress Dowager.

"Brother Dao, why did you summon me here?" Empress Dowager asked. The male voice from the egg laughed, "A few years ago, Grand Prime came to seek me, wanting me to emerge and plan a grand undertaking. I refused. But she was persistent. As she was born earlier, we couldn't prevail against her, so we reluctantly told her to seek out God-Venerable Haotian."

Empress Dowager's heart trembled slightly. "Another ancient god from the egg went to find God-Venerable Haotian? With such an ancient god's support, God-Venerable Haotian will be even harder to deal with!" The female voice from the egg spoke again, "Now that the ancestral court is fully open, our peaceful abode will likely no longer remain so. Therefore, we also need a fellow Daoist. Because we suffered at the hands of a certain postnatal being, who threatened us and forced us to give up a Taiji raw stone, we can no longer trust postnatal beings."

Qin Mu rubbed his nose, again wanting to draw his sword and plunge it into the altar. He thought, "I must forge another divine sword!" "Therefore, we need to find a trustworthy fellow Daoist among the ancient gods."

The male voice from the altar continued, "Taiji, the Dao of Yin and Yang, endlessly transforms and creates. Among all ancient gods, the one whose Dao perfectly aligns with ours and complements it best is you, Empress." "Empress, you are a Dao-born ancient god, representing the Great Ruins—the ultimate destination of all things, and also the place where all things are born."

The female voice from the egg said, "Like twin lotuses on a single stalk, one represents the Dao of destruction, a goddess of ruin who thrives on chaos. The other represents the Dao of life, an ancient god who nurtures all beings. This is why the Grand Beginning ancient god chose you to be the Empress." "Yuanmu's Great Ruins is an abyss that devours all, while your Great Ruins is the profound womb that gives birth to all. One is destruction, the other is creation."

"With your assistance, our Yin-Yang creation will reach its peak. With our help, you can also reconcile life and death, merging with Yuanmu to become a unique entity." "Sister, the reappearance of the ancestral court signifies an era of great contention. The struggles to come will be a hundred times more brutal and magnificent than even the great destruction war of the ancient times!"

"In the face of a war a hundred times more devastating than the one that destroyed the Exalted Creators, anyone could fall! This includes ancient gods, Heavenly Venerables, us, and even those who have already attained the Dao—all have the potential to perish!" "What do you think about joining forces with us and making early preparations?" Empress Dowager's body trembled violently. A hundred times more brutal and magnificent than the Blood Rust War? How could that be?