Chapter 1589: Innocence and Evil
"But I am not the only one who can do this."
You Tianzun gently pushed the Book of Life and Death in front of him and said softly, "You can do this too, Mu Tianzun. You were once the Divine Son of Youdu, and you can also grasp the power of Youdu's Book of Life and Death. Not only can you grasp this power, but you can also decide the life and death of countless beings."
"I can achieve this too?" Qin Mu's gaze fell on the roll of golden pages.
The Book of Life and Death was merely a simple golden page, spread flat on the table, flawless and without any texture.
You Tianzun said, "If you activate the Great Way of Youdu, you can grasp this power."
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then reached out his hand, activated the Great Way of Youdu, and placed his palm on Tu Bo's Book of Life and Death.
Suddenly, he leaped back like a startled rabbit, withdrew his hand, and stared at the Book of Life and Death in terror.
The moment his palm touched Tu Bo's Book of Life and Death, he suddenly saw countless beings and countless gods across the myriad worlds, all under the control of the Book of Life and Death!
The instant he activated the Great Way of Youdu, he sensed that he could decide the life and death of all beings and gods in the myriad worlds, manipulating their fates!
Qin Mu paced around the stone table, occasionally glancing at the Book of Life and Death on the table, a demonic glint flickering in his eyes.
The Book of Life and Death seemed to possess an invisible, extraordinarily powerful demonic force, tempting him. Countless voices whispered in his ears, seducing him to pick up this thin golden tome and seize the power to decide the life and death of countless beings!
Qin Mu panted heavily, the demonic nature within his Dao heart stirred by the Book of Life and Death!
If he grasped the Book of Life and Death, he would possess the most terrifying power in the world!
He could directly erase everyone's Life and Death Divine Treasury. Demigods and all post-natal beings would have lifespan limits. Even if they cultivated to the divine realm, they would still face aging, sickness, and death!
If he did this, it would deal a massive blow to the current Heavenly Court!
The Heavenly Court was a community of shared interests among gods and demons.
These gods and demons enjoyed eternal life, coexisting with heaven and earth. They upheld the Heavenly Court, allowing it to rule over more territories, preventing later generations from rebelling or being able to rebel—in truth, this was to protect their own interests.
The Ten Heavenly Lords were merely representatives of these gods and demons.
If these gods and demons could no longer achieve immortality, this community of shared interests would collapse and descend into chaos!
This might not threaten beings like the Ten Heavenly Lords or those masters of the Way of Creation, but the Heavenly Court's power would certainly decline on a massive scale.
Once these gods and demons became mere cultivators, he could use the power of the Book of Life and Death to make himself the Tu Bo ruling over all life!
Qin Mu, wielding the Book of Life and Death, could arbitrarily modify these people's lifespans, or even with a single stroke, erase them outright!
He could even coerce the gods of the Heavenly Court, forcing them to submit to him!
Unconsciously, Qin Mu's primal energy transformed into dark demonic qi, dyeing his Heavenly Palace pitch black and turning his divine treasury domain into a domain of darkness!
Even more terrifying, the World Tree within his divine treasury also turned into a dark tree, and under the influence of this dreadful power, all his Great Ways were corrupted!
His aura erupted, plunging the Tianqi Rensheng Sage King's Mansion into darkness. Not only that, but the darkness quickly invaded Tu Bo's horns, causing the rivers of molten lava flowing from them to cease burning and freezing the River of the Underworld!
Ling Tianzun frowned slightly and was about to speak, but You Tianzun raised his hand to stop her.
Ling Tianzun looked at him in surprise, and You Tianzun shook his head.
The demonic nature around Qin Mu grew increasingly intense. The darkness spread wider and wider, even completely shrouding Tu Bo's astonishingly long horns.
His face was also swallowed by the darkness, with only his eyes gleaming with demonic light, their intense glow occasionally illuminating his face, making it appear even more ferocious!
"If I just get the Book of Life and Death!"
Qin Mu's voice was filled with dark demonic nature, his Dao heart twisted. The primordial spirit behind him also sank into darkness, like a demon king standing in the pitch-black night!
"If I just get the Book of Life and Death, I can crush the forces of the Ten Heavenly Lords in one blow, destroy the Heavenly Court, and everyone will kneel at my feet!"
"With this golden tome, I will possess the most awe-inspiring power, with no restraints. I can become the master of desire, the king of the dark world! No, the king of the entire universe!"
He laughed heartily, his face contorted, his hand trembling as it was about to seize the Book of Life and Death.
"I will become the most brutal tyrant in the world, the most powerful emperor of countless worlds! My position will be more stable than Tai Chu's, my methods more cruel than the Ten Heavenly Lords'! No one will dare to resist me; everyone will grovel under my tyranny! Even the Ten Heavenly Lords will be powerless against me!"
"My power will cross the sixteen Rivers of Chaos, spreading darkness across sixteen universes. I will dominate the prehistoric era, and the six young masters of the Miluo Palace will also kneel at my feet!"
Just as his hand was about to touch the Book of Life and Death, he suddenly withdrew it like lightning. Qin Mu's face showed terror as he stumbled backward, shaking his head. "No! I can't do that! If I do, I'll become the Ten Heavenly Lords, I'll become those ancient gods! I can't do this..."
The darkness shrouding Tu Bo's horns gradually receded, and light returned to the Tianqi Rensheng Sage King's Mansion.
Qin Mu's face was gradually illuminated by the light he emitted. The Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court behind his head also emerged from the fading darkness, and his primordial spirit appeared as well.
The World Tree was still dark, but gradually, the darkness receded from this sacred tree.
Qin Mu clenched his fists, no longer looking at the Book of Life and Death. His clothes were soaked with sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
"Such heavy demonic nature."
He closed his eyes, struggling against the temptation of the Book of Life and Death, murmuring, "I can't do this. No one can do this either. If I do, humanity will have no hope."
Qin Mu seemed to be speaking to them, or perhaps to himself: "The immortal ancient gods would become eternal rulers. Humans and other post-natal races are born with shorter lifespans. With only a hundred years of cultivation, even if they reach the divine realm, they will inevitably die, unable to retain high-end combat power. On the other hand, ancient gods who can grant blessings and extend lifespans can use this to gather countless followers. Making the world without gods would only return us to ancient god rule. How many people died back then to overthrow the ancient gods..."
Ling Tianzun said, "The original purpose of the Tianmeng was to overthrow the rule of the ancient gods."
Qin Mu exhaled a breath of turbid air, opened his eyes, and his gaze became clear again. He said, "Humans have limited lifespans. Demigods live longer than humans. Even without ancient gods, it's hard for humans to turn the tide with such limited lifespans. You Tianzun, you opened the Life and Death Divine Treasury, greatly increasing the lifespans of cultivators, raising their maximum to eight hundred years! Yu Tianzun opened the Heavenly Palace, allowing people to have infinite lifespans, which began the path of humanity's rise."
He shook his head. "Cutting off everyone's Life and Death Divine Treasury is not progress; it's regression! Mortals can become gods through cultivation, which inspires cultivators to keep training and improving. Without this inspiration, many would lose their motivation. This is unacceptable!"
You Tianzun looked at the Book of Life and Death and said, "Mu Tianzun, you have passed Tu Bo's test. You resisted the demonic invasion of the Book of Life and Death and can inherit Tu Bo's power to become the new Tu Bo. Your Dao heart is strong enough to use this power wisely."
Qin Mu's gaze fell on Tu Bo's Book of Life and Death. This book was a massive weapon, but he shook his head. "I managed to resist the demonic nature of the Book of Life and Death this time, but I might not succeed next time. The Book of Life and Death already has a master, and that person is not me."
He had originally hoped to steal the Book of Life and Death and remove the people of Yikang and Wuyou Township from its records, so that even if the Heavenly Court controlled Youdu, they couldn't exterminate humanity.
But now, he knew he was not the one who could wield the Book of Life and Death.
"The power of the Book of Life and Death is too great, and its stakes are too high. It can only fall into the hands of the true Tu Bo..."
Qin Mu's gaze reluctantly shifted away from the Book of Life and Death. "I am not the true Tu Bo. I'm afraid that if I grasp the power of the Book of Life and Death, I'll do something foolish."
His voice was still a bit hoarse. "The Book of Life and Death must never fall into the hands of the Heavenly Court. You Tianzun, Tu Bo chose you to manage the Book of Life and Death for a reason."
You Tianzun's gaze fell on the Book of Life and Death. After a moment, he put it away and said, "I am not the right master for the Book of Life and Death either. After Tu Bo gave me the Book of Life and Death, he hoped I would succeed him. But for these million years, I have also been resisting the demonic invasion of the Book of Life and Death. Back then, Tu Bo helped me suppress the demonic nature. If Tu Bo dies..."
He didn't continue.
If Tu Bo died, no one would be able to help him suppress the demonic nature of the Book of Life and Death. How terrifying would You Tianzun be if controlled by that demonic nature?
"How about destroying the Book of Life and Death?"
Ling Tianzun said, "Just destroy this evil treasure directly."
"It can't be destroyed."
You Tianzun shook his head. "The Book of Life and Death is a treasure formed from the collective of the sixty-four Great Ways of Youdu. Unless you can destroy these sixty-four Great Ways of Heaven and Earth, you cannot destroy it."
Ling Tianzun fell silent as well. She too could not destroy the sixty-four Great Ways of Youdu.
"After you kill Tu Bo, I might be controlled by the Book of Life and Death."
You Tianzun said, "If that happens, let me die fighting alongside the Heavenly Lords of the Heavenly Court."
Qin Mu frowned deeply, then suddenly stood up and laughed, "Wait for me here for a moment. I'll be right back."
He vanished, then suddenly returned, laughing, "Let me borrow your paper boat!"
Without waiting for You Tianzun's reply, he jumped onto You Tianzun's paper boat and sped away with a roar.
Ling Tianzun looked at the Book of Life and Death on the table and said, "Will I be controlled by the demonic nature?"
You Tianzun shook his head. "You don't understand the Great Way of Youdu, so you can't activate the power of the Book of Life and Death. The Book of Life and Death can only unleash its power in the hands of someone proficient in the Great Way of Youdu."
Ling Tianzun said nothing more and waited quietly.
After a long while, You Tianzun said, "Ling, talking with you is very comfortable."
Ling Tianzun replied, "Talking with you is very effortless."
Not long after, the paper boat flew back with a roar. On the small paper boat stood an enormous, big-headed, strange infant, struggling to shrink his feet to fit on the boat.
Qin Mu stopped the boat, and the big-headed doll jumped down, shaking the Tianqi Rensheng Sage King's Mansion with the impact.
"Brother, be gentle!" Qin Mu said sternly.
Qin Fengqing looked around curiously, giggling, "Big Tu Bo is really huge. He should last a long time to eat."
Qin Mu led him into the Sage King's Mansion. Qin Fengqing's bulky body knocked down walls and roofs along the way, leaving a trail of destruction.
Qin Mu pointed to the Book of Life and Death on the stone table and laughed, "Brother, look at this golden paper..."
Qin Fengqing reached out and picked it up. Qin Mu and You Tianzun immediately tensed up, staring at him intently. If he was controlled by the demonic nature of the Book of Life and Death, the two would immediately act to suppress him!
Qin Fengqing was the incarnation of Youdu's demonic nature, extremely evil. If the Book of Life and Death further stimulated his demonic nature, the fusion of the two might be even more terrifying than when Qin Mu was controlled by the Book of Life and Death!
Qin Fengqing shook the Book of Life and Death and said doubtfully, "Is this the paper Tu Bo uses to wipe his butt? You guys treat it like a treasure..."
He casually tossed the Book of Life and Death aside. Qin Mu and You Tianzun were stunned.
You Tianzun quickly picked up the Book of Life and Death and shoved it into his hands, saying solemnly, "Little Tu Bo, use the Great Way of Youdu to activate this paper!"
Qin Fengqing glanced at him, giggled, and said, "You're an underworld messenger? Strange, you've become younger..."
He tried to activate the Book of Life and Death with the Great Way of Youdu. The Book of Life and Death grew brighter and brighter, but strangely, Qin Fengqing was not invaded by its demonic nature. He still looked like a cute, chubby baby.
You Tianzun stared blankly, then said to Qin Mu, "When you two brothers split apart, did you cut out all the innocence and leave the evil and demonic nature for yourself?"