Chapter 1659: Taiyi’s Identity
“A map of the Dao Tree distribution?” Qin Mu’s spirits soared.
The locations marked on Taiyi’s geographical map had always baffled him; he had never found such places in the Seventeenth Epoch universe. He had even suspected it might be a setup by the Obelisk Forest and planned to go back and search again.
Unexpectedly, this young man named Shangjun actually recognized the geographical map!
“A map of the Dao Tree distribution in the Ultimate Void of the Sixteenth Epoch?”
Qin Mu was momentarily stunned, filled with doubt: “I haven’t gone back to a past universe. Why would Taiyi give me a map of the Sixteenth Epoch’s Dao Tree distribution? How am I supposed to rescue him like this?”
Shangjun said, “During the Sixteenth Epoch, I once wanted to kill a few more who had achieved the Dao, so I specifically studied the distribution of these Dao Lords’ Great Luo Heavens. That’s why I recognized the map when you showed it.”
Qin Mu took a few more glances at him, then suddenly felt a stir in his heart and said, “When I was in the Ancestral Court’s Jade Capital City, crossing the Chaotic Long River, I once saw someone who achieved the Dao through slaughter. Before the Great Extinction arrived, he killed those who had achieved the Dao, cultivated to the thirty-sixth level of the Dao Realm, imprinted the Ultimate Void, formed a Dao Fruit, and ultimately crushed the Ultimate Void. Was that you?” (See Chapter 1504)
Shangjun’s expression darkened, and he silently nodded.
Qin Mu said, “You killed the Sixteenth Epoch of the universe, and all living beings were buried because of it. Almost everyone died indirectly by your hand. No wonder your skills are so formidable.”
Shangjun’s aura withered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, utterly lifeless. He stood there woodenly, motionless, as if about to dissolve into the Dao.
The old woman coughed once and said, “I’ve heard that the Seventh Young Master kills by first destroying the heart. Seeing it today confirms it. Whether or not Shangjun entered the Dao through slaughter or achieved the Dao, the Sixteenth Epoch was destined to be destroyed. The reason for the Sixteenth Epoch’s destruction wasn’t Shangjun, but the Miluo Palace. If so many Dao achievers from the Miluo Palace hadn’t smuggled themselves into the Sixteenth Epoch, would this universe have been destroyed so quickly?”
Shangjun’s complexion improved slightly, and his aura recovered a little.
Qin Mu glanced at her and said, “The difference is just whether the Sixteenth Epoch was destroyed by the Miluo Palace or by Shangjun. If it was destroyed by the Miluo Palace, then the killer is the Miluo Palace. If it died by Shangjun’s hand, then the killer is Shangjun.”
Shangjun’s aura withered again, even worse than before!
“You!”
The old woman’s forehead bulged with veins, and her white hair fluttered. The old man quickly stopped her, chuckling, “No wonder they say the hardest to deal with in the Miluo Palace is the Seventh Young Master. Seeing you today, we are convinced. What business does the Seventh Young Master have in seeking this person named Taiyi?”
“I owe him a debt. All living beings of the Seventeenth Epoch owe him a debt. So I must repay kindness, and I will rescue him no matter what.”
Qin Mu didn’t hide anything and said, “Taiyi stopped the past Dao achievers from smuggling themselves in and resisted the Miluo Palace’s invasion. Although he was the first smuggler of the Seventeenth Epoch, this kindness must be repaid! He was suppressed by the Miluo Palace and left this geographical map. I plan to find him and rescue him.”
“I didn’t expect the Seventh Young Master to be a man of gratitude and righteousness.”
The girl named Yaya showed surprise and said, “That’s not the Seventh Young Master I’ve heard about. The Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace I’ve heard of is a person who does all kinds of evil, cunning and ruthless. It’s said he has pus oozing from his head and sores growing on his feet—he’s done every bad thing imaginable!”
Qin Mu’s face flushed red, and he stammered in defense, “That’s slander! Absolute slander! Anyone who knows me knows I’m charitable and happy to help others…”
The pig head coughed once, still lying on the plate, and said, “Seventh Young Master, there’s no need to explain further. Our current situation says it all. If the Seventh Young Master weren’t the kind of person legend describes, we wouldn’t have fallen so badly.”
Qin Mu snorted, “This is our first meeting. Why would I need to deceive you? Shangjun, please point out the Dao Tree distribution map of the Sixteenth Epoch for me.”
Shangjun remained silent, looking at the others.
The old man chuckled, “Seventh Young Master just said that Taiyi can rescue the paralytic? Could you explain the reason behind that?”
Qin Mu smiled slightly and said, “Then I’d like to ask all of you: when did you first feel you could break free from the obelisks?”
Everyone was slightly startled, each lost in thought.
“You broke free from the obelisks during this cosmic epoch, right?”
Qin Mu said, “That person is Taiyi. Back then, Taiyi smuggled himself into this cosmic epoch, possessed the Chaos Egg, and became Taiyi. After achieving the Dao, he immediately came to this abandoned place, found this gate, and forcibly broke the seal of the First Young Master.”
The old man and the old woman exchanged glances and remained silent.
The girl and the woman were confused. The woman asked, “Why did this Taiyi come to save us?”
Qin Mu shook his head, “He didn’t come to save you. He came to save the paralytic in your village.”
This time, even Shangjun and the pig head were surprised. The pig head on the plate lifted the left pig trotter from another plate, scratched its bristles, and said in confusion, “The paralytic? The one in our village?”
“That’s the one.”
Qin Mu said, “The purpose of his trip was to rescue him. He was the first to smuggle himself into this cosmic epoch and the first to achieve the Dao, blocking the Miluo Palace’s smuggling. He was the only one in the entire universe, so he could accomplish a great task he never had the chance to do before! This task was extremely important! So he broke in here, blasted open the gate with overwhelming force, pulled out the obelisks, broke the First Young Master’s setup, and allowed you to break free from the stone tablets!”
Everyone looked at the old man. The pig head shouted, “Old Monster, you have the highest cultivation and were the first to wake up. You woke us up and let us walk out of the stone tablets. When you broke free, was it as he said?”
The old man sighed and silently nodded, saying, “It indeed happened at the beginning of this universe’s creation. You were all suppressed and sleeping, while I had been awake since the suppression began. I had to watch over the paralytic. The paralytic is extremely important and must not be lost. At that time, I sensed a powerful being from this cosmic epoch descending…”
Shangjun suddenly said, “Who is the paralytic?”
Everyone looked toward the paralytic in the room. The small village had been almost leveled, and the room where the paralytic lay was destroyed, but he still lay on the bed, basking in the sun.
Despite the fierce battle just now, it seemed he hadn’t been affected at all.
Logically, in a clash between beings like them and Qin Mu, the paralytic would have been blown away by the shockwaves, but he lay there perfectly fine, not even a corner of his clothes stirring.
Although they had all been suppressed here, only the old man and the old woman knew the paralytic’s identity. They were extremely secretive about it and never mentioned his origins.
The two held high status and were respected, but they treated the paralytic with great deference, so the others in the village also took good care of him.
“He is…”
The old man hesitated for a moment and then said, “He is the creator of the Heavenly Capital.”
The pig head, the woman, and the girl’s expressions changed drastically. Their gazes fell on the paralytic on the sickbed, and they exclaimed, “He is that existence?”
Shangjun had clearly never heard of the Heavenly Capital and looked confused.
The old man continued, “I was actually entrusted by someone to be captured by the First Young Master. Heh heh, although the First Young Master’s skills are high, my own abilities back then were not inferior to his. Of course, after being suppressed for several cosmic epochs, I’m certainly far behind him now. The person who entrusted me had a great kindness toward me. She entrusted me, and I would risk my life to do it. She asked me to take care of the paralytic, so I came here.”
The old woman had never heard him mention this before and said in surprise, “Old Monster, back then your reputation was extremely loud, your skills were high, and your origins were ancient. I was wondering why you were also captured and suppressed here. I never thought there was another reason! What kind of person has such a big face to make you do something like this?”
The old man didn’t want to discuss it further and said, “Let’s not talk about that. At that time, I sensed a powerful being breaking the seal, shattering the First Young Master’s seal. The seal loosened, and I broke free from the stone tablet. I sensed that person’s strength; it should be the Taiyi the Seventh Young Master mentioned. But when this Taiyi walked into the Obelisk Forest, something strange happened.”
His old face was full of wrinkles. He picked up his water pipe, intending to take a few puffs, but the tobacco was already burnt out. The old man tapped out the ash, plucked a few Dao Tree leaves, and rolled them into tobacco shreds, saying, “That person’s aura was extremely strong, but as he approached the Obelisk Forest, his aura suddenly plummeted. The speed of its decline was beyond my imagination!”
The pig head on the plate said, “The First Young Master’s Obelisk Forest can suppress even our magical power and divine abilities. Taiyi must have been suppressed by the Obelisk Forest!”
The old man shook his head, “That’s not it. This Taiyi’s strength was no less than the First Young Master’s. How could he be suppressed to such an extent by the seal left by the First Young Master? I also sensed that besides the sudden drop in aura, his life force was also plummeting. In the blink of an eye, he seemed about to die.”
Qin Mu picked up the thread, “Then he quickly retreated. As he retreated, his aura grew stronger, and his life force rapidly recovered, right?”
“How does the Seventh Young Master know?”
The old man glanced at him in surprise and said, “It was exactly as the Seventh Young Master said. After he left the Obelisk Forest, his aura and life force quickly recovered. I sensed him reaching the gate, and his aura had mostly recovered. By the time he left the gate, his aura and life force had reached their peak.”
Qin Mu’s eyes flickered, and he said, “The reason this happened is due to the conservation of mass and energy. Someone used the conservation of mass and energy divine ability to preserve his soul, allowing him to die at the hands of the Miluo Palace Master yet live in the future. However, when two identical souls meet, one must disappear.”
Everyone was greatly puzzled.
The old man had a guess and quickly looked at the paralytic, exclaiming, “Do you mean he came back?”
Qin Mu nodded, “Yes, he came back. But he couldn’t get close to the paralytic. When he was outside and hadn’t pulled out the first obelisk, he and the paralytic were in different times and spaces, so it was fine. But after pulling out the first obelisk and breaking the seal, they were in the same time and space. Therefore, he was rapidly disappearing. That’s why you sensed his aura and life force plummeting.”
The old man was extremely excited, his voice hoarse, “He sensed he was about to disappear and knew he couldn’t save himself, so he took the initiative to retreat! But he still left us a chance to escape—he took that obelisk with him!”
Qin Mu said, “After that, he continued to guard the Ancestral Court, waiting for the right moment. When I appeared and the Ancestral Court’s Jade Capital City reappeared, he tricked me into guarding the Ancestral Court’s Great Black Mountain to block the smuggling of prehistoric beings, while he went straight to the Miluo Palace to argue with the Miluo Palace Master. He was then struck down by the Miluo Palace Master into the Fourth Epoch.”
He didn’t continue.
Taiyi didn’t just go to argue with the Miluo Palace Master; he also went to investigate one thing.
Whether the Miluo Palace Master was dead.
No one knew who won or lost in their argument, but the Miluo Palace Master was indeed dead.
“That person is Taiyi.”
Qin Mu said meaningfully, “Old Monster, the person I want to rescue is also him. But I have urgent matters now and can’t go to the Sixteenth Epoch to find him. Do you have a way?”
The old man paced back and forth, then suddenly stopped and said urgently, “Young Master, although I don’t understand the conservation of mass and energy, if he was suppressed in the void of the Sixteenth Epoch, he would certainly not be worn away by the Great Extinction of the Sixteenth Epoch. That means he must have survived into the Seventeenth Epoch! When he wasn’t lost, the suppressed version of him in the Seventeenth Epoch’s void was invisible and unobservable. But when he was struck down by the Miluo Palace Master into the Fourth Epoch, the suppressed him would definitely appear in the void of the Seventeenth Epoch!”
Qin Mu’s heart shook, and he laughed heartily, “No wonder he left a geographical map for me to rescue him! But…”
He frowned, “But this is a map of the Dao Tree distribution in the Ultimate Void of the Sixteenth Epoch, which is different from the Ultimate Void of the Seventeenth…”
Shangjun suddenly said, “The Ultimate Void has no matter; only the Great Luo Heavens can exist. Therefore, the Ultimate Void of all cosmic epochs is the same—a blank slate.”
Qin Mu’s eyes widened, and his heart pounded violently: “That means, as long as I have the Dao Tree distribution map of the Sixteenth Epoch, I can find where Taiyi is imprisoned!”
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