Chapter 776: Martial Emperor

Qin Mu and the old farmer entered the village, followed by the Dragon Qilin and the Water Qilin. The Water Qilin kept glancing at the Dragon Qilin, then suddenly sneered, "You're also a Qilin, a demigod, but you're too cowardly! You disgrace our Qilin divine race! How can you be a submissive mount, even plow fields, and cry like a baby?!"

The Dragon Qilin cast a glance at him and grumbled, "What's on your back?"

Emperor of Heaven sat on the Water Qilin's back, looking around with curiosity.

The Water Qilin choked, half-dead, and grumbled, "I'm different. Your master captured me; it was surrender or death, so I grudgingly became Master Lan's mount. You're different; you even cried like a baby. Do you know how powerful our Qilin divine race was in ancient and primeval times? Even dragons and phoenixes had to acknowledge us as their elders..."

The Dragon Qilin, looking unperturbed, asked, "Have you ever eaten spirit pills?"

The Water Qilin angrily retorted, "What spirit pills? We eat humans, demigods, monsters, dragons, phoenixes—anything alive! Why would we need spirit pills?"

The Dragon Qilin looked around, making sure no one was watching, then carefully took out a bag and delicately pinched out a spirit pill. "This was specially refined for me by the Cult Master; it's a thunder-fire attribute pill, probably not suitable for you. I don't have many left, but I'll give you one to try."

The Water Qilin took a bite and instantly froze.

"Nonsense! Your master just gave you a full basin, piled high!"

The Water Qilin's face lit up, and he repeatedly pleaded, "Give me two more, just two!"

The Dragon Qilin shook his head. "This is a thunder-fire attribute spirit pill. You're a Water Qilin, not a Dragon Qilin; you shouldn't eat it. Too much will harm you. You also have a master; just ask your master to refine some for you."

The Water Qilin hesitated, conflicted. "The dignity of our Qilin divine race..."

The Dragon Qilin ignored him and followed Qin Mu.

Qin Mu explained his purpose. "The Great Ruins has become incredibly vast and is now fraught with danger everywhere. My visit here is to mobilize the power of the Doumu Realm to protect the people of the Great Ruins."

More wrinkles appeared on the old farmer's face, which resembled dry tree bark, his brows furrowing into a '卅' character. "Every village and town has stone statues guarding them, and the cities also have them. The King of Hell in Fengdu has already ordered the stone statues in the Great Ruins to be ready to revive at any time. The King of Hell sent Bird God Chi Xiu to ask me if I needed the gods of the Founding Emperor to come and guard the Doumu Realm, but I declined. With the re-emergence of the Primordial Realm, the Great Ruins is merely a drop in the ocean; the true danger has yet to appear."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. "So, Senior Uncle, where do you think the true danger lies?"

"The true danger is not in the Great Ruins, but in Eternal Peace."

Hearing the term "Senior Uncle," the old farmer felt much more at ease. No longer cold and critical as before, he smiled. "Compared to demigods, Eternal Peace is still too weak. Have you ever heard of the strategy of driving a tiger to devour a wolf?"

Qin Mu paused, then tentatively asked, "Senior Uncle, what do you mean?"

"This time, the Primordial Realm broke its seal and reappeared in the world. The sealed Primordial Realm was the Great Ruins, and the unsealed Great Ruins is the Primordial Realm. This change was unexpected by everyone, even by the Woodcutter; he was caught off guard."

The old farmer slowly continued, "There are remnants of the Founding Emperor in the Great Ruins. The population of the Great Ruins is not large, only a few tens of millions. As long as these people are gathered and a few divine cities are built, with the protection of the Founding Emperor's remnant gods, their safety can be ensured. But what about Eternal Peace? Eternal Peace has a population of two or three billion, doesn't it? These people are scattered across various cities and regions, and now the distance between these places is a hundred times what it used to be!"

Qin Mu's heart gradually sank.

The old farmer continued, "Transportation and communication between cities have been cut off. The areas between cities are now filled with the Primordial Realm's primeval forests, infested with demigods, and littered with dangerous ruins and ancient battlefields. The Emperor of Eternal Peace's rule over various regions will completely plummet, and each region will act independently. Before long, Eternal Peace's reforms will cease. Without people, there will be no reforms, and the empire will crumble! Even if the Emperor has the courage to relocate the people from various cities to gather near the capital and start reclaiming land, it would take decades, even centuries, to achieve!"

"But it won't take decades; within just a few months, many regions will declare their secession from Eternal Peace and establish their own emperors! The rebellious forces will be countless. The only place Eternal Peace will be able to hold onto is the area near the capital!"

He sneered, "And to reclaim these newly emerged territories, putting aside whether Eternal Peace even has the strength, just the journey itself would take a hundred years! Furthermore, Eternal Peace doesn't have the power to directly confront demigods!"

The old farmer exhaled a turbid breath and said, "I previously mentioned driving a tiger to devour a wolf. Eternal Peace is the wolf, and the tigers are the demigods from the Primordial Realm. Besides the demigods, there are other hungry tigers; look up."

Qin Mu looked up at the sky. In the heavens, various realms shimmered with different colors. Clouds coiled around continents, and stars moved. These heavens were incredibly diverse and magnificent.

"These heavens are all inhabited by living beings."

The old farmer said, "At night in the Great Ruins, demon gods frequently appear. These demon gods come from these heavens. Previously, when the Primordial Realm was sealed, they had to go to great lengths, requiring blood sacrifices and such, to enter. But now, it's much simpler for them to get in. Eternal Peace needs to face demigods, and it also needs to face these gods and demons from various heavens. How can it possibly survive?"

Qin Mu felt a chill.

He had indeed encountered demon gods from other realms many times in the Great Ruins. For instance, when he and the Village Chief were searching for Wuyou Township in the dark, they encountered a female demon god and a host of celestial demons on the moon boat.

The first time he went to the Sun Well to see Yan Jingjing, he encountered Yu Zhaoqing and other Sky Feather Clan members who were controlled by demon gods and attacking the Sun Well.

And at the Moon Well, he saw traces left by demon gods attacking it and slaughtering all the Moon Herders.

Previously, with the Great Ruins acting as a natural barrier, Eternal Peace was quite safe. But now that the heavens are free from their seals and the Great Ruins has reverted to the Primordial Realm, will Eternal Peace still be safe?

"The demise of Eternal Peace is inevitable. Eternal Peace will first fragment, with various regions seceding and declaring themselves kings. The remnants of the Crimson Brightness race will likely not remain peaceful, and then there's Bharadvaja, along with the Northern Frontier, the Grasslands, and the Western Lands—all will split off."

The old farmer looked at him and said gravely, "Eternal Peace will lose nine-tenths of its controlled territory and people. Demigods will also move against Eternal Peace. Don't think about Eternal Peace anymore. Think about the people of the Great Ruins. I will inform the King of Hell to revive the stone statues and ask them to bring the people of the Great Ruins here. With this as the center, we will build a new nation. You are a descendant of the Founding Emperor; you should be the emperor of this new nation. Eternal Peace is beyond saving."

Qin Mu composed himself.

The Martial Arts Celestial Master indeed saw deeply and accurately.

Now that the Primordial Realm was unsealed, Eternal Peace would face its greatest crisis, even surpassing the blizzard crisis.

Eternal Peace's reforms would also be interrupted, possibly even reversed, leading to a landscape of fragmented states and numerous sects!

At this moment, Emperor Yanfeng, the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor, and even the Woodcutter Sage were likely overwhelmed and at a loss.

"Senior Uncle, I don't have Emperor Yanfeng's boldness or the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's drive and execution. If I were to become the emperor of the Great Ruins, I would be bogged down by trivial matters, overwhelmed, and unable to push through reforms. Compared to Emperor Yanfeng, I couldn't do better."

Qin Mu smiled. "Few possess Emperor Yanfeng's boldness, and few possess the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's execution. I even believe Emperor Yanfeng and the Imperial Preceptor have done better than the Founding Emperor and the Woodcutter Sage. Moreover, this is also a test for Emperor Yanfeng, to see if Eternal Peace can endure. As long as it perseveres, anything is possible."

The old farmer glared at him and sneered, "What does Eternal Peace have to contend with demigods? What does it have to contend with those heavens? Eternal Peace will collapse within a few months!"

Qin Mu smiled. "There will always be a way to solve it. Senior Uncle, what do you think about the sudden collapse of the Primordial Realm this time, and the demigods hearing Earth Mother Sovereign's call and going to meet her?"

The old farmer said coldly, "What do I think? I'll watch from my belly, watch from my back! I'll watch you all go to your deaths!"

Qin Mu chuckled playfully. "Senior Uncle, you're throwing a tantrum again. Let's talk business."

The old farmer glared fiercely at him, remaining silent.

Qin Mu's smile remained unchanged. "I've thought of a way to permanently solve the problem of the Doumu Realm's people lacking the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure. After I cultivate to the Life and Death Realm and open its Divine Treasure, I plan to destroy my Divine Bridge Divine Treasure in one go and re-open it. Once I master the method of opening the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, not only the Doumu Realm, but also all those in the Great Ruins and Eternal Peace whose Divine Bridges are severed, will have hope of re-opening their Divine Bridge Divine Treasure and becoming gods! Senior Uncle, I ask for your help in going to Eternal Peace to assist Emperor Yanfeng and the Imperial Preceptor in overcoming this crisis!"

The old farmer's gaze was fierce, and he sneered, "You know that these people in the Doumu Realm are descendants of the soldiers who died in my Doumu Palace, which is why you're using this condition to tempt me. But what if you can't open the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure?"

Qin Mu smiled faintly. "I am a Hegemon Body, unique through all ages."

The old farmer panted heavily.

Qin Mu's condition indeed moved him.

The people of the Doumu Realm were his lifelong burden. In the war that ended the Founding Emperor era, the soldiers of the Doumu Realm died and were buried in foreign lands. As the leader and commander of these valiant souls, he felt immense guilt towards these soldiers, which is why he had protected their descendants for twenty thousand years without fail.

He had seen the descendants of these soldiers grow old and die, new lives born, only to grow old and die again, without any solution.

No one else, without the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, could ascend directly to the Celestial Palace through martial arts as he had.

Even Qin Mu and Hu Bugui, who entered the path of martial arts, would find it difficult to achieve this.

He was the one and only Grandmaster of Martial Arts, the Martial Arts Emperor, throughout history!

If Qin Mu could truly solve this problem, he would have no choice but to emerge from seclusion and help Qin Mu, Emperor Yanfeng, and the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor!

Qin Mu watched him eagerly, silently awaiting his reply.

The old farmer calmed down, and a smile appeared on his face, which resembled dry earth. He landed a punch an inch above Qin Mu's brow.

Qin Mu groaned, spat out a mouthful of blood, and looked stunned and uncertain.

The old farmer's punch was incredibly domineering and extremely bizarre. Although it struck his brow, it didn't affect his physical body.

The force of the punch was vast and destructive. As it surged into his body, he felt something inside him shatter!

"I have destroyed your unopened Divine Bridge Divine Treasure."

The old farmer retracted his stout fist and arm, smiling. "Your other divine treasures are perfectly fine, so you can rest assured. But your Divine Bridge Divine Treasure has been shattered by my punch; not a single piece remains! Your injuries will also heal quickly and won't leave any lingering issues. However, even if you open the Life and Death Divine Treasure, you'll only have six hundred years of lifespan left. You'd better hope you can find a way to open the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, or else you'll just be waiting for death!"

Qin Mu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said gravely, "Senior Uncle, I will surely succeed!"

The old farmer went to the center of the village and loudly declared, "All soldiers, listen to my command! I am going to Eternal Peace. You are to remain here and guard the Doumu Realm! Bring my armor!"

The villagers were both surprised and delighted. They quickly brought his armor, and the old farmer, now fully dressed and majestic, glanced at the Dragon Qilin, who shivered.

The old farmer shook his head. "My body is too heavy; you can't possibly carry me. I'll find Sanduo first."

The Dragon Qilin felt a great sense of relief.

Everyone bowed, their morale high, and they spoke in unison, "Farewell, Martial Arts Celestial Master!"

Qin Mu bowed and said, "Farewell, Martial Arts Emperor!"

"Martial Arts Emperor?"

The old farmer was slightly stunned, then burst into hearty laughter. Amidst his laughter, his entire being shone with brilliant light. He leaped, walking on air, and vanished without a trace.

Qin Mu straightened up, went to the side of the ditch, and smiled, "King Buddha, you can come out now."

Emperor Sakra King Buddha rolled his eyes at him and said, "Has the farmer really left? Are you trying to trick me again?"

Qin Mu stepped into the ditch, helped him up, and said earnestly, "To rescue you, King Buddha, I took a punch from the Martial Arts Celestial Master, and he shattered my Divine Bridge Divine Treasure."

"I almost believed you."

Emperor Sakra King Buddha sneered, "Are you trying to fool me again? Huh, it really is shattered! You... why would you go through all this trouble?"

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