Chapter 965: Old man lazy, young men grieve in vain

"Is that woman Exalted Celestial Void?"

Qin Mu gazed intently. Yue Tingge had once mentioned that the Void Bridge was terrifyingly dangerous, so much so that even he wouldn't dare step onto it. Despite being somewhat unreliable and playing the fool, Yue Tingge's power as a Heaven Palace Grand Completion realm expert was undeniable. His reluctance to cross the Void Bridge underscored its perilous nature. However, Exalted Celestial Void was different. This woman had already ventured so deep into the Void Bridge, indicating her strength was truly astonishing.

Qin Mu frowned slightly. Yue Tingge had tricked two Exalted Celestials into the Supreme Divine Consciousness Domain, and Exalted Celestial Fire was trapped there. How had Exalted Celestial Void managed to escape? Why had Exalted Celestial Fire told him to beware of Exalted Celestial Void? Did that statement hold a deeper meaning? Why was Exalted Celestial Void so determined to cross the Void Bridge? Was it to find the vanished Creation Masters, or was it to seek out Carefree Village?

"This Void Bridge is too treacherous. With my current strength, I probably can't cross it at all. I should just give up on that idea." Qin Mu's eyes gleamed as he mused, "The Ark of Deliverance, built by the Celestial Artisan Tribe during the Founding Emperor Era, can travel to Carefree Village. As long as I can avoid the Celestial Heavens' scrutiny and repair that ark, I can use it to find Carefree Village. There's no need to take such risks here."

The ark's astrolabe was still in his possession. Back then, Village Chief, Mute, and the others had found that astrolabe, and the Village Chief had personally sealed it, stating that Qin Mu would only be allowed to pilot the Ark of Deliverance to find Carefree Village once his strength was sufficient to break the seal. While Qin Mu wouldn't claim to surpass the Village Chief in strength now, breaking the Village Chief's seal was, in fact, effortless for him.

The Ark of Deliverance was severely damaged. Fortunately, Qin Mu had used the geographical map left by Wei Suifeng to locate Ying Zhao's most powerful divine brain, hidden within the Supreme Brightness Heaven of the Founding Emperor's Celestial Heavens, thereby obtaining the manufacturing blueprints for the Ark of Deliverance. The sole challenge was that the Ark of Deliverance, forged by the Celestial Artisan Tribe for travel to Carefree Village, was undoubtedly under strict surveillance by the Celestial Heavens. Evading the Celestial Heavens' watchful eyes would be nearly impossible!

"Alternatively, I could construct another Ark of Deliverance..." He pondered, "However, rebuilding the Ark of Deliverance would likely require hundreds of thousands of Celestial Artisans working together to forge it. I can't find that many Celestial Artisans, and even if I could, it would easily leak information and create a much larger target. Perhaps..."

An absurd idea arose in his mind, and once it appeared, it became unstoppable, making him eager to act! "Perhaps I can visualize an Ark of Deliverance." "Ying Zhao imprinted the ark's blueprints into my mind; I can use these blueprints to visualize the Ark of Deliverance!" "As long as I can visualize this ship, coupled with the ark's astrolabe, I can cross the Void Bridge, and perhaps even find Carefree Village!"

He was greatly tempted. In the outside world, he was under strict surveillance; now, with his identity as Exalted Celestial Mu, it was difficult to escape the Celestial Heavens' watchful eyes wherever he went. But the Grand Void was different. Among the Celestial Heavens' experts who had come to the Grand Void, only Exalted Celestial Fire and Exalted Celestial Void were confident of leaving alive. Even someone like Yue Tingge lacked sufficient certainty of survival here. Here, as long as he avoided Exalted Celestial Fire and Exalted Celestial Void, he could freely visualize the Ark of Deliverance and then pilot the ship across the Void Bridge!

"However, before that, I need to first raise my cultivation to the Heaven Palace realm. That way, I can attempt to cultivate Grand Emperor's Supreme Divine Consciousness of Great Luo. With Supreme Divine Consciousness of Great Luo, visualizing the Ark of Deliverance will be much faster!"

Qin Mu acted on his thoughts immediately. While he had never established a Heaven Palace before, he had opened divine treasures twenty to thirty times, making the process familiar. However, people in the Dragon Han era established Heaven Palaces by sensing the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens and borrowing the power of the ancient gods from it, thereby forming a Heaven Palace within their bodies. In that era, the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens still existed in the mortal realm. Although it was high above, gods and humans coexisted in the same world, making it convenient to sense the Celestial Heavens and borrow its power and the power of the ancient gods. When practitioners established their Heaven Palaces, structures like the Southern Heavenly Gate, Jade Pool, God-Slaying Platform, Jade Capital, and High Heaven Palace within their Heaven Palaces were all imprints of the corresponding structures in the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens, which was very convenient.

However, in the Grand Void, such a convenient method was unavailable. Therefore, Qin Mu adopted visualization. He visualized the layout and structure of the Celestial Heavens, first sketching out its complete appearance, then creating a void to establish the Heaven Palace realm.

They resided in the last gathering place of the Creation Masters, with Luo Wushuang guarding him against potential enemy attacks. Qin Mu sat in silent meditation for a long time, continuously visualizing. Within his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, a Southern Heavenly Gate made of glazed jade gradually materialized, its runic patterns becoming increasingly clear.

Next, the Azure Wave Bridge, spanning the Celestial River, emerged. Golden dragons holding the great sun in their mouths danced, and vermillion-crowned phoenixes stood still. Further inward appeared the Longevity Star Platform, Celestial Street, Celestial Market, Carriage Path, Water Mansion, Three Terraces, Celestial Fortress, and Three Masters. Following the Celestial River further inside were the Jade Terrace and the vast Jade Pool, with their verdant seas and divine mountains appearing one after another.

Beyond the Jade Pool were the Left and Right Feathered Forest Guards, Left and Right Dragon Martial Guards, Left and Right Divine Martial Guards, Left and Right Divine Strategy Guards, and Left and Right Divine Might Guards—the Ten Great Imperial Guards—followed by the God-Slaying Platform. After the God-Slaying Platform came the Jade Capital City and the High Heaven Palace.

The first Heaven Palace Qin Mu visualized conformed to the specifications of the current Celestial Heavens. He understood the Great Dao runes of various ancient gods, and the palaces and halls of the Celestial Heavens were imprinted with these very runes, making his visualized Heaven Palace even more complete and perfect than previous ones. However, visualization was one thing; by visualization alone, he couldn't make the Heaven Palace a reality. He still needed to create a void to establish the Heaven Palace.

Within his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, Qin Mu's primordial spirit stood firm on the black and white Taiji Diagram. He stomped his foot heavily, and the Taiji Diagram expanded rapidly, growing wider and wider, as the Primordial Tree grew lush and majestically tall. As the Taiji Diagram expanded, Qin Mu took out the jade bottle containing Primordial Grandmist Liquid. He carefully drew out a drop, flicked his finger, and the liquid flew out, landing on the Taiji Diagram. Instantly, a vast, surging ocean appeared!

Qin Mu then took out another drop of liquid. This drop transformed into a Celestial River, rising from the ground, roaring and surging. It ascended along the Primordial Tree behind him, piercing directly into the void! Qin Mu's primordial spirit remained on the Taiji Diagram; it didn't ascend into the void with the Celestial River. Instead, he commanded the Celestial River to flow across the Taiji continent.

Qin Mu frowned slightly. He had not obtained the Great Dao runes of the Grand Chasm of Gui Xu, so he couldn't visualize the Grand Chasm. He could only let the Celestial River flow along the central Taiji chord of the Taiji Diagram. At its end, it transformed into the majestic River Styx, flowing towards Youdu and spiraling down around Earth Overlord.

"Mistress Yuanmu's physical body is here with me. When I have time, I must take it out and study it thoroughly to understand the Great Dao runes of Gui Xu!"

He took out another drop of liquid and flicked his finger. Before this drop even landed, it began to expand, transforming into incredibly pure energy, like a vast ocean about to descend. Simultaneously, Qin Mu activated the Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique, mobilizing all his vital qi and blasting it towards the area surrounding the Taiji Diagram! Thousands of vital qi strands flew from various parts of his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, intertwining and stimulating the energy within that drop of liquid. With successive vital qi impacts, a Southern Heavenly Gate instantly rose from the ground, and countless palaces and halls emerged one after another.

In an instant, structures of the Celestial Heavens like the Azure Wave Bridge, Longevity Star Platform, Celestial Street, Celestial Market, Carriage Path, Water Mansion, Three Terraces, and more, materialized from nothing, from foundations to eaves. It was as if an invisible hand was painting, and an invisible celestial artisan was creating, giving rise to a magnificent Heaven Palace! The Heaven Palace emerged, radiant with bright light and shrouded in green mist. The energy from that single drop of liquid was depleted.

This Heaven Palace was unique. While others' Heaven Palaces were often built on the other side of the Divine Bridge or above the Celestial River, Qin Mu's was constructed directly upon the Taiji Diagram. The ocean he had created earlier with the first drop of Primordial Grandmist Liquid had now transformed into the Jade Pool and Jade Sea, becoming part of this Heaven Palace.

Qin Mu took out another drop of liquid. The Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique continued to operate, and as vital qi flowed, another Heaven Palace emerged! The various buildings in this Heaven Palace were predominantly dragon-themed, and the God-Slaying Platform featured two dragons coiled around each other to form dual blades.

Qin Mu took out the fifth drop of liquid, and the third Heaven Palace also emerged! This Heaven Palace was situated on the reverse side of the Taiji Diagram, predominantly dark, with black palaces, sun, and moon. Qin Mu's reflection formed the image of Earth Overlord Qin Mu, and this dark Heaven Palace floated between the two horns of Earth Overlord Qin Mu.

He flicked out the sixth drop of liquid, and the fourth Heaven Palace appeared! This Heaven Palace was also on the Taiji Diagram, with its buildings and sculptures predominantly featuring three-headed, six-armed deities and demons.

With the fourth Heaven Palace formed, Qin Mu then took out the seventh drop of liquid, and the fifth Heaven Palace rose from the ground. This one was a Sword Heaven Palace, radiating a chilling aura of sword qi!

He took out the eighth drop of liquid, and martial arts spirit filled the heavens and earth. His vital qi transformed into the sixth Heaven Palace behind him, the Martial Arts Heaven Palace!

The ninth drop of liquid flew out, and Qin Mu's aura transformed into brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, forming a half-completed Painting Dao Heaven Palace on his left side. The tenth drop of liquid flew out, and world-shaking blade light appeared, forming a half-completed Blade Dao Heaven Palace on his right side. The eleventh drop of liquid flew out, forming a half-completed Medical Heaven Palace. The twelfth drop of liquid formed a half-completed Divine Arts Heaven Palace. The thirteenth drop of liquid formed a half-completed Forging Heaven Palace. The fourteenth drop of liquid flew out, forming a half-completed Buddhist Dao Heaven Palace. The fifteenth drop of liquid flew out, forming a half-completed Thievery Heaven Palace. The sixteenth drop of liquid formed a half-completed Formation Heaven Palace.

With these sixteen drops of liquid depleted, Qin Mu's Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure ceased transforming. Various Heaven Palaces, some complete and some partial, stood crisscrossed, forming different extraordinary phenomena, totaling fourteen Heaven Palaces.

Others assumed that his cultivation method at most integrated three or four Emperor's Throne techniques, and this guess wasn't entirely wrong. Qin Mu's Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique indeed only incorporated a few Emperor's Throne techniques, such as the Scarlet Emperor, Bright Emperor, Great Black Heaven, and Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Arts. Among them, the Great Black Heaven's Dark Demon Sutra was incomplete, thus forming a half-completed Heaven Palace.

However, Qin Mu had entered the Dao through the sword, and his sword arts divine ability was unparalleled, allowing him to establish a Sword Heaven Palace. He had also comprehended martial arts, having studied Martial Combat Heavenly Master Zhuo Cha's Martial Combat Heavenly Art, so it was natural for his martial arts spirit to transform into a Martial Arts Heaven Palace.

As for other acquired Great Daos—blade arts, calligraphy and painting, thievery, formations, divine arts, forging, medicine, and so on—all were learned from the elders of Disabled Elderly Village.

Although Qin Mu himself had not yet entered the Dao in these specific areas, the elders of Disabled Elderly Village were all Dao attainers. They simply didn't possess high enough cultivation realms to develop their techniques and divine arts to the Heaven Palace level. The elders of Disabled Elderly Village had, in essence, planted seeds for him, and these seeds were now sprouting. Therefore, while it might seem that Qin Mu cultivated few Emperor's Throne techniques, he actually cultivated quite a lot.

"Once I return to Eternal Peace, I must rigorously push Village Chief, Grandpa Mute, and the others to diligently cultivate, strive for deeper comprehension, and elevate their cultivation realms and insights!" Qin Mu's primordial spirit walked beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate of his primary Heaven Palace, feeling the pressure emanating from it. He felt a pang of regret and thought, "If the elders don't work hard, the young will only lament their missed opportunities! If Grandpa Village Chief and the others don't strive, I won't be able to perfect my other Heaven Palaces." "Just as they once forced me to cultivate diligently, I must now force them to study and train earnestly! Only when all the grandpas and grandmas attain the Heaven Palace realm will my Celestial Heavens be complete."

His primordial spirit bore the immense pressure of the Southern Heavenly Gate. Simultaneously, his projections in the other Heaven Palaces also walked beneath their respective Southern Heavenly Gates, but one after another, they were crushed. Qin Mu frowned. Crossing fourteen Heaven Palaces simultaneously to become a true god was still very difficult for him. This was because the cultivation methods for his other Heaven Palaces were often incomplete; without complete techniques, it was challenging for him to pass through all fourteen Heaven Palaces simultaneously and become a true deity. He sighed and opened his eyes.

Luo Wushuang's voice reached him: "Qin Hegemon Body, I noticed your cultivation suddenly became incredibly profound. What happened to you?" Qin Mu grumbled, unhappy, "I've become a Honored God." Luo Wushuang exclaimed in surprise, "That's good news! Why the long face? You're only in your thirties, yet you've become a true god. That speed is rarely seen in the world. Oh, and there's something else: Exalted Celestial Void is trapped."

"I'm not even two years old, certainly not in my thirties. Exalted Celestial Void is trapped?" Qin Mu gleefully dashed towards the Void Bridge, laughing, "Excellent! Now there's no one left in the Grand Void who can threaten me!"

"Is that so, Exalted Celestial Mu?" a cold, clear voice sounded from behind him.