Chapter 649: Enemy and Ally Hard to Distinguish

The ark-like ship, amidst the turbulent waves, resembled a small flat boat caught in an ocean storm. It was tossed up and down by the massive waves. Suddenly, window frames exploded, whooshing out of the ship.

Whoosh! An entire deck snapped off and flew away horizontally. Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu quickly clung to the pillars of the structure, hearing cracking sounds from them.

"Hold onto my waist!" Qin Mu shouted.

Ling Yuxiu didn't hear clearly. "What?" she asked.

"Hold onto my waist—"

This time, Ling Yuxiu finally heard him. She immediately let go and embraced his waist. Qin Mu felt two soft, comfortable spots on his back, but he had no time to ponder what they were; he decisively activated the Heaven and Earth Seal technique.

Heaven and Earth Spin, But the Heart Remains Steadfast!

As this seal technique was unleashed, the violent fluctuations were immediately drawn by his palms, spinning around him. Qin Mu grunted, feeling the pressure between his hands almost breaking his arms, but he had to keep supporting it.

Suddenly, the pillars supporting the structure snapped with a crack. The entire structure lifted off and plunged into the starry void.

Ling Yuxiu was startled and clung tightly to Qin Mu.

Qin Mu exerted all his strength to activate the Heaven and Earth Seal, fighting against the increasingly strong fluctuations. The ark-like ship continued to roll wildly. The phoenix head at the bow had already snapped off. Deck planks splintered and flew off, leaving the ship's hull tattered and broken.

Bang—

The cabin door exploded open, and Ban Gocuo's startled cry came from within the divine ship's cabin. Hearing this, Ling Yuxiu thought, "Ban Gocuo is truly clever. He hid in the cabin so early. Could he have foreseen the danger?"

Ban Gocuo tumbled and rolled inside the cabin, slammed around by the turbulence. Suddenly, the fluctuations ceased. The broken ship continued to tumble; no one knew when it would stop.

Qin Mu crossed his hands, switching to the "Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and the Five Elements" move within the Heaven and Earth Seal. The ark-like ship slowly stopped spinning. His face was flushed, his skin almost rupturing, but he finally stabilized.

Qin Mu dispelled the Heaven and Earth Seal. His legs trembled, his hands twitched uncontrollably and wouldn't lift. His back muscles felt torn, and he hissed with pain, drawing in cold breaths.

The ship was a wreck. Three pairs of its six wings were broken. The phoenix head was also snapped off. The mast had fallen. Its sails were riddled with holes. The main structure had vanished. Air leaked from everywhere in the hull. Even the air within the ark-like ship was rapidly escaping. It seemed the ship's vital energy shield had shattered.

Qin Mu struggled to move, rushing along the ship's vital energy shield to repair the cracks. After a moment, he stopped and sighed in relief. "It should hold for a while. I wonder how the Human Emperor is... Xiu Mei, you can let go now."

Ling Yuxiu quickly released his waist, her face flushed.

While Qin Mu was rushing along the ship's vital energy shield, she had also clung to his waist, letting Qin Mu drag her along for a full circuit.

Qin Mu endured the aches in his body and tried to determine their direction. He saw they were in an unfamiliar starry sky, with no discernible up or down, no distinction. As he looked into the distance, he couldn't see the battlefield of the Human Emperor and the Great Sun Star Lord!

Not only could he not find the battlefield, but even the sun the ark-like ship had previously circled was out of sight!

A chill ran through Qin Mu's heart. He quickly grasped the wisdom bead around his neck, flicked it twice, and composed himself. He said, "It's not good for us to wander aimlessly now. It's best to stay put and quietly wait for the Human Emperor or Chi Xi to find us."

Ling Yuxiu looked around, murmuring, "What if they can't find us? What if..."

"If they don't find us, our air will run out before long."

Qin Mu took out a handful of medicinal plant seeds and some soil from his Taotie pouch. He scattered the seeds in the soil and activated the Creation Earth Primordial Art. To his surprise, the medicinal seeds quickly rooted and sprouted, soon forming a patch of medicinal plants on the remaining deck.

He spread his fingers, and a ball of fire rose from his hand—a miniature sun formed from pure Yang qi. He used its light to shine on the green medicinal plants. His pure Yang qi was far denser than anyone else's. This was because, when he traveled back 40,000 years, he encountered a deceased deity from the Emperor's Era who had bestowed upon him two divine energies: one pure Yang and one pure Yin.

With his other hand, Qin Mu held up a small moon, whispering, "I hope this allows us to last a bit longer."

Ban Gocuo crawled out of the cabin and, seeing that Qin Mu even carried a pile of soil in his Taotie pouch, exclaimed, "Cult Master Qin, you even have soil in your Taotie pouch?"

"It's better to be prepared."

Qin Mu released his hands, and the tiny sun and moon orbited the medicinal patch. He said, "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to grow medicinal plants in places like deserts, so I prepared some. I never expected to use them here."

Ban Gocuo's expression was strange. He sighed, "Now I know why I can't kill you."

Qin Mu, enduring his body's pain, chuckled, "You've never beaten me, so how can you talk about killing me?"

Ban Gocuo's face darkened, and he said no more, yet dared not make a move.

Qin Mu mused, "Three people consume air faster than two. So..."

Ban Gocuo's expression drastically changed, and he was about to flee. Suddenly, the ark-like ship sank sharply, and the three of them quickly looked back. Their faces turned ashen. They saw the Great Sun Star Lord standing at the stern, riddled with wounds. His wings were broken, his leg was lamed, and he was covered in injuries. Two of his three eyes seemed to have been blinded, a truly horrific sight.

"Cough, cough!"

He coughed violently, spitting out a gob of flaming phlegm. It burned incessantly upon landing, even igniting a part of the divine ship.

"What powerful Founding Emperor divine arts—"

The Great Sun Star Lord gasped in pain, blood flowing ceaselessly from his body. He chuckled, "It almost took my life, but it was just a little short... What did I say just now? Ah, yes, you're dead."

His single eye opened, and within it, a divine fire seemed to brew like a miniature sun!

Qin Mu hastily grabbed a small box and, without a word, opened it. Two streaks of red light swiftly shot towards the Great Sun Star Lord!

The Great Sun Star Lord's pair of tattered wings suddenly enveloped his body. The two streaks of red light circled around him, severing countless feathers and revealing bursts of blood.

"It hurts so much—" the Great Sun Star Lord's startled and angry voice came from within the feathers.

A chill filled Qin Mu's heart. The God-Slaying Profound Blade couldn't kill the severely injured Great Sun Star Lord. What made him even more desperate was the Great Sun Star Lord's presence here; did it mean the Human Emperor had already fallen in battle?

The two red lights returned without effect, and the box snapped shut with a click.

"Without the God-Slaying Platform, a mere God-Slaying Profound Blade cannot harm me."

The Great Sun Star Lord spread his wings, blood gushing from them. His blood ignited the deck immediately upon contact, and the stern of the ship was now entirely engulfed in divine flames.

Air was rapidly consumed, and soon both Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu struggled to breathe.

The Great Sun Star Lord staggered forward, panting. "The head of an Emperor's Throne realm expert requires the God-Slaying Platform of an Emperor's Throne expert to unleash its one-hit kill power. Unfortunately, you didn't acquire that divine mountain. Now, you can die..."

Suddenly, the ark-like ship trembled gently again. The Great Sun Star Lord's body stiffened, and he abruptly twisted his neck to look back. From the divine flames behind him, a tall, slender figure emerged, bathed in fire. The figure held a divine sword, its tip angled towards the deck.

Wherever the sword tip passed, the divine flames immediately extinguished, leaving only puddles of golden blood.

"You're not dead yet?"

Panic appeared in the Great Sun Star Lord's sole eye, and he slowly retreated. Suddenly, he flapped his wings, crying out a shrill shriek of pain, and his body shot away like a stream of light.

The Human Emperor's face was sallow. He suddenly clapped his hand and whispered, "Creation Azure Essence!"

The ark-like ship suddenly burst with life. The ship's wooden structure rapidly grew roots and sprouted. In the blink of an eye, towering trees grew furiously in all directions, quickly transforming it into a lush primeval forest!

The ark-like ship resembled a tiny planet covered in trees from all sides, drifting lonely through the starry void.

The Human Emperor walked to Qin Mu and the others, calmly saying, "Fellow Daoist Chi Xi, how much longer will you hide? If you had acted just now, you could have fought the Great Sun Star Lord to the death instead of letting him escape."

After a moment, Chi Xi suddenly appeared at the ship's bow, holding the Sky-Suppressing Tower, his three faces and six eyes fixed on the Human Emperor. He said, "I am also severely wounded. While I could have fought him to the death, I wouldn't have survived either. Since he has fled, he won't dare return, and even if he did, he couldn't catch us. We've achieved our goal; there's no need to take risks. How are your injuries?"

There was a hint of concern in his tone. A chill went down Qin Mu's spine. "Chi Xi's question at this moment is suspicious! If the Human Emperor were killed, Crimson Bright could easily devour Eternal Peace! Chi Xi intends to kill!"

Chi Xi was willing to ally with Eternal Peace precisely because the Human Emperor's presence gave Eternal Peace the strength to form an alliance with the Crimson Bright Divine Dynasty.

But if the Human Emperor died, there would be no need for an alliance; they could simply annex Eternal Peace!

The Human Emperor calmly said, "How severe my injuries are, you'll know if you try."

Qin Mu picked up the small box and chuckled, "Senior Chi Xi, we are allies after all. It wouldn't be good to fall out now."

Chi Xi stared at the small box in Qin Mu's hand, then suddenly chuckled, "You're right. I was merely concerned, with no ill intent. Disciple, come over here."

Ban Gocuo walked over and whispered, "The Human Emperor's injuries are very severe. If we could seize the God-Slaying Profound Blade, they would be at our mercy!"

Chi Xi shook his head. "I know his injuries are severe, but mine are not light either. I'm not confident in countering the God-Slaying Profound Blade. Let's wait until my injuries have recovered somewhat."

The Human Emperor sat down, and Qin Mu meticulously examined his injuries, frowning slightly.

The Human Emperor's injuries were extremely severe, like a porcelain vase about to shatter. It seemed the Three Forms of Heavenly Collapse had caused him this damage.

The Three Forms of Heavenly Collapse were divine arts with a strong self-destructive tendency. It was unknown how many moves the Human Emperor had used, but the injuries to his physical body and primordial spirit were extremely grave. Even his Divine Treasures and the Heavenly Palace at the end of the Divine Bridge had numerous cracks.

The most severe injury Qin Mu had ever treated was the one suffered by the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace during his battle with Heavenly God Jade Lord. However, at that time, the Imperial Preceptor's Heavenly Palace was not damaged, whereas now, the Human Emperor's Heavenly Palace was.

How to deliver medicinal power to the Heavenly Palace and treat its damage—this was still an uncharted territory for Qin Mu.

"I can only treat a desperate case as if there's still hope. I'll treat his other injuries first and then figure out a way for the Heavenly Palace injuries later."

Qin Mu handed the small box to Ling Yuxiu, teaching her how to open it and release the God-Slaying Profound Blade. He whispered, "If Chi Xi walks over here, open the box immediately. Don't hesitate!"

Ling Yuxiu nodded heavily, holding the box, and meticulously practiced the opening technique Qin Mu had taught her.

Qin Mu took a long breath and immediately began to prepare medicinal ingredients and refine spiritual pills!