Chapter 1526: The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat—the sound of the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace’s zither!
The Golden Ship of Ferry rushed into the mist, the chaotic fog making it impossible to discern direction, but that did not trouble him. He only needed to look down at the chaotic long river below, observing the trend of the Tenth Universe’s destruction, to find the opposite shore.
The Golden Ship of Ferry sped forward. Qin Mu pressed his hand on his sword hilt, his eyes flickering.
Suddenly, the mist ahead dispersed, and a Dao Tree appeared before him, with several Dao Fruits hanging from its branches. Qin Mu counted—seven Dao Fruits.
Beneath the Dao Tree, the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace, dressed in imperial robes, still sat there, one hand holding a zither score, the other attempting to play, but he could never produce the melody written on the score.
The Golden Ship of Ferry seemed to sink into thick mire, slowing down more and more. By the time it reached the Dao Tree, the ship could no longer advance.
Qin Mu leaned against the ship’s railing, standing firmly on his right leg while crossing his left leg behind it, resting on his toes. He swayed his legs casually, looking utterly at ease.
The Fourth Young Master set down the zither score, his brows tightly furrowed. He tried adjusting the strings, then plucked them again, but the sound was even more out of tune than before, grating to the ear.
“This melody may be impossible to play. I have tried many methods, yet I still cannot produce it.”
The Fourth Young Master sighed and continued attempting to play, saying, “Young Master Mu, have you seen the Master of Miluo Palace? Is he well?”
“Very well.”
Qin Mu smiled. “I chatted with him for a while and borrowed a ship from him before hurrying back.”
The Fourth Young Master nodded, tuning a string, and said, “I am one of the earliest to follow him. I also contributed to the forging of Jade Capital City. Back then, I was captivated by his foresight and insight, determined to assist him in building a divine city that could shelter all living beings. He always had a compassionate heart, which inspired me. But when the divine city was finally completed, he suddenly lost his courage.”
He raised his head, his gaze falling on Qin Mu aboard the ship. “When the destruction tribulation of the Sixteenth Universe came, he grew weary, tired. He told us that his ideals might never succeed. He did not try to lead us into the Seventeenth Universe but instead told us to return to the universes where we were born. He himself returned to the original universe.”
The Fourth Young Master chuckled softly. “He was the leader, so of course I listened to him. That is why I returned here. But I am not resigned to it.”
He looked at the zither score, a tenderness in his eyes, and said softly, “This score was left by my beloved wife. In all the world, only she could play the melody written here. When our universe was destroyed, I could not save her. I watched her perish in the great tribulation of destruction, turning to ashes, leaving nothing behind. The only thing I could rescue was this score. After I returned here, the destruction tribulation could no longer harm me, but I still could not save her.”
Qin Mu listened quietly.
“I dwell in the chaotic long river, trying to save her, but I fail time and again. I try to play her melody, and I fail time and again.”
He shook his head. “You have never heard such a beautiful tune. If you had, you would never forget it for the rest of your life. Perhaps, across all universes, only she could play this piece. I came here only to hear her play it once more, yet even this modest wish is unattainable. So…”
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow and asked, “So?”
The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace smiled faintly. “So I will go to the future. In the future, I will become stronger, until I am powerful enough to surpass the destruction tribulation, surpass the Master of Miluo Palace. Then I can return here and save my wife.”
His gaze was filled with tenderness. “I have no ambition. I have lived for seven cosmic years. I have stood at the pinnacle of power across seven universes. I have tasted every form of worldly authority and every kind of worship. I have only one goal: to return here and hear her pluck the strings for me once more. That melody, once heard, is never forgotten.”
His gaze fell on Qin Mu again, and he said calmly, “To achieve my goal, I need to enter the Seventeenth Universe. I will stop at nothing. Whoever blocks me, I will kill. Young Master Mu, do you understand?”
Qin Mu nodded slightly. “I understand.”
The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace smiled. “The Master of Miluo Palace is dead, isn’t he?”
Qin Mu was astonished and asked in confusion, “Fourth Young Master, why do you say that? He is perfectly fine, just a bit dispirited. If you go there, you can see him yourself. Why curse him as dead?”
The Fourth Young Master’s gaze remained fixed on Qin Mu’s face, as if trying to discern whether he was lying.
Qin Mu did not seem to be feigning.
After a long pause, the Fourth Young Master laughed. “I was overthinking. I feared that with his deeply emotional nature, he might lose all motivation and die of a broken heart. Hearing that he is safe, I am relieved.”
Qin Mu asked, “Have you met Taiyi?”
The Fourth Young Master raised an eyebrow.
Qin Mu said, “I have been searching for his whereabouts. If you happen to see him, Fourth Young Master, please give me some guidance.”
The Fourth Young Master lowered his eyes, looking at the zither score and tuning the strings.
Qin Mu asked again. The Fourth Young Master did not lift his head, saying, “He and I have a grudge. Are you trying to provoke me by constantly asking about him, seeking death?”
Qin Mu laughed. “You truly are someone who has been an emperor—moody and unpredictable. Just a moment ago, we were speaking pleasantly, and now you suddenly flare up and want to kill.”
The Fourth Young Master said calmly, “You use him to provoke me, to shake my Dao heart. Do you think I don’t know? But how much do you really know about Taiyi?”
Qin Mu was taken aback.
“What is his name? What Dao does he cultivate? How many Dao Fruits hang on his Dao Tree? How many lifetimes has he lived? What did he do in the past? Were his actions good or evil? Do you know?”
The Fourth Young Master’s zither notes were hoarse and somber. “You know nothing. Young Master Mu, you may leave.”
Qin Mu fell silent. Hearing this, he suddenly realized that he indeed knew nothing about Taiyi.
The Golden Ship of Ferry sailed forward. Qin Mu turned back to look at the emperor tuning his zither beneath the tree, and called out loudly, “You support Heavenly Lord Hao, but he is destined to fall by my hand! You could support me instead—I have more promise than he does!”
The Fourth Young Master plucked the strings, and the Golden Ship of Ferry shook violently. “Young Master Mu, Heavenly Lord Hao can help me reach the shore and enter the future era. You only stir up muddy waters. Go. For the sake of the Master of Miluo Palace, I will not trouble you this time.”
Qin Mu steadied himself and laughed. “As fellow young masters of Miluo Palace, I look forward to playing a game of chess with you in the future! My struggle with Heavenly Lord Hao will be our first clash in the future era, won’t it?”
“You are not qualified yet.” The Fourth Young Master’s voice came through, and thick chaotic mist shrouded him, vanishing from Qin Mu’s sight.
Qin Mu chuckled softly. The Golden Ship of Ferry gave a slight jolt and arrived at the shore.
In the chaotic long river, the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace played his zither, but the melody remained incomplete.
He sighed and sank into the destruction tribulation. No matter how violent the tribulation, it could not harm him in the slightest.
He stood within the tribulation waves, his gaze tenderly fixed below, where a woman stood—his wife.
“I will return to this moment and save you from death,” he murmured.
The woman turned to ashes in the destruction tribulation, vanishing without a trace.
“No one will stop me!”
He closed his eyes, refusing to witness that scene. “No one!”
The Golden Ship of Ferry continued onward, crossing one chaotic long river after another. Qin Mu saw the Master of Miluo Palace and many Dao-achievers forging a new Jade Capital City several times. The city gradually took shape, resisting the destruction tribulation and growing more stable.
Observing Jade Capital City across different eras brought him many insights.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally reached the first chaotic long river and began a careful search, trying to find traces of Taiyi.
This was the Sixteenth Universe. Before the World Tree, many Dao-achievers and powerful beings of the Sixteenth Universe rushed toward the World Tree, only to see the giant phantom of Taiyi felling the tree, preventing them from sneaking across.
Many Dao-achievers struggled in the calamity, trying to board Jade Capital City, but they could never reach the shore.
Qin Mu searched meticulously, more carefully than the first time he had come. Suddenly, his heart stirred, and his gaze fell on the roots of the World Tree.
To this day, he still could not see who had set up the blood sacrifice of the ancestral land. Logically, at the moment of the Sixteenth Universe’s destruction, that person should have performed the blood sacrifice. But looking from the chaotic long river, he could not tell who had done it.
“At this time, Miluo Palace should have split into several factions. Some advocated using Jade Capital City to enter the next universe, others tried to sneak through the World Tree. Besides that, there should be the Chaotic Space. But why can’t I find even the Chaotic Space?”
He searched again and again but never found any of this in the chaotic long river. He did not see who performed the blood sacrifice, nor did he find the Chaotic Space, and he found no trace of Taiyi.
“Could someone be concealing all of this?”
A chill ran through him. What kind of being had such immense power that they could conceal everything even as the universe was being destroyed?
Was it the Master of Miluo Palace, or Taiyi, or one of the young masters of Miluo Palace?
Suddenly, Qin Mu withdrew his gaze. He sensed someone walking across the river’s surface.
On the chaotic long river, chaotic qi billowed. Two Taiji Ancient Gods rode a Dao Tree across the river, sailing from the depths of the long river.
They did not see the Golden Ship of Ferry or Qin Mu aboard it, passing right beside the ship.
On the Dao Tree was a huge cocoon, within which something seemed to be squirming.
“The fusion of the Empress and Yuanmu is more complicated than we imagined.”
One of the Ancient Gods, a female, spoke worriedly. “After the fusion, will it be the Empress or Yuanmu? If it is Lady Yuanmu, and she has achieved Dao by then, won’t she turn on us?”
“We only need to comprehend our own fusion Dao from their fusion process. Who emerges in the end is not our concern.”
The male Ancient God on the Dao Tree comforted her. “No matter whether the Empress or Yuanmu survives, she will have to be grateful to us. Without our intervention, how could they have achieved Dao?”
Qin Mu steered the Golden Ship and quietly followed.