Chapter 901: The Mother Earth's Tree Rings

From the stone coffin hanging upside down within the flower, the Earth Mother Sovereign’s voice emerged, weak but filled with intense rage. She sharply asked, “You know that the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor was the one who attacked me? You know he’s not dead?”

Qin Mu’s expression remained calm as he waited for her to compose herself.

Seizing the opportunity, he carefully examined the stone coffin. It was the North Emperor’s imperial coffin, which he had seen in the underground palace. He wondered how the Earth Mother Sovereign’s remnant soul had escaped the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor’s grasp and found this coffin.

During the calamity, Haotian Zun controlled the most powerful weapon and battled the Earth Mother Sovereign. Qin Mu, using the Earth Mother’s power, severely damaged that weapon, then seized the chance to return to the Primordial World. Later, he was discovered by the Heavenly Court’s divine and demonic army and became trapped in a siege until beings of the Emperor Seat realm, like Qi Xiayu and Yin Tianzi, appeared, forcing him to abandon his soul and send his brother Qin Fengqing back to Youdu. After that, the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor descended, controlling the most powerful weapon and inserting the Primordial Tree into the Primordial World, which was when Qin Mu realized the Earth Mother Sovereign had died. He didn’t know what transpired in between, but he could infer that the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor personally descended, drove away Haotian Zun, and killed the Earth Mother Sovereign. However, he admired the Earth Mother Sovereign’s ability to escape with a remnant soul under such critical circumstances.

The Earth Mother had lost everything; her forces were either dead or scattered, and countless of her remaining followers and realms had been conquered, enslaved, and imprisoned. Yet, even so, she still made Qin Mu wary. Like a centipede that dies but doesn’t stiffen, the Earth Mother Sovereign, as the most powerful ancient god born in Yuandu, was still far beyond his ability to contend with, even with only a remnant soul remaining.

The stone coffin hanging from the flower was the North Emperor’s imperial coffin, and Qin Mu wondered if the North Emperor’s corpse was still inside.

The Earth Mother in the stone coffin finally calmed down. She said coldly, “After Haotian Zun retreated, the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor wielded the Heavenly Court’s most powerful weapon and attacked me viciously. Although the divine arts he employed with that weapon were formidable, killing me wasn’t easy. In the end, he resorted to the Heavenly Emperor’s ultimate technique. That’s when I realized it was him!”

She became agitated again. “Heh heh, back then, he reincarnated into the Primordial World and married that woman, Jue Wuchen. Unexpectedly, Jue Wuchen was a member of the Heavenly Alliance, and the Heavenly Alliance besieged and killed him. I watched and didn’t intervene. Who would have thought he wasn’t dead, that he was still alive! I recognized him after he used his ultimate technique; he came for revenge, to take revenge on me!” She added, “The Ancient God Heavenly Emperor’s soul didn’t disperse. Later, he became one of the leaders of the Heavenly Alliance in the Heavenly Court; I only learned of this later.”

Qin Mu stared at the stone coffin and said, “Earth Mother, are you stopping me because you want me to resurrect you again? To be honest, I am no longer the Son of Youdu.”

“But you are still the Ever-Living Creator,” the Earth Mother Sovereign’s voice came from the stone coffin. “Almost all ancient gods know your title; they all know you possess the ability to resurrect ancient gods. The Ever-Living Creator is your true identity, not the Son of Youdu. You still have the ability to resurrect me!”

Qin Mu shook his head, inadvertently revealing a melancholy and detached aura, like fallen leaves grieving in the autumn wind, as if he had seen through the mortal world. “I have no soul or spirit left; I lack the power to resurrect you. It’s useless for you to block my path. My time is short. This outing is merely to find a beautiful place to bury myself.”

Yan’er tilted her head, observing Qin Mu. The plump bird rubbed her beak with a paw, thinking to herself, “Young Master’s face doesn’t change when he lies; clearly, this is not a skill acquired overnight.”

The Earth Mother Sovereign fell silent. After a moment, the stone coffin opened.

Qin Mu’s scalp tingled. Yan’er tilted her head to look at his neck and immediately saw his skin quivering at the back, tiny goosebumps rising, a clear sign of extreme nervousness. Yet, to her surprise, despite Qin Mu’s tension, his breathing and blood flow remained completely unchanged, indicating he had clearly put in great effort to ensure he showed no flaws. “Who did Young Master learn that from?” she wondered.

Inside the stone coffin, a mass of green light flowed, resembling water yet also light, incredibly gentle. This green light didn’t fall into the river but instead hovered within the coffin. Qin Mu could faintly discern a wisp of a remnant soul immersed in purple light. As the purple light appeared, Qin Mu immediately felt an unparalleled life force wash over him, invigorating his spirit! Even his soul seemed to be cheering and extremely excited.

“My true form is the Primordial Tree. When I was born, I rooted myself in this luminous liquid. Unsure of its name, I called it Primordial Chaos Nectar,” the Earth Mother’s remnant soul, seemingly reluctant, said from the purple light vortex. “The Primordial Chaos Nectar is why I was able to survive two great catastrophes of destruction. From ancient times until now, much of the Primordial Chaos Nectar has been consumed; only this much remains.”

A drop of Primordial Chaos Nectar flew out from the stone coffin. As purple light shone, fish in the river began to leap from the surface, extremely joyfully. As they leaped out of the water, they grew visibly, expanding more than tenfold before even falling back in, transforming into massive creatures! Suddenly, one large fish grew to several tens of zhang in length, and in that short time, demonic qi surged from its body, incredibly potent! That demonic fish, driving its demonic qi, lunged towards the Primordial Chaos Nectar. Before it even got close, it grew to a hundred zhang, long bone spurs, like spears, sprouted from its body, and it exploded with a bang next to the nectar, scattering flesh and blood. Other demonic fish on the river surface also exploded, creating an extremely bloody and terrifying scene!

Even the scent of gods and demons emanated from the Yong River’s banks; these were the corpses of gods, demons, and dragons that had sunk into the river. At this moment, those corpses were rapidly mutating, undergoing corpse transformation, opening their eyes with green light, rising from the riverbed, and lunging towards the Primordial Chaos Nectar! For a moment, this stretch of the Yong River became incredibly chaotic. Those corpses of gods, demons, and dragons didn’t even touch the Primordial Chaos Nectar; their physical bodies grew to terrifying proportions, ultimately exploding under their own immense pressure! A pungent, fishy stench filled the river surface.

That drop of Primordial Chaos Nectar flew before Qin Mu. Dragon Qilin was the first to be unable to withstand it; his physical body began to grow wildly, his dragon claws reaching six or seven zhang in length, his scales becoming even larger and reflective, and his mane growing frantically, getting longer and longer! Yan’er, on the other hand, could still control herself, but her gaze was fixed intently on the Primordial Chaos Nectar, as if she desperately wanted to swallow that single drop.

Qin Mu sealed all the pores on his body, strenuously trying to control his physical form, but his flesh, blood, and bones were growing wildly, and even his hair was rapidly lengthening. Even though he was proficient in the art of creation, he couldn’t suppress it! That drop of Primordial Chaos Nectar flew into his glabella and entered his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. Though only a tiny drop, it transformed into a lake-sized pool within his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, its purple light rippling at the feet of his spirit embryo. Qin Mu immediately felt his spirit embryo bursting with vitality. His soul was still very weak, but at this moment, it was rapidly growing as it absorbed the energy from the Primordial Chaos Nectar. His primordial spirit leaped with joy, greedily absorbing the power from the Primordial Chaos Nectar. When Qin Mu tried to activate the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique, the growth rate of his primordial spirit became even more astonishing!

“The Primordial Chaos Nectar can sustain an indestructible soul. I used this nectar to protect my remnant soul. Heavenly Venerate Mu, even though you no longer have a soul, you can use the Primordial Chaos Nectar to strengthen your spirit, making it an indestructible primordial spirit!” The Earth Mother Sovereign’s remnant soul said, “This way, you won’t die from lacking a soul, and you won’t need to search for a beautiful place to bury yourself.”

Qin Mu’s heart stirred slightly. He looked at the other Primordial Chaos Nectar in the stone coffin and said, “Earth Mother, even with this, I don’t have the power to resurrect you. My current strength is too weak. To be honest, I only have one-fifth of my vital qi cultivation left.”

The Earth Mother Sovereign was silent for a moment. Another drop of Primordial Chaos Nectar flew out from the stone coffin, still entering his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. She said, “This drop of Primordial Chaos Nectar is for you to restore your cultivation.”

Qin Mu sighed, “Earth Mother is still stingy. What good is it if I restore my cultivation? I am no longer the Son of Youdu; Tu Bo and Heavenly Duke have abandoned me, deeming me without value. My abilities are meager; they won’t lend me their power. If they don’t lend me power, I can’t resurrect you. Earth Mother, why not give me more nectar so my strength can rival the Son of Youdu, making them believe I have value, and then I can borrow their power?”

The Earth Mother’s remnant soul sneered, “It’s not that I’m unwilling, but that you simply cannot withstand the nectar’s energy. These two drops of Primordial Chaos Nectar have already exceeded the limit of your Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. These two drops are enough for you to digest for decades, even centuries! If I gave you more, your Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure wouldn’t be able to seal it. Should the nectar’s power invade your bloodstream, a single wisp of its aura could make your body explode!”

Qin Mu indeed felt his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure nearing its limit. If there were one more drop, the nectar’s energy would burst through the space of his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure and seep into his body. The aura of this nectar could make even gods and demons explode, let alone him.

“In that case…” Qin Mu flipped his hand, his five fingers clutching four small jade bottles. He poured out the dragon’s saliva from them and asked, “Can it be stored in bottles?”

The Earth Mother fell silent again. After a moment, her voice came from the stone coffin, “Your small bottles cannot withstand it.”

Qin Mu’s hands moved swiftly, imprinting countless runes onto the jade bottles. He asked, “Is this seal enough?”

“No.”

Qin Mu applied dozens of seals consecutively, a hopeful expression on his face. “How about now?”

“Still no!”

Qin Mu looked troubled. He turned to Yan’er, who immediately used her magic, imprinting an Azure Dragon seal onto the bottle’s body, the Azure Dragon encircling the jade bottle, and then applying a Vermillion Bird seal at the mouth.

Qin Mu asked hopefully, “And now?”

The Earth Mother fell silent once more. After a long pause, she said, “One bottle.”

Qin Mu was disappointed and about to speak when the Earth Mother said coldly, “One bottle, no bargaining!”

Qin Mu had no choice but to use his vital qi to control one jade bottle, which flew into the coffin. The bottle, now filled with Primordial Chaos Nectar, flew out, and Qin Mu quickly took it, carefully putting it away.

“How long will it take you to recover to your peak state?” the Earth Mother asked.

Qin Mu replied, “About a hundred years.”

Suddenly, roars erupted from the imperial coffin. From the darkness behind the Primordial Chaos Nectar, a colossal Emperor’s corpse emerged, roaring repeatedly.

“Ten years at the shortest!” Qin Mu stated decisively.

The Emperor’s corpse stared coldly at him, and the Earth Mother’s remnant soul in the nectar snorted, saying, “I’ll only give you ten years. If you don’t resurrect me after ten years, I’ll have my son bathe Yankang in blood!” With a bang, the stone coffin closed, sealing the Emperor’s corpse and the Primordial Chaos Nectar inside, and the large flower began to close.

“Wait!” Qin Mu quickly said, “Earth Mother, my cultivation hasn’t recovered yet. If someone kills me, wouldn’t all your efforts be wasted? Please grant me a suitable weapon.”

The large flower stopped closing, and the Earth Mother’s angry voice came from the stone coffin, “You’re half-dead now. Instead of honestly hiding to refine the Primordial Chaos Nectar, are you trying to parade around and court death?”

Qin Mu said solemnly, “I’m no longer worried about my life. I plan to venture into the Heavenly Court…”

Bang— The stone coffin suddenly opened, and an Emperor’s corpse head, as large as a mountain, protruded from within, opening its cavernous mouth to roar at Qin Mu. Qin Mu, Dragon Qilin, and Yan’er couldn’t even fill the gaps between its teeth! Qin Mu’s face was wrinkled by the foul-smelling gust, and he couldn’t stand steadily. The Yong River behind him exploded, almost severing its flow!

After roaring, the Emperor’s corpse’s head shrank, glaring ferociously at him. “You plan to go to the Heavenly Court?” the Earth Mother snapped, utterly exasperated. “Why don’t you just die?!”

Qin Mu’s expression remained unchanged. “I must go to the Heavenly Court. As the Earth Mother said, I am the Ever-Living Creator. Though the journey to the Heavenly Court is dangerous, the ancient gods there will protect me. Furthermore, my identity as Heavenly Venerate Mu, a founding elder of the Heavenly Alliance, makes it safer. However, open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden ones are not. I still don’t have a suitable weapon. My sword pellet is only a spirit weapon, not a divine weapon…”

The Emperor’s corpse retracted back into the coffin. After a moment, the Emperor’s corpse emerged, holding a straight wooden staff, three zhang long.

“Only this wooden staff?” Qin Mu showed disappointment.

The imperial coffin slammed shut. The Earth Mother said coldly, “This is the core of the Primordial Tree, one of the strongest divine weapons in the world. Look closely at the growth rings!” Qin Mu looked at the top of the wooden staff, seeing countless incredibly fine circles. Just as he was about to count them, the large flower closed, and the imperial coffin sank into the Primordial Tree’s roots. Then, the roots that spanned the Yong River rapidly retracted, vanishing without a trace!

“So stingy, afraid I’d ask for more treasures…” Qin Mu shook his head, meticulously counting the growth rings. After a long while, he still hadn’t finished. Dragon Qilin couldn’t help but ask, “Cult Master, how many have you counted?” “Five million, and I’ve counted less than ten percent…”