Chapter 632: Encountering the Primordial Ancestor Again

I used to imagine Emperor Kai was a great hero, capable of saving the common people from suffering. I imagined this old ancestor would live and die with his supporters and followers. I thought he would be the person I envisioned. But he wasn't.

In Crippled Village, Great Ruins, Qin Mu sat by the bonfire, silently watching the water steaming in the pot. His expression was calm as he said, "The more history I uncover, the more I realize he doesn't deserve to be Emperor Kai, nor does he deserve to be the leader of countless heroes. Perhaps he was just an old man scared senseless by his enemies, only wishing to live a peaceful life. He utterly lacked the courage and magnanimity to lead those heroes and valiant individuals."

"Cluck!" Beside him, a chicken-dragon nodded with a serious expression.

"You're right," Qin Mu said, adding more firewood, his expression somewhat somber. "If he possessed such breadth of mind and courage, why would he suddenly retreat in the final war, abandoning his old comrades and leaving the common people to suffer? If he truly were the great hero I imagined, what has he done in these past twenty thousand years? He's done nothing!"

The chicken-dragon nodded, utterly serious. "Cluck-cluck!"

"Heh heh, he did nothing. No wonder the gods and devils who followed him felt their hearts turn cold," Qin Mu chuckled, shaking his head. "How I wish I could return to Carefree Village, overturn his peaceful haven, and question him myself. Perhaps I can repair the Ferry of the Other Shore and sail it there to find him. I also have a mirror that Village Chief and the others found on the Ferry of the Other Shore, a mirror that records the path to Carefree Village. Village Chief sealed this mirror, saying I should only seek Carefree Village when I could break his seal…"

"Cluck-cluck-cluck?" the chicken-dragon asked, confused.

"You're so kind, listening to all my nonsense," Qin Mu said, turning to look at it. He slowly drew a sword and said gently, "However, you've learned too many of my secrets… No need to struggle. Only a cooked and eaten chicken-dragon is a chicken-dragon that won't spill secrets. Farewell, in your next life."

A commotion of squawking and barking erupted in Crippled Village as groups of chicken-dragons huddled together, watching Qin Mu stewing a chicken by the bonfire with terrified expressions.

A short while later, Qin Mu drank the chicken soup and ate the perfectly cooked chicken, feeling satisfied. "Grandpa Apothecary and the others haven't returned here; they've likely gone to Fengdu to see Village Chief. This place isn't far from Xianglong City, so I can enter Fengdu through the Passage of Life and Death… Before that, I'll pay my respects to Village Chief and let him know I'm coming to see him."

He stood up and left. Soon after, he arrived at the small mountain village from his memories. This village originally had only a few households and was built around Village Chief's statue.

When Qin Mu arrived, he was slightly taken aback. He saw that several new statues had appeared, but Village Chief's statue was gone!

"Are you referring to the statue without hands or legs? It was moved," the villagers told him. "Some strange people came—a blacksmith, a butcher, an apothecary, and someone who paints Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures. They said the statue was an acquaintance of theirs. They helped us move in a few statues, then carried that one away."

"The original statue was better! The old one often showed its divine power when offerings were made. These new statues don't show any divine power at all."

"Oh, and among those strange people, there was also an old thief who swiped the cured pork leg hanging in my house!"

Qin Mu was surprised. "What are Grandpa Mute and the others doing here, moving Village Chief's statue? Of course!" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Grandpa Apothecary must be planning to help Village Chief's soul return, to see if he can be revived!"

He couldn't help but feel excited, immediately said his goodbyes, and headed straight for Xianglong City.

Xianglong City. This city had transformed into a crucial commercial hub. In just a few months, its prosperity had surpassed Qin Mu's imagination, with goods from all corners of the world, from the Eastern Land to the Western Land, converging here.

Airborne airships flew back and forth, as dense as woven fabric, and countless ships were unloading cargo everywhere.

Merchants from the Eastern and Western Lands traded here, saving themselves the journey to Yankang or the Western Land, making it very convenient. Besides Xianglong City, other cities in the Great Ruins also began to flourish.

The booming commerce, in turn, spurred the establishment of numerous academies and schools. At this time, every city in the Great Ruins had many academies and schools. The people of the Great Ruins called their students 'scholars,' who studied divine abilities. Some shapeshifting monsters and strange beasts even infiltrated the academies to pursue their studies.

Qin Mu arrived at the Passage of Life and Death. It was still very lively, with many scholars paying to enter Fengdu from here.

The Passage of Life and Death was guarded by a perfumer of the Heavenly Saint Cult. Qin Mu, of course, didn't need to pay to enter. He rode a boat, drifting down the long river towards Fengdu. When he reached beneath the bridge, he leaped up onto it. By the time Qin Mu descended from the bridge, he had already become a skeleton.

"Emperor Qin!" Qin Mu looked in the direction of the voice and saw the short-statured Emperor Renhuang Yishan squeezing through the crowd of ghosts, smiling broadly. "It really is you! I recognized you by your skeletal form!"

Qin Mu quickly bowed in greeting. "Grandmaster Ancestor!"

Emperor Renhuang Yishan asked cautiously, "What are you doing in Fengdu? You're not thinking of beating up the Patriarch again, are you? Do you want to stand up for little Su?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "I'm here to see Village Chief…" Emperor Renhuang Yishan breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and waved to the people peeking out from the street corner. "He's not here to fight us, come on out!"

Emperor Renhuang Qikang, Emperor Renhuang Lanpo, and others emerged from the street corner. Emperor Renhuang Qikang, with his loud voice, asked, "Emperor Qin, didn't little Su Muzhe complain to you?"

Qin Mu was puzzled. "What would Village Chief complain to me about?" The various Human Emperors exchanged glances, revealing strange smiles, and chuckled evasively, not mentioning the matter.

Qin Mu, suspicious, asked, "What happened? Why was Village Chief beaten? How did he offend you seniors?"

Fifth Ancestor Human Emperor chuckled and said, "That little Su Muzhe isn't in Fengdu. That old rascal was being arrogant, and Bronze Face revived him. He said he went to the Grand Emperor Heaven to find you. A few months ago, some strange people came to see him and whispered for a long time. Then, one of the Bronze Faces said he might still be saved. Bird God Chixiu also said little Su was half-dead but still had a 'living person' smell about him, so Bronze Face had little Su return to his physical body and revived him."

Qin Mu blinked, then chuckled. "I see. Bronze Face is Grandpa Apothecary from our village; his medical skills are unrivaled. He's better than me. If he treated him, Village Chief would definitely turn danger into safety. But why did you Patriarchs beat Village Chief?"

Emperor Renhuang Qikang spoke quickly, "That brat tricked us into letting you beat us black and blue, then he shamelessly scurried back, claiming he'd discovered records of the Hegemon Body. Who else would we beat if not him? I took on such a disciple, and he even plotted against his own master. A single beating is light punishment, so we beat him every day…"

"Every day?" Qin Mu's face darkened, and he said softly, "Patriarchs, your junior has learned a few new skills outside. I'd like to ask for your guidance."

The Human Emperors' faces all darkened as they evasively changed the subject.

"Someone burned me a set of clothes a few days ago. The craftsmanship was excellent, but I forgot to wear them out to show off today."

"Someone else heard I was a Human Emperor and offered me sacrifices!"

"Someone burned me a few paper maidens. Perhaps someone in the living world remembers us again."

"Old Ling, I heard that Emperor Yanfeng ascended the Altar of Heaven to offer sacrifices to his ancestors and updated his family genealogy, which somehow linked him to you, claiming you as an ancestor. Those paper maidens might have been burned for you by the Emperor."

Qin Mu didn't actually intend to fight. He chuckled, "Patriarchs, I came back this time to see Village Chief. Since Village Chief isn't here…"

He didn't finish his sentence, looking towards the end of the street, where his aura suddenly fluctuated violently.

The various Human Emperors immediately noticed the fluctuation in his aura and looked towards the end of the street. There, a young Human Emperor stood, quietly looking at Qin Mu.

Second Ancestor Human Emperor's heart tightened, and he quickly chuckled, "Emperor Qin, you haven't met First Ancestor, have you? Let me introduce you two. First Ancestor, this is Emperor Qin, the current Human Emperor, who specifically came here to see us! He built your Passage of Life and Death to connect the Yin and Yang realms! Quite an idea, isn't it? Emperor Qin, quickly come and greet First Ancestor…"

"No need!" Qin Mu raised his hand and said calmly, "Second Ancestor, your bones were smashed to pieces by him, and your tombstone was toppled. I imagine you couldn't be unaware of this. You know his actions far better than I do."

Second Ancestor Human Emperor was slightly stunned. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

First Ancestor Human Emperor walked towards them, saying calmly, "Since you're here…"

"Exactly, since I'm here!" Qin Mu gently raised his hand and peeled off the golden willow leaf from his forehead. With the golden willow leaf removed, his skeletal form in Fengdu began to regain flesh and blood at a visible rate, quickly restoring his body!

Qin Mu shook his limbs and said calmly, "Then I'll leave after I beat you to death!"

The Human Emperors were startled. Qin Mu's current location was not within the Passage of Life and Death, yet he had regained his physical body, unrestricted by Fengdu's rules. This was an almost impossible feat!

They didn't know that Qin Mu was born in Youdu, and Fengdu was a part of Youdu. Previously, he would have been restricted by Fengdu's rules, turning into a skeleton upon entering, with all his flesh and blood gone.

However, with the activation of his third eye, his identity and bloodline as a Divine Son of Youdu were partly awakened. The appearance of his third eye now allowed him to transform into a body of flesh and blood in Fengdu!

Qin Mu's gaze was cold as he watched First Ancestor Human Emperor approach, a surge of emotion rising within him. Outside the Human Emperor Hall, he had been defeated by First Ancestor Human Emperor, watching helplessly as First Ancestor Human Emperor destroyed the lifelong efforts of successive Human Emperors. He had also watched this deity crush Second Ancestor Human Emperor's bones to dust and shatter Second Ancestor's memorial tablets and tombstones!

Qin Mu had suffered the greatest setback of his life at his hands. This defeat had plunged Qin Mu into despair for several months, forcing him to risk entering the Grand Emperor Heaven to seek higher-level cultivation methods and comprehend the techniques that could defeat First Ancestor Human Emperor!

His Calamity Sword and his cultivation arts achieving enlightenment were all breakthroughs made under the pressure of this man, which stimulated his own potential!

The most powerful enemy in his heart was not the demon race of the Grand Emperor Heaven, nor the high and mighty Heavenly Court, but this man before him—the founder of the Human Emperor Hall, and the one who shattered his dreams and his adoration!

First Ancestor Human Emperor's expression was indifferent. "Do you want to fight here? This isn't a good place; if Fengdu is damaged, it won't be easy to explain to Yama. Go to the Human Emperor Hall. After I defeat you, I'll destroy another Human Emperor's bones!"

Qin Mu turned and walked out of Fengdu, his face grim. "Wait for me at the Human Emperor Hall!"

----In the iron pot, the chicken-dragon's desperate little eyes: Cluck…