Chapter 1495: 瘦长怪人

It was night in the Hundred Thousand Holy Mountains.

Qin Mu stood atop the World Tree, unhurriedly collecting the Dao Dew as it dripped from the Tai Yi Dao Tree. The half-year period was drawing to a close. For days, he had been repeating this monotonous task, yet each time he collected Dao Dew to repair the cracked Black Mountains, he felt the heavy burden and responsibility on Tai Yi's shoulders. He had only been doing this for half a year, but Tai Yi had been doing it for billions of years.

Suddenly, the branches of the Tai Yi Dao Tree, far away in the Ultimate Void's Grand Emptiness Heaven, swayed and rattled, sending countless drops of Dao Dew cascading down all at once. Qin Mu's heart leaped. He hastily activated his divine abilities to collect all the Dao Dew into his bucket. However, the Tai Yi Dao Tree's reach was too vast; a few drops still fell onto the World Tree and were absorbed by its branches and leaves!

His heart sank. Losing a few drops of Dao Dew might seem insignificant, but the consequences would be far from trivial! When repairing the Great Black Mountains with Dao Dew, even one missing drop would leave a major hidden danger. It could potentially give a powerhouse from the previous cosmic epoch an opportunity to cross into this universe!

“This is bad!” Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he quickly composed himself. Even with a few drops missing, it would likely take several days for a being from the previous cosmic epoch to cross over. He only needed to stall until Tai Yi arrived.

But... “Why would Tai Yi's Dao Tree, located in the Ultimate Void, sway without cause?” He frowned slightly, a faint unease stirring in his heart.

During the day, Qin Mu found the several cracked Black Mountains and meticulously repaired them. As expected, when he reached the last one, it couldn't be fully closed due to the missing Dao Dew. On the cliff face of the Black Mountain was a crack, about twenty-six to twenty-seven feet long and immeasurably deep!

Qin Mu stood beneath the cliff, carefully observing his surroundings. He marked the exact location of the Black Mountain and then summoned Xu Sheng Hua. “For the next two days, I need to stay here and watch this place,” he said. “Brother Xu, please take the iron bucket to the top of the World Tree and collect the Dao Dew. The Dao Dew is crucial for repairing the Holy Mountains; not a single drop can be lost.” He trusted Xu Sheng Hua to handle the task. With anyone else, he feared they would likely consume the Dao Dew while collecting it.

Xu Sheng Hua looked at the crack and asked, “Can you really hold this place by yourself?”

Qin Mu smiled faintly, exuding strong confidence. “I am the most powerful being in Eternal Peace. This time, by cultivating the World Tree within my divine treasures, my cultivation and strength have advanced another level. While I’m still not on par with the Ten Celestial Venerables, I should be comparable to the Four-Colored Great Emperors. If I can’t hold them off, no one else from Eternal Peace could either. Besides, the prehistoric being won’t be able to fully emerge for a few days, and once Tai Yi returns, he can handle it. The half-year period still has two days left; I only need to guard this place for two days.”

Xu Sheng Hua departed with the iron bucket. Qin Mu sat down, placing his divine bow beside him, and quietly awaited the arrival of night.

Late into the night, the earth shook, and outside the Ancestral Court, a doomsday scene unfolded once more. Within the Ancestral Court, the mountains vibrated, and the Black Mountain before Qin Mu also trembled. A rumbling sound echoed from inside the mountain, accompanied by cracking noises, like wood being split. The crack extended outwards, growing longer and wider. Divine light seeped through the fissure, and when viewed from the cliff face, it resembled a giant eye opening on the mountain wall.

Within the crack, the divine light swirled, forming a colossal eyeball. The eye rolled once, then its pupil stared directly at Qin Mu. The scene was as if an immeasurably vast monster was hidden inside the mountain, using its eye to peer out at Qin Mu. Suddenly, within the large, luminous eye in the crack, a figure began to emerge.

Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. His divine bow was right beside him, but he forced himself to hold back from attacking. The individual had not yet fully crossed over from the other universe. Attacking him now would be akin to expending his own magic power to open a path for them. The figure within the eye walked for a long time but never managed to emerge from the cliff's crack. By sunrise, the figure vanished, leaving only the cracked Great Black Mountain.

Qin Mu let out a long breath. Soon after, Xu Sheng Hua approached with the bucket and asked, “Does this mountain need repairing?”

Qin Mu shook his head. “If we repair this mountain, there won't be enough Dao Dew to mend the other cracked Black Mountains. We only need to hold out for one more day, and Tai Yi will return. Even if the being inside emerges then, it won't be able to cause much trouble!”

Xu Sheng Hua frowned slightly, looking at the crack on the cliff face. The fissure was now over a thousand feet long. Deep within the crack, there was a human-shaped imprint, seemingly fused with the Black Mountain. Xu Sheng Hua felt a faint unease as he departed with the bucket.

Night fell, and Qin Mu continued his vigil before the crack. He heard constant cracking sounds erupting from within, and the giant luminous eye inside the mountain grew larger. The crack widened, and the figure within the eye became taller and clearer than before, appearing as if it could emerge from the mountain wall at any moment! By the latter half of the night, the divine light radiating from the mountain wall illuminated six or seven nearby mountains, revealing every detail. Qin Mu's shadow stretched long. The colossal eyeball within the mountain wall appeared as massive as the entire Black Mountain, held between the two halves of the split mountain! The figure within the eye was slender and tall, resembling the vertical pupil of the giant eyeball. Its face was now clearly visible, marked with numerous stripes like natural patterns. Its eye, akin to the strange eye in the mountain, was singular. This single eye was fixed on Qin Mu, unblinking.

It seemed to be traversing a decaying universe, each step exceptionally arduous. Its physical body was like smoke, constantly breaking apart and re-forming. Journeying through a decaying universe meant it could be obliterated at any moment, yet it was filled with hope—the hope of life. It had always been unable to cross into the future universe via the World Tree, but now, it could finally enter that future era!

Qin Mu's hand tightly gripped his divine bow, poised to strike. His nerves were taut, his mind focused, and his Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique was pushed to its absolute limit. The sky gradually brightened. The slender, one-eyed monster in the mountain never fully emerged from the Black Mountain. As the sun rose, the strange eye in the mountain vanished, and the slender monster disappeared.

Qin Mu let out a long sigh, his body covered in cold sweat, yet he managed a smile. “It’s finally over. Today, Tai Yi should be back…”

Just then, a Vermillion Bird flapped its wings, transforming into a flash of fire as it arrived beside him. It materialized as the soul of the Southern Emperor and said, “Brother, Emperor Yun Luo and the big-headed youth are back!”

Qin Mu was overjoyed. He stood up and said, “They’ve arrived just in time! These two haven’t been back for so long; who knows where they’ve been stirring up trouble!” He went to meet Wei Sui Feng and Shu Jun, but saw that both of them had grave expressions, looking hurried and dusty, as if they had traveled a great distance. It seemed they had traveled a long way, likely exhausting all their energy to rush here without rest.

Qin Mu felt suspicious. From a distance, he saw Wei Sui Feng holding a wooden staff and wondered, “That looks like Tai Yi’s staff… How did Tai Yi’s staff end up in their hands?”

“Celestial Venerable Mu, Tai Yi was captured by the Master of the Mi Luo Palace and thrown into the Chaotic River of Jade Capital City!” Shu Jun could no longer run, but his divine consciousness was still powerful. From a distance, he unleashed a burst of it, transmitting a message to Qin Mu, rapidly recounting all their incredible experiences: being trapped in the Ancestral Court’s Jade Capital City, encountering Tai Yi, and following him across the river. Transmitting information via divine consciousness was far swifter and more complete than language, providing every minute detail. Qin Mu felt as if he had personally experienced their ordeal, and his body trembled, an expression of disbelief on his face.

Wei Sui Feng, whose magic power was stronger, picked up Shu Jun and flew over, his voice grave. “Tai Yi left this staff, saying something about following a map to find him, but he left no actual map. I don't know how to save him!”

Qin Mu supported the two, preventing them from collapsing due to exhaustion, but his heart gradually sank. Tai Yi had fallen. From the images transmitted by Shu Jun's divine consciousness, the so-called Chaotic Rivers in Jade Capital City were not true Chaotic Rivers. Instead, they were streams of chaotic qi formed when various universes were destroyed. The beings attempting to break through these rivers and reach shore were powerhouses from different universes trying to forcibly enter the current world, escaping their fate of perishing with their own universes! The Master of the Mi Luo Palace, using unimaginable divine abilities and methods, had opened paths through numerous decaying universes, creating the miraculous spectacle of sixteen cosmic epochs connected to the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City. By casting Tai Yi into one of these great Chaotic Rivers, he had cast Tai Yi into one of those cosmic epochs!

“Tai Yi has fallen into the fourth prehistoric cosmic epoch…”

Qin Mu’s eye twitched as he tightly gripped the staff. Once Wei Sui Feng and Shu Jun regained their footing, he suddenly turned and walked away. Wei Sui Feng was slightly stunned and hastily called out, “Junior Brother, do you know where Tai Yi's map is?”

Qin Mu didn't reply. His divine consciousness suddenly erupted, sweeping through the Hundred Thousand Mountains as an incredibly terrifying wave. He commanded, “Everyone, listen to my order! You must leave the Great Black Mountain today! Do not delay for a single moment!”

“Everyone, heed my command! I am Qin Mu, National Master of Eternal Peace, Celestial Venerable Mu! Everyone must leave the Great Black Mountain today; no one is to remain!” His divine consciousness transformed into a voice that echoed back and forth, reverberating constantly above the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Xu Sheng Hua, who was repairing a cracked Black Mountain, heard this and immediately looked up in Qin Mu's direction. Near the World Tree at the center of the Great Black Mountain, Lan Yu Tian, Granny Si, Wen Yuan, and others showed expressions of surprise, all looking towards the source of the voice. Immediately, Qin Mu’s divine consciousness reached their minds, turning into a voice that swiftly recounted the situation. He said gravely, “Tai Yi has fallen into the fourth prehistoric cosmic epoch. Without his guardianship in the Great Black Mountain, the first prehistoric being is about to break free! Tonight, I will hold this place to the death. Everyone else, take the people here and leave; do not linger!”

Everyone’s expressions changed. Lan Yu Tian was about to fly to Qin Mu, but Granny Si pulled him back, saying, “There are priorities. Evacuating the Eternal Peace citizens from the Great Black Mountain is the main task! Do this first, then go find him!” Lan Yu Tian nodded silently. One by one, the gods and divine beings in the Great Black Mountain transformed into streaks of divine light, flying in all directions towards the Eternal Peace settlements within the Black Mountains.

Soon after, a divine city rose into the sky. Dozens of gods lifted it, flying towards the outside of the Black Mountain Holy Land. In the distance, Emperor of Heaven's Demon Lord removed his Gourd Heaven World, transforming it into the Gourd Heaven Bottle, collecting the divine cities within it.

Seeing this, Qin Mu felt relieved. He swiftly rushed to the cracked Black Mountain, unleashing his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure domain with a hum. He took out Celestial Venerable Ling’s hairpin, waving it to repeatedly point and cast Unchanging divine abilities, applying them to himself and his divine treasure domain! His figure flickered as he set up various powerful divine abilities and seals both in front of and behind the mountain.

Blind Man arrived and began setting up seals with him. Qin Mu looked up at him, moving his lips. Blind Man chuckled, “Mu’er, do you think I could just watch you go to your death alone?” Qin Mu said no more, and the two accelerated their preparations.

The two worked from daybreak until sunset, finally completing the setup of various killing formations. Blind Man sighed in relief, wiping sweat from his forehead. He chuckled, “Back then, Heavenly Master Yan Yunxi of Founding Emperor’s era used formations to defeat the new and old Earth Mother Primordial Sovereigns, astounding the world in one battle. Heh heh, as Eternal Peace’s grandmaster of formations, I can’t be inferior to her.” He was full of heroic spirit.

Only then did Qin Mu notice that there were people behind him. Xu Sheng Hua, Lan Yu Tian, Mute, Cripple, Granny Si, Yan’er, as well as Wei Sui Feng, Shu Jun, Crown Prince You Ming, Emperor Ming, and Southern Emperor, had all rushed to this location after relocating the Eternal Peace citizens from the area.

Qin Mu was touched but suddenly his expression turned grim. He said coolly, “All of you, leave. There’s no need to stay here and distract me. Brother Xu, you stay on the World Tree; don’t let a single drop of Dao Dew be lost.”

Cripple raised an eyebrow and sneered, “Is this Black Mountain yours? Cripple Grandfather comes and goes as he pleases. Can you control me?”

Qin Mu pointed a finger, and countless teleportation runes enveloped Cripple, who was whisked away with a whoosh! Cripple roared repeatedly, trying to break through the teleportation divine ability. He was the strongest divine thief in the world; even Lan Yu Tian was slightly inferior to him, and even teleportation abilities couldn't fully restrain him. Qin Mu flicked his fingers repeatedly. No sooner had Cripple escaped the teleportation ability than he was pulled into a Great Return to the Ruins Abyss. His speed increased to its maximum as he tried to escape before the Return to the Ruins ability fully manifested. However, one Return to the Ruins abyss layered upon another, quickly engulfing Cripple. Qin Mu waved his hand, and a spatial rift opened, swallowing Cripple along with the Great Return to the Ruins Abyss. He didn't intend to harm Cripple, but rather to send him away. This Great Return to the Ruins Abyss only swallowed; it did not digest. Once Qin Mu had sent Cripple to a safe distance, it would release him.

“Do you also want me to expend my magic power to send you all away, one by one?” Qin Mu glanced around, speaking softly.

A chill ran through everyone's hearts. Cripple was the most difficult among them to deal with, yet Qin Mu had easily sent him away. They knew they would likely fare no better.

Granny Si suddenly turned, shouting, “Let’s go! No one needs to stay! If anyone dares to remain and waste Mu’er’s magic power, this old woman will beat them to death!”