Chapter 816: Flower Not Flower, Mist Not Mist

"I survived, and I lived on this ship for a long time, only to die in the end?"

Qin Mu was distraught, overcome by a powerful sense of fate.

He had initially disbelieved the little person in the lantern, but the series of bizarre and unpredictable events that had unfolded since he boarded the ship left him no choice but to believe.

Did this not mean that no matter how hard he tried, he would be unable to escape the destiny of ultimately dying on this ship?

No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get off this ship. No matter how much he deduced and calculated, he couldn't unravel Heavenly Venerate Ling's divine art until his death?

Cult Master Lung's dao heart shattered, and he collapsed onto the ground, tears welling in his dragon eyes. He murmured, "How do we leave this cursed place? 'Heaven and Earth may change, but the constants do not. What does it mean that there are thirty-six constants that do not change'?"

He was startled and fell into a great panic. "Isn't that what the mad old dragon said? Why am I repeating his words? Am I really him?"

Qin Mu glanced at him, frowned, and forced a smile. "So, how many times have we boarded this ship? Why do we have no memory of the previous times?"

The little person in the lantern said, "Each grand cycle of this ship involves thirty-six temporal resets, appearing in different eras. After thirty-six temporal resets, it returns to the starting point, the moment the mist erupted. Those who board during this period will not retain memories from before. They merely repeat boarding, dying, and then boarding again, time after time."

The Village Chief suddenly asked, "Then why do you possess memories of the grand cycle?"

The little person in the lantern replied, "I'm not entirely sure."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. "That wailing old dragon also seems to possess memories of the grand cycle, but he's gone mad. What's his story? Who exactly is he?"

The little person in the lantern said, "He is Elder Dragon. Like me, he was not virtualized when the mist erupted."

Cult Master Lung, hearing this, involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief. "So it wasn't me…"

The Village Chief suddenly thought of a crucial point. "On this ship, besides you and Elder Dragon, who else was not virtualized?"

The little person in the lantern paused slightly, offering no reply.

The Village Chief narrowed his eyes and glanced at Qin Mu.

Qin Mu also narrowed his eyes. Inside his Taotie Pouch, the Sword Pellet quietly ascended, and from it, the Worry-Free Sword flew out, its hilt pointing towards the Village Chief.

The Village Chief's vital qi streamed from his fingertips, coiling around the hilt of the Worry-Free Sword. He smiled, "Heaven and Earth may change, but the thirty-six constants do not. These constants do not change with temporal resets. This ship undergoes a grand cycle through thirty-six temporal resets, and these constants might not be numbers but rather the people on the ship. That is to say, there are thirty-six people who will not be reset, who will not be virtualized."

Qin Mu said, "According to this theory, each time the ghost ship traverses, one person survives. The first reset was during the mist's eruption, and Elder Dragon survived. Elder Dragon was the first observer, and he couldn't cope, which is why he went mad. Every time he sees others, he says 'the thirty-six constants that do not change.' The constants are not numbers; the constants are the thirty-six people who will not be reset or altered. Since Elder Dragon survived the first reset, how did you survive?"

The Village Chief held the sword, its hilt tucked behind his back, while his other hand formed a sword art at his chest. He said darkly, "The ghost ship docks at various eras thirty-six times, and each era has different boarders. Only one person survives each time. Lin Xiao, which time did you board this ship?"

Qin Mu said, "When we boarded, you saw me take out the military talisman and actively sought us out. You sat in the lantern, easily gaining our trust, preventing us from suspecting you. Since we knew nothing about this ship, we needed you to guide us, so we would never suspect you. We would trust you unreservedly, which is the simplest and most effective strategy, commonly known as 'darkness under the lamp.' Darkness under the lamp can deceive most people, but it cannot deceive seasoned veterans."

The Village Chief held the Worry-Free Sword, its blade behind his back, while his other hand formed a sword art in front of his chest.

According to conventional sword techniques, the sword should be in front and the sword art behind, making the art invisible and the technique more mysterious and unpredictable. Yet, he did the opposite.

Around him, countless sword lights flowed, forming a sword diagram that enveloped the surroundings, covering the lantern and the little person within it.

Qin Mu had never seen this sword technique before.

The Village Chief had once taught him the Nine Forms of the Sword Diagram, but the current technique must be a new sword diagram developed by the Village Chief after he attained godhood.

His sword path had reached an entirely new level.

"And we are seasoned veterans," Qin Mu said with a smile. "We in Disabled Elderly Village never seek to harm others, but we always remain vigilant when interacting with people! So, Lin Xiao, are you the one who sent Empress Xu to this ship?"

The little person in the lantern stood up from the threshold, gazed at the swirling sword light outside, then withdrew his gaze to focus on the Village Chief’s hand, which was held at his chest forming a sword art.

"Why does the Lord say that?" he asked softly.

"After the Celestial Emperor died, Empress Tian wanted to prevent her deeds from being exposed, so she had to deal with Empress Xu. However, Empress Xu and her physical body were still useful to her, needing to be preserved for future contingencies. To dispose of Empress Xu and her own physical body, yet also preserve them, the best place was this ghost ship."

Qin Mu smiled. "She should be an important figure now, and it's not suitable for her to do this herself. Therefore, she needs a confidant, someone she can trust to help her. This person brought Empress Xu's physical body to the ghost ship, opened the Empress's coffin, and placed Empress Xu inside. However, this person also couldn't leave this ghost ship; he must still be on board. To guard this secret, he needed to ensure that all who boarded could never leave."

The Village Chief said, "He must be the most active person on this ship. When newcomers board, he will undoubtedly be the first to jump out, ensuring that each of them dies or can never leave this ship, becoming his companions."

"The first to jump out and find me based on the military talisman was you," Qin Mu stated.

The little person in the lantern sighed. "How can such intelligent people have such a foolish mount? It was precisely because I saw this idiotic dragon that I underestimated you. You are foolish too."

He said coldly, "When you had doubts, you should have made your move against me instead of speaking out. If you had ambushed me, you might have had a chance to survive. But now, you only have death as your path."

At that moment, a sudden burst of light engulfed Qin Mu and the others, blinding them!

The ghost ship underwent another temporal reset!

"You're right, I brought Empress Xu into this ship and buried her with the Empress. I also opened the Empress's coffin. However, you don't know that those who enter this ship will experience temporal resets again and again, and their physical bodies and primordial spirits will gradually virtualize, becoming a void."

In the bright light, the Village Chief's sword diagram erupted. This was the sword path the Village Chief had comprehended after becoming a god. As the old sword god of Eternal Peace, he had advanced further in the sword path; he was also the first true sword god of Eternal Peace!

His sword technique was not as good as Qin Mu's, but in terms of sword dao power, even the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was inferior to him!

In the brilliant light, the power of the sword dao erupted. Even in the glow, the extraordinary phenomena formed by the twelfth form of the sword diagram were clearly visible.

That was the Azure Sky Jasper, the sword diagram like a seal, the seal like heaven, and the sword light like the cardinal principles of the Dao of Heaven, traversing streaks of heavenly might, enveloping the lantern within them, intertwining and crossing!

Inside the lantern, the small sun erupted with a boom, its solar flames wildly unleashing, melting the sword light, and its radiant glow burned a large hole in the sword diagram.

"Eternal Peace Sword God, I am not your inferior. In fact, my power is beyond your imagination!"

The lantern flew rapidly into the distance, the voice of the little person within it drifting back, laughing, "However, in this place, the stronger you are, the faster you become a void! When I brought Empress Xu, I discovered this point, immediately killed the companions who came with me, and then severed my own cultivation! The sun in my lantern is the result of my severed cultivation. Heh heh, if you want to survive, you also need to be like me: kill the others who boarded with you and sever your cultivation. Otherwise, you too will become a void..."

The light vanished.

The Village Chief sheathed his sword, handing the hilt to Qin Mu, his fluttering clothes settling down.

Qin Mu did not take the sword. He said in a deep voice, "Village Chief, what Lin Xiao said is likely not true. He might be setting another trap to make us fight to the death with other powerful individuals."

"It's probably true." The Village Chief raised his hand, looking at his skin; his physical body had already become much fainter.

Qin Mu's heart trembled.

The Village Chief sighed, "The stronger one is, the faster the virtualization. So, the first to virtualize should be the Celestial Emperor's corpse carried by Feng Qiuyun. After that would be Ancestral Dragon King, Feng Qiuyun, Crimson Light Divine Son, Luo Wushuang, and Prince Qiu Ming's attendants. After them, it will be my turn and Cult Master Lung's. This ship and Heavenly Venerate Ling's divine art should have come alive, and they will weaken the most threatening powerful individuals. The greater the threat, the faster the speed of becoming a void. If we return to the great hall where the Empress's coffin is stored, we'll see!"

Qin Mu's heart felt heavy, and the three immediately returned to the great hall.

In the great hall, eight dragons encircled the Empress's coffin, but the Celestial Emperor's corpse in the Celestial Emperor's coffin had vanished, leaving only an empty coffin!

In the murals, Feng Qiuyun's figure had also grown increasingly faint, though the Earth Mother Kun Yuan Sword still appeared normal.

"I have already begun to virtualize, and I'm afraid the other boarders have also begun to virtualize."

The Village Chief said, "Mu'er, there is a very powerful force hidden in your glabella. You need to seal it, or you too will become a void! You can only save your life by being weak enough to pose no threat to this ship! I am a seasoned veteran, trust me!"

Qin Mu took out a willow leaf and sealed his third eye in his glabella, saying, "Village Chief, you should also sever your cultivation..."

"No need!"

The Village Chief shook his head and smiled. "If I sever my cultivation, who will protect you? And in one cycle, only one person can survive. I need to keep my cultivation; I must ensure that you are the one who survives. Cult Master Lung."

Qin Mu's mind went blank.

The Village Chief patted his shoulder and smiled, "Lin Xiao's identity has been exposed by us, and he will probably tell others about this, making us fight each other. The others, to avoid becoming a void, will make a move against us. If I sever my cultivation, you will inevitably die. You are the smartest person in our village. Only by becoming the final survivor can you possibly unravel the mysteries of this ship's divine art and save us from virtualization. Cult Master Lung."

He turned to Cult Master Lung and said calmly, "You also need to remember that becoming a void is not terrifying. As long as your Lord is still alive, he can save you and me! Do not harbor thoughts of rebellion, or I will be the first to take your life! If you want to survive, the simplest way is to ensure your Lord does not die! Once I virtualize, it will be up to you to fully protect your Lord's life, do you understand?"

Cult Master Lung became solemn, clasped his fists, and bowed. "Understood! Cult Master Lung vows to follow my Lord to the death!"

The Village Chief walked forward, saying in a deep voice, "We will continue to explore this ship and find more clues before we virtualize!"

They journeyed onward, passing the training grounds and arriving at the barracks, which consisted of large and small palaces where the Imperial Forest Army resided.

The Imperial Forest Army consisted of the most powerful gods and devils of the Dragon Han era, so their treatment was naturally extremely high.

The Village Chief led them directly to the most magnificent main hall, which should have been Wei Suifeng's residence.

As the Left Commandant of the Imperial Forest Army, Wei Suifeng held the highest position, and he should naturally reside in the most luxurious place.

On the pillars in front of the great hall, someone had inscribed a few lines of poetry. The handwriting was divine script, very delicate and elegant, like that of a woman.

Qin Mu read it aloud, speaking softly, "Flowers are not flowers, mist is not mist. They come at midnight, and leave at dawn. They come like a spring dream, for but a short while; they leave like morning clouds, nowhere to be found."

"This poem, doesn't it speak of the mist's traversal?" Qin Mu was stunned.

"They come at midnight, and leave at dawn"—the Surging River's traversal was also like this: the traversal lasted only half a day, traversing at night and returning in the day, or traversing in the day and returning at night.

"This handwriting is... left by Heavenly Venerate Ling! She has been to this ship! The profound mystery of her divine art is in this poem!"