Chapter 706: Heaven Playing with Fire

Qin Mu's heart sank. He fully activated the Soul Guiding technique, striving to summon the souls of the Woodcutter, First Ancestor, and others from Youdu before the three figures descended.

The three figures descending from the bright moon were Lou Yunqu and his two senior martial brothers. Evidently, they had not entered Lizhou as Qin Mu had suspected.

Qin Mu had always believed they would cast their spells from high above Lizhou, but to his surprise, they did the opposite. Lou Yunqu and his companions had entered the celestial phenomena, a realm 100,000 *li* above Yankang's surface.

At that altitude, 100,000 *li* high and 300 *zhang* thick, were array formations of the sun, moon, and stars. Numerous Heavenly Court deities stood guard there, maintaining the celestial phenomena above Yankang to deceive the world.

Lou Yunqu and his group had affixed the Book of Life and Death onto the array formation of the bright moon's celestial phenomenon, harnessing the moon's power to illuminate Lizhou.

Tonight was the first day of the lunar month, a moonless night. It was conceivable that while the rest of Yankang saw only scattered stars, Lizhou alone perceived a full moon in the sky.

As a result, the common people of Lizhou, divine arts practitioners, and even deities like Su Yunzhi, all suffered.

Not only did Su Yunzhi suffer, but even Saint Woodcutter had not anticipated Lou Yunqu's strategy, which involved using the moon. By the time the moonlight enveloped them and they realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Their cultivation and strength were immense, but they had lost the initiative. Against a treasure like the Book of Life and Death, refined by the Black Emperor of Mingdu, a lost opportunity meant a lost life.

This single tactical error led to the death of everyone in Lizhou, with only Qin Mu remaining alive.

As the Son of Youdu, Qin Mu was the only one unaffected by the Book of Life and Death.

"The only chance to reverse this is to reclaim their primordial spirits! Otherwise, I alone stand no chance against Lou Yunqu and his companions!"

Qin Mu activated his divine art, and the Gate of Inheriting Heaven manifested behind him. Deep, sonorous Youdu speech resonated from his mouth. As the gate opened, numerous lingering souls flew out from it, dispersing in every direction.

"Why aren't the Woodcutter's and their souls here?" Qin Mu's heart slowly sank.

With his Soul Guiding divine art, he could sense and draw in the soul of anyone who still possessed a body.

Yet, despite searching Youdu with his divine art, he failed to sense the souls of Saint Woodcutter, First Ancestor Human Emperor, and the others.

The bright moon continued to shine overhead, and the three figures descending from it moved with extreme speed, gradually growing from tiny specks until they were visible to the naked eye.

Qin Mu concentrated on his ritual, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Suddenly, he clenched his jaw, tore off the willow leaf from his glabella, and roared, "Heavenly Duke, Crimson Emperor, at this moment of dire peril, I need to borrow my brother's strength to fight against the gods and demons of Mingdu!"

On the Qin character continent within his glabella, the large-headed infant was gnawing on his toes. Hearing the call, he looked around curiously, thinking, "Is naughty little brother going to eat me? But he did give me good food; that small box from recently was quite delicious..."

He was quite vengeful, still remembering how Qin Mu had once seized his power and nearly consumed him.

However, Qin Mu had just fed him a crimson blade light from the God-Slaying Profound Blade, a light forged from blood fiend energy. He was sated, and his ill will towards Qin Mu had diminished slightly, though only by a tiny margin.

Even so, he was still very reluctant to help Qin Mu.

Crimson Emperor and Heavenly Duke exchanged glances, deliberating, "What should we do now? If he gains the power of the Son of Youdu, he will become evil. If we don't lend it and the younger brother dies, then the elder brother will take over. Once he starts devouring, he won't even need Mingdu's disciples; Yankang will quickly be consumed and transformed into another Youdu."

"Turning it into Youdu would be beneficial, but I fear he'll consume it into barren land, leaving not even a ghost. Our current strategy is to lend power to the younger brother, but not to grant him the full extent of the Son of Youdu's power."

Heavenly Duke said, "If we give him everything, only an Emperor's Throne expert descending in person could likely subdue him. But if we give him a small amount, he won't be consumed by his demonic nature, allowing for some leeway."

Crimson Emperor hesitated, "Aren't you playing with fire?"

Heavenly Duke chuckled, full of confidence, "Don't worry, I never play with fire. You cooperate with me; we'll open a sliver of the seal without fully unleashing it, preventing the elder brother from escaping. Though less cunning than his younger sibling, he's still quite sly. We also must not allow the younger brother to gain too much Youdu power, so close, error-free cooperation from both of us is essential. The only remaining question is how to convince the elder brother to lend some of his strength."

Both looked towards the giant infant. Crimson Emperor whispered, "That presents some difficulty."

The clumsy giant infant rose to his feet, sneering, "White-bearded old man, three-headed one, are you plotting against me? You must be courting death!"

Qin Mu was performing his ritual on the Heaven-Gazing Platform when a beam of light suddenly descended from the sky, shattering the Gate of Inheriting Heaven behind him. Lou Yunqu, Wei Qingpei, and Fu Yanqi descended from above, halting over the platform.

"It's too late!"

Qin Mu activated the Three Primordial Spirits Undying Divine Sense, yet he still felt no power originating from his glabella, his heart growing increasingly anxious.

"Qin Fengqing, even if you could summon their souls, you wouldn't be able to turn the tide."

Lou Yunqu descended from the air, smiling, "They aren't in Youdu; I sent them to Mingdu. While your Soul Guiding can summon the souls of common people from Youdu, it's useless if you can't summon theirs."

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes, then smiled. "No wonder I couldn't sense their primordial spirits earlier; so they ended up in Mingdu. Mingdu's magic should be derived from Youdu, so theoretically, my arts should also be able to seize people from there. I've taken from Youdu and Fengdu before, but Mingdu is a first."

Wei Qingpei descended from the air, landing to Qin Mu's right. "Snatching people from Mingdu is even more difficult than from Youdu," he stated calmly. "While Mingdu indeed originated from Youdu, the divine arts developed by the Black Emperor have far surpassed anything Youdu can offer."

Qin Mu smiled. "Then why don't you three let me try? Perhaps I can snatch people from Mingdu, and perhaps even discover a loophole for the Black Emperor, making it easier for you to patch."

Fu Yanqi approached from behind him. "Son of Youdu, there's no need to stall for time," he said. "My master, the Black Emperor of Mingdu, has personally taken an interest in Yankang's affairs. His personal involvement demonstrates his regard for Yankang, but it also seals Yankang's fate."

Qin Mu's heart slowly sank. The Yin Emperor himself had intervened?

No wonder Saint Woodcutter and First Ancestor Human Emperor were caught off guard!

The Yin Emperor's cultivation and power were unfathomable. If he personally presided over bringing calamity to Yankang, then Yankang would likely have no chance of survival.

"My master wishes to see you. He has no interest in Yankang, only in you. He once sent Junior Martial Brother Qi Jiuyi to deal with you, but Junior Brother Qi proved incompetent. Thus, he commanded us to come."

Lou Yunqu asked, "You still have the mirror Junior Martial Brother Qi Jiuyi used to seal you, don't you?"

Qin Mu continued to secretly activate the Undying Divine Sense, attempting to seize his brother's power, but without success. Just then, he suddenly felt surges of power flowing into his glabella. A wave of joy surged through him, but he remained outwardly calm.

"Is the mirror you're referring to the one I seized from Qi Jiuyi?"

Qin Mu rummaged through his Taotie Pouch. "Wait a moment," he said, "let me search."

Lou Yunqu smiled. "This mirror was specifically refined by Master for sealing you. You only need to take it out and look into it, and you'll be held in place, saving us a lot of trouble."

Qin Mu took a mirror from his Taotie Pouch, looked into it, and shook his head. "Not this one," he stated, then casually tossed the mirror aside and continued rummaging through his pouch.

"Nor this one," he said, taking out another mirror, looking into it, shaking his head, and tossing it aside.

Lou Yunqu and the others waited patiently. In a short time, Qin Mu had pulled out over a dozen mirrors from his Taotie Pouch, looking into each one. Yet, none of them managed to fix him in place.

Lou Yunqu and the others' patience began to wane. Qin Mu continued to discard more mirrors, but none was the one refined by the Black Emperor of Mingdu.

"You're a grown man, why are you carrying so many mirrors?" Fu Yanqi, short-tempered, roared.

"I'm simply too handsome; I can't help but carry a few extra mirrors," Qin Mu replied, looking up bashfully.

Fu Yanqi snorted angrily. "The human body is merely a foul skin bag. One dies in this life to live another; why cherish a stinking skin bag so much? Look at my hand, chopped down to a single finger by the Yankang Imperial Preceptor. I'm not as delicate as you!"

Qin Mu did not reply. He took out a mirror and looked into its surface, and suddenly, his body stiffened, completely unmoving.

Lou Yunqu and the other two breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Qingpei said, "It seems this is the one. The various Calamity Gods who came to bring tribulation are almost revived. This is no safe place; we must leave quickly and return to Youdu to avoid getting caught up in it!"

Near Yongjiang Academy, another stone statue was slowly shedding its stony form, gradually regaining the color of flesh and blood. Waves of terrifying divine power emanated from it, causing the surrounding space to ripple.

Lou Yunqu and the other two sensed the fluctuations emanating from this stone statue, and their hearts were filled with awe.

These stone statues had a specific name in the Heavenly Court: Calamity Gods.

They were deities specifically dispatched by the Heavenly Court to bring disaster upon unruly lower realms. When Calamity Gods descended, chaos engulfed the world. Historically, a single or two Calamity Gods were sufficient to bring about the end of a typical lower realm. Yankang, however, was different; over thirty Calamity Gods were descending simultaneously!

Moreover, more than a dozen Celestial Divine Weapons accompanied the Calamity Gods.

These Celestial Divine Weapons, known as Tribulation-Bringing Divine Weapons in the Heavenly Court, were weapons specifically designed to punish mortals, created by ancient gods born from heaven and earth. Just one or two were sufficient to inflict comprehensive, devastating blows upon an entire world!

And Yankang faced more than a dozen such Celestial Divine Weapons.

The combination of Calamity Gods and Tribulation-Bringing Divine Weapons signaled an array designed for world annihilation!

Calamity Gods showed no mercy to anyone, and the Tribulation-Bringing Divine Weapons were no different. Thus, Lou Yunqu and his group needed to depart immediately after igniting this tribulation, to avoid being ensnared within it.

Wei Qingpei approached, reaching for the bright mirror in Qin Mu's hand. "Master painstakingly refined this Mingdu Jade Mirror for four or five years to complete it," he chuckled. "This treasure was originally intended for the Son of Youdu. Who would have thought Junior Martial Brother Qi Jiuyi would let the jade mirror fall into this boy's hands? This kid seems clever, but hasn't he still walked right into our trap? Dealing with him is truly effortless..."

As his hand grasped the Mingdu Jade Mirror, Qin Mu's hand suddenly seized his in return.

"Is that so?" Qin Mu's voice, eerie and chilling, echoed in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

Wei Qingpei looked up to see Qin Mu's three eyes shining with butterfly-wing-shaped light.

Wei Qingpei was horrified. "Son of Youdu, you weren't sealed..."

"My brother was the one sealed."

Qin Mu's other hand clasped Wei Qingpei's head and twisted forcefully. Wei Qingpei found himself looking at his own backside and heels.

*Buzz—*

Qin Mu's three eyes flared with intense light, and three beams pierced through the back of Wei Qingpei's head, emerging from the front.

"Didn't Qi Jiuyi tell you? He tried to use this mirror to hold me in place before, but not only did he fail, he was defeated by my hands!"

Qin Mu opened his mouth and inhaled deeply. Wei Qingpei's primordial spirit had just separated from his body, intending to escape into Mingdu, when it suddenly flew uncontrollably towards Qin Mu's mouth!

"You're so foolish; don't bother reincarnating. Let me taste your primordial spirit instead!"

Lou Yunqu and Fu Yanqi's expressions changed drastically. They rushed to the rescue. With a thunderous crash, Fu Yanqi was sent flying backward. Lou Yunqu, whose cultivation was the highest as a deity of the God-Slaying Platform, demonstrated superior skill, knocking Qin Mu back several somersaults.

Wei Qingpei's physical body was dead. His primordial spirit, now free, attempted to fly into Mingdu, but Qin Mu landed, reached out, and held him suspended in the air, preventing his return.

"The taste of a Mingdu disciple must be more exquisite than those ghosts and monsters of Youdu!" Qin Mu exclaimed, excitedly opening his mouth wide.

Lou Yunqu and Fu Yanqi quickly resumed their attack, striving to rescue Wei Qingpei before Qin Mu could devour him.

Meanwhile, within the Qin character continent in Qin Mu's glabella, Crimson Emperor blinked. "Did we give him too much Youdu power?" he wondered.

Heavenly Duke, bruised and swollen, replied, "Not too much, don't worry. I have a firm grasp of my limits! When have I ever done something without confidence?"

Beside them, the large-headed infant sat rigid and motionless, as waves of Youdu demonic energy surged wildly from his body.

Earlier, they had attempted to subdue Qin Fengqing and make him lend power to Qin Mu, but Qin Fengqing proved exceptionally fierce, beating both of them into a sorry state. Despite employing all their strength and methods, they could not suppress Qin Fengqing.

Fortunately, Qin Mu had discovered the Mingdu Jade Mirror refined by the Yin Emperor. As Qin Mu looked into the mirror, a mirror surface simultaneously appeared within the Qin character continent, positioned before Qin Fengqing. The infant curiously examined the mirror, and seductive music emanating from it fixed the immensely powerful and fierce infant in place.

Crimson Emperor eyed him suspiciously. "If we didn't give him much power," he began, "why would he want to consume the primordial spirit of that Mingdu fellow? Is Qin Mu usually this ferocious?"

Heavenly Duke blinked, and Crimson Emperor blinked in return. The two exchanged bewildered glances.

Heavenly Duke stammered, "Is there any way to remedy this?"