Chapter 1131 Expecting Better
Mountain G.o.d Li opened his beak and picked up the old man, raising his head and swallowing him completely. After, he flapped his wings, transforming into a beam of red light and disappearing into the distance.
Qin Mu was stunned. When he watched the G.o.d and the old man engage in small talk, he had really believed that there was such a rule that one was to serve the mountain G.o.d when they were of old age. Thus, he wasn’t able to stop him in time.
He followed behind Mountain G.o.d Li. Mountain G.o.d Li had flown for several thousand miles before he retracted his wings and landed at a divine mountain. He turned his head around abruptly, and only then did he notice Qin Mu. He hurriedly exclaimed, “Senior Brother, I pay my respects to you!”
Qin Mu nodded his head gently. “Mountain G.o.d Li, I watched you eat someone just now, yet he seemed to have enjoyed your conversation with him. What’s the reason behind this?”
Mountain G.o.d Li laughed. “Is Senior Brother a foreigner? No wonder you are unaware of the rules here. Our heavens of the south are a place of civility and etiquette, it’s where Celestial Venerable Huo teaches. The G.o.ds of Southern Heaven live in harmony and peace with the tens of thousands of races in the world. The mortals ask for things from us, such as good weather and plentiful harvests, but we also need to eat. Thus, a rule like this was set. Any normal mortal who has reached the age of 60 will be considered a dead man and will be required to go to the temple and become an offering to the G.o.ds.”
Qin Mu questioned, “This was laid down by Celestial Venerable Huo?”
Mountain G.o.d Li replied, “Yes. Southern Heaven is a land of civility. We are unlike Western Heaven and Northern Heaven. They are so barbaric. We are also better off than Eastern Heaven.”
Qin Mu questioned again, “What about divine arts pract.i.tioners? Human divine arts pract.i.tioners can live for up to 800 years.”
“If a divine arts pract.i.tioner fails to become a G.o.d after 700 years, he has to enter the temple to wors.h.i.+p the G.o.ds.”
Mountain G.o.d Li smiled and said, “If one becomes a G.o.d, they become our equal and our brother. It’s just that there are few divine arts pract.i.tioners in my territory, so I can only eat them once every half a year. Brother, you come at an inopportune time. There are no divine arts pract.i.tioners that are 700 years old now, else I would’ve invited you to feast on them with me.”
Qin Mu frowned and said, “The whole Southern Heaven follows such a rule?”
Mountain G.o.d Li said, “Yes. Look at this place. It’s all peaceful. Humans and G.o.ds co-exist peacefully. Half-G.o.ds and Postcelestial lifeforms don’t fight either. Isn’t it pure?”
Qin Mu vaguely smiled. “Why would there be the consumption of humans in a pure land? This act of getting humans to die voluntarily by Celestial Venerable Huo is cruel and brutal.”
Mountain G.o.d Li said solemnly, “Brother, it’s wrong for you to say that. We are reasonable. We ask them beforehand about eating them.”
Qin Mu asked, “What if that man said no? Do you not eat them if they reject?”
Mountain G.o.d Li smiled and said, “Brother, your naivete makes you cute! It’s merely a formality to ask. We eat them even if we get rejected.”
The dragon qilin couldn’t help but ask, “What about human G.o.ds? Will human G.o.ds tolerate you eating their people?”
Mountain G.o.d Li smiled and said, “Brother, human G.o.ds aren’t humans! How high up are G.o.ds? Wouldn’t one become a laughing stock if others knew that they still thought of themself as a human after becoming a G.o.d? Divine arts pract.i.tioners train hard for their entire life to become a G.o.d high up! If you told human G.o.ds that they were still humans, they would be angry and curse at you!”
Qin Mu’s murderous intent was triggered before dissipating instantly.
It was the case of Southern Heaven. Killing Mountain G.o.d Li wouldn’t make a difference.
Killing Mountain G.o.d Li would instead cause disasters to strike the place he guarded, causing more to die.
‘The pure land that Celestial Venerable Huo created. Heh…’
He led the dragon qilin and Yan’er to leave while Mountain G.o.d Li watched. He frowned and said, “What a weird person that lacks manners! Barbaric outsider!”
Qin Mu’s tour of Southern Heaven led him to conclude that the place was merely an orderly yet primal society. Humans slashed and burned while divine arts pract.i.tioners stayed secluded in the mountains, refusing to help normal humans.
Yet human G.o.ds were so high up that they deemed themselves brothers of half-G.o.ds. They refused to think of themselves as being the same as humans after becoming G.o.ds. Fighting to the death for other humans would only earn them mockery.
They would never do that. They wore bright clothes and used luxurious carriages to rush to the banquets of half-G.o.ds. The people they a.s.sociated themselves with were G.o.ds too. They followed inflexible manners.
Southern Heaven was a land of customs.
Qin Mu saw many sects in his tour there. They were sects built by the G.o.ds of Southern Heaven. They were nearly identical to those of Eternal Peace in the past.
However, the past sects of Eternal Peace had stood in great numbers. They also controlled normal people’s fortunes, lives, deaths, and the conquest of nations to steal land.
However, the sects there loved and respected each other to the point that they never fought.
The peacefulness there was akin to a pool of stagnant water.
Normal people remained that way for their entire lives. The same for their descendants. They never had any chance of making a name for themselves!
Any ambitions, ideals, or research into divine arts to benefit the people were illusions!
Besides, n.o.body thought that way. n.o.body did that.
It was a world so peaceful that it became suffocating.
Qin Mu was solemn. Celestial Venerable Huo seemed to have sheltered the people of Southern Heaven, but in reality, what he did was get the humans there to accept a set fate with no way to free themselves!
He came to a G.o.d city, which had a statue of Celestial Venerable Huo erected. It was tall and majestic and had a wheel of fire made from bronze behind its head.
Celestial Venerable Huo’s gaze on the statue seemed deep and far. He gazed into the distance in a wise and strong manner.
There were many disciples of Celestial Venerable Huo there. They were teaching their own disciples, imparting the traditional divine treasure and celestial palace system in an orderly fas.h.i.+on, without any changes.
However, when a disciple presented any doubts, they would be reprimanded harshly and even beaten. They would be judged by those around them too.
The divine arts of Celestial Venerable Huo’s disciples were nearly identical. Their divine weapons were nearly identical too. Even their clothing was nearly identical.
They wore the same clothes and had the same hairstyles and facial hair. They were full of smiles when meeting people, and they said similar greetings and followed similar formalities.
Qin Mu clenched his fists and went by Celestial Venerable Huo’s statue. His robes flew about like a large flag, making a lot of noise in the process.
Whoosh—
The tall and majestic statue of Celestial Venerable Huo suddenly collapsed and melted. It became molten bronze, which had devilish flames on it!
Celestial Venerable Huo’s disciples hurried over to try and extinguish the devilish fire. Some of them were extremely strong pract.i.tioners that reached the Jade Capital Realm and the Numinous Sky Realm.
Celestial Venerable Huo was specialized in fire divine arts. The paths, skills, and divine arts he pa.s.sed down largely related to fire too. His disciples’ attainments in that path were so extraordinary that they became well known in the celestial heavens!
Yet, none of them knew what to do against the devilish flames. They couldn’t extinguish the flames at all.
“Get Big Brother!”
The ma.s.ses panicked and called out, “Get Big Brother, quickly!”
Suddenly, an emperor’s awe filled the city. An Emperor’s Throne being dressed almost exactly like Celestial Venerable Huo flew out. He went on top of the flames and utilized his divine art to suppress it while hollering, “Extinguis.h.!.+”
The devilish flames shook, but they still weren’t extinguished.
The Emperor’s Throne being used his divine arts again, sending them down to suppress the flames.
“Extinguis.h.!.+ Extinguis.h.!.+ Extinguis.h.!.+”
The flames burnt on, brightening the face of the Emperor’s Throne being. He was visibly embarra.s.sed.
Qin Mu was nearby and watched this scene coldly. He hated him, for he wanted him to get better. He remarked, “He doesn’t know how to adapt because he hasn’t learned to before. Celestial Venerable Huo nurtured a pile of garbage!”