Chapter 525: Black Dark Otherworld

"The Stoneman Saint, the woodcutter, has revived?"

Qin Mu's heart jolted. He quickly asked, "Where is he?"

"He has already left. If you had arrived a few days earlier, you could have seen him. The woodcutter saint left carrying an axe. When he woke up, I was quite startled, thinking, 'How did these two beings awaken one after another?'" The Tranquil Hermit added, "As for where he went, I don't know."

Qin Mu composed himself. The successive awakenings of the Founding Human Emperor from the Human Emperor's Palace and the woodcutter saint from the Heavenly Saint Cult were indeed strange. Why did they awaken specifically at this time? And where would the woodcutter saint go? The Heavenly Saint Cult was not founded by him, but by its patriarch. The woodcutter merely wished to leave his legacy, so he might not necessarily go to the Heavenly Saint Cult. Where else could he go besides the Heavenly Saint Cult?

Wang Muran and others were not in Little Jade Capital; they had gone to Dragonmount City. There were only a few old immortals on the mountain. The Tranquil Hermit sized up Qin Mu and said, "Human Emperor Qin's condition seems a bit off. Do you really intend to enter the Five Qi Palace? You seem somewhat distracted right now."

Qin Mu shook his head and said, "May I ask, Tranquil Immortal, is Little Jade Capital currently able to open the Five Qi Palace and the Seven Star Palace? I'd like to go in and take a look."

The Tranquil Hermit hesitated, feeling somewhat uneasy about Qin Mu's current state. He said, "If the Human Emperor insists on challenging, Little Jade Capital will naturally do its best to accommodate. However, your current state seems quite off, and forcing your way through might be detrimental to you. You only have one chance. If you successfully complete the Five Qi Breakthrough and the Seven Star Breakthrough, your foundation will undoubtedly greatly increase. Don't waste this opportunity; it would be better to return after you've adjusted your state."

Qin Mu smiled and said, "I just want to go in and look around; I won't be attempting a challenge."

The Tranquil Hermit, resigned, said, "Please follow me."

He led Qin Mu to the Three Yuan Palace and said, "Last time, you completed the Three Yuan Breakthrough. This time, upon entering the palace, you will automatically enter the Five Qi Palace. If you clear the Five Qi Palace, you will enter the next palace, and after clearing that, it will be the Seven Star Palace. Your condition isn't right, so to prevent any mistakes, I will personally oversee it."

Qin Mu thanked him and stepped into the Three Yuan Palace. Before he could even steady himself, the scenery abruptly changed. Five large stars hung in the sky, gleaming with five colors: gold, green, blue, red, and yellow. On each of these five stars stood a palace.

Qin Mu gazed intently and saw that besides these five stars, he could also see the sun and moon in the sky, though they were extremely far away from him, as if separated by an entire world.

The five stars in the sky were incredibly vast, some near, some far. Within the five divine palaces, various divine beings rose: some with ox heads and human bodies, some with human heads and snake bodies, some with tiger heads and human bodies, some with human heads and bird bodies, and one with red hair and a snake body, corresponding to the Five Luminaries Star Lords.

Suddenly, the Tranquil Hermit's voice came from afar, saying, "Sister Yinghe, let me take your place in this round."

The red-haired, snake-bodied divine being rose and transformed into a streak of light, departing into the distance.

A bright light flew over and landed in that divine palace. The Tranquil Hermit transformed into the red-haired, snake-bodied divine being and said, "Human Emperor Qin, the Five Qi Palace is divided into breakthroughs for the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Which element do you choose this time?"

Qin Mu shook his head and said, "This time, I only wish to observe the divine treasure of a true god. I hope you can accommodate me, Tranquil Immortal."

The Tranquil Hermit frowned, and the other four old immortals also furrowed their brows. One old immortal said, "The founder of Little Jade Capital left the Three Yuan Palace to instruct future generations and compensate for their deficiencies, not for people to simply observe his divine treasure."

An old woman frowned and said, "No one who has challenged here before has ever made such a strange request. Senior Brother Tranquil..."

"Human Emperor Qin is not an outsider."

The Tranquil Hermit pondered for a moment and said, "He made the divine cultivation methods public, and we have all benefited from his kindness. Little Jade Capital should naturally fulfill his request. Moreover, the ancestor who left these trials also had the surname Qin."

The other four old immortals remained silent.

The Tranquil Hermit said, "Human Emperor Qin, you only have one chance to challenge. If successful, you will receive the Divine Essence of Five Qi, which would greatly benefit you and complete any deficiencies in your Five Luminaries Divine Treasure cultivation. Are you sure you want to waste this opportunity just to observe a deity's divine treasure?"

Qin Mu bowed and said, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I am willing to forgo the Divine Essence of Five Qi."

The Tranquil Hermit smiled broadly. "Good. I originally thought Human Emperor Qin's state of mind was unstable, and I worried you might have lost your composure and be unable to challenge. But your boldness compels my admiration. In that case, come up!"

He cast down a beam of green light, and Qin Mu involuntarily floated up, landing on the Water Luminary Star. The red-haired, snake-bodied divine being, transformed from the Tranquil Hermit, led him into the divine palace and said, "Human Emperor Qin, feel free to observe. How much you can comprehend depends on your own ability."

Qin Mu expressed his thanks and examined the runic markings on the four walls of the divine palace very carefully.

The Five Luminaries Divine Treasure has divine palaces on each of its five stars. These palaces are naturally formed. Whenever a divine arts practitioner cultivates to this realm, they forge five stars within their Five Luminaries Divine Treasure, and these five stars correspond to the Five Elements.

The stars are naturally generated, and the palaces on them are also naturally generated. However, different cultivation techniques lead to different runic markings, and these markings, combined with primeval qi, eventually transform into the divine beings within the palaces.

In any divine arts practitioner's Five Luminaries Divine Treasure, when the Five Luminaries divine beings absorb and expel primeval qi, the qi's attributes also change accordingly, hence it is called the Five Qi.

Qin Mu's Five Elements Divine Treasure had already been cultivated to its limit, making further progress difficult. However, his encounter with the Founding Human Emperor made him realize that his own limit might not be everyone's limit.

He observed very carefully, and the Tranquil Hermit, with great patience, waited for him.

After an unknown period, Qin Mu stopped observing and closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes and looked at the Tranquil Hermit: "Tranquil Immortal, I have an impolite request."

The Tranquil Hermit understood and transformed into a beam of light, departing. Only Qin Mu remained in the divine palace. The runic markings on the palace walls immediately lit up, and Qin Mu's body involuntarily underwent a transformation, turning into the red-haired, snake-bodied divine being.

After a long time, Qin Mu dispersed his divine being form, left the palace, and went to another star, entering its palace to observe the runic markings there.

More than ten days later, he had visited all five stars. He then entered the Seven Star Divine Treasure, and another ten-plus days passed. As for the Heaven-Man Divine Treasure and the Life-and-Death Divine Treasure, he could not enter them because there was no one to oversee them.

Finally, Qin Mu walked out of the Three Yuan Palace. The Tranquil Hermit looked at the haggard young man with a scraggly beard and a tired expression, realizing he hadn't slept for days. Feeling a pang of sympathy, he asked, "Human Emperor Qin, have you found what you were looking for?"

Qin Mu, however, was in high spirits. This refinement of his Five Elements and Seven Star Divine Treasures had yielded immense benefits, rekindling his confidence. He thanked the hermit, saying, "Thank you, Immortal. As for whether I've truly found what I need, it still requires verification. May I ask, compared to the First Human Emperor of the Human Emperor's Palace, who was more powerful: him or the founder of Little Jade Capital?"

The Tranquil Hermit replied, "I cannot definitively say who was stronger, as both were true gods twenty thousand years ago, and I have never witnessed them fight. However, Little Jade Capital contains some ancient texts left by our patriarchs. They mention that our patriarchs once sought out the First Human Emperor, hoping to invite him to emerge from seclusion, but they returned defeated and had to recuperate for several months. The texts state that the First Human Emperor possessed immense power, capable of moving fragments of the Kaihuang Celestial Court. The Human Emperor's Palace was a hundred times larger than Little Jade Capital, truly formidable. I believe our patriarchs in Little Jade Capital were merely protecting themselves, while the First Human Emperor could lead countless people from various races through battlefields. Therefore, it is clear who was stronger."

Qin Mu's face turned ashen. After a long silence, he bowed and said, "I understand. Thank you, Immortal."

The Tranquil Hermit frowned, noticing that Qin Mu's condition was even worse than when he first arrived. He said, "You haven't slept for over a month. You should rest for a while first."

Qin Mu assented.

The Tranquil Hermit arranged a room for him and had him lie down to sleep.

Qin Mu woke up more than ten days later, still looking unwell, but insisted on departing. The Tranquil Hermit no longer tried to detain him and asked, "Should the woodcutter saint return, where can I notify you?"

"Please trouble yourself to go to Dragonmount City, Immortal. I might be there."

The Tranquil Hermit watched him depart, feeling surprised. "When Human Emperor Qin first arrived here, he was so spirited. Why is he so dispirited now?"

Qin Mu sat on the box, letting it carry them forward. He then poured a large basin of Blazing Fire Spiritual Pills, mixed with Fire Element Divine Essence Pills, for the Dragon Qilin. The Dragon Qilin was both surprised and delighted, yet also somewhat uneasy, thinking, "Why is the Cult Master so charitable today? Is it because I've been hungry for over a month, or is he planning to cook me? Never mind, I'll eat first!"

After he finished one basin, Qin Mu poured him another.

The Dragon Qilin hesitated, then looked down at the full basin of spiritual pills and suddenly burst into tears, eating the pills while sobbing.

Qin Mu was puzzled. "Why are you crying?"

"It's better to die a full ghost!" The Dragon Qilin wiped away tears, choking out, "At least I'll be full before I go. Cult Master, please give me a quick end later!"

Qin Mu shook his head and said, "I've kept you hungry these past days, so I'm compensating you. I'm not going to kill you for meat."

The Dragon Qilin was overjoyed and quickly ate the spiritual pills in the basin.

Qin Mu passed through towns, stopping to buy medicinal ingredients. He visited several cities, refining a great many Blazing Fire Spiritual Pills and Fire Element Divine Essence Pills, which he stored in the box. The Dragon Qilin was inexplicably moved: "The Cult Master is so good to me!"

Qin Mu also bought some profound iron and profound gold, and on the way, he refined some strange spiritual weapons.

The Dragon Qilin couldn't understand, baffled by what he was doing. He saw that some of the spiritual weapons Qin Mu refined were flags, some were altars, and others looked like calculation tools such as Bagua (Eight Trigrams), Taiji (Yin-Yang symbols), abacuses, or Five Elements talismans.

A few days later, they arrived at Dragonmount City but did not enter.

Qin Mu activated various calculation tools like Bagua platforms and Taiji diagrams, continuously performing calculations. He then looked around, searching for geographical features, measuring mountains and rivers with a folding ruler, and recording a series of symbols on paper. The Dragon Qilin leaned closer but couldn't understand any of it.

He calculated for a long time. The sky gradually darkened, and night was about to fall.

Qin Mu finally completed his calculations. He quickly set up an altar as if flying, planting flags all around it. He stood on the altar, and when the Dragon Qilin and the box tried to get on, he shooed them down.

"Cult Master, what are you doing?" the Dragon Qilin asked, standing by the box.

Qin Mu activated the flags, watching the surrounding darkness. Within the darkness, another world emerged, overlapping with the Great Ruins. In that world, countless black, smoke-like figures of demonkind surged forth, emerging from massive spatial portals.

In Qin Mu's eyes, the people of the other world were resisting the attacks of these demonkind. Before him lay a colossal battlefield.

"Dragon Fatty, I've refined enough spiritual pills for you to eat for a very long time. For these next few days, you can just stay with the box. I'm going to..." Qin Mu's gaze was fixed on a demon general rushing across the battlefield. On the altar, countless runes lit up, and the teleportation flags flapped and spun around the altar. "To another world!"

*Boom!*

A massive tremor reverberated, and the teleportation flags and Qin Mu instantly vanished. On the altar, a burly, towering demon general suddenly appeared, looking around in confusion.

"Dududu—" A long horn blast sounded, and countless flags flapped and spun rapidly, forming a large circle. Qin Mu suddenly appeared in a vast and boundless battlefield, surrounded by surging armies of demonkind, who were sweeping him madly forward!

Ahead lay an incomparably magnificent city. Large warships soared across the sky, and gods and devils stood firm, wielding divine weapons, sweeping through thousands of soldiers and horses!

He used sacrificial rites and a teleportation array to arrive in the world where the dark maiden resided!