Chapter 1742: Enemies Everywhere
Qin Mu directly refused Lang Wan, saying to the woman, "This journey is extremely dangerous. The other side has five accomplished Daoists, extremely powerful, and there are beings like Heavenly Lord Hao and the Joyous Hall Master. Heavenly Lord Hao is also carrying one of Fourth Young Master's strings. If we don't tear off all pretense of civility, it's fine. But if we do, I won't be able to protect you."
Lang Wan's expression darkened.
Seeing Lang Wan's face, Yanfeng Emperor became even more certain: "The Creator wants to poach from my Ling family! The Imperial Preceptor has been bribed by her! But my son-in-law is a true and upright man, not tempted or corrupted by her!"
Lang Wan had always been cold and aloof in temperament, yet now she was putting on this girlish demeanor. She must have some ulterior motive. Yanfeng Emperor, a seasoned veteran, naturally saw through it clearly.
Although Lang Wan was a Divine King of the Creator race and well-traveled and knowledgeable, she was still a blank slate in matters of emotion, and her actions easily left traces.
Qin Mu, completely oblivious, continued, "This time, Moon Venerable is coming with me. Fourth Young Master's string is extremely terrifying. The path the Joyous Hall Master walks seems to be the same as Moon Venerable's. With Moon Venerable present, the danger of this trip won't be great."
Moon Venerable acknowledged. Yanfeng Emperor grew tense again and said to Jiang Baigui, "Imperial Preceptor, do you think Moon Venerable is trying to poach from my Ling family?"
Jiang Baigui said indifferently, "Your Majesty, long ago, a man lost his axe and suspected his neighbor of stealing it. No matter how he observed, he felt the neighbor was the thief. Later, he found the axe in his own home. When he looked at the neighbor again, no matter how he looked, the neighbor didn't seem like the thief."
Yanfeng Emperor laughed heartily, turned his face away, and said darkly, "The Imperial Preceptor has indeed been bribed!"
Moon Venerable went to pack her belongings.
Qin Mu said to Nether Heavenly Lord, "Nether, can you find any trace of Star Crux?"
Nether Heavenly Lord activated the Book of Life and Death and dove into the Netherworld. The Book of Life and Death illuminated the myriad worlds. After a long time, Nether Heavenly Lord reappeared and shook his head, saying, "There is no sign of Star Crux in any world. Only the Ancestral Land remains, but it is sealed off by the prehistoric stowaways, so I cannot enter to check."
Qin Mu was puzzled and looked toward the Ancestral Land. "Could Star Crux have gone there?"
Moon Venerable arrived, having tied up her hair and changed into a set of neat clothes. She slung her guqin on her back and asked, "That Joyous Hall Master, does she also cultivate the Ultimate Void?"
Qin Mu boarded the Ferry of the Ages with her, shoving Lan Yutian off the ship. Dragon Qilin also tried to board, but Qin Mu shooed him away as well. "I'm not too clear about her techniques and divine abilities," he said. "But when she countered my divine abilities, she used the Dao of Space. I tried to trap her in an illusion with my divine consciousness techniques, but she broke it, so she must have cultivated other Dao methods as well."
Moon Venerable thought for a moment. Divine consciousness techniques were indeed the bane of the Dao of Space. Back then, when the Ten Heavenly Lords wanted to deal with her, they had sent Langxuan Divine Sovereign, who was proficient in divine consciousness techniques, to strike first.
Qin Mu using divine consciousness techniques against the Joyous Hall Master was aimed at her weakness, yet she had broken it. This showed that the Joyous Hall Master possessed more than just the Dao of Space.
"Every hall master of the Miluo Palace has their own unique secrets. Although the Joyous Hall Master was severely wounded by Shang Jun, she still cannot be underestimated."
Qin Mu repeatedly cautioned, "Your target is Fourth Young Master's string, not her. If you can avoid conflict with her, it's best to do so. Although you have already achieved Dao, you have not yet imprinted the void, so you are no match for her for now."
Moon Venerable nodded solemnly.
Ever since Lan Yutian had spread the Dao, the path she had taken was no longer the old method of achieving Dao through Dao realms. Instead, she planned to use Lan Yutian's Ancestral Land Dao realm system to imprint the thirty-six layers of void within her own universe.
Although her Dao realm cultivation had already reached the required level, she had not yet completed the Ancestral Land cultivation system, so there were still deficiencies in her cultivation. Only by mastering the Ancestral Land Dao realm system would her cultivation become immensely profound, making her a true accomplished Daoist. Only then would she have the strength to contend with the Joyous Hall Master.
The Ferry of the Ages slowly sailed toward the Heavenly Court above the Ancestral Land. The Heavenly Court was now even more vast, with many exotic buildings that bore the characteristics of a civilization from the previous universe.
Qin Mu and Moon Venerable observed from afar. The runes and Dao patterns on those buildings were completely different from those of the present era. However, the great Dao and divine abilities ultimately led to the same destination. If one pondered carefully, one could grasp the unshakable principles of the great Dao.
Having reached their level of cultivation, Qin Mu and Moon Venerable could see through the surface of all kinds of bizarre Dao methods to their essence. There were few secrets left for them.
Qin Mu looked in the direction of Heavenly Lord Hao and once again saw that string from the past universe. His expression grew grave.
The power of this string was enough to destroy an accomplished Daoist like Kaihuang Qin Ye. If Heavenly Lord Hao brought this string to the Heavenly Court, the power of life and death over the entire Heavenly Court would likely fall into his hands!
Faced with the danger of death, these stowaways would probably be forced to submit to the Miluo Palace!
"Moon, can you see that string?" Qin Mu asked.
Moon Venerable looked but could only see Heavenly Lord Hao walking toward the Heavenly Court. She could not see the string and shook her head. "I cannot see it."
Qin Mu's heart sank. If Moon Venerable couldn't see it, then others probably couldn't either.
It seemed that only he could see that string!
The profundity of the Dao methods of the Miluo Palace's Fourth Young Master was evident!
Qin Mu steadied himself and looked in another direction. He saw the Empress Dowager leading the remnants of the Heavenly Court's army, entrenched in a remote area of the Ancestral Land.
Heavenly Lord Hao's remaining forces were already few, and the only expert among them who could contend with the Yan Kang was the Empress Dowager herself.
"While you were away, the Empress Dowager sent someone to negotiate surrender."
Moon Venerable stood shoulder to shoulder with Qin Mu at the bow of the ship, adjusting the guqin on her back. She said to Qin Mu, "The Empress Dowager had the intention to surrender. The envoy she sent negotiated with Yanfeng Emperor, but Jiang Baigui barged in and directly refused to negotiate. The Empress Dowager then gave up hope."
"Junior Brother Jiang did well."
Qin Mu smiled. "I know exactly what the Empress Dowager is planning. She thinks she still has some strength and wants to defect to us to preserve her power and remain one of the Ten Heavenly Lords. But times have changed. The era of the Ten Heavenly Lords should come to an end... Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace has come to pay a visit!"
The Ferry of the Ages arrived outside the Heavenly Court, and Qin Mu's voice echoed, quickly spreading throughout the entire Heavenly Court.
After a moment, the five Dao trees trembled. Dao fruits floated into the air, and Dao chains spilled out from within, shooting in all directions. The chains connected with one another, forming a massive net that covered the entire Heavenly Court, airtight and impenetrable!
Seeing this, Moon Venerable said suspiciously, "Mu, it seems they are guarding against you like a thief..."
Qin Mu's face radiated confidence, and he smiled slightly. "This is definitely a misunderstanding! Don't worry. Knowing my identity, they naturally need to prepare and welcome us with great fanfare!"
Inside the Heavenly Court, chaos reigned. Most of those guarding the Heavenly Court were prehistoric Heavenly Lord-level beings of considerable strength. One by one, these powerful figures sent out their primordial spirits, activating their various Dao realms, densely layering them to guard the Heavenly Court even more tightly!
Moon Venerable looked into the Heavenly Court and saw that heavy artifacts were being pushed out from various halls and treasuries. These were newly refined heavy artifacts brought over by the prehistoric stowaways, quite different from those of the Yan Kang.
The power of one heavy artifact after another was activated, and these artifacts were clearly aimed at Qin Mu and Moon Venerable!
Just as Qin Mu was about to speak, he suddenly heard someone inside the Heavenly Court shout, "That Miluo Palace scoundrel is here! Everyone, be careful! Stay alert! Five Elders! Five Elders!"
An aged voice rang out, shouting, "Don't panic! That Miluo Palace scoundrel is just a brat now, not yet the Seventh Young Master. We're not afraid of him!"
Qin Mu's face instantly darkened, while Moon Venerable covered her mouth and stifled a laugh.
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the side, ringing out clearly: "The Joyous Hall of the Miluo Palace, bearing the orders of Third Young Master and Fourth Young Master, and accompanied by His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor of the Seventeenth Epoch, has come to pay respects to the Five Elders of Fengshu."
Qin Mu looked to the side and saw a woman with only her upper body remaining, perched atop a Dao tree. Beneath the tree, Heavenly Lord Hao walked forward, smiling at him.
Qin Mu completely ignored Heavenly Lord Hao, his gaze falling on the Joyous Hall Master. He said warmly, "Fellow Daoist Joyous, we meet again."
The Joyous Hall Master did not dare to be negligent. She bowed respectfully on the Dao tree and said, "I pay my respects to the Seventh Young Master! The Seventh Young Master ordered Shang Jun to kill me and also tried to harm me with divine abilities on the road. Yet I still managed to escape. If this spreads, I will have gained considerable face."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, unconcerned. "My target was not you, but Chu Ge and Chang Feng. Chu Ge and Chang Feng are already dead, both killed by me. Soon enough, you will go to see them."
The Joyous Hall Master felt a chill in her heart and sneered, "Seventh Young Master, we are all fellow disciples of the same master. For you to cruelly harm your fellow disciples like this, are you not afraid of the master?"
Qin Mu was unperturbed. "I am not yet the master's disciple, so this cannot be considered harming fellow disciples. Besides, the Miluo Palace has harmed the Seventeenth Epoch. As the strongest being of the Seventeenth Epoch, it is only natural for me to protect the people and act on behalf of heaven."
The Joyous Hall Master snorted. Heavenly Lord Hao smiled slightly and said, "Mu Heavenly Lord, you are stubbornly clinging to your delusions..."
Qin Mu ignored him and turned his head. Behind the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Heavenly Court, an old man was leading a group of prehistoric Heavenly Lord-level beings hurrying over.
The old man stopped beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate, bowed, and said, "What wind has blown the envoy of Third Young Master and Fourth Young Master, as well as a hall master, here today?"
The old man's gaze fell on Qin Mu, and a look of reluctance appeared on his face. Then the reluctance vanished, replaced by a beaming smile. "The Seventh Young Master has graced us with his presence, bringing great honor to us, the Five Elders of Fengshu! Seventh Young Master, envoy, hall master, please come inside!"
Qin Mu and Moon Venerable descended from the Ferry of the Ages. Moon Venerable's gaze fell on the Joyous Hall Master, then shifted away, examining her Dao tree and Dao fruit.
The Joyous Hall Master was also sizing her up, her eyes landing on the guqin on her back. Suddenly, her heart stirred, and she said, "Are you the woman who played the zither and disturbed Fourth Young Master's Dao heart?"
Moon Venerable smiled serenely. "That piece was very difficult."
The Joyous Hall Master laughed. "Indeed, it was very difficult. That piece is called the Purple Firmament Dao-Realization Melody. One must enter the Dao through music and reach the Dao realm to play it completely. Back then, Fourth Young Master Purple Firmament found it hard to achieve Dao, but his wife had already achieved Dao before him. So she created this melody, which contained supreme spirituality, to help him achieve Dao. Across sixteen epochs, only one person managed to enter the Dao through music and cultivate to the Dao realm. Fourth Young Master's wife perished in a tribulation, and this melody became a lost art."
"I see."
Moon Venerable suddenly understood. "No wonder I always found it difficult to play this piece completely. It turns out one must achieve Dao through music. Fortunately, I learned by analogy. While awakening Shang Jun with the Ultimate Killing Intent, I also achieved great success in the Ultimate Void, allowing me to barely play this piece. Sister, you also cultivate the Ultimate Void, don't you? Can you not play it?"
A glint of killing intent flashed in the Joyous Hall Master's eyes, but she said with a smile, "I have not achieved much in music. Dear little sister, later you must play a piece for me to hear."
Moon Venerable smiled. "That's easy. Shang Jun's Ultimate Killing Intent was awakened by my Killing Dao Melody. Sister's wound still carries the remnants of Shang Jun's killing Dao. I'm afraid you might not survive even one of my pieces."
"That's fine!" the Joyous Hall Master said coldly.
The two women turned their heads away from each other and fell silent.
Qin Mu said to the old man leading the way, "Daoist brother, are you perhaps one of the Five Elders of Fengshu? Do we know each other?"
The old man hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare! Seventh Young Master, we Five Elders of Fengshu were merely insignificant nobodies in the past universe, unworthy of your attention. It's just that back then, we five old bones were disciplined by the Seventh Young Master. Perhaps because we were too insignificant, the Seventh Young Master doesn't remember."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, but inwardly he was uneasy. "Even here, I run into enemies? Just how many people did I offend when I went back to the past? Is my reputation really so bad that I have no friends at all?"
——I'm scared, I'm scared! Wuwuwu, begging for monthly votes, begging for comfort!! Everyone, help me keep an eye out for which chapters have been blocked. I'll go and revise them! Please!