Chapter 720: Using Martial Arts to Cultivate Divinity

The Ox-Head Palace should be one of the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces of the Kaihuang Celestial Heavens. Those who could possess a Heavenly Palace were extremely powerful figures during the Kaihuang era.

Qin Mu followed the villagers into the Ox-Head Palace. Compared to others, this Heavenly Palace was remarkably intact, seemingly untouched by war. In contrast, the Jade Bright Palace of the Human Emperor's Palace and the Bishamen Palace in Fengdu had both been heavily damaged by the wars during the fall of the Kaihuang era. As for other Heavenly Palaces, Qin Mu hadn't seen them yet, but he assumed many must have been destroyed in the fighting.

"Why was the Ox-Head Palace able to remain perfectly preserved?" He couldn't help but wonder, "Did the Martial Arts Celestial Master also desert back then? Did he flee with the entire Ox-Head Palace, allowing him to preserve his strength?"

The Ox-Head Palace was different from the Heavenly Palaces Qin Mu had seen before. The Jade Bright Palace of the Human Emperor's Palace, for instance, had an academic aura, serving as a place within the Heavenly Palace for teaching and nurturing talent, where disciples of various gods continued their profound arts. Although Qin Mu was the Human Emperor of the Human Emperor's Palace, he hadn't stayed there long, only visiting once with the First Ancestor Human Emperor and thus not getting a full view. Qin Mu had never entered the Bishamen Palace; it was hidden deep within Fengdu by the King of Hell. He had only seen the dilapidated and ancient divine cities from a distance.

Now, as they entered the myriad heavens of the Ox-Head Palace, the palace gradually became clearer from a distance, allowing them to take in its entirety. Closest to them was a majestic gateway. Looking further ahead, past layers of palaces and pavilions, lay a Jade Pond. Beyond the Jade Pond, two crimson streams of malevolent energy intertwined in the air like twin dragons, constantly swirling. Behind the God-Slaying Platform, a perfectly square divine city stood, which was likely Jade Capital. Within Jade Capital, the most magnificent palace was the High Heavens Palace.

Qin Mu was stunned. The architectural layout of the Ox-Head Palace bore some resemblance to the Heavenly Palaces of gods and devils. He narrowed his gaze, looking towards the gateway. He saw a divine bridge connecting the myriad heavens, a long bridge floating solitary in the air, the sole path leading to the Ox-Head Palace.

Qin Mu then looked at the continent of the myriad heavens, his heart trembling slightly. This continent of the myriad heavens was perfectly square. Five mountain ranges ran north to south, with towering peaks majestically rising from each range. Six great rivers flowed across the land, some eastward-westward, others northward-southward, yet none flowed into the sea. There were no oceans here; the six great rivers flowed underground, disappearing into subterranean abysses. At the center of the myriad heavens was an unfathomable abyss.

Qin Mu looked up again, seeing the sun, moon, and stars beneath the Ox-Head Palace, with moonrises and sunsets, and the alternation of day and night. He blinked. If the continent was a Spirit Platform, then the five mountain ranges represented the Five Elements, the stars in the sky were the Five Luminaries, and the six great rivers represented something else. The sun, moon, and stars formed the Seven Stars. The abyss below was Youdu, the Life and Death Divine Treasure, and the bridge was the divine bridge leading to the Heavenly Palace.

If that's the case... "Is this continent of the myriad heavens transformed from the physical body of an Emperor's Throne realm expert?" He searched his surroundings. "A Celestial Being is still missing. In the Celestial Being realm, one refines the primordial spirit. If the primordial spirit resides in the High Heavens and ascends to the Emperor's Throne, then it indeed wouldn't need to be within the continent. Could it be that an Emperor's Throne realm primordial spirit is seated on the Emperor's Throne in the High Heavens Palace? ...Another possibility is that this continent of myriad heavens was constructed according to the specifications of an Emperor's Throne realm expert's divine treasures and Heavenly Palace! After all, there weren't many Emperor's Throne realm experts, so it's impossible for the Kaihuang era to have had so many."

The Ox-Head Palace was one of the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces of the Kaihuang era, and among them, the most famous were the Four Great Heavenly Palaces, where the Four Heavenly Kings resided. The Ox-Head Palace was not one of them. Kaihuang wouldn't have killed an Emperor's Throne realm expert just to build the Ox-Head Palace, would he?

"You all go up and prepare." The old farmer instructed the villagers, "Tell the children that the Ox-Head Palace is opening today; have them come for training." The villagers immediately flew up, one by one. Some flew into the Ox-Head Palace, while others flew into the continent of the myriad heavens.

The old farmer, leading his old ox, ascended the divine bridge with Qin Mu and the Dragon Qilin. The bridge was very narrow. Qin Mu felt fine standing on it, but the Dragon Qilin seemed a bit cramped. The old farmer stopped, standing on the bridge to survey his surroundings and enjoy the scenery. Qin Mu also looked around, taking in the magnificent landscape. Enjoying the scenery here was indeed refreshing.

"Disciple of Wentian Pavilion, you are in the Celestial Being realm, aren't you?" the old farmer said unhurriedly. "Among the Four Great Celestial Masters of the Kaihuang Celestial Heavens, the woodcutter ranks first. I've always disagreed with that; what ability does he have to climb above me? Of the Four Great Celestial Masters, he's first, I'm third, and the scholar Zi Xi is second – I wholeheartedly accept that. But what virtue or ability does that woodcutter possess? Relying on mere words to get ahead of me, the scholar, and the fisherman? That's why I don't accept it."

Qin Mu looked down at the continent of the myriad heavens, seeing many young and strong individuals hurrying towards them. These people moved with incredible speed, leaping as if flying. "Master Woodcutter greatly admires the Martial Arts Celestial Master," Qin Mu said earnestly. "Master mentioned you, saying you are supreme in martial prowess, the strongest among the Four Great Celestial Masters. This time during the reform in Eternal Peace, after Master designed the rescue of Emperor Yi Yue, he immediately came to find the Martial Arts Celestial Master. This shows that in Master's heart, the Martial Arts Celestial Master's status is no less than that of Heavenly King Emperor Yi Yue."

"My abilities were originally quite similar to Emperor Yi Yue's," the old farmer said faintly. "Twenty thousand years ago, Emperor Yi Yue was slightly stronger than me; she was the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings. I fought her and was completely convinced by her power. However, after twenty thousand years, it's hard to say who is superior. After all, even if she revives, she's missed out on two millennia of cultivation."

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled. "The Martial Arts Celestial Master has already cultivated to the Emperor's Throne realm! I truly cannot withstand his three punches, and my brother probably can't either..."

The old farmer sneered, "I've fought with the scholar; he's not my match in martial prowess, but he always manages to subdue me completely, which is why I respect him. That's true ability. But the woodcutter, just with his glib tongue, climbed above me, and that's why I don't accept it. This time he came to ask me to come out of retirement, and that's fine, let's have a spar. But before I even exerted myself, he was already lying in a ditch."

Qin Mu smiled, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He could imagine how discomfited Saint Woodcutter must have been at the time. It was a classic case of a scholar meeting a soldier, where reason cannot prevail.

The divine arts practitioners from the continent of the myriad heavens drew closer. Qin Mu was slightly startled to see that these individuals, presumably from the nations within that continent, were strangely not true humans. Some had bird heads and human bodies, others beast heads and human bodies. Some carried turtle shells on their backs, others had animal fur, some had three heads and six arms, while others possessed multiple heads and eyes.

"Divine beings from the Kaihuang era!" Qin Mu narrowed his eyes. He even saw several divine arts practitioners of the White Bat divine race! This Ox-Head Heavenly Palace was actually populated by descendants of the divine races from the Kaihuang era!

"Cult Master, there are even women among the White Bat divine race!" the Dragon Qilin whispered in a low voice. "Fuyuqiu and Fuyuchun of the Nether Valley are probably going to be overjoyed."

Qin Mu remembered the two white bats from the Nether Valley and couldn't help but smile, though his smile soon turned into a frown.

The old farmer, leading the old ox, walked leisurely along the divine bridge towards the Southern Heavenly Gate. "Don't be happy just yet," he said unhurriedly. "If you want to follow the rules of the jianghu, then just like them, you must first be tested to see if you qualify. Go on, you'll go with them through the Southern Heavenly Gate and fight your way all the way to the High Heavens Palace."

Qin Mu quickly said, "Celestial Master, I am still in the Celestial Being realm; I cannot enter the Southern Heavenly Gate! Why not have a fair contest?"

"Fair contest?" The old farmer turned, his wrinkled face showing a hint of mockery. "When did the war between the extraterrestrial Celestial Heavens and the Kaihuang Celestial Heavens ever have a fair contest? Fight your way to the High Heavens Palace, and I'll let you rescue the woodcutter!"

On the divine bridge, the divine beings from the continent of the myriad heavens respectfully followed the old ox. The old ox leisurely accompanied the old farmer towards the Southern Heavenly Gate. Qin Mu was also among the crowd, quietly revealing his Willow Leaf to observe these divine beings. He was slightly stunned to see that all of them were in the Life and Death realm! All of them were extremely robust and highly cultivated, yet not a single one had reached the divine bridge realm! Everyone's divine bridge was severed, even more completely than those of the divine arts practitioners in Eternal Peace!

The divine arts practitioners of Eternal Peace still had their divine bridges, albeit broken. However, by cultivating the Three Divine Bridge Arts taught by Qin Mu—the Magpie Bridge Art, the Profound Guidance Art, and the Divine Crossing Art—they could repair their divine bridges and fly across the Southern Heavenly Gate. However, the divine beings dwelling in the myriad heavens of the Ox-Head Heavenly Palace had their divine bridges completely severed, and the divine bridge realm itself was gone for them! Without the divine bridge realm, the Three Divine Bridge Arts could not repair their divine bridges, meaning they could never cultivate to become gods! In other words, all the divine beings living and multiplying on this continent would be trapped in the Life and Death Divine Treasure realm for their entire lives.

"What is going on?" Qin Mu wondered, "Why are their divine bridges severed so completely?" He was greatly perplexed, while the divine beings were equally curious about him. Seeing an eye on his forehead, they couldn't help but repeatedly stare. A few girls huddled together, whispering and constantly glancing at him. They were giggling, seemingly saying something.

"Cult Master, they're saying you're ugly," the Dragon Qilin whispered, his ears sharp. Qin Mu's face darkened. The Dragon Qilin shivered, raised a paw, and slapped himself, then walked obediently, thinking, "The Cult Master probably won't calm down until I've gone hungry for a few days..."

Although the divine bridges of these divine beings were completely severed, leaving them trapped in the Life and Death realm, each one was terrifyingly powerful, their strength no less than that of experts in the divine bridge realm!

Finally, they arrived outside the Southern Heavenly Gate. The old farmer, leading the ox, stepped inside first, then stopped and turned to face the crowd. All the divine beings stopped, standing respectfully outside the gate. Qin Mu also stopped, examining the Southern Heavenly Gate. He had seen the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Great Ruins, towering and majestic, like a gate supporting the sky. Although dilapidated, it still exuded an ancient, imposing aura of standing firm against the heavens. This Southern Heavenly Gate, however, was much smaller. Even so, it was still tall and grand, like a gateway formed by cleaving a ten-thousand-zhang mountain. The Southern Heavenly Gate was covered in various patterns, likely rune markings, forming dazzling designs that flickered on and off.

"Your divine bridges are severed and cannot be repaired. In this life, you have no hope of reaching the Southern Heavenly Gate and becoming gods. But you are the hope for all those whose divine bridges are broken." The old farmer's voice was resonant as he said solemnly, "It has been twenty thousand years. Generations of divine survivors have grown old and died, but the lineage continues to this day. As long as there is life, there is hope! You may not have a divine bridge, but there's no reason you can't use martial arts to cross the void of the divine bridge. If there's no path, forge one! If there's no path, then break through life and death, carve a path with martial arts, and reach the Heavenly Palace directly with your martial soul!"

Qin Mu's mind reeled, and he finally understood the purpose of this Heavenly Palace trial. The divine bridge of the surviving divine race in the Ox-Head Heavenly Palace was severed. The Martial Arts Celestial Master hoped to continue the Heavenly Palace's legacy through martial arts, using martial souls to bridge the non-existent divine bridge realm, ensuring the continuation of the divine race's bloodline and spirit, and forging a new path! If the divine bridge realm doesn't exist, then they must use their martial souls to cross this realm, reach the Heavenly Palace directly, and cultivate to become gods. This martial soul was the martial primordial spirit, a martial primordial spirit capable of traversing the void of the divine bridge!

The primordial spirits of other divine arts practitioners possessed divine bridges, allowing them to cross over and enter the Heavenly Palace. Even if the divine bridges of Eternal Peace's divine arts practitioners were broken, they could use the Three Divine Bridge Arts to repair them and eventually cross into the Heavenly Palace. However, the descendants of the divine race in the Ox-Head Heavenly Palace had no divine bridges whatsoever. They could only rely on their own primordial spirits to forcefully traverse the void! If they failed to cross, they would fall into Youdu, beneath the Life and Death Divine Treasure, perishing completely! The Martial Arts Celestial Master had hidden in this mountain village for twenty thousand years, likely with the sole purpose of cultivating these divine descendants, enabling them to continue their practice and cultivation!

"To cultivate as a god through martial arts, that is a martial soul! For a martial soul to enter the Dao, that is martial Dao!" The old farmer exclaimed, leading the ox forward, "Enter! Test your martial Dao! I await you in the High Heavens Palace!"