Chapter 642: The Might of the Divine Wheel

Qin Mu could perform the Heaven and Earth Imprint not because of his Hegemon Body, but because of a single sentence from the Human Emperor: "You and I are both orphans of the Qin family." This resonated deeply with him, allowing him to empathize with the Human Emperor's state of mind.

He could understand the feeling of powerlessness the Human Emperor experienced after the downfall of the Kaihuang Era, when he, as the sole Qin family orphan in the world, wanted to shoulder the burdens of heaven and earth alone.

This feeling was both the Human Emperor's and his own.

Moreover, the Human Emperor sought to uphold the Kaihuang Era and prevent its collapse, while Qin Mu aimed to safeguard the current world, the Eternal Peace Era.

Though Eternal Peace now seemed secure, with its people living in peace and prosperity, Qin Mu was acutely aware of the encroaching dangers and silently descending threats: the devils of the Supreme Emperor Heaven, the stone statues within Eternal Peace, the false sky, the Supreme Being far in the Western Earth…

He knew that even the current remnants of the Crimson Light era posed a threat!

The Eternal Peace Era had only just begun to emerge, and could be annihilated at any moment!

This newly born era, Eternal Peace, was already precarious, threatening to collapse and be destroyed at any time before it could even fully rise.

It was precisely this state of mind that allowed him to unleash the full power of the Human Emperor's Heaven and Earth Imprint.

Under the imprint's might, Qin Mu was not merely like a divine pillar steadying the sea, but more like a pillar supporting the stability of heaven and earth. What he yearned to do was to invisibly eliminate future calamities and prevent the historical cycle of eras being destroyed from repeating!

Although he shared a melancholic state of mind, he lacked the despondency and decline that afflicted the Human Emperor. While performing the same Heaven and Earth Imprint, his technique contained a vibrant, striving spirit, pushing him to grow stronger and be more proactive when facing danger!

This was the key difference between him and the Human Emperor!

It was also why the Human Emperor turned around and was momentarily stunned after witnessing his imprint.

Qin Mu repeatedly performed his Heaven and Earth Imprint. The Human Emperor's imprints differed significantly from those Qin Mu had previously seen; they were all two-handed techniques, requiring both hands for every move, one hand representing heaven and the other representing earth.

For the Heaven Imprint, the palm lines represented celestial clouds, and the fingerprints represented the sun, moon, or the five planets.

For the Earth Imprint, the palm lines depicted rivers and mountains, and the fingerprints represented lakes and oceans.

When the Heaven Imprint vibrated, clouds shifted, the five planets and celestial bodies rotated, and the five fingers unleashed the power of the five elements or the sun and moon.

When the Earth Imprint vibrated, rivers surged, mountains rose and fell, and each finger seemed to contain an ocean, wielding infinite power.

During a celestial collapse or an earthly fissure, the power became even more terrifying. The Earth Imprint contained earth, water, wind, and fire, while the Heaven Imprint would cause stars to shift and collide with the ground.

When the imprints transformed into Annihilation Imprints, their power increased many times over, but that was an ultimate divine ability within the Three Styles of Celestial Collapse, not to be used lightly.

After a long time, Qin Mu ceased his movements, and the phenomena of collapsing heavens and rending earth around him vanished.

"You've learned it, and you're using it very well."

The Human Emperor smiled with satisfaction and said, "Put your learning to good use. I look forward to seeing my imprints flourish in your hands."

Qin Mu still exuded a melancholic yet striving aura. He had been so influenced by the Heaven and Earth Imprint that it was difficult for him to snap out of that mindset immediately; it would take some time to fully recover from its effects.

"Huh, there's something strange about this imprint!"

Qin Mu looked around, seeing the imperial garden completely intact, not a single flower or tree missing. Yet, the Heaven and Earth Imprint he had just performed clearly possessed earth-shattering power, enough to shatter the very sky and ground!

He had expected Emperor Yanfeng's imperial garden to be completely demolished by his Heaven and Earth Imprint. He was surprised the garden was unscathed. Could the terrifying power he felt within the imprint have been an illusion?

"The spirit of the Heaven and Earth Imprint is to aid heaven and earth, to establish an unyielding pillar for them, and to secure the destiny of the people. How could it possibly destroy heaven and earth?"

The Human Emperor said, "All the power of this imprint will only be directed at enemies; it will not harm its surroundings."

Qin Mu expressed a slight regret, saying, "Human Emperor, your imprint isn't forceful enough. When I practiced, I felt immense power, but it couldn't even break the emperor's vegetable garden."

The Human Emperor was choked with anger, pointing at Qin Mu wordlessly. After a moment, he finally raged, "I fought my way up eight hundred levels of the Crimson Light Heaven-Suppressing Pagoda in one go! Did you not see the power of my imprint?"

Qin Mu honestly shook his head, guiltily admitting, "I was too busy studying the runes of the Creation Divine Wheel and didn't watch. Ban Gongsou was watching, though. Besides, defeating Chi Xi isn't a big deal; your cultivation is much higher than his, so defeating him was only natural…"

The Human Emperor slumped, dejectedly saying, "I wasn't fighting him; I was fighting the Crimson Light Heaven-Suppressing Pagoda. If I wanted to fight him, he would have died with the first move. So, those eight hundred levels were all for nothing…"

Qin Mu quickly said, "Human Emperor, don't be sad. Although your imprint isn't as good as my sword art, it would be very powerful with some modifications. I guarantee it could shatter the emperor's vegetable garden. I'll revise it later, and it will definitely be awe-inspiring and immensely formidable!"

The Human Emperor walked away listlessly, waving his hand, "Do whatever you want with it, I… sigh."

He sighed, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. After walking a considerable distance, he was still uneasy about Qin Mu haphazardly altering his imprint, so he secretly looked back. Seeing Qin Mu still experimenting with the creation runes, he couldn't help but feel relieved, yet also a little disappointed.

"He didn't continue practicing my imprint. Is my imprint really that terrible?"

A few days later, the imperial court and Chi Xi concluded their negotiations and signed an alliance. Chi Xi rejected a few items on Qin Mu's list, but agreed to most, with one condition: Emperor Yanfeng must establish schools and academies in the Crimson Light remnants' territory to teach them Eternal Peace's dao arts and divine abilities.

Emperor Yanfeng agreed, designating a large territory in the Southern Border near the Great Ruins for the Crimson Light remnants to settle and multiply.

Chi Xi also agreed to Qin Mu's insistent demand for the Creation Divine Wheel.

Qin Mu was overjoyed and immediately rushed with Chi Xi to the South Sea to retrieve the Creation Divine Wheel, pulling it back to the capital, fearing Chi Xi might change his mind.

Upon seeing Chi Xi agree to most of Qin Mu's terms and hand over many treasures from the undersea divine city to Eternal Peace, Ban Gongsou felt a pang of pain. He said, "Teacher, this is an alliance, not a surrender! You've given Emperor Yanfeng too many benefits! There are hundreds of thousands of divine weapons and artifacts! Especially the Creation Divine Wheel, it's a treasure among treasures; how could you grant it to Eternal Peace?"

Chi Xi sneered, "This Cult Master Qin is just a country bumpkin who hasn't seen the world. Neither has the Emperor! And neither have you."

Ban Gongsou was puzzled and asked, "Please enlighten me, Teacher."

"Divine weapons and artifacts were all forged in the Crimson Light Era. How wealthy was the Heavenly Court back then? A mere few hundred thousand divine weapons are nothing to speak of; they're just inventory from one of the Heavenly Palace's treasuries."

Chi Xi calmly continued, "As for the Creation Divine Wheel, it indeed took my Crimson Light Divine Dynasty immense effort to forge it. It's impossible to forge another, as we lack the blueprints and the skilled craftsmen. However, this divine wheel is merely a key for unsealing! My Crimson Light Divine Dynasty's people have already been unsealed, so keeping this divine wheel is useless; it even cost us a large piece of territory! The most crucial thing is for the Crimson Light Divine Dynasty to have a foothold in the ancestral land, from which we can gradually expand our territory. Once we learn Eternal Peace's dao arts and divine abilities, can Eternal Peace's gods and devils still resist my Crimson Light Divine Dynasty?"

Ban Gongsou's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, praising profusely.

Chi Xi smiled slightly, "The height from which you stand changes what you see. Disciple, you used to stand at the level of a chicken coop, thinking that digging for worms in the dirt was a good thing. However, to an eagle soaring in the sky, digging for worms is merely what a chicken does."

Ban Gongsou prostrated himself and said sincerely, "Teacher is right. It's laughable that Cult Master Qin thinks he's so clever, all self-satisfied!"

Chi Xi chuckled, "That's because his vision isn't broad enough, so he can't see far. But Emperor Yanfeng, as the great emperor of the Eternal Peace Era, is surprisingly short-sighted; that alone makes him contemptible to me. Such an emperor is unfit to rule this land. Come, follow me to see Emperor Yanfeng; I have something to discuss with him."

The master and disciple entered the palace to request an audience. Yan Zhigui hastily welcomed them, saying, "His Majesty is in the imperial garden, watching Lord Qin test a treasure. Please follow me, both of you."

Chi Xi followed him to the imperial garden, and from a distance, saw the enormous Creation Divine Wheel standing on a rockery, surrounded by high walls preventing outsiders from entering.

Upon entering, they saw three to five divine beings, likely civil officials, standing around the Creation Divine Wheel with Emperor Yanfeng and others. The Human Emperor was also among them.

Nearby, the Empress, along with Princess Ling Yuxiu and other princesses and young princes, was present, attended by over a dozen palace maids.

Inside the Creation Divine Wheel, Qin Mu had taken out a large pile of computational spirit weapons, forming a giant computing tool, continuously performing calculations. It was unclear what he was tinkering with.

"Your Majesty."

Chi Xi stepped forward to pay his respects, saying, "Since the alliance has been formed, I must now leave Eternal Peace to meet the Divine Son. This time, I, an external minister, signed the alliance with Your Majesty, but the Divine Son also needs to be informed. I request Your Majesty to dispatch envoys to the Crimson Light Suspended World to meet the Divine Son."

"That is appropriate," Emperor Yanfeng smiled, "Once Beloved Minister Qin has finished testing the Creation Divine Wheel, I will send a few envoys with Fellow Daoist Chi Xi to the Suspended World. Fellow Daoist Chi Xi, please wait a moment."

Chi Xi acknowledged, smiling, and stood quietly to the side, watching Qin Mu perform calculations within the wheel.

Ban Gongsou smiled, feeling relaxed and content, thinking, "I heard Emperor Yanfeng is an incompetent and tyrannical fellow, prone to executions. When Emperor Yanfeng discovers that the Creation Divine Wheel, obtained at such a high cost, is useless, he'll definitely chop this fellow's head off!"

Inside the Creation Divine Wheel, Qin Mu calculated for a long time, then suddenly put away his computational spirit weapons and smiled, "I'm completely confident now!"

Chi Xi smiled, "Young Friend Qin, if you wish to activate my Crimson Light Era's divine wheel, you might consider asking me. I can teach you."

Qin Mu shook his head, then tried to activate the runes on the divine wheel. He shook his head again, saying, "You don't understand. Asking you would be useless."

Chi Xi wasn't angry at all. He chuckled, "That's not the activation rune, Young Friend Qin. You've calculated incorrectly."

"No, I haven't."

Qin Mu floated within the wheel. One by one, the runes on the Creation Divine Wheel lit up. The runes changed like flowing water, then larger wheels enclosed smaller ones, and divine wheels continuously rotated. Unlike when Chi Xi activated it, these divine wheels were rotating in reverse!

*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*

The Creation Divine Wheel spun faster and faster, beams of rune light illuminating all directions, swiftly shining upon everyone in the large courtyard!

Suddenly, crackling sounds erupted. Chi Xi quickly looked and saw Emperor Yanfeng and others' bodies rapidly transforming. Emperor Yanfeng, usually imposing, now had a fish head!

Next to Emperor Yanfeng, some deities' heads turned into tree canopies, others into jellyfish, and even the Empress transformed into a gigantic sea beast!

Chi Xi was astonished and quickly looked at Ban Gongsou, who was already on the ground, transformed into a giant sea snake, wriggling his body!

Chi Xi hastily touched his own head and cried out in alarm—his head had also become three huge fish heads!

Not only that, but his primordial spirit also changed, and he was utterly unable to use the magic power he had painstakingly cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years!

Chi Xi panicked, watching helplessly as his legs became a fish tail. Among everyone present, apart from Qin Mu at the center of the divine wheel, only the Human Emperor had not been assimilated by the Creation Divine Wheel, but his body was also rapidly changing, growing fish scales one moment, and gills the next!

Clearly, even the Human Emperor found it difficult to fully withstand the power of this Creation Divine Wheel!

This was not a divine ability that caused immense harm to others, but a peculiar power of creation. The Human Emperor was able to resist it because he had also studied the art of creation.

"Oh no!"

Chi Xi suddenly realized, "No wonder this Qin fellow insisted on the Creation Divine Wheel! When he coveted my Divine Slaying Profound Blade, I should have known that scoundrel had the cunning foresight of a seasoned old thief!"