Chapter 1582: Celestial Venerable Qin Keeps His Word, Celestial Venerable Mu Stands Firm
The Seventh Young Master of the Chaos Hall was none other than the Qin Mu standing before him. One could only imagine the shock the Kai Emperor must have felt at that moment.
And what the Seventh Young Master, Qin Mu, told him was even more astonishing!
His experiences within the Chaos Hall were something he had never mentioned to anyone else. He was far more composed than Qin Mu and knew how to keep a secret well.
Back then, when he had used Celestial Venerable Ling’s divine ability to return to the early years of the Dragon Han Era and encountered Qin Mu, he had never spoken of it to anyone.
He had even been cautious, striving to maintain the role of an observer in the early Dragon Han Era, without attempting to alter any history. This set him apart from Qin Mu. Qin Mu did not interfere with history, but his flamboyant personality caused a stir in the early Dragon Han Era. In the end, both of them fulfilled history.
The Kai Emperor gradually calmed his mind and flipped through the *Sword Canon*. He decided to bury the encounter in the Chaos Hall deep within his heart, telling no one.
Qin Mu looked around. Celestial Venerable Ling, Celestial Venerable Yue, the Kai Emperor, and himself—four of the five Celestial Venerables who had founded the Celestial Alliance were present. His heart surged with emotion, and he laughed heartily. "The five founding elders of the Celestial Alliance are only missing one now. Where is my golden ship?"
He said excitedly, "The Ferry World Golden Ship hasn't fallen into enemy hands, has it? I'll use this ship to send Celestial Venerable Yun's physical body into the Divine Awareness Grand Celestial Realm. That way, Celestial Venerable Yun can break free from his shackles and descend from the Grand Celestial Realm. Then, the five founding elders will be complete!"
Celestial Venerable Ling looked up from the vast sea of books. "The golden ship is parked outside the Wen Dao Courtyard."
Qin Mu immediately prepared to head over. The Kai Emperor closed the *Sword Canon*, his sword-like brows rising. "Celestial Venerable Mu, are you certain you want to go and save Lord Tu?"
Qin Mu stopped and looked at him, a hint of confusion on his face.
"This battle has no chance of victory, and you know it well."
The Kai Emperor returned the *Sword Canon* to the Village Chief and stood up. "Lang Wan's strength is insufficient. Going head-to-head with any Celestial Venerable would result in certain defeat. After Tai Chu's bloody purge of the Other Shore Void and the War of the Wandering Land Migration, only one or two thousand Creators remain. If anything happens to Lang Wan, the Creator race will face the danger of extinction!"
Lang Wan sat quietly, saying, "Celestial Venerable Mu is the Sacred Infant of the Creator race. I trust him."
"Celestial Venerables Huo, Zu, Lang, Xu, and the others have returned from the Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, each transformed beyond recognition. Celestial Venerable Yue's cultivation cannot match theirs. She can only harass them, unable to inflict fatal damage."
The Kai Emperor continued, "She was afflicted by Dao wounds for forty thousand years and has only just recovered. Her strength has not improved much in those forty thousand years, while the enemy has advanced by leaps and bounds! In the battle for the Netherworld, her life will also be in danger!"
Celestial Venerable Yue's expression was calm. "My Dao wounds were healed by Celestial Venerable Mu. If he wants me to go to the Netherworld, I will go to the Netherworld. On the battlefield, I can protect myself."
The Kai Emperor said flatly, "That was then. In the past, the Ten Celestial Venerables couldn't break your spatial Dao. But now, the Heavenly Court has many divine abilities that can counter your techniques and divine powers. No matter how profound your spatial Dao is, can it escape the insight of the Heavenly Lord's physical body?"
Celestial Venerable Yue recalled how Qin Mu had broken into the Peach Grove to see her back then, guided by the Heavenly Lord. Her heart sank.
Patriarch Shen, who controlled the Heavenly Lord's physical body, could easily break her *Ultimate Void Sutra*!
Furthermore, there was Celestial Venerable Huo. When he had taken control of the Dao Fire Ancestral Land, he had used the Nine Heavens Altar of Dao Fire to break her *Ultimate Void Sutra*. She could no longer guarantee her own safety.
The Kai Emperor was extremely calm. "Celestial Venerable Ling's strength fluctuates. At her peak, she can slay Dao Achievers; at her weakest, even a Celestial Venerable can kill her."
Celestial Venerable Ling said, "My life was saved by Celestial Venerable Mu. Besides, no one can kill me."
The Kai Emperor sneered. "Is that so? What about being trapped for another forty thousand years?"
Celestial Venerable Ling fell silent.
"Celestial Venerable You has strength, but can it compare to Celestial Venerable Huo? I doubt it."
The Kai Emperor continued, "Celestial Venerable Yun has just been reborn. Even if you return his physical body to him, his physical body will be weak, at most at the level of an Imperial Throne realm. He has a powerful Dao Tree and Dao Fruit, but they were not cultivated by him. It will take time for him to fully master the power he obtained from the Grand Emperor."
He analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. "It's even possible that in the long years to come, he will never fully master the Grand Emperor's power. I can hold off Celestial Venerable Hao, but I cannot hold off both Celestial Venerable Hao and Tai Chu at the same time! If Tai Chu breaks free from me, everyone else could die at his hands! The current Tai Chu and Celestial Venerable Hao are each no weaker than the Grand Emperor of the past!"
Qin Mu said, "And me..."
The Kai Emperor said, "Can you hold off Celestial Venerable Hao or Tai Chu? Lord Tu is also useless; he only seeks death! Moreover, Tai Chu has two Taiji Ancient Gods by his side. Who will stop them?"
Qin Mu frowned.
The Kai Emperor said solemnly, "The battle for the Netherworld is a trap, not a scheme to destroy Lord Tu, but a scheme aimed at us! Celestial Venerable Hao's power is already established. He is using the excuse of destroying Lord Tu to wipe us all out in one fell swoop! Even if we suffer heavy casualties, we cannot win. We can only watch as the Netherworld falls into enemy hands!"
He softened his tone. "Lord Tu only seeks death, to break free from the shackles of the Netherworld's Dao. This battle is completely unnecessary for us. We have finally gathered again, with a glimmer of hope for victory, yet we would shatter our future advantage over this pointless war. This is the act of a fool."
Qin Mu fell silent. After a moment, he said, "If we don't move, the Heavenly Court's advantage will only grow. If we go to battle, there is still a chance to retake the Netherworld. Retaking the Netherworld will give us room to maneuver in the future. If the Netherworld falls, then there will be no room for survival in the future..."
"What if we can't take it back?"
The Kai Emperor stared into his eyes, his words like his sword Dao, pressing forward step by step, not giving him a chance to defend, aiming directly at the weakness of his Dao heart. "What if, no matter how hard you try, you cannot retake the Netherworld in this battle? What if, in this battle, one of your Dao companions dies because of it?"
Celestial Venerable Yue frowned slightly. The Kai Emperor was talking more than usual today, and his words were sharp, different from his usual self.
Lang Wan's gaze fell on the Kai Emperor, a hint of doubt in her eyes.
She had interacted with the Kai Emperor quite a bit. Usually, he was calm and composed, unshaken by thunder. But today, he seemed to have lost his composure and Dao heart.
Qin Mu laughed. "I am the Indestructible Great Dharma Master. I can resurrect..."
"What if you can't resurrect them now?"
The Kai Emperor pressed on. "Your Indestructibility is not omnipotent; it has its limits. What if, because you try to save Lord Tu, you cause the death of your Dao companion, and you cannot resurrect them? Would your Dao heart collapse because of that?"
Celestial Venerable Ling looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes as she glanced at the Kai Emperor. Even she, with her thick nerves, could sense something strange about him.
Qin Mu was finding it hard to parry.
The Kai Emperor took another step forward and said solemnly, "The battle for the Netherworld is not a war between us and Celestial Venerable Hao and Tai Chu. It is a battle against the Third and Fourth Young Masters of the Miluo Palace! We are not fighting Celestial Venerable Hao and Tai Chu; we are fighting them! Do you think, with our current strength, we can contend with the Third and Fourth Young Masters?"
Qin Mu opened his mouth.
"Lord Tu is your ally, but is he our ally?"
The Kai Emperor's words grew sharper, leaving him no room to parry. "The Heavenly Lord and Lord Tu have saved you, and you have already repaid them! You saved the Heavenly Lord and helped Lord Tu cleanse the Heavenly Court's forces in the Netherworld. For this, you took on a huge burden and nearly lost your life! This repayment is more than enough! Are you planning to drag the fate of the Yan Kang, the Wandering Land, the Creators, and even all of humanity to save him?"
Qin Mu fell silent.
"You have done more than enough for the Ancient Gods."
The Kai Emperor looked around, his gaze sweeping over Lang Wan, Celestial Venerable Yue, and Celestial Venerable Ling, before settling on Qin Mu's face. He said solemnly, "The Ancient Gods haven't actually done much for you and Yan Kang. On the contrary, you have done a lot for them. The situation is becoming clearer and clearer. You can no longer risk everything on a last-ditch battle."
Qin Mu pondered for a long time, then bowed and acknowledged. He straightened up and laughed. "I didn't think it through. You don't have to go to the Netherworld battle, and I won't go either. If Lord Tu wants to court death, let him die. The most important thing now is to find a way for humanity to protect itself after the Netherworld falls into the hands of the Heavenly Court."
The Kai Emperor smiled. "I'm glad you can see it that way. I have an idea for how humanity can protect itself. That is to modify the Life and Death Divine Treasury and erase humanity's death records."
Qin Mu's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "That will require Lord Tu's Book of Life and Death. Lord Tu's Book of Life and Death is in the hands of Celestial Venerable You. Celestial Venerable You is not on guard against me. I'll go see Celestial Venerable Yun first, then find him and steal the Book of Life and Death while he's off guard."
The Kai Emperor laughed. "You're the second-greatest thief in the world. I'm very reassured that you're going to steal the Book of Life and Death."
Qin Mu laughed heartily and walked out.
The Kai Emperor watched him leave the Wen Dao Courtyard. Celestial Venerable Yue's gaze fell on the Kai Emperor's face. "Qin Ye, do you believe he won't go to save Lord Tu?"
The Kai Emperor said solemnly, "Celestial Venerable Mu is an extraordinary man. He has always kept his word and followed through on his promises. I trust him."
"A man's mouth is a devil's lie!"
Celestial Venerable Yue sneered. "If Celestial Venerable Mu goes to save Lord Tu, will you go?"
The Kai Emperor said seriously, "I will not go. I just explained the stakes to him. Why would I go to my death? I will not sacrifice the bright future of humanity for him or Lord Tu! You may not trust Celestial Venerable Mu, but you must trust me, right? I, Qin Ye, keep my word and follow through on my actions. I have never broken a promise! If you don't believe me, ask Celestial Venerable Ling. Celestial Venerable Ling knows me better than anyone!"
Celestial Venerable Ling stood up and walked out. "Celestial Venerable Qin is indeed a man of his word. I took him traveling through history, and he never told anyone."
Celestial Venerable Yue quickly stood up. "Ling, where are you going?"
"I'm going with Celestial Venerable Mu to supervise him."
Celestial Venerable Ling said without looking back. "Forty thousand years ago, he taught me the Miluo Palace Dao patterns, and I haven't had a chance to pass on what I've comprehended to him. Wait for me to return."
She hurried away.
The Kai Emperor also walked out. "After Celestial Venerable Mu sees Celestial Venerable Yun, he will go to the Netherworld to steal the Book of Life and Death. I also need to return to the Wandering Land to prepare for erasing humanity's death records."
He left the Wen Dao Courtyard and vanished.
Celestial Venerable Yue blinked, looked at Lang Wan, and laughed. "They've all left. Lang Wan, what about you? If you have nothing to do, why don't we go to Celestial Venerable Yun's Grand Celestial Realm? You haven't seen Celestial Venerable Yun in a long time, have you?"
Lang Wan stood up and said coldly, "Why should I see him? I still remember how he sat by and watched the Grand Emperor slaughter millions of my people back then to fight against the Grand Emperor. From that moment on, I swore I would never see him again."
Celestial Venerable Yue quickly grabbed her hand and said apologetically, "Ling and I were also partly to blame for what happened back then. It was our fault..."
Lang Wan gently pulled her hand away. "I have never blamed Aunt Yue or Aunt Ling. I only blame Uncle Yun. He was the hero in my heart, but... Rest assured, the Creator race only has a little over a thousand people left. I won't go to the Netherworld."
Celestial Venerable Yue could only watch her leave.
Only she and the Village Chief remained in the Wen Dao Courtyard. Celestial Venerable Yue paced back and forth, glanced at the Village Chief, who was engrossed in studying the *Sword Canon*, and laughed angrily. "Su Mu Zhe, you compiled the *Sword Canon*. What's so interesting about it?"
The Village Chief looked up and glanced at her. "The Kai Emperor just pointed out some errors and added some new techniques to the *Sword Canon*. I'm studying them."
Celestial Venerable Yue snatched the *Sword Canon* from his hands and laughed. "You know Celestial Venerable Mu best. Do you think he will go to help Lord Tu?"
The Village Chief looked at the *Sword Canon* in her hands and said cautiously, "The nine of us from the Crippled Elderly Village have always been men of iron backbone, our word is our bond, and we never break our promises. Mu'er was taught by us nine elders, so of course he has inherited our fine traditions. Our family upbringing is very good... Celestial Venerable, please don't damage it. This *Sword Canon* is very precious!"