Chapter 737: Equal to the Gods

Everyone chuckled, shaking their heads as they scattered. Ling Tianzun's lecture was too profound and esoteric for them to comprehend.

They had originally gathered around Ling Tianzun to hear the gifted young woman share her insights and understanding from years of study, hoping to learn her divine arts and spells.

However, what Ling Tianzun was now discussing was so abstruse it was utterly incomprehensible. It seemed she had lost her mind. Listening to a madwoman ramble would surely defeat the purpose of attending this Jade Pond Gathering.

Soon, the area around Ling Tianzun was deserted, with only Qin Mu, Kai Huang, and the old ox remaining.

Kai Huang lowered his voice and whispered, "Surging River."

Qin Mu felt a chill, nodded, yet remained deeply perplexed.

The Surging River flows ceaselessly from west to east, day and night. This mighty river might be the current Heavenly River. However, given its constant flow, the Surging River doesn't seem to align with Ling Tianzun's divine art of making matter permanently solidified.

Unless, despite the water of the Surging River appearing to flow, all its constituent particles are actually in a solidified state, with the movement being merely an illusion. Perhaps the river truly flows from the past into the future.

The river water itself would then be static, with only the surrounding matter in motion.

Such a divine art, however, seemed far too incredible; Qin Mu couldn't even begin to grasp the principles it entailed.

"Perhaps it's not the Surging River that remains still, but the mist..." A faint idea stirred within him, though he had no clue how to create such a divine art.

The Surging River indeed seemed to be a nexus connecting past, present, and future. Both times he had inexplicably traveled back in time, it was because he had entered the river's source and encountered the mysterious mist.

Such temporal travel was either caused by the Surging River or by the mist!

Still somewhat indignant, Ling Tianzun sneered, "They are all commoners, all mediocre! Once I create the divine art that makes matter impervious to change, growth, or diminution, you will realize that there is no such thing as time! Senior Brother, you understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Qin Mu suddenly said, "Sister Ling, I understand you perfectly. I grasp your concept. Reversing material change to its former state could allow someone to de-age from old age to youth, or even resurrect the deceased. But this isn't rewinding time; it's rewinding matter."

Kai Huang nodded. "I understand as well. We use the Divine Art of Creation to make plants and animals grow, allowing them to mature quickly. Yet, this isn't a temporal divine art; it's a divine art of creation. The Divine Art of Creation enables growth by altering the internal material arrangement of living beings, not by advancing them into the future prematurely."

The old ox, unable to comprehend, merely flapped its ears, its wide eyes filled with utter bewilderment.

Ling Tianzun, visibly distressed, kicked her tattered shoes, her bare toes peeking out. She lamented, "But they don't understand me; they don't believe me. Even Yu Tianzun and the others think I'm insane. Is it only when I manage to make all the matter in the entire universe static and reverse its flow that they will realize they were wrong and I was right?"

Qin Mu shivered. Make all the matter in the entire universe flow backward?

This woman's ideas were truly dangerous!

However, no one possessed such terrifying magical power.

"Sister Ling, you should continue along your path. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, you will encounter someone who has returned to the past through your divine art, proving the world's perception of you to be false."

Qin Mu smiled, encouraging her, "Keep going, continue on, and prove you are right!"

Ling Tianzun was greatly encouraged, but then shook her head, looking disheartened. "I don't know if I can prove this," she said. "I'm so lonely. Almost everyone says that the Ling Tianzun of the past is gone, leaving only a madwoman... You two are among the very few I've met who truly understand me. Let's research together!"

Her eyes brightened once more, and her expectant gaze fell upon them. She said eagerly, "I've been painstakingly researching alone, without any fellow cultivators to accompany or discuss with. I truly fear that one day I'll give up. I don't want to be seen as a madwoman by others!"

Qin Mu hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't have much time to remain here," he said. "Sister Ling, how about this: you stay with us for these next few months, and we can discuss and research together. While our wisdom may not match yours, we can still help you solve some difficult problems. Then, when we leave in a few months, you can decide whether you wish to be seen as a madwoman. How does that sound?"

Kai Huang's heart stirred, and he glanced at Qin Mu. *He knows we'll be leaving in a few months? What else does he know? This fellow seems to understand me quite well. And he harbors some animosity towards me; could he be my future adversary? After all, one's opponent often knows them best.*

Ling Tianzun's eyes brightened, and she smiled. "As long as you don't mind my madness and a bit of untidiness, then I will stay with you for these next few months. Lately, many of my former friends have abandoned me..."

Qin Mu said, "I only perceive your divine essence, not merely your physical form. In my eyes, Sister, you are a goddess, unparalleled!"

Ling Tianzun was touched. Still using a wooden hairpin to tie her hair up, she said, "This Jade Pond Gathering also includes a palace for me; let's conduct our research there. Although Yu Tianzun believes I'm mistaken, he's still kind enough to grant me a palace."

The three followed her. Kai Huang asked, "With so many ancient gods in the Heavenly Court and it being the time of a grand Heavenly Court gathering, why is Yu Tianzun hosting an event at the Jade Pond? Isn't the Jade Pond typically the residence of an ancient god?"

"The Jade Pond is a pleasure ground within the imperial harem," Ling Tianzun replied. She walked on, explaining, "The Empress greatly admires Yu Tianzun. Since both the Empress and the Heavenly Emperor will naturally be present at this Heavenly Court Gathering, they granted the Jade Pond to Yu Tianzun for him to host the event."

"The Empress admires Yu Tianzun and entrusted him with the Jade Pond to host the gathering?" Qin Mu and Kai Huang exchanged glances, each lost in thought.

They had yet to meet Yu Tianzun, but his connection with the Empress suggested he was a highly sophisticated and influential figure, far more than just a genius who had opened the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure.

As they spoke, a voice reached them: "Ling Tianzun, are you still researching that so-called 'time non-existence' divine art?"

Ling Tianzun stopped, her expression revealing her displeasure—the girl wore her emotions openly. She asked irritably, "Fire Tianzun, what do you mean by a 'time non-existence' divine art?"

Qin Mu, Kai Huang, and the old ox looked towards the speaker. A young man approached, his body interwoven with crimson patterns that formed a garment resembling fire, yet not quite.

Behind his head, a peculiar phenomenon appeared: an upright halo, an oval ring seemingly composed of flames, though whether they were real flames was uncertain.

"No wonder he's called Fire Tianzun," Qin Mu thought. *Is this the pioneer of the Celestial Divine Treasure? Ling Tianzun's talent is already astounding enough; this Fire Tianzun must also be extraordinary!*

He had now met two of the Seven Heavenly Venerables. Both appeared to be at the Divine Bridge realm, and their cultivation strength was not particularly high compared to the vastly powerful ancient gods in the Heavenly Court.

Even when compared to demigods, the strength of the Seven Heavenly Venerables seemed insignificant.

Yet, it was precisely such young men and women who were referred to as Heavenly Venerables.

They were called Heavenly Venerables not for their cultivation, but for their profound achievements.

Fire Tianzun noticed Qin Mu, Kai Huang, and the old ox, pausing briefly but dismissing them quickly. He said, "Your intelligence and talent have been squandered on trivial matters for too long. Since you opened the Divine Treasure, you've made no further breakthroughs, all because you're fixated on proving the non-existence of time! With your intellect, if you didn't waste your energy and instead focused on how to break through the Seven Divine Treasures, you could have been the first to achieve it!"

Ling Tianzun shook her head. "Yu Tianzun is both smarter and more astute than I am," she said. "He was the first to open a Divine Treasure, and the reason he's been quiet for the past few centuries is that his gaze is fixed on a higher, more distant plane. He is destined to be the first to transcend the Divine Treasures; it won't be me."

Fire Tianzun, frustrated by her lack of ambition, angrily declared, "Yu Tianzun himself told me you are the smartest among us Seven Heavenly Venerables! If you had focused your efforts on a different realm, he wouldn't have stood a chance. He said it himself! Now, he has achieved a monumental breakthrough, enabling practitioners to become immortal and stand alongside the ancient gods. That accomplishment should have been yours!"

Ling Tianzun's peach wood hairpin was dislodged by the force of his words, causing her hair to fall loose. She took out a ribbon, tied her hair into a ponytail, and shook her head. "That's merely one realm," she said. "If immortality alone were enough to become a god, I could have made practitioners immortal long ago. Just now, this Senior Brother told me that the divine art I created is called the Divine Art of Creation. With my divine art, bodily immortality is easily achieved."

Fire Tianzun frowned slightly, the fiery halo behind him subtly swaying. He looked at Qin Mu, shaking his head. "You actually believe the words of a charlatan?"

Qin Mu offered a slight smile and bowed respectfully. "A humble junior greets Fire Tianzun," he said. "Fire Tianzun, I have paper and a brush here. Would you be willing to sign your name on it? I come from a small place and haven't seen much of the world. If I could obtain Fire Tianzun's autograph, it would bring great honor to my ancestors!"

He produced paper and a brush, holding them out to Fire Tianzun with an expectant expression.

Seeing Qin Mu's sincere expression, Fire Tianzun found it impossible to refuse. As if by some impulse, he took the brush and signed his name on the paper, then snapped, "I don't care where you're from! I won't tolerate you misleading Ling Tianzun! Letting her research that nonsense about time not existing is just wasting her youth and precious time! Yu Tianzun created a realm where practitioners can achieve immortality like the ancient gods, yet you're telling Ling Tianzun that her so-called 'Divine Art of Creation' can do the same! If you try to mislead her again, I'll beat you to death!"

Qin Mu looked sheepish. "The name 'Divine Art of Creation' was indeed something I mentioned," he admitted, "but I never said it could grant immortality."

Fire Tianzun's expression softened slightly. "I misjudged you then..."

Qin Mu continued, "However, the Divine Art of Creation truly can grant longevity akin to a god's, even without becoming a deity. On this point, Sister Ling was indeed correct."

Ling Tianzun exclaimed happily, "You truly are the one who understands me best!"

Fire Tianzun's face immediately darkened. "Give me back my signature; I'm not giving it to you anymore!"

Qin Mu quickly gathered the brush, ink, and paper, smiling. "No, I'll have use for it in the future."

Enraged, Fire Tianzun reached out to strike, roaring, "First, I'll beat this deceitful charlatan to death!"

Qin Mu's body shimmered, manifesting three heads and six arms. A rapid succession of booming blows resounded as Fire Tianzun crashed through a grand hall with a thunderous roar, tumbling out of sight and leaving a trail of fire in his wake!

Kai Huang was startled, almost exclaiming aloud, "A Heavenly Venerable at the Divine Bridge realm, why is he so weak?"

Qin Mu, too, was surprised. He hadn't used his full power, only a fraction, but his attack speed was so swift that Fire Tianzun was sent flying before he could even bring his strength to bear.

Nevertheless, for a Heavenly Venerable at the Divine Bridge realm, this level of power seemed remarkably low.

He would even be inferior to the Divine Bridge realm practitioners of Eternal Peace.

*This era is too ancient,* he mused. *Dao arts and divine abilities are still quite rudimentary.*

*I mustn't use my full power,* he thought. *If I did, I'd likely kill someone of an ancestral caliber...*

Kai Huang shot him a fierce glare, lowering his voice. "If you dare to strike again, I will not spare you!"

Qin Mu smiled, scoffing softly. "I didn't intentionally send Fire Tianzun flying. Besides, are your methods as skilled as mine?"

Behind them, the Old Ox, whose head was as large as a bushel basket, muttered, "That's men for you—they change their minds as quickly as turning a page!"

Ling Tianzun, however, was exceptionally excited. Staring at Qin Mu's three heads and six arms, she clapped her hands and laughed, "This must be the Divine Art of Creation, right? Your Divine Art of Creation is even more powerful than mine! Even without cultivating to the realm Yu Tianzun pioneered, you can still achieve immortality and be equal to a god!"