Chapter 1207: The Friendship of Men (First Update)
"Where has Lan Yutian gone?" Qin Mu asked.
Last time, when he went to Yankang to pick up the mute and the blind man to take them to the Ancestral Court, he hadn't seen Lan Yutian. The time before that, when he went to forge the broken sword, he also hadn't encountered Lan Yutian. Thus, he was curious.
"Lan Yutian nowadays can be said to be like a divine dragon, showing its head but not its tail. Of course, it's even more likely that he's gotten himself lost and doesn't know where he's wandered off to."
Xu Shenghua said, "The last time I met him, he was lost and happened to pass by my Shangcang Academy. That's how I had the chance to sit and discuss the Dao with him, and I benefited greatly. At that time, he said that Grandpa Lame and Netherworld Venerable could no longer teach him, and he wanted to try walking his own path to break through the Pixin Hall."
Qin Mu walked side-by-side with him. Xu Shenghua continued, "He wanders all over the various heavens, and he's a bit foolish. Getting lost is a minor issue; there are also people chasing him. However, when I last saw him, I noticed Netherworld Venerable was secretly protecting him, so there shouldn't be any major problems."
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. The one who cared most about Lan Yutian was still Netherworld Venerable. With him around, there definitely wouldn't be any major disasters.
Of course, that was assuming Lan Yutian didn't cause any major disasters himself.
He felt a bit of a headache. Lan Yutian's soul was still incomplete, so he always acted a bit recklessly and impulsively, doing things without any rhyme or reason, never giving anyone peace of mind.
"Even if he stumbles his way to the Heavenly Court in a daze, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised."
Xu Shenghua said, "His path has a similar subtlety to yours. But unlike you, who struggles in the mundane world, he is single-minded. It's more like he follows his own Dao-heart as he walks through the world, comprehending the mysteries of the Great Dao. I can still understand your realm, but I can no longer understand his."
He felt a little disappointed. Even though he could understand Qin Mu's realm, he couldn't imitate it.
Qin Mu had already forged a path that was unique and that no one else could walk alongside him.
The path Lan Yutian walked represented the path that cultivators would take for the next tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands or millions of years. Of course, this path was also a highbrow tune with few listeners, but at least there were still fellow travelers.
As for Xu Shenghua's own path, it was like a summary and development of the cultivation path over the past million years, from the Longhan Era to the present.
He inherited the past and ushered in the future, and his future achievements would also be extraordinary.
Qin Mu stayed at the Shangcang Divine Sect, exchanging what they had each gained.
Communicating with Xu Shenghua was one of the most enjoyable things. They were both rare geniuses of the current age, with profound foundations and extraordinary insights.
One was naturally lively and free-spirited, with a divergent way of thinking, while the other was naturally steady and meticulous in his planning, perfectly complementing each other.
During the time Qin Mu spent with Xu Shenghua, Xu Shenghua even neglected his wife and children. When Jing Yan and Xu Mengqing came looking for Xu Shenghua, he sent them away.
Jing Yan even suspected that if she put her mother and daughter aside and Qin Mu on the other side, making Xu Shenghua choose between them, he would probably choose Qin Mu without hesitation and abandon them.
"With a Dao-friend, who needs a wife?" she thought indignantly.
In a short period of time, Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua had developed many new divine abilities and researched many new Dao techniques.
When they came together, both of their talents were given full play, and they were many times faster than researching and comprehending things alone.
During this time, Xu Shenghua even entered the Dao once, advancing his divine abilities' entry into the Dao a step further, which made Qin Mu envious.
Qin Mu learned Xu Shenghua's great divine ability, the Dao Domain, from him, deepening his understanding of divine abilities. He even felt a trend of comprehending the divine abilities and Dao techniques of the Five Great Primordials by analogy.
However, Xu Shenghua learned even more from him.
Although Xu Shenghua was peerless in talent and unparalleled in elegance, compared to Qin Mu, he didn't like taking risks.
Qin Mu believed that danger was opportunity. He seemed to have many opportunities, but each one was obtained by risking his life in a great danger.
He fought with his life, while Xu Shenghua stayed in the Western Lands with his wife and daughter, so naturally, he couldn't compare.
This time, Qin Mu came to the Western Lands to exchange ideas with him, and his gains were the most abundant. Therefore, it was only natural for him to enter a state of Dao enlightenment.
Qin Mu told Xu Shenghua about his plan to evolve the five major mineral veins and use Taiji, Taisu, Taishi, Taichu, and Taiyi as his five future realms. He said, "I think the Heavenly Court realm is not the pinnacle. There are realms above the Heavenly Court, which should be the Five Great Primordials, the Five Great Tai Realms."
"The current cultivation system indeed needs to be changed."
Xu Shenghua was inspired by him and became a little excited. He paced back and forth, thinking, "The current cultivation system doesn't include these things. It seems the Yankang Reformation still has great potential!"
Qin Mu gently guided him, saying, "The Ancestral Court is right there. I now have a territory there. If you get bored staying in the Western Lands, you can go and take a look."
Xu Shenghua was very tempted, but his wife and children were in the Western Lands, and the Shangcang Divine Sect was also here. He was truly reluctant to leave his home so abruptly.
His family held him back.
Qin Mu continued to tempt him, "There are the Taichu mineral vein, the Taiji mineral vein, the Taisu mineral vein, the Taishi mineral vein, and the Chaos mineral vein. Of course, I accidentally destroyed the Chaos mineral vein, but the Chaos Qi there has transformed into a Chaos Sea, which is extremely fascinating. I am a foolish person, certainly not as smart as you. What I can comprehend, you can definitely comprehend, and even more."
Xu Shenghua became even more tempted.
Qin Mu stopped persuading him and said, "If you want to go there, then go to Yankang. The Emperor and I left a Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge in Yankang that can go directly to the outside of the Ancestral Court. I left my own seal at the rift in the Ancestral Court. It shouldn't be difficult for you."
He got up to leave, and Xu Shenghua saw him off warmly.
Qin Mu traveled far with his lantern in hand. Suddenly, he turned his head and saw Xu Shenghua still standing at the mountain gate of the Shangcang Divine Sect, looking at him from afar.
Qin Mu was stunned. Recalling the past few days of comprehending Dao techniques and divine abilities with Xu Shenghua, and thinking of Xu Shenghua's great divine ability, the Dao Domain, various insights into divine abilities came flooding in, as if a door had opened in his mind. He fell into a state of Dao enlightenment.
It happened to be early morning, and the fog was heavy and damp. Qin Mu stood in the fog. Looking from afar, the fog was hazy, and he was hazy too.
Jing Yan saw that Xu Shenghua was still standing at the mountain gate. She walked up to him and said softly, "Husband, Sect Leader Qin has already left. Aren't you going to see him off?"
Xu Shenghua looked into the fog at Qin Mu from afar and shook his head, saying, "He and I are friends of the Dao-heart. Too many formalities would be a bit distant."
Jing Yan silently pouted. She looked at the distant fog. Qin Mu stood in the fog, immersed in a wonderful Dao realm.
He stood there for six or seven days. Qin Mu stood there, and Xu Shenghua also stood at the mountain gate, never leaving.
Jing Yan came to see him a few times and couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. "Strange friendship between men..."
Finally, Qin Mu woke up from his state of Dao enlightenment and chanted loudly, "Void form accompanies Taiji, walking together on the green slopes. Thunder and rain linger in the dark depths, ghosts and gods move with trepidation! Dao-friend Xu, I'm off!"
At the foot of the mountain, Xu Shenghua cupped his hands and bowed deeply to see him off.
Qin Mu bowed from afar in return, then turned and left.
When Xu Shenghua straightened up, he had already vanished without a trace.
----Congratulations to He Langkuan for welcoming a precious daughter last night! Congratulations!