Chapter 1486: The Tall, Thin Strange Man
A hundred thousand sacred mountains, in the dead of night.
Tần Mục stood atop the World Tree, unhurriedly catching the Dao dew that slid down from the Grand Primordial Dao Tree.
The half-year deadline was almost upon him. These past days, he had repeatedly done this monotonous task. Although monotonous, every time he gathered the Dao dew to repair the cracked Black Mountain, he could feel the heavy burden and responsibility on Grand Primordial's shoulders.
He had only done this for half a year, day after day, but Grand Primordial had already been here for billions of years.
Suddenly, the branches of the Grand Primordial Dao Tree, far away in the Ultimate Void's Grand Luo Heaven, swayed, rustling loudly. Countless drops of Dao dew fell all at once, scattering down together.
Tần Mục's heart leaped. He hurriedly activated his divine powers to collect all the Dao dew into the bucket. However, the Grand Primordial Dao Tree's canopy covered too vast an area. A few drops of Dao dew still fell, landing on the World Tree and being absorbed by its branches and leaves!
His heart sank. A few drops of Dao dew missing might not seem like a big deal, but the consequences it would cause were by no means trivial!
Using Dao dew to repair the Great Black Mountain, even missing a single drop would leave a huge hidden danger. It might even give the powerful beings of the previous cosmic era an opportunity to climb into this universe!
"This time, it's bad!"
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He then steadied his mind. Even if a few drops of Dao dew were missing, it would probably take a few days for the existence from the previous cosmic era to crawl over. He only needed to delay until Grand Primordial arrived.
It's just...
"Why would Grand Primordial's Dao tree, located in the Ultimate Void, sway for no reason?" He frowned slightly, feeling a vague sense of unease in his heart.
During the day, Tần Mục found those few Black Mountains that had been shaken and cracked, and meticulously repaired them. Sure enough, when he got to the last mountain, because of the missing drops of Dao dew, that Black Mountain did not completely close.
On the cliff face of the Black Mountain was a crack over two zhang and six or seven chi long, and the crack was unfathomably deep!
Tần Mục stood at the foot of the cliff, carefully examining the surroundings, making marks, and noting the exact location of the Black Mountain. He then invited Hư Sinh Hoa over and said, "For the next two days, I need to stay here and keep watch. Brother Hư, you take the iron bucket to the top of the World Tree and collect the Dao dew. The Dao dew is the key to repairing the sacred mountain; not a single drop can be missing."
He could rest assured with Hư Sinh Hoa handling things. If it were anyone else, they might eat all the Dao dew while collecting it.
Hư Sinh Hoa looked at the crack and asked, "Can you handle staying here alone?"
Tần Mục smiled slightly, exuding strong confidence: "The most powerful existence in Diên Khang is me. This time, I planted the World Tree in my Divine Treasury, and my cultivation and strength have reached a new level. Although I'm still not as good as the Ten Heavenly Venerables, compared to the Four-Colored Emperors, I should not be lacking. If I can't hold them off, then no one in Diên Khang can. Besides, the prehistoric existence can't crawl out within a few days. When Grand Primordial returns, it can be handed over to him. The half-year deadline still has two days left. I only need to guard here for two days."
Hư Sinh Hoa left with the iron bucket.
Tần Mục sat down, placing the Divine Bow beside him, quietly waiting for nightfall.
When deep night arrived, the earth shook and the mountains trembled. Outside the Ancestral Court, it was again a scene of the apocalypse. Within the Ancestral Court, the mountains shook. The Black Mountain in front of Tần Mục also trembled. From within the mountain came a rumbling roar, and the mountain body made cracking sounds, like the sound of splitting wood.
That crack extended to both sides, growing longer and wider. Divine light seeped out from within the crack. Standing before the cliff, it looked as if a giant eye had grown on the cliff face.
The divine light in the crack was hazy, like a giant eyeball. The eyeball rolled once, then its pupil stared directly at Tần Mục.
The scene was as if an incomparably huge monster was hidden inside the mountain, and the monster was using its eye to spy on Tần Mục outside.
Suddenly, within the giant eye formed of light in the crack, a human figure was walking out.
Tần Mục raised an eyebrow. The Divine Bow was right beside him, but he forcibly restrained himself and did not strike.
That person had not yet crossed over from the other universe. Attacking him now would be equivalent to spending his own divine power to open a passage for him.
The figure in the eye walked for a long time but never managed to step out of the cliff's crack. When sunrise came, the figure dissipated, leaving only the split Black Mountain.
Tần Mục let out a long breath. After a while, Hư Sinh Hoa walked over carrying the bucket and said, "Does this mountain need repair?"
Tần Mục shook his head: "If we repair this mountain, there won't be enough Dao dew to repair the other cracked Black Mountains. We only need to hold on for one more day, and Grand Primordial will return. Even if the person in the mountain walks out by then, they won't be able to stir up much trouble!"
Hư Sinh Hoa frowned slightly and looked at the crack on the cliff. The crack was already over a hundred zhang long.
And deep within the crack, there was a human-shaped imprint, seemingly fused with the Black Mountain.
Hư Sinh Hoa felt vaguely uneasy and left with the bucket.
Night fell. Tần Mục continued to guard before the crack. He heard cracking sounds continuously bursting from within. The divine light eye in the mountain was even bigger, the crack wider. The figure in the eye was also taller and clearer than before, seeming as if it could step out of the mountain wall at any moment!
By the middle of the night, the divine light shooting from the mountain wall illuminated six or seven nearby mountain peaks, revealing even the finest details. Tần Mục's shadow was also stretched very long.
And the giant eyeball in the mountain wall seemed as huge as the entire Black Mountain, sandwiched between the two halves of the split mountain!
The figure in the eye was thin and tall, like the vertical pupil of that eyeball.
His face was now clearly visible. His face had many stripes, like natural patterns. His eye was also like the strange eye in the mountain, but he only had one eye.
That eye was currently staring at Tần Mục, never blinking.
He should be walking in a collapsing universe. Every step was extremely difficult. His physical body was also like smoke, constantly breaking apart, yet constantly reassembling like smoke.
Walking in the collapsing universe meant he could be wiped out at any moment, but he was still full of hope—the hope of survival.
He had never been able to walk through the World Tree to the future universe, but now, he could finally enter that future world!
Tần Mục's palm tightly gripped the Divine Bow, ready to strike. His nerves were taut, his spirit taut. The Overlord Body Three Elixir Art was pushed to its limit by him.
The sky gradually brightened. The one-eyed tall, thin strange man in the mountain never managed to walk out of the Black Mountain. The sun rose, the strange eye in the mountain disappeared, and the tall, thin strange man also vanished.
Tần Mục let out a long sigh of relief. His whole body was covered in cold sweat, but he still revealed a smile: "It's finally over. Today, Grand Primordial should be back..."
At that moment, a vermilion bird flapped its wings, transforming into a blaze of fire as it arrived by his side, becoming the soul of the Southern Emperor. It said to him, "Little brother, Vân La Emperor and the big-headed youth are back!"
Tần Mục was overjoyed and stood up, saying, "They came just in time! Those two fellows have been gone for so long—who knows where they've been causing trouble!"
He went to meet Ngụy Tùy Phong and Thúc Quân, but saw that the two of them had grave expressions and hurried looks, rushing over at top speed, appearing travel-worn and weary.
It looked like the two of them had traveled a great distance, using every ounce of strength to rush here, without resting along the way.
Tần Mục was suspicious. From afar, he saw Ngụy Tùy Phong holding a wooden walking staff, and wondered to himself: "It looks like Grand Primordial's staff... How did Grand Primordial's staff end up in their hands?"
"Pastoral Heavenly Venerable, Grand Primordial was captured by the Master of the Mi Luo Palace and thrown into the Chaos River of the Jade Capital City!"
Thúc Quân could no longer run, but his divine consciousness was still very strong. From afar, his divine consciousness erupted, transmitting messages to him. He rapidly told Tần Mục all their incredible experiences—being trapped in the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City, encountering Grand Primordial, following him across the river, and so on.
Transmitting information through divine consciousness was far faster than language, and more complete, missing no detail. Tần Mục felt as if he had personally experienced what they had gone through. His body shook violently, and he revealed an expression of disbelief.
Ngụy Tùy Phong had stronger divine power. He carried Thúc Quân on his back and flew over with a whoosh, saying in a deep voice, "Grand Primordial left this staff behind, saying something about following a map to find him, but he didn't leave any geographical map. I don't know how to save him either!"
Tần Mục supported the two of them, lest they collapse from exhaustion, but his heart gradually sank.
Grand Primordial had fallen.
From the images transmitted by Thúc Quân's divine consciousness, the Chaos Rivers in the Jade Capital City were not actually true Chaos Rivers, but Chaos energy formed when universes collapsed. Those existences trying to break through the Chaos Rivers and reach the shore were powerful beings from various universes attempting to forcibly come to the present world, escaping the fate of being destroyed along with their universe!
The Master of the Mi Luo Palace, with unimaginable divine powers and methods, had connected one collapsing universe after another, creating the wonder of sixteen cosmic eras connected to the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City.
He had thrown Grand Primordial into one of those great Chaos Rivers—throwing him into one of those cosmic eras!
"Grand Primordial has fallen into the fourth cosmic era..."
Tần Mục's eyelids twitched. He tightly gripped the staff. After Ngụy Tùy Phong and Thúc Quân steadied themselves, he suddenly turned and left. Ngụy Tùy Phong was startled for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Junior brother, do you know where Grand Primordial's map is?"
Tần Mục did not answer. His divine consciousness suddenly erupted, transforming into an incomparably terrifying wave that swept across the hundred thousand mountains. He shouted, "Hear my command, everyone! You must leave the Great Black Mountain today! Do not stay a single moment!"
"Everyone, hear my command! I am the Diên Khang National Preceptor, Tần Mục, Pastoral Heavenly Venerable! Everyone must leave the Great Black Mountain today! No one stays!"
His divine consciousness transformed into sound, echoing back and forth, continuously resounding over the hundred thousand mountains.
Hư Sinh Hoa was in the middle of repairing a cracked Black Mountain. Hearing this, he quickly looked up in Tần Mục's direction. Beside the World Tree at the center of the Great Black Mountain, Lam Ngự Điền, Grandma Tư, Văn Nguyên, and others revealed surprised expressions, all looking toward where the sound came from.
Then, Tần Mục's divine consciousness reached directly into their minds, transforming into sound that rang in their heads. He rapidly explained the whole situation and said in a deep voice, "Grand Primordial has fallen into the fourth prehistoric cosmic era. Without his guardianship over the Great Black Mountain, the first prehistoric existence is about to break free! Tonight, I will hold this position to the death. Everyone else, take the people here and leave. Do not stay!"
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. Lam Ngự Điền was about to fly to Tần Mục's location, but was pulled back by Grandma Tư, who said, "There are priorities. Moving the Diên Khang people in the Great Black Mountain is the important matter! Do that first, then go find him!"
Lam Ngự Điền nodded silently. One by one, the deities in the Great Black Mountain transformed into beams of divine light, flying in all directions, heading to the various Diên Khang settlements in the Black Mountain.
After a while, a divine city rose into the sky. Dozens of deities held up the divine city, flying out of the Black Mountain sacred land. In the distance, Đô Thiên Demon King took down the Hồ Thiên World, transforming it into a Hồ Thiên bottle, and collected those divine cities into it.
Seeing this, Tần Mục felt relieved. He quickly rushed to the front of the split Black Mountain. With a hum, he unfolded his Spiritual Embryo Divine Treasury Domain, took out the Ling Heavenly Venerable hairpin, and waved it, pointing repeatedly. He cast one Unchanging Divine Power after another, applying them to himself and to his Divine Treasury Domain!
His figure flickered, setting up various great divine powers and various seals and prohibitions before and behind the mountain.
The Blind Man rushed over and set up seals and prohibitions together with him. Tần Mục looked up at him, his lips moving.
The Blind Man laughed and said, "Mục Nhi, do you think I could watch you go die alone?"
Tần Mục said no more. The two of them accelerated their arrangements.
The two worked from daytime until the sun set in the west, finally setting up all the killing formations properly. The Blind Man sighed in relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and laughed, "Back then, the Khai Hoàng Heavenly Master Yên Vân Hy used formations to defeat the old and new Earth Mother Primordial Lords, shocking the world in one battle. Heh heh, as the formation grandmaster of Diên Khang, I can't be inferior to her."
He was full of heroic spirit.
It was only then that Tần Mục noticed that behind him were all people.
Hư Sinh Hoa, Lam Ngự Điền, the Mute, the Cripple, Grandma Tư, Yên Nhi, and also Ngụy Tùy Phong, Thúc Quân, U Minh Crown Prince, Minh Emperor, Southern Emperor, and others. After relocating the Diên Khang people from this area, they had rushed here.
Tần Mục was moved, but then his expression darkened. He said flatly, "All of you, leave. There's no need to stay here and distract me. Brother Hư, you stay on the World Tree and make sure not a single drop of Dao dew is missing."
The Cripple raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Is this Black Mountain yours? Cripple comes and goes as he pleases. Can you control me?"
Tần Mục pointed with his hand. Countless teleportation runes wrapped around the Cripple and carried him off with a whoosh!
The Cripple roared in fury, trying to break through his teleportation divine power. He was the greatest thief in the world today. Even Lam Ngự Điền was slightly inferior to him. Even teleportation divine power could not overcome him.
Tần Mục flicked his fingers repeatedly. The Cripple had just escaped from the teleportation divine power when he fell into a Return to Ruins Great Abyss.
His speed was pushed to the limit, trying to escape before the Return to Ruins divine power erupted. But one Return to Ruins was nested within another, quickly swallowing the Cripple.
Tần Mục drew a line with his hand, and space split open with a crack, swallowing the Cripple along with the Return to Ruins Great Abyss.
He did not intend to harm the Cripple, but to send him away. This Return to Ruins Great Abyss only swallowed, did not digest. When Tần Mục sent the Cripple to a safe distance, it would spit him out.
"Do you also want me to expend my divine power to send you away one by one?" Tần Mục looked around and said softly.
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. The Cripple was the hardest one among them to deal with, yet he was easily sent away by Tần Mục. If it were them, it would likely be the same.
Grandma Tư suddenly turned around and shouted, "We're leaving! No one needs to stay! If anyone dares to stay and waste Mục Nhi's divine power, I'll beat them to death!"
—Today, my wife was discharged from the hospital. Trư Trư went to the hospital to pick her up and handle the discharge procedures, and also had to shuttle the kids around, which took a bit longer. But this chapter is also four thousand words. There will be another chapter later, and the update will be a bit later.