Chapter 783: Earth Mother Primordial Lord

Qin Mu smiled faintly. He left the Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin outside, saying, "Brother, let's go in."

Gongsun Yan led the way, and Emperor Heaven Revered followed Qin Mu into the underground palace in a daze.

Outside the hall, the Water Qilin trembled, lowering its head. It dared not look at the old dragon, much less raise its head to examine the phoenix.

The phoenix stood before them, preening its feathers at leisure. The old dragon, coiled around a pillar, lowered its head and fixed its dim, aged eyes on them, as if guarding against thieves. Its head alone was larger than both the Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin combined.

The Water Qilin grew increasingly nervous. Beside it, the Dragon Qilin rustled, pulling out a few spirit pills from somewhere and offering them to the old dragon, "Would you like some?"

The Water Qilin inwardly groaned, but then saw the old dragon uncoil itself from the pillar and transform into an elder with a dragon's head and human body. It took a spirit pill, tasted it, and praised, "How refreshing! Why haven't you, junior, taken human form? The path you're on is still the primitive demigod path, relying on eating to grow. This path has proven to be unfeasible. Only by taking human form can you cultivate your Divine Treasures and Celestial Palace."

The Dragon Qilin asked for guidance, "The Cult Master taught me the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Art, saying it's an Emperor's Throne level cultivation method. However, when I practice it, it always feels off. The Cult Master said I have Qilin blood, so the technique isn't quite suitable for me."

The old dragon replied, "I see. Dragons are born from dragon veins, and I too was born from a dragon vein. The Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Art is already a top-tier profound art. However, with Qilin blood in your lineage, it is indeed difficult to cultivate. I don't have Qilin clan cultivation methods, but there are many Qilin here. You can ask them for some superior cultivation techniques. Come with me!"

The Dragon Qilin followed him.

The Water Qilin's eyes widened, "He's so agreeable?"

The old dragon led him to an imperial tomb and called out in a rough voice, "Lu Shouyi, Lu Shouyi!"

A stone Qilin slowly shed its stony appearance, transforming into a majestic fire Qilin. It asked, "When does the Dragon King call upon me?"

"There's a junior here who has both our dragon clan's and your Qilin clan's bloodline, but no Qilin clan cultivation methods. Just impart some techniques to him."

The old dragon added, "I ate his spirit pills, so I ought to give him some benefits."

The fire Qilin looked at the Dragon Qilin and said, "Oh, it's that young fellow from earlier. Do you have more spirit pills?"

The Dragon Qilin hastily took out some spirit pills, saying, "I saw how mighty you were earlier, so I didn't dare approach to speak."

The fire Qilin, not without pride, replied, "We are ordered to guard the imperial tombs, so naturally, we must be mighty."

Suddenly, other Qilin before their respective imperial tombs revived, each stepping on auspicious clouds and landing around the Dragon Qilin, laughing, "So fragrant, so fragrant!"

The Dragon Qilin took out even more spirit pills and offered them, saying, "When I passed by earlier, you elder brothers scared me witless."

The Qilin were quite pleased, laughing, "We were just scaring you, to prevent any petty thieves from sneaking in."

The Dragon Qilin took out all its spirit pills. The old dragon also took a share. Everyone became close with the Dragon Qilin, calling each other brothers, and the atmosphere became lively.

The Dragon Qilin was inexplicably moved in its heart: "Thankfully, the Cult Master knew I had both dragon and Qilin bloodlines, so the spirit pills he refined catered to the tastes of both races. That's why I could strike up a conversation with them."

"Brother, your bloodline combines both dragon and Qilin races, which presents some trouble. No wonder it's difficult for you to take human form."

A Qilin demigod said, "If you cultivate two different methods simultaneously, it's hard to master both. We'll help you make some adjustments."

In front of the palace, the Water Qilin watched as the leading demigods gathered around the Dragon Qilin, teaching him how to cultivate hand-in-hand. It couldn't help but feel immense envy: "We're both mounts, yet why has he suddenly integrated with the upper echelons of the demigods, while I'm stuck here being stared at by this phoenix…"

The phoenix was still staring at it, when it suddenly asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Do you have any spirit pills?"

The Water Qilin honestly replied, "No."

The phoenix stopped responding to it, still staring.

The Water Qilin felt disheartened: "When will Master Lan learn to refine spirit pills?"

The underground palace was vast, and it took some time to reach its entrance, making Qin Mu momentarily feel as if he had returned to the wild and untamed Dragon Han era.

Emperor Heaven Revered looked at the palace, somewhat confused, and mumbled, "I think I've been here before. It feels a bit familiar…"

Qin Mu slowed his pace, asking expectantly, "Brother, can you recall anything?"

Emperor Heaven Revered grew even more confused, knocking his head and shaking it. "I can't remember anything… Brother, I think I might not be your biological brother!"

He said this with a serious expression.

Qin Mu chuckled. "What are you talking about? Your surname is Lan, and mine is Qin. Of course, we're not biological brothers."

He quickly caught up to Gongsun Yan, observing the hall's layout. The hall was simply arranged; there were no murals on the walls, only some illustrations on the smooth floor.

Qin Mu's primordial spirit emerged behind him, looking down from above, which allowed him to clearly see the illustrations on the ground.

These illustrations were large. One depicted the primordial creation of heaven and earth, with a massive tree rooted in ancient soil, stabilizing the tumultuous earth, water, wind, and fire elements between heaven and earth.

Beneath the great tree lay a woman, waking from slumber, with a man beside her reaching out, poised to help her up.

In the sky, there was a giant made of light, and underground, a strange figure with ox horns and a tiger's head.

Emperor Heaven Revered's expression grew even more downcast. He whispered, "I knew I was adopted. Where are my biological parents?"

Qin Mu, looking at the illustrations on the floor, nearly stumbled upon hearing this. He shook his head, thinking, "What kind of nonsensical thoughts fill Emperor Heaven Revered's little brain?"

He looked at the second illustration. In this one, the woman and the great tree stood tall, reaching to the heavens. The tree's leaves transformed into various heavens of all sizes, where numerous demigods and ancient gods lived happily. Below the tree, its roots extended throughout the continent, becoming various mountain ranges and rivers, forming different dragon veins.

Over time, some of these dragon veins gained sentience, transforming into divine dragons that were in the process of metamorphosis.

"Biological parents?"

At this moment, the divine consciousness of Earth Mother Primordial Lord fluctuated, asking in confusion, "Emperor Heaven Revered, your parents passed away long ago. Don't you remember?"

Emperor Heaven Revered froze, then turned his head away, secretly wiping away tears.

Qin Mu didn't bother to look at the floor illustrations. Following the sound, he saw that the divine consciousness emanated from a patch of light. This light was different from the palace's radiant glow; the palace's light was too bright, whereas this patch of light was very gentle, seemingly imbued with the power of life.

Within the light, an ancient divine consciousness subtly rippled like glimmering waves, and within these waves, a woman swam about.

Behind the woman was a heart formed from condensed, solidified light, with a rusted iron sword plunged into it.

Qin Mu observed closely, discerning the woman's face. She looked exactly like the statue in the temple, with a full forehead and a broad, rounded jaw.

He also noticed many root-like structures, resembling blood vessels, extending from the heart.

"Could these be the tree roots of this underground world? Is that heart…"

His heart stirred. The heart within the light was enormous, as if hidden in a vast space; it appeared to be in the hall but was actually impossibly distant.

"You must be Emperor Heaven Revered. I sense my blessing."

The woman swam before the heart, looking at them through layers of light. Her ancient divine consciousness subtly fluctuated, but to Qin Mu and the others, it resonated like a booming bell: "When you opened your Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, I, along with other ancient deities, descended and bestowed a blessing upon you. Your body still carries my blessing; I cannot be mistaken. But why do you not recognize me? Why do you not remember the past?"

Qin Mu said, "Earth Mother Primordial Lord, his soul is incomplete, and he has lost his memory."

"So that's it."

The woman in the light looked disheartened. "When did Emperor Heaven Revered die? Was it during the Jade Pool Assembly a million years ago, when he was ambushed and killed? This palace once heard that Emperor Heaven Revered was active in the world when the Three Celestial Courts were established later. I went to investigate and saw that Emperor Heaven Revered. Although he was exceptionally brilliant, he couldn't compare to the Emperor Heaven Revered in my memory, and he bore no blessings from the gods. At the time, I suspected that Emperor Heaven Revered was not the true Emperor Heaven Revered."

Qin Mu confirmed, "Emperor Heaven Revered was indeed assassinated during the Jade Pool Assembly."

The woman in the light said, "So it is. How then did you preserve his physical body until now, and then reforge his soul for him?"

Qin Mu's expression remained unchanged as he smiled. "Why does Primordial Lord say that? I didn't preserve his physical body. It was the Yin Messengers of Youdu who invited me there, saying they wanted me to resurrect someone, which is why I took action to revive Emperor Heaven Revered."

The woman looked at him through the light. After a moment, she smiled, "I thought you were also present at the Jade Pool Assembly."

Qin Mu was taken aback, then chuckled, "Primordial Lord must be joking! The Jade Pool Assembly was a million years ago; how could I have been there?"

The woman said, "During the Jade Pool Assembly, when Emperor Heaven Revered was harmed, my divine consciousness enveloped the Jade Pool, and I saw someone. I felt that your demeanor was somewhat similar to that person, though your facial features differ, which is why I asked. Empress Tianyin has mentioned you to me. You must know this palace's purpose in inviting you here, right?"

Qin Mu replied gravely, "Primordial Lord must have seen Empress Tianyin resurrected and therefore invited me to help cast a spell to revive you, Primordial Lord!"

The woman smiled. "Empress Tianyin spoke highly of you, calling you the unparalleled Grand Master of the world. That is why this palace has invited the Grand Master here."

Qin Mu stepped forward, carefully observing the woman in the light. After a moment, he shook his head. "Primordial Lord, without a physical body, I fear even if I could reassemble your three souls, you would be unable to revive. Where is your physical body, Primordial Lord?"

The woman in the light said, "It was cut away by that gang of rebellious traitors. This sword in my heart was also their doing. Fortunately, they underestimated this palace, unaware of my astonishing vitality, allowing my Earth Soul to escape by hiding in my heart's aperture. However, my other two souls were scattered by them. Rest assured, as long as you gather my other two souls for this palace, I have my own means of revival."

Qin Mu sighed with relief. "If it's only gathering two souls, although it will be strenuous, I should still be able to do it. However, Primordial Lord's cultivation and strength surpass Empress Tianyin's. I'm unsure if my current cultivation realm is sufficient to achieve it."

He removed the willow leaf from between his brows and slowly activated his magic power, forming a Heaven-Bearing Gate behind him. He asked, "Who were those rebellious traitors who murdered Primordial Lord? Why did they possess such terrifying strength, enough to harm an existence like you, Primordial Lord?"

The woman in the light gritted her teeth, her hatred immense, and said coldly, "The Celestial Alliance!"

Qin Mu's heart twitched violently.

The woman in the light's gaze, sharp as lightning, fell upon him. She asked suspiciously, "Grand Master, why did your vital energy suddenly fluctuate violently and your heart quicken a few beats when you heard the words 'Celestial Alliance'?"