"The Water Mirror Sky of Little Jade Capital is truly extraordinary."
Qin Mu examined the Water Mirror Sky beneath Dragon Qilin's feet, marveling endlessly. This Water Mirror Sky was quite wondrous—when viewed from below, one saw a clear blue sky, and at night, a profound starry expanse. Yet upon ascending to the Water Mirror Sky itself, one discovered an entirely different world.
The Water Mirror Sky held Little Jade Capital aloft, isolating it from the mortal realm. Standing here and looking down, one could see wisps of white clouds drifting over a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters, clouds gathering and dispersing, occasionally revealing the undulating contours of mountain ranges below, long rivers winding like dragons.
"What kind of treasure is the Water Mirror Sky forged from?"
Qin Mu suddenly leapt down from Dragon Qilin's back and reached out to touch it. The sensation was truly like water. He cupped some in his hands, and to his surprise, it actually pooled in his palms, even seeping through the gaps between his fingers.
Qin Mu stood up and stamped his foot. Ripples spread across the Water Mirror's surface, radiating outward in all directions.
"Strange. It's not water, nor is it air. What exactly is this material made of?"
He grew even more astonished. "In this world, there are still forging materials unknown to me? No, I must find out!"
His interest thoroughly piqued, Qin Mu had long cultivated a habit from years of training with The Mute in the arts of forging and crafting treasures. Now, upon encountering forging materials he had never seen before in Little Jade Capital, he naturally had to study them thoroughly—it was simply his nature.
He opened his Azure Sky Eye and meticulously examined the structure of the Water Mirror Sky, attempting to trace its composition from the runic imprints upon it. Yet to his disappointment, he couldn't find even a single runic imprint.
"That's impossible! The Water Mirror Sky is clearly a treasure. If it's a treasure, it must bear runic imprints to enhance its power. It's impossible to find no trace of any runes at all!"
Qin Mu was stunned. He had witnessed the sealing arts of divine beings before—for instance, the honeycomb seal in the underground space of the Nether Valley, which contained flickering runic imprints. The forging techniques employed by the Water Mirror Sky shouldn't surpass those of divine beings, so how could there be no visible runes at all?
Dragon Qilin had already arrived at Little Jade Capital, ascending to a floating island celestial mountain. Xiong Xiyu looked back and saw Qin Mu still "playing with water" on the Water Mirror Sky, and couldn't help but smile. "This Sect Master Qin, this Human Emperor Qin—he seems mature, but inside he's still a child."
Master Qingyou and the others hurried forward, holding the Human Emperor Seal high with both hands. They peered at Dragon Qilin's back and saw a mother and daughter, along with a Village Chief who had been reduced to a human stump. Everyone hesitated for a moment.
Master Qingyou smiled. "Human Emperor, please receive the sacred seal!"
The Village Chief flew down from Dragon Qilin's back along with his rocking chair, but did not take the Human Emperor Seal. He shook his head. "I am no longer the Human Emperor. I have abdicated in favor of a worthy successor."
Master Qingyou hastily looked at the mother and daughter, his heart uncertain. "The current Human Emperor is a woman? That's understandable—this woman doesn't appear weak, already a leader of sect-master caliber, no ordinary figure. However, her appearance doesn't seem to be of the Central Plains, more like she came from the Western Lands..."
Throughout history, there had been female Human Emperors, but Xiong Xiyu was clearly a foreigner from the Western Lands, which struck him as somewhat unusual. However, the Western Lands foreigners were also part of the human race, so it was possible she could be the Human Emperor.
Master Qingyou and the old immortals of Little Jade Capital were about to greet Xiong Xiyu when she quickly laughed. "I am not the Human Emperor, esteemed seniors. Please don't frighten me—I couldn't bear such a title!"
Master Qingyou looked at Xiong Qi'er with a troubled expression.
Xiong Xiyu immediately realized they had misunderstood. She laughed. "The Human Emperor is behind us."
Master Qingyou and the other old immortals of Little Jade Capital gazed toward the Water Mirror Sky and saw a young man still "playing with water." Their faces darkened considerably.
"If this youth is the Human Emperor, he's even less suitable than this little girl..."
Qin Mu repeatedly examined the Water Mirror Sky but still couldn't discern its structure. He promptly took out a small jade bottle and secretly scooped up some of the water, corking it and placing it in his Taotie Bag, planning to study it carefully when he had the chance. This forging technique was far more than simple smithing—it bore some resemblance to The Mute's method of crafting "Treasures Without Constant Form," well worth studying.
The Mute's "Treasures Without Constant Form" could refine mystic gold and mystic iron to a state without constant shape or form, allowing them to transform freely. Qin Mu was still far from reaching that level.
"A little water missing—no one should notice..."
The young man looked up to see a group of Daoist-immortal-like elders staring at him in shock. Qin Mu's expression stiffened for a moment, then he beamed with a broad smile, laughing heartily as he approached, bowing deeply in greeting. "The current Human Emperor, Qin Mu, greets his senior brothers and sisters. I have disturbed your tranquility, and I feel deeply uneasy about it."
The old immortals all returned the greeting.
Master Qingyou rose and said, "Please, Human Emperor, retrieve the sacred seal. Oh, and regarding Little Jade Capital's Water Mirror Sky, I must ask the Human Emperor to..."
"Old Daoist Master, Old Tathagata—both senior brothers are here as well!"
Qin Mu seized the Human Emperor Seal and casually stuffed it into his Taotie Bag, laughing heartily as he went to greet the Old Daoist Master and Old Tathagata. "Both senior brothers have come to become immortals as well? Good, good—this spares you from worldly worries."
The Old Daoist Master and Old Tathagata hastily returned the greeting. Old Tathagata laughed. "My fellow Daoist and I have nothing to do and feel light as a feather. With limited lifespan remaining, we might as well come to this tranquil place to spend our remaining years. It gives us a place to belong."
The Old Daoist Master smiled. "Does Qin, the Human Emperor, also wish to become an immortal detached from worldly affairs? If you were willing to retire to the mountains, it would be a blessing for all under heaven."
Qin Mu shook his head. "The responsibility is mine—how could I dare shirk it?"
The Old Daoist Master and Old Tathagata greeted the Village Chief, smiling. "Senior Brother has relinquished the position of Human Emperor and now left Great Ruins. Could it be you also wish to come to Little Jade Capital to become a carefree immortal?"
The Village Chief shook his head, his manner melancholic. "Mu'er feared I would be lonely in the village alone, so wherever he goes, he brings me along."
Master Qingyou stepped forward with a smile. "Former Human Emperor, current Human Emperor, and these three fellow Daoists—please, this way."
Qin Mu followed him to a celestial mountain and looked around. The scenery here was magnificent and beautiful, with a unique flavor. These floating celestial mountains in the sky were connected by cable bridges, forming a remarkable formation that allowed the mountains to float.
"Borrowing from heaven and earth—this method of borrowing doesn't seem like a mortal technique!" His heart trembled with shock.
This formation belonged to the art of borrowing, and its sophistication had reached an unimaginable level!
Although Qin Mu was not a grandmaster of formations, all formations in the world required an energy source to power their operation. For instance, Qin Mu had once considered forging Fire Firmament Rings to create the Nine Heavens True Essence Cannon Formation to protect Sacred Descent Mountain. However, the spirit stones required to maintain such a formation were enormously costly, so he had abandoned the idea.
Yet the formation created by Little Jade Capital's celestial mountains and cable bridges borrowed from heaven and earth itself, drawing energy from the cosmos, requiring no spirit stones or pill furnaces for power.
In the art of formations, it could be said that Little Jade Capital had left the State of Yankang far, far behind!
He wanted to study Little Jade Capital's formations as well, but having just stolen a bottle of water from the Water Mirror Sky had already displeased these old immortals. Now wasn't the right time to proceed.
"This Little Jade Capital is somewhat similar to my Heavenly Saints Cult. Both the Heavenly Saints Cult and Little Jade Capital use the same formation technique—could there be a connection?"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. Sacred Descent Mountain of the Heavenly Saints Cult also floated in the sky, similarly protected by formations, also borrowing from heaven and earth. The Heavenly Saints Cult's Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra was extraordinary, but it couldn't surpass the State of Yankang in terms of Dao arts and divine abilities. However, the teleportation technique seemed like a mythical power, leaving the State of Yankang's magical arts far behind!
And Little Jade Capital's Water Mirror Sky and its forging techniques had reached an astonishing level of sophistication, sharing a remarkable similarity with The Mute's "Treasures Without Constant Form."
Clearly, Little Jade Capital must contain many techniques and skills far surpassing those of the mortal world. Truly worthy of being the foremost sacred ground in the world today!
Master Qingyou offered tea to the Village Chief. "Senior Brother, you retreated to Great Ruins and disappeared for several hundred years. Many people thought you were dead, that the world was at peace. Why did you have to come out? Once you emerge, it will once again bring devastation to living beings! If you didn't want to come out, how could the Human Emperor have invited you?"
The Village Chief spoke calmly. "Many of our generation have already died of old age. Some, though brilliant and possessed of heaven-shaking cultivation and strength, have chosen to bury themselves, content to live out their final years in peace in this illusory paradise. But I don't want to die like that. Even in death, I wish to be like a Human Emperor—glorious and passionate to the end."
Master Qingyou sipped his tea and smiled. "Senior Brother, what good is brilliance? Back then, you were the foremost under heaven—your single sword illuminated how many mountains and rivers? In terms of brilliance, how could we possibly compare to you? And yet? What did you accomplish?"
The Village Chief's gaze sharpened.
Master Qingyou showed no fear, setting down his teacup. "Old Tathagata, Old Daoist Master, I, Lingjing, and all the immortals on this mountain—we all respected you once! We admired you greatly, all believing you could achieve earth-shattering deeds. But alas, even one as brilliant as you—what ending did you ultimately meet?"
The Village Chief fell silent.
Master Qingyou sighed. "Your ambition didn't wither when your limbs were severed, but not everyone is you. We feel that we are quite content here. You are not a fish—how can you know the joy of a fish? And I am not you—I cannot experience your joys."
The Village Chief's qi lifted the teacup, and he slowly drank his tea.
Master Qingyou looked at Qin Mu with a smile. "Emperor Qin, I have heard your name. You are also the Holy Cult Master of the Heavenly Saints Cult."
Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. "If you are immortals detached from worldly affairs, why do you still inquire about mortal matters?"
Master Qingyou merely smiled without explanation, giving off an air of keeping others at arm's length. "After the Human Emperor has finished his tea, please leave Little Jade Capital."
Qin Mu did not drink the tea. Instead, he produced the Golden Book and Treasure Scroll. "I wonder if this book might interest the immortal?"
Master Qingyou opened the golden book. His expression shifted slightly as his aura suddenly surged, then gradually calmed. He turned to the second page, then the third.
After a moment, Master Qingyou closed the golden book and pushed it back to Qin Mu. "It is indeed tempting. Please return, Emperor Qin."
Qin Mu was stunned. Anyone who saw the Golden Book and Treasure Scroll would find it difficult to remain so calm, even more difficult to return it. Yet this Master Qingyou seemed utterly unmoved, rendering all his arguments useless!
"Immortal Qingyou—"
Qin Mu had barely spoken when Master Qingyou fixed him with a deep look. "All Human Emperors share the same temperament—very difficult to make a Human Emperor retreat. In that case, let me be direct with the Human Emperor."
He stood up. "Emperor Qin, does this Little Jade Capital give you a sense of familiarity? Does it resemble Sacred Descent Mountain of the Heavenly Saints Cult?"
Qin Mu started slightly and couldn't help but rise to his feet as well. He did indeed feel a sense of familiarity—at the very least, Little Jade Capital's formation of borrowing from heaven and earth was nearly identical to that of Sacred Descent Mountain!
"This is because Little Jade Capital and Sacred Descent Mountain share the same origin."
Master Qingyou gazed out at Little Jade Capital's towering celestial mountains and spoke softly. "The founder of the Heavenly Saints Cult and the founder of our Little Jade Capital were people of the same era, who emerged from the same place. Not only the Heavenly Saints Cult and Little Jade Capital..."
He turned to look at the Village Chief, speaking word by word. "The first Human Emperor of the Human Emperor Palace also emerged from there! And Little Jade Capital, Sacred Descent Mountain, and the Human Emperor Palace—they are all fragments of the same place! What this place is, Senior Brother, you who have visited the Human Emperor Palace should know very well, shouldn't you?"