Chapter 1677: Toppling the Empress
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The Ten Celestial Venerables are of one mind, and I have long since given up hope on them. I am waiting here for Her Majesty the Empress for another purpose."
His gaze passed over the Empress and landed on Xie Wuqi and Crown Prince Mingya.
The Empress stepped forward, blocking his line of sight.
Although Qin Mu was the foremost expert of the current era, the Empress showed no fear, even meeting him head-on: "I have achieved the Dao of Return to Nothingness. I dare not claim my skills are unmatched in the world, but even if you and the person in your shadow joined forces, you could not keep me here. If you think to make a move against me and take the opportunity to eliminate me, you underestimate me far too much."
Qin Mu looked surprised and asked, "Your Majesty has already cultivated the Chaos Lotus?"
The Empress's heart tightened. "You also understand the Chaos Lotus?"
Qin Mu smiled and asked, "Then, has your lotus bloomed?"
The Empress shuddered with fear and took a step back.
Qin Mu's words made her feel a sense of dread. Through a single Dao utterance from the master of the Miluo Palace, she had comprehended the true method of achieving the Dao used by the Second Young Master of the Miluo Palace. She believed herself invincible, with only beings like the Lord of the Lingguan Hall, who existed before recorded history, surpassing her in skill. But if it truly came to a fight, even the Lord of the Lingguan Hall could not subdue her!
That was why she had dared to cross the battlefield alone, deep into enemy territory, to see her son Xie Wuqi.
What she hadn't expected was that Qin Mu not only understood the Chaos Lotus but also asked if her lotus had bloomed!
How could Qin Mu know so much about achieving the Dao through Return to Nothingness?
Although the Empress had achieved the Dao of Return to Nothingness, she had only grown a single lotus leaf, with no sign of a flower, let alone a blooming lotus.
"It seems Your Majesty has not yet achieved a blooming lotus."
Qin Mu opened his divine storage domain, revealing his Abyss of Return to Nothingness. Within it, chaos was like a sea, and a lotus with two leaves floated silently on the chaotic waters.
The Empress's gaze fell on his chaotic sea, fixed on the lotus. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, "You have already cultivated to this level? When did you achieve the Dao?"
"So this is achieving the Dao through Return to Nothingness."
Qin Mu examined his own Abyss of Return to Nothingness and shook his head. "I achieved the Dao without even knowing it. I must thank Your Majesty for the reminder. In my view, merely growing a lotus is not enough for the Chaos Lotus; one also needs lotus roots, a seed pod, and lotus seeds for the cultivation to be considered complete. Your Majesty, even if you have achieved the Dao of Return to Nothingness, you are still far from it."
The Empress's expression turned cold, but then she suddenly laughed. "Celestial Venerable Mu, you haven't truly achieved the Dao of Return to Nothingness. You merely used the lotus seed gifted by the Second Young Master to grow a lotus. Your Return to Nothingness lotus is like your World Tree—both are borrowed from external things, not cultivated by yourself! You cannot intimidate me!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily and closed his divine storage domain. "Whether I have truly achieved the Dao is not for Your Majesty to speculate. I have come to see Your Majesty with a request."
The Empress said indifferently, "Speak. I may not agree."
Qin Mu said seriously, "My request is very simple and would also be greatly beneficial to Your Majesty. Since Your Majesty has achieved the Dao, you must know how to achieve the Dao of Return to Nothingness. Celestial Venerable Hao will naturally ask you for the method."
The Empress revealed a faint smile. "You mean I should take this opportunity to teach Hao Tian the method of the Mirror of Return to Nothingness?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "I mean, even if you teach him the true method of achieving the Dao of Return to Nothingness, it is fine, but you absolutely must not teach him the Mirror of Return to Nothingness!"
The Empress was stunned for a moment, then suddenly giggled. "Are you afraid that the Second Young Master of the Miluo Palace will emerge from the Abyss of Return to Nothingness? The esteemed Celestial Venerable Mu, the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace, actually has someone he fears!"
Qin Mu's expression changed. His gaze fell on her face, and he said coldly, "Empress, haven't you noticed yet? Your personality is becoming more and more like that of Lady Yuanmu!"
The Empress chuckled. "I used the method of reincarnation to make myself reincarnate and imitate that little wretch's personality. It was flawless; even Hao Tian and that adulterer couldn't see through it. Celestial Venerable Mu, you taught me this. Don't you understand?"
Qin Mu's pupils contracted sharply. His vertical eye on his forehead opened and stared intently at her. After a moment, his vertical eye closed, and he said, "I can naturally see it. The danger of the Second Young Master of the Miluo Palace is even greater than that of the Third and Fourth Young Masters. If you teach Hao Tian the Mirror of Return to Nothingness, he will surely be unable to resist and will be taken advantage of by the Second Young Master, who will seize half of his body..."
"You're too late."
The Empress's expression turned serious. "I have already taught the Mirror of Return to Nothingness to Hao Tian. He is likely cultivating it as we speak. Celestial Venerable Mu, is there anything else? If not, do not block my path back."
Qin Mu's mind buzzed, and his voice was somewhat hoarse. "You taught it to him? Empress, do you know what you are doing? Do you know why the master of the Miluo Palace suppressed the Second Young Master?"
The Empress raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "What does that have to do with me?"
Qin Mu took a deep breath, stepped forward until he was right in front of her, and looked down at her. He said in a deep voice, "The Second Young Master wants to do something that even the master of the Miluo Palace feared, which is why he had no choice but to suppress her! By teaching the Mirror of Return to Nothingness to Hao Tian, you are releasing this demon king! This universe does not have another master of the Miluo Palace!"
The Empress frowned, displeased that he was so close to her. "Celestial Venerable Mu, do you remember the last time in the Ancestral Court when I cut off your hand? You are too presumptuous."
Qin Mu took another step forward, almost pressing against her, and said coldly, "It seems you still haven't realized the key point. The goal of the Second Young Master of the Miluo Palace is to destroy all life, destroy all universes, and return all universes to their most primitive state! Not only the Miluo Palace and the Jade Capital City, but even the entire Seventeenth Universe will be completely destroyed by her!"
The Empress's aura exploded. The entire Grand Imperial Heaven was twisted by her terrifying power, like a pie sinking inward, collapsing around her!
"It seems Celestial Venerable Mu still hasn't learned his lesson..."
The Empress unleashed the power of her Dao achievement and was about to strike when suddenly her right hand was severed at the wrist, blood gushing out!
The Empress was startled. She retreated rapidly, activating her Dao techniques and divine abilities. Her hand grew back quickly, and she channeled all her mana, pushing both hands forward!
A great abyss suddenly appeared. The Grand Imperial Heaven was stretched like twisted noodles, nearly torn apart by the terrifying power of Return to Nothingness!
"Empress, you have disappointed me! So, what use do I have for you?"
At that moment, Qin Mu stepped forward. With a loud rumble, the twisted Grand Imperial Heaven was pressed flat and level, no longer collapsing into the Empress's divine ability.
The Empress was shaken, her blood and energy churning. She pushed her hands out, and the lotus leaves of the great abyss spread open. Within the abyss's chaotic pool, chaotic energy surged, transforming through the lotus leaves into her own mana.
The power of a Dao achiever of Return to Nothingness came from chaos, transformed through the lotus of Return to Nothingness into her own invincible power—the power to devour everything!
This was the Empress's first battle since achieving the Dao!
Although Qin Mu had impressive achievements in recent years, such as the Battle of the Netherworld and the Battle of the Ultimate Void, he was not a true Dao achiever. She had the confidence to cut him down!
But just as her cultivation and power reached their peak, Qin Mu used his hand as a sword and slashed forward!
His palm cut through the Empress's great abyss divine ability as if it were a razor-sharp blade slicing through tofu, cleaving her divine ability apart!
This strike not only cut through the great abyss but also sliced through the lotus leaves within it!
Beneath the lotus leaves was the chaotic pool, the foundation of the Empress's Dao achievement. Before Qin Mu's sword strike, the chaotic pool was split in two!
Not only that, but the chaotic pool was split as if it were the creation of heaven and earth, erupting in a violent explosion, like the birth of a universe. Accompanied by a deafening bell sound, the chaotic pool expanded outward like two divine bells with their mouths facing each other!
In an instant, the Empress's lifelong cultivation was about to turn to nothing, evolving into the forms of Grand Beginning, Grand Initiation, and the other five Grand stages!
The Empress shouted, flying backward, allowing her cultivation to evolve into the five Grand stages and transform into a universe of stars. Suddenly, she activated a divine ability, causing the evolving universe to annihilate, restoring her cultivation and power to their original state!
The Dao of Return to Nothingness was not only the Dao of destruction but also contained the Dao of initial creation. The mysteries of the birth and death of the universe were all within Return to Nothingness.
Having achieved the Dao of Return to Nothingness, the Empress naturally mastered both states thoroughly.
Qin Mu snorted and took another step forward. He spread his five fingers and formed the Red String Knot Seal, pressing it toward the Empress!
A divine ability erupted beneath the Empress's feet. Crown Prince Mingya and Xie Wuqi, unable to maintain their footing, stumbled toward her.
Beneath the Empress's feet, the great abyss of Return to Nothingness appeared, and with a gurgling sound, it swallowed Crown Prince Mingya and Xie Wuqi!
The Empress raised her hand to meet Qin Mu's Red String Knot Seal. Five terrifying forces struck her body, and with a series of loud bangs, her arms, legs, and head exploded!
But with a flash of blood light, the Empress was restored to her original state!
With the Dao of Return to Nothingness, the cycle of birth and destruction, the Empress was nearly impossible to kill!
Swoosh!
Qin Mu retracted four of his fingers, and his index finger pressed against the Empress's forehead.
The Empress's mind was in a daze. Knowing she was outmatched, she immediately sank down, her form disappearing into the great abyss, falling toward its depths!
Qin Mu's vertical eye on his forehead opened. With a hum, a beam of Primordial Divine Light shot out, piercing through the great abyss!
Within the great abyss, the Empress's form danced with long sleeves, dodging the Primordial Divine Light from Qin Mu's eye, but she could not evade it completely. Soon, her body was riddled with holes.
From the shadow behind Qin Mu, the figure of Shang Jun emerged like a ghost, about to charge into the great abyss.
Suddenly, Qin Mu's vertical eye closed. He raised his hand to stop Shang Jun and shook his head. "Shang Jun, no need to pursue."
Shang Jun took a step back and disappeared back into his shadow.
The great abyss closed and vanished.
Qin Mu flicked his sleeve and rose step by step, arriving above the thirty-three heavens of the Land of No Sorrow. There, the One Qi Grand Heaven floated, its Dao tree casting light across the thirty-six layers of void, sacred and extraordinary.
Qin Mu quickly walked to the foot of the Dao tree. Yun Tianzun emerged, and the two exchanged greetings.
"Brother Yun, when you were in the great abyss of Return to Nothingness, how did the Empress transform into Lady Yuanmu?" Qin Mu asked, skipping pleasantries.
Yun Tianzun said, "She used the Dao of Reincarnation, cycling her consciousness through reincarnation within her body, transforming into Lady Yuanmu..."
"So the problem lies there!" Qin Mu suddenly understood.
Yun Tianzun was puzzled.
"The Empress and Yuanmu are actually two different personalities of the same consciousness, the Return to Nothingness Goddess. When the Empress is in control and activates the reincarnation divine ability to transform into Yuanmu, it means the Empress and Yuanmu have merged into one."
Qin Mu said, "I encountered the Empress earlier and discovered that they have begun to merge."
Yun Tianzun's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "Doesn't that mean she has no weaknesses? Can the Dao of Reincarnation no longer control her?"
Qin Mu shook his head and smiled. "So, when she fled, I pressed my finger against her forehead and used the Dao of Reincarnation to plant another Lady Yuanmu within her body. When she was hit, her consciousness had already cycled through thousands of lifetimes within my divine ability. I cultivated the new Yuanmu consciousness to maturity."
Yun Tianzun stared at him, somewhat horrified. After a moment, he said, "Brother Mu, do you realize how terrifying you have become?"
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, thought it over, and silently nodded.
Yun Tianzun let out a turbid breath and said, "Your divine abilities are beyond my comprehension. You may truly be becoming the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace."
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then broke into a smile. "When this universe can no longer contain me, I will go and wreak havoc in other universes. But before that, I will first sweep away all obstacles!"
In the Heavenly Court camp, a great abyss appeared. The Empress rolled out of it, and a sweetness rose in her throat. She quickly suppressed the blood rushing to her throat, feeling both shocked and furious. "The Lord of the Lingguan Hall was right! Hao Tian, the Heavenly Emperor, cannot last ten moves against him!"
At that moment, Lady Yuanmu's laughter echoed in her mind: "Sister, you're injured. Leave your body to your little sister!"
"Damn it!"
The Empress's vision went black, and her consciousness sank into darkness.