Chapter 651: The Floating Realm
In the following five or six months, Xích Khê and Ban Công Thố remained at peace with them. Xích Khê took the initiative to appear and pay respects to Sơ Tổ Nhân Hoàng. Although Sơ Tổ Nhân Hoàng was very weak, he did not avoid the meeting. Xích Khê could not discern his true strength, so he had no choice but to restrain himself and focus entirely on steering this green vessel toward the Floating Realm.
The great ship was severely damaged—all six wings had been snapped off, greatly reducing its speed. Xích Khê used the crow wings of the Hỏa Nha Thần Nhân to replace the original wings, but the speed was still far inferior to before. Although they took a shortcut, the time spent was much longer than anticipated.
During these few months, aside from cultivating his primordial spirit with Linh Dục Tú, Tần Mục also sparred with Ban Công Thố, studying the combat techniques of the three-headed, six-armed form.
Ban Công Thố cultivated the Vô Lậu Đẩu Chiến Thần Công passed down by Xích Khê, which was extremely formidable. Previously, Tần Mục had once struck Ban Công Thố with a single palm and gravely wounded him, so he had somewhat looked down on this Xích Minh-era technique. However, after witnessing Xích Khê's battle with Đại Nhật Tinh Quân, he became interested in the three-headed, six-armed form.
Ban Công Thố was trembling with fear, deeply terrified of him from the bottom of his heart. So when Tần Mục proposed sparring, he refused without a second thought. Only after being beaten up by Tần Mục did he reluctantly nod in agreement.
The two sparred, and Ban Công Thố's understanding of the Vô Lậu Đẩu Chiến Thần Công grew deeper and deeper. Suddenly, one day, a mad thought arose in his heart: "My cultivation and strength are advancing so rapidly—if I suddenly struck with killing intent, I could definitely take down that brat Tần!"
During their sparring session, he suddenly unleashed a lethal move, attempting to kill Tần Mục. Then he lay in bed for over ten days before recovering.
After Ban Công Thố's injuries healed, he absolutely refused to spar with Tần Mục again, even when Tần Mục swore he would not strike heavily anymore.
Tần Mục had no choice but to have Linh Dục Tú spar with Ban Công Thố while he watched from the side.
Linh Dục Tú cultivated the Tổ Long Thái Huyền Công, a Đế Tọa-level martial art and divine ability. Although she was not of the dragon race, she had cultivated the Cửu Long Đế Vương Công since childhood, so her progress was swift.
Moreover, Bá Sơn Tế Tửu had pointed out to her the path of merging martial arts and techniques. Linh Dục Tú advanced boldly and fiercely along this path, surging forward like a dragon, cultivating a body of wild dragon-like strength.
Her strength was on par with Ban Công Thố's, and in terms of raw power and the might of her divine abilities, she far surpassed him. However, in terms of physical transformation, she could not match the three-headed, six-armed form of the Vô Lậu Đẩu Chiến Thần Công.
One day, Ban Công Thố suddenly broke through, opening his Sinh Tử Thần Tàng. Linh Dục Tú immediately found herself outmatched and was defeated.
Ban Công Thố was smug and triumphant, glancing at Tần Mục. A surge of overwhelming confidence welled up in his heart: "I've broken through the wall of the Sinh Tử Thần Tàng, and he's still at the Thất Tinh realm. Killing him would be too easy! I'll arrange his corpse into a big character for 'admiration'... But Sơ Tổ is protecting him, so it's hard to make a move..."
Just then, Xích Khê suddenly spoke tensely: "The Floating Realm is almost here!"
Tần Mục and Linh Dục Tú immediately came to the forest at the bow of the ship and looked outward, but they saw nothing. Sơ Tổ Nhân Hoàng also walked over—he too saw nothing.
During these days, Tần Mục had been treating his injuries, and his complexion had improved considerably. However, the toll of the Thiên Khuynh Tam Thức had been too great; his face was still somewhat pale and sickly.
Suddenly, the broken ship shook violently and became extremely turbulent. Xích Khê poured all his magical power into desperately steering the vessel, lest it fall apart.
Tần Mục looked outside—all around was still dim and dark, and he could see nothing. He had no idea what was causing the ship to shake. Just as he was wondering about this, he noticed that the ship was becoming longer and thinner.
Not only was the ship growing longer and thinner—they themselves were also becoming elongated and slender, as fine as a hair, stretching for hundreds or thousands of miles!
The speed at the bow was increasing rapidly, but the speed at the stern had not yet quickened. It was then that Tần Mục realized they and the ship were being drawn into a hole in the starry sky!
That hole blended perfectly with the surrounding darkness—it was completely invisible!
Whoosh—
The ship, along with Tần Mục and the others aboard, was swallowed by the hole. Suddenly, the dark space quivered twice like fish jelly formed from cooled fish soup, then returned to calm. The broken ship covered in trees had vanished without a trace.
After passing through this invisible hole, the ship returned to normal.
Aboard the ship, the scene before everyone's eyes suddenly became bizarre and dazzling. All sorts of colorful lights flashed past like a revolving lantern. They seemed to be traveling through a maze composed of various colored lights. Xích Khê was nervously controlling the ship's course, not daring to be the least bit careless.
"What place is this?"
Tần Mục was alarmed and uncertain. The lights around him gave him an extremely dangerous feeling—as if the slightest touch would cause him to perish, body and soul destroyed, spirit scattered to the winds.
"This is the place discovered by the first Xích Hoàng. After Xích Hoàng entered this place, he never appeared again for a thousand years. The gods and demons who entered to search for him also never returned alive. The Xích Minh era then fell into a chaotic period. It is said that heroes contended for supremacy across the land—some gods and demons usurped the imperial throne and established false dynasties, while other gods and demons carved up territories, plunging the mortal world into chaos."
Xích Khê continued: "In the end, among Xích Hoàng's descendants, a peerlessly talented strong one crushed the false dynasty and reestablished the Xích Minh Divine Dynasty. He was called Minh Hoàng. The era of Xích Hoàng was called the Tây Hoàng period, while the era of Minh Hoàng's reign was called the Đông Hoàng period. Eastern Xích Minh and Western Xích Minh—both are part of the Xích Minh era. When Minh Hoàng performed ancestral rites and held a great sacrifice, he obtained a wisp of Xích Hoàng's consciousness that had drifted across the universe, and thus learned the path to this place. Only Minh Hoàng knew this path. When Minh Hoàng later died in battle, he passed the path to the Xích Minh Thần Tử. The Thần Tử led the remnants of our Xích Minh era here to take refuge—that was three hundred and fifty thousand years ago."
Tần Mục, Linh Dục Tú, and the others listened, utterly absorbed. During the transition between Eastern and Western Xích Minh, heroes must have risen and contended for supremacy—that era must have been dazzling with brilliant stars, extraordinarily magnificent.
"What a pity I wasn't born in that era, to see the heroes and champions of those times." Tần Mục sighed with emotion.
Xích Khê's six eyes glanced at him, and he sneered: "Even if you had been born in that era, it would have been useless. Minh Hoàng was the Son of Heaven's Mandate. If you had gone there, you would only have been crushed beneath the wheels of the Son of Heaven's Mandate!"
"Son of Heaven's Mandate? You mean one chosen by the Mandate of Heaven?"
Tần Mục's heart stirred slightly, and he said: "Then is the Xích Minh Thần Tử also one chosen by the Mandate of Heaven?"
Xích Khê did not answer. Suddenly, the maze of light came to an end, and ahead appeared a vast continent floating amidst the various colored lights. Above the continent, sun and moon moved in their courses, with a few scattered stars as well.
Tần Mục looked around—the continent was completely surrounded by light, and he could not see the outside world, nor any other stars.
This place was completely cut off from the outside world—it was indeed fitting to call it the Floating Realm!
The green vessel covered in forests sailed toward the center of the continent. Sơ Tổ Nhân Hoàng said weakly: "Mục Nhi, look at the sun."
Tần Mục's heart stirred: "He called me Mục Nhi—is he trying to draw us closer? Hmph, I haven't forgiven you yet..." Even so, he could not bring himself to hate Sơ Tổ.
He looked toward the sun of the Floating Realm and was momentarily stunned. The Floating Realm had three suns. The suns were very large, but the light they emitted was somewhat strange—it seemed like divine light. Moreover, within the suns there were actually layers upon layers of patterns, like pupils of eyes.
"Formation structures?"
Tần Mục said in surprise: "This sun is man-made?"
Sơ Tổ shook his head: "It's an eye."
Tần Mục's heart leaped, and he blurted out: "Xích Hoàng's eye? Do you mean that Xích Hoàng died here, and his eyes transformed into the suns?"
"And the moons."
Sơ Tổ raised his hand weakly, pointing at the bright moons in the sky—there were also three of them—and said: "The moons should also be formed from Xích Hoàng's eyes. The scattered stars in the sky are probably Xích Hoàng's Ngũ Diệu Thần Tàng. This Xích Hoàng likely died here, his body transforming into this continent, becoming fertile soil, his blood becoming rivers, his sea of qi becoming the vast ocean."
Tần Mục was deeply shaken, murmuring: "Xích Hoàng used his own flesh to create the Floating Realm, giving his descendants a place to stand. This Xích Hoàng is truly admirable..."
Soon, divine generals with six arms and three heads flew over to conduct an inspection. When they saw Xích Khê, they quickly saluted and said: "Sir, you left the Floating Realm to seek news and did not return for several thousand years. The Thần Tử was deeply worried. Now that you have returned, the Thần Tử will surely be overjoyed!"
Xích Khê was deeply moved and said: "This old minister has endured countless dangers and hardships, and has finally returned alive. However, the clansmen who went with me all met with misfortune. This old minister must go and offer his humble apologies to the Thần Tử!"
Tần Mục was surprised. Xích Khê's words did not seem feigned. This execution official of the Xích Minh era looked coldly upon everyone, yet toward this Xích Minh Thần Tử, he showed genuine respect.
"Could the Xích Minh Thần Tử also be a figure as captivating as Xích Hoàng and Minh Hoàng?" he thought to himself, filled with anticipation at the prospect of meeting the Xích Minh Thần Tử.
The green vessel landed outside an imposing divine city. Xích Khê quickly disembarked and was about to head to the imperial city to report his experiences to the Xích Minh Thần Tử when he suddenly remembered something. He said to the three-headed, six-armed divine general: "These are envoys from Diên Khang, here to pay respects to the Thần Tử and discuss matters of alliance. Arrange lodging for them first and let them wait in peace for the Thần Tử's summons. This one is Ban Công Thố, a disciple I have taken in. Arrange for him to stay in my palace."
The six-armed divine general acknowledged the order and said: "Envoys, please follow me."
Tần Mục, Linh Dục Tú, Sơ Tổ, and Ban Công Thố followed this divine general into the divine city, looking around and marveling continuously. The people here were all three-headed and six-armed, with three heads and six eyes. Some even had nine eyes, and some had cultivated a vertical eye in the center of their foreheads—likely due to differences in cultivation methods.
Aside from that, Tần Mục also noticed many strange beasts. These beasts also had three heads and eight legs! Cultivators of high status rode these beasts as they walked through the streets!
"Even the cultivation methods of the strange beasts are somewhat similar to Đại Tôn's Vô Lậu Đẩu Chiến Thần Công!"
Linh Dục Tú looked at a civet cat crouching on a rooftop eave—the cat was as large as a tiger and had three heads arranged side by side—and said in surprise: "The civilization of the Xích Minh era seems to be built entirely upon the foundation of three heads and six arms. How incredible!"
They arrived at the center of the imperial city. Here there was a city within a city—walls forged of purple gold, with thousands of palaces and ten thousand halls within, majestic and magnificent. Outside this city should be the dwelling place of gods and demons, also with layer upon layer of palaces and towers.
The three-headed divine general led them to a palace estate and said: "The Diên Khang envoys shall reside here for now. Before long, the Thần Tử will summon you."
Tần Mục heard the sound of reading aloud coming from next door. He walked over, looked up, and peered inside. The hall was extremely luxurious—it should be a private school for noble gods and demons. Some three-headed, six-armed children sat inside the hall, reading along with their teacher.
They had three mouths, and their crisp voices clearly reached Tần Mục's ears: "Three parts of the sky, Long Hán; Xích Minh split in two! Northern and Southern Thượng Hoàng established; Khai Hoàng passed down one generation!"