Chapter 1590: Crowned King
Qin Mu grunted but did not refute.
He and Qin Fengqing were originally one person, except that Qin Fengqing was born first, an awareness born from the demonic nature of the Netherworld, inherently evil, the most famous demon king of the Netherworld, feared by countless Netherworld demon gods.
He, on the other hand, was the second awareness born from that body after Qin Fengqing was sealed by Lord Tu.
For a long time, everyone knew that Qin Fengqing was the embodiment of Netherworld demonic qi, demonic path, and demonic nature, gathering all the negative emotions of the deceased since the beginning of life. Naturally, he was a fierce and vicious being who committed every evil.
Once, Lord Tu and Lord Heaven both thought so, and Qin Mu thought so too.
Lord Heaven and Lord Tu even once wanted to help Qin Mu refine Qin Fengqing, making him the true Netherworld Divine Son.
It was only later that Lord Heaven and Lord Tu discovered that Qin Fengqing's evil and brutality were merely instinct; at his core, he was as innocent as a baby, without any impurities.
On the contrary, it was the second personality, Qin Mu, whom they had favored, who was an extremely dangerous individual—evil, cunning, deceitful, insidious, and lacking self-control!
When Qin Mu mastered the demonic qi, demonic path, and demonic nature within him, he did not maintain innocence like Qin Fengqing. Instead, he became even more dangerous, more uncontrollable, and the harm he caused far exceeded Qin Fengqing's by countless times.
At that time, many people were vying for Qin Fengqing's status as the Netherworld Divine Son. Whether it was the Four Marquises of the Netherworld, the Netherworld Emperor, or the gods and demons of the Heavenly Court, they all behaved even worse than Qin Mu when facing the Netherworld's demonic nature.
The struggle for the Netherworld Divine Son had long since ended. From the moment Lord Heaven and Lord Tu saw through all this, they no longer thought of helping Qin Mu refine Qin Fengqing. Instead, they subtly guided Qin Mu to discover Qin Fengqing's kind side.
Lord Tu and Qin Mu also gradually tried to guide Qin Fengqing toward order, attempting to make him understand rules.
"Brother, don't you feel the power of the Book of Life and Death?"
Qin Mu asked, "What did you see in the Book of Life and Death?"
"Is this the Book of Life and Death?"
Qin Fengqing flipped the book over and over, examining it several times, and said, "I only see that it connects to countless living beings in the world, their lifespans, the joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures from their souls, and the changes in their physical bodies. And these delicious gods and demons..."
Qin Mu coaxed him, "Don't you want to control them, eat them?"
You Heavenly Lord felt a chill down his spine.
Qin Fengqing scratched his head and said, "Why would I do that? They just need to sign a pact with the Little Lord Tu, and after they make mistakes themselves, I can eat them. Eating too many at once isn't good..."
Seeing that he wasn't taking the bait, Qin Mu continued to tempt him, "If you master the Book of Life and Death, you can control the life and death of these beings. You can decide who lives and who dies, when they die, how they die, and how many die..."
You Heavenly Lord quickly poked him in the ribs and whispered, "Mu Heavenly Lord, are you guiding him to master the Book of Life and Death, or are you tempting him to fall like you?"
Qin Mu came to his senses and quickly shut his mouth.
Qin Fengqing tossed the Book of Life and Death aside casually, shaking his head, "Those foolish little things will kill themselves anyway, like my bad little brother, dying in all sorts of ways. Why do I need this thing? This isn't Lord Tu's toilet paper; it's his foot cloth—stinky and hard."
Even Ling Heavenly Lord was stunned, then suddenly said, "Little Lord Tu is indeed the best candidate to master the Book of Life and Death."
Qin Mu and You Heavenly Lord nodded repeatedly. Qin Fengqing himself was the demonic nature of the Netherworld; the Book of Life and Death couldn't control him or tempt him, yet he could unleash its power. At the same time, his heart was incomparably pure, surpassing Qin Mu countless times and far exceeding You Heavenly Lord.
You Heavenly Lord exhaled a turbid breath, picked up the Book of Life and Death, solemnly handed it to Qin Fengqing, and bowed, saying, "Please, Lord Tu, take your place!"
His heart surged with emotion. Today was a day that would be recorded in history—the day of transition between the old and new Lord Tu. His expression became solemn and dignified.
Qin Fengqing casually shoved the book back to him, his face showing some panic, and said, "Little brother, I thought you brought me here for something important. If there's nothing, I'm going back!"
With that, he hurriedly walked out. You Heavenly Lord quickly grabbed him and said, "You can't leave! Today is the day you are crowned Lord Tu. Only you can suppress the demonic nature of the Book of Life and Death. If you leave, where will I find another Lord Tu?"
Qin Fengqing struggled free and ran out, heading straight for the small paper boat.
You Heavenly Lord immediately chased after him, only to see Qin Fengqing trying to shrink his body to squeeze into the paper boat.
You Heavenly Lord stepped forward, holding the Book of Life and Death, and bowed, "Please, Lord Tu, take your place!"
"I don't want it—"
Qin Fengqing knocked the Book of Life and Death away, looking at Qin Mu in panic, and shouted, "Little brother, come quickly and send me home! I don't know the way! I don't want this Book of Life and Death—take it away!"
He shrank his body, but it was still many times larger than the small boat. He stood ridiculously on the tiny boat, but he didn't know how to make it move.
Qin Mu didn't step in to help.
The Book of Life and Death flew back, and You Heavenly Lord still held it. Qin Fengqing watched him approach in terror, let out a loud cry, jumped off the boat, and fled toward me.
You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit flew out, vast and boundless, raising a hand to force him back.
You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit was the strongest in the world, vast like another Lord Tu, known as the world's number one primordial spirit. Although Qin Fengqing's strength was extremely high, he was still far inferior.
Qin Fengqing ran everywhere but couldn't escape. His panic grew, and suddenly he changed direction, charging desperately toward Lord Tu's third eye.
He also had three eyes, and now the butterfly-wing-like patterns in them radiated out, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Lord Tu!"
He shouted loudly, "Big guy! Wake up! Run quickly—"
He charged toward Lord Tu with all his might, screaming hoarsely, "Run quickly, big guy! They want to kill you!"
You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit chased after him and blocked him. Qin Fengqing crashed left and right, then suddenly turned into a stream of demonic qi, breaking through You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit's hand, and continued fleeing toward Lord Tu's third eye, crying loudly, "Run quickly, big guy! My bad little brother is coming to kill you—"
Qin Mu and Ling Heavenly Lord walked over. You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit grabbed him again, its fingers forming a cage.
Qin Fengqing furiously pounded on his fingers. You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit channeled its power to trap him, but even so, his fingers were constantly shattered by the blows!
"Big guy, wake up!"
Qin Fengqing grabbed You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit's fingers, shaking them desperately, and roared at Lord Tu, "Wake up quickly! Bad little brother really wants to kill you—I can feel it—"
Lord Tu stood in the Netherworld, vast and boundless. The horns on his head stood tall, and the lava river flowed endlessly.
His three eyes were wide open, Netherworld demonic qi constantly pouring into them, and the Netherworld demonic path also flowed into his body, preparing for the upcoming battle of life and death.
At this moment, Lord Tu was controlled by the will of the Netherworld Great Path, just like Lord Heaven back then.
Although Lord Tu could hear Qin Fengqing's shouts, the Netherworld Great Path could not.
Qin Fengqing couldn't escape You Heavenly Lord's control. He wailed like a child, constantly calling for Lord Tu to wake up.
He was terrified.
His Dao heart was pure, and his understanding of the Netherworld Great Path was profound. Just as You Heavenly Lord could sense the murderous intent of Qin Mu and Ling Heavenly Lord toward Lord Tu, he too keenly perceived it.
When You Heavenly Lord held the Book of Life and Death and told him he would be crowned Lord Tu, he realized Lord Tu's death was imminent.
Although he had said the big guy could be eaten for many years, when he realized Lord Tu was about to die, he couldn't suppress the grief in his heart and couldn't help but want to wake Lord Tu.
He felt an immense closeness to the Netherworld Great Path. No one had told him that Lord Tu's consciousness had been replaced by the Netherworld Great Path's consciousness, but he sensed it and thus called for Lord Tu to wake up.
His feelings for Lord Tu were something others couldn't understand. Lord Tu was like a father, like an elder brother, like a harbor he could rely on.
Behind Qin Mu, the Wheel of Reincarnation spun continuously, shielding them from the Netherworld Great Path's perception. Together with Ling Heavenly Lord, they passed through You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit and walked toward Lord Tu's third eye.
Qin Fengqing watched their backs in terror, shrieking, "Big guy, wake up quickly! Little brother, bad little brother—spare the big guy! I'll be your little brother, you be the big brother—don't go—"
"Brother, it's time for you to grow up." Qin Mu turned back and smiled at the big baby trapped in You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit.
"I hate you!"
Qin Fengqing screamed at him, shrilly, "If you dare touch the big guy, I'll hate you for life! Come back!"
Qin Mu and Ling Heavenly Lord walked into Lord Tu's third eye and were swallowed by the divine light in Lord Tu's eye, disappearing from sight.
Qin Fengqing slumped to the ground, tears streaming like a spring. You Heavenly Lord's physical body, holding the golden Book of Life and Death, walked into this hand.
He held the Book of Life and Death with both hands and approached Qin Fengqing.
Qin Fengqing's three eyes were filled with terror as he watched him approach. His legs kept pushing against the palm as he backed away, shaking his head, "I don't want it, don't give it to me! If I take it, the big guy will die—I don't want it—"
You Heavenly Lord walked up to him and raised the Book of Life and Death above his head.
"I don't want it! Take it away—"
Qin Fengqing slapped You Heavenly Lord and the Book of Life and Death away. With a loud crash, You Heavenly Lord slammed into his own primordial spirit's finger, causing the massive finger to shake.
Blood trickled from the corner of You Heavenly Lord's mouth as he slid down. His primordial spirit was strong, but his physical body was not.
You Heavenly Lord walked step by step back to Qin Fengqing, holding the Book of Life and Death above his head.
Qin Fengqing knocked him flying again, but he still returned with the book.
Inside Lord Tu's third eye, Qin Mu and Ling Heavenly Lord walked together into the sacred hall within the eye. Lord Tu's primordial spirit stood there, controlled by the Netherworld Great Path.
Behind Qin Mu, the Wheel of Reincarnation spun like a wheel, protecting Ling Heavenly Lord.
Ling Heavenly Lord stepped forward and approached Lord Tu's primordial spirit.
Qin Mu looked up at this deity who controlled countless lives, his voice low, deep, and powerful.
"Dao brother, today is the day of your transcendence. Your primordial spirit will shatter, and your three souls will vanish into nothing. After you die, I will use all my power to restore your three souls, create your seven spirits, and revive you as Ugly!"
At the same time, outside, in the palm of You Heavenly Lord's primordial spirit, You Heavenly Lord knelt on one knee, holding the Book of Life and Death high.
"Qin Fengqing, today you will be crowned, becoming the king of the dark world!"
"You will become the ruler of the Netherworld, bringing order to the world of the dead, making the Netherworld your domain, and the spirits your army!"
"You will rule the underworld of countless worlds. From the moment countless beings are born, they will sign a pact with you!"
"You will dominate death, punishing evil and rewarding good, without bias!"
"In the world of the living, there is no justice, but in the world of the dead, there must be justice. You will grant this justice to all beings!"
"The lava of hell will become your blood, the heavens of death will become your horns, the rivers of this universe will flow into the Netherworld, becoming your whip, driving away all evil and phantoms!"
Qin Fengqing's body trembled, and he slumped to his knees.
At this moment, he sensed that the big guy who had taken care of him was dead. The one who had cared for him like an elder, like a father and brother, who had taught him—Lord Tu—his soul had perished.
Suddenly, the Netherworld lost all order, leaving only an immensely terrifying light bursting from the third eye of Lord Tu's physical body, illuminating the entire Netherworld.
Lord Tu was dead, killed by Qin Mu and Ling Heavenly Lord, vanishing silently like that.
The Netherworld's Great Path was also collapsing, dissipating.
You Heavenly Lord placed the Book of Life and Death in his hands.
"From today onward, you are the Netherworld's..."
"Lord Tu!"