Chapter 886: Wild Eight Thousand Miles

Yan Qiling felt a chill in her heart. She had just forgotten about the Celestial Emperor's blessing at the back of her head and almost voiced her thoughts. Although the Celestial Emperor's two souls were likely eager to return to the Celestial Heavens and merge with his soul there, leaving him no time to monitor or listen to her, there was always a chance. If her thoughts were heard by the Ancient God Celestial Emperor, she wouldn't be able to protect herself.

Qin Mu withdrew his finger. He had gone to great lengths in the past to decipher various ancient god blessings at the back of Emperor Tianzun's head, inviting heroes and wise individuals from across the land to break the blessings in Yankang Capital. He was therefore no stranger to the Celestial Emperor's blessing. Furthermore, the Celestial Emperor's Great Dao runes were also found in the Scripture Storage Pavilion, which had deepened his understanding of the Celestial Emperor's blessing.

He did not completely break the Celestial Emperor's blessing at the back of Yan Qiling's head. Instead, he contaminated it, temporarily preventing the Celestial Emperor from hearing their conversation through Yan Qiling. This method was similar to how the Woodcutter had broken the Earth Mother's blessing at the back of Qin Mu's head in Yankang Capital; both relied on clever manipulation.

"Thank you."

Yan Qiling smiled and said, "You can be incredibly gentle sometimes, and utterly annoying at others."

Qin Mu smiled slightly, taking it as a compliment.

Yan Qiling continued, "I've realized that Master is truly heartless. What we call master-disciple affection probably holds no weight in his heart. That's why I spoke up for you in the Heavenly Yin Realm. Helping you is helping myself."

Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "And your mistress...?"

Yan Qiling's body trembled. After a moment, she said, "Mistress's palace is just ahead."

Yan'er folded her wings and landed. Yan Qiling leaped off her back and asked, "Does Heavenly Venerate Mu wish to come in with me?"

Qin Mu hesitated, then nodded. He told Dragon Qilin and Yan'er to stay there. This concerned the only hope for Yankang, and he had to see it with his own eyes to ensure everything was foolproof!

The two walked towards the New Earth Mother Empress's palace. This complex must have been built recently and was guarded by many powerful demigods, likely subjugated by the New Earth Mother Monarch. The unsealing of the Primordial World had caused a huge impact.

The true Earth Mother Monarch had never dared to show herself. She had been almost completely annihilated by the Celestial Alliance, leaving only one celestial soul. Her physical body, the Primordial Wood, had been taken by the Celestial Alliance and cultivated into the New Earth Mother Monarch. Without a physical body, the Earth Mother Monarch's influence among demigods couldn't compare to that of the New Earth Mother Monarch. Although she still had a group of loyal followers, her momentum back then was incomparable to the New Earth Mother Monarch's.

Inside the palace, the demigods showed surprise when they saw Yan Qiling and Qin Mu approaching, but asked no questions.

Upon reaching the Earth Mother Monarch's chamber, Yan Qiling knelt before the New Earth Mother and said, "Mistress."

Although the New Earth Mother Monarch looked exactly like the original Earth Mother, she lacked the latter's aggressive dominance. Instead, she was very gentle and quickly said, "Get up quickly. Why are you bowing to me again? You have these rules before your master, but not before me." She looked at Qin Mu, surprised, and chuckled, "Heavenly Venerate Mu? How did you two end up together? Last time I heard you say you'd suffered at his hands and intended to get your revenge."

Qin Mu bowed respectfully and said, "Qin Mu greets Earth Mother Empress."

The New Earth Mother Monarch chuckled, "You flatter me. You are Heavenly Venerate Mu, of very high standing, no need for such formality. You played a trick on my husband, giving his blessing to a black wild boar. He was furious and cursed you for a long time." She couldn't help but laugh aloud. Catching sight of Yan Qiling still kneeling, she said, "Swallow, get up quickly. Heavenly Venerate Mu is here; seeing you so formal, he might think I'm mistreating you."

Yan Qiling lowered her head, holding the mirror gifted by the Celestial Emperor in both hands, and said, "Master has already returned to the Celestial Heavens. He said to give this treasure to Mistress."

"He's gone back?" The New Earth Mother Monarch took the mirror and chuckled, "Did Heavenly Venerate Mu reforge his soul for him? It seems the animosity between Heavenly Venerate Mu and my husband has been resolved. That's very good..." Her gaze fell upon the mirror and she could no longer tear it away.

Yan Qiling collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face like rain. "Master told me to give this mirror to Mistress. I knew what would happen when Mistress looked into it, but I still did it! Please, Mistress, execute me—"

The New Earth Mother Monarch raised her head. Her eyes were blank, and her vitality slowly faded. "This isn't your fault, Swallow, this isn't your fault..." She raised her hand and gently caressed Yan Qiling's head. Her palm slowly turned into a wisp of green smoke as she softly said, "You cannot be blamed; you had no choice." She turned to look at Qin Mu, giving a sweet smile. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, take good care of her..." Her body disintegrated, turning into wisps of green smoke that were devoured by the mirror.

The mirror clattered to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped at Qin Mu's feet. Qin Mu picked up the mirror. Inside the mirror, a luxuriant Primordial Wood flourished. This Primordial Wood was the true form of both the New Earth Mother Monarch and the original Earth Mother.

In the late Emperor Era, the Celestial Alliance eradicated the Earth Mother Monarch, brought the Primordial Wood to the Celestial Heavens, and the Celestial Emperor used it to cultivate another being. This being was the New Earth Mother Monarch, whom he took as his wife. Just as the Celestial Emperor could cultivate the New Earth Mother, he could also destroy her. Now, the New Earth Mother's soul had dispersed, and the Primordial Wood had returned.

"Rest assured," Qin Mu murmured, "I can't give you other promises, but I can guarantee I will do my best to take care of her."

Yan Qiling was still sobbing on the ground. Qin Mu helped her up and said, "I need to go do something important now. Do you want to come?" Yan Qiling didn't get up. Qin Mu walked out. Time was critical now, and he had no time to waste.

He walked out of the palace complex and was about to leave on Yan'er's back when he saw Yan Qiling approaching. The woman had regained her usual resoluteness and said, "I'll go with you."

Qin Mu nodded gently and said, "I need a flat area. That way, it'll be easy to cast spells, and convenient for the Earth Mother to arrive from underground."

"I know such a place." There was no trace of sorrow on Yan Qiling's face as she said, "It's the Heavenly River Alluvial Plain. I'll lead the way!"

Before long, they arrived at the alluvial plain Yan Qiling had mentioned. It stretched for tens of thousands of miles, devoid of mountains and rivers, only primeval forests with flourishing vegetation. Yan'er flew to the center of the plain. Qin Mu had her stop and jumped down himself, telling them to retreat. "The further, the better," he said. Everyone quickly retreated, leaving only Qin Mu.

Qin Mu took out the mirror, placed it on the ground, then suddenly drew his Worry-Free Sword, raising it high and plunging the tip forcefully downwards! The Worry-Free Sword pierced the mirror surface. A crack appeared, followed by more and more fissures.

Qin Mu quickly retreated. The mirror shattered, and with it as its center, space violently vibrated as a Primordial Wood shot up from the ground, growing larger and taller, tearing the surrounding space apart! Soon, this Primordial Wood reached a height of ten thousand zhang and continued to grow upwards at an alarming rate. Its massive trunk became increasingly thick, causing the earth to continuously heave and crack. Thunder and lightning intertwined in the space, with fire crackling everywhere, creating a terrifying sight!

Qin Mu, holding his Worry-Free Sword, floated backward, calmly dodging the cracking spatial fissures before they reached him. Behind him, a Gate of Heaven's Succession suddenly appeared. Mysterious and abstruse words resonated from his mouth, summoning the soul fragments of the Primordial Wood's true form. Black sand surged from all directions across the heavens and earth, rushing into the Primordial Wood. He was performing a soul summoning ritual, using this Primordial Wood to summon the soul of the Earth Mother Monarch!

The Primordial World seemed to boil over instantly. The earth trembled, and mountains shook. The mountain ranges vibrated violently, and the earth surged wildly, as if countless divine dragons were swiftly tunneling underground, heading straight for the Primordial Wood! Soon, enormous black mountain ranges emerged across the ten-thousand-mile plain. These were the Earth Mother Monarch's roots! Her roots resembled towering mountain ranges, moving frantically both above and below the surface with incredible speed. From a distance, the mountains appeared to race across the earth like dragons, a breathtaking yet magnificent sight!

The Earth Mother Monarch still had one soul fragment that hadn't dispersed. Qin Mu's soul summoning immediately alerted her. She could naturally sense the locations of the Primordial Wood and Qin Mu, and quickly rushed over.

Meanwhile, in the center of the Primordial World, the 'Emperor Tianzun' with myriad rays of light and multiple halos and flames behind his head was also immediately alerted and sped towards them. Accompanying him were countless Celestial Heaven flying ships and large vessels. Banners fluttered on the ships, and countless Celestial Heaven soldiers and generals beat war drums. The drumming was earth-shattering, and their battle cries surged like a great flood sweeping across the heavens and earth in all directions!

"Earth Mother, if you want to revive to your peak state, you'll have to pay a price!"

Qin Mu floated around the increasingly enormous Primordial Wood trunk. The massive trunk was still expanding and growing, and its canopy had already reached the heavens, on par with the myriad heavens. Qin Mu wove through the spatial fragments, transforming into three heads and six arms, accelerating his spellcasting, and shouting loudly, "I can resurrect you, but before that, you need to block Emperor Tianzun!"

Deep within the earth, the Primordial Wood's roots connected to its trunk. The tree grew even more colossal, its canopy spanning ten thousand times ten thousand miles. The ten-thousand-mile plain could barely contain its massive trunk. The Earth Mother Monarch's voice came from underground, filled with boundless joy, causing the earth to rumble in response, like the roar of countless colossal beasts in unison. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you have finally come to fulfill your promise!"

"What Emperor Tianzun?" the voice boomed. "The true Emperor Tianzun is by your side. This Emperor Tianzun is merely a weapon created by the Celestial Heavens, and he dares to contend with me? My children, it's your turn to emerge!"

Boom, boom, boom!

Around the Primordial Wood, massive Imperial Coffins burst from the earth one after another. Rows of stone beasts appeared before the coffins. The stone beasts rapidly shed their rocky forms, transforming into flesh and blood. Qilin, lions, camels, horses, white elephants, xiezhi, and other demigods revived, their auras soaring to the heavens, and their vitality like a sea. These demigods were once important officials of the Northern Emperor's Celestial Heavens. Each of them possessed immense power. They each reached out, grasped an Imperial Coffin, and frantically broke the seals upon them.

The eight Imperial Coffins were opened one after another. From within them came an imperial might that swept across the heavens and earth, and a dense Corpse Qi that pervaded the universe! In the Northern Emperor's Celestial Heavens, there were a total of fourteen Celestial Emperors, all of whom were the Earth Mother Monarch's offspring! These were fourteen Great Emperors of the Emperor's Throne realm. Five of these demigod Great Emperors had been utterly annihilated in their struggle with the Southern Emperor's Celestial Heavens, leaving no trace of their bodies or souls. The corpse of another demigod Great Emperor had been taken by Feng Qiuyun into the Ghost Ship, and its whereabouts were still unknown.

The Emperor Era was the wildest and most savage era. It was also an era where countless powerful individuals emerged like brilliant stars! In that era, the Northern and Southern Emperors each had their own Celestial Heavens, and each possessed Great Emperors whose might shook the world. Countless gods in the opposing Northern and Southern Celestial Heavens fought and slaughtered for their respective races, refining their enemies' strong individuals into weapons and using their flesh and blood as sacrifices! Among them, the Northern Emperor's Celestial Heavens was the most brutal. Red Bright Divine Son led his people to seclude themselves in the Hanging Realm, daring not to have any contact with the Emperor Era Celestial Heavens, precisely because he had witnessed the brutality of the Emperor Era.

At this moment, the remaining eight Emperor Era Emperor corpses awoke, transforming into Corpse Fiends, with a sea of blood surging to the heavens. The eight Celestial Emperor Corpse Fiends soared into the sky, standing tall above the heavens. Directly facing them was the Celestial Heaven's strongest divine artifact, 'Emperor Tianzun'!

Toot-toot—

Banners fluttered in the sky, and countless Celestial Heaven gods blew their loud horns. These horns were made from the horns of gigantic beasts, hanging from the prows of the flying warships, and were blown by mighty giant strongmen channeling their true essence. Countless gods stood on the prows, beating drums. The drums were crafted from the hides of Kui dragons, and their booming sound shook the heavens and earth!

'Emperor Tianzun' drew closer and closer. The countless flying ships floating around him seemed like tiny insects; yet in reality, these massive ships represented the Celestial Heaven's greatest works of craftsmanship. Each ship stretched for dozens of miles, and the gods and devils on board possessed immense bodies. Compared to him, however, they were insignificant. Even the Corpse Fiends formed by the eight Emperor Era demigod Great Emperors were countless times smaller than him!

"Earth Mother, your sons are no match for Emperor Tianzun. Let me lend you another hand!"

Qin Mu raised his hand and tore off the willow leaf from between his brows. His hair fell loose over his shoulders, and his demeanor became wild and unrestrained. His three heads roared sharply, "Brother, lend me your strength to snatch the souls of the eight Emperor Era Celestial Emperors from Youdu!"

----To Zifeiyu, Happy Birthday!Please like and give your love to Zifeiyu and Qin Mu!