Chapter 1628: Boundless Divine Abilities
Besides the grudge in his heart, there was another reason Qin Mu was reluctant to resurrect Tu Bo: if Tu Bo appeared before others and the Heavenly Court learned of it, they would know that he had not lost his Dao heart but was plotting a counterattack.
At that time, the Heavenly Court would accelerate their assault on Yankang!
He was currently trying to buy time, so naturally he did not want to resurrect Ugly Tu Bo.
However, the reincarnated body of Tai Chu could probably only be found by Tu Bo, forcing him to resurrect Ugly Tu Bo ahead of schedule.
After resurrecting Tu Bo, he had to restrain Ugly Tu Bo, forbidding him from appearing before others, or else it would bring immense disaster to Yankang!
As the deity governing the world of the dead, Tu Bo's soul was boundless in power. Simply summoning his soul's black sand took several days.
Tu Bo's soul black sand had been taken by the Tian Yin Realm, not because the Tian Yin Realm was stronger than the Netherworld, nor because Tian Yin Empress was stronger than Tu Bo, but because the relationship between Dao-born ancient gods was one of mutual complementarity.
Heavenly Lord governed the operation of the Heavenly Dao in the mortal world, Tu Bo governed the world after death, and Tian Yin Empress governed the final resting place of souls after their destruction.
In recent years, as the intensity of war increased, more and more gods, demons, and mortals were being annihilated, body and soul. Consequently, the Tian Yin Realm had been expanding, and the power of its Dao techniques and divine abilities had been steadily increasing.
Although Tian Yin Empress was no longer an ancient god, her cultivation and strength had been growing day by day due to her control over the Tian Yin Realm.
Two or three days later, Qin Mu finished his ritual, panting heavily, his body swaying as if about to fall.
Ling Yuxiu stepped forward to support him, but Qin Mu waved his hand and steadied himself. Before them, Ugly Tu Bo slowly awakened.
As Ugly Tu Bo woke, layers of karmic fire ignited within him, each deeper than the last. Within the karmic fire, phantom images of struggling beings emerged—the accumulated karma of all living beings over a million years, concentrated in Ugly's body!
Ugly was no longer Tu Bo. He had shed the Great Dao of the Netherworld and reverted to that ordinary, ugly father, husband, and son who had struggled to survive in the mortal world.
The karmic fire he bore manifested as layers of heavens, reaching as many as thirty-five layers. But just as it approached the thirty-sixth layer, the karmic fire suddenly extinguished, incomplete.
Qin Mu frowned slightly.
Both Heavenly Lord and Tu Bo had begun laying the groundwork for their path to enlightenment a million years ago. Heavenly Lord had refined Tai Di's reincarnated body, Da Hong, into Hong Heavenly Lord, becoming one of the Ten Heavenly Lords.
If he had truly succeeded in breaking free from the Heavenly Dao's constraints through Hong Heavenly Lord's power and achieved great success in the Xuan Du battle, he could have attained enlightenment through this.
However, Hong Heavenly Lord had deviated from the Heavenly Dao and, due to various reasons, ultimately died at the hands of his son, Ancestral God King.
Tu Bo had also laid his plans during the early Long Han era. He chose Ugly as his breakthrough point. Logically, a million years of accumulated karmic fire from all beings should have been enough for him to attain enlightenment. But when Tu Bo resurrected as Ugly, he did not achieve enlightenment; he stopped at the thirty-fifth layer of karmic fire Dao realm.
"Thank you, Mu Heavenly Lord." Ugly rose and bowed.
Heavenly Lord also bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mu Heavenly Lord, for your righteous rescue."
Qin Mu smiled ambiguously. "Brother Ugly, Brother Heavenly Lord, by resurrecting you, have I also violated the Great Dao of the Netherworld and the heavenly laws of Xuan Du? Is this a heinous crime?"
He was referring to an old incident. Back then, Qin Mu wanted to resurrect mortals, but Heavenly Lord forbade it. The two had argued, with Qin Mu feeling that Heavenly Lord was selfish, willing only to resurrect ancient gods but not mortals.
Later, to comprehend the Dao of the blade, Qin Mu went to the Southern Frontier battlefield and used resurrection techniques to revive fallen heroes, violating the Dao of the Netherworld. Nether Heavenly Lord, on Tu Bo's orders, personally came to stop him.
Qin Mu ignored him and persisted, which led to him being unable to enter the Netherworld until his mastery of the reincarnation Dao became profound enough to allow re-entry.
By bringing up this old matter, he was somewhat venting his dissatisfaction and taking the opportunity to mock Heavenly Lord and Tu Bo.
Heavenly Lord and Ugly exchanged glances. Ugly remained silent, while Heavenly Lord defended himself, saying, "The laws of Heaven's Dao: follow Heaven and prosper, defy Heaven and perish..."
Qin Mu waved his hand, laughing. "All acquired Dao in this world defies Heaven. First and foremost is the Dao of medicine. Humans experience birth, aging, sickness, and death—this is the law of Heaven's Dao. But doctors treat illness and delay death. Is that not defying Heaven and violating the Dao of the Netherworld? Should all doctors be judged by the Netherworld after death? Nonsense!"
Heavenly Lord opened his mouth but found nothing to say.
Qin Mu continued, "If there is no road, building bridges and paving roads—is that defying Heaven? Without wings, people create flying chariots and flying ships—is that defying Heaven? When it's hot, there are ice chambers; when it's cold, there are warm stoves; when it rains too much, gods and demons disperse the clouds; when there's drought, the Rain Master brings clouds and rain. All of these should be considered defying Heaven, right? Heavenly Lord, the Dao of medicine is the Dao of creation. With Yankang's current medical Dao, within a hundred years, they can solve the problem of mortal aging. By then, immortality for all will not be far off."
Heavenly Lord finally found a point to counter, smiling ambiguously. "Then the entire universe will be filled with people, and the Great Destruction will not be far off."
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "Human determination will overcome Heaven—this is inevitable. If there is no progress, there will only be destruction, either by external forces or by one's own hand. Heavenly Lord, I won't argue this with you. Brother Ugly, after your resurrection, I will set three rules with you."
Heavenly Lord wanted to argue further, but Qin Mu gave him no chance. Raising one finger, he said, "Before the final battle between the Heavenly Court and Yankang, you are not to appear before others."
Ugly nodded. "As you wish."
Qin Mu raised a second finger. "You are not to see Nether Heavenly Lord. When the final battle between the Heavenly Court and Yankang comes, you may see her."
Ugly hesitated for a moment, then said, "As you wish."
Qin Mu raised a third finger, his expression darkening. "You are not to act on your own or do anything reckless! Whatever you want to do, you must discuss it with me!"
Ugly raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "You're powerful now. Fine, I'll go along with you."
Qin Mu smiled. "You must swear an oath to Tu Bo."
Ugly tested, "Which Tu Bo should I swear to? Or should I swear to myself?"
Qin Mu said, "Naturally, to Yankang's Tu Bo, Qin Fengqing."
Ugly had no choice but to swear to Qin Fengqing. As soon as his oath began, a gust of yin wind arose, demonic energy surged, and Qin Fengqing descended, his head crowned with horns, surrounded by demonic fire, spinning down amid the flames and energy. His voice was deep yet tinged with childishness.
"Who calls upon the great Netherworld sovereign, the one with wisdom and beauty... Tu Bo!"
Seeing Ugly, Qin Fengqing was both surprised and delighted. Forgetting to finish his speech, he rushed over. "Big guy, you're alive! You're much smaller now, even smaller than me!"
Ugly composed himself, sternly shouting, "As Tu Bo, you cannot be so reckless! I must establish a pact with you. Stand still... Don't cling to me! Stand still... Don't touch my head! Stand still!"
He solemnly swore to Qin Fengqing, establishing a pact with him. If he violated the three rules, he would let Qin Fengqing devour his soul.
Qin Fengqing was ecstatic to see him, barely restraining himself from pouncing. After Ugly finished his oath, he finally lunged.
Ugly had no choice but to keep a straight face, speaking in a deep, rumbling voice as he taught Qin Fengqing some principles of being Tu Bo.
The deaths of Tu Bo and the Kai Emperor had hit Qin Fengqing hard, forcing him to mature into a youth. He had been gloomy ever since, only regaining his smile after learning that the Kai Emperor was still alive. Now, seeing Qin Mu resurrect Ugly, he reverted to his youthful mindset.
"There is one more matter I must entrust to you, brother."
Qin Mu had Qin Fengqing retrieve Tu Bo's Book of Life and Death. His eyes flickered. "I want to find Tai Chu's two reincarnated souls in Yankang."
Ugly shook his head, not taking the book. "Now that Yankang has a Tu Bo and the Book of Life and Death, finding Tai Chu's reincarnated bodies is not difficult. What Tu Bo lacks is just a good teacher. Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Let me teach him for two days, and he will be able to find Tai Chu's reincarnated bodies."
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and bowed. "Thank you, brother."
Ugly returned the bow. "I dare not. Tu Bo, come with me."
Qin Fengqing followed him away. The two found a secluded spot in Qin Mu's heavenly palace. Ugly taught with all his heart, and Qin Fengqing learned earnestly, grasping things instantly, which delighted Ugly.
Two days later, Ugly and Qin Fengqing emerged. Ugly said to Qin Mu, "Mu Heavenly Lord, Tu Bo is ready for use."
Qin Mu thanked him again, saying, "Brother, do not forget the pact with Tu Bo."
Heavenly Lord laughed. "If you break it, would you really take our souls? With our friendship..."
Qin Mu smiled faintly and said nothing.
Heavenly Lord shuddered and fell silent.
Ugly said, "Mu Heavenly Lord keeps his word. If we truly break the oath, we will be doomed forever. Brother, let's go."
Heavenly Lord followed him, muttering under his breath, "That kid Mu Heavenly Lord was so obedient and well-behaved back then. Now he's even threatening us..."
Ugly's voice came back. "We were in the wrong to begin with. Brother, say less..."
Qin Fengqing retrieved the Book of Life and Death and activated his divine ability. "Brother, I need some time to search through all living beings in Yankang, examine their past lives, and trace back a hundred generations to determine which ones are Tai Chu's reincarnated bodies."
Qin Mu waited quietly as he performed the technique.
With Ugly's teachings, Qin Fengqing immediately activated the Book of Life and Death. Images of countless humans, gods, and demons appeared within it—all the myriad beings of Yankang, regardless of race, reflected in the book.
With a thought, he filtered out those with past lives. The countless beings in the book dwindled to hundreds of thousands, but that was still a large number.
Qin Fengqing activated the Netherworld Dao. The horns on his head grew hot, and the vertical eye on his forehead shone upon the Book of Life and Death. Wherever the light passed, the past and present lives of each being appeared one by one.
He searched carefully. After a long time, the beings in the book, no matter how many past lives they had, were all clearly seen by him!
Gradually, only a dozen or so beings remained in the book.
Qin Fengqing searched again. His horns stood like towering peaks between heaven and earth, winding and twisting, glowing red like molten lava.
The vertical eye on his forehead grew brighter, igniting the horns. Between the horns, the Netherworld Dao seemed to form a giant eye, shining upon these dozen beings!
Their deeper past lives were revealed, and a few more disappeared, leaving only seven.
"This one is me."
Qin Mu pointed. "I have mastered the reincarnation Dao, brother. You cannot find my origins. This one is Nether Heavenly Lord; you cannot find his origins either. This one is Ling Heavenly Lord, and this one is Tai Shi. They have obscured the Book of Life and Death. No need to search for them... This one should be Nether Heavenly Lord's reincarnated body in Yankang. Her Netherworld Dao is no weaker than yours. Do not disturb her."
Qin Fengqing excluded these, leaving only two in the book.
Qin Mu examined them closely. The two in the book were named Du Yufei and Yan Duxing.
Their past lives were even more numerous than those of Heavenly Court's White Jade Qiong Heavenly Master, making it extremely difficult for Qin Fengqing to trace their origins.
"These should be the two."
Qin Mu stood up. Ling Yuxiu quickly said, "Husband, how can you obtain the remaining fourteen treasure halls without alarming them? Although Tai Chu is in seclusion in the Eastern Extreme Heaven, he is still an enlightened one with the One Qi Great Luo Heaven. Any move by his reincarnated bodies cannot escape his eyes!"
Qin Mu smiled faintly, his form disappearing as his voice came through. "My divine abilities are already beyond what Tai Chu can understand."
In the Ultimate Void, within Tai Chu's One Qi Great Luo Heaven.
Tai Chu's primordial spirit sat beneath the Dao tree, while his two avatars were in Yankang learning Yankang's Dao techniques and divine abilities, trying to use the Tai Chu Dao comprehended by Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and others to fill their own gaps.
Thus, every move of these two avatars was fully within his control.
One day, his avatar Yan Duxing was attending class at Yankang's Grand Academy. As class ended, a young man walked toward him, raised his hand, made a fist, and then suddenly opened his fingers.
Yan Duxing was stunned. In the Great Luo Heaven, Tai Chu's primordial spirit was also stunned. He quickly looked, but the man had already left.
In that brief instant, Yan Duxing had already cycled through thousands of lifetimes in Qin Mu's reincarnation divine ability and dreams, and then all memories of this were erased.
What happened during those thousands of lifetimes, he had no idea.
——Zhai Zhu's WeChat public account will announce the tenth-ranked among the Ten Heavenly Lords tonight. Stay tuned!