Chapter 881: Heavenly River Old Friend

Qin Mu slammed the parchment onto the ground, stomping on it twice and twisting his foot. "Save your own damn self!" he sneered. "You're so incredibly capable, you don't listen to anyone. Go save yourself!"

He turned to leave, but then paused, reconsidered, and picked up the parchment. After dusting it off, he tucked it into his Taotie Pouch, grumbling, "You ask me to save you, but you can at least tell me where you're trapped. How am I supposed to help if you don't make it clear?"

Stepping out of the Black Palace, he entered the Red Flower World. Dragon Qilin rushed over, peering around. "Cult Master," he asked anxiously, "where's that female corpse?"

"She just underwent a corpse transformation," Qin Mu replied. "I sent her to my brother to look after."

Qin Mu glanced at the Azure Sparrow perched on Dragon Qilin's head. The bird had puffed up as if inflated; though it was once a cute little bird, it was now quite plump, yet still endearing.

"Young Master, I'm Yan'er," the plump Azure Sparrow chirped.

Qin Mu chuckled. "Sister Yan'er, of course I recognize you. Did you eat the Beauty Snake?"

He looked around the Red Flower World, noticing that the thick, straight stamens were completely gone, plucked clean. "Are ancient gods difficult to digest?" he asked with a smile.

"The big worm tasted excellent."

The plump Azure Sparrow's voice was clear, and she sounded a little embarrassed. "It took quite a while to finish," she explained. "I forgot to save some for you to try, and Fatty Dragon didn't want any, so I just ate it all."

Qin Mu's eyes widened. *Finished?*

The Beauty Snake was formed from the stamens of the Flower World, each one like a colossal pillar. And she ate them all?

Dragon Qilin muttered under his breath, "I'm not fat at all. It's you who..."

The Azure Sparrow pecked him sharply on the forehead, making a resounding *clink*. Dragon Qilin yelped in pain and quickly fell silent.

Qin Mu looked towards the sky. The dome of the Red Flower World was still sealed, indicating they were still within the Great Abyss. They would have to wait for the dark currents to surge before there was an opportunity to leave.

He took out the geographical maps he had drawn and spread them all out. These maps had been left for him by Wei Suifeng in the canyon outside the Ark of the Other Shore. He had already visited several of the locations depicted.

For instance, on the Dragon Village map, he had obtained the Feathered Forest Army token from Old Man Qinghuang. On the Alien Star map, he had encountered the Chixi God-man on the God-Slaying Platform and acquired the God-Slaying Profound Blade.

There was also the map of Taixuan Desolate City, where he had found Ying Zhao's most powerful divine brain underground, along with the blueprints for the Ark of the Other Shore.

From the map of the Great Abyss of Guixu, he had obtained Ling Tianzun's peach wood hairpin.

In fact, it was Senior Brother Wei Suifeng's geographical maps that had guided him here step by step.

Qin Mu set aside the maps of locations he had already visited and meticulously examined the remaining ones, attempting to discern Wei Suifeng's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Yan'er and Dragon Qilin were whispering amongst themselves. "The Young Master just said he gave the female corpse to his brother to take care of," Yan'er mused. "Does the Young Master have a brother? Why have I never seen him?"

Dragon Qilin glanced at Qin Mu, then raised a paw to tap his own head, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "The Cult Master's brother is actually the Cult Master himself," he explained. "The Cult Master always fantasizes about having a very powerful and formidable brother. Just don't expose him."

Yan'er raised a wing and used its tip to make a circling motion on her own head, disbelief in her voice. "You mean the Young Master's mind..."

Dragon Qilin nodded.

Yan'er looked at Qin Mu, who was engrossed in studying the maps, her gaze filled with sympathy. "The Young Master is so lonely," she thought, "he's started having delusions."

Qin Mu spent a long time studying the maps, but they were all unfamiliar to him. He couldn't discern where Wei Suifeng was trapped, making it impossible to find him.

"I've shown these geographical maps to Teacher Qiaofu before," Qin Mu mused. "He seemed to recognize many of them. Perhaps I should go find him. He'd surely be more invested in finding his senior disciple."

Qin Mu put away the maps, then took out Ling Tianzun's peach wood hairpin and examined it closely.

Ling Tianzun's hairpin was a simple, ordinary peach wood hairpin, devoid of unique features or inscribed runes. Qin Mu examined it thoroughly but found no hidden grand dao divine abilities within.

When he applied a little force, the peach wood hairpin bent slightly, appearing as if it could snap at any moment.

"There's no trace of Ling Tianzun's divine ability within this hairpin," he muttered. "How could an artifact belonging to a Celestial Venerable be so unremarkable?"

Qin Mu attempted to infuse the hairpin with his vital qi, but it showed no change. Yet, he sensed an extremely powerful and peculiar force concealed within it.

With a subtle shift in thought, he activated the Art of Creation. The red hairpin rejuvenated, swiftly sprouting branches and leaves, growing in his hand until it transformed into a peach tree.

The peach tree blossomed, bore fruit, and the peaches ripened.

Qin Mu plucked a peach, removed its fuzz, and tasted it. It was wonderfully sweet.

"However, this hasn't activated the power within," he mused. "Perhaps a more profound creation art is needed..."

Suddenly, the peach tree pulsed with light, then vanished, transforming back into a hairpin that dropped at his feet.

"Immutable Matter!"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He picked up the hairpin, realizing that although he had used his creation divine ability to alter its structure and make it grow, a peculiar force within had reverted it to its original state.

This was precisely the characteristic of Immutable Matter!

Not only did the peach tree revert to a hairpin, but Qin Mu also noticed that the peach pit, and even the portion of the peach he had consumed, had vanished, returning to their fundamental material state.

"This hairpin has transformed into Immutable Matter," he realized. "It is eternal and unchangeable, impossible to damage!"

Qin Mu once again activated his creation divine ability. Suddenly, a vast torrent of water surged from the hairpin, mighty and immense, forming a heavenly river. It was incredibly heavy, and its impact caused even the Flower World to reel precariously!

Dragon Qilin and Yan'er, standing nearby, lost their footing. Swept away by the heavenly river, they were sent flying towards the horizon of the Flower World, crashing violently into the flower wall.

The pressure of the heavenly river was immense. Dragon Qilin struggled to bear it, nearly crushed, while Yan'er swiftly spread her wings, shielding him beneath them.

Suddenly, the heavenly river abruptly receded and vanished. All the water disappeared as if it had never existed, leaving only Qin Mu curiously examining the peach wood hairpin, muttering to himself.

Dragon Qilin and Yan'er fell from the distant flower wall, still disoriented, when the heavenly river suddenly reappeared, once again slamming them against the flower wall!

Yan'er once again shielded Dragon Qilin, feeling the pressure grow stronger and stronger. Then, the heavenly river vanished again, and they both plummeted to the ground.

Yan'er let out a sharp cry and transformed into a Dragon Sparrow. Her body was immense and plump, and she raised two enormous wings in front of her, warily surveying her surroundings.

Suddenly, the heavenly river struck again, nearly dousing her Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame and once more slamming them against the distant flower wall.

"Strange," he mused, "where does this heavenly river water come from?"

Qin Mu continued his experiments, leaving Yan'er and Dragon Qilin utterly tormented.

Meanwhile, in the ruins of the Imperial Heaven above Fallen God Valley, the blind elder Yi Shisheng was salvaging Ling Tianzun's body from the heavenly river. He had been there for over forty thousand years.

Suddenly, the blind elder's face registered surprise. "The Heavenly River's water is shallower," he murmured. "Its level has never receded before. Why is it suddenly decreasing?"

He grew excited. "Is Teacher about to break free? Is she finally escaping the endless cycle of death?"

A moment later, the Heavenly River's water returned to its original level.

Yi Shisheng blinked in confusion.

A short while later, the Heavenly River's water receded again, then returned to normal, only to recede once more.

Yi Shisheng stood by the Heavenly River, the blind elder completely bewildered, unsure of what was happening.

In the Flower World of the Great Abyss of Guixu, Qin Mu finally ceased his experiments, scratching his head and muttering to himself, "The hairpin's power is certainly formidable, but that can't be why Ling Tianzun gave it to me. She wouldn't hand over such a treasure without a profound reason. So, how do I unleash its true power? Immutable Matter, Immutable Matter..."

Pacing back and forth, he pondered deeply. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "What if I use Ling Tianzun's divine ability to activate the hairpin?" he exclaimed. "When Immutable Matter encounters an Immutable Divine Ability, something extraordinary is bound to happen!"

He had made considerable progress in deducing Ling Tianzun's divine ability on the ghost ship, yet he was still far from fully replicating it.

At that time, Ling Tianzun's divine ability had only just reached its nascent stage, making the complexity of her Immutable Matter divine ability almost unimaginable.

Qin Mu gripped the peach wood hairpin, attempting to manifest fragments of Ling Tianzun's nascent divine ability.

Seeing him grasp the hairpin once more, Yan'er and Dragon Qilin felt their scalps tingle and quickly scrambled to take cover.

This time, the Heavenly River reappeared, though it wasn't as terrifying as before. A section of its surface materialized in the sky, seemingly at a great distance from them.

The Heavenly River was shrouded in thick mist, and faintly visible within the fog, a woman wearing a leopard-print skirt and straw sandals stood on the water's surface.

"Ling Tianzun!" Qin Mu exclaimed loudly.

The woman in the leopard-print skirt and straw sandals seemed to hear him. She turned, her initial surprise dissolving into a smile.

She opened her mouth as if to speak. Just then, an impossibly vast shadow abruptly loomed in the mist behind her.

Qin Mu's expression changed dramatically. "Watch out behind you!" he cried.

A sudden flash of light pierced through Ling Tianzun's chest, impaling her, then violently slammed her onto the Heavenly River.

Qin Mu stood frozen, his body turning icy cold.

On the Heavenly River, Ling Tianzun's face was still turned towards him. A long spear, clutched by the massive shadow, protruded through her body.

The smile on her face had not faded, and a faint, ethereal voice reached him: "Save me."

The shadow in the mist drew closer, seemingly attempting to break free from the constraints of Ling Tianzun's divine ability and charge towards Qin Mu, eager to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation.

"Who are you?"

Qin Mu demanded loudly, "Show me your face!"

The figure lunged towards the precipice of the Heavenly River and leaped outward. Just then, the Heavenly River surged, engulfing him and Ling Tianzun, and they vanished.

Qin Mu stood dazed. He swung the peach wood hairpin again, activating the divine ability, and the Heavenly River's precipice reappeared. Yet, the scene unfolded exactly as before.

Ling Tianzun was killed again, and the shadowy figure in the mist rushed toward the precipice once more, only to be drawn back into the cycle of reincarnation by Ling Tianzun's Immutable Divine Ability. This time, however, he was slightly closer to the edge, and Qin Mu could vaguely discern his face, though it remained indistinct.

This figure was trapped by Ling Tianzun's divine ability, perpetually unable to leap out of the Heavenly River or escape the cycle of reincarnation.

"Young Master, the dark currents of the Great Abyss are surging!"

Yan'er's call startled Qin Mu awake. "The Flower World is rising!" she cried. "We need to leave now!"

Qin Mu paid her no heed, instead activating his divine ability once more. The Flower World ascended, the sky cracked open, and twin lotuses were about to unfurl.

Before him, the surging Heavenly River churned violently, and the scene of the colossal shadow slaying Ling Tianzun in the mist replayed itself. The shadow, casting a pall over the world, rushed toward the precipice once more, charging directly at Qin Mu.

The Flower World fully bloomed, revealing Guixu outside. The dark Heavenly River hung motionless in the air, with twin lotuses, one red and one black, floating serenely within its depths.

Yan'er and Dragon Qilin looked anxiously at Qin Mu. "Cult Master," Dragon Qilin urged, "if we don't leave now, who knows how long we'll have to wait for the next dark current eruption!"

Finally, the colossal shadow in the Heavenly River surged directly before Qin Mu, its face violently slamming against an invisible barrier, still unable to break free from Ling Tianzun's Immutable Divine Ability.

It let out a roar of frustration, only to be swept away by the Heavenly River once more, trapped in the next cycle of reincarnation.

Qin Mu stared intently at the face. This time, he finally saw its owner clearly.

Yan'er rushed over, transforming into a massive, plump bird. She seized both Qin Mu and Dragon Qilin, then soared towards the rapidly closing sky.

Just before the twin lotuses completely closed, she burst out of the Flower World.

Outside, the dark Heavenly River began to recede, its current accelerating, and the Great Abyss's gravitational pull grew stronger. Yan'er exerted her utmost, transforming her primordial spirit into a Dragon Sparrow Biting Heaven. Battling the gravity and pressure, she beat her wings, flying outward.

*Boom—*

She crashed into the Emperor and Empress's detached palace, demolishing numerous halls and corridors along the way before finally coming to a halt.