Chapter 74 Fragments of the Heavenly Palace

Chen Mu sheathed his blade and stood still; at the same time, the System's notification prompt arrived right on schedule.

[Killed Painting Spirit, plundered Lifespan: 584 years]

Five hundred and eighty-four?

Hearing this number, Chen Mu felt a slight jolt in his heart; this was the largest amount of Lifespan he had plundered at once to date.

That Painting Spirit was a special spirit entity that had existed for over a thousand years; although its life essence was merely a manifestation of rules—a pseudo-Soul—its existence was undeniably real.

This five-hundred-year Lifespan was precisely the manifestation of its thousand-year accumulation.

Chen Mu was overjoyed, but unexpectedly, an anomaly occurred.

Where the Painting Spirit had dissipated, specks of golden light did not vanish. Instead, they drifted about, as if drawn by some invisible force, and finally surged straight towards Chen Mu.

"What?!"

Chen Mu was startled, but it was too late to react; those specks of golden light plunged directly into the center of his brow.

The moment they entered his body, a boom resonated in his mind, as if something had been forcibly pried open.

Then, a vast scene slowly unfolded deep within his consciousness.

It was a true Heavenly Palace.

White jade for stairs, glazed tiles for roofs, thousands of auspicious rays, and myriad streaks of rosy light.

This was not a fake palace that merely possessed the shape of one like in the illusion from before, but a genuinely existing Holy Land of the immortals, exuding an imposing aura.

His consciousness swept over the towering palace buildings, catching a glimpse of scattered fragments in a corner of the Heavenly Palace.

Spirit Stones were piled high, crystal clear throughout, containing flowing light, with Spiritual Qi as vast as the sea.

Between the palace halls, silhouettes of Divine Beasts roamed; a five-clawed Dragon coiled around jade pillars, and a Phoenix spread its wings, gliding over the roof tiles.

Furthermore, glazed treasure cauldrons floated in the alchemy rooms, supreme profound techniques were placed on desks, and Sharp Weapons were displayed in the armory.

Every single item was enough to stir up bloody storms and cause chaos in the outside world.

However, none of this was enough to make Chen Mu's Soul tremble.

What truly shocked him was a profound and mysterious realization.

This Heavenly Palace was not a complete entity, but had been divided into several fragments, scattered across the heavens and myriad worlds.

And this "Universe within a Painting" guarded by the Painting Spirit was formed by one of these fragments.

Each time a fragment is obtained, the corresponding Heavenly Palace area can be unlocked; when all fragments are collected, one can become the true master of this Heavenly Palace.

Possessing all the Legacy and Treasure Trove within it.

This was a heaven-sent Opportunity, but behind this Opportunity lay deadly danger.

Almost at the same moment as this realization, several blood-colored images flashed before Chen Mu's eyes; these were the final glimpses of those who had possessed Heavenly Palace fragments throughout the ages.

Some found fragments in a Secret Realm, overjoyed, only to have their Dantian pierced by a close friend the next moment.

Some accidentally exposed the aura of the fragment, drawing joint suppression from other forces, their blood staining the sky.

Others had their Sect razed to the ground overnight, simply because the news leaked.

It seemed there was some kind of resonance between these fragments; when one was activated, other fragment holders could vaguely sense each other's direction.

The higher the cultivation and the more fragments held, the clearer this resonance became.

This was destined to be a bloody struggle; either gather them all to become the Master of the Heavenly Palace, or be hunted down and become a stepping stone for others.

The complex information bombarded Chen Mu's mind. His face instantly turned paper-white, cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and with a muffled groan, he knelt to the ground, digesting this sudden secret.

"So that's how it is…"

Chen Mu propped himself up with his blade, finally understanding the true core of this space.

It turned out that what the Painting Spirit was truly hiding was not the soul-slaying blade, but this Heavenly Palace fragment.

Those who had obtained Cultivation Techniques and left before had only received the superficial scraps; they didn't even have the qualifications to know of the Heavenly Palace fragment's existence.

Just at this moment, the entire world within the painting began to shake, and Chen Mu suddenly felt the ground beneath him vanish.

The great hall began to tilt, the dome began to collapse, and the ground began to crack.

It was this space, which existed by relying on the fragment, gradually heading towards destruction because of the Painting Spirit's disappearance and the change in the fragment's ownership.

Chen Mu gripped the soul-slaying blade in his hand, turned without hesitation, and dashed towards the exit direction previously pointed out by the Painting Spirit.

After three steps, the world spun around.

...

Chen Mu opened his eyes again; it was his familiar, simple bedroom. Outside the window, the sky was faintly bright—it was already early morning.

He still maintained his cross-legged seated posture, with the scroll placed before him.

But at this moment, the scroll had completely lost its Spiritual Qi, and the paper was rapidly turning yellow and crumbling.

Chen Mu tried to use the System to probe it again, but there was no response. It seemed this scroll had become a mundane object and could turn to dust at any moment.

"Hoo…"

Chen Mu let out a long breath, stood up, and re-examined himself.

At this moment, the Heavenly Palace fragment was quietly floating in his Sea of Consciousness, emitting a faint golden light.

The soul-slaying blade was wrapped in his Protective Aura and hidden in his sleeve.

"Chen Mu, Chen Mu, what are you spacing out for?"

Jiang Huoyu leaned in, examining him carefully. She had come out of the scroll a step before Chen Mu, and seeing that Chen Mu hadn't woken up immediately beside her, she felt a bit of regret for her rashness.

Chen Mu took a deep breath, suppressing the raging waves in his heart, and slowly stood up.

"It's nothing."

Jiang Huoyu refused to let him off, immediately pressing him for answers, her eyes shining.

"What about the Cultivation Technique? We entered together, you have to share the good stuff with me."

Chen Mu glanced at her lightly without speaking, merely taking out the Jade Slip from his bosom and handing it over.

Jiang Huoyu was overjoyed. Opening it, she saw it was indeed "Wind God Wings" and "Soul-Loss Art". She immediately focused, reading intently and murmuring under her breath.

In no time, she had memorized the introductory chapters of both Cultivation Techniques.

A look of wild joy flashed across her face, but it was immediately replaced by deeper suspicion.

Chen Mu had given it up too readily, which made her unavoidably suspicious—had Chen Mu found better treasures during the time she was out?

"Just this? After I left, you were delayed in the painting for so long—what did you say to him?"

"Chen Mu, you didn't hide something for yourself, did you?"

Chen Mu was silent for a moment, knowing he couldn't hide it from Jiang Huoyu.

This woman appeared carefree, but in reality, she was very sharp.

He felt a chill in his heart, but on his face, he only showed a bitter smile, following her line of questioning and revealing a perfectly measured sense of helplessness.

"To tell you the truth, after I obtained the Cultivation Technique, the Painting Spirit was about to dissipate."

"But thinking of our colleagues trapped in danger with their lives hanging in the balance, I begged the Painting Spirit to help, which is why I was delayed for a moment."

He spoke faster, his expression earnest.

"The Painting Spirit said he was just a remnant Soul and couldn't interfere with outside matters. But he mentioned that perhaps you, Miss Jiang, might have a way."

"Me?"

Jiang Huoyu pointed at herself, brow furrowed, judging the truth of Chen Mu's words.

"Yes, you come from the Jiang Family of the North and are knowledgeable; you must have protective treasures or secret methods."

"Now that our colleagues have been captured by the Ghostly Creature because they covered for me and Liu Ziming, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch them die. Please, I implore you to help!"

Chen Mu's words were half-true, half-false, and filled with deep emotion.

Qi Huan's predicament was real, and his anxiety was also real; he had simply cleverly shifted the path to a solution onto Jiang Huoyu.

He wanted to see just how many trump cards this mysterious Jiang Huoyu was hiding.

The look of suspicion on Jiang Huoyu's face grew heavier, but her eyes inexplicably flickered.

Suddenly, she took a half-step back, waving her hands repeatedly, her voice rising slightly.

"What way could I have? Chen Mu, you're overestimating me."

"That Ghostly Creature in the Zhao Manor could even capture the Prefecture's Banner Officer, and even the city gods order is ineffective. What way could I possibly have?"

"With my mediocre skills, wouldn't going there just be throwing my life away?"