Chapter 1774: Entering the Mirage Palace Again
Qin Mu rested for a few days, recovering some of his cultivation, before becoming busy once more. Shang Jun had been struck by Jiang Baigui's Unyielding Divine Ability, caught between life and death. Resolving this state was troublesome, as it required blocking the Joyous Hall Master's lethal strike the moment the Unyielding Divine Ability was undone.
The Joyous Hall Master was, after all, a Hall Master-level existence. Though dead, her divine ability continued to circulate within the Unyielding Divine Ability, killing Shang Jun over and over again.
The only ones capable of blocking her lethal strike were Qin Mu and Kai Huang.
The two prepared themselves. Qin Mu moved to undo the Unyielding Divine Ability, and the moment it was broken, Kai Huang Qin Ye thrust his sword, blocking the divine ability aimed at Shang Jun!
Shang Jun was pulled back from the brink of death, and the Medicine Master immediately stepped forward to treat his injuries.
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He then summoned Tai Yi, who lay motionless on the golden ship, his body riddled with Dao-Severing Divine Nails.
"Imperial Brother, Brother Xu, Junior Brother Jiang, I will teach you the Hongmeng Runes of the Mirage Palace. You will treat Tai Yi's injuries."
Qin Mu invited the three over and imparted to them the Hongmeng Runes and the Mirage Palace techniques and divine abilities he had comprehended. "The Third Young Master and Fourth Young Master have suffered a setback this time, but they will surely return. Wuyan the Ancient will also eventually heal his Dao wounds and reappear. You must heal Tai Yi as soon as possible."
Jiang Baigui hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Second Senior Brother, didn't you say Tai Yi is the Lord of the Heavenly Capital? If we heal him, and the Heavenly Capital's Heaven-Opening Multitude comes looking for us..."
"Healing Tai Yi and the Heaven-Opening Multitude coming for us are two different matters."
Qin Mu smiled. "The Heaven-Opening Multitude won't find their way here so easily. If they could, they would have come long ago. After all, Tai Yi guarded the Great Black Mountain in the Ancestral Court for billions of years and was once sent to the Fourth Era by the Mirage Palace Master. If the Heaven-Opening Multitude were looking for him, they would have had plenty of opportunities. Clearly, they are not searching for Tai Yi, but for the Lord of the Heavenly Capital."
Xu Shenghua was puzzled. "Is there a difference?"
"Tai Yi is a lone wanderer, coming and going by himself. The Lord of the Heavenly Capital, however, is the leader of the Heavenly Capital. That is the greatest difference."
Qin Mu said, "There must be some distinction between Tai Yi and the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, but I'm not sure what it is. Ling Tianzun might be able to explain it."
Lan Yutian said, "Brother, wouldn't you be more skilled at treating Tai Yi? Your mastery of Hongmeng divine abilities is greater."
Xu Shenghua and Jiang Baigui nodded in agreement.
"In my Chaos Hall, I still have the Burial Dao Divine Coffin and the Small World Tree. I need to go in there and deal with the Third Young Master's hand that is suppressed there."
Qin Mu sighed and said seriously, "Moreover, there are the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City and Wuyan the Ancient's forces. These two major powers are bound to stir. I also need to make rounds, suppressing what needs to be suppressed and killing what needs to be killed. And the Ancestral Court's prison is unstable; I need to constantly reinforce it. There are too many things to do, and I don't have time to treat Tai Yi. I am teaching you the Mirage Palace's techniques and divine abilities so you can use this opportunity to improve yourselves and strive to achieve the Dao as soon as possible. Then I won't have to work so hard."
The three had initially suspected he was just avoiding the trouble of treating Tai Yi, but hearing this, they felt a pang of guilt.
The Ferry of the Ages landed. Qin Mu invited everyone off the ship, leaving only Ling Yuxiu behind. The ship shrank, carrying them away.
After a moment, Qin Mu's shadow flickered on the ship, and then Shang Jun's figure emerged, thrown off the ship by Qin Mu.
Jiang Baigui looked up and said to Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian, "We were right. He just finds it troublesome. He doesn't want to deal with any of the difficult tasks and just dumps them on us."
Lan Yutian shook his head. "My brother isn't that kind of person. Right, Brother Xu?"
Xu Shenghua remained noncommittal. "Treating Tai Yi is the priority."
The three of them could be considered the most talented in terms of comprehension and aptitude. Working together to comprehend the Mirage Palace techniques Qin Mu had taught them, and observing Tai Yi's Dao wounds, they could exchange ideas and progress much faster than Qin Mu fumbling alone.
However, healing Tai Yi would require a deep mastery of the Mirage Palace's techniques and divine abilities, which would take time.
Meanwhile, the golden ship drifted leisurely toward Jade Capital City. Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu leaned against each other at the bow, enjoying a rare moment of peace and tenderness.
Ling Yuxiu suddenly laughed. "Husband, isn't it a bit unfair to dump Tai Yi on them?"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "If I took everything on myself, they would never have the chance to train. Now their opportunity has come. Besides, we do have a lot to do."
He took her hand and led her toward the golden hall on the ship. Ling Yuxiu's face flushed, and she covered her lips with her other hand, looking a bit reluctant, but she still followed his steps.
After a while, the Ferry of the Ages began to sway, as if drunk. It suddenly crashed into a divine mountain, then wobbled back into the air, only to plummet to the ground, dragging a trail for tens of thousands of miles before suddenly soaring up and plunging into a sea of clouds.
Fortunately, the Ancestral Court was now uninhabited, so there was no need to worry about shocking anyone.
After an unknown amount of time, the Ferry of the Ages finally drifted slowly to the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City.
Several Dao-Achievers from the Mirage Palace had already descended and were watching the strange golden ship warily. Suddenly, the ship seemed to lose control and crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, lying motionless.
The deaths of the Joyous, Phoenix, and Zengcheng Hall Masters had already reached the Mirage Palace, shocking everyone there.
Even more shocking was the news that the Third Young Master, Ling Xiao, had had his right arm severed, causing an uproar throughout the Mirage Palace. They were startled, angry, and fearful of the Seventh Young Master.
They were startled that Qin Mu, who had not yet achieved the Dao, possessed such strength. They were angry that Qin Mu, as the Seventh Young Master of the Mirage Palace, would kill his own people. They feared that if they descended to the Seventeenth Era, they too might fall victim to him.
In recent days, the Mirage Palace had been using blood sacrifices to force new Dao-Achievers to descend to the Seventeenth Era, but the newly descended ones were much more cautious and never left Jade Capital City.
They hadn't gone out, but Qin Mu had come to them!
The few Dao-Achievers were cautious and didn't approach. They stood at a distance, observing. The Ferry of the Ages appeared empty.
After a moment, the door to the hall on the golden ship opened. Qin Mu walked out, adjusting his clothes, his face radiant. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoists, no need to worry. I am not here to kill, but to see the Teacher. Please, make way."
The Dao-Achievers in front silently parted to make a path.
The Ferry of the Ages rose and flew deeper into the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City.
Ling Yuxiu walked out of the golden hall. The Jade Capital City was desolate, filled with withered Dao trees, collapsed divine palaces and halls, and the eerie, cold and hot winds of stillness.
Apart from the few descended Dao-Achievers, there was no sign of any living thing.
Suddenly, a Dao Fruit flew onto the golden ship and hovered before the two. A woman's voice laughed from within the Dao Fruit. "Nanxiang greets the Seventh Young Master."
Ling Yuxiu looked at Qin Mu. Qin Mu smiled. "Fellow Daoist Nanxiang, no need for formalities. This is my wife."
"Nanxiang greets the Young Master's wife."
The Dao chains within the Dao Fruit spun, vaguely revealing a stunningly beautiful woman, though she was unclothed inside the Dao Fruit, her exquisite form faintly visible.
Ling Yuxiu's face flushed slightly, and she glanced at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu remained composed, smiling. "Fellow Daoist Nanxiang, I am here to see the Teacher. I would trouble you to announce my arrival, to avoid any unexpected complications along the way."
The woman in the Dao Fruit chuckled. "The Seventh Young Master is quite bold! Many Hall Masters of the Mirage Palace's seventy-two halls have died at the hands of the Young Master and his followers, yet you still dare to see the Teacher! You want to destroy the Teacher's legacy. Not only will the Teacher not tolerate you, but who in the entire Mirage Palace could tolerate you?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly and extended a finger, gently touching the void.
There, an invisible string was taut.
This string extended from the Chaos River all the way to the World Tree in the Ancestral Court.
The string was pulled tight, its power ready to erupt at any moment.
"Fourth Brother will let me pass."
Qin Mu smiled. "The one pulling this string is Hao Tianzun, the only complete Dao-Achiever in Jade Capital City, though he achieved the Dao through sheer force. If Fourth Brother doesn't allow me to pass, I will use this string of his to unleash a divine ability and kill Hao Tianzun directly."
Nanxiang Yuanjun's expression changed. She bowed within the Dao Fruit. "Young Master, please wait a moment!"
The Dao Fruit hurried away.
The Ferry of the Ages carried Qin Mu and his wife onward. Soon, they arrived at the first Chaos River. The river was turbulent, with fierce waves and a long, endless expanse. Countless beings could be seen struggling, dying, and being destroyed within it.
The golden ship stopped.
Qin Mu and his wife waited. A Dao Fruit flew out of the Chaos River. Nanxiang Yuanjun said to Qin Mu, "Young Master, Madam, the Fourth Young Master says you may cross the river. He will not stop you. However, he can only guarantee that he will not act. Whether others will act is beyond his control."
Qin Mu bowed in thanks. "I am grateful to Nanxiang."
"You flatter me."
Nanxiang returned the bow within the Dao Fruit. "Allow me to guide the Young Master."
As the Ferry of the Ages sailed into the Chaos River, Ling Yuxiu observed closely. The Dao Fruit suddenly began to unravel like a cocoon, and the woman inside stretched her body, stepping out of the Dao Fruit!
The Dao chains and patterns of the Dao Fruit transformed into a magnificent feathered robe, draping over her, dazzlingly beautiful.
Nanxiang Yuanjun gathered the robe around her chest, leaving only a hint of white skin exposed. She smiled. "The Young Master never mentioned having a wife before."
Ling Yuxiu smiled sweetly. "We were married not long ago. After my husband and I married, we destroyed the Heavenly Court."
Nanxiang Yuanjun was surprised. "So the Young Master married to destroy the Heavenly Court."
Ling Yuxiu smiled. "We plan to have children. My husband said he wanted to visit the Teacher at the Mirage Palace. The round trip will take about two years. By the time we reach the Mirage Palace, the child will be born, and we can ask the Teacher to name it."
Nanxiang's heart tightened, and she said no more.
Marrying and then destroying the Heavenly Court showed that Qin Mu was confident of victory, so he could marry.
Now, Qin Mu planning to have children—did that mean he was confident enough to destroy the Mirage Palace?
—Tencent Comics, The Legend of the Shepherd God is currently in hot pre-registration. Brothers, please go and support it! Don't let it be too quiet. Tears~