Chapter 398: First Divine Eye

Qin Mu was lost in thought. The collision and overlap of the Feather World with the Great Ruins world meant that the sky of the Feather World was the Great Ruins itself—a truly magnificent spectacle.

Unfortunately, it was likely no longer visible now.

The Feather World had probably been a subordinate world of the ancient Kaihuang era. Later, due to the Kaihuang Tribulation, the Kaihuang Empire lost control and protection over the Feather World. This allowed the Resurrected Devil God to find the Feather World and assimilate all its Feather tribesmen.

The Kaihuang Tribulation had occurred precisely twenty thousand years ago.

It was also at that time that this place became the Great Ruins.

"The Kaihuang Empire's territory extended beyond the Great Ruins to other worlds."

He couldn't help but imagine how, at that time, the Kaihuang Empire's domain had already reached other worlds, encompassing wondrous races like the Feather Tribe and various other beings. Life in that era must have been incredibly fascinating.

"I've heard that this place was once called the Celestial Court," Yu Zhaoqing said. "The Emperor was the ruler of all heavens."

Qin Mu immediately recalled protecting Bear Xiyu and her mother as they traversed the Great Ruins, passing through the ruins of the Western Celestial Palace. That expanse of ruins was called the Western Celestial Palace: an enormous landmass slanted into the debris, with majestic buildings reduced to broken walls, pillars lying scattered, and fragments of colossal machinery hidden among the rocks.

He composed himself, dismissing the peculiar thoughts in his mind, and said, "The Resurrected Devil God is dead, so you are relatively safe now. What are your plans, Tribe Leader Yu?"

"To rebuild our ancient nation and return to our homeland."

Yu Zhaoqing's clothes vibrated softly, quickly transforming into a suit of armor. Her battle spirit surged, and murderous intent filled the air. "I will lead my people back to the Feather World to reclaim our world! Many demons remain there, wings of the Resurrected Devil God, occupying our Feather Tribe's sacred land. We must reclaim it, kill all our enemies, and rebuild our home!"

"There are still demons in the Feather World?" Qin Mu was surprised. After a moment's consideration, he asked, "With only a few million Feather tribesmen left, do you have enough strength to reclaim the Feather World?"

Yu Zhaoqing was full of confidence. "After the Resurrected Devil God's death, other members of our Feather World will regain their sanity. Our Feather tribesmen communicate through spiritual vibrations, making us easy to coordinate in battle. Reclaiming the Feather World won't be difficult."

Qin Mu pondered. "Tribe Leader Yu, the divine arts and dao methods of today are different from those of the past. You've been controlled by the Resurrected Devil God for so many years; I'm afraid you no longer understand the current era. On the battlefield, communicating with your tribesmen through spiritual vibrations can be easily disrupted. Since you've been controlled for so long, your enemies must have studied you thoroughly. In their eyes, you are merely lambs to the slaughter."

He channeled his vital qi and unleashed a divine art. His vital qi transformed into various strange runes, forming a large cauldron that inverted and covered them.

These runes constantly vibrated, emitting waves barely audible to ordinary people. However, in Yu Zhaoqing's ears, they resonated like continuous clanging bells, interfering with her spiritual thoughts, making her deaf to all sound and unable to contact her tribesmen.

Qin Mu dispersed the divine art and said, "Tribe Leader Yu, I believe you should proceed slowly and not be too hasty."

Yu Zhaoqing's mind was in turmoil, and the colors of her clothes shifted constantly, forming disordered patterns, clearly indicating her unease.

Qin Mu had only just encountered the Feather Tribe, yet he already realized that their spiritual connection had a discernible flaw. The demonic experts in the Feather World must have thoroughly researched all the Feather Tribe's weaknesses!

If the Feather Tribe couldn't demonstrate new abilities, rebuilding their ancient nation would be a joke; returning to the Feather World would be suicide!

"The Eternal Peace Empire is currently undergoing reforms, with various dao methods and divine arts advancing rapidly," Qin Mu suggested. "The Feather Tribe might consider settling in the Eternal Peace Empire first to learn new skills. Once you have the strength, you can then return to the Feather World and reclaim your territory."

Yu Zhaoqing hesitated. As tribe leader, she yearned to return to the Feather World immediately and clear out all the monsters there. However, as Qin Mu said, going back now would be suicide; they truly needed to proceed slowly.

Tribe Leader Mu Ri suddenly interjected, "Perhaps Tribe Leader Yu doesn't know, but this person beside you is not an outsider. He is His Highness."

"His Highness?" Yu Zhaoqing suppressed her inner struggle and asked, puzzled, "Which Highness?"

Tribe Leader Mu Ri said meaningfully, "His Highness of our Sun-Herding Tribe, and also His Highness of your Feather Tribe."

Yu Zhaoqing was greatly shaken. She immediately stood up, her clothes transforming into courtier's attire, and bowed to Qin Mu once more.

"Where do all these formalities come from? The Kaihuang Empire no longer exists, and I am not your Highness. Sister Yu, please don't scare me."

Qin Mu quickly helped her up and squeezed her clothes, finding them smooth and warm to the touch. He smiled, "How are your clothes made, Sister Yu?"

Yu Zhaoqing looked at Tribe Leader Mu Ri in confusion, who also frowned. Qin Mu seemed unwilling to admit he was the prince of Worry-free Village, neither in front of Tribe Leader Mu Ri nor Yu Zhaoqing.

"Your Highness, the clothes I wear are actually my skin and wings," Yu Zhaoqing explained. "The structure of our Feather Tribe's bodies is slightly different from yours. We have many thin wings all over our bodies. These wings don't have feathers; instead, they have scales on the skin. Our scales change color according to our mood. We Feather tribesmen are quite skilled at personal adornment."

Qin Mu heard that her clothes were her skin and couldn't help but squeeze them again. He discovered that the scales she mentioned were not hard but, on the contrary, as soft as skin.

Yu Zhaoqing's face flushed slightly from his touch. "Your Highness, please don't."

Qin Mu released her hand, feeling a bit regretful. He had intended to ask Yu Zhaoqing for a few sets of such clothes, but the Feather Tribe's clothing was part of their bodies and could not be removed, so he had to give up the idea.

Si Yunxiang, Ling Yuxiu, and Hu Ling'er, however, crowded around, marveling at her clothes. Yu Zhaoqing's face grew redder; she didn't want them to touch but was too embarrassed to speak, so she stood there awkwardly.

"They feel so good, smoother than Ling'er's fur," the girls exclaimed. Ling Yuxiu asked curiously, "Tribe Leader Yu, what if it's freezing cold in winter? Don't you get cold like this?"

Yu Zhaoqing shook her head. "Our Feather World is always warm, with no cold seasons. And even if the weather gets cold, our scales can inflate, providing excellent warmth. See?"

As she spoke, her clothes thickened and puffed up, yet their style remained pleasing to the eye.

Everyone praised them profusely.

Tribe Leader Mu Ri stood to the side, exasperated. They had come to the Sun God Palace to discuss important tribal matters, but it had turned into a fashion appreciation session.

After the lively interlude, Qin Mu said, "Tribe Leader Yu, you can either stay in the Great Ruins with your tribesmen, or you can come with me to the Eternal Peace Empire. When the time is ripe, you can lead a large army back to the Feather World. What do you think?"

Yu Zhaoqing thought for a moment. "Your Highness, please wait a few days. I need to discuss this with my tribesmen before making a decision."

Qin Mu nodded, and Yu Zhaoqing immediately went to consult with her people.

"Tribe Leader, let's go see that cracked sun!"

Qin Mu stood up and, with everyone else, went to the two halves of the sun. Many Sun-Herding people were trying to pull the chains out of the split sun.

They planned to use the Sun Boat's chains to fish out a new sun from the Sun Well.

Qin Mu had smashed the sun on the Sun Boat into two halves, so a new sun had to be fished out to serve as the energy source for the Sun Boat. Otherwise, the Sun Guardian would have his life force absorbed by the giant ship.

However, the chains were embedded in the sun, and even though the sun was split in half, it was difficult to pull the chains out.

Qin Mu entered the interior of the massive hemisphere. Inside the sun was a vast and complex three-dimensional array structure. Thousands of arrays had to be activated to transform this colossal metal sphere into a sun, emitting astonishing light and heat.

When Qin Mu smashed this sun into two halves, many of the internal array structures shattered, and numerous components fell off.

Over ten Sun-Herding people had entered the sun's interior, trying to loosen the chains, but no matter how much force they exerted, they couldn't undo them.

"Is anyone skilled in arrays?" an elder asked loudly. "These chains are stuck by a dozen arrays. We need to open the arrays to pull the chains out… Your Highness!"

Many Sun-Herding people who were busy working immediately stopped and saluted Qin Mu.

Qin Mu returned the salute and carefully examined the arrays within the sun. The chains holding the sun passed through its surface, and inside the sun, there were over a dozen disc-shaped array gear structures that held the four chains in layers.

The old tribe leader also examined the array structures. He saw that the runes and markings on these array components were extremely complex, making him dizzy. He shook his head and said, "Among our Sun-Herding Tribe, we have no array masters. We cannot unlock these arrays."

Qin Mu showed a thoughtful expression and suddenly said, "I understand now! I finally understand why Sister Qing took a hundred years to build the Sun Well and Moon Well!"

Everyone looked at him, quite perplexed, not understanding why he suddenly brought up Sister Qing building wells.

"The array structure within this sun is actually a divine eye array structure," Qin Mu said quickly, walking among the various arrays and discerning the runes and markings on them. "The Emperor commanded Sister Qing to build the wells, which was likely due to Sister Qing's abilities. This Goddess Qing must have been the foremost divine eye at that time! Her mastery of the divine eye was unparalleled, so the Emperor ordered Sister Qing to create the Sun and Moon Wells."

He quickly scanned the dozen array structures holding the chains, then went outside the sun and meticulously examined its surface. The sun's surface was not smooth but had many tree-like textures.

"The reason Sister Qing took a hundred years to succeed was that she had already realized that to create the Sun and Moon Wells, she would have to sacrifice her own divine eyes. Once the wells were completed, she would go blind. So, she spent a hundred years enjoying herself to the fullest."

Qin Mu explored the sun's surface. After a moment, he found a raised circular texture. As his vital qi surged, this textured area immediately lit up and began to rotate.

At the same time, the dozen arrays inside the sun that held the chains began to rotate, loosening the chains.

Qin Mu looked up and said, "It wasn't until the Emperor became furious that she dedicated herself to refining the wells, ultimately digging out her own eyes and lighting up the Sun Well and Moon Well."

Before him, the internal structure of the sun constantly changed as the arrays unlocked, emitting loud clanging sounds. Meanwhile, the complex textures on the sun's surface continuously lit up, and large layers of the outer surface peeled back, retreating layer by layer!

This half of the sun seemed to come alive, startling everyone who retreated repeatedly, filled with unease and confusion.

As the sun's structure continued to change, after a moment, this enormous half-sun shrunk into a solid metal wall, standing before them.

Qin Mu approached the other half of the sun and, using the same method, the other half also transformed, becoming another metal wall.

Two walls stood before the crowd, a hundred zhang high and several li long, ancient and golden.

"Goddess Qing knew she had to sacrifice her divine eyes to the wells to complete the task the Emperor gave her, so she spent a hundred years enjoying herself, and then fifty years to fulfill the Emperor's command. What an extraordinary woman."

Qin Mu praised, looking at the two metal walls with admiration. He murmured, "Her name was Sister Qing. 'Sister' means older sister, and 'Qing' is her given name. It suggests she was an older sister in her family who liked to wear blue clothes. It's a pity I never had the chance to meet such a remarkable person… What's wrong with you all?"

He turned to look, and saw everyone staring at him, dumbfounded.

Qin Mu couldn't help but feel puzzled and explained, "The 'Sister' is from 'sisters,' and 'Qing' is from 'blue clothes.' So, Sister Qing means the older sister who wears blue clothes."

"Not that!" A tribal elder stammered, "Your Highness, you've unlocked the sun's arrays!"

Qin Mu suddenly realized and laughed. "Unlocking it isn't difficult. I've done some research on divine eye abilities. In Eternal Peace, I even personally forged a divine eye with a similar structure, though not as intricate as this sun. Sister Qing was truly amazing!"

He looked up at the two walls. "I've learned a lot. I really want to enter the wells and see her eyes..."