Chapter 824: For the Crown Prince's Tomb Visit

Six hundred and eighty thousand years ago.

"Lin Xiao, hurry!"

A group of gods escorted a coffin to the bank of the Heavenly River. One of them urged, "Lin Xiao, what are you still doing standing on the bank? Hurry up, the Empress's orders must be carried out!"

Lin Xiao composed himself, looking at the ghost ship emerging from the light. After a moment of hesitation, he followed the others, whispering, "I feel like I've been here before, like a nightmare. I saw the Four Emperors board the ship, and I saw the Commander of the Feathered Forest Army..."

"You're just dreaming! Get on the ship now!"

Lin Xiao stood still, indecisive.

"If this is done well, the Empress will ensure your descendants prosper for generations!"

A god said fiercely, "If you hesitate any longer, we'll have to eliminate you right now to protect this secret!"

Lin Xiao steeled himself and walked towards the ship, thinking, "It's a dream. Definitely a dream!"

Seven hundred thousand years ago.

The Heavenly River.

A burst of light exploded from the Heavenly River. The figures of the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, Western Emperor White Tiger, and Northern Emperor Black Tortoise appeared, standing on both banks. As the light faded, a ghost ship reassembled in the Heavenly River.

On the ship, Dragon Lord roared furiously, trying to break free from the ghost ship's restraints and escape. The incredibly powerful divine dragon had been restrained on the ship, its body pierced by chains from the Feathered Forest Army. This was why, even when Qin Mu later used the Four Emperors' power to break Ling Tianzun's divine art, the dragon could not escape its suppression.

Now, as the ghost ship reassembled and Ling Tianzun's divine art returned, Dragon Lord's struggle caused him to merge with the ship's body, his form becoming one with the pavilion at the front of the deck, with only his dragon head remaining visible.

King Dragon Lord's eyes showed terror as he cried out, "Save me! Four Emperors, save me!"

The Four Ancient God Emperors stood on their respective banks, looking at the ship, which was once again enveloped in black mist, feeling shocked and uncertain.

"Heavenly Venerable Mu is on that ship!"

The Northern Emperor Black Tortoise suddenly looked at the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird and said gravely, "Heavenly Venerable Mu also calls you 'sister.' Southern Emperor, shouldn't you explain yourselves to us?"

"Why are you looking at me?"

The Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird chuckled, her crimson robes swirling as she transformed into a streak of fire and fled into the distance. Her laughter echoed from afar, "I'm just like you, I know nothing!"

The other three Emperors frowned.

"Besides us escaping, I also saw streaks of light vanishing, like individual figures."

The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon said softly, "Also, the Feathered Forest Army generals I just caught also disappeared from my grasp. When the light erupted, they... they also vanished from the ship!"

He looked around but couldn't see the Feathered Forest Army generals. He murmured, "This ship is too strange..."

Seven hundred and twenty thousand years ago, mist arrived.

"General, there's a woman performing a ritual in the fog!"

A massive flying ark slowly sailed into the mist. Wei Suifeng, seeing the sudden fog in the Heavenly River, felt a stir in his heart. He took off his armor, retrieved the lantern hanging from the mast, and began writing furiously on the wall of the ark.

He wrote the last passage: "I came from the Ruins of End, encountered this woman, and returned to ancient times, seeking ancient mysteries and historical enigmas. Now I meet her again. I think it's time for me to extinguish the lamp and return."

He hung the lantern on its stand, opened it, and blew out the divine lamp, plunging the ark into darkness.

The mist gradually darkened, enveloping the entire ship.

Just then, light exploded in the Heavenly River. Three Feathered Forest Army soldiers suddenly appeared on the water's surface, looking ahead in confusion. They saw the black mist consuming their flying ark, which vanished from the world.

"You broke my divine art?" On the river surface, a woman in a leopard-print skirt tilted her head, looking at them with curiosity.

The three Feathered Forest Army soldiers were still somewhat bewildered: "You are... Heavenly Venerable Ling!"

The woman smiled, "It seems my divine art isn't perfect; there must be some loopholes... Since you've come out, don't run around and jeopardize important matters. Come with me. You can tell me how you broke my divine art."

With a flick of her sleeve, she took the three away.

On Yongjiang River, the Village Chief and Dragon Herder were bewildered. They had just caught up with Qin Mu and intended to explore the ghost ship with him. They had been there all along, yet Qin Mu spoke as if he hadn't seen them in a long time.

Moreover, Qin Mu was acting strangely now. In the past, whenever the Village Chief punched him on the head, he would dramatically clutch his head and feign pain. Now, he merely touched it.

Dragon Herder suddenly exclaimed, "Sword God, look at his beard! It's much longer than before!"

The Village Chief looked at Qin Mu and saw that his beard and mustache had grown several inches, making him look scruffy, whereas just moments ago, Qin Mu's chin had been clean-shaven.

Qin Mu stroked his beard calmly and said, "Coming down from the sky along the silver rope are Prince Qiuming of the Heavenly Court and his two highly powerful attendants."

The Village Chief and Dragon Herder looked up and indeed saw three small figures descending along a silver rope from the chrysanthemum-shaped moon. The rope grew longer and longer, heading straight for the ghost ship beneath the river's surface.

"Boarding the ship from underwater are Ancestral Dragon King and his demigods."

Just as the Village Chief and Dragon Herder looked underwater, and before they could clearly see Ancestral Dragon King and his party, Qin Mu had already pointed west, saying, "Luo Wushuang, the one-armed saber god of the Heavenly Court's Spirit-Aura Army, is about to activate a moon-shaped treasure to break through the black mist outside the ship. In the distance, Feng Qiuyun is approaching as a ball of flame, carrying the Mother Earth's Kunyuan Sword and bearing a stone coffin on her back. And from the sky, an anomalous star is attacking: Divine Son Chiming is descending as a beam of light."

The Village Chief and Dragon Herder were stunned. Indeed, they saw Luo Wushuang, seated at the bow of a small boat, activating a moon-shaped treasure, shining a pillar of moonlight-like radiance down onto the ghost ship beneath the river's surface, breaking through the black mist.

On the other side, flames blazed fiercely. It looked as if a sun was flying swiftly just above the river surface. Within the fiery light, a seven-colored fire phoenix was vaguely visible, grasping a wooden sword in its talons and carrying a stone coffin on its back!

And in the sky, the anomalous star of the Chiming remnant tribe had arrived at the zenith at some unknown time, directly above the ghost ship beneath the river. A beam of red light descended from the heavens!

The Village Chief and Dragon Herder's minds were a complete mess.

"When did our lord switch to being a fortune-teller?" Dragon Herder muttered.

Qin Mu suddenly said, "Village Chief, Divine Son Chiming was helping us on the ship, and I promised to rescue him from the ghost ship. You must stop him from landing on it."

The Village Chief, dazed, inexplicably drew his sword. A single sword strike flew out, and immediately, a myriad of mountains and rivers manifested in the air above the ghost ship, blocking Divine Son Chiming's path.

The red light paused, shining upon the "Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers" move. Then, the red light rapidly contracted, and the Village Chief's hand, holding the sword, suddenly sank. Divine Son Chiming stood on the floating mountains and rivers, greeting Qin Mu and the Founding Ancestor on the bank.

Qin Mu returned the greeting, and Founding Ancestor Human Emperor also bowed from a distance.

"Why did the Divine Son of Youdu block my path?" Divine Son Chiming walked out of the illusion created by "Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers" and asked with a smile.

"To save your life, Divine Son."

Qin Mu smiled faintly, "I promised you on the ghost ship that I would rescue you from it. I just managed to get you out, and now you want to enter the ghost ship again? Wouldn't that make all my efforts wasted?"

Divine Son Chiming was startled, and the Village Chief and Dragon Herder also looked completely bewildered.

Fearing for their safety, Founding Ancestor Human Emperor flew over and looked at Divine Son Chiming, saying calmly, "Divine Son, long time no see."

Divine Son Chiming's purple robes fluttered. He gathered his qi and focused his mind, as if facing a formidable enemy, and said gravely, "Fellow Daoist Qin's strength has advanced even further than before."

Qin Mu frowned and looked at Luo Wushuang's small boat. He saw that the boat had suddenly stopped and was no longer heading towards the ghost ship, apparently because Zhe Huali was dissuading Luo Wushuang.

Divine Son Chiming coughed and said, "Cult Master Qin always speaks with great hidden meaning, and you've made me hesitate. However, this ghost ship is of immense importance, involving a great secret, and I must investigate it..."

"The Empress's secret?" Qin Mu asked.

Divine Son Chiming was startled.

Qin Mu suddenly called out loudly, "Prince Qiuming!"

In the sky, the silver rope hanging from the moon was already tied to the ghost ship's mast. Several people were descending along the rope, about to reach the mast. One of the youths heard Qin Mu's words, stopped abruptly, looked at Qin Mu, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He smiled, "Cult Master Qin of the Heavenly Saint Cult, the Overlord Body of Eternal Peace, one of the three paragons of Eternal Peace's reforms! I just came down from the Heavenly Court, and Cult Master Qin can already call out my name. You must have extraordinary connections. It seems I underestimated you!"

Qin Mu burst into laughter, triumphant, and said to the Village Chief, "Village Chief, he says I have extraordinary connections."

The Village Chief snorted, tilting his head to glance at Qin Mu's behind, "Good thing you haven't grown a tail, otherwise you'd be wagging it to the heavens by now!"

Qin Mu smiled at Divine Son Chiming, "I don't have extraordinary connections; it's just that I've met him on the ship before. Divine Son, do you believe me now?"

Divine Son Chiming became even more confused.

Just then, Luo Wushuang's small boat approached, and Luo Wushuang stood up at the bow.

Qin Mu smiled and nodded. Luo Wushuang's eye twitched, and he said in a husky voice, "I'm here to confirm something. What Zhe Huali told me was truly bizarre and incredible, so I came to ask the Supreme Emperor Overlord Body if it's true."

Qin Mu nodded, "It is indeed true."

Luo Wushuang pondered for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

Qin Mu asked, surprised, "Why does Saber God Luo believe me so easily?"

Luo Wushuang said calmly, "Since the Supreme Emperor Overlord Body and the Eternal Peace Overlord Body are the same person, why wouldn't I believe you?"

The Village Chief was even more bewildered, a hint of panic in his heart: "Founding Ancestor and I searched for the Supreme Emperor's ruins and found a stone tablet describing the Supreme Emperor Overlord Body. So, I thought there really was an Overlord Body, and I even kept a rubbing of the tablet. From Saber God Luo Wushuang's words, the Supreme Emperor Overlord Body is Mu'er, which means the Overlord Body described on that tablet is Mu'er! The words describing the Overlord Body on it were actually my own words, and Mu'er traveled to the Supreme Emperor era and repeated them! Wait a minute, I'm a bit flustered, let me think this through carefully..."

He felt his head was about to explode: "If my guess is correct, then the lie I told traveled back to the Supreme Emperor era!"

Divine Son Chiming was still somewhat dazed. He looked at the ghost ship underwater, then at Qin Mu, unable to decide.

Underwater, light suddenly flashed, and the ghost ship vanished without a trace.

Divine Son Chiming, relieved, breathed a sigh and smiled, "Whether what you said is true or false, I don't need to board the ship now."

Qin Mu laughed heartily. He looked around and saw that Ancestral Dragon King, Feng Qiuyun, and others had vanished, presumably having entered the ship.

"Divine Son, let's go to the riverside and catch up," Qin Mu invited.

Divine Son Chiming nodded, about to follow him to the riverside. Suddenly, Prince Qiuming laughed, "Overlord Body Qin, you stopped me and delayed my boarding of the ship, and now you want to just leave? Since we've met by chance rather than by invitation, and I came down to this realm precisely for the three paragons of Eternal Peace's reforms, I cannot let Overlord Body Qin leave just like that."

Qin Mu stopped and turned to look at him.

Prince Qiuming said leisurely, "You have a Jade Capital expert by your side, and I have one by mine. Powerful cultivators fighting is utterly boring. How about you and I have a duel to the death right here on the river? What do you say?"

Zhe Huali let out a snort of laughter.

Qin Mu glanced at Zhe Huali, then smiled gently at Prince Qiuming, "This time next year, I'll be visiting your grave, Your Highness."