Chapter 787: The Mystery of True and False
Lingxiao Palace, a scene of deadly solemnity.
This was originally the Northern Heavenly Court of the Shanghuang era, and Lingxiao Palace was where the Shanghuang held court with his ministers, where the gods deliberated, so the interior of the great hall was vast and spacious.
Now, thousands of gods, great and small, filled this great hall, their faces tense as they watched the "man and woman" dueling on zithers within the hall, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
Zither music rang out within the hall. The two players were one a scholar, with a donkey standing behind her, and the other the Southern Emperor Qi Xiayu, with streaks of multicolored light behind her like phoenix feathers.
The two stood one in the east, one in the west, with no one else near them. Even the most powerful demigods kept their distance.
The two played their zithers with great fervor. The scholar was unrestrained and wild, her zither spinning around her continuously as if she had countless arms, her fingers flying with astonishing skill. In melody and fingering, she was flawless!
The Southern Emperor Qi Xiayu, however, appeared quite composed, without the scholar's many techniques, possessing instead a sense of unadorned simplicity. Yet her music was filled with surging, majestic emotion!
In technical skill, no one could surpass the scholar, not even Qi Xiayu could match her. She was a model of perfect musicality. However, in emotion, she was far inferior to Qi Xiayu.
Though her zither music contained emotion, it was not as abundant and varied as Qi Xiayu's.
The two's zither music clashed in deadly combat. The space around them twisted, stretched, and sometimes turned into layers of membranes. Space seemed to become visible musical notes, leaping and dancing around them!
The scholar gradually began to lose. Her calligraphy, painting, chess, and zither had all reached heights unrivaled in the world, but precisely because of her natural deficiency in emotion, it limited her from advancing further.
The four Heavenly Masters of the Kaihuang era each had their achievements and strengths, but the scholar's personality had flaws, making her inferior to Qi Xiayu's capacity for intense love and hate, and overwhelming emotion.
Her decline gradually became apparent. Suddenly, the donkey behind her reared up on its hind legs, transforming into a donkey demon king, opening its huge mouth and braying loudly, piercingly harsh.
The two women's zither music fell into chaos, and each pressed down on their strings.
The donkey's braying was extremely harsh, causing all the powerful beings in Lingxiao Palace to frown deeply and cover their ears.
In the hall, whether demigods, gods, or demons, all stared at these two in terror, even somewhat afraid of the donkey.
The two had been battling with zither music, fortunately targeting each other. Had they targeted the others, the powerful beings in this hall would have suffered heavy casualties.
But there were also six or seven people whose expressions did not change, clearly each having their own backing, with extremely high cultivation and power, unafraid of the scholar and Qi Xiayu.
"Hahaha, I've lost after all!"
The scholar put away her zither and bowed to the Southern Emperor Qi Xiayu, saying: "The Southern Emperor's skills are indeed extraordinary. After all these years, you can still surpass me by a margin."
"You flatter me, Heavenly Master Zixi."
Qi Xiayu rose and returned the bow, her gaze flickering. She was also extremely wary of her, unwilling to fight to the death with her. She smiled: "Mother Earth Yuanjun has not yet appeared, but we've already fought a battle first. Won't that make everyone laugh at us?"
The scholar's gaze swept across the faces of the thousand or so powerful beings in the hall, smiling: "The envoys of the Outer Heavenly Court, the Sword God of the Shanghuang, those under Mother Earth's command, the Southern Emperor, the Heavenly Masters of Kaihuang—all of us gathered here, having faced dangers on the road, enduring hardships to arrive. But the host is nowhere to be seen. What is the meaning of this?"
Qi Xiayu looked somewhat languid, glancing around, smiling: "Indeed. It is said that Mother Earth Yuanjun died long ago, yet now she suddenly appears, the Yuan Realm reappears in the world, and she summons her old subordinates. Although I am the Southern Emperor of the Heavenly Court, I once served Mother Earth in my early years. How could I not come to pay my respects? Unfortunately, I still have not been able to see Mother Earth Yuanjun."
Suddenly, her gaze fell upon Bai Qu'er. Bai Qu'er carried a sword on her back, dressed simply, and her gaze met Qi Xiayu's.
Qi Xiayu felt guilty and quickly averted her eyes.
Her gaze then met a one-armed man, who carried a divine saber on his back and gave her a slight bow.
Qi Xiayu nodded lightly, thinking: "Luo Shendao has come, which means there are other Heavenly Court powerhouses here. Mother Earth is indeed dead. Could it be that the Heavenly Court has secretly arranged this, using Mother Earth's name to lure these people here and wipe them all out?"
The hall was a mix of dragons and snakes, with demigods, gods, and demons alike, each with their own purposes, nothing simple.
Qi Xiayu also saw many terrifying existences among the demigods. Though their abilities were inferior to hers, they were numerous and troublesome opponents.
And outside the hall, there were countless demigods, standing in orderly ranks, silently waiting outside Lingxiao Palace, as if they were soldiers awaiting inspection.
Suddenly, a voice came from the rear hall, laughing: "Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Mother Earth will arrive shortly."
The notable powerhouses in the hall all turned to look. From where the voice came, several young women rounded a screen, surrounding a girl as they walked out.
That girl had delicate features, rosy lips, and fair teeth. She first emerged from behind the screen surrounded by the women, and only half her face could be seen. When she turned her face, everyone in the hall felt their hearts stir, silently praising: "What a beautiful person."
A faint halo shimmered behind the girl's head. She greeted everyone, saying: "Back then, my master Mother Earth Yuanjun suffered a severe blow and had to seal away the Yuan Realm. Now that the Yuan Realm has reappeared in the world, my master has summoned you all here, intending to reunite her old subordinates and make a comeback."
"Her master? This girl is Mother Earth Yuanjun's disciple?" Everyone's hearts shook violently.
Qi Xiayu looked at the girl, smiling: "Waiting a moment is fine. But I didn't know when Mother Earth ever took a disciple? Mother Earth never took disciples. Even the Shanghuang of the Northern Heavenly Court was mostly her child. This disciple of yours makes me somewhat surprised."
The girl smiled faintly: "Mother Earth originally did not take disciples, but after being severely injured last time, she took me as her disciple. The Southern Emperor used to pull the carriage for my master back then. What could you possibly know?"
Qi Xiayu forcibly suppressed her anger, smiling: "I'll settle accounts with you, little girl, once Mother Earth comes out."
Bai Qu'er said softly: "Young miss, how can you prove that you are Mother Earth's disciple?"
The girl looked at her, smiling: "So it's the Sword God Bai of the false dynasty. This halo behind my head is Mother Earth's blessing, protecting me from aging and death, with endless fortune. Can that serve as proof?"
Bai Qu'er looked at the halo behind her head, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.
"Relying only on a halo is hard to distinguish truth from falsehood."
Divine Saber Luo Wushuang suddenly spoke, saying in a deep voice: "Mother Earth's powers are vast, she is the most complex ancient god in terms of Dao techniques. Even His Majesty holds Mother Earth in the highest esteem. Have you learned Mother Earth's divine powers?"
The girl looked at him, smiling: "So it's the one-armed Luo Divine Saber of the false dynasty. Mother Earth's Great Dao has thirty-six forms, and I am quite proficient in all thirty-six."
The scholar smiled: "Words alone are no proof."
The girl said: "Heavenly Master Zixi of the false dynasty, don't be impatient. What does it matter if I'm real or fake? When Mother Earth Yuanjun arrives shortly and you all see her true form, won't you know the truth?"
The scholar's heart shook slightly: "She even knows about me? I'm from the Kaihuang era, when Mother Earth was already dead, the Yuan Realm sealed, leaving only the Great Ruins. How does she know about me? She doesn't look old, her cultivation isn't that high either, she doesn't seem like an old monster. She couldn't possibly know about my affairs. She just called the Southern Dynasty, the Outer Heavenly Court, and the Kaihuang Heavenly Court all false dynasties. Could she truly be from that Shanghuang Heavenly Court of Mother Earth? Could Mother Earth really still be alive, silently watching the events of the Kaihuang era from beneath the earth?"
—Three thousand seven hundred words, updated one minute early.
Suddenly, a demigod with a dragon head and human body spoke in a deep voice: "Mother Earth was killed by someone. I saw it with my own eyes. I saw Mother Earth's physical body being cut, her heart pierced. Mother Earth cannot possibly still be alive. Little miss, impersonating Mother Earth to summon us here is a capital offense."
The girl looked at him, saying solemnly: "So it's Ancestral Dragon King. Mother Earth was ambushed and severely wounded, but Mother Earth is after all the most ancient and greatest of ancient gods. How could she die so easily? Ancestral Dragon King, can you imagine Tubo or Lord Tian being killed?"
That demigod lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said: "No. But I saw it with my own eyes—Mother Earth was clearly dead..."
The girl smiled: "What your eyes see is not necessarily the truth. Mother Earth is still in this world. After tens of thousands of years of recuperation, her injuries have finally recovered, which is why she has summoned everyone here now. You all may not believe me, Mother Earth's disciple, but when you see Mother Earth's true form arrive shortly, you'll have no choice but to believe..."
Just then, suddenly a laugh came from outside the hall: "Elder sister, you are Mother Earth's disciple? How come I didn't know when my master Mother Earth Yuanjun took on a female disciple?"
Everyone turned to look. The scholar's heart jumped: "How did this brat get here? He really doesn't know his place!"
The donkey behind her showed a surprised expression and asked in a low voice: "Hui hui?"
The scholar nodded, suppressing her anger, saying: "Hui! It's his voice! This little bastard, how dare he impersonate Mother Earth's disciple and sneak his way in here?"
And Bai Qu'er, upon hearing this voice, suddenly stiffened, showing an expression of disbelief. She abruptly turned around, gazing dazedly toward the outside of the hall, whispering: "Your voice... your voice has appeared again, not an illusion..."
Behind the one-armed Divine Saber Luo Wushuang, the divine saber in its sheath let out a series of low hums, extremely excited.
Luo Wushuang was also extremely excited, looking toward the outside of the hall, laughing softly: "Forty thousand years, I have waited for you for forty thousand years. Your voice, I have never forgotten. When I wield my divine saber, your shadow appears in my mind, your voice sounds in my ears..."
At the entrance of Lingxiao Palace, a demigod with a qilin head and human body pulled a gleaming rope, leading a massive creature into the hall.
That massive creature was half dragon, half qilin, majestic and extraordinary, with an excellent appearance.
And on the great head of the dragon-qilin, a woman held a wooden sword, surrounded by rising rosy clouds, the glow like colorful phoenix fire.
Another woman had a halo swaying behind her head, with a small sapling in the halo, holding a horsetail whisk in her arms, with an otherworldly temperament, leaning against a young man's shoulder.
Behind the young man was a young attendant, with layers of flames behind his head, a great cauldron rising and falling within, bobbing up and down.
The young man appeared somewhat languid, with a half-smile as he looked at the girl before the imperial throne in Lingxiao Palace. He did not rise from the dragon-qilin's head, smiling: "By rights, I should call you senior sister, but unfortunately my master did not take you as a disciple. Who exactly are you?"
Inside Lingxiao Palace, an uproar broke out, with discussions everywhere.
The water qilin, seeing so many deities, trembled with fear, its legs shaking. It mustered its courage to lead the dragon-qilin toward the imperial throne, muttering inwardly: "Heavenly Court, this is the Shanghuang Heavenly Court, ahead is the imperial throne, where the Heavenly Emperor sits! What fortune have I cultivated in this life to be able to stand so close to the imperial throne..."
The dragon-qilin yawned, looking around, sticking out its scarlet tongue to lick its lips, appearing ferocious and fierce, thinking: "A thousand or so powerhouses, each one could easily kill me. But if the sky falls, the Cult Master will hold it up..."
Before the imperial throne, the girl was extremely surprised, momentarily not reacting.
The dragon-qilin arrived before the imperial throne and stopped.
Qin Mu rose, looking down at the young woman from above, with a half-smile: "Senior sister, can you give me an explanation?"
The surprise on the girl's face gradually faded, and she burst out laughing: "The Heavenly Sage Cult Master of Yankang, Qin Mu Qin Fengqing, when did you become Mother Earth's disciple? You're so naughty."
The scholar clenched her fist, taking a small bundle from the donkey's back, thinking: "It seems I'll have to act to rescue this brat. This brat, bold as can be, impersonating anyone, and now he's been exposed in one go! At least you could have changed your appearance..."
"I'm the fake one?" Qin Mu laughed heartily.
"You are the fake one."
Behind him, Luo Wushuang's voice came, word by word: "Old friend from the Shanghuang era, do you still remember that youth whose arm you cut off with a single sword stroke on that dark night?"
Qin Mu turned his head, his gaze falling on Luo Wushuang, then searched among the Lingxiu Army youths beside Luo Wushuang. The Lingxiu Army youths were all young men and women with missing arms.
However, he still saw Zhe Huali, and his heart sank: "Fuluo Ri, you still betrayed me..."
He averted his gaze and did not acknowledge Luo Wushuang.
Then, he saw another girl, appearing very lonely in the crowd.
Their gazes met. Everything around Qin Mu seemed to vanish, as if they were back on that night, he and this girl leaning together, waiting for the dawn.