Chapter 863: The Chicken Thief Who Crows at Dawn
Long Qilin really wanted to turn around as calmly and leisurely as Qin Mu, flicking his tail and strolling away from this place with an air of nonchalance. However, his four legs were trembling slightly, and his tail had become somewhat disobedient.
Normally, he could easily swish his tail, but now his dragon tail felt numb, only half-raised while the other half dragged on the ground.
He had carried Qin Mu for three months, traveling a long distance from Jiangling to get here, yet he had barely stood still for a moment before everything came to an end.
But really, was it truly possible to just turn back and go home like this?
Long Qilin's legs were still weak. All around was silence, oppressively heavy. The gods and demons surrounding the Great Black Palace stood high above, their bodies and faces radiating divine light in the darkness. Only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard, yet no one spoke.
Long Qilin finally turned around, desperately telling himself to stay steady, that he couldn't misstep and tumble all the way down the mountain from the front of the Great Black Palace. But whether he would actually misstep, he truly had no confidence in his heart.
On both sides of the stone steps stood the towering bodies of gods and demons, carved like bedrock, their sinewy forms fierce and terrifying. The faces of those gods and demons were even more ferocious, their hideous features glaring at them.
Long Qilin lifted his foot, about to step down the stone stairs.
"It's also possible I'll roll down..." he thought to himself.
At that moment, a demon god standing to his left snorted smoke from his nostrils, his massive hand reaching for the demon god weapon at his waist.
The other gods and demons also made their moves, the clattering sound of divine weapons and demon god weapons vibrating through the air.
Long Qilin finally steadied his mind. His muscles slowly tensed, ready to unleash all his strength at any moment to break through the encirclement.
Just now he had been anxious and uneasy, but now that it was time to fight for his life, he had no more distracting thoughts. If he needed to flee, then he would flee with his whole heart and soul.
This was something he was good at.
Just then, a voice came from within the Great Black Palace, saying: "Hold on."
Hearing this, the many gods and demons of the Northern Heavens lowered their hands one after another.
Qin Mu patted Long Qilin's forehead. Long Qilin immediately understood his meaning, stopped in his tracks, and turned around.
Qin Mu stared directly at the ancestor of the demonic path within the Great Black Palace.
In the palace, Great Black Heaven stood up and said: "The Yan Kang Overlord Body truly lives up to its reputation. The Northern Heavens have suffered a complete defeat, and we are convinced and accept it."
Qin Mu revealed a smile: "The gods of the Northern Heavens and Master Qiao Fu, Master Zi Xi, made the Lesser Earth Bo Pact. If they were to break their promise and try to kill me, they would all be corpses by now."
The gods and demons surrounding the Great Black Palace all shouted in anger, telling him to shut up.
Great Black Heaven's expression darkened, and he said coldly: "The ones who should shut up are you all!"
His voice directly suppressed the shouts and curses of those gods and demons, rendering the gods and demons of the Northern Heavens speechless.
Great Black Heaven slowly walked forward, the black sun behind him shifting along with him, completely devouring the light within the Great Black Palace.
Soon, he arrived at the front of the palace.
Qin Mu studied this ancestor of the demonic path. Regarding the origins of Great Black Heaven, he had heard some things.
It was said that Great Black Heaven was the first demon god born in the Netherworld. The Netherworld was the place where the dead returned. Ever since death existed in the world, the Netherworld was born. Earth Bo was born from the great Dao of heaven and earth, presiding over death, punishing evil and rewarding good.
However, Earth Bo also needed to act according to the laws of the Netherworld, unable to act based on his own preferences.
The souls in the Netherworld grew more and more numerous. The negative emotions of the dead—resentment, greed, and so on—gave rise to the terrifying demonic nature of the Netherworld. Incomplete remnant souls and lingering spirits wandered in the darkness of the Netherworld, and the demonic nature deepened day by day.
Netherworld monsters came into being accordingly. These monsters did not have much self-awareness, but they were formed from the filthiest and most vile thoughts mixed with the demonic energy of the Netherworld.
The monsters devoured each other, forming demon gods.
Great Black Heaven was a demon god born in this way, and moreover, he was the first demon god of the Netherworld. Like the Netherworld God Son, he possessed extremely extraordinary and unique qualities.
He was born before the Long Han era, when the Long Han Heavenly Court had not yet been established—an extremely ancient and barbaric age.
With his appearance, the demon race came into being.
—Some also said that the true demon race in the real sense was the daughter of Earth Bo, and that all so-called demons in the world were false demons. However, not many people held this view.
The demon race honored him as the ancestor of the demonic path, the ancestor of all demons, the king of the demon race. In truth, the true founder of the demonic path and the true ancestor of the demon race should have been Earth Bo. But Earth Bo did not have many descendants, so the demon race was actually propagated by Great Black Heaven and the successive demon gods born in the Netherworld after him, having little relation to Earth Bo.
Great Black Heaven was the first demon god born in the Netherworld, and it was only natural that the demon race elevated him to such heights.
Qin Mu noticed that he actually bore some resemblance to Earth Bo, also having two long, curved ox horns. But since he hadn't turned around, Qin Mu couldn't tell whether he had an ox tail like Earth Bo.
"You are all very bold."
Great Black Heaven looked around, somewhat pained: "To make a Lesser Earth Bo Pact with others and then plan to break it—truly very bold. Don't you know that Wen Tian Ge is one of the Four Heavenly Masters of the Kai Huang era, with the nickname 'Chicken Thief Who Crows at Dawn'? When he proposes a bet, if you simply don't bet, then you can't lose. But if you bet, you've already lost. You were scheming against Yan Kang, thinking it was within easy reach, but he was scheming against the Northern Heavens! What should I do?"
Around the Great Black Palace, there was absolute silence.
Great Black Heaven sighed: "The three hundred and sixteen heavens of the North are territories my soldiers fought hard to conquer. Yet you, coveting temporary gains, would give the Northern Heavens away to others. That Chicken Thief Who Crows at Dawn truly has skill!"
"Can we break the pact?" a demon god asked with a trembling voice.
Great Black Heaven glanced at him, and that demon god's face turned ashen.
"Breaking the pact means facing the Lesser Earth Bo directly."
Great Black Heaven said calmly: "Although I am not afraid of him, this act would certainly ruin my reputation and honor. Others would laugh at me for being faithless. I have walked here from the ancient barbaric ages, and the demon race under my rule has grown stronger day by day. Yet the demon race has never been able to rise to greatness. I thought about it later, and perhaps it was because I was too cunning in the past, always going back on my word. Now that I have achieved fame and success, it is time for me to make some changes."
His gaze fell upon Qin Mu, and he smiled: "Yan Kang Overlord Body, I want to make a bet with you. Do you dare to accept?"
Qin Mu looked up at this Emperor Throne realm powerhouse towering above him, and probed: "If I don't accept Great Black Heaven's bet, what would you do?"
"I absolutely cannot abandon the three hundred and sixteen heavens of the North, so I would have no choice but to let the Lesser Earth Bo devour them."
Great Black Heaven said decisively: "If I lose these fools' lives, I can still cultivate other gods and demons to rule the heavens."
Qin Mu revealed a smile: "If it were me, I would do the same. These lords of the heavens are just servants guarding the heavens for Great Black Heaven. If they die, they die. But the population is what matters most. With a large population, one can produce an endless stream of geniuses, cultivate more powerful experts, and only then will Great Black Heaven's rule be stable."
Great Black Heaven laughed: "Will you accept?"
Qin Mu said frankly: "How does Great Black Heaven want to bet?"
"Bet that I won't break the pact. If you win, the three hundred and sixteen heavens belong to your Yan Kang."
Great Black Heaven said: "If I win, the previous bet is void."
Qin Mu laughed: "I won't bet."
Great Black Heaven frowned and asked: "Why not bet?"
"If I win, if Great Black Heaven wants to break the pact, he will still break it without any hesitation. If I lose, then the good situation that the two Heavenly Masters fought for Yan Kang will come to nothing."
Qin Mu smiled: "Between the three hundred and sixteen heavens and Great Black Heaven's reputation, which is more important?"
Great Black Heaven stared at him, and after a moment, said: "The three hundred and sixteen heavens are important. My reputation is worth nothing at all. Over millions of years, my reputation has long been thrown away!"
Qin Mu smiled broadly: "Therefore, I won't bet."
Great Black Heaven's brows furrowed deeply. Suddenly, he asked politely: "May I ask who the Yan Kang Overlord Body studied under?"
Qin Mu said solemnly: "The Chicken Thief Who Crows at Dawn."
Great Black Heaven's expression changed slightly, and he laughed heartily: "It really is him. No wonder even my little scheme was seen through by you at a glance. Since that's the case, let's change the bet. Bet on your life."
He said indifferently: "If you win, within ten thousand li of the Great Black Palace, I will let you leave alive. Once you leave this range, I will let the gods and demons of the various heavens chase and kill you as they please. If you lose, then you will be buried with the lords of my three hundred and sixteen heavens."
The moment these words were spoken, the faces of the lords of the various heavens all changed at once.
Great Black Heaven was ruthless and decisive. He harbored great resentment toward them for making the Lesser Earth Bo Pact with Wen Tian Ge on their own initiative, and at this moment, he was determined to use their lives to violate the Lesser Earth Bo Pact!
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, looked around, but couldn't see anything in the darkness.
Great Black Heaven laughed: "Are you looking for that old chicken thief Wen Tian Ge? They haven't entered the range of the Great Black Palace. The moment they step into the darkness, I will sense them."
Qin Mu smiled and said: "Is Great Black Heaven planning to make a move against me personally?"
Great Black Heaven shook his head: "Logically speaking, I should deal with you personally. However, I still want to keep some face. The one who fights with you will be selected only from my disciples or those whose age does not exceed yours. You can rest assured."
Qin Mu let out a breath and said in a deep voice: "Then, please lay down the rules, Great Black Heaven!"
Great Black Heaven laughed heartily, flicked his sleeve, turned around, and said loudly: "Refreshing! Yan Kang Overlord Body, stay for a few days and take a look at the elite forces of my Great Black Palace!"
Qin Mu walked down from Long Qilin's head and followed him into the Great Black Palace, laughing: "Great Black Heaven, you are a senior..."
Great Black Heaven shook his head: "Senior? I am not your senior. I have long known your origins. You probably don't know yet that the Four Regional Commanders of the Netherworld are all my juniors."
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Which is to say, Great Black Heaven knows my identity as the Netherworld God Son. Then why does he insist on betting with me?"
Long Qilin followed behind him with a pounding heart, carefully glancing at both sides of the Great Black Palace. He saw dim lights and shadows, and it seemed that countless monsters were hidden in the dark places.
"I'll give you extra food later," Qin Mu said.
The fear in Long Qilin's heart instantly vanished, and his courage swelled. He raised his head, puffed out his chest, and strode forward majestically.
Great Black Heaven summoned a demoness and instructed: "First, arrange lodging for the Overlord Body in the rear of the palace. Treat him well."
The demoness acknowledged the order and led Qin Mu toward the rear of the palace. She arranged a side room for him, her eyes full of affection, and said: "Young Master Qin is an honored guest. If there is anything you need, you may command me. I can do anything..."
She was beautiful, with seductive eyes like silk threads, her gaze somewhat eager.
Qin Mu's eyes lit up: "Sister can do anything?"
The demoness blushed shyly and nodded lightly.
Qin Mu handed over a pill formula: "Sister, help me refine a few hundred furnaces of spirit pills. Fatty Long, you're in luck!"