Chapter 1378: The Origin of Summoners (First Update)
Long Xiao was startled: "Go to the Great Void? That's the world created by those Creator Gods who fled the Ancestral Court?"
"That's right."
Qin Mu said: "That's the place. The Creator Gods built the Other Shore Void there. You can bring the giant beasts there to thrive and multiply. Of course, the Heavenly Court is attacking that place, so you'll need to contribute your strength."
His divine consciousness rippled, transmitting the current situation of the Other Shore Void into Long Xiao's mind.
Long Xiao hesitated. The Heavenly Court was attacking the Other Shore Void. If they went there, he and the ancient giant beasts would have no choice but to join the battle. From the situation Qin Mu had shown him, if the Heavenly Court was determined to destroy the Other Shore Void, then the Great Void, the Void Bridge, and even the Other Shore Void itself would be absolutely impossible to hold!
Even if he and the ancient giant beasts from the back of the Ancestral Court could make it there, it would only delay their deaths.
Qin Mu watched his expression and said unhurriedly: "If you choose not to go to the Great Void, then there's another opportunity—joining forces with the Eleventh Heavenly Venerable."
Long Xiao was stunned, not understanding the meaning.
Qin Mu said: "The Eleventh Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court is not among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. She has a special ability—she forges the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerables. Moreover, all the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerables were made by her hands, and she knows the weaknesses of all of them. However, because she is not among the Ten Heavenly Venerables, joining forces with her also carries great danger. Both you and she could be destroyed by the Ten Heavenly Venerables."
Long Xiao's expression shifted between uncertainty and hesitation.
The second path Qin Mu pointed out to him also carried extreme risk. The Ten Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court would not tolerate him falling into the hands of any single Heavenly Venerable. Joining forces with the Eleventh Heavenly Venerable would also result in being hunted down by the Ten.
Moreover, the path Qin Mu pointed out to him was also fraught with hidden dangers.
As long as he followed Qin Mu's advice, then when the Ten Heavenly Venerables went to war with him and the Eleventh Heavenly Venerable, fighting until the heavens split and the earth cracked, the back of the Ancestral Court would become a second battlefield!
"Is there a third path?" Long Xiao asked.
Qin Mu smiled slightly: "The third path is the most dangerous one. When the Ten Heavenly Venerables left just now, they invited me to attend the Heavenly Alliance meeting, discussing how to divide the back of the Ancestral Court and other major matters. I will claim a territory in the back of the Ancestral Court, and you can openly pledge allegiance to me, becoming a great general under my name."
Long Xiao's expression changed drastically. He shook his head: "You can barely protect yourself—how can you protect me?"
"Precisely because I can barely protect myself, there is a glimmer of hope."
Qin Mu laughed: "The Ten Heavenly Venerables are not of one mind; they compete with each other. But they also share a common goal—maintaining peace among themselves before eliminating other enemies. They will not tear their faces off with the Eleventh Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court, so they will give her a share of the back of the Ancestral Court. They can give a share to the Eleventh Heavenly Venerable, and they can also give one to me, because I have people among the Ten Heavenly Venerables."
Long Xiao frowned: "You can protect yourself, but I have no one among the Heavenly Venerables. If I pledge to you, will they tolerate me?"
"If you pledged to any one of the Eleven Heavenly Venerables, it would break the balance. But pledging to me does not break the balance. The two of us are the weakest—the Twelfth Heavenly Venerables—so we have a chance to survive."
Qin Mu said unhurriedly: "The chance is not great, but it can be fought for."
Long Xiao paced back and forth, hesitating, then suddenly looked up: "Then is there a fourth path?"
Qin Mu fell silent.
Seeing this, Long Xiao quickly laughed: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, whether or not there is a fourth path, I am grateful to you, and I still consider you my ally! Rest assured, I will never betray you!"
Qin Mu made up his mind and suddenly looked up: "There is a fourth path. Although this path has its difficulties, it is also the best path, the easiest to realize, and it will even preserve your ruling position, freeing you from the control of the Ten Heavenly Venerables and keeping you above the worldly struggles! However, this path will weaken my interests. Therefore, I want you to promise to do three things for me. If you agree, I will fight for this path for you."
Long Xiao hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Good! I agree to your three demands!"
"The fourth path is for the Twelve Heavenly Venerables to divide the back of the Ancestral Court, allowing the giant beasts to migrate to the backs of the Primordial Realm and other myriad worlds, establishing a Giant Beast Grand World."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered: "The Beast Realm stands independent of all other realms. Long Xiao, as the ruler of the Beast Realm, will be the only Ancient God there. The giant beasts of the Beast Realm can establish summoning contracts with deities or divine ability practitioners, answering the call to descend from the Beast Realm to fight alongside them. When the battle ends, the giant beasts return to the Beast Realm. In this way, all the Heavenly Venerables can share in the power of the giant beasts, while also controlling the Beast Realm through you. Therefore, they will all nod in agreement."
Long Xiao's eyes lit up. This path was indeed the best one. He would have no conflict of interest with the Twelve Heavenly Venerables, nor would he be subdued by them and turned into a mount, nor would he be in danger of losing his life!
But would this path be easy to realize?
"The Twelve Heavenly Venerables each have their own interests. This path does not harm any of their interests, and they can also use the power of the giant beasts to wage war. As long as you remain impartial, it will actually be the easiest to realize."
Qin Mu sighed: "But this path damages my interests. Without your assistance, I will become the weakest faction in the back of the Ancestral Court. However, precisely because of this, the other Eleven Heavenly Venerables will all agree to this proposal."
Long Xiao laughed: "This path is the best!"
Qin Mu glanced at him and said: "I can help you realize this path."
Long Xiao quickly said: "I promise your three demands, and I will not go back on my word!"
Qin Mu's expression softened, and he said: "It's not that I don't trust you, but a basic contract is still necessary. You and I will establish a Little Earth Count's Pact. If you violate the contract in the future, the Little Earth Count will take away your soul."
Long Xiao laughed: "That is only proper."
The two established the Little Earth Count's Pact, but Long Xiao did not sense where this Little Earth Count was. He thought to himself: "Never mind the Little Earth Count's Pact—even the Earth Count's Pact cannot restrict me. Although the Earth Count can take away my soul, there are places he cannot reach. As long as I stay in my Beast Realm, the Earth Count cannot enter, and he cannot do anything to me. Can the Little Earth Count be more powerful than the Earth Count?"
Qin Mu said earnestly: "Long Xiao, I do not wish to scheme against you, but I must warn you in advance. The Little Earth Count is different from the Earth Count. He is not bound by the Great Dao of the Netherworld Capital, and he can go anywhere in the world. If you violate the contract, when he arrives at the Beast Realm, that will be your death."
Long Xiao's expression changed drastically. He asked cautiously: "Then this Little Earth Count is..."
Qin Mu did not hide it, saying: "He is my blood brother. He is ferocious by nature and extremely formidable. Even I fear him three parts."
Long Xiao immediately felt relieved, thinking: "Heavenly Venerable Mu is a watered-down Heavenly Venerable. His blood brother can't be that formidable either. He won't be able to do anything to me."
"These days, you should stay hidden first, do your best to preserve your life, and wait for good news."
Qin Mu said: "Let Dragon Qilin follow you. He is your adopted son, so you must take good care of him."
Long Xiao acknowledged, saying: "Rest assured. If the Beast Realm comes to be in the future, Long Pi will have half the realm!" With that, he burst into loud laughter.
Qin Mu rose and left.
Long Xiao asked: "Pi'er, is the Little Earth Count really Heavenly Venerable Mu's elder brother? How does his strength compare to the other Heavenly Venerables?"
Dragon Qilin said: "His skill is a bit higher than Heavenly Venerable Mu's, but far below the Heavenly Venerables. However, he is ferocious by nature."
Long Xiao laughed: "This Little Earth Count's Pact is also full of water." And so he did not take it to heart.