Chapter 853: Ling Tianzun's Death

Qin Mu felt his head spin as he read the words on the stone tablet.

Tomb of Ling Tianzun.

Ling Tianzun was dead?

His gaze was clouded with confusion and disbelief. To him, even if emperors died one after another, Ling Tianzun should not die. Yet, here lay Ling Tianzun's tomb.

He quickly approached the stone tablet, intending to examine it, but suddenly froze.

Behind the stone tablet was a simple stone coffin, laid flat. Yet, beyond this modest grave, stood another stone tablet, and behind it, another stone coffin.

His gaze gradually extended, revealing more and more stone tablets and coffins. They were incredibly numerous, densely packed, covering the entire Jade Capital City of this ancient Heavenly Court!

Qin Mu scanned the scene: the Jade Capital City was completely filled with countless stone coffins and tombstones, with no other structures in sight!

All stone tablets bore the same words: "Tomb of Ling Tianzun!"

Behind him, Yan Qiling, Mu Qiubai, the Heavenly Dragon King, and the Heavenly Court's "Yu Tianzun" approached quickly, staring blankly at the sight.

There were an outrageous number of Ling Tianzun's tombs here. With so many coffins, could a Ling Tianzun truly be buried in each one?

"Most of these coffins must be fakes. The true Ling Tianzun should be interred in the High Heavens Treasure Hall!"

Mu Qiubai suddenly declared, "As one of the Nine Heavenly Venerables, Ling Tianzun is certainly worthy of being buried within the High Heavens Treasure Hall!"

The Heavenly Dragon King took the lead, rushing straight towards the High Heavens Treasure Hall. Yan Qiling and Mu Qiubai quickly followed, while Xing Han and "Yu Tianzun" also swiftly departed.

Only Qin Mu remained, accompanied by the Dragon Qilin, and the green sparrow transformed from Yan'er perched on his shoulder.

Qin Mu composed himself, took out an incense stick, lit it, and silently placed it in front of a tombstone.

A moment later, he walked behind a tablet, gripped the stone coffin lid with both hands, and opened it.

The coffin held no corpse, only a shallow pool of clear water. Qin Mu paused in surprise, then closed the stone coffin.

He approached another stone coffin, opened it, and found a pool of clear water inside this one as well.

He opened coffin after coffin, but each one contained only clear water; there was no sign of Ling Tianzun.

Qin Mu stubbornly continued to open one stone coffin after another, yet consistently found only clear water.

Violent tremors emanated from the High Heavens Treasure Hall, and the Heavenly Dragon King's voice boomed fiercely, "No one shall ever lay a hand on Ling Tianzun's treasure! This treasure belongs to Earth Mother Yuanjun!"

The Dragon Qilin looked on from a distance, seeing the Heavenly Dragon King transform into an ancient dragon. His colossal body coiled around the High Heavens Treasure Hall, completely encompassing it. His subordinate demigods stood upon him, battling with the maids accompanying Yan Qiling.

The maids' cultivation and power were astonishingly formidable, successfully holding back the Heavenly Dragon King.

Inside the hall, several figures could be vaguely seen moving with lightning speed: "Yu Tianzun," Yan Qiling, Xing Han, and Mu Qiubai were locked in battle, vying for Ling Tianzun's treasure.

"Cult Master."

The Dragon Qilin whispered, "Aren't we going over there? It seems they've found something."

Qin Mu moved another stone lid, revealing yet another shallow, crystal-clear pool of water in the stone coffin.

He was lost in thought. There were still countless Ling Tianzun stone coffins in Jade Capital City, far too many to inspect one by one; it would take an unknown number of years.

Xing Han, Yan Qiling, and the others had indeed made the best choice by heading directly to the High Heavens Treasure Hall. As a Heavenly Venerable of extremely high status, Ling Tianzun would naturally be buried there.

The coffins in Jade Capital City were, in all likelihood, mere decoy tombs.

"Perhaps we should also go to the High Heavens Treasure Hall to take a look; she might really be buried there."

Qin Mu straightened up, and at that moment, he heard a distinct chipping sound.

Qin Mu was taken aback. The sound wasn't from a divine ability, but rather like stone being chiseled.

The fighting continued in the High Heavens Treasure Hall, but Qin Mu followed the sound. Moments later, he found himself outside Jade Capital City, where a white-haired old man was dismantling the Heavenly Court palaces. He was taking down stones, splitting them with an axe and chisel, and shaping them into stone coffins.

Qin Mu approached the old man from behind, silently observing. The old man worked swiftly, soon crafting a stone coffin, then chiseling a tablet and carving "Tomb of Ling Tianzun" into it.

The old man seemed oblivious to his presence, quietly continuing his work. Many stone coffins and tablets already surrounded him.

After a long while, the old man paused to rest, then looked up at him and asked, "Is that Heavenly Venerable Mu?"

Qin Mu noticed that the old man's eyes were completely white, without pupils; he was blind.

"Elder, how did you know it was me?" Qin Mu asked.

"Heavenly Venerable Qin was here before, about thirty thousand years ago, perhaps even longer; the exact time escapes me."

The old man put down his tools and said, "Heavenly Venerable Qin came to pay his respects and then departed. Ling Tianzun instructed me to prepare this burial ground, and only two individuals are permitted entry: Heavenly Venerable Qin and Heavenly Venerable Mu. They can enter this place using their Heavenly Venerable tokens. Since Heavenly Venerable Qin has already visited, you must be Heavenly Venerable Mu. However, you've also brought some uninvited guests."

Qin Mu composed himself and said, "Elder, is Ling Tianzun really dead?"

The blind old man replied, "She died, yet she also lives. She perished while completing the divine ability of 'immutability of matter,' but through it, she gained eternal life."

Qin Mu was stunned.

The blind old man stood up and said, "Heavenly Venerable Qin came here to bury and mourn her. Now that Heavenly Venerable Mu has also arrived, please come closer."

He dragged the stone coffins forward with chains. Qin Mu followed behind him, noticing the old man was heading towards the Heavenly River.

Not long after, they arrived at the bank of the Heavenly River.

The blind old man put down the stone coffin and said, "She is coming soon."

Qin Mu stood by the river, watching the Heavenly River shimmer. Before long, a woman floated down its currents.

Qin Mu's heart suddenly gave an inexplicable pang, filled with deep sorrow.

The woman floating on the river wore a leopard-print skirt and straw sandals, with a peach wood hairpin in her hair. It was Ling Tianzun, utterly lifeless.

"Master, may your soul return! Your disciple has come to lay you to rest!"

The blind old man entered the water and gently stopped Ling Tianzun's body. Qin Mu also leaped into the Heavenly River, and together, they brought Ling Tianzun's body ashore.

They placed Ling Tianzun's body into the stone coffin. A moment later, she dissolved into a pool of clear water.

Qin Mu was stunned.

The blind old man seemed oblivious to this. He covered the stone coffin and resumed his vigil by the Heavenly River.

After an indeterminate amount of time, another Ling Tianzun floated down the river, dressed in a leopard-print skirt and straw sandals.

Qin Mu was stunned. The blind old man had already entered the river again, saying, "Master, may your soul return! Your disciple has come to lay you to rest!"

Qin Mu quickly followed him into the river. This Ling Tianzun's body was placed into the coffin, only to once again transform into clear water.

"What is happening?" he murmured, bewildered.

The blind old man sat there in silence. After another indeterminate period, yet another Ling Tianzun floated down the river. They buried this Ling Tianzun again, but the same thing occurred: she transformed into a pool of clear water, as if what they had retrieved was not her physical body, but merely a portion of the river itself.

They waited there for an unknown duration. Each of the stone coffins now held a "Ling Tianzun." The blind old man then began dragging the stone coffins towards Jade Capital City.

The city was already saturated with stone coffins and tombstones. The old man dragged these new coffins outside the city, arranged them neatly, and firmly planted the tombstones upright.

Qin Mu followed him, paid his respects to these empty coffins, then trailed the old man to his stone quarrying site. There, he watched the old man, axe and chisel in hand, continue to chip away at the stone.

After a moment, Qin Mu finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Elder, what exactly is going on?"

The blind old man put down his tools, his sightless eyes staring blankly. After a moment, he said, "My teacher devoted her life to studying Daoist methods and divine abilities. She was always solitary, with few friends. She likely took me as a disciple because she felt lonely and bored. I am from the High Emperor era. After becoming her disciple, I followed her cultivation, knowing she had few companions. However, she frequently spoke of two individuals—two who suddenly appeared in the early Dragon Han era and offered her assistance."

A warmth spread through Qin Mu's heart.

These two individuals were himself and Kaihuang.

"Heavenly Venerable Qin and Heavenly Venerable Mu were the ones she often spoke of. She wished to find them but never could."

The blind old man picked up his tools again, continuing to chip away. "The High Emperor era was very long. She couldn't find those two Heavenly Venerables during that time, and she couldn't wait any longer. Her divine ability was almost complete, and the High Emperor Heavenly Court, supported by the Celestial Alliance, had also achieved victory. I still remember that day, after Earth Mother Yuanjun died, she intercepted the Heavenly River and unleashed her divine ability. That day..."

The chipping sound stopped.

Qin Mu, however, had a chilling feeling.

The High Emperor Heavenly Court supported by the Celestial Alliance achieved victory?

What victory?

Was it the eradication of the Northern High Emperor Heavenly Court?

Was the Heavenly Court supported by the Celestial Alliance the Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court?

"That day, the Heavenly River broke. My teacher stood upon the Heavenly Court, using her divine ability to bring the river's matter to a standstill, even reverting it to an ancient state and advancing it to a future one. I remember being on the bank that day, watching a mist suddenly rise from the Heavenly River. My teacher was within the mist, assimilating with it."

That day, a drastic change occurred in the Primordial Realm.

The vast Heavenly River abruptly ceased its flow. A significant portion of this celestial river, suspended in the sky, vanished from the world.

Consequently, the Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court became unstable and suffered a devastating blow from the Outer Heavens—a truly annihilating strike.

"So, the Heavenly Court we are in, is it the Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court?"

Qin Mu suddenly interrupted him and asked, "Then, who is buried in the High Heavens Treasure Hall?"

"Naturally, it's the High Emperor. He died fighting to protect Ling Tianzun, and I interred him within the High Heavens Treasure Hall."

The blind old man continued, "The High Emperor was also a member of the Celestial Alliance, a disciple of another Heavenly Venerable. All past High Emperors were disciples of Heavenly Venerables. However, the demise of the Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court was not due to my teacher's divine ability, but rather the betrayal of the Celestial Alliance."

While Ling Tianzun was manifesting her divine ability and assimilating with the mist, the Celestial Alliance's betrayal led to the breaching of the Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court. Darkness descended, and Ling Tianzun reappeared from the mist.

At that moment, a terrifying force erupted. A towering figure plunged into the mist, moving directly to strike Ling Tianzun.

The Southern High Emperor Heavenly Court was defeated, leaving only ruins.

"Later, I saw my teacher's body floating on the river."

The blind old man produced a token — Ling Tianzun's token — and said hoarsely, "I constructed this tomb and installed mechanisms that only Heavenly Venerable Qin and Heavenly Venerable Mu can unlock."

Qin Mu looked at Ling Tianzun's token, noting it was the same size as his own. The blind old man had designed the mechanisms based on this very token.

"Then, why do you say she is still alive?" Qin Mu suddenly asked.

The blind old man put down his tools, then dragged a coffin with chains towards the riverbank. "Heavenly Venerable Qin came here," he said, "and told me he had met Ling Tianzun. Ling Tianzun sought him out and recounted many things to him."

Qin Mu paused in surprise, then quickly followed him, asking, "What is the origin of the Outer Heavens? Who is the Emperor of the Outer Heavens? Others might not know, but Ling Tianzun surely does!"

"The Emperor of the Outer Heavens is..."

The blind old man turned, his deeply wrinkled face twisted into an expression that was neither a smile nor a cry. "The Celestial Alliance," he revealed. "Heavenly Venerable Mu, it was the Celestial Alliance you established..."