Chapter 972: The Holy Infant's Resignation

Qin Hanzhen's heart was heavy. "Indeed, Mu'er has suffered so much. When he learned he was merely Qin Fengqing's second consciousness, I truly don't know how he managed to hold on without collapsing."

Consort Zhen's eyes were brimming with tears. "When I found out he sacrificed his soul and plucked out his eye to protect Fengqing, my tears flowed uncontrollably. This child, I don't know how he survived. Fengqing had a mother, but he was an orphan and had to suffer such torment…"

Qin Mu was the second consciousness within Qin Fengqing. As the Godly Son of Youdu, Qin Fengqing had committed too many evils and was sealed and exiled to the mortal realm by Earth Count.

Qin Mu's consciousness was born the moment they arrived from Youdu to the Great Ruins in the mortal realm. Thus, he was an orphan from birth, placed in a basket, and Aunt Ping'er carried him as they fled, evading the gods and devils of the Heavenly Court.

He eventually drifted to Yong River, where Aunt Ping'er died. He was then taken in by Crippled Old Village.

From childhood through adolescence to young adulthood, Qin Mu always believed he was a unique individual. This changed when he learned he was merely a second consciousness born within this body, a body that wasn't his, and he didn't even possess his own soul.

Later, facing the Eternal Peace Calamity, he was surrounded, overwhelmed by immense despair. To ensure that Qin Fengqing, the Godly Son of Youdu, would not fall into the Heavenly Court's hands, he resolutely gouged out his third eye, sacrificed his soul, and sent Qin Fengqing to Youdu.

He only retained this body, which wasn't his, to allow his consciousness to survive, thus becoming what others called a "cripple" or a "useless Overlord Body."

Consort Zhen and Qin Hanzhen found it difficult to imagine how Qin Mu had survived such hardships. It was equally hard to comprehend how he could still maintain such a strong fighting spirit, traveling far and wide, and even finding his way to them.

Their love for Qin Mu was a blend of parental affection and a deep sense of guilt and indebtedness.

"Tell Emperor Kai about this; he would never allow Qin Mu to come to harm."

As Qin Hanzhen piloted the flying ship away, she offered comfort. "Emperor Kai has wanted to see him for a long time. His power is unfathomable; he'll surely find a way."

Consort Zhen nodded silently, but the thought of Qin Mu enduring torment at the hands of the Creators brought tears to her eyes.

"This is simply torture!"

Within the territory of the Xiuzu tribe, Qin Mu, dressed in a large red robe by the Creators, sat somewhat uneasily on the highest seat.

Just moments before, when the Creators dressed him, they had also put a large red bellyband on him, a detail that made Qin Mu feel profoundly uncomfortable.

However, it was quite normal for a mischievous toddler under two to wear a large red bellyband; after all, children that age often ran around in them with bare bottoms. Qin Mu himself had worn one when he was two or three, and his Blind Grandpa and Crippled Grandpa would often playfully flick his "little bird," making him cry until they stopped.

But these were old memories, best left unmentioned.

He sat on the highest seat, a platform shaped like an altar. While it wasn't particularly large compared to adult Creators, for him, it appeared exceptionally grand.

Perched at the very top of the altar, Qin Mu felt like a sacrifice laid out for ceremony, and he was genuinely a little panicked.

The Xiuzu Creators were overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Not only had they placed him on the highest seat, but they also came to observe him, each stopping for a long time in front of him, meticulously examining the eye on his brow before slowly nodding and happily stepping away from the altar.

Qin Mu sat there dutifully, allowing them to inspect him, as Xiu Zhong remained standing behind him, leaving him no opportunity to slip away.

"These Creators who fled into the other shore world have truly fallen!" In Qin Mu's mind, Shu Jun, looking through his eyes, surveyed the surroundings with deep consternation.

Though the Creators still maintained a tribal system, it was vastly different from Shu Jun's era. The most significant change was the architecture, which was incredibly magnificent and luxurious, featuring carved beams, painted pillars, and intricate, delicate designs.

Furthermore, various palaces, towers, and pavilions rose and fell in a well-arranged, picturesque manner. The Creators had even used their visualization to transform the surrounding mountains, rivers, and terrain, adorning the city's geography with vibrant colors. The landscapes, trees, and flowers formed patterns akin to ink wash paintings, so that from above, the city resembled a phoenix, with wings spread in flight.

Shu Jun's eyeballs trembled with anger, bouncing in their sockets, as he incessantly railed about this being a betrayal of tradition.

What surprised both Shu Jun and Qin Mu, however, was that the Creators here had actually begun to visualize and even cultivate divine arts.

They observed many children, only a few years old and roughly Qin Mu's height, diligently visualizing divine arts and attempting to manifest their power through visualization.

Creator children, even one or two-year-olds or newborns, could cultivate. This was because they relied on divine sense to transmit inherited wisdom. When a Creator infant was born, an elder would personally arrive and impart the wisdom of the Creator race to them through divine sense.

Consequently, even newborn Creator infants could speak, write, and utilize their divine sense for cultivation, demonstrating remarkable power.

Additionally, some majestic Creators were instructing these children on the knowledge of runes and the principles they contained.

Even more surprising to Qin Mu was that the Creators, whom he had always imagined as crude beings who smashed things with large bone clubs, had actually begun to learn how to forge divine weapons!

These skilled Creator forgers used a divine sense forging method to refine and visualize weapons. Weapons crafted through countless refinements with divine sense were almost as good as divine armaments fashioned from divine gold and iron.

"The Creators have undergone a tremendous reform; they are almost caught up with this era."

Qin Mu couldn't help but secretly marvel, "They are far more advanced and intelligent than primitives like Shu Jun."

Shu Jun was unaware of his thoughts; otherwise, he would have been furious again.

Xiu Zhong said to Qin Mu, "I have notified the other tribes about the Holy Infant's appearance. The patriarchs of Zili, Zhuqiu, Yanlong, Xiatai, and other tribes will all come for a grand event. At that time, they will conduct a small assessment to verify if you are indeed the Holy Infant."

Qin Mu felt uneasy. "A small assessment? Is it dangerous?"

"Not dangerous at all, absolutely not dangerous!"

Xiu Zhong clapped his chest heavily, producing a sound louder than a drum, and chuckled, "You are the Holy Infant; how would they dare subject you to an overly dangerous assessment?"

Qin Mu felt somewhat relieved.

Xiu Zhong continued, "Also attending this grand event will be the co-ruler of all our Creator tribes! She is our King, the one and only Creator Divine King!"

Qin Mu's expression showed excitement, but inwardly, he groaned, "Will my parents rush here to save me? Even if they do, they probably won't be able to fight their way through so many Creator patriarchs. And if Emperor Kai comes himself, I don't know if he can defeat all these Creator patriarchs. What's more, there's a Divine King! If I'm exposed..."

After a long time, Qin Mu finally finished meeting the Xiuzu Creators. Although their numbers were not vast, only a little over a hundred thousand including both old and young, it still took several days to meet them all.

These Creators did not depart; instead, they formed several large circles around the altar. This scene strongly resembled what Qin Mu had once witnessed in the Blood Rust Zone.

Back in the Blood Rust Zone, he had seen numerous Creator skeletons standing in concentric circles around an altar, with a pool of luminous liquid at the altar's center, coalescing into the form of the Heavenly Duke.

This current scene couldn't help but stir unsettling associations in his mind.

"Will these Creators visualize an ancient god to test me? It's one thing if they expose me, but if they kill me, then I'm finished!"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Xiu Zhong, who was behind him, stepped forward to the altar and solemnly declared, "People of the Xiuzu tribe, the Holy Infant has descended! He will lead our Creator race to restore the glory of primeval times, sweep across the universe, and reorder all creation!"

Over a hundred thousand Creators cheered, their thunderous acclaim shaking heaven and earth, echoing through the sky.

"The Holy Infant is a divinely gifted prodigy! A large-headed monstrous infant came from the neighboring Carefree Village, arrogant and tyrannical, killing our people. But with the Holy Infant's descent, he will surely be able to effortlessly eliminate that monstrous infant!"

Xiu Zhong proclaimed loudly, "Everyone, join me in honoring the Holy Infant, help the Holy Infant grow, and let us swiftly eliminate the monstrous infant from the neighboring land!"

The over one hundred thousand Creators roared their affirmation. The Primordial Divine Stones in their brows glowed, growing progressively brighter, with rays of light, like colorful nebulae, flowing through the air and converging toward Qin Mu at the highest point of the altar.

Qin Mu's heart leaped. This was the ritual standard for worshipping the Grand Emperor!

In Qin Mu's mind, Shu Jun's large head was utterly enraged, cursing incessantly: "When I was one of the Three Kings, no one worshipped me like this! This brat is taking advantage of my glory, being treated as the Holy Infant, and you actually worship him as the Grand Emperor! You're blind, utterly worthless!"

Qin Mu had long since sealed the Primordial Stone with his Grand Luo Supreme Divine Sense, so despite Shu Jun's furious roaring, he couldn't transmit his divine sense outside.

The ethereal light, formed by the Creators' visualized divine sense, streamed forth, quickly coalescing into a tangible luminous liquid that flowed toward Qin Mu's brow.

Qin Mu felt terrifying surges of energy penetrate his mind, causing his divine sense to expand and his physical body to continuously improve at a speed that he himself found incredible.

"Hold on!"

Suddenly, a profound divine sense transformed into a booming voice that exploded in mid-air, shattering the divine senses of the more than one hundred thousand old and young Creators around the altar and halting the ritual.

Xiu Zhong frowned and looked towards the sound, only to see magnificent flying ships, treasure carriages, colorful phoenixes, flying dragons, and even floating castles approaching through the air. Majestic Creators stood atop them, radiating brilliant light, with the luminescence from the diamond-shaped vertical eyes on their brows being especially stunning.

These Creators landed, and each waved their hands, causing the flying ships, treasure carriages, and flying dragons to dissipate into divine sense.

"Holy Infant, those who have arrived are the patriarchs of the various tribes."

Xiu Zhong whispered to Qin Mu, then went to greet the patriarchs. "Patriarchs, you have traveled a great distance, and we failed to greet you properly; please forgive us. But why did you interrupt our Holy Infant ritual?"

An elderly Creator, with white hair, white eyebrows, and a white robe, leaning on a staff, heavily tapped his staff. His gaze, sharp as lightning, fell upon Qin Mu as he solemnly stated, "Whether he is the Holy Infant has not yet been confirmed, Patriarch Xiu Zhong, why the haste? That scoundrel Qin Ye is full of cunning tricks; beware that the Holy Infant you found is a fake, deliberately created by him to deceive us!"

Xiu Zhong countered, "The prophecy states that the Holy Infant will appear in the future bearing the Primordial Stone. Mu Qing has the Primordial Stone in his brow, so he is naturally the Holy Infant."

The white-robed elderly Creator leaned forward, his colossal head larger than the altar itself, meticulously examining Qin Mu's eye before withdrawing a moment later.

The patriarchs of the other tribes also crowded forward, carefully examining Qin Mu's third eye. They all nodded and affirmed, "It is indeed the Primordial Stone."

Xiu Zhong chuckled, "Now that the Holy Infant's identity has been confirmed, then..."

"Hold on!"

The white-robed Creator shook his head. "The prophecy also states that when the Holy Infant descends, not only will he have the Primordial Stone embedded in his eye, but he will also be born bearing a Power Seal, symbolizing the supreme authority of the Creators! If he is truly the Holy Infant, then he must have held the Power Seal at birth!"

"That's right."

The Creators from other tribes chimed in, "The prophecy states that the Holy Infant, upon birth, would wield the supreme authority of the Creators. He would be born on an altar that embodies supreme power, symbolizing ultimate authority! This prophecy was obtained by our ancestral spirits from the divine consciousness of our forefathers; it cannot be wrong!"

"That treacherous scoundrel named Qin is incredibly sly and full of schemes. He once claimed he'd borrow a small piece of land, but who would have thought that scoundrel harbored such wolfish ambitions and ended up taking such a massive territory!"

A Creator patriarch angrily gestured with his hands, making a wide circle. "That Qin scoundrel said he'd borrow a sword's reach of land, and that 'sword's reach' turned out to be the Thirty-Three Heavens! This fellow is cunning. If this suddenly appearing Holy Infant cannot produce the Power Seal, then he is a spy sent by that Qin scoundrel!"

Inside the Primordial Stone within Qin Mu's vertical eye, Shu Jun's large head cheered with delight, shouting, "That's right, this brat is a spy! I am the Holy Infant you're looking for!"

Xiu Zhong frowned, looking at Qin Mu on the altar.

Qin Mu, resigned, took out the Grand Emperor Seal and stammered, "Is this the Power Seal you're talking about? And the altar that bears the Power Seal..."

A colossal altar flew out from the vertical eye on his brow, landing with a resounding thud.

"Is it this altar?"

Qin Mu wore an expression of utter helplessness, inwardly groaning, "I really don't want to be your Holy Infant! I want to go home; I just want to return to Carefree Village! But if I say that out loud, you'll surely beat me to death…"