Chapter 789: Limitless Kalpas

In the Qin Continent, Earth Sovereign, Heavenly Duke, Scarlet Emperor, Great Sun Star Lord, and others were having tea with an old Buddha. Suddenly, the sky brightened. Heavenly Duke chuckled, "Old Buddha, you rarely awaken, so you haven't seen this, have you? This is young Master Qin removing the willow leaf seal from his brow, giving us a little reprieve!"

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha looked up at the sky and sighed, "What a karmic burden! So many masters are needed to guard this place, just to contain the Ghost Capital God Son. And it's rare to even get a moment of freedom."

In the distance, Qin Fengqing, bruised and swollen, sat sulking among the mountains, his two plump little legs crossed, and his arms folded across his chest.

The old Buddha who was suppressing them from mid-air suddenly awoke and descended from the sky. Fengqing had intended to beat the old Buddha, but he was ambushed by the five great powerhouses of the Qin Continent. He was beaten so badly that he lost his armor before he could even use his Cauldron of Slaughter.

The elders had taken over the best part of this prison, driving him into the mountains. The big-headed boy was now figuring out how to reclaim his territory, but his Cauldron of Slaughter had been seized by the elders and suppressed by Lava Earth Sovereign, making it impossible to retrieve.

If he had his Cauldron of Slaughter, he could have gotten his revenge.

"If I team up with my bad younger brother, I can suppress these old men!"

The big-headed boy looked up at the sky and thought, "After suppressing the old men, I'll suppress my bad younger brother here, and then I can run off and enjoy myself."

Suddenly, Qin Mu's divine consciousness arrived from beyond the heavens, saying, "Heavenly Duke, Earth Sovereign, come see if that's Earth Mother outside... Oh, has the King Buddha awakened?"

His divine consciousness materialized into a human form, and he greeted everyone.

Heavenly Duke chuckled, "The Old Buddha awoke recently. He said that the Primordial Realm has been unsealed, and the Great Ruins have become the Primordial Realm. Even the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm have been forced to border the Primordial Realm, compelling him to awaken. It's a good thing the Old Buddha woke up, otherwise, wouldn't your elder brother be dominating this place?"

Scarlet Emperor said, "The Old Buddha brought some good tea; Young Master Qin, come have a taste too."

Qin Mu quickly shook his head, saying, "There's no time for tea. Please, elders, take a look at the Earth Mother Primordial Monarch outside and see if she's real. I went to the place where Earth Mother Primordial Monarch fell, and I found a residual soul of hers—only her earthly soul remained, hidden in an underground palace. Inside, there were also the imperial tombs of nine Supremes, so it didn't seem fake. I even performed a soul retrieval for her. And now, another Earth Mother Primordial Monarch has appeared, and she looks real too!"

"Such a thing exists?"

The elders all rose and looked towards the heavens.

Through Qin Mu's third eye, they saw the Earth Mother Primordial Monarch standing silently beneath the Primordial Tree. Her ancient god body was vast, making other deities standing beside her appear extremely tiny.

Although Earth Mother Primordial Monarch's body was immense, it was still significantly smaller than the immeasurably vast bodies of Heavenly Duke and Earth Sovereign, not as exaggerated.

Nevertheless, compared to other postnatal beings and demigods, she was still incredibly large.

"This is Earth Mother Primordial Monarch."

Lava Earth Sovereign said, "Undoubtedly. My eyes are more discerning than any Book of Life and Death; they can see through a soul's essence. There's no mistake. Her soul is Earth Mother's soul."

Heavenly Duke said, "This body is indeed Earth Mother's body. If it were fake, it couldn't escape my Heavenly Eye. Young Master Qin, the Earth Mother you encountered in the underground palace must be fake."

Qin Mu looked bewildered and shook his head, saying, "I even personally performed a soul retrieval for the Earth Mother in the underground palace, gathering all the black sand of her celestial and divine souls for her. Earth Mother Primordial Monarch couldn't possibly have other scattered souls outside... Earth Mother wouldn't have two souls, would she?"

He suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Is Earth Mother the Empress of the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens? Are they twin sisters? Is this Earth Mother actually the true Earth Mother's elder or younger sister?"

Heavenly Duke shook his head, "You're overthinking it. Earth Mother Primordial Monarch isn't that pair of conjoined flowers. The Empress sisters have a different origin, and..."

He stopped, saying, "Anyway, it's not them. This is strange. If this one is Earth Mother, then who exactly was the Earth Mother you performed a soul retrieval for in the underground palace?"

Lava Earth Sovereign's voice was grim and chilling, "Young Master Qin, for whom were you retrieving a soul?"

Qin Mu's mind reeled, and he stood dumbfounded, struggling to say, "Are you saying I was set up? That's impossible, isn't it? There are many demigods in the underground palace, all old subordinates of Earth Mother. If I was set up, wouldn't they have been deceived too? They were all in the underground palace, dormant with Earth Mother when she was killed..."

Everyone frowned.

Scarlet Emperor said, "Is it possible that another Earth Mother was born from the Primordial Tree?"

Seeing Qin Mu's confusion, he added, "Earth Mother was originally a manifestation of the Primordial Tree. When I founded the Crimson Bright Era, I visited her and knew her origins."

Heavenly Duke shook his head, "The Primordial Tree is dead. It's impossible for it to give birth to another Earth Mother to replace the original one. Scarlet Emperor, your words are rather sensational..."

"It's not sensational."

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha suddenly said, "But there truly is such a method. And what's more, I created this method myself."

Everyone looked at him. Brahma Heavenly King Buddha sighed, "My cultivation method took shape during the Dragon Han era. While it's overtly described as entering the Dao through dreams, which sounds too mystical, in reality, it involves me transforming into countless selves, journeying and refining myself in various worlds, experiencing mortal life, and enduring countless tribulations. These mortal experiences are like illusory dreams to me, yet those selves possess real souls, real bodies, and real experiences. Their cultivation, experiences, and Dao heart eventually return to my main body, becoming a part of my dreams."

Heavenly Duke praised, "The Old Buddha's Buddhist experiences have endured immeasurable kalpas, giving him insight into the mortal world. That's why the Celestial Heavens coveted his method and wished to acquire it."

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha shook his head, "They didn't desire my cultivation method for its Buddhist nature. Rather, they were collecting Emperor's Throne level cultivation methods to achieve the Celestial Heavens realm. To attain a complete Celestial Heavens realm, there's a simple method: find thirty-six non-repeating Emperor's Throne cultivation methods and combine them into one Celestial Heavens method. While there are many Emperor's Throne cultivation methods in the world, many are duplicates, making this extremely difficult. My 'Entering the Dao through Dreams of Immeasurable Kalpas' is one such unique method."

Great Sun Star Lord suddenly realized something and asked, "Old Buddha, can this cultivation method allow a new soul to be born within a corpse?"

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha smiled, "If new souls can be born even within illusory dreams, then why not within a corpse?"

Heavenly Duke probed, "However, you've never passed on this specific cultivation method. The Buddhist scriptures you did impart were other scriptures you comprehended within your dreams."

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha sighed, "I did pass it on."

He continued unhurriedly, "During the Dragon Han era, Heavenly Venerate Yun once sought me out, saying that humanity was in peril and needed powerful figures to give them hope. He wanted to emulate a few individuals, some who had already disappeared without a trace. So, I passed on my newly created, yet immature, cultivation method to him. He cultivated my method and emulated Heavenly Venerate Yu and Heavenly Venerate Qin."

He glanced at Qin Mu and added, "He also emulated Heavenly Venerate Mu."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He tentatively asked, "Old Buddha, what do you mean?"

"Heavenly Venerate Yun's talent was exceptionally high, surpassing mine and that of the old Daoist. After all, he was one of the Nine Heavenly Venerates blessed by ancient gods back then. After receiving my cultivation method, he refined it, and his ingenious ideas were even more brilliant than mine, the original creator's."

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha continued, "He emulated these three Heavenly Venerates with uncanny likeness, and indeed, he brought immense hope to humanity and other postnatal races. He eventually died in battle, but I don't know if his improved cultivation method has been passed down."

Qin Mu's mind was greatly shaken, and he understood Brahma Heavenly King Buddha's implication.

Someone used a divine ability, derived from the King Buddha's cultivation method, to recreate an Earth Mother!

"Could it be the Celestial Alliance?" he whispered.

Heavenly Duke and Earth Sovereign exchanged glances and fell silent.

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha said, "Not necessarily the Celestial Alliance. After Heavenly Venerate Yun's death, his improved cultivation method might also have been disseminated from within the Celestial Alliance. After all, it was so long ago; it's hard to say what transpired within the Celestial Alliance."

Qin Mu nodded slightly, thanked the elders, and withdrew his divine consciousness.

"Is Old Buddha going to leave?"

Heavenly Duke looked up at the sky and asked, "Now is a good opportunity to leave. If you don't go now, that boy will cover the willow leaf again."

Brahma Heavenly King Buddha smiled, "If you don't leave, neither will I."

Great Sun Star Lord said timidly, "I want to leave, but I don't dare..."

Lava Earth Sovereign consoled him, "Where can you go? Won't you just return to the Ghost Capital? Is the Ghost Capital more interesting than here?"

Great Sun Star Lord's face turned ashen, and he grumbled inwardly, "You're the ones who find it interesting; I've never found it interesting! I've been constantly terrified here, fearing that the little tyrant of the Ghost Capital might eat me someday..."

Qin Mu waited for a moment. Only when Heavenly Duke, Earth Sovereign, and the others didn't leave his third eye did he replace the willow leaf seal, then quietly looked up at the Earth Mother Primordial Monarch.

Behind him, countless demigods had already prostrated themselves, speaking in unison, "Greetings, Earth Mother Primordial Monarch! Earth Mother Primordial Monarch, may your fortune and longevity be boundless!"

The gods and demons from the various heavens also knelt in worship, trembling with trepidation, daring not to make any unusual moves.

During the Supreme Emperor era, Earth Mother was half of the Primordial Realm's ruler. Although nominally ruled by successive Supreme Emperors of the Northern Celestial Heavens, she actually controlled half of the Primordial Realm!

Back then, no race dared to resist under her rule!

Of course, the Southern Supreme Emperor Celestial Heavens was an exception. The Southern Supreme Emperor Celestial Heavens could even divide the Primordial Realm in two, ruling the south and standing as an equal to Earth Mother.

The reasons for this, however, were unknown to outsiders.

Many did not bow to Earth Mother Primordial Monarch. Qin Mu, Gongsun Yan, Feng Qiuyun, and Dragon Qilin all stood straight. Only Water Qilin prostrated himself, trembling and not daring to look up.

Also, Scarlet Emperor Qi Xiayu's expression changed dramatically, but she uprighted her guqin, gripping it with one hand, a heroic figure standing in defiance of Earth Mother Primordial Monarch.

Divine Blade Luo Wushuang, leading the youths of the Spirit Show Army, swiftly arrived behind her, their aura blossoming, and the divine blade in its sheath resonating.

They all belonged to the Outer Celestial Heavens. Although they were from different Heavenly Palaces, generally not interfering with each other and having some minor disagreements, facing an ancient god like Earth Mother Primordial Monarch, they had to unite.

Bai Qionger also did not kneel. As the Sword God of the Supreme Emperor, she was a remnant of the Southern Supreme Emperor Celestial Heavens and had no reason to bow to Earth Mother.

The scholar also did not kneel. During the Founding Emperor era, there was no Earth Mother Primordial Monarch, and besides, he wouldn't even bow to a Supreme Emperor, let alone Earth Mother Primordial Monarch.

Beneath the towering Primordial Tree, Earth Mother Primordial Monarch looked down on everyone as if they were ants. The aura of such a naturally born ancient god was so immense, so terrifying, that it extinguished any thought of resistance!

Earth Mother watched them, remaining silent, but the longer she stayed quiet, the more apprehensive the gods present became.

"This is interesting," a laugh suddenly broke the silence. The scholar, fanning himself with a feather fan, chuckled, "Just now there was a dispute between the true and false disciples of Earth Mother, causing quite a commotion. Lu Zheng, shouldn't there be a dispute between the true and false Earth Mothers now?"

The donkey's lips curled up in amusement, and it brayed, "Hee-haw, hee-haw!"

The braying was quite grating.

Just then, a voice suddenly came, "Why can't there be a dispute between the true and false Earth Mothers?"