Chapter 809: Yulin Army Time Travel Incident

The village chief's expression was solemn, and he whispered, “Mu’er, put away the jade pendant. Don't flaunt it. Let's first ascertain their origins.”

Qin Mu flipped his hand, and the jade pendant in his hand had vanished.

That immense bluish-green Kun (a mythical fish/whale) exuded an extremely powerful aura. It could easily stir up rivers and seas. Carrying numerous demigods, it arrived at the edge of the large ship, illuminated by the ghost ship's lights.

Compared to this Imperial Forest Army warship, the Kun appeared much smaller.

Qin Mu was no stranger to Kun. Millions of years ago, many Kun lived in the Heavenly River. These Kun were demigods, capable of swimming in water and flying through the air.

At that time, the Kun in the Heavenly River often earned their livelihood by carrying passengers for spirit pills.

Although many of the demigods on the Kun's back had human bodies, they possessed different faces and varying numbers of heads.

Demigods were descendants of ancient gods, with divine blood flowing through their veins. Ever since Haotian Venerable created the method for demigods to transform into human form, demigods could also cultivate the Divine Treasures system and the Heavenly Palace system.

However, demigods could not fully transform into human form; they retained certain physical characteristics. Only a minority of demigods could achieve complete human transformation.

Those demigods saw them but did not stop, continuing their advance toward the ghost ship.

“Hook Serpents, stop this ship!” an elderly demigod with a hunched back, leaning on a scepter, shouted from the Kun's back.

“It’s Ancestor Dragon King!” Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise.

The surrounding river currents were swift. Suddenly, massive bodies appeared—strange serpents hundreds of zhang long. Their bodies were covered not in scales, but in bony plates with sharp bone spurs, and their tails bore scorpion-like barbs.

These monstrous serpents lashed their tails, hooking onto the ghost ship's masts and gunwales, pulling the ship to a halt.

The Hook Serpents' bodies were stretched taut; a few were instantly ripped apart, their blood spilling into the surging river.

The great Kun swam towards the ghost ship. The elderly demigod unhurriedly tossed his scepter, which transformed into a divine dragon, passing through the black energy chains and embedding itself in the ghost ship.

Only then did the ghost ship stop.

The elderly demigod then took out a mirror. The mirror shone brightly in the river water, hovering above their heads, illuminating the great Kun and everyone on its back.

The black energy chains restraining the ghost ship immediately bounced away upon touching the mirror's light, unable to approach.

The great Kun swam onto the ghost ship's deck. Suddenly, its body shook, transforming into a golden, shimmering divine bird. Then, the divine bird retracted its wings, changing into a divine being with a bird's head and human body.

The others on the Kun's back also descended.

The Kun clan had unique forms, possessing three transformations: first, the Kun; second, the Peng (a giant bird); and third, a divine being with a bird's head and human body.

The village chief felt a chill in his heart and whispered, “That elder is very powerful; I am no match for him. The demigods around him are also not weak, and the Kun’s strength is extraordinary! Mu’er, we should invite the Founding Ancestor to come before we can confidently explore this ghost ship…”

He had just said this when a beam of light suddenly shone down upon the river surface. The light, like a pillar, resembled a moon descending from the sky, its glow illuminating the ghost ship.

Within the light pillar, a small boat carrying a one-armed man and several one-armed youths drifted down the river. The small boat actually sailed along the light pillar, plunging into the river and heading directly for the ghost ship.

The one-armed man sat at the bow, appearing exceptionally sacred under the moonlight.

“Luo Wushuang!”

Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at the small boat and saw Zhe Huali among them, the only one with both arms intact.

Just then, the river surface suddenly blazed with fire. Qin Mu and the village chief looked from underwater and saw a massive fireball rolling along the river surface, evaporating the Heavenly River water.

They couldn't see clearly from underwater, but as the fireball approached, it suddenly plunged into the water, transforming into a multicolored phoenix that glided through the water, flying towards the ghost ship.

The multicolored phoenix carried a stone coffin on its back, which was very peculiar.

Qin Mu's heart stirred: “Could that be Feng Qiuyun? She’s still alive, not killed by Qi Xiayu, and her abilities are remarkable! So why is she here? Is she acting on the orders of Earth Mother Primordial Lord? And that stone coffin on her back… Could it be one of the stone coffins from the Nine Emperors’ Mausoleum?”

He couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.

If the coffin Feng Qiuyun carried was one from the Nine Emperors’ Mausoleum, then it must contain one of the Supreme Sovereigns from the Northern Sovereign Heavenly Court!

Why did the Earth Mother value this ghost ship so highly, even going so far as to deploy an Imperial Coffin from an imperial mausoleum?

It’s worth noting that she didn’t even deploy an Imperial Coffin when battling the other Earth Mother!

Suddenly, a rope shone down from the sky. Qin Mu looked up and saw a silver rope dangling from Yan Kang’s moon, which was wrinkled like a flower. The silver rope landed precisely on the ghost ship’s flagpole, tying itself there with a knot.

Several figures quickly slid down the silver rope, landing on the flagpole shortly after.

One of the divine beings then untied the silver rope, shook it, and the silver rope from the moon above fell, slithering like a spiritual serpent into his sleeve.

The silver rope, spanning fifty thousand kilometers from the moon to the ground, coiled into his sleeve without causing it to bulge even slightly.

After putting away the rope, the divine being bowed to another youth. The youth nodded, and these figures leaped from the flagpole to the mast, descending like civets, spiraling down the mast and entering the ghost ship.

“Those who descended from the sky, are they divine beings from the Heavenly Chart? No, the divine beings in the Heavenly Chart were left here by the outer Heavenly Court to deceive mortals. They have duties and dare not abandon their posts.”

Qin Mu's heart stirred: “Then they are visitors from the Heavenly Court! Strange, Luo Wushuang’s Lingxiu Army also comes from the outer Heavenly Court, so why aren’t they with them?”

Just then, a large star appeared in the sky. The star, which looked like an apple that had been bitten, was precisely the anomalous star of the Chiming remnant tribe.

Light flickered on the anomalous star, and a red beam descended from the sky, illuminating the ghost ship's deck. Then the light dissipated, and the figure of the Chiming God Son appeared there.

“The Chiming God Son has also arrived!”

Qin Mu smiled: “Village Chief, the Chiming God Son is a friend, not an enemy. I also recognize the one-armed Divine Blade Luo Wushuang, and that phoenix is my elder sister. As for the old man wielding the dragon-head scepter, I’ve met him once; his name is Ancestor Dragon King. It won’t be dangerous for us to go inside.”

The village chief stared at him with a darkened face and an unfriendly gaze: “The Chiming God Son isn't necessarily a friend. And that phoenix, isn't she one of the Earth Mother's people? As for the one-armed Divine Blade, I heard of his reputation in Taihuangtian; he’s clearly an enemy! And Ancestor Dragon King, isn't he the leader of the demigods? What kind of ‘one-sided acquaintance’ do you have with him?! Not a single person who just boarded that ship can be trusted!”

The ghost ship’s shaking grew more violent, and many Hook Serpents snapped and broke, meeting their demise.

The other Hook Serpents hastily retracted their tail hooks. The ghost ship then sailed upstream along the Heavenly River, gradually increasing its speed.

Seeing this, the village chief hesitated and asked, “What exactly is that jade pendant of yours?”

Qin Mu replied, “It might be the military token that controls this ghost ship, but I’m not certain…”

The village chief gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s go in and see! This ship is definitely no ordinary vessel, or it wouldn’t attract so many factions. If I don’t go in and investigate, I won’t be able to sleep soundly for the rest of my life!”

Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The village chief’s curiosity was even stronger than his. Even if the military token wasn’t the artifact controlling the ghost ship, he wouldn’t be able to resist exploring it.

His hesitation was primarily due to his concern for Qin Mu’s safety, which was why he had been indecisive.

The Dragon Herder quickly swam towards the ghost ship. Qin Mu took out the military token, and its light dispersed the black energy chains, allowing them to land on the ship.

The two jumped off the Dragon Herder’s head, and the Dragon Herder transformed into a dragon-headed divine being, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

The ship’s deck was wide and vast, resembling a small landmass, complete with various structures. There was also air, and the river water hadn't intruded; the deck was very dry.

“Mu’er, stay close to me. Don’t wander off.”

No sooner had the village chief said this than he saw Qin Mu already walking ahead of him. He quickly followed, whispering, “Don’t act rashly. Stick with me; I’m an old hand at this!”

The ghost ship’s speed increased, passing along the riverbed. Various dragon palaces and dragon residences in the river flashed by, making it impossible for them to discern anything clearly.

The ship’s hull groaned and creaked. At such high speed and traveling underwater, the ship seemed as if it could fall apart at any moment! “Where is this ship going? Why is it so fast? Mu’er, be careful!”

The village chief suddenly reached out and pulled Qin Mu, indicating, “There’s a seal underfoot! Don’t step on it.”

Qin Mu looked down and saw a strange seal on the deck formed by black energy chains. The seal was circular, with a complex internal structure, resembling entwined tortoises and serpents.

“This is… the Northern Emperor’s seal!” His heart was filled with awe.

“There’s a seal here too!” exclaimed the Dragon Herder.

When Qin Mu walked over to look, he saw that the seal discovered by the Dragon Herder was a Green Dragon seal, likely left by the Eastern Emperor.

“And here too!”

They soon discovered more seal patterns on the deck: some resembled Vermilion Birds, others White Tigers. The seals of the Four Ancient God Emperors had all appeared on this ship.

“For the Four Ancient God Emperors to jointly seal this ship, there must be something strange going on…”

The village chief mused, “Anything worth sealing by the Four Emperors must be extraordinary. We should try not to touch them.”

Just then, exclamations came from ahead. Ancestor Dragon King and others had already unsealed one of the seals on the deck, and a pitch-black coffin was slowly “growing” out of the deck.

The black coffin indeed seemed to grow, becoming taller and taller, reaching about a hundred zhang. Black energy chains coiled around it, resembling massive black pythons tied in a knot, locking the coffin.

“The Imperial Forest Army was the Heavenly Emperor’s imperial guard, composed of the world’s most elite gods and devils!”

Ancestor Dragon King raised his hand, his dragon-head scepter appearing in it. He pointed it at the center of the black energy chain knot and stated gravely: “Earth Mother Primordial Lord once inadvertently revealed a secret: during the ancient Dragon Han Heavenly Court era, Empress Niangniang was attacked, and the Imperial Forest Army embarked on a large multi-decked ship to suppress the rebellion. However, the Imperial Forest Army suddenly vanished during their mission. The Dragon Han Heavenly Court’s most powerful army simply disappeared into thin air, becoming an unsolved mystery of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court!”

As the black energy chains unlocked, the black coffin emitted a hissing, deflating sound, and surges of foul gas seeped out from it.

A demigod nearby suddenly let out a scream. His feet rotted, turning into pus, and soon his entire body became a pile of decaying flesh, bubbling and reeking.

Yet he was still alive, his face pressed against the putrid flesh, screaming incessantly.

Fear gripped the crowd, and they quickly held their breath.

From a distance, Qin Mu had also intended to unseal a spot to see if a black coffin would emerge, but upon seeing this, he immediately stopped.

Ancestor Dragon King waved his hand to dispel the corpse poison, then pointed his scepter, killing the screaming demigod. Staring at the upright black coffin before him, he said: “The Heavenly Emperor sent many experts to search for the Imperial Forest Army on this ship, but they never succeeded. However, this ship and the Imperial Forest Army on it have repeatedly appeared in the Heavenly River over the following tens of thousands of years, suddenly appearing and then suddenly vanishing.”

Creaking sounds came from within the black coffin, as if something was scratching the coffin lid with its fingernails.

Ancestor Dragon King gripped his dragon-head scepter and said: “There were also rumors of this ship during the Chiming Era. It was said to frequently appear on the Heavenly River, and some even witnessed tens of thousands of majestic divine beings on board. In the Supreme Sovereign Era, this ship also appeared often, and the Earth Mother herself once tried to investigate it, but unfortunately, she failed to find it or that ship filled with the vanished Heavenly Emperor’s imperial guards.”

The coffin lid suddenly slammed onto the ground with a thud. Everyone looked into the coffin, but it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

“Legend has it that this ship hides a great secret, a secret that allows one to traverse time and space.”

Ancestor Dragon King's throat was dry, and his voice was hoarse as he said: “There’s a rumor that whoever masters this ship can travel through time and space, journeying to any era they desire!”

In the dark coffin, two red points of light appeared, like red lanterns.