Chapter 1409: The Rules of the Great Ruins
The two ancient gods' expressions shifted unpredictably. The female ancient god said, "There is still a portion of our unrefined primal liquid inside that eggshell that was also stolen by that person. If that person refines it, our cultivation will not be complete..."
"There is no need to worry."
The male ancient god comforted her, saying, "Without the Taiji Primal Stone and Divine Stone, one cannot refine the primal liquid. Even if the eggshell was stolen, it is of no use whatsoever to that thief."
Yan Tianfei's heart stirred slightly. She recalled that Qin Mu had a Taiji Primal Stone embedded in the vertical eye on his brow, and said, "What if that person possesses the Taiji Primal Stone and Divine Stone, and is able to refine the primal liquid?"
The two ancient gods' expressions changed simultaneously. They immediately knew who she was referring to and looked at each other in dismay.
But then again, did that person truly have the strength to steal their eggshells right under their noses?
"There are no other experts nearby. The only one who could be called an expert is him."
Yan Tianfei said, "Mu Tianzun has many talents and has studied widely. It is possible he has the means to sneak here unnoticed and steal your eggshells. However, why did he not steal the Taiji Primal Stone as well?"
The male ancient god pondered for a moment, then said, "To him, one Taiji Primal Stone or eight makes little difference. He does not understand the wondrous uses of the primal stones. If he took the other stones, he would have completely broken with us. So he left some room for courtesy."
The female ancient god frowned and said, "Although we suspect it was him, we have no solid evidence. I fear we cannot force him to return the eggshells. The eggshells are a minor matter; the primal liquid inside is what truly matters. If he refines and devours it..."
The male ancient god shook his head and said, "If he still remembers the favor of us pointing him toward the Great Dark Wood, he will return the primal liquid. There is no need to worry. His not taking the primal stones is also his way of preserving some courtesy, so as not to completely offend us. Lady, let us go to your territory and wait a few days to see if he returns it."
Yan Tianfei shook her head with a cold laugh: "That little thief would return it? Right now he is most likely already holding the primal liquid and drinking it in great gulps."
She looked up at the Guixu Great Abyss. Without the support of the Taiji Ancient God's power, the Guixu Great Abyss was rapidly receding, its layers of space expanding.
The great abyss soon returned to the world it had originally occupied.
Yan Tianfei collected Empress Dowager's physical body, and the three of them rose and departed.
This time, although Yan Tianfei had been humiliated by Qin Mu's defilement of the Empress Dowager's body, and had been sneak-attacked by Qiang Tianfei and Shi Qiluo, sustaining some injuries, she was nonetheless very pleased in her heart.
She had not only gained the assistance of the Taiji Ancient God and formed an alliance with them, but she had also seen the hope of invincibility from the Taiji Ancient God!
When the Taiji Ancient God transformed into the Guixu Divine Maiden, the combat power she displayed was truly breathtaking!
Simultaneously possessing the power of both the Empress Dowager and Yuanmu, commanding the might of creation and destruction, with no weaknesses whatsoever!
Such a perfect existence was no less than Lord Tian and Tubo!
Moreover, the Taiji Ancient God clearly possessed the ability to fuse the great paths of the Empress Dowager and Yuanmu. As long as she captured Yuanmu Furen and ground away her consciousness, she would then be the one possessing both of these powers!
Furthermore, she had now shed the shackles of the ancient gods, with even greater room to grow, unbound by the great path of Guixu. The path to becoming a female emperor was within reach!
Casually, the two ancient gods seemed to share a telepathic connection and turned back to look simultaneously. They saw the Taiji Star Domain spinning endlessly, and the two ancient gods said in unison, "So that's it!"
Yan Tianfei did not understand their meaning and stopped in her tracks.
She watched as the two ancient gods reached out their hands together. The Taiji Star Domain spun and shrank, and before long transformed into a Taiji sand table that flew toward them, landing behind their heads.
This Taiji sand table was composed of black sand, white sand, and Taiji mineral veins. The two ancient gods walked side by side, and the Taiji sand table continuously rotated behind their heads, shifting between black and white.
Yan Tianfei examined it closely. This Taiji Star Domain and mining area had actually transformed into a strange treasure, radiating terrifying might. Moreover, amid the Taiji transformations, various forms of divine weapons emerged from the sand table, extremely formidable—even more terrifying than the treasures of the Heavenly Venerables!
The female ancient god laughed and said, "We felt that we were missing something just now, and only when we casually turned back did we discover this treasure. This is our companion-born treasure, our Dao weapon."
The male ancient god said, "We were born from the mining area. The mining area, in order to protect our attainment of the Dao, formed this Dao weapon. Taichu and Taisu also have Dao weapons to protect their paths."
Yan Tianfei's heart stirred: "My late husband also had a Dao weapon? Why did I never know?"
She was very puzzled. If Emperor Taichu also had a Dao weapon, why had she never seen him use it?
If he possessed a Dao weapon, why would Emperor Taichu have been in such a sorry state?
The Taiji Ancient Gods also did not know the reason. Dao weapons were supreme treasures, formed from the great Dao, with immense power. Such treasures could only be brought to their full potential in their hands.
The female ancient god said, "Taichu Daoxiong was born early due to being sacrificed to by Emperor Tai's clan. Could his Dao weapon have fallen into Emperor Tai's hands?"
Yan Tianfei's heart turned cold. Yan Tianfei had never once brought out this Taichu Dao weapon, keeping it deeply hidden. This must be Emperor Tai's final trump card!
Meanwhile, in the Thirtieth Void, Qin Mu stood at the bow of the Other Shore Divine Boat, holding high the eggshell of the Taiji Divine Egg with both hands. The Other Shore Divine Boat raced at full speed, carrying the young man like lightning!
The young man's heart was bursting with joy. He pushed his cultivation to the limit, fearing only that the Taiji Ancient Gods would catch up, never imagining that the wronged parties had not pursued him at all.
"Hahaha! The eggshells of the Five Primordials are finally all in my hands!"
In Qin Mu's heart, it was as if countless little fox spirits were cheering and leaping. His Dao heart was restless. Catching the fragrance of the primal liquid from the Taiji Divine Egg, his fingers itched with desire: "So fragrant! So delicious! Let me take a sip to taste!"
The Other Shore Divine Boat rumbled as it charged into the Thirty-First Void. This layer of void was somewhat dangerous for Qin Mu, but with the guilty conscience of a thief, he still worried about the Taiji Ancient Gods finding him, so he had no choice but to risk danger and enter the Thirty-First Void.
This time, he had taken an enormous risk. Activating the Overlord Three Elixirs Art, using his immature Zaiji Heavenly Palace, supplemented by the Stealing Heaven Palace, he pushed his speed to the point of ignoring spatial distance, cutting directly into the battlefield between the Taiji Ancient Gods and Qiang Tianfei, Shi Qiluo, and the others, and stealing the two eggshells without anyone noticing!
After stealing the eggshells, his heart pounded wildly and had not calmed down even now.
"Although the egg liquid is fragrant, and I have the Taiji Divine Stone to refine a portion of it, doing so would completely offend the Taiji Ancient Gods. The gain would not be worth the loss."
Qin Mu suppressed his impulse, forcibly resisting the urge to swallow the primal liquid, and headed toward the Great Dark Wood.
Arriving at the Ten Thousand Black Mountains of the Great Dark Wood, he revealed himself. He saw Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, Wei Suifeng, and the others returning from behind the ancestral court. The Great Black Mountain was bustling with activity. The Huti World hung above the Great Dark Wood like a precious bottle, emitting a serene light.
Many divine cities had already been established among the Ten Thousand Black Mountains. There were commoners who had opened up farmland and planted crops, and some cultivators and deities had subdued the giant beasts of the ancestral court, using them to guard the divine cities.
Dutian Demon King was busily shuttling back and forth between the cities, very occupied.
Qin Mu sighed in admiration. He arrived at the center of the Great Dark Wood, entered the palace, carefully set down the Taiji eggshells, took out some jade bottles, and poured the remaining primal liquid from the eggshells into the bottles.
Soon, commotion came from outside the hall. Yan'er was the first to rush in, shouting, "So fragrant, so fragrant! Young Master, what delicious thing are you secretly eating?"
Qin Mu hurriedly activated a dozen jade bottles, rapidly collecting the primal liquid into them, and said, "I can't give this to you to eat. This is the Taiji Ancient Gods' egg liquid..."
Yan'er leaned in, intending to drink the primal liquid from the eggshell. Qin Mu used his finger as a brush and wrote the character "still." Yan'er was frozen on the spot, unable to move.
"Second Junior Brother, what delicious thing are you secretly cooking in here? So fragrant that even the entire Great Dark Wood can smell it!"
Wei Suifeng barged in boisterously. Qin Mu's divine consciousness erupted, and Wei Suifeng stumbled into his divine consciousness illusion, sniffing around everywhere, shouting, "Where did you hide it? Let me have a taste! Just one taste!"
Qin Mu hurriedly packed up the remaining primal liquid and put away the eggshells.
Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian rushed in, looking around. Lan Yutian's fingers itched with desire, and he said, "I smell a strange fragrance. Brother, what delicious thing have you hidden?"
Qin Mu quickly put away the jade bottles and said, "It's the Taiji Ancient Gods' egg liquid. You can't eat it."
He explained the origin of the Taiji primal liquid and said, "The Taiji Ancient Gods and I have some friendship. This first sacred land of the ancestral court was obtained through their guidance. I cannot eat their Taiji primal liquid. Otherwise, when their cultivation is incomplete in the future, they will come for my head. Moreover, this Taiji primal liquid cannot be digested casually. It must be refined using the Taiji Primal Stone and Divine Stone..."
"Can it be pan-fried?" Lan Yutian asked.
Qin Mu was speechless. He had no choice but to take out some Taisu primal liquid and distribute some to them, saying, "I have completely offended the Taisu Ancient God, and there is no possibility of reconciliation. I'll share this Taisu primal liquid with you. Taste it, then refine it with the Taisu Divine Stone... That's all! I don't have much left!"
He hastily slapped away Wei Suifeng's hand that was groping around his body, saying, "There really isn't much left! I'm giving it to you just to let you taste the flavor. Indulging in delicious food will delay your cultivation!"
The crowd had no choice but to put away the Taisu primal liquid and Taisu Divine Stones they had received. Qin Mu's head began to ache. He looked around and thought to himself: "If I send them to Yan Tianfei's place to return the Taiji primal liquid, they will probably drink it all dry on the way. Especially Lan Yutian—he has been greedy since childhood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have eaten himself into a round face..."
His gaze fell on Wei Suifeng, and he shook his head. Wei Suifeng was bold enough to drink all the Taiji primal liquid in one go, even if it killed him.
Lan Yutian was even less suitable. As for Yan'er, Qin Mu recalled how this fierce girl devoured demon gods, and couldn't help but shiver.
Finally, his gaze fell on Xu Shenghua. He waved for the others to disperse, keeping only Xu Shenghua behind, and said, "Brother Xu, take these jade bottles to Yan Tianfei's territory, seek an audience with the Taiji Ancient Gods, and hand the primal liquid in the bottles to them. Remember, you must not drink any of the primal liquid, or you will form an irreconcilable enmity with the Taiji Ancient Gods!"
Xu Shenghua's expression was grave as he nodded in agreement.
Qin Mu handed the jade bottles to him. Xu Shenghua counted the bottles and said without changing his expression, "One bottle is missing."
Qin Mu blinked at him.
Xu Shenghua said expressionlessly, "One bottle is missing. I counted when I came in. Could Mu Tianzun be planning to embezzle what was entrusted to him?"
Qin Mu's face flushed slightly. He took out the bottle he had hidden and said awkwardly, "Oh! There really is another bottle! How strange."
Xu Shenghua stared intently at his face.
Qin Mu quickly said, "When you return the primal liquid, you absolutely must not hand it to Yan Tianfei. You must personally give it to the Taiji Ancient Gods. Remember, remember."
Xu Shenghua said, "Give me some more Taisu primal liquid and Taisu Divine Stones. I want to prepare some for my daughter."
Qin Mu said seriously, "I don't have much left either..."
Xu Shenghua looked at his face. Qin Mu's face flushed slightly. He took out a bottle of Taisu primal liquid and two Taisu Divine Stones and handed them to him, saying, "This time, there really is nothing left."
Xu Shenghua turned and left, saying, "You definitely still have a lot hidden away."
Qin Mu waited until he was far away before letting out a sigh of relief. He took out the huge Taisu eggshell, which still contained half of the Taisu primal liquid.
"My precious... gulp, gulp..."
He refined the Taisu primal liquid while placing the Taiji eggshells in his divine treasury's ancestral court, burying them in the Taiji mineral veins.
In the distance, the Taishi Divine Egg shook, and a Dao voice transmitted: "Mu Tianzun, you're secretly drinking Taisu primal liquid again!"
"No, I'm not!" Qin Mu's face flushed red as he let out a burp.
From within the egg, Taishi sneered: "Still denying it? You even stole the Taiji Ancient Gods' eggshells and hid them away!"
Qin Mu turned a deaf ear and hastily withdrew from his divine treasury, thinking to himself: "The rules of the Great Ruins—stealing doesn't count as theft... What was stolen with skill, can that be called theft? Taishi simply doesn't understand. It's Cripple Grandpa who understands me..."