Chapter 823: Stealing the Power of the Four Emperors

Majestic gods and devils, with imposing physiques, stood up, watching the young man approach.

The military tally, a symbol of authority, served as the credential for mobilizing troops. The Ten Heavenly Guards recognized the token, not the individual.

The Ten Heavenly Guards were loyal only to the Heavenly Emperor; without the military tally, even their commander could not mobilize the vast army.

There were only two methods to mobilize the Ten Heavenly Guards: possessing the military tally or the personal presence of the Heavenly Emperor.

With the military tally in his possession, Qin Mu became the Right General of the Imperial Forest Army, granting him the authority to mobilize the vast army!

The military tally had been taken by Grand Ancestor Wei Suifeng, entrusted to Elder Qinghuang for safekeeping, who then passed it to Qin Mu. Although Qin Mu had boarded the ship with the tally, he had been unable to command this group of the most powerful gods and devils until they reached the origin of the ghost ship's cyclical journey.

As the Imperial Forest Army materialized from their illusory state, Qin Mu could finally, using the military tally, command this terrifying power.

In front of the Imperial Forest Army's formation, Qin Mu's face gradually shifted, restoring the appearance of Celestial Venerable Mu.

Celestial Venerable Mu, also known as Mu Qing, was one of the Nine Celestial Venerables.

The gods and devils of the Imperial Forest Army watched him change his appearance; although there was some surprise in their eyes, they asked no questions.

During the Dragon Han era, each of the Nine Celestial Venerables possessed unique strengths, extraordinary abilities, and achieved remarkable accomplishments. However, the most mysterious and unpredictable were Celestial Venerable Qin and Celestial Venerable Mu, who were truly elusive figures.

Regardless of who it was, anyone who held the military tally was their leader.

Qin Mu raised his hand, and a sword flew out, severing the pillar on which Celestial Venerable Ling had inscribed a poem.

The pillar flew towards him. His body rapidly expanded as he reached out and grabbed the pillar in his hand. He then walked forward, with thousands of Imperial Forest Army gods and devils closely following behind him.

Zhe Huali, emboldened, followed closely behind Qin Mu, only to discover that Qin Mu was leading these gods and devils directly towards the great hall where the coffins of the Emperor and Empress were kept.

In front of the great hall, an incredibly powerful dragon god was trapped by numerous chains, fiercely staring at Qin Mu as he approached, and sharply cried out, "Heaven and Earth change, but the thirty-six constants do not! What does that mean? Tell me, what does that mean?"

Qin Mu stopped, a sudden realization dawning on him.

Zhe Huali quickly asked, "Cult Master Qin, why have you stopped? This dragon always says the same things; it's quite mad..."

Qin Mu shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. Pointing at the Dragon Count King, he couldn't help but chuckle. "When I first boarded this ship, you were saying these exact words. I always thought you were mad, speaking nonsense. I never realized you weren't asking others, but me!"

The old dragon's expression was frantic, and it fiercely demanded, "Tell me quickly, what does it mean!"

Qin Mu smiled slightly. "You can only leave by breaking the constant." Having said that, he turned and led the numerous Imperial Forest Army soldiers into the great hall.

"Breaking the constant?"

The old dragon was stunned for a moment, then sharply cried out, "How do I break it? Don't go! Come back and tell me, how do I break the constant?"

Qin Mu entered the hall, seeing eight colossal dragons guarding the coffins of the Emperor and Empress, each bound by chains.

Currently, these eight colossal dragons were not petrified.

He reopened the passage, leading the Imperial Forest Army soldiers into the ship's interior. After sealing the passage, he solemnly asked, "Has General Wei taught you how to arrange the Four Phase Tribulation Array?"

Thousands of gods and devils immediately formed ranks, transforming into the Four Phase Tribulation Array, spread out around the ship's bottom in perfect order, awaiting inspection.

Qin Mu inspected them and breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Suifeng had taught these soldiers exceptionally well, imparting to them the Four Phase Tribulation Array from the Great Cultivation Demonic Scripture.

He came to the center of the Four Phase Tribulation Array, inserting the pillar with Celestial Venerable Ling's poem into the array's core. He whispered, "The Four Emperors should have arrived by now. If they don't board the ship during this cycle, then my preparations will be entirely useless. I hope they come..."

Suddenly, the ghost ship gently vibrated and came to a halt.

"This ship disappeared for twenty thousand years and has finally reappeared."

A deep voice came from outside, one Qin Mu had heard before: it was the voice of the Northern Emperor Xuanwu.

During the Jade Pool Grand Gathering, Niu Sanduo had caused a great disturbance in the Heavenly Court, even attempting to grab the Celestial River for battle, but the Celestial River was suppressed by the Northern Emperor Xuanwu.

It must have been the Northern Emperor Xuanwu who stopped the ghost ship.

He claimed to be an ancient god born in the Celestial River, so stopping a ghost ship traveling upon it would be very easy for him.

Controlling the Celestial River, he could also easily detect the ghost ship.

The Eastern Emperor Qinglong's voice came: "Brother Xuanwu, the case of the Empress's ambush is full of doubts, and the Imperial Forest Army disappeared on their return journey. Putting these two incidents together, I fear there's something very fishy going on that we cannot ignore... Western Emperor, Southern Emperor, you have finally arrived."

Four incredibly powerful and sacred auras arrived, and Qin Mu felt relieved. "As I predicted, all Four Emperors have arrived! This is the only chance to escape, and we absolutely cannot fail!"

"The Empress's ambush, the Imperial Forest Army suppressing the rebellion, and the Imperial Forest Army disappearing on the Celestial River—this incident caused a sensation twenty thousand years ago."

Qin Mu heard a familiar voice and couldn't help but smile; it was Zhuque'er's voice.

Zhuque'er was none other than the Southern Emperor Zhuque.

Her voice continued: "At that time, rumors abounded. I heard that before General Wei Suifeng's return, he sent someone ahead to the Heavenly Court to report what happened in the Return to the Ruins. I inquired and learned that General Wei sent someone to inform the Heavenly Emperor that the Empress had died in the Return to the Ruins, and General Wei had prepared the Empress's body and returned to the Heavenly Court by ship. However, the Empress's body should have been on the Imperial Forest Army's ship, disappearing along with them. But while the Imperial Forest Army vanished, the Empress reappeared in the Heavenly Court, which leaves me rather perplexed."

Another female voice came, likely the Western Emperor Baihu, who said, "Sister Zhuque, was it the Great Sun Lord who told you about this? I also asked the Great Sun Lord. The Great Sun Lord told me the same thing, that this little bird knows many secrets. What's suspicious isn't just the Empress's resurrection, but also the soldier General Wei sent to report to the Heavenly Emperor—he suddenly disappeared without a trace, completely vanished, and could never be found again! It's too strange!"

"What's even stranger is that all these bizarre occurrences happened on the Celestial River, yet Brother Xuanwu claims to know nothing!"

The Southern Emperor Zhuque said calmly, "Events on the Celestial River? Could they truly escape your notice? Yet you feign ignorance, Brother Xuanwu, you are very suspicious."

The Northern Emperor Xuanwu coldly snorted.

The Eastern Emperor Qinglong coughed. "Brother Xuanwu is not that kind of person. He notified us of this ship's reappearance, asking us to come and bear witness together. If he were behind it, why would he invite us here? Since we are here, let's board the ship and investigate thoroughly!"

Suddenly, the ghost ship sank slightly, suggesting the Four Emperors had already broken through the black mist surrounding it and boarded the vessel.

"This ship is strange!"

The Western Emperor's astonished voice came: "There's a power trying to invade me!"

"I feel it too! A very strange power, trying to control me!"

"It's not control; it's stripping away our power... Not only is it stripping away our power, but also our physical bodies! This force is trying to merge us with itself!"

"This ship... it's alive! This is a trap!"

Rumbling sounds echoed as terrifying fluctuations swept across the entire ship—it was the Four Emperors attempting to break Celestial Venerable Ling's divine ability.

The Eastern Emperor transformed into a green dragon, shaking its head and tail, and flew out of the ghost ship, its body disappearing into the black mist outside. The next moment, the Eastern Emperor Qinglong suddenly reappeared on the ship, landing and rapidly moving a few steps, a look of surprise on its face.

The Eastern Emperor flew out again, only to reappear on the ship the next moment. He flew out dozens of times, but always found himself back on the vessel. Even an ancient god, an emperor who commanded a vast Heavenly Palace, couldn't help but feel a little panicked at this moment.

The other three ancient god emperors also employed their own methods, trying to leave the ship. The Southern Emperor Zhuque was the fastest; she rose into the air, transforming into a Vermillion Bird and flying away. However, no matter how or how fast she flew, she always returned to the ship.

The Northern Emperor controlled the Celestial River, trying to throw the ship out of it. However, even if the ghost ship was thrown out, it would reappear on the river surface the next moment.

The Western Emperor manipulated golden energy, splitting, severing, and tearing apart the black mist outside the ship, but the black mist quickly restored itself.

This ship had aspects that even the Four Emperors found incredible. The ghost ship was a massive living entity, locking everything in place, and the divine ability surrounding it was something they had never seen or heard of before!

The Four Emperors possessed the power to change heaven and earth, each controlling incredibly powerful Great Daos, and their cultivation was immensely profound. Yet, they were helpless against this ship.

"Let's join forces to break through the divine ability surrounding the ship!"

The Four Emperors all acted simultaneously, attacking the black mist outside the ship. At this very moment, they suddenly felt the power contained within their divine abilities rapidly draining away, as if it were being stolen!

Horrified, the Four Emperors hurriedly unleashed their magic power in a frenzied assault.

Meanwhile, inside the ship, the Four Phase Tribulation Array activated. Qin Mu presided over the array, stealing the power of the Four Emperors. The Four Phase Tribulation Array's power grew stronger and stronger, and the center of the array revealed visions of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, roaring and surging!

Suddenly, the Four Emperors' power burst forth with a thunderous roar, sending out four beams of light that shone upon the pillar with Celestial Venerable Ling's poem.

"Flowers are not flowers, mists are not mists. They come at midnight, and vanish at dawn. They come like a spring dream, for a short while; they go like morning clouds, nowhere to be found."

These twenty-six characters gradually began to glow, growing brighter and brighter.

"The Four Emperors don't know that I am stealing their power."

Qin Mu smiled, his footsteps shifting as arms grew from his armpits. Various runes burst from his fingertips, pointing towards the twenty-six characters on the pillar, gradually activating the divine ability hidden within them!

The twenty-six characters grew larger and larger, peeling off the pillar and floating in the air. Each character spanned a hundred zhang, spreading across the air.

These twenty-six characters were composed of countless complex and tiny runes. Qin Mu observed them, mobilizing the power of the Four Phase Tribulation Array to alter the structure of these runes. The characters themselves remained the same, but the runes forming them were changing, and the power hidden within the characters was gradually being triggered!

This was the most crucial period. The smile vanished from Qin Mu's face, and he couldn't help but become nervous, feeling a mix of hope and apprehension.

Suddenly, the Dragon Count King's voice came from the ghost ship's deck, loudly calling out, "Four Emperors, stop! You probably don't know, but you're not the only ones on this ship!"

The Four Emperors suddenly stopped attacking the black mist outside the ship, and the Four Phase Tribulation Array could no longer steal their power.

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and his expression involuntarily darkened.

"Dragon Count King!"

The Northern Emperor Xuanwu's voice came: "You rebelled and were captured by General Wei; I truly don't know who gave you such audacity."

Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. He sharply commanded, "All soldiers, heed my command! Channel all the power within the Four Phase Tribulation Array to me!"

The stolen power within the Four Phase Tribulation Array surged, rushing towards him.

The Dragon Count King's voice came from outside, calling out, "There's someone beneath this ship's deck—it's the Right General of the Imperial Forest Army! He is manipulating the Imperial Forest Army to steal your power; it's him who wants to eliminate you and trap you here! They are dead men, ghosts; they cannot be observed!"

Qin Mu gritted his teeth, fully mobilizing his cultivation to alter the rune structure of the twenty-six characters.

Upon hearing the Dragon Count King's words, Zhe Huali wished he could immediately rush out and hack the old dragon king to pieces.

At this moment, the ceiling of the ghost ship's interior space suddenly seemed to melt. Huge hands descended from above, grabbing downwards, seizing one Imperial Forest Army soldier after another and lifting them upwards!

The deck rattled loudly as planks rapidly combined with popping sounds, forming black coffins that directly sealed the soldiers within them.

Qin Mu sharply commanded, "Maintain the array, do not break formation!"

These soldiers were extremely powerful; if they combined forces, they could suppress masters like the Dragon Count King and even contend with the Four Emperors. But with Qin Mu as their commander, once his order was given, these soldiers each abandoned resistance and maintained the array's operation.

More huge hands descended one after another, sealing more Imperial Forest Army soldiers. The number of soldiers around Qin Mu grew fewer and fewer. For each one less, the others immediately adjusted their formation, maintaining the array's operation without any complaints.

"Senior Brother has trained these Imperial Forest Army soldiers exceptionally well."

Qin Mu finally adjusted the rune structure of the twenty-six characters, which then burst forth with brilliant light. Intense light radiated from the ship's interior space, making it difficult for the Four Emperors on the deck to see clearly, forcing them to shield their eyes.

"Soldiers, wait for me."

Qin Mu bowed deeply to the remaining soldiers and solemnly said, "The Four Emperors' seal cannot suppress you. Once you turn illusory, you will break free from the seal. In the future, I will completely decipher Celestial Venerable Ling's divine ability and rescue you from this state of neither life nor death."

"Swear it," faces beneath helmets looked at him.

Qin Mu raised his hand. "I swear on my life..."

At this moment, several more huge hands descended, grabbing all the remaining soldiers, as well as Qin Mu and Zhe Huali, and lifting them upwards.

"Sister, do you still remember Little Brother Mu?" Qin Mu looked up and called out loudly.

On the deck, the woman who had grabbed Qin Mu and Zhe Huali showed a surprised expression and blurted out, "Celestial Venerable Mu?"

"Sister, I will explain later, but for now, release us!"

The Southern Emperor Zhuque'er released her grip. The twenty-six characters burst open with a hum, and light swept in all directions, completely clearing the black mist outside the ship!

It felt like an instant, yet also like countless millennia had passed. The light before Qin Mu's eyes dissipated, revealing darkness all around. He found himself standing on the surface of the Surging River as the Village Chief and Dragon Herder Sovereign ran from behind, reaching his side.

Qin Mu looked down into the water, where a ghost ship was sailing beneath the surface.

He turned his head to look at the shore, where First Ancestor Human Emperor and others were standing on the bank, gazing in their direction.

The Village Chief gave him a hard punch on the head and scolded, "Take care of us? I'm here to take care of you. Brat, you've been messing around outside for some years, and your tone is quite arrogant!"

Qin Mu rubbed his head, looking up at the sky where a silver rope hung down from the moon. He then looked upstream on the Surging River, where Luo Wushuang was speeding towards them on a small boat.

Qin Mu smiled and said to the Village Chief and Dragon Herder Sovereign, "I fulfilled my promise and brought you back. Grandpa Village Chief, Dragon Herder Sovereign, it's been a long time."