Chapter 445: Night Raid

Towards the end of the Kaihuang era, celestial phenomena underwent drastic changes. The gods of that time created the Sun Ship and Moon Ship to dispel darkness, foster growth, and ensure the survival of the common people.

These two ships, however, were also formidable weapons. Both the Sun Guardian of the Sun Ship and the Moon Guardian of the Moon Ship could harness the immense power of their vessels, elevating their own strength to the level of celestial deities, with power capable of reshaping the world.

Qin Mu had previously used the Sun Ship and borrowed the Moon Ship, intimately understanding their immense power and extraordinary nature.

Using the Dragon Taming Sutra's Dragon Manipulation Art, he could borrow the strength of the Dragon King God and the multitude of dragons. This allowed him to open the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure and send his primordial spirit directly to the Celestial Court, though he could only enter the Southern Heavenly Gate and not venture deeper. However, by borrowing the power of the Sun Ship and Moon Ship, he could reach Yao Terrace directly and stand beside the Yaochi!

Yet, the Sun Ship and Moon Ship also had their nemesis: the Myriad Gods Nature Technique from the True Heaven Palace.

The power lent by the Sun Ship to the Sun Guardian, and by the Moon Ship to the Moon Guardian, originated from the ships themselves, not from the guardians' own strength. Both vessels possessed immense and terrifying energy, driven by divinely created suns and moons as their power sources, which allowed them to dispel darkness.

The Myriad Gods Nature Technique, in contrast, adheres to the philosophy that all things possess gods and spirits. Practitioners leverage their perception of nature to create primordial spirits, awakening and animating all of creation to fight on their behalf.

What if a deity practicing the Myriad Gods Nature Technique could awaken the spirits of the Sun Ship and Moon Ship and compel them to fight on their behalf?

In that scenario, the Sun Guardian, Moon Guardian, and the sun/moon tenders on board would face nothing but a bloody massacre and certain death, with even the guardians unable to escape!

"Many years ago, there must have been a terrible battle here. The Sun Ship and Moon Ship encountered deities practicing the Myriad Gods Nature Technique and were successively destroyed. And this..."

Qin Mu looked to the west, his gaze flickering like a candle in the wind. "This must be profoundly connected to the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands."

He had always assumed that the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands was a sacred place, similar to Grand Thunderclap Temple or the Dao Sect. Although its palace lord's divine powers and techniques were profound and exquisite, they were still a formidable individual confined to the Divine Bridge realm. He believed this sacred place would be no different from others.

Now, however, it seemed the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands might conceal numerous secrets, perhaps even terrifying entities!

Moreover, the name "True Heaven Palace" itself was intriguing.

The Heavenly Saint Sect was named because the Woodcutter taught scriptures and was revered as a saint. Grand Thunderclap Temple earned its name because Mount Sumeru was so high that it stood amidst thunderclouds, where the sounds of thunder mingled with Buddhist chants, creating a deafening resonance.

The Dao Sect was named after the Dao Sword and the gateway to Kunlun Mountain. Little Jade Capital itself was a fragment of Jade Capital from the Kaihuang era. The names of these sacred places often hinted at their origins.

So, what was the origin of True Heaven Palace?

Why did the deities of True Heaven Palace seek to destroy the Sun Ship and Moon Ship?

The temple ruins in the desert and the eerie sand dune giants were likely the work of True Heaven Palace deities. And what about the strange fires covering the desert, which caused flame marks to appear on the abandoned people of the Great Ruins upon entering and subsequently burned them to death? Were these also connected to True Heaven Palace?

Why did flame marks appear on the abandoned people of the Great Ruins upon setting foot here? Why were only they burned to death by the strange fires, while others who touched the flames remained unharmed?

How many secrets did the Western Lands conceal?

The desert fires blazed fiercely, making it almost unbearable for him. Suddenly, another ruin appeared ahead. Before the Dragon Qilin could draw near, they saw sand swirling and gathering in that ruin, as a sand dune giant slowly took shape, followed by more sand dune giants forming, with sand swirling and rising at their feet.

The Dragon Qilin was about to detour, but Qin Mu shook his head and said, "No need. Keep going."

The Dragon Qilin had no choice but to brace itself and charge towards the menacing sand dune giants. In Qin Mu's eyes, layers of array patterns rotated as he observed the ruin from a distance.

The sand dune giants from the ruin rushed closer and closer. Suddenly, a sword hummed, and the Carefree Sword whistled out, skimming the desert and kicking up whirlwinds of sand and dust!

When the sand dune giants were still about a hundred zhang from the Dragon Qilin, they suddenly collapsed. As rolling sand and dust surged forward, the Dragon Qilin quickly let out a roar, scattering the disintegrating sand dunes.

Qin Mu retrieved the Carefree Sword, and the Dragon Qilin carried him into the ruin. They found a shrine littered with shattered fragments of divine statues.

The Dragon Qilin continued on its way.

"We should reach the Western Lands by noon tomorrow."

On a dilapidated Sun Ship, Qin Mu lit a bonfire, allowing the Dragon Qilin and Xiong Qi'er to rest. While he could endure, the Dragon Qilin needed rest after such a long journey, and Xiong Qi'er, being young, could not withstand such prolonged travel.

The young man looked to the west, his gaze piercing through the desert covered in strange fires. In the shifting firelight, a figure emerged in the distance, distorted by the flames.

Qin Mu smiled and waved, and the figure, startled, quickly fled.

"Grand Master is growing more timid," Qin Mu said, shaking his head with a chuckle.

Ban Gongcuo moved away from the dilapidated Sun Ship, his expression shifting between dark and light. His broken arm had been reattached, and his injuries had largely healed, but he still hadn't found an opportunity to ambush Qin Mu.

He had considered a direct ambush, and even a head-on confrontation with Qin Mu, but realizing the low odds of success, he had to abandon the idea.

As he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed the sand around him silently shifting. His heart stirred, and he quickly looked closer in the firelight.

The desert in the dark night wasn't completely dark; the firelight illuminated the immediate surroundings, though not far into the distance. Ban Gongcuo saw a strange figure approaching in the firelight, moving like a puppet with twisted joints, walking in an unusual posture.

The desert quicksand flowed with the puppet's steps, and strangely, the moving sand made no sound.

Ban Gongcuo's heart skipped a beat. He saw another puppet-like figure, then a third, a fourth...

As the puppets drew closer, he realized these strange figures were actually carved wooden divine statues, their eyes unnervingly real and not made of wood. They approached the Sun Ship in complete silence.

Ban Gongcuo's heart pounded wildly. One of the wooden statues suddenly turned its head to look at him, revealing a strange smile, and put a wooden finger to its lips, making a shushing gesture.

Ban Gongcuo blinked, remained motionless, and watched as these statues arrived beneath the Sun Ship.

Quicksand surged, carrying these wooden statues and lifting them higher as the sand dunes grew increasingly tall.

Ban Gongcuo's heart grew tense, and he clenched his fists in excitement. The Sun Ship was already surrounded by enormous sand dune giants, who raised their massive fists high, poised to strike down upon Qin Mu aboard the vessel!

"That Qin boy is finished!" Ban Gongcuo was almost too excited to shout aloud.

Just then, a silver sword light with a sharp whistle instantly pierced through the head of one wooden statue. The statue's head exploded with a crack, followed by a second crisp pop, then a third, and a fourth, the sounds merging into a continuous line.

After several cracking sounds, the raised arms of the sand dune giants froze in the air, and then the quicksand slowly collapsed and slid down, burying most of the Sun Ship.

"Trying to fight me?" A light chuckle echoed from the ship.

Ban Gongcuo no longer hesitated and turned to leave. "It's almost impossible to ambush this boy! But what is he, an abandoned person, doing going to the Western Lands? Isn't he just seeking death? As for the owner of these wooden statues, I do know her; we've met once, though she's not easy to find. Heh heh, young Qin, if I want to kill you, why would I need to do it myself?"

He smiled. "Besides, even if I can't borrow that person's power, I have several old acquaintances in the Western Lands. It won't be too difficult to kill you! You brat have opposed me repeatedly. After you die, I'll use your corpse to spell out a massive 'subdue' character!"

By noon the next day, the Dragon Qilin finally emerged from the desert. The flame patterns on Qin Mu's body gradually receded and vanished.

They arrived at a border town in the Western Lands. The streets were bustling with men and women wearing turbans, dressed in beautiful, elaborate clothes, adorned with gold and silver. Women of higher status wore silver headpieces carved into shapes like phoenixes and Vermillion Birds, and their clothing was often striking bright red or deep black, making them quite dazzling.

There were many beautiful girls here, though the men appeared somewhat plainer.

As soon as they arrived in the town, Xiong Qi'er immediately clamored for sour fish soup, spicy ribs, rice noodles, and insect tea. She had been away from home for over half a year and was finally able to eat her hometown's delicacies. She couldn't help but cheer with joy, wanting to try every single one.

The Western Lands used gold and silver for payment, and Qin Mu had some with him, so he allowed her to eat and drink to her heart's content.

Qin Mu also tried some of the local cuisine, which was spicy and sour, offering a unique flavor. However, the insect tea made him hesitant. It was made from the excrement of insects that had consumed tea leaves; despite its peculiar fragrance, he was still somewhat apprehensive.

"Grandpa Apothecary enjoys tea. I'll bring some back for him to try," Qin Mu thought to himself.

He looked around, observing that the architecture in the Western Lands differed greatly from Yankang, and the local customs varied. The most peculiar were the houses, which were circular structures built with wooden frames. Many houses had plaques with divine statues hanging on them.

Qin Mu inquired and learned that these divine statues were used to prevent people from using magic to summon spirits.

This was because the magic of the Western Lands also followed the path of all things having spirits and gods. If a divine arts practitioner were to cast a spell and a house suddenly stood up and ran away, wouldn't the entire family be left exposed to the elements?

As long as a house had a divine statue enshrined, it would not be spirited away by a divine arts practitioner.

Qin Mu blinked. A large group of houses standing up and fighting each other would indeed be a novel sight.

But could divine statues truly guarantee that houses would not be taken away by divine arts practitioners?

An old man told him, "There are also many temples on the mountains, used to suppress mountain spirits. Every river has an altar too, so they aren't taken away by those divine arts practitioners. However, all these mountains and waters have owners."

Qin Mu looked around, clicking his tongue in wonder as he saw continuous rolling mountains. He had initially thought the mountains of the Western Lands had long been leveled by divine arts practitioners, but the Western Lands were still picturesque with beautiful scenery.

"Why do these mountains and waters all have owners?"

Qin Mu asked, "Who are their owners?"

"Naturally, it's the Lady Mistresses of True Heaven Palace, along with some local divine arts practitioners and other sects."

The old man said, "Not only do the mountains and waters have owners, but even the flowers, plants, and trees have owners. You cannot simply move them casually. Otherwise, even if you sold yourself, you couldn't afford the compensation!"

As he spoke, the ground vibrated slightly. The surrounding crowd panicked and quickly dodged. Qin Mu looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a treeman, formed from a towering tree, striding forward. A woman stood on the tree, holding a scroll painting. She unfurled it dramatically and announced loudly, "There is now an escaped fugitive from the Great Ruins who has fled into the Western Lands. True Heaven Palace has issued a warrant for this villain! Come, hang up the portrait!"