883 Sacrifices for Great Aspirations (2/2)
He raised his blade and rode off on his horse.
Qin Mu frowned, and he felt a sense of unease in his heart.
Founding Emperor's decree was for them to pull back from all sides to secure their strength. This would also mean that Woodcutter, Martial Arts Heavenly Teacher, Di Yiyue, Tian Shu, and the four great heavenly teachers and four great heavenly kings would also have received the decree of Founding Emperor for them to abandon Eternal Peace.
Eternal Peace originally survived under the protection of the remaining survivors of the Founding Emperor Era. Now that Founding Emperor had sent out his order, the four great heavenly teachers and four great heavenly kings, as with the rest of Fengdu, would retreat and not help Eternal Peace at all!
Qin Mu composed himself, his voice hoarse as he said, ”Let's go, go to Border Dragon City.”
On the way, Qin Mu saw that in the various villages and cities, stone statues awakened and transformed from stone into flesh and blood. The gods of the Founding Emperor Era were gathering into armies and leaving behind the land that they had once guarded.
The people of the Great Ruins stood by the village entrances and city gates and watched as the gods that had protected them left. Their eyes were filled with helplessness.
Qin Mu followed the army of gods into Border Dragon City. The army of gods crossed the bridge through Between Life and Death from Border Dragon City and entered Fengdu.
Border Dragon City was in complete silence. There were many temples in the city and numerous stone statues. At this moment, these stone statues were also waking and entering Fengdu one after the other.
”Cult Master Qin!”
There were many disciples of the Heavenly Saint Cult within the city, and they quickly realized that Qin Mu had entered the city. Heavenly King Shi led several hall masters towards Qin Mu and asked flusteredly, ”Cult Master, what happened?”
Qin Mu waved his hand and smiled. ”There's me around, there is no need to panic.” With that, he also walked up Between Life and Death to enter Fengdu.
Fengdu's Hall of King Qin.
The face of King Yama was hidden beneath the cape of the dark as he said, ”Son of Qin, you need not speak. I know why you have come. Regardless, we are ultimately the people of Founding Emperor, not the people of Eternal Peace. Founding Emperor has issued his decree, as his subordinates, we must follow it!”
Veins popped out on Qin Mu's forehead as he clenched his fists tightly. ”What about human lives, the lives of the many in Eternal Peace? You control the most formidable army of the Founding Emperor Era, are you going to just watch as the countless lives of Eternal Peace are given up like that? That's millions of human lives. Their ancestors were also the people of the Founding Emperor Era!”
There were no traces of emotions in King Yama's voice. ”Founding Emperor is my godfather. He has his plans. He left the gods and devils under him to me, so I will have to be responsible for them. The four great heavenly teachers and four great heavenly kings have also each received the orders and have already retreated from Eternal Peace. Son of Qin, Qin Mu, you are, after all, the descendant of Founding Emperor. Come to Fengdu, we are backed against Youdu and can retreat or defend.”
Qin Mu was utterly disappointed. He stood up and laughed coldly. ”I am the Son of Qin, but I am also a Human Emperor. In the line of the Hall of Human Emperors, starting from First Ancestor Human Emperor until my generation, there have been thirty-seven generations. The thirty-seven generations of Human Emperors have all fought with their might for the ordinary people of Eternal Peace. When one fell, another would continue the fight, there are none who retreated. I cannot end the legacy of the Hall of Human Emperors. Farewell!”
He walked out of the Hall of King Qin.
Outside the hall, thousands of gods and devils bowed to him and stood quietly, waiting.
”Seven Kills Star Sovereign Wei Liao pays his respects to benefactor!”
The god general leader spoke in a solemn voice, ”Wei Liao is already dead, so I am no longer a subordinate of Founding Emperor. I am willing to follow benefactor to go to war!”
Qin Mu looked at them in a daze and then revealed a sliver of a smile. ”Star Sovereign Wei Liao, your souls may be dispersed…”
Wei Liao burst out into laughter. ”We have already died once for Founding Emperor, what harm is there if we die once more for benefactor? Brothers, are you afraid?”
The thousands of gods and devils laughed out loud. ”We weren't fearful twenty thousand years ago, so how can we be fearful after death? We would fail to be ghost heroes!”
Qin Mu clasped his hands and bowed to the ground. ”On behalf of the people of Eternal Peace, I thank you all! Please migrate the people of the Great Ruins into the cities of Eternal Peace to settle down!”
He was about to leave when he saw a group of old men, old women, handsome men, and pretty women of all shapes and sizes walk over noisily.
The one leading them was the young patriarch. He kicked the dragon qilin to a side and laughed. ”We are, after all, not subordinates of Founding Emperor. If we meet death for Eternal Peace, it is merely our duty.”
Qin Mu was shocked. These good-looking men and women, old men and old women, they were all the past generations of cult masters of the Heavenly Saint Cult. They all spoke out and said, ”We are the Heavenly Saint Cult, not the Heavenly Devil Cult. It's useless for us to hole up here anyway. We should go and attend to some business!”
Qin Mu didn't speak anymore, he clasped his hands and bowed to the ground before the past generations of cult masters of the Heavenly Saint Cult and the young patriarch, and he didn't get up even after a long time.
The young patriarch helped him up and smiled. ”This isn't just your problem, it's everyone's problem. We can't let you carry this on your own. Go ahead first, us demons and devils have hidden here for so long, it's time for us to come out.”
Qin Mu got up and left with the dragon qilin and Yan'er.
He came to Between Life and Death only to see a small boat floating down from the River of Helplessness. The oarsman on the boat removed his bamboo hat and smiled. ”Human Emperor Qin, I will give you a lift.”
Qin Mu boarded the small boat. Daoist Ling Jing rowed the boat and sailed them against the current, reaching the Living Realm of the Dead. He then transformed into a white boned skeleton and spoke leisurely, ”The housing prices in Fengdu increase every day, I won't be able to afford a house by the shores of the River of Helplessness. Human Emperor Qin, the situation outside is very precarious.”
Qin Mu was silent for a while. ”Daoist Ling Jing, you are already dead, there is no need for you to think about such things anymore.”
Daoist Ling Jing smiled. ”I fought with your master Human Emperor Su all my life. He cut off one of my fingers, I hate him very much. However, when he took out the Human Emperor's Seal, I still went to help with Heavenly Devil Patriarch. The human race, as well as the other races of Eternal Peace… they were all saved by the Human Emperor. I row boats and guide souls here, there's not much meaning. If I continue muddling about here for another few tens of thousands of years or so, it may be possible that I can afford to buy a small house by the shores of the River of Helplessness. Rather than that, I might as well go fight another vigorous battle. Heavenly Devil Patriarch is going, I want to go too.”
Qin Mu replied in a hoarse voice, ”Daoist Ling Jing, you and Patriarch are going to meet death for Eternal Peace, to stop the High Heavens, yet none of the people of Eternal Peace will know that you are the hero watching over them.”
Daoist Ling Jing rowed the boat, passing by countless mountains of white bones. He smiled and said, ”But I know that I'm a hero. I want to follow my heart, to go and do things. You have reached the shore. When you come again next time, the one on the boat may not be me.”
Qin Mu jumped off the boat and bowed. The small boat sailed off, disappearing amongst the mist and white bones.