Chapter 969: The Proud Older Brother

The Cauldron of Massacre held memories of Ah Chou, the reincarnated Earth Deity. This hidden experience allowed Qin Mu to 'relive' the Earth Deity's arduous years in an alternate way. During that 'experience,' he became Ah Chou, carrying the little girl with ox horns on his shoulder. He dragged the immensely heavy chains formed by the Grand Dao of Youdu, ascended to the Heavenly Court, and plunged it into darkness. Since these were the Cauldron of Massacre's memories, Qin Mu essentially relived Ah Chou's life, making the experience deeply ingrained in his mind.

Heavenly Venerate Xu gazed at the Cauldron of Massacre. Some vague memories surfaced in her mind, then gradually blurred again. Her expression returned to normal, and she gave Qin Mu a cold glance. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, Heavenly Venerate Huo, the three of us should be enough to cross the Void Bridge and reach the other shore." Ignoring the Cauldron of Massacre, she looked at Heavenly Venerate Huo, who was maintaining the Ark of the Other Shore, and proposed, "As long as we cooperate sincerely, the mystery of Wuyou Township can be unraveled!" Heavenly Venerate Huo's voice came, "I've long intended to cooperate with you; it was just that you were unwilling." Heavenly Venerate Xu looked at Qin Mu and asked, "What do you think, Heavenly Venerate Mu?" Qin Mu put away the Cauldron of Massacre and smiled, "I've also long intended to find Wuyou Township." Heavenly Venerate Xu nodded. Having braved the Void Bridge alone, she was quite injured, so she immediately sat down to quietly heal.

Qin Mu frowned slightly. Heavenly Venerate Xu's attitude made him suspicious. Logically, Heavenly Venerate Xu should recognize the Cauldron of Massacre, but her reaction, despite recalling it, lacked the expected excitement. 'Could Heavenly Venerate Xu be like Ancestral God King?' he mused. 'Although Ancestral God King was the son of Heaven Duke, he was intent on eliminating Heaven Duke and taking his place. Does Heavenly Venerate Xu harbor similar intentions, planning to eliminate Earth Deity and replace him?' Heavenly Venerate Xu was the daughter of Ah Chou, the Earth Deity's reincarnation. She had fallen into the hands of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor, becoming a leverage point for the Heavenly Emperor to control the Earth Deity, who used her as a hostage. Qin Mu knew nothing of what Heavenly Venerate Xu had experienced or what kind of education she had received over the years. At that time, Heavenly Venerate Xu was merely a young girl, recently born, a blank slate. Her concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, were all formed in the Heavenly Court. What kind of person she would grow into depended entirely on what the Heavenly Court instilled in her. 'Heavenly Venerate Huo warned me to be careful of her. It seems I really should be,' he thought to himself.

With Heavenly Venerate Xu and Heavenly Venerate Huo, and Qin Mu's visualized Ark of the Other Shore, their journey proceeded much more smoothly. Finally, they arrived at the three houses at the end of the Void Bridge. Qin Mu took out his astrolabe, then, taking the lead with Luo Wushuang, leaped off the Ark of the Other Shore and landed in front of the three houses. Heavenly Venerate Huo and Heavenly Venerate Xu also disembarked. The moment they landed, the Ark of the Other Shore shattered into pieces in the void storm, transforming into surging divine consciousness that was swept into the void. Light emanated from all three houses, shining brightly. Although the houses were situated in the void, they were not destroyed by the void storm; instead, their lights didn't even flicker, which was truly astonishing. It was remarkable, as even beings like Heavenly Venerate Huo and Heavenly Venerate Xu couldn't cross the Void Bridge by themselves, yet these small houses stood firm there, which was truly peculiar. Heavenly Venerate Huo and Heavenly Venerate Xu exchanged a glance and entered the central room.

Qin Mu's heart stirred. Instead of following them inside, he sensed for Qin Fengqing. He and Qin Fengqing were connected by blood, having once shared a body and a soul, creating an incredibly unique connection between them. In the Supreme Emperor Heaven, he couldn't sense Qin Fengqing, leading him to deduce that Wuyou Township was not there. But now, as soon as he sent out his senses, he immediately received a response! Within his divine treasure, butterfly-wing-shaped light suddenly emerged, spreading outwards, growing larger and covering a wider area. Soon, the butterfly-wing-like light parted, and with a gurgling sound, a large, demonic eye appeared, rolling twice before its gaze fell upon Qin Mu's primordial spirit. It exclaimed joyfully, "Naughty little brother! Why are you here?" Then, two more eyes appeared, and Qin Fengqing's chubby, large face also squeezed out from the void, followed by his body. Qin Fengqing's projection sat in the void, arms crossed over his chest. His earlier joy vanished. He turned his head away and coldly snorted, "What are you doing here? Don't think that after all this time, I've forgiven you! You dug me out and threw me into Youdu, and even gave me a soul, making me cry for ages! My life is great now; I get to fight every day, and eat gods and devils every day! I'm telling you, you can't sweet-talk me anymore!" Qin Mu looked up and chuckled, "Brother, I missed you." Qin Fengqing's face broke into a wide smile. He turned his head back. "I missed you too! Have you come to Wuyou Township? Where are you? I'll come find you!" Qin Mu explained his location, saying, "I just wanted to confirm if you were in Wuyou Township. Two Heavenly Venerates are right beside me; I won't lead them into Wuyou Township. You don't need to come over; I'll head back as soon as I know Wuyou Township is here." Qin Fengqing seemed a little disappointed. After a moment, he said, "You mean the three houses? They are very dangerous; they're traps left by the big ones. Don't go inside." Qin Mu was startled and blurted out, "Those three houses are traps left by the Creation Masters?" He couldn't help but feel a chill. The Creation Masters had left traps at the end of the Void Bridge. Anyone who crossed the bridge, having endured countless hardships and narrowly escaped death to get here, would surely enter the three houses to investigate! Once inside, they would fall into the Creation Masters' traps, with no way to avoid them! If Qin Mu hadn't been cautious by nature and contacted Qin Fengqing first, he certainly would have walked into those three houses himself!

"They are Creation Masters?" Qin Fengqing also paused, clearly unaware of the 'big ones'' identities. He scratched his large head and said, "They taste quite good though... Those big ones are really bad; they attack us every day. Wuyou Township isn't worry-free at all; there are constant battles, and many people have died. I've had a great feast since coming here..." Just then, a violent tremor suddenly erupted from the central house in front of Qin Mu, and an incredibly terrifying aura burst forth. It was clearly Heavenly Venerate Huo and Heavenly Venerate Xu encountering danger, fighting fiercely inside the room, clashing with unknown enemies! The power of these two Heavenly Venerates was rare in the world; even ancient gods like Earth Mother, Earth Deity, and Heaven Duke wouldn't dare claim to defeat them. Yet, their opponents seemed terrifyingly formidable, actually blocking the attacks of these two Heavenly Venerates! Beside Qin Mu, Luo Wushuang's heart was startled, and he moved to rush into the room. Qin Mu raised a hand to stop him, signaling him not to act rashly. Qin Fengqing said, "It's hard to get out once you're trapped in those rooms. I heard that our ancestor was once trapped inside and it took him many years to escape. Those Creation Masters are really bad, but they taste good..." His speech was disorganized and his thoughts very scattered, but fortunately, Qin Mu shared a common origin with him, and Qin Mu's own thoughts were quite scattered, so he could easily understand his meaning.

"So, how do we get to Wuyou Township?" Qin Mu asked. "There are three houses there," Qin Fengqing replied. "The middle house is the way to Wuyou Township." Qin Mu was puzzled. The middle house was the way to Wuyou Township? Heavenly Venerate Xu and Heavenly Venerate Huo had already entered it. Why hadn't they found Wuyou Township? Instead, they had encountered enemies.

"Don't go in yet. First, close the door," Qin Fengqing continued. "When Mom and Dad arrived there, they closed the door, opened and closed it several times in a row, and then opened it again. Inside the door was Wuyou Township. I don't remember exactly how they opened and closed the door. Wait a moment, I'll go ask Mom and Dad!" His projection vanished, presumably to ask Qin Hanzhen and his wife. Qin Mu stood before the central house and looked inside. It was brightly lit, yet there was no sign of Heavenly Venerate Huo or Heavenly Venerate Xu. He could only hear the sounds of divine arts clashing and sense the auras of the two Heavenly Venerates. Qin Mu observed closely. The room's setup was simple. The light seemed to be a visualized creation, like a small sun floating in the center of the room. On the wall directly opposite the door was a mural. Besides this mural, there was also a table with a bonsai on it. The mural on the wall caught Qin Mu's attention. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't merely a mural but an entire world! The Creation Masters were not highly skilled in art; they primarily relied on visualization. Yet, the painting on the wall depicted serene mountains and clear waters as if real, with countless people and gigantic beasts within. It was clearly not painted by a Creation Master but a world manifested through visualization. That world, though seemingly hung on the wall, was vast. Heavenly Venerate Xu and Heavenly Venerate Huo must have entered the world within the mural and encountered enemies there.

"Naughty little brother, I found out!" Qin Fengqing's projection reappeared in his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. He said, "It's not just about opening and closing the middle door. All three room doors must be closed and opened, in different sequences. First, check if there's a mural in the middle room." Qin Mu nodded. "Don't go in there. It's a Samsara World. If you enter, you'll be reincarnated, unable to distinguish friend from foe, and your own people will end up slaughtering each other." Qin Fengqing seemed to be listening intently. After a moment, he continued, "Now go to the left room and see if there's a table and a candlestick inside." Qin Mu went to the left room, looked around, and shook his head. "It's a maiden's chamber inside, with only a bed and a sword hanging in front of it." Qin Fengqing said, "First, close the door, then open it. Stop when you see a table and a candlestick appear in the room." Qin Mu followed the instructions, closed the door, then pushed it open again, and was stunned. The scenery inside the room had changed dramatically. The sky of the Primordial Realm appeared, and outside the door was the Primordial Wood, with layers of palaces built upon it, and many divine beings stood guard in front of the palaces. Those divine beings were startled by the sudden appearance of the portal in the sky. They immediately shouted loudly, activating their divine weapons, ready to attack. Qin Mu quickly closed the door, then opened it again. Facing him was a gigantic eye, burning with raging demonic fire! The eye rolled, and its gaze fell upon Qin Mu. Then, from a grand hall deep within the demonic eye, an Earth Deity walked out, stood before the platform, and peered towards him, looking puzzled. Qin Mu closed the door, then opened it again. Inside was another expanse of palaces and a lake, where several beautiful goddesses were bathing and frolicking naked. "A pervert is peeking!" The goddesses screamed, leaped out, snatched their clothes from the shore to cover themselves, and fled naked, leaving behind a flurry of bare buttocks. "It's Heavenly Venerate Mu peeking at us!" "That scoundrel! Doesn't he know this is His Majesty's imperial harem? How dare he peep at the consorts bathing! Quickly report to His Majesty and have this fellow dragged to the God-Slaying Platform for execution!" Qin Mu's face was flushed with embarrassment, his mind filled with the sight of bare buttocks. He quickly closed the door, then opened it again. The world behind the door had changed once more: a colossal green dragon, tens of thousands of miles long, was clutching a magnificent mountain, eyes closed, using the mountain to grind its teeth. The green dragon seemed to sense something, was startled, and quickly opened its eyes, but Qin Mu had already closed the door. "This door is too strange. How can it connect to so many places? That was Emperor Azure Dragon just now, right?" Qin Mu opened the door, and finally, a table and a candlestick appeared inside. Qin Fengqing's voice came, "Now go to the right room, open and close the door, and once a lotus flower appears inside, close the door again." Qin Mu followed the instructions, went to the right room, closed the door, and when he opened it again, screams came from inside: "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you shameless old man, peeking at the imperial consorts bathing! Right here!" Qin Mu immediately saw a group of flamboyantly dressed yet extremely angry girls rushing towards him. He hastily closed the door, thinking, "Why is it still the Heavenly Emperor's imperial harem?"