Chapter 271: Merge Black and White, Revere Me as King!
The Sky Star Grass, of course, was the purpose of Lin Mu’s journey.
And this Mountain and River Cauldron was a legendary Divine Artifact from ancient times.
Legend has it that in ancient times, Da Yu forged the Nine Cauldrons to suppress Jiuzhou. Each of these smaller cauldrons possessed immense power, enough to connect heaven and earth. However, as ages passed and the world changed, the Nine Cauldrons either vanished into the river of time or went into hiding, becoming a rare sight for ordinary people.
This Mountain and River Cauldron was one of the Nine Cauldrons.
Of course, this particular Mountain and River Cauldron already showed signs of damage. Its Spiritual Energy had greatly diminished, and it no longer possessed the majestic power it once had to suppress an entire continent. However, Lin Mu was pleasantly surprised to find that its remaining functions were still of great use to him.
The main function of the Mountain and River Cauldron was to contain all things in existence. Although it no longer had such terrifying abilities, it could still hold a great deal.
With a wave of his hand, the Mountain and River Cauldron immediately fell into his grasp. Lin Mu examined it and confirmed its identity; its ancient and boundless aura could not be faked. His Divine Sense stirred slightly, probing into the Mountain and River Cauldron.
BOOM!
A terrifyingly vast aura surged toward him, causing even Lin Mu to nearly lose his balance and stumble back several steps.
"Master!"
"Mr. Lin!"
Li Xiaotian and the others’ expressions changed, and they started to move forward.
"Stay back!" Lin Mu’s eyes flashed as he commanded, "Everyone, retreat to the foot of the mountain! Without my permission, no one is allowed to come up!"
Li Xiaotian immediately responded, "Yes! We obey Master’s command!"
"Go, hurry up and go!" Li Xuan said with even more gravity. "Everyone, leave this place. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor to the clan!"
Once the group had left, Lin Mu could no longer hold on and spat out a mouthful of blood. His Divine Soul had been struck, and he was injured.
However, the blood that sprayed onto the Mountain and River Cauldron quickly vanished as if it had been absorbed. At the same time, the cauldron began to tremble slightly, as if in resistance.
"Since you’ve fallen into my hands, do you still think you can escape?" Lin Mu chuckled softly. He then sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, and a surge of even more powerful Divine Soul force gushed forth.
His Divine Soul force could be considered the greatest in the world. After all, he had managed to survive drifting through the universe for countless years. One could only imagine that his Divine Soul had long been tempered to be impervious to fire and flood.
If the Mountain and River Cauldron were at its peak, Lin Mu would still dare to confront it, let alone in its current state.
Atop the summit, an invisible, vast power suddenly radiated from Lin Mu.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Above the sky, thunderbolts suddenly roared, seeming to descend. But from within the Starry Sea, a Thunder Dragon hundreds of feet long shot forward. It let out a mighty roar, and all the thunder vanished.
With the appearance of the Thunder Dragon, all thunderbolts receded.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Mu’s eyes snapped open. He slapped his palm on the Mountain and River Cauldron.
"Rise!"
As his voice fell, the Mountain and River Cauldron floated up, transforming into a massive cauldron over three meters tall. With three legs and two handles, it exuded an air of simple grandeur and a sense of timeless immensity. Engraved upon its body were birds, beasts, mountains, rivers, and all of creation.
Lin Mu looked toward the Cold Pool again, pointed, and commanded, "Gather."
BOOM! BOOM!
A powerful suction force erupted from within the Mountain and River Cauldron, pulling the Jiaolong’s corpse directly inside. The lid automatically sealed shut.
"Retract!" Lin Mu commanded. The Mountain and River Cauldron went WHOOSH, shrinking to the size of a grain of rice and flying into his body.
Within his Dantian, a wisp of purple flame burned eternally. Amidst the flames, a small, simple cauldron bobbed uncertainly.
Given time, as his Cultivation Level increased, he was confident he could restore the Mountain and River Cauldron to its full might. Then, this ancient Divine Artifact would finally see the light of day once again.
For now, however, the Mountain and River Cauldron could only serve as a magical treasure for storage, much like a storage bag. For instance, while Lin Mu had no immediate use for the Jiaolong’s carcass, he could store it for the future when it might prove invaluable. The same went for the Sky Star Grass and everything else. It was incredibly convenient.
After Lin Mu finished tidying up, the Thunder Dragon roared down from the sky, circling around him as if it were quite pleased.
"I appreciate it." Looking at the Thunder Dragon, Lin Mu knew that this fellow had suddenly awakened to act as his protector.
"You’ve done well in your duties. Take this demon pill as a snack," Lin Mu said. As he spoke, he casually tossed out the giant python’s demon pill.
The Thunder Dragon opened its mouth and swallowed it. CRUNCH, CRUNCH. A look of enjoyment appeared in its draconic eyes. Though it was merely a manifestation of the Thunder’s Origin, it had developed intelligence and knew its master was genuinely good to it. The Spiritual Energy in the giant python’s demon pill was hopelessly impure, making it useless to Lin Mu anyway.
After recalling the Thunder Dragon, Lin Mu glanced around. Seeing nothing else of interest, he started down the mountain.
「At the foot of the mountain.」
Li Xuan and the others from Bai Miao Village were in a standoff with another group. Judging by their opponents’ clothes, they were from Heimiao Village.
"Xiao Zhan, what is the meaning of this? Do you really think bringing all these people here will make my Bai Miao Village afraid of you?!" Li Xuan narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the middle-aged man opposite her.
This man was Xiao Su’s brother, Xiao Zhan. His strength was at the Inner Strength level, making him a formidable expert. Standing behind him were members from all of the Nine Villages and Eighteen Caves; by blood, they were all branches of the Li Clan.
Although they were outnumbered, Li Xuan was not the least bit afraid. Since even the High Priest had died at Mr. Lin’s hands, what was this rabble to be afraid of?
"Elder Li Xuan, you’ve misunderstood," Xiao Zhan said with a bitter smile. "We know everything. Xiao Su and the others were deceived by the High Priest. They violated our ancestral teachings by attacking Bai Miao Village and have already been struck from our clan records."
Li Xuan asked, puzzled, "Then what is this...?"
Xiao Zhan replied solemnly, "We heard that the Li Clan’s traitorous High Priest has been executed and that the evil dragon of the Dragon Lair has been slain. We wish to meet the renowned River City Lin Wudi."
"You are here to see Mr. Lin?" Li Xuan inquired.
"That’s right. We wish to proclaim Mr. Lin as the king of our Li Clan," Xiao Zhan said, and he did not appear to be joking.
At these words, the thousands of people present were utterly shocked.
King of the Li Clan? That would make him the Miao King!
As the name implied, he would be the king of all Miao Tribes!
Since the time of the Ancient God Chi You, besides the Twelve Ancestor Witches, the Miao Tribe had never had a true Miao King. That is why for so many years, the Miao Tribe has been fragmented and difficult to unite—all because it lacked a Miao King.
If there were a Miao King, which of the Miao people would dare disobey him? The position of the Miao King in the hearts of the Miao people was supreme!
"You wish to make me your king?"
Just then, a calm voice drifted down from the mountain path.
It was Lin Mu!
Seeing Lin Mu, Xiao Zhan and the others immediately knelt. "Clan Leader Xiao of the Li Clan humbly beseeches Mr. Lin to ascend the throne of the Miao King!" he proclaimed respectfully.
Li Xuan’s expression flickered. She too hurriedly knelt, declaring, "I, Elder Li Xuan of Bai Miao Village, humbly beg Mr. Lin to ascend the throne of the Miao King!"
"I, Li Lai, the one hundred and fortieth Saintess of Bai Miao Village, also plead for Mr. Lin to ascend the throne of the Miao King!"
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Immediately after, everyone present fell to their knees. Their expressions were feverish, their voices deafening as they chanted.
"We earnestly request that Mr. Lin ascend the throne of the Miao King!!"
"..."