Chapter 1153: True and False Taiji (Third Update!)
Qin Mu's divine consciousness fluctuations probed into the void of this black desert, and he saw layers of void filled with flying black sand, howling past—even void beasts dared not set foot here!
He propped up a divine consciousness barrier to block the wind and sand, but it was quickly riddled with holes.
Sssss—
Grain after grain of black sand passed through their bodies, punching them full of holes!
Qin Mu, Yan'er, Long Qilin, and the void beast beneath their feet were all dripping with blood, but this void beast seemed possessed, charging headlong into the black sand desert without stopping.
Qin Mu immediately switched to a primordial qi barrier, but before long, that too was covered in dense tiny holes.
He drew the broken sword he had refined himself, pouring his magical power into it. The broken sword blazed with light as he slashed against the wind and sand. A rapid series of crisp *ding ding ding* sounds rang out, and the microscopic runes he had imprinted within the sword were annihilated one after another!
Qin Mu's heart pounded with alarm. This broken sword was forged from a rare treasure of the Ancestral Court, using the finest materials. Even the Mute had praised his forging methods, saying Qin Mu's path of artifice had truly begun and that he could establish a Forging Heavenly Palace.
Yet facing this desert's black sand, even the broken sword could hardly withstand it!
He immediately raised the Azure Sky Banner, activated the Twenty-Eight Heavens, and the layers of heavens continuously revolved, protecting them and the void beast. But the Twenty-Eight Heavens were also broken through by the black sand.
The violent wind and sand raged wildly within the Twenty-Eight Heavens, and even the treasures within those heavens were blasted until they blazed with light and sparks flew in all directions.
Each grain of sand was made of unknown material, extremely terrifying—harder than the hardest divine metal.
Qin Mu leaned on the Azure Sky Banner, doing everything he could to keep the Twenty-Eight Heavens from collapsing, protecting them and the void beast.
The void beast pressed on against the sky-filling black sand, heading deeper into the desert.
"This desert is also a treasure land—the black sand can be used to refine treasures—but it's too dangerous here, very hard to enter."
Long Qilin caught a falling grain of black sand and saw it gleamed with metallic luster, yet no metal grain could be discerned. The sand was extremely heavy.
The void beast trudged forward with difficulty. Here there was no sun or moon. After walking for who knew how long, the wind and sand suddenly diminished, and the sky gradually began to brighten.
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and, leaning on the Azure Sky Banner, looked ahead—and saw a white desert appearing before them!
Within the white desert, wind and sand also raged, shockingly fierce!
And between the black desert and the white desert stood a long, narrow, winding mountain range, radiating a plain and unadorned luster.
Beside this mountain range were many ancient ruins—villages of the Creators.
Some Creators must have used some method to cross the desert and reach this place, building villages here in preparation to settle down.
There was no wind or sand on either side of the mountain range. The void beast arrived at the foot of the mountain and stopped. Qin Mu leaped down and looked up. The cliffs were as steep as walls, yet here the mountains were lush and beautiful, covered with all kinds of vegetation—nothing like the desolation elsewhere.
Suddenly, Qin Mu saw the forest in the mountains shake, and a giant beast poked its head out.
That beast was not a void beast, but another kind of ancient primordial beast, hiding here—it had actually escaped the void beasts' slaughter!
"The giant beasts of the Ancestral Court aren't extinct!" Qin Mu was both shocked and delighted.
The nearby village had tall houses, but the houses were empty—no Creators.
Qin Mu searched through the village and found several Creator skeletons, one of which clutched a gemstone in its bony hand.
Qin Mu stepped forward, pried open the finger bones, and saw the gemstone was shaped like the simplest taiji diagram—one side black, one side white, one side cold, one side hot, with a curved dividing line in the center. Yin and yang were in harmony, quite beautiful.
Qin Mu wiped the dust off it. Suddenly, the taiji gemstone began to change, floating above his palm, yin and yang flowing and interweaving.
As the gemstone flowed, it seemed to have no fixed form or constant shape, endlessly transforming. Qin Mu watched, entranced, and before he knew it, he slipped into a state of profound mystery upon mystery.
The yin-yang taiji diagram of this gemstone was remarkably similar to the yin-yang taiji diagram of his Spiritual Fetus Divine Treasury, causing him, upon seeing the Taiji Divine Stone, to unconsciously connect it with his own divine treasury's taiji diagram.
After who knew how long, he woke up, put away the Taiji Divine Stone, and a smile spread across his face. He let out a long breath and laughed: "It seems this is the true Taiji mineral vein. The place occupied by Langxuan Divine Emperor also looks like a taiji diagram, but it must be a false site! No wonder nothing could be dug out of there!"
"The young master is awake!" Yan'er's cheerful voice came.
Qin Mu followed the sound and saw Yan'er had transformed into a woman and was cooking a meal, while Long Qilin sat nearby in meditation, practicing qi with the Taichu Divine Stone placed at his brow, cultivating his divine consciousness.
Qin Mu was surprised and asked, "How long have I been standing here?"
"Ten days already."
Yan'er set out the dishes and said, "It's a bit crude here, but luckily I brought some fruits, vegetables, and spiritual herbs. Long Fatty has already reclaimed a few acres of wasteland and plans to plant some spiritual herbs here."
She brewed a pot of tea and brought it over, calling out, "Piggy, time to eat."
Long Qilin woke up and was overjoyed to see Qin Mu. He laughed, "The Sect Master is awake."
The three sat down. Yan'er picked up Little Tubo and set him on the table, placing a plate before him with a single spiritual pill on it.
"Don't get it on yourself," Yan'er instructed the little Tubo.
She then brought out two more plates of spiritual pills, stir-fried with tender spiritual herb leaves, and set them before Long Qilin, saying, "I added some cooling snow ganoderma for you—good for reducing internal heat."
The void beast sat on its rear, propped up by its four front legs, watching them eat.
Qin Mu visualized some flesh and blood, and the void beast immediately rushed over to feast.
After eating, Qin Mu slowly sipped his tea, leisurely gazing at this mountain range stretching thousands of miles. He saw all kinds of rare herbs and exotic plants in the forests, with many giant beasts appearing and disappearing. Suddenly, he burst out laughing.
Long Qilin hastily swallowed his spiritual pill and, with perfect timing, asked, "Why is the Sect Master laughing?"
Qin Mu pointed at this mountain range and said leisurely, "I laugh at Langxuan Divine Emperor for having eyes but no pupils—unable to recognize true treasure land. He thought he had seized the Taiji mineral vein, but little did he know the Taiji mineral vein has fallen into my hands!"
He laughed heartily: "The vein he occupies—the Creators never dug anything out of it, precisely because they dug in the wrong place! Even if Langxuan, with all his vast powers, digs that place to the very bottom, he'll never find the true Taiji Divine Stone! Eat quickly—after we finish, let's go find where the mineral vein truly lies!"
Long Qilin picked up his plate and tipped it into his mouth. Little Tubo also stuffed the half-eaten spiritual pill into his mouth but nearly choked to death. Yan'er quickly patted his back to help him swallow it down.
Everyone prepared to set out. Qin Mu pointed at the void beast and said, "You stay here."
The void beast obediently sat down, staring at the various giant beasts appearing and disappearing in the mountains, drooling profusely. Its long tongue kept extending from under its jaw, licking up the saliva dripping from its mouth.