Chapter 1298: Can Cause Trouble, Can Fix It (Second Update)
At the center of the Grand Beginning Minefield, Qin Mu stood on the altar, about to trigger the fourth riot of the minefield, when suddenly he saw the Heavenly Lord’s treasure suspended high above the minefield erupt with unusual activity.
Yan Tianfei’s extraordinary treasure was an ancient and majestic cauldron, square and upright, with its mouth facing downward. From within the cauldron, beams of light shot forth, severing the void and the earth, forming an independent spacetime around the minefield, trapping everyone inside and preventing entry or exit.
“Yan Tianfei has arrived!”
Qin Mu’s heart stirred. He immediately abandoned the idea of triggering another minefield riot, put away the Grand Beginning Egg and the Grand Beginning Primeval Stone, and obediently walked outward.
Yan Tianfei arrived outside the minefield, her expression calm, but her eyes could barely conceal her fury.
Xiu Hongsu and the white cat hurried to greet her. The white cat Xiao Qi leaped into her arms, and Xiu Hongsu said in a low voice, “Your Highness, Mu Tianzun, he…”
Yan Tianfei raised a delicate eyebrow, and Xiu Hongsu quickly shut her mouth, daring not to continue.
Yan Tianfei glanced around and saw many divine beings lying in ambush nearby, clearly waiting to kill Qin Mu as soon as he emerged. She shook her head and said, “With me here, there’s no need for this.”
Xiu Hongsu waved her hand, dismissing the executioners.
Yan Tianfei surveyed the scene, her expression darkening as she saw that not many people had escaped from the minefield. About half had perished within it.
“Mu Tianzun, I asked you to retrieve the primeval stone, and yet you’ve caused such a catastrophe. Do you truly think I’m made of paper?”
She let out a cold laugh and strode into the minefield.
The white cat grew excited, lifting its head in her arms and licking its paws, thinking, “The Empress is angry—even I can’t soothe her! Mu Tianzun, you’re doomed this time!”
Xiu Hongsu followed Yan Tianfei, speaking cautiously, “Your Highness, Mu Tianzun is, after all, the highest elder of the Heavenly Alliance. If he dies at your hands, it might cause some trouble, inevitably drawing attacks from other Heavenly Lords. If you truly want him dead, let your disciple do the deed.”
Yan Tianfei made no reply and continued walking forward. She saw that those who hadn’t escaped from the minefield had all turned into incorporeal forms—bodiless, mindless, drifting in a daze.
Among them were even many of her own female disciples, whom she had painstakingly taught!
Yan Tianfei’s expression grew even darker, but she pressed on. Her cultivation and strength were astonishing, and even the minefield’s strangeness couldn’t harm her.
The two of them and the cat ventured deep into the minefield, when suddenly light burst forth ahead—someone was using divine abilities.
They hurried forward and saw Qin Mu standing before a figure that had already transformed into an energy being. He was casting a divine ability on that incorporeal form, and the divine being, who had been reduced to a phantom, was slowly regaining his physical body!
Yan Tianfei’s eyes widened in surprise. She raised a hand to stop Xiu Hongsu, who was about to kill Qin Mu, and said softly, “Don’t disturb him. Let’s see how he does it.”
Qin Mu’s hands flew, and the sound of Dao echoed from within his body. He drew forth the energies of Yin and Yang, performing the transformation of Yin and Yang, forming a Tai Chi diagram that enveloped the divine being’s incorporeal form.
After a moment, the divine being solidified from the phantom state, looking around in confusion, then examining his own hands and touching his body, still bewildered.
Qin Mu wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a smile, “Brother, you’ve come back to life!”
The divine being asked doubtfully, “When did I die? I was perfectly fine. You fiend, how did you bring me here? I still need to mine…”
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause rang out, and a voice laughed, “Great Sorcerer, truly divine skill, worthy of the title ‘Immortal Through Countless Calamities.’ This technique breaks the boundary between life and death. Now I understand why the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord insisted on protecting you.”
The divine being quickly looked toward the voice and his face changed drastically. He immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying, “Your guilty subject pays respects to Her Highness the Empress!”
Qin Mu looked over and smiled, “So it’s Your Highness. You startled me. Your Highness, I have many trivial matters to attend to—I still need to help these divine beings restore their physical bodies and primordial spirits, so I can’t chat for long.”
Yan Tianfei said gently, “Mu Tianzun’s righteousness reaches the heavens. I thank you on behalf of these people. I won’t disturb you.” With that, she carried the cat and led Xiu Hongsu away.
Xiu Hongsu and the white cat Xiao Qi wanted to speak several times but held back.
When they reached the main hall of the detached palace, Xiu Hongsu finally couldn’t hold it in and said, “Your Highness, the trouble was caused by Mu Tianzun. Why were you so courteous to him?”
“Because he is the Great Sorcerer, Immortal Through Countless Calamities.”
Yan Tianfei said, “He has survived three minefield eruptions without dying, and he can revive those who have turned into incorporeal forms. This ability—even the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord cannot achieve it, nor can I. By displaying his skill, he was telling me that he can cause trouble, but he can also fix it. He has the power to destroy and the power to rebuild. Keeping him alive is more useful.”
Xiu Hongsu and the white cat Xiao Qi were still puzzled. Yan Tianfei had been so furious earlier—how could she let him off just because he showed off a divine ability?
“Mu Tianzun’s title ‘Immortal Through Countless Calamities’ is well deserved. He was right—in the coming battle, the Ten Heavenly Lords may not necessarily win. I should indeed place bets on both sides.”
Yan Tianfei said softly, “So letting him obtain the primeval stone is no harm. Don’t overthink it. The magnanimity of a Heavenly Lord is something you don’t understand.”
The two fell silent and said no more.
Qin Mu was very diligent, restoring all the divine beings in the minefield who had been turned into incorporeal forms. He was panting heavily, utterly exhausted.
Yan Tianfei entertained him warmly, gathering everyone to thank Qin Mu, creating a lively atmosphere.
The white cat Xiao Qi felt a pang of jealousy but understood that his status, cultivation, and strength could no longer compare to Qin Mu’s. His place in Yan Tianfei’s heart had also been surpassed by Qin Mu.
Being clever, he accepted this fact.
“Did Mu Tianzun obtain the primeval stone from the minefield?” Yan Tianfei asked as she personally saw Qin Mu out of the minefield.
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I did indeed obtain that primeval stone.”
Yan Tianfei’s eyes flickered. “Your ability to revive those incorporeal forms—was it due to the primeval stone?”
Qin Mu laughed heartily and shook his head. “Your Highness, the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace system is good in many ways, but its understanding of the Dao is far inferior to the Dao Realm system pioneered by Kaihuang Qin Ye. Your Highness has cultivated the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace system for too long, and your insight into the Dao is shallow. The method I used was not the Grand Beginning Primeval Stone, but the Dao of Tai Chi and the principle of material indestructibility. If Your Highness were to cultivate the Dao Realm, you wouldn’t have misjudged.”
Yan Tianfei’s mind trembled. “Grand Beginning Primeval Stone? Mu Tianzun knows the name of this stone?”
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat, realizing he had misspoken. He laughed it off, saying, “I just made up a name on the spot. Don’t take it to heart, Your Highness.”
Yan Tianfei smiled. “Mu Tianzun is thoughtful. Please give my regards to that Daoist brother in the Zhaoyang Hall. I won’t see you off further.”
Qin Mu gave her a deep look, and Yan Tianfei smiled back.
“The Empress—truly a clever woman.”
Qin Mu turned and strode away, waving from afar, “Don’t forget our deal, Your Highness!”
Yan Tianfei slightly bowed in return and said, “Tell that Daoist brother to rest assured. I have preserved fifty percent of the divine stones here, and I can still trade with him in the future!”
“Truly a clever woman.”
The Grand Beginning within the egg sighed. “From a single word of yours, she deduced many things and then pinned me down!”
Qin Mu laughed. “Which brings more benefit—offending you or trading with you? The Empress will make the best choice.”
Yan Tianfei watched them disappear into the distance, thinking to herself, “The Dao Realm? It’s not that I don’t want to, but the Dao Realm is even more difficult than the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace…”