Chapter 670: The Charm of Mathematics and Divination
The most flamboyant person in the village had always been Blind, who loved to show off his literary flair and charm. However, ever since the Butcher had emerged from his madness and regained his former glory, this pig-slaughtering, meat-selling butcher had become so flamboyant that Blind basically had no chance to shine anymore.
With all hearts united as one, although very few of the divine cities of the Imperial Heaven survived this impact, everyone's hearts were stirred by the heroic singing of the Butcher and Qin Mu. At this moment, the divine abilities surrounding them were like an indestructible divine city.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign's Seal of Heaven and Earth transformed into the sky and earth of this city, the walls on all four sides, while the other gods and demons were generals reinforcing the walls, and Qin Mu and the tens of thousands of ability users were soldiers standing on the walls resisting the enemy's attacks.
Their qi and blood were connected, their divine abilities were connected, as they resisted the terrifying might unleashed by the destruction of heaven and earth.
Everyone felt an incredibly terrifying pressure in an instant. Some people had their blood vessels burst open from the tremendous force, blood gushing out like a fountain, turning them into bloody figures. Some had their muscles torn, their skin split open. Some had their clothes destroyed, some had their bones broken. But no one retreated. Even those whose arms were broken did not retreat in the slightest—after all, they still had their primordial spirits and could still unleash divine abilities.
Finally, the most terrifying first wave of impact passed.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign suddenly went weak in the legs, kneeling down and fainting. A pair of arms reached out to support him, not letting him fall directly, but laying him flat on the ground.
Although there were quite a few ability users and gods and demons present, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign had borne over ninety percent of the pressure for their safety. He was a cultivator at the Divine Execution Platform realm, far surpassing the other gods and demons by an unknown margin. Even if everyone were bound together, they would be far inferior to him.
Qin Mu and the Medicine Master stepped forward to examine him and treat his injuries, while the other gods and demons stood in a circle around them, resisting the aftershocks.
At this moment, the Imperial Heaven was like a hell of magma. The sky rained magma, carrying black ashes, mixed with firestones the size of mountains falling from above.
The scorching hot winds blew at speeds a hundred times that of sound or even faster, turning the magma into towering waves that rolled forward, drowning everything they encountered along the way.
Meanwhile, the trembling of the earth caused volcanoes to continuously erupt from the depths of the magma sea, with pillars of fire reaching hundreds or even thousands of miles into the sky.
The sky had long since shattered. Colorful fragments of space, having no thickness at all, drifted through the air with strange glows, some flying at extreme speeds like the sharpest blades, cutting through everything they passed.
Breathable air had basically run out. Every breath of foul air meant inhaling countless toxic gases that corroded their lungs. Even holding one's breath, the toxins would still erode their skin.
Xing Han opened the box, took out a handful of seeds, and gently blew on them. Instantly, grass grew everywhere around them, and willow trees provided shade.
The land of about six or seven li in radius that they were guarding remained relatively peaceful, becoming one of the few pure lands of the Imperial Heaven. This place had not turned into a world of magma, which was why Xing Han could use his Creation divine ability to make plants grow and purify the air.
Ma Rulai gently spread his palm, and the grass and pure land flew up, drifting behind his head into the illusory shadows of the Twenty Heavens, using Buddha light to nourish this only patch of green.
Pure air emanated from around him, and everyone greedily breathed it in.
"Continuing like this is not a solution."
Ma Rulai and the monks' Buddha light formed a huge protective dome, guarding everyone, and he said: "Even with Creation divine abilities, we cannot last many years. Eventually, the sky will turn into a black sun with no light at all. The spiritual qi and spiritual power between heaven and earth will cease to exist. Our divine abilities will regress, our cultivation will decline, and in the end, we will turn into piles of white bones here."
Xing Han closed the box and suddenly said: "Headmaster Qin, you should have a way to build another Spiritual Energy Transfer Bridge, right?"
Qin Mu, who was working with the Medicine Master to stabilize the First Ancestor Human Sovereign's injuries, looked up and said: "That's impossible now. Although I have enough materials, the altar on the Great Ruins side and this altar shattered at the same time. The surging spiritual energy collapsed both altars simultaneously. Without the altar in the Great Ruins, I cannot forge a Transfer Bridge."
Xing Han frowned, looked at the shattered sky, and shook his head: "The gods and demons might survive, only gradually weakening, but the ability users cannot survive. These ability users are all burdens. Abandon them."
The tens of thousands of ability users around them felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this.
Qin Mu straightened his waist, his gaze falling on Xing Han, and said calmly: "I have been to the Grand Bright Heaven, just above the Imperial Heaven. There is a passage there that leads directly to the Great Ruins. The Grand Bright Heaven and the Imperial Heaven have also been pierced through. We can travel from the Imperial Heaven to the Grand Bright Heaven, then transfer to the Great Ruins. No one needs to die."
Xing Han said: "But bringing these people along will only slow us down. Moreover, we gods need to protect them. In this apocalyptic world, protecting these ability users will only make us deplete faster. I suggest we travel light."
His gaze swept across everyone's faces, and he said: "Perhaps we should also kill a batch first and make them into dried meat, so we can supplement our nutrition when we get hungry on the road."
Everyone felt their hair stand on end, not daring to meet his gaze.
Qin Mu smiled ambiguously and said: "Xing Han, in my eyes, you are also a burden. If you don't want to become a burden, then think like a normal person. On the road, help when you should help and do your part properly. You are not the leader of us survivors, so don't speak in the tone of a leader."
Xing Han frowned.
The Village Chief coughed and said leisurely: "Xing Han, you should have quite a bit of dried meat in your box, right?"
Blind Man stroked the Dragon Taming Divine Spear. This black dragon was as soft as a cat, slithering under his rough palm, its bones vibrating with a clattering sound, very comfortable. Blind Man laughed: "Perhaps we could make Brother Xing Han into dried meat to satisfy our hunger on the road."
Lame Man, feeling particularly bold at this moment, chuckled: "Cut off both legs first!"
Xing Han said calmly: "Old Sword God, with your incomplete limbs, you are no longer my match. You can all come at me together. Not to mention you all, even adding this Brother Pang Yu, I am not afraid in the slightest."
The Medicine Master asked curiously: "What did you say? Say it again."
Xing Han's eyelids twitched. After a moment, he slowly said: "On the road, I will do my part."
Qin Mu looked at the First Ancestor. The First Ancestor's injuries were severe, and it would be difficult for him to wake up anytime soon. The First Ancestor's physical body was heavy, so Pang Yu the True God would need to carry him on his back as they traveled.
The other ability users could walk on the magma sea, stepping on the magma and treading across the sea. That was not difficult for them. The only thing needed was for the gods present to resist the towering magma waves and the incredibly terrifying hurricanes!
The hurricanes, a hundred times the speed of sound, would easily blow away any ability user, and the toxic gases mixed in the wind and firestones the size of mountains would severely injure or even kill them.
Therefore, gods and demons had to guard the perimeter.
"The volcanoes that keep erupting from the depths of the sea are somewhat troublesome..."
Qin Mu pondered. Volcanoes were everywhere deep within the magma sea. Each eruption released energy equivalent to a strike from a god or demon. The consequences of such terrifying energy striking ability users were easy to imagine.
"I will deal with the volcanoes together with the Sword God."
Xing Han suddenly said: "His sword techniques, combined with my divine abilities, are enough to suppress the volcanoes."
Qin Mu nodded, assigned everyone their duties, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, the Imperial Heaven has been destroyed. It is hard to leave one's homeland, but what matters most is that people stay alive. Perhaps in the future, we will return and pacify the earth, water, wind, and fire. But for now, we need to leave!"
Sang Hua knelt down, kissing the ground, gently rubbing her cheek against this land. The other ability users of the Imperial Heaven knelt down one by one, some kissing the ground, some embracing the earth.
The ability users of the Eternal Peace Kingdom watched these people quietly. Feelings of homeland and country were perhaps difficult to appreciate in times of peace and prosperity. Only in times of crisis could the profound emotions in everyone's hearts be stirred.
After a moment, everyone stood up. Gods and demons guarded the surroundings, each using their great magical power to stabilize the earth, water, wind, and fire, while the others stepped onto the now-calm magma sea, following those ahead and striving forward.
The magma sea was extremely hot, and the air was terrifyingly hot as well. Even with Ma Rulai's Buddha light, it was difficult to cool the air down.
"Seal all your pores and preserve the moisture in your bodies!"
Qin Mu called out loudly: "Those with flying divine abilities, do not fly. Conserve your primordial qi. The road is long, and we need to walk for a very long time! Those with higher cultivation, take care of your junior brothers and sisters with lower cultivation!"
He walked toward the front. Lame Man took out a compass. The compass was very ancient, with many markings on it. It should be a treasure. No one knew where Lame Man had stolen it from. The needle on the compass spun around wildly like a revolving lantern, making it impossible to determine direction.
Lame Man sighed, put the compass away, and looked around. The Imperial Heaven was covered in magma seas everywhere. The only thing that could be used to determine direction was probably the Floating Heaven that was stuck diagonally in the center of the Imperial Heaven.
Dao Master Lin Xuan and a group of old Daoists were using the Star Positioning Technique to determine direction. Daoist Cha suddenly said: "The Imperial Heaven has no stars. How do we determine direction?"
Dao Master Lin Xuan and the group of old Daoists were stunned, then dejected.
Others also wanted to determine their bearings, but at this moment, the Imperial Heaven had no stars, and the magnetic fields were in chaos. The magnetic field of the Floating Heaven and the magnetic field of the Imperial Heaven had been shattered by the collision, forming countless magnetic anomaly points. It was simply impossible to distinguish direction.
Among the group were also many exotic beasts like the Dragon Qilin and the Great Deer, which originally relied on magnetic fields for navigation. Now the magnetic anomalies left these beasts dizzy and disoriented.
"Everyone need not worry about direction."
Qin Mu took out some Buddha Element Red Chrome and Ling Buddha Mother Tree from his Gluttonous Bag, looked at Ma Rulai, and smiled: "Master Ma, I need the most skilled carpenter in the world."
Ma Rulai smiled and said: "That is me."
Qin Mu then looked at the Mute and smiled: "Grandpa Mute, I need the most exquisite craftsman!"
The Mute grinned, half a tongue growing out of his mouth: "Ah!"
Qin Mu took out paper and a brush, frantically calculating, striving for precision. After a while, he drew the blueprint of a carriage and handed it to Master Ma and the Mute, saying: "To build this South-Pointing Carriage, the components need to be precise down to the kshana level, so that it can travel hundreds of thousands of miles without deviating from direction."
Ma Rulai and the Mute looked at the blueprint with solemn expressions. After a moment, they said: "We can give it a try!"
The two immediately got busy, striving for perfection, forging the various components of the South-Pointing Carriage. After a long time, the South-Pointing Carriage was finally forged by the two. On the carriage was a golden figure made of Buddha Element Red Chrome, raising one arm to point forward. On the golden figure's head stood three small figures, each holding a wooden mallet, with a drum in the center.
Qin Mu looked at the Floating Heaven, first judged the direction, adjusted the golden figure's arm to point in the right direction, then summoned the Dragon Qilin and had it pull the carriage in circles. Everyone saw that no matter how the Dragon Qilin pulled the carriage in circles, the golden figure's hand always pointed in the same direction.
"Dao Master, I understand the principle of Headmaster Qin's South-Pointing Carriage. It relies on precise bearings, gears, and wheel rotation to keep the golden figure always pointing in one direction."
A young Daoist asked the Dao Master: "But what are those three small figures on the golden figure's head and that drum for?"
Many ability users of the Imperial Heaven perked up their ears. In the past two years, they had been studying mathematics and divination, many of them following the Daoist sect's Daoists to learn. Therefore, they were very curious about Qin Mu's South-Pointing Carriage.
Dao Master Lin Xuan said: "Those three small figures are for calculating distance. It should be that every hundred li traveled, the small figures are driven by gears to strike the drum once. By counting the drumbeats, one can know the distance traveled."
"Why calculate distance?" Everyone was surprised and asked one after another.
Dao Master Lin Xuan said: "Headmaster Qin had the Artisan and Rulai make the components precise to the kshana level, but even being precise to the kshana level, there will still be deviations, though extremely minute. I estimate that when the South-Pointing Carriage travels ten thousand li, the direction the golden figure's hand points will have a deviation of one si unit. I predict that Headmaster Qin will adjust the golden figure's hand direction after ten thousand li, turning it one si unit to the right."
Everyone was astonished. Yu He murmured: "Does it really need to be that precise?"
"Yes, it does."
Dao Master Lin Xuan said with a gentle expression, smiling: "One si deviation over ten thousand li, one hao deviation over a hundred thousand li, which would deviate about a hundred li from the destination. A difference of a hundred li is already quite significant. Headmaster Qin strives for perfection in everything he does. He couldn't stand the original sun of the Imperial Heaven, so he smashed the Imperial Heaven's sun and had the National Preceptor recreate it. You can see his personality from that."
"He really did deliberately smash our sun!" Pang Yu the True God, who was carrying the First Ancestor Human Sovereign on his back, thought with some indignation.
They had traveled about a hundred li when suddenly one of the small figures on the golden figure's head brought down its mallet, producing a drumbeat.
Everyone praised: "Just as expected!"
Dao Master Lin Xuan smiled and said: "This is the charm of mathematics and divination! Mathematics and divination may seem useless, but in reality, they are everywhere. If you all want to learn mathematics and divination more advanced than the various academies of the Eternal Peace Kingdom, you can come to my Daoist sect!"
The old monk Jing Ming glanced at him and thought to himself: "The Dao Master has learned bad habits from Headmaster Qin, starting to lure people into joining the Daoist sect. I need to mention this to Rulai, lest the Daoist sect poach our people."
They traveled ten thousand li, and the small figure struck the drum a hundred times. Qin Mu indeed stopped, opened the golden figure's belly, carefully adjusted the gears, turned one si degree, and then continued forward.
Everyone's admiration for Dao Master Lin Xuan grew even greater.
————A four-thousand-character chapter! The last day of April, begging for monthly tickets!