Chapter 900: Meeting an Old Friend on the Way to the Great Prison

Martial God Venerable was terrified. Qin Mu had left the capital of Eternal Peace and traveled here, and Martial God Venerable had originally thought he would be an easy target.

Although Qin Mu held the title of Eternal Peace Overlord Body and was Celestial Venerable Mu, one of the Nine Celestial Venerables whose name had been known since the early Dragon Han era, the true story behind Celestial Venerable Mu was well-known among the Heavenly Court's powerful figures. He was merely an insignificant person from Eternal Peace who had accidentally time-traveled to the early Dragon Han era, where he had leveraged knowledge a million years ahead of his time to gain the title of Celestial Venerable. As for the so-called Overlord Body, it was just a joke about him being a supreme ruler in the small pond that was Eternal Peace. What truly made people wary was his identity as the Son of Youdu. However, Qin Mu was no longer the Son of Youdu; instead, he had become a soulless being with not long to live, making him an easy target for anyone.

Yet, it now seemed that Celestial Venerable Mu was not as simple as he had imagined! His own power was extremely strange; although his cultivation was still low, his divine arts were already unfathomable. Moreover, the chubby dragon qilin by his side possessed terrifying strength and abilities, surpassing even those of him, the military commissioner of the Eastern Heavenly Palace! He could only capture Qin Mu by mobilizing the divine and demonic army of the Eastern Heavenly Palace to set up a formation, but within this palace, he had no such opportunity.

More importantly, he dared not. Other powerful figures with influential backgrounds might dare to kill Qin Mu, but he could not. They had powerful backing, and their underlying forces did not care about the infamy of killing a Celestial Venerable, easily able to produce someone as a scapegoat. The entity behind him was the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven, and the Azure Emperor could not bear the infamy of killing a Celestial Venerable.

Qin Mu looked around and smiled, "Venerable, as a guest, I feel deeply apologetic for damaging your temple."

Martial God Venerable detected no trace of remorse in him, forcing a smile. "It's nothing. Celestial Venerable, you even dismantled the Jade Pool in the early Dragon Han era, let alone my small dwelling here?"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, intending to pat his shoulder, but Martial God Venerable was too tall for him to reach. Martial God Venerable quickly bowed, allowing Qin Mu to finally pat his shoulder with ease. Qin Mu looked quite pleased, smiling, "Venerable, you understand me very well and know my preferences. So, do you know my plans for the future?"

Martial God Venerable lowered his gaze respectfully and asked, "May I inquire about Celestial Venerable's future plans?"

"I intend to leave Eternal Peace," Qin Mu continued, "I will travel around and visit old acquaintances in the Primordial Realm. My first stop will be the Grand Prison to see how my old friends are faring. After that, I plan to visit the Heavenly Court and call on my former acquaintances there."

Martial God Venerable was inwardly startled and blurted out, "Celestial Venerable, wouldn't going to the Heavenly Court be courting death?"

Qin Mu glanced at him. Martial God Venerable quickly bowed again, but Qin Mu did not pat his shoulder this time. He said, "You are still too young. As a Celestial Venerable, I will only be treated with courtesy when I go to the Heavenly Court. Back then, my companions wouldn't dare openly harm me; at most, they would resort to underhanded tactics."

Even though Martial God Venerable felt that Qin Mu's title of Celestial Venerable was merely nominal and that his reputation was largely undeserved, he couldn't help but admire his courage and spirit. He said, "It is truly admirable that Celestial Venerable Mu possesses such bravery. I wish Celestial Venerable a smooth journey..."

Qin Mu smiled, "Thank you for your kind words. However, I'm not entirely sure where the Grand Prison is located. Could Venerable please guide me?"

Martial God Venerable adopted a solemn expression and said, "Celestial Venerable, walk towards the Primordial Tree. The Grand Prison is located beneath it."

Qin Mu thanked him and said, "Venerable, there's no need to escort me further. Please stay."

Martial God Venerable politely insisted, "I must see you off. After all, you are a Celestial Venerable, and it would be impolite if I did not. There's no need to be so formal, Celestial Venerable. My name is Wu Shengji; if you don't mind, you may call me Xiao Wu."

Qin Mu nodded and walked out of the temple. Martial God Venerable followed closely behind him. Outside the temple, they saw tens of thousands of divine and demonic troops forming a battle array, brimming with killing intent, effectively sealing off the temple. The Heavenly Court's formidable killing array was terrifying; its aura crushed the sky, and the light from countless divine weapons shot into the heavens, forming a continuous expanse. Myriad runes intertwined, transforming into a towering green tree that suppressed all realms!

Martial God Venerable erupted in fury, stepping forward and sharply reprimanding, "How dare you! This is Celestial Venerable Mu, an esteemed guest of my Eastern Heavenly Palace. You scoundrels dare to draw weapons? Retreat immediately!"

The divine and demonic soldiers of the Eastern Heavenly Palace were bewildered. They had assembled their army because they sensed a terrifying aura erupting from within the temple. Upon arriving, they had seen a plump bird devouring people inside the hall, and the temple walls had been swept away, leaving only the supporting pillars and beams. That's why they had formed their battle array, preparing for a fight. However, with Martial God Venerable's command, they had no choice but to retreat.

Martial God Venerable breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Celestial Venerable, please proceed."

Qin Mu nodded. Standing on the dragon qilin's head, the dragon qilin stepped forward on fiery clouds. Yan'er, having transformed into a chubby green bird, perched on Martial God Venerable's shoulder. Martial God Venerable moved to the front of the dragon qilin, personally leading the way for it.

After escorting Qin Mu for a thousand miles, Qin Mu smiled, "Venerable, farewells must eventually come to an end, even after a thousand miles. Let's part ways here."

Martial God Venerable bowed and stood respectfully, saying, "Farewell, Celestial Venerable."

Yan'er flew from his shoulder to Qin Mu's. Qin Mu said, "Venerable, your warm hospitality and the story of the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven have greatly benefited me. Before we part, I also have a piece of advice for you."

Martial God Venerable quickly replied, "I am all ears."

Qin Mu smiled, "Because the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon did not treat the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven kindly, he incurred the Azure Emperor's resentment, facing the danger of being replaced and having his life threatened. If Venerable holds too deep a grudge against Eternal Peace, who knows if Eternal Peace might not become another Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven in the future? Always leave a path open. I have left one for you, Venerable, by not taking your life. If Venerable leaves a path open for Eternal Peace, there will still be room for maneuver in the future. Dragon Fatty, let's go."

The dragon qilin carried them away into the distance. Martial God Venerable felt a great weight lift from him. He carefully pondered Qin Mu's words, a chill running through his heart.

A moment later, the Eastern Heavenly Palace army arrived from behind. Towering warships spanned the sky, banners fluttered, and killing intent soared.

"Venerable, should we pursue?" a divine general called out loudly.

Martial God Venerable waved his hand and said, "There's no need to pursue. Pass on my order: treat the Dragon Herder Lord well, and be kinder to the Dragon Kings of the Surging River; don't be too cruel. Also, if the common people of Eternal Peace pay their tributes on time and in full, there's no need to press them too hard; give them a way to live."

The heavenly soldiers and generals were confused, but they bowed and affirmed his command.

"Furthermore, deliver another command from me!" Martial God Venerable said in a deep voice, "Qin Overlord Body of Eternal Peace, Celestial Venerable Mu of Dragon Han, is about to head to the Grand Prison! Send the fastest divine general, on the swiftest ship, to notify the Southern, Northern, and Western Heavenly Palaces, so they can prepare in advance!"

The heavenly soldiers and generals grew even more puzzled. Martial God Venerable narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "Celestial Venerable Mu knows many people want him dead, so why would he reveal his whereabouts to me? Well, since he has disclosed his movements, I will simply go with the flow. Whether he kills those Heavenly Court powerhouses or they kill him, it has nothing to do with me!" He let out a sigh of murky air. "He intends to go to the Heavenly Court... to the Heavenly Court! This fellow is incredibly audacious!"

The dragon qilin continued upstream along the Surging River. Qin Mu sat on its forehead, practicing the cultivation method he had comprehended through breathing and meditating. His cultivation improved day by day, and four months later, his cultivation had nearly caught up to his previous level, about to be restored to its peak. What was strange, however, was that even as he approached his peak, he still felt that the potential of his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure was immense, far from reaching its limit! This left him greatly perplexed.

He had destroyed the Heavenly Palace and the various divine treasures, re-created heaven and earth, and then re-opened the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. This made his primordial spirit indestructible, and his divine soul was born from the creation of heaven and earth, a path completely different from the previous divine treasure cultivation system and Heavenly Palace cultivation system. He had no idea when the cultivation of the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure would reach its end, nor what lay beyond that limit. He also activated the Boundless Calamity Scripture, entering dreams multiple times to deduce countless possibilities. Yet, he consistently failed to find the limit of the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, or the path beyond that limit. Without finding the limit, he could not enter the next realm or become a deity.

"During the Jade Pool Grand Assembly in the early Dragon Han era, Celestial Venerable Ling once said that the art of creation could achieve agelessness, deathlessness, and indestructibility. Reaching this point would be equivalent to a god, making whether one truly became a god or not irrelevant. So, what is a god? How is a god defined?"

"Is merely crossing the Divine Bridge and entering the Heavenly Palace enough to be considered a god?"

"These so-called gods are merely powerful divine arts practitioners who have achieved immortality and longevity comparable to heaven and earth. Those who break through the divine treasures and enter the Heavenly Palace are just more powerful divine arts practitioners, not true gods!"

"What about the ancient gods? Ancient gods are powerful beings born from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Are they gods? Probably not. They are limited by their own Great Dao, unable to break through their constraints. They are not omnipotent; they are not gods, but merely powerful living beings."

"In this world, there are no gods at all."

Qin Mu chuckled to himself, looking up. The dragon qilin had reached the middle reaches of the Surging River, and the Primordial Tree deep within the Primordial Realm grew increasingly vast.

"My cultivation method has already transcended the scope of the original Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique and is no longer within the current cultivation system. So, what should this new technique be called?" He fell into a daze again, then suddenly chuckled, "My cultivation method cannot be passed on to others, so what does its name matter? I'll just continue with the original name; it will still be called the Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique."

Ahead, the roots of the Primordial Tree stretched across the Surging River. One root lay horizontally over the river, with the water surface still hundreds of feet below it, while countless fine rootlets hung down like a curtain above the water.

The dragon qilin stopped. Suddenly, a green sprout emerged from the top of a dark root. The sprout rapidly grew into a plant with two green leaves and a large flower bud in the center. This plant hung down from above, reaching the water surface. The flower bloomed, opened fully, and then expelled a stone coffin, which, however, did not fall into the river.

"A monster is causing trouble!" the dragon qilin thought, startled.

Qin Mu stepped down from its forehead and approached the flower. The river flowed turbulently, and from within the flower, a faint voice spoke, "Celestial Venerable Mu..."

"Grand Empress Earth Mother." Qin Mu smiled. "I thought you had died at the hands of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor. Earth Mother, your remnant soul is not destroyed. Why have you stopped me?"