Chapter 777: In the Game, Out of the Game

Qin Mu examined the injuries of Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha, smiling. "Although many bones are broken, Martial Arts Heavenly Master acted with great precision. The injuries on your body are not severe, and your primordial spirit is unharmed."

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha looked at him with a complicated expression. He had thought Qin Mu was only joking, never expecting that his Divine Bridge Divine Treasure had actually shattered.

"After all, he and I are old acquaintances; we have some history. He wouldn't severely harm me. But you..." He sighed, "Your Divine Bridge Divine Treasure has been crippled. What will you do now...? That old bastard, he struck so hard! Didn't he know you were a descendant of Kai Huang?" However, Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha also knew that Martial Arts Heavenly Master was always fearless, never showing anyone deference. When Kai Huang's descendants broke the law and caused trouble back then, he killed them without hesitation, and Kai Huang said nothing about it.

"Actually, it has nothing to do with you," Qin Mu said, walking around him, his hands and fingers moving rapidly. He formed various phenomena like lotuses, treasure vases, and divine Buddhas, using creation divine abilities to mend the broken bones. "Instead, he and I made an agreement. He will protect Yankang, and I will destroy my Divine Bridge Divine Treasure to re-establish it. This will completely resolve the Divine Bridge problem for everyone in Dou Niu World, the Great Ruins, and Yankang. What I said earlier about taking a punch to save you was just a joke."

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha still frowned, saying, "But for him to directly destroy your Divine Bridge Divine Treasure seems a bit excessive."

Qin Mu stopped. Before and behind him, a thousand arms seemed to bloom, each forming different creation seals that he pressed onto Emperor Dikshit. Then, the thousand arms retracted, and the various phenomena dispersed. He smiled slightly and said, "Only by burning one's bridges can one be courageous; only by cutting off all retreat can one move forward. I'm very grateful that he took the initiative to shatter my divine treasure, removing all my worries and allowing me to focus completely, no longer clinging to any wishful thinking!"

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha stood up and moved his body, finding that his injuries were mostly healed. Surprised, he secretly praised Qin Mu, then shook his head, saying, "You two are both madmen."

"One cannot achieve without obsession." Qin Mu's breathing steadied, his gaze profound. "I studied martial arts with Martial Arts Heavenly Master for a period. What I learned wasn't his cultivation techniques or divine abilities, but the spirit of martial arts. What is the spirit of martial arts? Persistence is the spirit of martial arts! Once you have this spirit, you must push through, see it to the end, and accomplish the task! Furthermore..." He smiled. "In the ancient era, the seven individuals who opened the divine treasures were revered as the Seven Celestial Venerables. They created something from nothing, opening the seven divine treasures and establishing the cultivation system for future generations. They started from scratch, but I already know what exists, so the difficulty of opening them is much less for me. I can definitely open the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure."

He possessed a powerful conviction. This conviction wasn't merely instilled by the village chief's words about the Hegemon Body; it stemmed from his long-standing experiences and hardships. Ever since he returned to the ancient times, arriving at the early years of the Dragon Han era, encountering the Seven Celestial Venerables, and experiencing a series of changes in that period, his conviction and confidence had grown stronger and stronger.

At the Jade Pool Grand Assembly, Imperial Celestial Venerable was assassinated. The Heavenly Palace God-forming method, which should have been passed down by Hao Celestial Venerable, was instead disseminated by him! It was he who transformed into Imperial Celestial Venerable, temporarily creating the Heavenly Palace God-forming method at the assembly and transmitting it to everyone at the Jade Pool! His innate talent was no less than anyone else's!

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha looked at him with complex eyes; in this young man, he saw the shadow of another person. "Kai Huang back then was also brave and decisive, possessing great courage and perseverance, which allowed him to gather so many talented individuals with various dreams," he thought. He mused to himself, "He is more unbound than Kai Huang, less composed, and quite mischievous. But his will is more stable and resilient than Kai Huang's, and he dares to act and strive more."

He smiled and said, "What do you plan to do next?"

Qin Mu's eyes sparkled, and he smiled, "Are you interested in taking a look at where Earth Mother Primordial Lord is?"

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha's expression subtly changed; he was not very pleased.

Qin Mu chuckled, "As one of the Four Heavenly Kings back then, you fled the Buddhist Realm carrying a huge burden, escaping the pursuit of the Red Emperor. If you don't even fear the Red Emperor, how can you fear the already deceased Earth Mother Primordial Lord?"

"It's not that I fear Earth Mother Primordial Lord; I'm afraid I'll implicate you." Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha sighed, "It's truly unwise for you to get too deeply involved with Kai Huang's remnants; it's too dangerous for you. Kai Huang's remnants have preserved much of their strength. While Yankang is not yet taken seriously by the celestial heavens, adding Kai Huang's remnants means they won't be able to ignore it. Although Heavenly Master Woodcutter is the head of the Four Heavenly Masters, he also has blind spots. For instance, allowing Kai Huang's remnant forces to aid Yankang is, in my opinion, a misstep."

Qin Mu listened quietly.

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha continued, "The celestial heavens do not fear Yankang; they fear Kai Huang and Wuyou Township. Heavenly Master Woodcutter using Kai Huang's era's power to help Yankang rise will certainly cause the celestial heavens to target Yankang. Yankang was originally beneath their notice, but now they will have to pay attention. Furthermore, with the breaking of the Yuan World's seal this time, I foresee an even more ominous future." The layers of Buddha light behind his head, extinguished by Martial Arts Heavenly Master's blow, now lit up. He said, "The remnants of the Crimson Bright era settled in the South Sea region, Kai Huang's remnants appeared around the Great Ruins, and with the breaking of the Yuan World's seal, the remnants of the Supreme Emperor have also emerged. Yankang, Kai Huang, Supreme Emperor, Crimson Bright — the surviving forces and elites from four different eras are now appearing in the same world."

Qin Mu suddenly shivered.

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha continued, "You haven't been to Great Thunderclap Temple, have you? I was once the Tathagata there, and I know what Great Thunderclap Temple looked like before the seal. Heh heh, with the breaking of the Yuan World's seal this time, Mount Meru of Great Thunderclap Temple has probably connected with Mount Meru of the Buddhist Realm. Above Great Thunderclap Temple are the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm!"

Qin Mu felt a chill run down his spine.

"With the Yuan World's seal broken, the Buddhist Realm is also implicated. So many eras, so many forces — all powers the celestial heavens wish to eradicate — are now gathered in the Yuan World. What does this mean? It means internal strife, and it means a clean sweep!" Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha sighed and walked out of the village, saying, "Whether it's internal strife or a clean sweep, it will be a great catastrophe for Yankang. This time, not only is Red Emperor Qi Xiayu pursuing me, but the celestial heavens have also sent other masters. If I stay with you, I'll only implicate you. Don't cause trouble; go to Great Thunderclap Temple. The Buddhist sect will keep you safe. However... that's only temporary safety. With the Yuan World's seal broken this time, the Buddhist Realm is also on thin ice." He swept his wide sleeves and departed.

Qin Mu watched him leave, remaining silent.

The Four Heavenly Masters and Four Heavenly Kings of Kai Huang's era were all outstanding figures. Whether it was Martial Arts Heavenly Master, who seemed to be all brawn, or Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King, who appeared detached and ethereal, they all possessed extraordinary wisdom.

Emperor Dikshit Heavenly King Buddha's recent mention of figures from four eras gathering in the Yuan World indeed sent shivers down Qin Mu's spine, revealing a terrifying prospect. This was clearly a prime opportunity for the celestial heavens to eliminate the forces of four eras in one fell swoop! If they didn't want to lose troops or deplete their own strength, the celestial heavens could also sit back and watch the internal strife within the Yuan World, letting these four eras fight to the death and then reap the benefits themselves!

"So, is the breaking of the Yuan World's seal a coincidence with Granny Si recreating the magnetic runes, or was it premeditated?" Qin Mu pondered. In an era of divine ability explosion, reforms were made, and various divine arts and methods were created. Lost divine abilities and those that had vanished from history would also be discovered. If the person who sealed the Yuan World had left a condition for breaking the seal when doing so—that the seal would be broken once the Yuan World's land touched the magnetic runes after they were recreated—then the current situation in the Great Ruins would occur. In other words, that person had set up this scheme as early as Kai Huang's era! Everyone—whether it was Crimson Bright God Son from the Crimson Bright remnants, Earth Mother Primordial Lord, Kai Huang's remnants, or Yankang—was part of this scheme, and even the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm were included! Plotting for tens of thousands of years, waiting for the opportune moment to capture everyone in one sweep, and even resolving potential future dangers—this level of intellect and strategy was what sent chills down Qin Mu's spine.

"The only one not in the scheme is Wuyou Township!" Qin Mu took a long breath, his eyes growing brighter. "As long as Wuyou Township isn't part of the scheme, the celestial heavens won't act. They are waiting for a moment to resolve everything once and for all. Wuyou Township entering the scheme will be the trigger." "Wuyou Township is the key to igniting all of this." "Before Wuyou Township enters the scheme, the celestial heavens will allow the four eras within the Yuan World to engage in internal strife, benefiting from the chaos!" His eyes grew brighter and brighter; this was an opportunity for growth! A hard-won opportunity! It was also the only flaw in the schemer's plan!

"Dragon Fatty, my good brother, let's go!" Qin Mu called for the Dragon Qilin and Imperial Celestial Venerable. Imperial Celestial Venerable was scrounging for food in the village, holding a large bowl filled with fluffy, fragrant white rice topped with gravy, squatting by a wall and eating with a group of villagers. Imperial Celestial Venerable hastily finished his meal in a few bites, bowing repeatedly to thank the villagers, before calling for the Water Qilin to follow. "Brother, where are we going to freeload next?" Imperial Celestial Venerable asked. Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He bid farewell to the villagers and said, "We're going to scrounge for food and drink at Earth Mother Primordial Lord's place." Imperial Celestial Venerable was overjoyed. "What kind of good food do they have?" "Demigods of all flavors!" Qin Mu burst into laughter and rode the Dragon Qilin, galloping into the distance.

When the Water Qilin heard that Qin Mu was going to meet Earth Mother Primordial Lord, its face turned ashen. Then it suddenly realized something and was overjoyed: "If those demigods kill and eat them, then I won't be breaking my agreement with Little Earth Lord, and I'll be free!" Its steps were swift; with a single movement, a large river appeared beneath its feet, and it galloped away, running atop the river. Meanwhile, beneath the Dragon Qilin's feet were clusters of Qilin fire, providing astonishing explosive power. It was even faster than the Water Qilin, likely due to the Old Farmer's training in recent days.

Qin Mu had the Dragon Qilin slow down and observed the Water Qilin's divine ability. After a moment, he took out some medicinal herbs and refined spirit pills tailored to the Water Qilin's vital qi attributes. Once the pills were refined, Qin Mu let the demigod taste them. "How does it taste?" "Fragrant!" Qin Mu thought for a moment, adjusted the spirit pill formula, and refined another batch. The Water Qilin tasted them again and praised, "Even more fragrant!" Qin Mu finalized the spirit pill formula and taught Imperial Celestial Venerable how to refine the pills, saying, "Even if I'm not with you in the future, you can refine these pills yourself so he won't go hungry. Just don't let him eat too much; he'll get very fat. Yes, particularly fat..."