Chapter 716: The Dignity of the Southern Emperor
"With the Thái Vi Calculation Classic's deductions, it's still a blank zone. It can derive higher-level Dao rules that we haven't noticed before, but to actually calculate them requires a large number of mathematical experts."
"The Nguyên Từ Divine Ability would be much easier. Giáo chủ Tần has already designed several equations to deduce the Nguyên Từ runes from. We only need to derive deeper-level equations and deduce the foundational runes of the Nguyên Từ Divine Ability, then we can determine the outline of this divine ability system."
Hư Sinh Hoa discussed with Kinh Yến: "I plan to establish the Thượng Thương Academy, but Thượng Thương is still not in my hands yet. Establishing the Thượng Thương Academy is imperative, otherwise in the future Diên Khang will have no place for Thượng Thương. Yến Tử, what do you think?"
Kinh Yến said: "To this day, the Western Lands still haven't established an academy. Why doesn't my husband gather people from the Western Lands? The Western Lands have many talents, but the clan gatekeeping is deeply entrenched. If my husband goes there to build a Thượng Thương Academy that breaks down clan barriers, the Chân Thiên Cung Lord will definitely be willing to help you. Helping you is also helping her break the great clans of the Western Lands."
She thought for a moment, then said: "The Western Lands were conquered by Giáo chủ Tần. The great clans of the Western Lands respect Giáo chủ Tần the most. If the Thượng Thương Academy is built in the Western Lands, we must invite Giáo chủ Tần to serve as its Grand Sacrificial Officer. With his reputation, plus the support of the Chân Thiên Cung Lord, there will be no resistance. After the Thượng Thương Academy is established, my husband can counterattack Thượng Thương, completely eradicate the lackeys the Heavenly Court left there, and from then on Thượng Thương will fall into my husband's hands. Moreover, when Thượng Thương is merged into Diên Khang, the Emperor will also strongly support you."
Hư Sinh Hoa's eyes lit up, and he smiled: "Yến Tử's idea is excellent. Let's do it that way. Then, between Giáo chủ Tần's Thái Vi Calculation Classic and Nguyên Từ Divine Ability, which direction should my Thượng Thương Academy choose?"
Kinh Yến pondered: "The Daoist Sect has a long history with deep foundations, while the Thượng Thương Academy hasn't been established yet. My husband has no capital to compete with the Dao Lord. Moreover, the Thái Vi Calculation Classic should be extremely troublesome—it would be difficult to produce results within a few years—while the Nguyên Từ Divine Ability can easily yield results. A few years later, the Thượng Thương Academy and the Thiên Thánh Academy will share the achievements of the Nguyên Từ Divine Ability. Borrowing the name of the Thiên Thánh Academy to make a name across the world, once the reputation is established, scholars across the land will naturally be willing to enter the Thượng Thương Academy to study."
She smiled: "And by that time, the Daoist Sect's research on the Thái Vi Calculation Classic should still have few results. By then, my husband will have both fame and people, and can participate in the research of the Thái Vi Calculation Classic."
Hư Sinh Hoa's heart was greatly settled, and he smiled: "With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?"
The couple's plans were set. Kinh Yến said: "Princess Tú is a first-rank commandery princess of the Western Lands. The Emperor trusts her greatly, and as a woman, a heroine among women, the Western Lands—where women hold high status—trust her deeply, and her network is vast. I will visit Princess Tú to open this connection, and through her, open the connection with Chân Thiên Cung. My husband should discuss with Giáo chủ Tần to open that connection. Then there will be no resistance."
Hư Sinh Hoa made the decision immediately and told Tần Mục about this matter.
Tần Mục smiled: "The Western Lands only have one Chân Thiên Cung. Chân Thiên Cung was originally subordinate to Thượng Thương, but in recent years its control over the Western Lands has weakened, to the point where great clans stand like forests. In peaceful times it's tolerable, but if turmoil arises, the Western Lands will surely rebel. Brother Hư's idea of establishing the Thượng Thương Academy is excellent. I can put my name on your Thượng Thương Academy's roster. You also need to visit Sister Úc Tú—she has deep roots in the Western Lands—and then together with her, submit a memorial to the Emperor. The Emperor will allocate funds and personnel to help you establish the Thượng Thương Academy as soon as possible."
Hư Sinh Hoa was overjoyed.
Tần Mục finished handling some trivial matters at the Thiên Thánh Academy, and Sơ Tổ Nhân Hoàng said: "Mục Nhi, we should set out!"
Tần Mục acknowledged, took leave of Tư Bà Bà, and caught up with Tiều Phu, Đế Dịch Nguyệt, and the others.
"Ahead in Bá Châu Prefecture, there's a calamity god stone statue."
Tiều Phu Saint said: "Thiên Vương, do you want to go take a look?"
Đế Dịch Nguyệt said calmly: "Might as well take a look."
Tần Mục followed them to Bá Châu Prefecture. The stone statue had emerged from within Bá Châu City, extremely tall, standing in the city like a mountain peak.
This stone statue had a bird's head and a human body, wings half-spread, eyes extremely sharp—it was a statue of a woman.
She was draped in Vermilion Bird fire-patterned feathers. Though her body was massive, her figure was quite graceful. If one ignored the bird's head and bird claws, the overall form was quite beautiful.
The statue was already surrounded by brick walls, but outside the walls there were many piles of incense ash and candles—leftovers from ignorant commoners who had come to worship.
"Don't these people know the statue is a calamity god, sent to exterminate them?"
Đế Dịch Nguyệt saw that some commoners were still coming to burn incense and pray, and couldn't help shaking her head: "When the statue revives, it will bring calamity upon Diên Khang. These commoners without cultivation or power will certainly die in the first wave of disaster. Worshiping a calamity god that will bring disaster and kill you—what kind of reasoning is that?"
Tần Mục said: "Sister, this is precisely the difficulty of breaking the gods in people's hearts. The more terrifying the god, the more the ignorant masses revere it, and the easier it is to receive worship. The National Teacher's reform of folk customs is precisely to break the gods in people's hearts—whether divine ability users or gods and demons, all must serve the people."
The feathers on this stone statue had already transformed from stone into real feathers, clearly having absorbed a considerable amount of the dead's blood and qi, showing faint signs of revival.
The scales on her legs were also becoming clear, and one could faintly see divine blood flowing beneath the skin of her neck.
Although Lâu Vân Khúc had escaped, the poison ran deep. Many stone statues within Diên Khang's borders were on the verge of revival, and the Bá Châu statue was just one of them.
In truth, even without Lâu Vân Khúc, these stone statues would eventually revive. Even the natural deaths of Diên Khang's common people would become sacrifices to the statues.
Lâu Vân Khúc had merely accelerated the process many times over.
Đế Dịch Nguyệt arrived beneath the statue and said softly: "So it's a junior sister under the Southern Emperor. Junior sister, you may return to report to the Southern Emperor that your senior sister Đế Dịch Nguyệt is now in Diên Khang. Let this matter of bringing calamity end here."
The bird-headed goddess statue showed no reaction.
Đế Dịch Nguyệt chuckled softly and said unhurriedly: "You should be able to hear my voice. Your physical body is here, while your primordial spirit remains with the Southern Emperor. You can hear everything I say from over there."
The bird-headed goddess statue suddenly emitted a crisp bird cry, and the bird cry transformed into a human voice: "You are also under the Southern Emperor? Since you are a senior sister, then why are you helping outsiders? Senior sister, it's not that I won't give you face, but if I leave just because of your words, where would my dignity be placed?"
"It is precisely because I am giving you face that I am speaking to you politely and asking you to leave."
Đế Dịch Nguyệt smoothed the hair at her temples, smiling ambiguously: "You joined the sect quite late, didn't you? You probably don't know you have a senior sister like me, nor do you know my methods."
The bird-headed goddess statue suddenly moved, its bird head lowering, stone eyes fixed on Đế Dịch Nguyệt, saying: "May I ask for instruction?"
Đế Dịch Nguyệt raised her hand and pressed down lightly in the air. The mountain-sized bird-headed goddess statue suddenly vanished with a thunderous boom, leaving only a shattered spatial hole in its place, from which piercing bird cries emanated!
Đế Dịch Nguyệt hooked her hand backward, then pulled. The bird-headed goddess statue came whistling back, slamming back into Bá Châu City with a boom. The statue shook unceasingly, and the spatial fragments behind it reassembled with a whoosh, quickly repairing the spatial hole until not a trace remained!
And the flesh and blood of the bird-headed goddess statue was rapidly growing, quickly transforming from a divine statue into a living deity.
The bird-headed goddess stood in place, revealing a look of terror, her body trembling, not daring to make any move.
She had transformed her physical body into a stone statue to send it to Diên Khang, but her primordial spirit contained too much energy to cross the world barrier and descend into this world.
Therefore, she could only wait for blood sacrifices to perform energy exchange, allowing her primordial spirit to descend and revive her physical body—only then could she bring calamity and destroy the world.
However, just now, Đế Dịch Nguyệt had pressed down with her hand and directly sent her physical body back to her palace in the other world.
Not only had she been sent back to her origin, but her primordial spirit had also been forced back into her physical body!
Đế Dịch Nguyệt then hooked her palm backward and pulled—she had actually dragged her physical body and primordial spirit together all the way to Diên Khang, which was why she could revive!
Such magical power, such terrifying strength—it could almost rival her master, the Southern Emperor!
She had never heard that there was such a senior sister among her fellow disciples!
Đế Dịch Nguyệt said calmly: "Junior sister, this is what it means to not give you face. Just now I already left you a great deal of face. Don't force me."
The bird-headed goddess hastily stepped back, bowed, and said: "I obey the senior sister's decree."
She was about to leave when she suddenly froze.
Now she had been pulled into the world where Diên Khang was located, with the world barrier still separating her from her own world. With her strength alone, she could not cross the barrier.
Cold sweat broke out on the bird-headed goddess's forehead as she looked at Đế Dịch Nguyệt.
Đế Dịch Nguyệt smiled: "Junior sister, have you forgotten something?"
The bird-headed goddess suddenly understood. She activated her mind, and in the capital's treasury, a calamity-bringing divine weapon that had been sealed with layer upon layer of seals suddenly shook with a boom, shattering the seals into pieces. Among them, a vermilion-red gourd shot into the air, blasting open the treasury, and streaked with light all the way toward Bá Châu.
Before long, the bird-headed goddess raised her hand, catching the vermilion gourd, and said with a respectful demeanor: "Senior sister, may this little sister return now?"
Đế Dịch Nguyệt smiled lightly: "My junior brother under the Northern Emperor came to bring calamity. Besides taking away the Northern Emperor's divine weapon, he also left one of his arms behind."
The bird-headed goddess's expression changed drastically. Suddenly her wings behind her raised like a fire blade, and with a swoosh, she severed her other wing.
The severed wing dripped with fire, the flames extremely gorgeous and dazzling, as if woven from countless divine-rune feathers.
Enduring the pain, the bird-headed goddess set down her wing, stepped back, and stood with utmost respect.
Đế Dịch Nguyệt smiled: "Junior sister, that will do. When you return, tell our master that your senior sister Đế Dịch Nguyệt is here, and that it has been twenty thousand years since she last paid respects to our master. Kowtow to her on my behalf."
The bird-headed goddess was in so much pain that sweat poured down her forehead like rain, and she said in a hoarse voice: "This little sister will definitely meet with our master!"
Đế Dịch Nguyệt smiled: "Tell her that if she comes personally to bring calamity, I will not show mercy. You may go."
She flicked her finger, and the bird-headed goddess suddenly spun uncontrollably, tumbling into the depths of space and disappearing.
Đế Dịch Nguyệt raised her hand and gently brushed over the spatial hole, restoring space to smoothness with no trace to be seen.
Tần Mục said worriedly: "Sister, you made her leave a wing behind before going. Will that leave trouble? She will definitely hold a grudge against you."
Đế Dịch Nguyệt smiled: "Trouble naturally exists, but I don't care about the grudges of these junior brothers and junior sisters. What I care about is that my several masters are all ruthless characters. Mainly, I'm lazy—too lazy to go searching for these stone statues one by one. When the junior brothers and sisters suffer losses, they'll definitely go back and tell the Northern Emperor and Southern Emperor. When the Northern and Southern Emperors know I'm here, they'll know they can't bring calamity, and if they force their disciples to do it, those disciples will definitely suffer. So they'll recall the other stone statues, saving every disciple from losing an arm. And I save myself the trouble of searching for those statues one by one—killing two birds with one stone."
Tần Mục picked up the bird-headed goddess's wing, and Đế Dịch Nguyệt hastily said: "Don't touch it! That's Vermilion Bird sacred fire..."
Tần Mục had already picked up the wing. Đế Dịch Nguyệt was surprised and examined his palm. She saw that Tần Mục's primordial energy had transformed into fine, complex runic flames, like crystals, precisely blocking the Vermilion Bird sacred fire. No matter how fierce and violent the Vermilion Bird sacred fire's power was, it could not harm him in the slightest.
"Is this the Huyền Đô Heavenly Fire?"
Đế Dịch Nguyệt said in surprise: "The Heavenly Fire Great Dao you deduced using the Thái Vi Calculation Classic?"
Tần Mục nodded and smiled: "I've been used to frugality since childhood. That sister just now should be an expert at the Trảm Thần Đài level. Her wing should be able to forge excellent divine sabers and divine swords, so I'll collect it first."
He placed the wing into his Thao Thiết Pouch, clearing out a space so the Vermilion Bird sacred fire wouldn't burn his treasures inside the pouch to ashes.
Đế Dịch Nguyệt leaned in to look and saw that inside the Thao Thiết Pouch there was also an arm—the arm of the calamity god under the Northern Emperor—which he had also collected.
"Little brother is truly frugal, knows how to live." Đế Dịch Nguyệt praised.
Tiều Phu and Sơ Tổ Nhân Hoàng had strange expressions on their faces.
They traveled for several days before arriving at the capital. Tần Mục first went to the Đồ Giang Supervisor Factory to unload the sword pellet from Long Kỳ Lân's back, and the mechanical giants of the supervisor factory forged the sword pellet.
The Đồ Giang Supervisor Factory was the largest supervisor factory in Diên Khang, most suitable for forging a mountain-sized sword pellet. No other supervisor factory in other regions had such a large workshop.
Then news came that the stone statues across Diên Khang had suddenly vanished overnight, the capital's treasury had exploded several times, and the calamity-bringing divine weapons in the treasury had also disappeared without a trace.
A great calamity had thus been dissolved into nothingness.
Tiều Phu waited for Tần Mục to finish his arrangements, then smiled: "Now, we can go see the National Teacher and Diên Phong Emperor."
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