Chapter 652: Suspended World

For the next five or six months, Chixi and Ban Gengcuo coexisted peacefully with them. Chixi proactively appeared to greet the First Ancestor Human Emperor. Although the First Ancestor was very weak, he did not refuse the meeting. Chixi couldn't discern his true condition, so he suppressed his curiosity and focused entirely on steering the green boat towards the Hanging World.

The tower boat was severely damaged, with all six wings broken, significantly reducing its speed. Chixi replaced the original wings with those of a Fire Raven Godman, but the vessel's speed was still much slower than before. Despite taking a shortcut, the journey took far longer than anticipated.

During these months, Qin Mu not only cultivated his primordial spirit with Ling Yuxiu but also sparred with Ban Gengcuo to master the combat techniques of the three heads and six arms.

Ban Gengcuo practiced the Flawless Fighting God Art, a formidable skill taught by Chixi. Qin Mu had previously severely wounded Ban Gengcuo with a single palm strike, leading him to somewhat undervalue this technique from the Crimson Light Era. However, witnessing Chixi's battle against the Great Sun Star Lord piqued his interest in the three heads and six arms.

Ban Gengcuo was thoroughly intimidated, fearing Qin Mu deeply. When Qin Mu proposed sparring, he instinctively refused. Only after Qin Mu had beaten him did he reluctantly agree.

As the two sparred, Ban Gengcuo's understanding of the Flawless Fighting God Art grew. One day, a mischievous thought suddenly crossed his mind: "My cultivation is improving so rapidly; if I were to strike with lethal force now, I could certainly take out that Qin kid!"

He abruptly launched a killing blow during their sparring, attempting to eliminate Qin Mu. As a result, he spent over ten days recuperating.

After Ban Gengcuo's injuries healed, he adamantly refused to spar with Qin Mu again, even when Qin Mu solemnly vowed not to use excessive force.

With no other option, Qin Mu had Ling Yuxiu spar with Ban Gengcuo while he observed from the sidelines.

Ling Yuxiu practiced the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Art, an Emperor's Throne-level cultivation method. Although not a dragon herself, she had cultivated the Nine Dragon Emperor's Art since childhood, leading to exceptionally rapid progress.

Furthermore, the Bashan Libationer had shown her the path of integrating combat techniques. Ling Yuxiu advanced fiercely along this path, like a rampaging dragon, developing monstrous strength.

Her strength was comparable to Ban Gengcuo's, and her power and divine abilities far surpassed his. However, in terms of physical transformations, she couldn't match the three heads and six arms enabled by the Flawless Fighting God Art.

One day, Ban Gengcuo suddenly achieved a breakthrough, opening his Life-Death Divine Treasure. Ling Yuxiu was immediately outmatched and defeated.

Ban Gengcuo was triumphant. He glanced at Qin Mu, and a surge of overwhelming confidence welled up within him: "I've broken through to the Life-Death Divine Treasure, and he's still only in the Seven Stars realm. Killing him would be effortless! I'll arrange his corpse to spell out a huge 'surrender' character... but the First Ancestor is protecting him, so it's not easy to make a move..."

Just then, Chixi suddenly exclaimed nervously, "The Hanging World is almost here!"

Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu immediately went to the forest at the bow of the boat and looked out, but saw nothing. The First Ancestor Human Emperor also approached, and he too saw nothing.

Qin Mu had been treating his injuries these past few days, and his complexion had improved considerably. However, the toll from the Three Heavenly Collapse Forms was immense, leaving his face still pale and sickly.

Suddenly, the dilapidated boat began to shake violently, making for a very bumpy ride. Chixi exerted all his magical power, desperately steering the vessel to prevent its disintegration.

Qin Mu looked out, but the surroundings remained dim; he could see nothing. He wondered what was causing the tower boat to lurch. As he pondered, he noticed the tower boat becoming increasingly long and thin.

Not only did the tower boat stretch and narrow, but they themselves also became elongated and slender, as fine as hairs and hundreds of miles long!

The bow of the boat accelerated rapidly, yet the stern had not yet caught up. It was then that Qin Mu realized they, along with the entire vessel, were being pulled into an opening in the starry void!

The opening blended perfectly with the surrounding darkness, making it utterly invisible!

Whoosh—

The tower boat, along with Qin Mu and the others on board, was swallowed by the opening. Suddenly, the dark space, like a cooled fish consommé that had turned into aspic, pulsed twice before returning to stillness. The dilapidated, tree-covered vessel had vanished without a trace.

After passing through the invisible opening, the tower boat returned to its normal state.

On board, the scene before them instantly transformed into a kaleidoscope of bizarre and colorful lights, swiftly passing like a revolving lantern. They appeared to be traversing a labyrinth formed by various hues. Chixi was nervously controlling the boat's direction, not daring to make any mistakes.

"What is this place?"

Qin Mu was startled and uncertain. The surrounding lights imparted an extremely dangerous sensation, as if the slightest touch would lead to immediate death and the scattering of one's soul.

"This is the place discovered by the first Crimson Emperor. After he entered, he never reappeared for millennia, and none of the gods and devils who went in search of him ever returned alive. The Crimson Light Era then plunged into an age of chaos. It is said that heroes vied for supremacy, some gods and devils usurped imperial thrones to establish false dynasties, and various other divine beings carved up territories, leaving the human realm in turmoil." Chixi continued, "Eventually, a supremely gifted individual among the Crimson Emperor's descendants overthrew the false dynasties and re-established the Crimson Light Divine Dynasty, becoming known as Emperor Ming. The Crimson Emperor's reign was referred to as the Western Emperor Era, while Emperor Ming's time was called the Eastern Emperor Era; both 'Eastern Crimson Light' and 'Western Crimson Light' refer to periods within the greater Crimson Light Era. Emperor Ming performed a grand ancestral sacrifice and received a fragment of the Crimson Emperor's consciousness, which had been scattered across the cosmos. From this, he learned the path to this place. Only Emperor Ming knew this path, and before he fell in battle, he passed it on to the Crimson Light Divine Son. The Divine Son then led the remnants of our Crimson Light Era here for refuge, and they have been here for 350,000 years."

Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, and the others listened intently. The period of transition between Eastern and Western Crimson Light must have been a time when numerous heroes rose to contend for supremacy, a truly brilliant and spectacular era.

"What a pity I wasn't born in that era to witness the heroes and great figures of that time," Qin Mu lamented.

Chixi's six eyes glinted as he sneered, "It would have been useless even if you were born in that era. Emperor Ming was the Son of Destiny; you would only have been utterly crushed!"

"Son of Destiny? Is that someone destined by heaven?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He asked, "Then is the Crimson Light Divine Son also someone destined by heaven?"

Chixi did not reply. Suddenly, the labyrinth of light ended, revealing a continent floating ahead amidst a spectrum of colors. Above the continent, suns and moons moved, accompanied by a few scattered stars.

Qin Mu looked around, observing that the continent was entirely enveloped by light. He could see neither the outside world nor any other stars.

This place was completely isolated from the outside world; calling it the Hanging World was indeed fitting!

The forest-covered green boat sailed toward the continent's center. The First Ancestor Human Emperor weakly said, "Mu'er, look at the sun."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. *Is he trying to bridge the gap between us by calling me Mu'er? Hmph, I haven't forgiven you yet...* he thought. Despite his internal grumbling, he found he couldn't truly hate the First Ancestor.

He looked at the suns of the Hanging World and paused in surprise. There were three suns, massive in size, yet their emitted light was peculiar, resembling divine radiance. Furthermore, the suns appeared to have layered textures, much like pupils.

"A formation structure?"

Qin Mu asked in astonishment, "Is this sun artificial?"

The First Ancestor shook his head. "They are eyes."

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "The Crimson Emperor's eyes? Are you saying the Crimson Emperor died here, and his eyes transformed into suns?"

"And the moons."

The sickly First Ancestor weakly raised his hand, pointing to the three bright moons in the sky. "The moons were likely also formed from the Crimson Emperor's eyes," he said. "And those scattered stars in the sky are probably his Five Luminaries Divine Treasures. This Crimson Emperor likely died here, his body transforming into this continent, becoming fertile soil, his blood turning into rivers, and his Qi Sea becoming vast oceans."

Qin Mu was horrified, muttering, "The Crimson Emperor used his own body to create the Hanging World, providing his descendants with a place to live. This Crimson Emperor is truly admirable..."

Soon, a three-headed, six-armed divine general flew over to investigate. Upon seeing Chixi, he quickly bowed and said, "Sir, you left the Hanging World millennia ago to gather information and have not returned. The Divine Son has been gravely worried. Now that you've returned, he will surely be overjoyed!"

Chixi was deeply moved. "This old subject has endured great perils and finally returned alive," he said, "but all the clansmen who accompanied me met with misfortune. I shall personally go to the Divine Son to apologize for my failings."

Qin Mu was surprised; Chixi's words didn't seem feigned. This executioner from the Crimson Light Era, usually so cold and distant to everyone, showed genuine, heartfelt respect for the Crimson Light Divine Son.

*Could the Crimson Light Divine Son also be a captivating figure like the Crimson Emperor and Emperor Ming?* he wondered, filled with anticipation for his impending meeting with the Divine Son.

The green boat landed outside a strikingly majestic divine city. Chixi quickly disembarked, intending to go to the imperial city to report his experiences to the Crimson Light Divine Son. Suddenly, he remembered and addressed the three-headed, six-armed divine general: "These individuals are envoys from Eternal Peace, here to meet the Divine Son and discuss an alliance. Please arrange their accommodation first and let them wait comfortably for the Divine Son's summons. This is Ban Gengcuo, my disciple; please arrange for him to stay in my palace."

The six-armed divine general acknowledged and said, "Envoys, please follow me."

Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, the First Ancestor, and Ban Gengcuo followed the divine general into the divine city. Looking around, they couldn't help but marvel: the inhabitants all possessed three heads and six arms, with three heads and six eyes. Some even had nine eyes, while others had cultivated a vertical eye in their forehead, likely due to different cultivation methods.

Furthermore, Qin Mu observed many strange beasts, all of which also had three heads and eight legs. High-ranking divine practitioners rode these beasts through the streets!

"Even the cultivation techniques of these strange beasts bear some resemblance to the Grand Venerable's Flawless Fighting God Art!"

Ling Yuxiu looked at a civet cat crouching on a rooftop. The animal, as large as a tiger, had three heads aligned side-by-side. She couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment, "It seems the entire civilization of the Crimson Light Era is built upon the foundation of three heads and six arms; it's absolutely incredible!"

They arrived at the heart of the imperial city, a city within a city, enclosed by walls forged of purple-gold. Within, thousands of magnificent palaces and halls stood. Outside this inner city likely lay the residences of gods and devils, also marked by numerous grand edifices.

The three-headed divine general led them to a palace estate and said, "The Eternal Peace envoys will reside here for now. The Divine Son will summon you before long."

Qin Mu heard the clear sound of reading from next door. He walked over, looked up, and peered inside. The hall was exceedingly luxurious, likely a private academy for noble gods and devils, where several three-headed, six-armed children sat, reading with their teacher.

With their three mouths, their clear, crisp voices distinctly reached Qin Mu's ears: "Three parts of the Dragon Han, Crimson Light split in two! Northern and Southern Emperors rose, the Founding Emperor's generation passed down!"