Chapter 875: Dragon Han Calamity Blood Vast and Boundless

"You spent too little time in the Dragon Han Heavenly Court; you merely resided there for a while and had no idea about the darkness of the Dragon Han era."

The old Yama messenger's face was obscured by the gloom, making it impossible to discern his features. His voice was devoid of emotion. "During the reign of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, countless races of Houtian beings were annihilated, and even demigod races lived in constant fear. What you witnessed at the Jade Pool was merely the most glamorous aspect of that era; you remained completely ignorant of its horrific underbelly."

Qin Mu remained silent for a moment, then asked, "How horrific was it?"

The old Yama messenger suddenly extended a finger and tapped it on Qin Mu's forehead.

Instantly, the scenery before Qin Mu's eyes shifted, and he entered the old Yama messenger's memories.

He found himself in what seemed like a primitive era. People wore tattered animal skins or grass skirts, their clothes ragged and worn. Yet, not far away, towered an exceptionally grand divine temple, magnificent and opulent, shimmering with gold and jade.

In front of the temple stood a towering altar. People, barely clothed and often starving, would feed the most beautiful young boys and girls with the finest food they could find, then offer them as sacrifices on the altar, praying for favorable weather and good harvests.

A flash of light emanated from the altar, and the ethereal forms of the Heavenly Emperor and the various Divine Kings of the Heavenly Court appeared, taking these children to consume.

He then witnessed another scene: races that had not offered blood sacrifices to the Heavenly Emperor and the Divine Kings of the Heavenly Court. Their people were seized by mighty deities, dragged to the altar, and beheaded as sacrifices to appease the heavens' wrath.

Beneath the altar, countless corpses and white bones lay piled high, forming mountains.

The old Yama messenger then showed Qin Mu another memory. In this one, slaves from various races were mining in the mines of the Primordial World. These cultivators, their bodies pierced by chains and oozing pus, walked barefoot into bottomless mine shafts, extracting ore by the light of the divine gold.

The gods of the High Firmament Heavenly Court guarded these enslaved cultivators.

The sharp edges of the divine gold caused the skin of these cultivators from different races to constantly fester, and their souls felt as if they were being sliced by knives at every moment—a torment akin to death by a thousand cuts!

The old Yama messenger's memory shifted once more, transporting Qin Mu to another of his recollections.

It was a war between races in the myriad heavens. Before the conflict, clan leaders would order sacrifices, slaughtering commoners and slaves to offer to the gods of the Heavenly Court, pleading for their divine assistance. Countless bodies lay fallen before the battle lines, and the aura of blood soared into the sky.

When war erupted, gods and devils from the Heavenly Court descended to partake in the offerings.

These ancient gods engaged in battle on the fields where the two armies clashed. However, they did not attack other ancient gods who had also descended from the Heavenly Court; instead, they targeted the enemy's army. Whichever side eliminated the opposing army first would claim victory.

For these ancient gods of the Heavenly Court, wars in the lower realms were nothing more than a trivial game, allowing them to indulge in blood sacrifices.

Yet, for the mortal races, these wars were battles for survival.

In every battle, they were compelled to offer sacrifices to the Heavenly Court, for failure to do so would mean their complete annihilation!

Qin Mu's body trembled as he broke free from the old Yama messenger's memories, gasping for breath like a drowning person dragged ashore.

In such a terrifying era, Grand Ancestor Wei Suifeng truly had no choice but to adapt to the local customs!

The old Yama messenger said, "What I witnessed was merely the tip of the iceberg. There were far more horrors I couldn't see. This was the daily reality of the Dragon Han era. Such a Dragon Han Heavenly Court, such an Ancient God Heavenly Emperor—both demigods and Houtian races alike yearned to eradicate them swiftly."

Qin Mu composed himself. He had spent too little time during his journey to the early Dragon Han era. At that time, it was the grand Jade Pool Assembly, a magnificent Heavenly Court gathering where leaders of various races and ancient gods convened, making it incredibly lively.

What he had witnessed was indeed the most prosperous and flourishing aspect of that era.

He had not ventured into the lower realms and had not seen the lives of the common people in the various heavens and worlds.

Consequently, he harbored little aversion towards the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor. When he felt an alliance was feasible, he proactively contacted the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor through Yan Qiling to form a partnership.

Only now did he realize how naive he had been.

Although he had proposed the establishment of the Heavenly Alliance and was one of its founding elders, he had never understood why Celestial Venerable Yun and the Heavenly Alliance chose to join forces with Celestial Venerable Hao's Dragon Firmament Heavenly Court at that time. He hadn't grasped why they would set aside their deep-seated animosity to meticulously plot the demise of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor.

Now it was clear: the Heavenly Court established by the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor was monstrously cruel, plunging all races of the world into profound terror, the fear of being annihilated at any moment.

The Dragon Firmament Heavenly Court and High Firmament Heavenly Court were mere pawns he used to maintain his rule. He allowed these two minor Heavenly Courts to govern the lower realms on his behalf, offering sacrifices to the supreme Dragon Han Heavenly Court. He also instigated conflict between them, preventing them from growing too powerful!

At that time, the conflict between demigods and Houtian races was not the primary contradiction at all; it was the conflict with the Dragon Han Heavenly Court that truly mattered!

Therefore, the High Firmament Heavenly Court and the Dragon Firmament Heavenly Court had to unite. All races, whether demigods or Houtian beings, also had to join forces to eliminate the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor!

This world was not simply black and white. While it now seemed the Heavenly Alliance had degenerated, replacing the ancient gods to become the corrupt rulers of the Heavenly Court, at that time, the Alliance still comprised benevolent and righteous individuals who strived and fought for the survival rights of all races.

It was precisely the Heavenly Alliance's plot to eliminate the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor that paved the way for subsequent eras: the Crimson Light Era, the High Emperor Era, the Founding Emperor Era, and the current Eternal Peace Era.

Otherwise, if the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor had continued his rule, the entire universe, all the heavens and myriad worlds, would have forever remained mired in that barbaric age, unable to develop.

Though the later Heavenly Alliance became corrupt, the early Heavenly Alliance accomplished a great feat that profoundly benefited all Houtian races, including demigods!

Eliminating the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor was an act of immeasurable merit!

"Then, was my alliance with the Heavenly Emperor the right choice?" Qin Mu pondered.

Amidst the ruins of Longbo Kingdom, Yama messengers, one by one, silently flew about on paper boats, guiding the citizens of Longbo Kingdom to board them.

Some Longbo souls were reluctant to board the boats, fluttering throughout the sky, evading capture.

The Yama messengers then raised their lanterns, and their light fell upon the faces of these Longbo souls. As soon as the light touched them, the Longbo souls lost consciousness, becoming dazed and involuntarily lining up to board the boats.

The small boats, laden with Longbo souls, sailed into Youdu and vanished from sight.

The area soon fell silent again, engulfed in a deathly stillness.

"But if we don't ally with the Heavenly Emperor, Eternal Peace will be in danger. Just passing the Earth Mother alone is an insurmountable obstacle for Eternal Peace."

Qin Mu averted his gaze, his mind clouded with confusion. He paced aimlessly through the Dragon City, which was littered with bones.

Dragon Qilin, sensing his mood, wisely refrained from disturbing him.

"The Heavenly Emperor deserved his death, yet without allying with him, Eternal Peace won't last long. But if we do ally with him, and he revives and reclaims his physical body, it's inevitable that we'll return to that barbaric era!"

"The Heavenly Emperor can be used; we can leverage him to buy time, but we must never resurrect him!"

"He must not be brought back to life; he should remain in this semi-conscious state."

Qin Mu's mind calmed. He began searching everywhere for any traces his senior brother, Wei Suifeng, might have left behind.

Wei Suifeng was meticulous in his actions. Having left something for Qin Mu in the Returning Ruins, he must have anticipated that finding the Returning Ruins in the future might be difficult.

Therefore, he would undoubtedly have left clues.

However, Longbo Kingdom had been reduced to ruins. Moreover, this place was vast, a continent comparable in size to Eternal Peace, and filled with ruins. It was unknown how long it would take to search for the clues Wei Suifeng might have left.

As Qin Mu walked, he suddenly turned and lay down on his back, hands behind his head, amidst a pile of dragon bones, staring blankly at the sky.

After a moment, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

Dragon Qilin chuckled, "Sister Yan'er, even the Cult Master has his lazy moments..."

No sooner had he spoken than a tiny Qin Mu poked its head out from Qin Mu's hair, peering around inquisitively and babbling incomprehensibly.

Dragon Qilin was startled and was about to speak, when he saw even more tiny Qin Mus emerge from Qin Mu's hair. One by one, they stretched their bodies, moved their limbs, and spoke in an unintelligible language, like a trance.

Then, tiny Qin Mus began to emerge from Qin Mu's mouth, nostrils, and ears. More and more appeared, scurrying wildly in all directions, speaking an incomprehensible language.

Soon, Dragon Qilin found he had no place to stand and quickly floated into the air.

He watched as some of the diminutive Qin Mus rose with the wind, others burrowed into the ground, while some chanted incantations over the dry bones of the Longbo people. Immediately, one by one, the skeletal remains of the Longbo began to rattle and stand upright.

These tiny Qin Mus stood upon the heads, dragon horns, and even within the eye sockets of the skeletal Longbo, exuding high spirits as they waved their hands and cried, "Maha—"

Dragon Qilin understood this phrase, as he was half-dragon himself. "Maha" conveyed a multitude of meanings, including excitement and the urge to travel.

The tiny Qin Mus, riding the skeletal Longbo, scurried wildly across the ground, soared into the sky, burrowed into the ruins, and even rushed into the sea, searching heaven and earth in a bustling display of activity.

"Maha! Maha!"

When these tiny Qin Mus encountered each other, they even communicated, their expressions remarkably serious.

Dragon Qilin and Yan'er stared blankly at the scene, watching as more and more tiny Qin Mus emerged from Qin Mu's mind. Soon, the desolate Longbo Kingdom was buzzing with activity, as countless tiny Qin Mus diligently searched through everything, turning the entire Longbo Kingdom upside down!

"I've heard of this cultivation method," Yan'er said, "It seems to be the Emperor's Seat True Scripture of the Great Brahma King Buddha from the Buddhist realm."

Yan'er transformed into her human form and picked up one of the tiny Qin Mus. It scurried across her palm, then scrambled onto her body, running about in a dizzying frenzy.

"Her Majesty mentioned that this cultivation method requires sleep to cultivate," Yan'er continued, "It's quite mysterious."

Feeling ticklish from the tiny Qin Mu scrambling over her, Yan'er couldn't help but giggle. "Stop burrowing, it's ticklish there... hurry and come out, you can't go there!"

Just as she was about to extract the tiny Qin Mu, it scurried onto her head, grasped one of her feathers, and pointed forward with remarkable seriousness, shouting, "Maha—"

Yan'er instinctively unfurled her wings and soared into the air, following the little fellow's directive in the direction he pointed.

Another tiny Qin Mu jumped onto Dragon Qilin's head, urging him forward with repeated "Maha" cries, making him race through the air.

In the sky, on the ground, and in the ocean, these tiny figures were everywhere, their three eyes glowing brightly as they used their divine vision to search for clues left by Wei Suifeng.

Suddenly, all the tiny Qin Mus rushed back, rapidly returning to Dragon City. One by one, they burrowed into Qin Mu's glabella and vanished.

Qin Mu yawned, stretched his body, and let out a satisfied sigh. He then chuckled, "Finally found it!"