Chapter 773: Forty Thousand Years Like a Song

"Tubo, how dare you speak of morality!" Qin Mu felt quite indignant but dared not speak aloud.

During the Underworld Battle, Tubo clearly intended to use him to purge the Heavenly Court forces from the Underworld. Since Qin Mu's parents were in the Underworld and Tubo treated them fairly well, he had to help Tubo.

However, it now seemed that besides the blame from the Heavenly Court, a huge burden from Earth Mother Primordial Lord also awaited him.

In the battle at Underworld Jade Lock Pass, the Earth Mother's son who died by his hand was likely Yan Jiuxi. During the fight, Yan Jiuxi seemed to have mentioned that he was a bloodline descendant of Earth Mother Primordial Lord, a son of Earth Mother.

Moreover, the divine art Yan Jiuxi mastered was the Primordial Magnetic divine art.

Although his Primordial Magnetic divine art was not as refined as Granny Si's, it was still extraordinary, forcing Qin Mu to use the Great Way of Heavenly Fire to break it. Yan Jiuxi's ultimate fate was to be eaten by Qin Fengqing.

However, since Earth Mother Primordial Lord was already dead, there was no need to worry.

"The number of primordial spirits my brother ate is vast, and I don't know how many troubles await me."

Qin Mu thought, "Granny Si's use of the great Primordial Magnetic divine art caused the Primordial Realm to reappear. Is Earth Mother Primordial Lord truly dead? Why would the Primordial Magnetic divine art trigger this anomaly here?"

The Great Ruins resembled a folding fan.

And now, the fan had opened.

When the fan was closed, it was the Great Ruins; when opened, it became the Earth Mother Primordial Realm.

Why was the vast Earth Mother Primordial Realm folded to form the Great Ruins? Why was it now open again?

Who folded such a massive and boundless world as the Earth Mother Primordial Realm into the Great Ruins?

Why did Primordial Magnetic divine arts almost disappear after Earth Mother Primordial Lord died?

Did someone erase the divine arts practitioners who cultivated Primordial Magnetic divine arts?

"Currently, the only remaining records of Primordial Magnetic divine arts are in the Great Fertility Devil Scripture, and there are only a few types, not forming a complete system. This is why I had the idea of creating Primordial Magnetic runes."

Qin Mu thought, "Who exactly erased the Primordial Magnetic divine arts? Are those who erased the Primordial Magnetic divine arts the same group of people who killed Earth Mother Primordial Lord? When Granny used the Primordial Magnetic divine art, the Primordial Realm opened. Could this be a contingency plan Earth Mother Primordial Lord left for her own resurrection?"

He withdrew his divine consciousness and looked around. The current Primordial Realm was becoming even more majestic; Yankang in the distance was no longer visible, and the former South Sea could not be seen either.

The expansion of the Great Ruins gradually slowed, and in the distant mists, magnificent mountain peaks rose majestically.

"The Great Ruins has undergone such astonishing changes, so has Yankang undergone similar changes?" Granny Si asked.

Everyone felt a chill. If Yankang also expanded, the distances between various cities and regions would likely become extremely vast, immediately weakening the ruling power of the Yankang court to its lowest state.

Reduced control over various regions is a precursor to a dynasty's disintegration.

Yankang originally governed the Western Lands grasslands and the Northern Ice Fields, but now it was hard to say.

Everyone felt heavy-hearted.

"The most crucial thing is the safety of the common people," Qin Mu said gravely. "The drastic change in the Great Ruins, transforming it into the Primordial Realm, has caused many places to erupt with radiant light. That should not be radiant light, but rather residual divine arts. If one accidentally enters those areas, there will likely be heavy casualties. The current Great Ruins is dangerous everywhere; we need to warn the people in the Great Ruins!"

Everyone nodded. Now was not the time to worry about Yankang; the safety of the Great Ruins' residents was more important.

"True God Pang Yu, please ask the divine arts practitioners and gods from the Grand Emperor Heaven to go to various places and warn the residents there."

Qin Mu said, "Others should also go to various places to ensure every city and village is notified."

True God Pang Yu said, "Rest assured, I'll go at once!"

He was about to head to the divine city of Grand Emperor Heaven when suddenly a muffled, astonishing roar came from the mountains and wilds of the Primordial Realm. True God Pang Yu stopped and looked in that direction.

He saw vast mountain ranges, with giant beasts vaguely appearing among the peaks, revealing their massive green backs.

Everyone was startled. Venerable God Sang Ye murmured, "What is that? Its body is so huge..." Qin Mu's heart pounded, and he let out a turbid breath: "Demigods."

Everyone was puzzled and looked at him: "What are demigods? Are they false gods?"

Qin Mu said gravely, "These demigods are extremely dangerous. They are the offspring of ancient gods, possessing ancient god bloodlines. You must be careful! You need to be vigilant; with the Great Ruins' seal opening and transforming into the Primordial Realm, many demigods may have survived."

Sang Ye asked, puzzled, "What are ancient gods?"

Qin Mu explained, "They are naturally born divinities like Heaven Duke, Earth Count, and Earth Mother. Demigods are the descendants of these naturally born divinities. Like Dragon Qilin, he is also a demigod; he can grow stronger with age. These demigods rely on the power of their bloodline, but they can also cultivate like us, and after cultivating, they become even more powerful. You must be careful!"

True God Pang Yu shouted, "Soldiers of Grand Emperor Heaven, follow me!"

He led the others away. Xu Shenghua said, "I need to return to the Western Lands to see if it's safe there."

Qin Mu nodded, "It might take you one or two years, or even longer, to reach the Western Lands. Be very careful on the way."

"Don't worry, I didn't die by your hand, nor will I die by a demigod's hand." Xu Shenghua hurried away.

Granny Si led many scholars from Heavenly Saint Academy in packing. She said, "Mu'er, I'll go with these scholars to notify the villagers in the Western Great Ruins. You be careful."

Qin Mu said, "Don't worry, Granny. You go west, I'll go east. Also, don't release your primordial spirit to contact Yankang. There are too many battlegrounds in the Primordial Realm, dangers everywhere, and demigods are appearing. Be careful of your primordial spirit being damaged."

"Brat, you're starting to lecture me now." Granny Si led the group away, laughing, "I'm the one who raised you. Which of your schemes wasn't taught by Granny?"

Qin Mu watched them leave, thinking, "Now I should go find the Dou Niu Realm, find the Martial Battle Heavenly Master, and ask the warriors of the Dou Niu Realm for help. That way, we can notify the people in the Great Ruins faster."

He oriented himself and led Heavenly Venerable Yu down from Grand Emperor Heaven, heading straight for the small mountain village where the Dou Niu Realm was located: "I wonder if the Dou Niu Realm has been thrown out of the Primordial Realm now..."

When the drastic change in the Great Ruins occurred, various heavens flew out from the broken cliffs. These heavens were thrown out of the world by Primordial Magnetic divine power when the Primordial Realm's seal was broken.

The Dou Niu Realm was also one of these heavens, built by the Dou Niu Heavenly Palace. The Martial Battle Heavenly Master had hidden this heaven in the Great Ruins, so it was also possible that it had been thrown out.

"Brother Mu, slow down," Heavenly Venerable Yu panted, following behind him.

Qin Mu circulated his vital qi, and a stream of vital energy lifted Heavenly Venerable Yu, accelerating their pace.

His cultivation was now profound, so carrying Heavenly Venerable Yu wasn't too strenuous.

Qin Mu galloped along, as if entering a completely unfamiliar primeval forest. The surrounding mountains were tall and majestic, and even the trees were extraordinarily tall, much taller than the trees in the Great Ruins.

The Primordial Realm concealed many mysteries and was still a completely unfamiliar world to him. However, even if it was fraught with danger, he had to venture in.

The Great Ruins was where he grew up, and its residents were like his family.

After traveling many miles, Qin Mu slowed down and looked up at the mountains ahead. Clusters of radiant light rose from within the mountains. He looked with his Jade Clarity Divine Eyes and saw that those radiant lights were extremely dangerous divine arts.

"Detour!" Qin Mu decided instantly, going around the base of the large mountain. When he reached the shady side, he was stunned.

A vast, boundless ancient battlefield appeared before him. Countless radiant lights, like the smoke of war, spread throughout this ancient battlefield, hidden among the ruins, splendid, dazzling, and extremely captivating.

Qin Mu composed himself and flew upward for over ten miles. Looking down again, he saw that this ancient battlefield was very long, but its width was not as wide as he had expected, only about a thousand miles.

"Fly over from above?" Qin Mu surveyed the sky above the battlefield; the sky was quite clear.

Just as he was about to fly over, a large golden eagle suddenly flew over his head, flapping its wings and flying forward.

The golden eagle flew for over ten miles, then suddenly disintegrated into pieces, falling from the sky as a pile of flesh.

Subsequently, those pieces continued to split into smaller bits as they fell.

The bits fell, becoming smaller and smaller, until by the time they reached the ground, they were too tiny to be clearly seen.

Qin Mu's heart seized. He opened his third eye on his forehead, and all three divine eyes looked up at the sky. Only then did he see black lines crisscrossing irregularly in the sky above this ancient battlefield, like imperceptible spider webs, forming a chaotic net.

"Space cracks!" Qin Mu's scalp tingled. Flying through the air, it would be very difficult to spot these almost paper-thin space cracks. If he flew through, he would likely suffer the same fate as the golden eagle.

"A thousand miles isn't much distance to walk; it wouldn't take too long. But detouring would take too much time."

He descended and said to Heavenly Venerable Yu, "Follow me. Don't wander off."

Heavenly Venerable Yu also recognized the danger and nodded repeatedly.

The two ventured deeper into this ancient battlefield, where faint ghostly flames rose from piles of fallen bones and drifted around. Qin Mu avoided the radiant light and ghostly flames, using his vital qi to activate his sword pellet. The sword pellet rolled ahead of them, probing for danger.

They proceeded safely for about a hundred miles, then a dilapidated city appeared before them.

They arrived at the city gate and vaguely heard the sound of a zither coming from inside the city. The zither music was mournful, like a young girl softly weeping and recounting past sorrows.

Qin Mu's scalp tingled. This ancient battlefield was filled with bones everywhere; how could there be zither music?

There were several broken stone tablets at the collapsed city gate, with fresh breaks. Qin Mu motioned for Heavenly Venerable Yu to be silent and carefully brushed away the loose stones on the tablets. The text recorded a battle.

"Seventy-Two Halls of the High Emperor, Phoenix Hall. Hall Master Qi Xiayu, beheaded the Scarlet Emperor Yan Qianchong of the Southern Heaven from outside the domain here!"

Beside this stone tablet was another broken one, which spoke of a different battle. Qin Mu read it, and it said that the Crown Prince captured Qi Xiayu here; Qi Xiayu was defeated and surrendered, and the Crown Prince allowed her to be the new Scarlet Emperor of the Southern Heaven, thus erecting this stone tablet to commemorate his achievement.

"This zither music..." Qin Mu paused slightly, blurting out, "Could it be the zither music of Scarlet Emperor Qi Xiayu? No wonder it sounds familiar! Wasn't she pursuing Emperor Buddha Dīpaṅkara? Did Emperor Buddha Dīpaṅkara also come to the Great Ruins?"

Just as he thought this, a woman's voice suddenly came: "Phoenix Hall Master Qi Xiayu!"

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned: "This voice sounds familiar..."

As he thought this, the zither music in the city suddenly stopped, and radiant light surged. Countless radiant lights propelled a magnificent phoenix boat into the air. The phoenix wings on both sides of the large boat vibrated, stirring up terrifying gales, sending sand and stones flying.

"Phoenix Hall Master, don't run! Bai Qu'er of Bailong City requests an audience!" Another voice rang out from the city.

Qin Mu's mind roared, his eyes wide with astonishment, standing there dumbfounded. He saw the phoenix boat disappear into the void, and behind it, a girl soared into the sky, holding a divine sword, forcefully breaking through the space cracks in the sky. Suddenly, her body swayed and transformed into a white dragon, shaking its head and tail, moving gracefully, pursuing the phoenix boat!

"Bai Qu'er of Bailong City..." Qin Mu looked at the distant white dragon and murmured, "She's still alive, she's still alive... she also came to the Great Ruins!"

He couldn't help but recall that night four thousand years ago, when he, Dragon Qilin, the box, and Ban Gongcuo, escorted the people of Bailong City all the way east.

Bai Qu'er was somewhat soft, somewhat stubborn, and led the last people of the High Emperor Era in a difficult search for a way to survive.

When the sun rose, Qin Mu and the others, like transient visitors in a dream, transformed into black sand and departed with the darkness, leaving only that young girl protecting the powerless mortals.

How did she survive these four thousand years?

"Love debts are hard to repay, how can one embrace monastic life?" Another faint voice came from the city, seemingly self-pitying: "Years are like a song, unable to convey the depths of human affection."