Chapter 733: Changing One's Appearance

"Founding Emperor?" Qin Mu seemed not to have heard clearly, smiling as he asked, "Which Founding Emperor?"

Niu Sanduo still hadn't fully recovered from his shock, murmuring dreamily, "Of course there's only one Founding Emperor; who else could it be? He's so dazzling that even among countless beings, you'd spot him at a glance. No matter how brilliant others are, your eyes would immediately be drawn to him. He naturally possesses the charisma of a leader; others, no matter how outstanding, seem like stars orbiting him..."

Qin Mu snapped back to attention and immediately looked towards the pleasure boat. The Founding Emperor! The founder of the Founding Emperor Era, his ancestor! The Founding Emperor was here too! Could this be the early period of the Founding Emperor Era?

An incredibly strong urge immediately arose within him: to meet the Founding Emperor! To see him, to meet his ancestor, no matter what. He had to see him!

Qin Mu leaped from the pleasure boat, chasing after the one where the Founding Emperor was. Seeing this, the old ox quickly followed him. The woman on the boat was surprised and laughed, "My dear brother, leaving so soon?"

"Sister, I've met an acquaintance!"

Qin Mu turned in mid-air, bowed respectfully, and said, "That person is extremely important to me. In my haste, I forgot to inform you, please forgive me! Where do you reside, sister? After I've finished my business, I will come to apologize in person."

The woman waved and smiled, "If you have urgent business, go attend to it first. My surname is Zhu, and my given name is Que'er. I reside in Vermillion Bird Palace. Feel free to visit me when you're free. Vermillion Bird Palace is in the southern part of the Celestial Heavens!"

Qin Mu assented, turned, and accelerated, heading straight for the pleasure boat.

"Someone else is named Zhu Que'er," the old ox rumbled, catching up to Qin Mu. "The Vermillion Bird is one of the Four Emperors. In the old Celestial Heavens, there were Four Emperors, and the Southern Emperor was the Vermillion Bird. This woman calling herself Zhu Que'er isn't afraid of shortening her lifespan. However, her strength is considerable, comparable to yours, Master."

Qin Mu paused, slightly surprised. "The Southern Emperor is from the Vermillion Bird divine race? Isn't the Southern Emperor Qi Xiayu?"

The old ox replied, "Qi Xiayu is the Crimson Emperor of the Southern Sky, a nine-headed phoenix. She is not the same person as the Southern Emperor. This Qi Xiayu is rumored to be a divine being from the High Emperor Era who later defected to the enemy. She's quite prominent and holds significant power. However, because the Southern Emperor exists, she cannot be called the Southern Emperor, so she's only known as the Crimson Emperor."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He turned back to look at the woman, but the pleasure boat had already moved far away. "Zhu Que'er? Vermillion Bird Palace? What's the connection between Zhu Que'er and the Southern Emperor?" Eager to catch up with the Founding Emperor, he put this matter aside and focused entirely on pursuing the Founding Emperor's pleasure boat.

Zhu Que'er watched Qin Mu disappear into the distance. Several maidservants approached her and asked, "Your Highness, why are you so kind to that young man? He didn't even state his name!"

"Even if he remains unrecognized for a hundred years, once he makes a name, the whole world will know. I see him as such a person." Zhu Que'er, with her long, slender eyebrows, smiled and said, "I don't think he's ordinary; he's destined for great things. Furthermore, the ox he calls his senior brother is very strong and formidable—such beings are rare even in the Celestial Heavens. For that old ox to be so powerful yet follow him so closely, he's clearly no ordinary individual. Let's go; set sail for the Celestial Heavens. I wonder if Earth Count and Heaven Duke have arrived yet. We mustn't keep them and His Majesty waiting."

The Celestial River was bustling with numerous pleasure boats, weaving in and out. Giant beasts stirred up waves in the river, pulling the boats along. Qin Mu searched everywhere but couldn't immediately find the pleasure boat where the Founding Emperor was.

Suddenly, a long, low roar echoed. Though deep, the sound was immense, making one's chest vibrate. A giant Kun, over ten miles long, thrashed its massive fins, leaping from beneath the water and creating enormous waves. Qin Mu turned sideways as the Kun's spray flew into the sky. Its fins, like wings, vibrated as it flew through the air, emitting a long cry.

Although this era didn't possess the astonishing creativity of Yankang, it had various strange and colossal beasts, which weren't bad for transportation.

"The pleasure boat has docked!" Qin Mu's eyes lit up. Through the spray, he saw the boat docked at a jade platform, but the Founding Emperor was not on board, nor were the few people who had been with him earlier.

Several other pleasure boats were also docked beside the jade platform. Some people, dressed in ancient attire, were disembarking. There were no other structures by the jade platform, but a massive green-backed fish had surfaced from under the water. Those disembarking from the pleasure boats stepped onto the fish's back, as if standing on a small island. "That's a dock, a transfer point!" the old ox exclaimed hastily. "They've transferred to a Kun!"

Qin Mu immediately shot into the sky, chasing after the Kun that had just emerged from the water. Behind him, the old ox trod on air, making the sky boom, quickly caught up to him, and with a gentle nudge, Qin Mu landed on its back. The old ox exerted its strength, and with a rumble, the space ahead almost exploded as a green light shot towards the Kun.

Niu Sanduo carried Qin Mu, drawing closer and closer to the fin-flapping Kun. That Kun was also extraordinary, flying at an extremely fast speed, though still considerably slower than the old ox. As they got closer to the Kun, Qin Mu gradually calmed down and whispered, "Senior Brother Sanduo, don't pursue it just yet."

The old ox immediately slowed down, puzzled. "Aren't you going to meet the Founding Emperor?" "I definitely want to see him, but I don't know what era this is, where we've come from, or when we've arrived. I suspect..." His expression was strange as he whispered, "I suspect we've arrived at a certain point in the past. This isn't the Founding Emperor Era."

The old ox nodded. "Indeed, it's not the Founding Emperor Era. While the Founding Emperor Era was also grand, it wasn't on this scale, and this place seems too backward. I suspect it's the High Emperor Era..." Qin Mu continued to analyze, "It wouldn't be the High Emperor Era either. Although I don't know much about the High Emperor Era, I do know that its late period was extremely turbulent. Nor is this the Crimson Light Era, where three-headed, six-armed beings were prevalent, whereas the gods and devils here are varied and strange."

The old ox's eyes widened in alarm. "Could we have returned to the incredibly ancient Dragon Han Era?" Qin Mu's expression was peculiar as he softly said, "Senior Brother, calm down. The Surging River is extremely peculiar. I've encountered fog incidents there before, and I even went back to the late High Emperor Era, forty thousand years ago, in a desert heaven at the Surging River's source. There's no need to be so surprised by this."

The old ox's mouth hung wide open, stuttering, "You've encountered anomalies?" Qin Mu mused, "I, along with the box and the Dragon Qilin, and with the Great Venerable, were fleeing from Xing An's pursuit when we accidentally entered the period forty thousand years ago. I met Bai Que'er and others and experienced the war that led to the High Emperor's downfall. But that was only for one night; by dawn, Bai Que'er and the entire High Emperor Era had vanished like black sand. Will this world also disappear by morning, returning to the Great Ruins, just like that time..."

The old ox coughed, interrupting his reverie, and said, "Junior Brother, there probably won't be a night here." Qin Mu froze, looking at the sky. He saw suns hanging high above; indeed, there could be no night in this ancient Celestial Heavens!

The old ox said, "The Founding Emperor mentioned that he also experienced an anomaly once, disappearing for several months. I suspect that this anomaly we're encountering is the same one the Founding Emperor experienced! In other words, we might be trapped in this era for several months, just like the young Founding Emperor was."

Qin Mu pondered, "The Founding Emperor's encounter with the anomaly should have been thirty to forty thousand years ago; he's not from our era. I don't know if anything even stranger will happen if we meet him. Senior Brother Sanduo, does the Founding Emperor recognize you?"

The old ox paused for a moment. "Of course, he recognizes me. The Founding Emperor was very kind to me; he invited me several times to oversee a Celestial Palace, but I declined as I dislike trouble." "When did you two meet?" Qin Mu continued to ask.

The old ox thought for a moment and replied, "I've always followed Master. In his early years, Master herded cattle for a wealthy family, and I was one of those cattle. I saw Master secretly learning martial arts, so I learned alongside him. One day, I spoke, which startled Master, and we became good friends. When the wealthy family found out their family's secret martial arts were learned by a cowherd, they wanted to kill him. I carried Master and ran, escaping for a long time until we met the Founding Emperor. He defeated our pursuers, and Master and I followed him from then on. At that time, he was only a Seven-Star realm divine arts practitioner."

"That was indeed a long time ago. He'll definitely recognize you." Qin Mu jumped off its back, opened his taotie bag, and took out a yellow talisman paper. "Senior Brother Sanduo, transform into human form first."

The old ox transformed into a bull-headed, human-bodied divine being. Qin Mu affixed the yellow talisman paper to his forehead and said, "This is the Yellow Talisman Paper of the Lord of Youdu. If you stick it on yourself, others won't be able to discern your true appearance. This way, you won't have to worry about the Founding Emperor recognizing you. I only have this one; the Heavenly King Ren Sheng pursued me for a long time when I took it, so it's definitely a good item."

The old ox peeled off the yellow talisman paper and asked curiously, "Will it also work if I stick it somewhere else? It feels strange on my forehead, and it obstructs my vision." "I haven't tried sticking it anywhere else," Qin Mu replied. He observed the ox and indeed could not see its face. He tentatively asked, "How about you give it a try?"

The old ox removed the yellow talisman paper, hid it close to his body, and asked, "Can you see my face?" Qin Mu still couldn't see his face, only vaguely discerning that he appeared to be an old man. He laughed, "So the Lord's Yellow Talisman Paper can be used like this? When he stuck it on my face, I thought it could only be placed there. Now, let's catch up to the Founding Emperor!" He activated his Creation Technique, altering his own facial features so that his original appearance was completely unrecognizable.

The old ox circulated its magic power, carrying Qin Mu at lightning speed, quickly catching up to the Kun ahead. With a flash of light, the two landed on the Kun's back.

The Kun was suddenly pressed down by Niu Sanduo's weight, rapidly plummeting from the sky! "Which revered god is playing such a trick on this humble deity?" the Kun cried out in alarm. "Get off, get off! The god's body is too heavy; this humble deity cannot bear it!"

The old ox's face flushed slightly. He quickly circulated his magic power, using primordial qi to support himself. The Kun was about to hit the ground when the pressure suddenly lightened. It hastily flapped its fins to pull itself up, soaring diagonally past a majestic deity with a bird's head, human body, and cloud-like wings. That deity, engulfed in blazing sacred fire as if standing within a scorching sun, curiously watched the people on the Kun's back. It was precisely the Great Sun Star Lord Qin Mu had seen earlier.

The Kun flew through several palaces, then swooped down, darted under a flying bridge, pulled its body up again, and surged into the high clouds before finally stabilizing itself. It chuckled, "Revered god, you boarded mid-journey without paying like the others. You'll have to give me a few more spirit pills."

The old ox's face turned red, and he stammered, "What spirit pills?" The passengers on the Kun's back were all looking at the suddenly appeared Qin Mu and Niu Sanduo. One young man among them laughed, "Kuns enjoy Jade Dragon Pills. The Celestial Heavens are vast, so Kun deities ferry passengers around the Celestial Heavens to collect Jade Dragon Pills to fill their bellies. If you two don't have Jade Dragon Pills, I have some here I can pay for you."

Qin Mu thanked him. "Then I thank you very much, Senior Brother. What should I call you?" The extraordinarily handsome young man smiled, "My surname is Yin, and my given name is Chaojin. What should I call you, Senior Brother?"

Qin Mu's eyes flickered. "Yin Chaojin? The surname Yin is quite rare. Senior Brother Yin, do you know someone named Yin Tianzi?" The young, handsome man looked surprised and chuckled, "Am I that famous? To be honest, in my small local area, I do call myself Yin Tianzi. But it's just among us countryfolk, a bit of fun. This is Brother Qin!"