Chapter 418: Shock Cauldron

His head was very large, and the blood-swollen lump on it was equally sizable. Yet, when he emerged from underground, he was only about five feet tall. His face was covered in a wild, unkempt beard, growing haphazardly in all directions.

Qin Mu quickly said, "Patriarch of the Earth Elemental Divine Tribe, this manor was forged by the Four Sovereigns of the High Heavens; they spared no expense."

"Those scoundrels again!"

The short man leaped out and landed on the ground with a thud. Although his body was small, he was astonishingly heavy. He looked up and said, "Earth... Giant, are you the Human Emperor? Did that incredibly arrogant Human Emperor who came before you die?"

Without waiting for Qin Mu's reply, he said gleefully, "Good riddance! Was it a terrible death? It must have been a truly miserable death, right? Hahahaha, I knew that guy had a horrible death! Always full of himself, constantly calling us for counterattacks. One or two times would have been fine, but if you constantly take risks, you're bound to get caught eventually. He did it too many times, so sooner or later, his boat was bound to capsize. So, he's dead now, isn't he?"

Qin Mu looked back but couldn't see the Village Chief. He thought to himself, "The Village Chief was just here; where did he go?"

"I am Tu Xingfeng of the Earth Elemental Divine Tribe, the current patriarch. My ancestors were Earth Deities during the Founding Emperor era; our entire family is this short. You've probably seen the Earth God Temples in the Great Ruins, haven't you? They enshrine our family's ancient ancestors."

The short man was very talkative and spoke quickly: "Our tribe is very fertile. That's why during the Founding Emperor era, Earth Deities were everywhere; there were Earth God Temples all over the place, and every mountain had a deity from our Earth Tribe. However, the purer our tribe's bloodline, the shorter we are. Since the end of the Founding Emperor era, our tribe's bloodline has deteriorated; we've been growing taller and taller. My height alone already makes me a giant among our Earth Elemental Divine Tribe; my ancestors would despise me for it. Oh, and I have twenty-eight brothers; I'm the eldest, and my second brother is called..."

Qin Mu coughed and said, "Everyone, please come in."

Suddenly, a demonic wind swept in. As the wind subsided, five men and women of varying appearances stood within the dark, demonic aura. They said, "We are the leaders of the demon race, the Five Immortals, here by invitation to meet the Human Emperor."

Qin Mu was surprised. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace said beside him, "These five are all powerful demons."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. "The Five Immortals" was a folk term: Fox, Yellow, White, Willow, Grey. The Fox Immortal was a fox, the Yellow Immortal a weasel, the White Immortal a hedgehog, the Willow Immortal a snake, and the Grey Immortal a rat. These five demon leaders must be the five tribal spirits of the demon race.

It was likely that when the first Human Emperor rescued the people of the world, he even saved the demon race. So, the demon leaders also offered treasures and together forged the Human Emperor's Seal.

"Please, five of you!"

Qin Mu invited everyone into the manor, where they took their seats in the main hall. The Village Chief also arrived, and everyone looked at the old man, who had been whittled down like a stick. For a moment, no one recognized him.

Besides the Village Chief, the Butcher, the Mute, the Blind, Old Ma, the Cripple, the Deaf, the Apothecary, and Granny Si also took their seats. Tu Xingfeng kept looking at the Village Chief, finding him somewhat familiar, which made the Village Chief feel a little embarrassed.

A moment later, Qingyou Mountain Man arrived with two elders, Youhe and Youyun. They saluted Qin Mu, then saluted the Village Chief, and smiled, "We're late!"

"Little Qingzi, Little Youzi, and Old Youzi!"

Tu Xingfeng was overjoyed. He jumped up and shouted, "You're still alive? I thought you were dead! Little Qingzi, you were good friends with the previous Human Emperor; did that scoundrel die?"

Qingyou Mountain Man looked a little awkward. He quickly pointed to the Village Chief and said, "Wasn't the old Human Emperor always here?"

The Village Chief felt utterly mortified. But Tu Xingfeng and the others burst into laughter. They all stepped forward and said, "We recognized you long ago; we just wanted to tease you a bit."

"Although you often called upon us, we deeply miss those times we spent fighting alongside you!"

"To be able to fight alongside you in our lifetime was our greatest honor!"

The Village Chief suddenly burst into tears and choked, unable to speak.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was filled with emotion, realizing that the previous Sword God had so many close friends—a level of camaraderie he could not hope to achieve.

Old Buddha and Old Dao Master arrived, and everyone chatted lively again.

"The human race is still thriving, truly worthy of being the race that dominates the land." Kun King observed that most of the experts who arrived were human. The other races combined could only contend with the humans and were even slightly inferior, which made him feel emotional.

The Willow Immortal looked at Qin Mu and said, "Human Emperor, what instructions do you have, now that you've brought out the Human Emperor's Seal?"

The Willow Immortal was a woman. Her name sounded like a willow tree spirit, but she was actually a green snake spirit with the bloodline of a green dragon. This Willow Immortal had lived for an unknown period; although she called herself an elder, she didn't look old.

Humans typically had a lifespan of no more than 800 years, but other races had lifespans exceeding this limit. Qin Mu couldn't tell how long the Willow Immortal had truly lived; however, most of the invited powerhouses had fought alongside the Village Chief, so their ages were likely considerable.

As for the other four Immortals, the White Immortal, Yellow Immortal, and Grey Immortal were all men, while the Fox Immortal was a woman.

"Intercept the High Heavens."

Qin Mu looked around and said, "Esteemed brothers and sisters, you must have seen the stone statues and treasures scattered across Eternal Peace, right? The gods from the High Heavens will come to unleash the natural disasters contained within these treasures, triggering cataclysms. Earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, thunderstorms—all will strike. I imagine your people will find it difficult to survive."

Everyone frowned. They had indeed noticed many stone statues on their way here. If what Qin Mu said was true and the disasters erupted, their respective races would hardly escape annihilation.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace said, "Before I came, I brought over a treasure that emerged from underground. Please take a look, everyone."

He took out a taotie bag, carefully opened it, activated his magic power, lifted a large, reddish-orange circular cauldron, and placed it on the ground with utmost caution.

Everyone gathered around and examined it carefully. The large cauldron was vermilion red; flames overflowed from within it, and occasionally, bursts of flames floated around the cauldron, covering an area of about an *mu*. The cauldron had a sealed opening, with a massive lid tightly sealing its mouth, and runes formed seals around the lid.

Inside the cauldron, there seemed to be boundless, terrifying energy, continuously vibrating. The entire hall vibrated constantly, and the glazed tiles on the hall's roof rattled with a rhythmic sound.

The entire manor also vibrated, and the trees swayed gently.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was extremely cautious, as if fearing he would trigger the violent energy within the cauldron.

"This is the Quake Cauldron."

Tu Xingfeng circled the large cauldron twice, his voice like thunder, and said, "The Quake Cauldron contains earthquake energy. If it erupts, tens of thousands of mountains in Eternal Peace will be completely leveled! My ancestors once forged this kind of treasure under the Emperor's command to collect earthquake energy."

He took out a large hammer with a sharp point. The front of the hammerhead was flat, and the back was a sharp point. With a loud clang, he struck the Quake Cauldron.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was about to stop him, but it was already too late.

Inside the manor, everything remained safe. But outside, within a hundred *li* radius, the mountains suddenly shook violently, swaying as if dancing. Mountains trembled, earth flew up, rocks shattered, and countless trees instantly collapsed!

Qingyou Mountain Man was furious. He reached out and snatched the hammer from Tu Xingfeng's hand but was nearly crushed to the ground by its weight. He quickly let go and angrily said, "Three-Inch Nail, are you mad?"

Tu Xingfeng picked up the large hammer, handling it with effortless ease, and said, "I know these things very well; a single tap won't hurt. This area is desolate, and there's no one around... There isn't anyone nearby, right?"

Qin Mu shook his head, "No one lives nearby. However, Patriarch Tu Xing, please don't act so rashly."

"Let me try!"

Xuan Shengwu, Patriarch of the Black Tortoise Tribe, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Three-Inch Nail, you strike the Quake Cauldron, and I'll see if I can suppress the earthquake fluctuations."

Tu Xingfeng's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "The Black Tortoise Shield is known as the strongest defense! Maybe you can withstand the Quake Cauldron's impact! Alright, let's give it a try!"

Qin Mu was about to object when Granny Si suddenly reached out and stopped him. She gently shook her head and whispered, "Mu'er, they respect the Human Emperor's Seal, not you; they won't listen to you. Let them try. They won't join you in fighting the High Heavens until they've learned their lesson the hard way."

Qin Mu immediately stopped trying to dissuade them and said, "Imperial Preceptor, take this cauldron outside the hall and let them try."

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace channeled his magic power and carefully carried the Quake Cauldron out of the main hall.

Everyone came outside the hall. Xuan Shengwu, with a coiled Teng Snake around him, let out a roar. Immediately, layers of tortoise shell runes flew out, sealing the Quake Cauldron on all sides, layer upon layer, interlocked, forming a sealing system of nearly a hundred layers, glowing with dazzling light!

Tu Xingfeng swung his pointed hammer and struck the Quake Cauldron heavily. With an earth-shattering clang, the energy within the Quake Cauldron instantly erupted.

That destructive wave instantly broke through Xuan Shengwu's nearly hundred-layered, strongest defense. Xuan Shengwu's face changed drastically. The Black Tortoise and Teng Snake roared in unison, revealing their true forms, transforming into a colossal Black Tortoise attempting to suppress the wave. But they were immediately shaken, spitting blood, and their massive bodies flew high into the air and crashed down!

Everyone's expressions changed dramatically. Each unleashed their strongest defensive techniques, attempting to seal the energy. For a moment, rumbling and vibrations filled the air. Everyone's divine treasures fully opened, their primordial spirits rose, and incomplete divine bridges stretched across the sky. Their primordial spirits stood on the ruined divine bridges, their magic powers erupting simultaneously as they jointly pressed down on the Quake Cauldron!

The energy fluctuations within the Quake Cauldron subsided slightly for a moment, then erupted again. One by one, massive figures were thrown in all directions, crashing with loud thuds around the manor.

Everyone's faces were pale. They stood up and looked at the vermilion red cauldron, unable to hide the shock on their faces.

Although that terrifying energy had been blocked by them, it had still caused them some injuries.

"Three-Inch Nail, how much power of the Quake Cauldron did that strike activate?" Xuan Shengwu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, returned to his human form, and asked loudly.

Tu Xingfeng shook his head and said, "It hasn't even activated one percent of its power..."

Everyone's hearts sank.

The most powerful figures in the world were gathered here, yet they couldn't even fully withstand one percent of the Quake Cauldron's power. If the gods from the High Heavens were to come and activate the full power of these treasures...

Fearing that Tu Xingfeng would act recklessly again, the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace quickly put away the Quake Cauldron and said, "There are seventeen similar treasures. These eighteen treasures are difficult to move, and a slight mistake could trigger the energy within them."

"One cauldron is enough to destroy Eternal Peace. Seventeen of them, that's truly extravagant."

Kun King's eyes flickered, and he said, "This is no longer just a matter for the human race, but a common concern for all races living in this world. If the power of these eighteen divine and demonic treasures erupts, my marine races will also find it hard to escape disaster."

Tu Xingfeng said, "All Earth Elemental tribes underground will likely be shaken to death."

Wing King said, "With storms and thunderstorms filling the sky, my Winged Tribe will also find it hard to escape disaster."

"In that case..."

Qin Mu looked around and said in a deep voice, "Let's set off now to intercept the High Heavens!"