Translator: Ninetales Editor: DarkGem
The blood rain wasn't heavy, and the area covered wasn't vast. It landed just on the foothills where the group resided.
Qin Mu saw numerous trees and flowers growing at an astounding speed. The trunks were tall and verdant while the spiritual air in the surroundings was so dense it seemed to be on the verge of materializing, floating around the trees like ribbons.
Among the flowers, there was a milky white fog which made them look abnormally bright and tender.
After the long rain, the lake, moat, and river were all filled up, and numerous fishes grew frantically, transforming into fish monsters like those in Great Ruins. Some of them grew legs and jumped onto the shore. When they opened their mouths to catch the raindrops, razor-sharp teeth could be seen.
The bodies of the auspicious beasts in the mountains also expanded, and all kinds of bone spikes pushed out, making them look terrifying.
The mermaids in the lake had also become abnormally huge, and their once beautiful faces had become strange.
The energy in the god's blood was too great, transforming all the lifeforms into misshapen monsters. That kind of growth couldn't be controlled, and the places which had been touched by the blood rain first would usually grow more than other places!
The land and insects were also living things, so when they got drenched by the blood rain, the foothill transformed into a place reminiscent of Great Ruins.
In Qin Mu's eyes, it was the powerful qi of yin and yang, four symbols, and five phases which had changed the balance in the bodies of the various lifeforms, resulting in the abnormal transformations. But it was different from his home.
Most of the strange beasts in Great Ruins had the bloodlines of gods and devils, which were hereditary. The strange beasts in the foothills, however, had been transformed by the powerful energy in the god's blood.
"Which god fell? Is it that Dragon Rearing Sovereign?" Mu Qingdai asked in a low voice.
Outside the huge hall, the entire mountain was covered with multi-colored lights and white fog, decorating the place as if it was a sacred ground. However, if they walked into the blood rain, they would probably transform like the lifeforms in the mountain.
If they weren't drenched directly, they could cultivate under the roof and absorb the powerful divine energy outside. That, to a divine arts practitioner, was definitely a sacred ground for cultivation!
Based solely on the spiritual and divine energies, the three big sacred ground of Eternal Peace Empire were much inferior. After all, no matter if it was Heavenly Devil Cult, Dao Sect, or Great Thunderclap Monastery, none of them would be able to kill a god to nourish their sacred ground.
'Granny had decided to stay in this desolate land to keep Li Tianxing here, but she would never have expected this place to become a sacred ground for cultivation, right?'
Qin Mu had a weird expression. He used Carefree Sword to carefully catch a drop of god's blood and examined it. He then shook his head. "This isn't Dragon Rearing Sovereign's blood. His blood is dragon's blood, but the divine energy here isn't such…" His expression became even weirder after he said that. "I've seen this blood before."
Qin Mu lowered the blade, and the droplet of blood flowed to the tip of the sword. With his wrist lifting and lowering the blade, the drop flowed continuously on the sword, never sliding off.
Suddenly, energy burst forth from the sword, and the power in the drop of god's blood was also activated. It was like a divine art exploding, and the surging energy clashed with the power of Qin Mu's move, forcing him to move backward repeatedly.
Qin Mu nodded and said solemnly, "I have seen this god's blood before. A year ago when the snow disaster suddenly stopped, it was Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor who had found the god who was responsible for it. He fought a fierce battle with him and was severely injured at the end. However, that god was also injured and bled. When I treated Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's injuries, I saw the blood of that god, and the energy in that blood was very similar to this."
Back then, Qin Mu had used a sword pellet that Mute had given him to act as a bridge to connect the remnant of the god's divine arts with the god's blood, activating their energies to wipe out each other and lessen the injuries. Only then was he able to treat Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor.
However, the obliteration of that energy had eaten up a lot of his sword pellet. It had been given to him by Mute to deal with Village Chief and comprehend a higher level of forging techniques, sp Qin Mu had regretted what happened to it for a period of time.
Qin Mu remembered those days very well. It was because Emperor Yanfeng had been encircled by Old Dao Master and Old Rulai at the time, almost dying, and it had been Qin Mu who had saved him.
Back then, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Yanfeng had both become useless and were in a terrible state. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had even brought his wife to live in seclusion in a random valley while his wife was pregnant.
"The god killed by Sunshot Divine Cannon is the god who sent the snow disaster!" Qin Mu's gaze flickered between light and dark as he said softly, "This is his retribution; he deserved to die. During the snow disaster, those that suffered were the poor, and the population of Eternal Peace Empire had instantly decreased by twenty-thirty percent. The number of people who had died was even larger than in most wars."
The three from Little Jade Capital didn't say anything.
When the snow disaster had erupted, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had gone to Little Jade Capital. Hermit Qing You had tried to stop him, wanting him to stay at Little Jade Capital to end the reform. The immortals of Little Jade Capital thought that it was the reform of Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Yanfeng that was the root of the snow disaster, so it had to be stopped for the disaster to end.
Wang Muran and the rest had also heard about that matter.
After being in a bad mood for a few days, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had still left Little Jade Capital, and not long later, the snow disaster stopped. However, Hermit Qing You frowned at that and told them that Eternal Peace Empire was still determined to proceed with its reform.
At that time, no matter if it was Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor or the immortals of Little Jade Capital, none of them would have expected the events to proceed to such a stage. No one would have expected a god to fall, and it was a god that had sent the disaster.
It was hard to say what change his death would bring to Eternal Peace Empire. No one could guess nor predict it.
Qin Mu used clear water to wash the Emperor's Disk numerous times, but he still didn't dare to touch it. He mixed a few herbs and let it soak in the concoction before finally picking it up. He then hung it back around his neck.
Outside, the blood rain gradually stopped, and the dark clouds in the sky dispersed. The day became bright once again. Qin Mu and the rest walked out of the huge hall and rose into the air to avoid the blood water on the ground.
The sky was clear, with no clouds for ten thousand miles. The battle above Eternal Empire Empire was like a dream that had never happened.
Sunshine came from the west, and the blue sky looked clear as though it had been washed clean. The air seemed to have become much fresher as well.
The group stood in the air and examined their surroundings. Suddenly, Qin Mu looked to the north and saw a humongous object flying over.
It was Sunshot Divine Cannon, and it was actually hurrying over to them through the sky!
Emperor Yanfeng and Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor stood on the floating battery, their clothes fluttering in the breeze. There were numerous officials by their side as well. Qin Mu had taught Emperor Yanfeng how to control Sunshot Divine Cannon, so he was probably the one who had fired it earlier.
On the battery, the flames of the pill furnaces gave off white-colored rays while the divine eye in the center was slowly revolving around and giving off terrifying might.
Emperor Yanfeng's face was shining with happiness, and he was full of enthusiasm.
"The divine cannon that you forged has shot down a god," Long Yu said. "The era has changed, even a mortal can kill a god that's high above. Human Emperor, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
"I don't know. I only know that the gods can no longer behave unscrupulously!"
Qin Mu's mind trembled. The Sunshot Divine Cannon he had forged had shot down a god that was high above. It was a kind of supreme honor!
Long Yu looked at him and suddenly sighed meaningfully. "Human Emperor, there are many collections in my Little Jade Capital. If you have the time, I would suggest you read about the history of the previous eras."
Qin Mu was slightly stunned. He flew over to the battery and smiled. "I still have to return to the capital and research with Sister Yuxiu on how to cultivate primordial spirit on Six Directions Realm, to push ahead with the reform. When there's time, I will go to Little Jade Capital. The old immortals there even promised me to let me have a chance to enter Hall of Five Qi."
Long Yu sighed and didn't say anymore.
Wang Muran was drunk with cultivation while Mu Qingdai couldn't sit still. Among the three disciples of Little Jade Capital, Long Yu was the only one calm enough to browse through the numerous books their sacred ground possessed.
Sunshot Divine Cannon killing a god was admittedly shocking, but the consequences it might bring worried him.
Wang Muran and Mu Qingdai also went toward the battery, so Long Yu could only follow along.
"Your Majesty. Imperial Preceptor!"
Qin Mu and the rest landed on the battery and greeted the people there. Eternal Yanfeng could hardly conceal his excitement as he waved his hand. He said with a smile, "There's no need for formalities, Minister Qin! This cannon…"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Does Your Majesty feel invigorated?"
Emperor Yanfeng was full of enthusiasm as he laughed out loud. "Great! This cannon I used just killed a god that had sent the disaster; this is far more than invigorating. This is enforcing justice on behalf of heaven! It's a pity that the other gods had run away too fast; otherwise, we could have let Imperial Preceptor feel great, and even Minister Qin to have a taste of it!"
A scribe behind him coughed and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, mind your words…"
Emperor Yanfeng waved his hand and smiled. "Just don't record it and it will be fine. I have long itching to fire at least one bloody shot. But what could I do when it exhausts that much medicinal stones? If I hadn't heard that Minister Qin was in danger, having been kidnapped by a weird-looking god and there were gods fighting around here, I wouldn't have had the chance to use this huge cannon!
"That's right, Minister Qin, come and meet this victim, the sect leader of Great White Sword Sect. He came to make an imperial appeal, saying you brought a weird-looking existence and a bunch of flood dragons to seize his Great White Sword Sect."
Qin Mu looked behind Emperor Yanfeng and saw a white-haired elder step out with a smile.
"This sect leader said that you and that weird man seized the treasure of his Great White Sword Sect." Emperor Yanfeng smiled and said, "I felt that something was wrong here, so I invited Imperial Preceptor. He said that your Heavenly Saint Cult didn't have so many flood dragons so you were most likely in danger."
Qin Mu thanked Imperial Preceptor.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor shook his head. "There's no need to thank me, just thank Great White Sect Leader. If he didn't come forth to submit an imperial appeal, nobody would have known you were in danger."
Great White Sect Leader immediately said, "One who does not know is not guilty. I thought Cult Master Qin wanted to seize our Great White Sword Sect and swallow our treasure, so I had gone forth to the capital in a hurry. Never would I have expected to be doing a meritorious deed by this. Cult Master Qin, are there any treasures in our Great White Mountain? If Cult Master really got a treasure, could it be returned to our Great White Sword Sect?"
"This…"
Qin Mu revealed a troubled expression, truly at a loss. He didn't know if he should tell the truth to the Great White Sect Leader.
Suddenly, a soldier flew over and reported, "Your Majesty, the god's corpse has been found!"
Emperor Yanfeng's spirit was greatly roused. He waved his hand and smiled. "Bring it up!"