Chapter 1270: Different Paths (Fourth Update!)
Bai Yuqiong was stunned. They were already close to catching up to Lan Yutian, so why did they need to turn back now?
"Yutianzun, he..."
"He is no longer Yutianzun, just as I am not Qin Fengqing, and just as you are not the Southern Emperor."
Qin Mu smiled. "We are all independent lives, each with our own independent consciousness and thoughts. In the future, I will create a new body for Yutianzun's memories, and Lan Yutian will also return his soul to Yutianzun."
He looked at Bai Yuqiong and said, "I will also create a new body for you, reshape a new soul, to replace the Southern Emperor's soul."
Bai Yuqiong felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. She smiled and said, "The you right now is the true Celestial Venerable."
Qin Mu chuckled. "The me right now is the true Celestial Venerable? Does that mean, in your eyes, the me from before was never a Celestial Venerable? Heavenly Teacher Bai, then how do you think the Ten Celestial Venerables of the Heavenly Court compare to me?"
Bai Yuqiong said sincerely, "Their abilities far surpass yours, but in terms of breadth of mind and magnanimity, they are far inferior to you."
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "No wonder Fatty Long always likes to wag his tail. If I had a tail, I'd wag it and shake it too!"
Bai Yuqiong pursed her lips in a smile and quickly followed him.
The two looked back. The lost Lan Yutian was leading his three thousand disciples toward the fortress built by Carefree Realm in the Taixu region. Divine generals were already leading vast armies rushing over.
Qin Mu returned to the Western Fallen Divine City but did not immediately create a new body or reshape a new soul for Bai Yuqiong. He said, "Reshaping a soul, I can do. Reshaping a body, I can also do. But a body created through visualization techniques has major drawbacks. Using the Way of Creation to shape a body creates a mortal flesh-and-blood vessel. The best method is still to use the Creation Divine Artifact."
Bai Yuqiong's eyes lit up. "The Heavenly Court has a Creation Divine Artifact!"
Qin Mu recalled the Zaofu Palace and its master, Shi Qiluo, and felt a headache coming on. He really didn't want to see Shi Qiluo again. He said, "I can also create a Creation Divine Artifact, but Yan'kang doesn't have enough master artisans yet. If I want to create a body identical to yours, I would need to measure your body's data..."
Bai Yuqiong's face flushed slightly. "I'll do that myself. I studied mathematics with the Dao Ancestor for a while."
Qin Mu nodded and said with concern, "Measuring data is very troublesome. If it's inconvenient for you, my mathematical skills aren't bad either, and I'm proficient in entering the Dao through dreams. It shouldn't take long to thoroughly study your body..."
"I'll do it myself!" Bai Yuqiong's forehead bulged with veins as she glared at him.
Qin Mu mumbled an apology, puzzled. "Girls are like this. Why get angry? Even someone like a Heavenly Teacher can't escape this..."
He quietly left the Taixu region without telling anyone.
After all, there were too many people in the Taixu region who wanted to kill him—almost half of them.
At this moment, Lan Yutian had also arrived at the Opening Emperor's territory. Although the Opening Emperor's injuries were not yet healed, he personally came out of seclusion to welcome him with great fanfare.
Lan Yutian continued to act as he pleased. The Opening Emperor admired him the most, so he naturally entertained him warmly. But he could find no trace of Yutianzun in this chubby young man.
When they had met at the Jade Pool Gathering back then, the Opening Emperor had been completely convinced by Yutianzun, believing that if Yutianzun were alive, he would willingly submit and have no ambition to contend for the world.
At that time, Yutianzun truly had the bearing and charisma of a ruler of all under heaven. With his momentum, fortune, and magnanimity, the Opening Emperor felt far inferior.
But now, looking at this chubby young man, the Opening Emperor saw none of that at all.
He could only see a pure Dao heart in Lan Yutian, a strong thirst for knowledge, and endless curiosity.
The current Lan Yutian and the Yutianzun of those days seemed like two different people!
Of course, the current Lan Yutian was a bit fatter than the handsome and heroic Yutianzun of that time, with chubby cheeks.
Moreover, when the Opening Emperor spoke with Lan Yutian, Lan Yutian never talked about the grand trends of the world. He only spoke various Dao words of unclear meaning, discussing things that were vague and elusive.
But if one listened carefully, what he said were all profound and lofty Dao principles. Even the Opening Emperor listened with rapt fascination!
"Your Majesty, do you think Yutianzun is pretending to be foolish?" Yan Yunxi observed Lan Yutian for a few days and couldn't figure him out, so she asked.
The Opening Emperor shook his head and sighed. "The Yutianzun of those days had the ambition to dominate the world and great aspirations to fulfill. But the current Lan Yutian only has a heart for seeking the Dao, single-minded and pure like a newborn. He's not pretending to be foolish; this is his true nature. Nor is he stupid; rather, all his wisdom is devoted to pursuing the end of the Dao."
Yan Yunxi was stunned. All his wisdom devoted to seeking the Dao?
"There are very few such pure people in this world. The Ten Celestial Venerables are clever, but they covet power and spend most of their lives on it. Yutianzun was clever, but half of his cleverness was spent on uniting the forces of the world and developing the post-natal races."
The Opening Emperor paced slowly and unhurriedly. "I am also clever, but I have to weigh right and wrong, gains and losses. Wentian Pavilion is clever, but he worries about reform and change, about the people's livelihood. Mu Celestial Venerable is also clever, but his cleverness is more focused on finding a way out for the common people. People like Lan Yutian, pure and single-minded, don't need many, but they must exist. Only such people can drive the progress and development of the era."
Yan Yunxi watched Lan Yutian, who was comprehending Dao techniques and teachings to his disciples. Many people from Carefree Realm and the Creators were also attracted to him and had unconsciously begun to follow him. His disciples now numbered as many as five thousand!
Yan Yunxi hesitated. "Lan Yutian has come to us. Should we..."
"Let him be."
The Opening Emperor smiled. "For someone like him, give him whatever resources he needs, fulfill whatever requests he has, let him go wherever he wants. There's no need to control him. If he wants to come, let him come, and we'll treat him with courtesy. If he wants to leave, let him leave, and we won't stop him."
Yan Yunxi acknowledged this and said, "If he wants to take the gods and people of our Carefree Realm..."
"Then let them go."
The Opening Emperor said, "In the future, these people will come back. When they return, they will all amaze us with extraordinary achievements. If I could leave, I would also follow Lan Yutian. But I cannot leave."
Yan Yunxi was stunned. She looked at Lan Yutian again and murmured, "What a strange person..."
"He's not strange. It's us who are strange, Zixi."
The Opening Emperor said with emotion, "We are tied down by worldly affairs. He is freer and lighter than us. I envy him."
Yan Yunxi smiled. "But I don't envy him."
The Opening Emperor was slightly taken aback.
"If everyone were like him, no one would consider the weak. But not everyone can be like him."
Yan Yunxi said earnestly, "He is a researcher and a seeker of the Dao, but not a leader of a race. As a leader of a race, the responsibilities and burdens are heavier and more numerous."
The Opening Emperor understood her admonition and smiled. "Don't worry. Although I envy him, I will not become him. I have my responsibilities. People like us exist precisely to allow people like Lan Yutian to seek the Dao without distraction."