Chapter 690: Heavenly Fire

In the Qin Continent, Heavenly Duke, Crimson Emperor, and Old Buddha all had solemn expressions. After a moment, Old Buddha sighed, “The Great Dao has changed. The path has shifted due to reforms, and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth has taken a step forward. A time of many events, an era of great change, is about to arrive.”

His eyes gradually dimmed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Heavenly Duke’s avatar sighed, “It arrived so quickly. It seems I should also prepare early. Friend Crimson Emperor, on the other hand, felt relieved after death.”

Crimson Emperor grunted.

“Are we all inside the belly of a Corpse Demon?”

Qin Mu’s heart was greatly shaken, his expression fluctuating. If that were the case, then the darkness enveloping the Great Ruins would be this unimaginably massive Corpse Demon. This Corpse Demon’s body could fill the entire Great Ruins and every heaven within the Broken Cliff. Most critically, did this Corpse Demon possess its own consciousness?

Corpse Demons could have consciousness; he had realized this when he was in Happy Town by the sea. Corpse Demons could possess memories and thoughts. If the Heavenly Yin World had indeed been transformed into a Corpse Demon by the Emperor of Darkness, then even if Heavenly Yin Empress were to revive, the situation would not be optimistic!

“If the Heavenly Yin World has become a giant Corpse Demon, it would be an incredibly formidable opponent for Heavenly Yin Empress. She would be too preoccupied to care for the Great Ruins.”

He was not optimistic about Heavenly Yin Empress’s predicament.

Heavenly Yin Empress held him in her palm, curiously examining him, noting that Qin Mu’s expression was still shifting.

“This Master’s abilities are exceptional, but his Dao heart seems a bit lacking. In such a short time, his face has changed more than a dozen colors, as if he has a revolving lantern under his skin.”

Her physical body was slowly recovering, with mud and seawater transforming into flesh and bones. Such an ability was beyond the envy of others.

For example, although Qin Mu cultivated both Crimson Emperor’s Indestructible Divine Consciousness and Emperor Ming’s Flawless Creation Scripture, achieving astonishing mastery in creation arts, if his flesh and blood were to dissolve, leaving only his skin, Qin Mu would surely die, unable to recreate his body.

The fact that Heavenly Yin Empress could do this, aside from her unfathomable power, was likely due to her innate talent.

“This tower is a treasure I forged to suppress these Corpse Demons, but they conspired with the Emperor of Darkness and ambushed me.”

Heavenly Yin Empress, with her immense body, waded through the seawater towards the open sea, causing massive waves to ripple across the surface. She said, “Back when the Corpse Demons of the Heavenly Yin World were causing chaos, I wanted to forge a weapon that could solve the Corpse Demon problem once and for all. However, being a being born of heaven and earth, I am not proficient in the divine arts and Dao methods of other systems. I secluded myself to forge this treasure, but I could never complete it. It was then that the Emperor of Darkness came to the Heavenly Yin World, claiming he would help me. His magical arts and divine abilities were astonishing and profound, following the path of Youdu, which perfectly compensated for my shortcomings. With his help, I was able to complete this treasure tower. However…”

She reached the center of the sea, her expression darkening.

“However, this was just a trap. His help in forging the treasure was not benevolent. After the treasure was completed, he concealed a divine ability within it.”

Heavenly Yin Empress gritted her teeth. “He used that divine ability to ambush me, injuring me. Then, the Corpse Demons seized the opportunity to burrow into my body through my wounds, devouring my flesh and blood. Meanwhile, he brought many powerful individuals to attack me. More and more Corpse Demons, surging like black sand, drilled into my body…”

Qin Mu could imagine that terrifying scene.

The injured Heavenly Yin Empress had to resist the attacks of the Emperor of Darkness and numerous powerful individuals, while also enduring countless Corpse Demons, transformed into black sand, frantically drilling into her wounds, gnawing at her flesh, blood, and soul!

At that time, Heavenly Yin Empress must have been utterly beleaguered, both internally and externally, and filled with despair.

“Empress, why would you trust a stranger?” he couldn’t help but wonder.

If Heavenly Yin Empress had been wary of the Emperor of Darkness, she wouldn’t have been defeated so quickly and miserably. The Emperor of Darkness should have been a stranger to Heavenly Yin Empress at that time; trusting him so unreservedly seemed a bit rash.

Heavenly Yin Empress’s face flushed slightly. She said, “He was very handsome, which made it hard to be on guard.”

Qin Mu’s expression was odd.

Heavenly Yin Empress quickly added, “I don’t judge people by their appearance, but he was truly so handsome that I couldn’t see his deceit. He helped me forge the treasure, and I genuinely needed his assistance, which is why I was ambushed. It wasn’t until I met Master that I realized handsome people aren’t necessarily good, and ordinary-looking people can actually be very good people.”

She looked at Qin Mu in her palm, giving him an encouraging smile.

Qin Mu grunted, not wanting to dwell on the topic of ordinary looks. He asked, “Then why didn’t the Emperor of Darkness take your treasure tower with him? Why did he leave it here instead?”

Heavenly Yin Empress reached for the massive hourglass and said, “He certainly wanted to, but my treasure tower was forged from Heavenly Yin Gold. After tempering, it became entirely mine, and I integrated this treasure with the Heavenly Yin World. Of course, he couldn’t take it. Although I died once, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Before, I couldn’t comprehend the particulate form of souls and was helpless against the black sand. However, after I shattered into soul particles, what was previously unclear suddenly became clear.”

She took down the hourglass and said, “This hourglass is a treasure used to control the black sand of the Heavenly Yin World. He must have forged it, and he used this treasure to manipulate the black sand to attack your world.”

The hourglass forged by the Emperor of Darkness represented his mastery over the soul system; with just the hourglass, he could control the soul black sand of the Heavenly Yin World.

The fact that Heavenly Yin Empress could take down this hourglass indicated that she had indeed turned misfortune into a blessing, and her resurrection had given her an extremely profound understanding of souls.

Her death and resurrection had set her apart from born divinities like Earth Count and Heavenly Duke. Now, she possessed the ability to learn other divine arts and comprehend other Dao methods.

This change was quite peculiar. Qin Mu thought it was worth studying, so he took out a small notebook and jotted down notes, thinking to himself, “Researching this might solve the problem of born divinities being unable to adapt to changes in Dao methods. I just wonder if Heavenly Yin Empress would be willing to let thousands of masters proficient in calculation climb all over her to study and record... Probably not.”

“The hourglass is called Heavenly Ladle.”

This hourglass was enormous, yet in Heavenly Yin Empress’s hands, it seemed like a tiny toy. Heavenly Yin Empress twirled it between her fingers, a faint, knowing smile on her face. “His treasure-forging methods are far superior to mine. This Heavenly Ladle is very skillfully crafted, but now that it’s in my hands, he won’t be able to reclaim it. And the Heavenly Ladle will become my means to deal with the Heavenly Yin World, this greatest Corpse Demon.”

Qin Mu could tell that Heavenly Yin Empress had been naive before, only managing the Heavenly Yin World. She likely paid little attention to schemes and stratagems, or perhaps had very little exposure to them.

Now, however, Heavenly Yin Empress also understood how to employ tactics, which put him somewhat at ease.

The revived Heavenly Yin Empress should not be so easily defeated by the Black Emperor of Mingdu.

He jumped down from Heavenly Yin Empress’s hand and went to the ruined palace complex. He selected a few relatively intact Youdu divine weapons and put them away. He also took the Heavenly Funeral Bell.

“Master, you should leave now.”

Heavenly Yin Empress, still toying with the hourglass, said, “I’ve sensed the Emperor of Darkness through the Heavenly Ladle; he will soon try to come here. His power was already considerable when he ambushed me, and it should have increased even further by now. If you remain here, I cannot protect you.”

Qin Mu’s heart tensed. He looked up and asked, “Empress, do you have the ability to defeat him?”

Heavenly Yin Empress replied, “My physical body is currently unstable, so it’s difficult for me to defeat him, but I do have the ability to block him. I will keep him out of the Heavenly Yin World, preventing him from entering. As long as he cannot enter, my life will be safe. However, he will certainly control the Corpse Demons of the Heavenly Yin World to attack me. When that happens, it will be a riot in the Heavenly Yin World, and if you stay, you certainly won’t be able to protect yourselves.”

Qin Mu nodded and solemnly said, “Empress, take care!”

Just as he was about to leave with Emperor Kai, he suddenly remembered something and stopped. “Empress, just now, to save you, I was attacked by the Corpse Demon you transformed into, and my sword pellet was damaged. Now I have no weapon to use. I wonder, when you forged the treasure tower, were there any leftover scraps of Heavenly Yin Gold? Could you please grant me some?”

Heavenly Yin Empress gently scooped her hand into the seabed. As the seawater receded, many shimmering green sea sands appeared in her palm. She said, “This is Heavenly Yin Gold. Do you have anything to hold it?”

Her palm spanned hundreds of acres, and the Heavenly Yin Gold within it resembled a green desert.

Qin Mu’s heart pounded. He silently praised her generosity and took out his Taotie pouch. “My Taotie pouch is full of Buddhist Elemental Crimson Chromium and Peacock Bodhi Tree, but there are still some gaps that can be filled with sand.”

“Your two pouches are too small; I’m afraid they won’t hold much.”

Heavenly Yin Empress shook her head and told him to jump into her palm to load the Heavenly Yin Gold himself. Qin Mu immediately activated his Taotie pouch, collecting the Heavenly Yin Gold into it, quickly filling the pouch.

Still, a little less than half of the Heavenly Yin Gold in Heavenly Yin Empress’s palm could not be fitted.

Qin Mu secretly thought it a pity. He struggled to carry the two Taotie pouches, intending to tie them to his waist, but almost broke his belt. He had no choice but to carry them with both hands.

“Melting Heavenly Yin Gold must be tricky. Empress, what kind of fire did you use when forging the treasure?” Qin Mu asked, looking up.

“Heavenly Fire, stolen from Heavenly Duke of Xuandu.”

Heavenly Yin Empress turned her other hand over, and a mass of flames appeared in her palm. She said, “I stole this from Heavenly Duke when he wasn’t paying attention. It’s no longer useful to me now, so I’ll give it to you.”

Qin Mu looked at the flames in her palm. When burning, the flames resembled angular crystals, but they were simply too large, practically a sea of fire composed of crystals!

“Empress, I don’t need so much.”

Qin Mu said sheepishly, “I have nowhere to put it…”

Heavenly Yin Empress gently broke off a crystal-like piece of Heavenly Fire with two fingers and handed it to him. “Hold this for now. This Heavenly Fire has a terrifying reputation, but it’s not hot. It only gains the power to incinerate everything when activated.”

Qin Mu embraced the Heavenly Fire, holding it like an octagonal crystal pillar. The Heavenly Fire was as thick as his waist and taller than him, and combined with the two Taotie pouches, it made him struggle immensely.

“You should leave now!”

Heavenly Yin Empress gazed ahead, her expression solemn. “The Emperor of Darkness will be here very soon!”

Qin Mu immediately bid farewell and leaped from Heavenly Yin Empress’s palm. Emperor Kai quickly followed him, only to hear a “plop.” Emperor Kai was stunned, seeing Qin Mu plunge headfirst into the sea, rather than standing on the surface or flying.

Fortunately, Heavenly Yin Empress scooped him out of the sea and gently blew a breath towards the two. Qin Mu and Emperor Kai immediately soared through the air as if riding on clouds, flying furiously back the way they came. In an instant, they covered tens of thousands of miles, and before long, they arrived in front of the Heavenly Yin Boundary Stele, finally landing.

Emperor Kai was about to pass through the boundary stele when Qin Mu quickly said, “Senior, wait!”

Emperor Kai was puzzled. He watched as Qin Mu put down his Taotie pouches and the Heavenly Fire prism he was holding. Qin Mu took out over a dozen small jade bottles and directly emptied the dragon’s saliva from them.

Emperor Kai didn’t understand what he was doing. Qin Mu muttered incantations, employing a peculiar divine ability, and watched as black sand swarmed in, drilling into each of the small jade bottles.

Qin Mu twisted the stoppers tight and then set a series of strange runic marks around the bottles. He opened Emperor Kai’s clothes pocket and placed the small jade bottles inside, saying, “You cannot be exposed to light once you go out. During the day, the black sand will leave your body. I’m afraid you’ll die, so I collected some soul black sand. Once outside, I’ll help you forge a treasure that will allow the black sand to be stored within it during the day and re-enter your body at night.”

Emperor Kai’s expression showed his gratitude.

Just then, a violent tremor suddenly emanated from the Heavenly Yin World.

“The Emperor of Darkness has arrived!” Qin Mu’s heart tensed, and he looked back.