Chapter 1782: The Divine Abilities of the Heaven-Opening Multitude
In the ancestral court’s Jade Capital, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu crossed the final chaotic river and entered the city.
Along this journey, few people obstructed them. They encountered only a few of the Heaven-Opening Multitude from the Heavenly Capital, engaging in several skirmishes.
The Dao techniques and divine abilities of those few from the Heavenly Capital’s Heaven-Opening Multitude were incredibly bizarre and peculiar, vastly different from the Dao techniques and divine abilities of the Miluo Palace, causing even him to suffer a minor setback.
“Rest assured, my wife. I will definitely return to that point in time and find Lingyun.”
Qin Mu looked back and saw the turbulent rivers, symbolizing the destruction of the past sixteen universes. At the place where the cataclysmic destruction of the First Eon began, his daughter, Qin Lingyun, was trapped there.
When he returned to that place, it might have felt like only a brief separation from her parents to Qin Lingyun, but to them, a very long time might have passed.
At this moment, Qin Mu did not yet know how long this time would be. It was only when he returned to that time period, just before the cataclysmic destruction of the First Eon was about to begin but had not yet started, and when he lifted Qin Lingyun up and placed her on his shoulder, that he realized how long he would have to wait.
“Focus on your cultivation.”
Qin Mu said to Ling Yuxiu, “In the future, if you achieve the Dao, you will be able to survive the cataclysmic destruction of the First Eon and enter the chaotic river with me to see her.”
Ling Yuxiu nodded silently.
But she knew that her own talent was limited. She was not a being of heaven-defying talent like Xu Shenghua or Lan Yutian. In this life, she might never achieve the Dao.
She might never be able to return to the past with Qin Mu to see their daughter.
However, there was always hope.
Perhaps this was the calamity that the Master of the Miluo Palace and the Great Elder Tai Shang had spoken of.
Qin Lingyun had absorbed the power of the cataclysmic destruction of fifteen universal eons. In the eyes of the ancient monsters from these fifteen universal eons, she was the Child of the Eon.
Perhaps she was destined to undergo this tribulation.
The Great Elder Tai Shang had told Qin Mu not to absorb the cataclysmic destruction of the First Eon to nourish Qin Lingyun. The Master of the Miluo Palace was unwilling to bestow his blessing, probably because Qin Lingyun’s sliver of a chance for survival lay within the First Eon universe. If she absorbed the cataclysmic destruction of the First Eon, that chance for survival would cease to exist.
The couple walked out of the ancestral court’s Jade Capital. At that moment, the Golden Ship of Salvation flew out from the city and came to rest behind them.
Qin Mu’s heart stirred. He had sent the Golden Ship of Salvation to escort Qin Lingyun back to the First Eon, to protect her as she passed through the great cataclysmic destruction.
Now, the ship had returned.
On the Golden Ship, a lotus leaf floated up, fell into Qin Mu’s Guixu, and connected with the Guixu Lotus.
“Lingyun is safe.”
Qin Mu’s spirits lifted, and he smiled at Ling Yuxiu, “Only when she is safe will my lotus leaf return. This means that on a certain day in the future, you and I will return to the First Eon and find her!”
The lotus leaf was a part of his Guixu Dao. Its mission was to guard Qin Lingyun. Only when Qin Lingyun was truly safe would the lotus leaf return.
And this ‘safety’ referred to the moment Qin Lingyun met Qin Mu. This lotus leaf could not coexist with the lotus leaf in that Qin Mu’s Guixu at that time. This lotus leaf would then disappear and be sent to him by that Qin Mu!
This was complicated to explain, but for a Dao achiever of the Guixu, it was not difficult to accomplish!
Ling Yuxiu also let out a long sigh of relief, feeling somewhat comforted in her heart. Although she could not see her daughter now, she would definitely be able to see her in the future!
The couple settled down in the ancestral court, choosing a place to live precisely between the ancestral court’s Jade Capital and the World Tree. Qin Mu imparted his insights and realizations to Ling Yuxiu, hoping that she could make rapid progress and cultivate to a profound realm.
Beneath the World Tree, chaos reigned, littered with rotting corpses.
Two years earlier, at the very moment Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu had ridden the Golden Ship into the chaotic river of the Jade Capital, the Fourth Young Master had taken his seat within the cataclysmic destruction of the Sixteenth Eon, personally orchestrating a war aimed at the World Tree!
The three Hall Masters of the Miluo Palace led the Dao achievers of the Miluo Palace from the Jade Capital, charging into the area beneath the World Tree. At the same time, the power of a zither string connecting the Sixteenth Eon to the World Tree erupted, bloodily cleansing the forces of the Boundless Old Man!
The Fourth Young Master’s zither string was pulled by the Heavenly Venerable Hao. As the zither music sounded, the Fourth Young Master used the zither string as a medium to transmit his divine abilities beneath the World Tree!
The three newly descended Hall Masters of the Miluo Palace, leading over a dozen Dao achievers, attacked the World Tree amidst the zither music. This battle caused countless casualties among the prehistoric powerhouses beneath the World Tree!
The death of these powerhouses made the power of the blood sacrifice increasingly potent!
At the same time, on the other side, the Kai Emperor Qin Ye, the Moon Venerable, Shang Jun, and others seized the opportunity to charge beneath the World Tree. Amidst the great battle, Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian carried the half-dead Tai Yi forward.
Their faction was the weakest among the three, but although Tai Yi was half-crippled, his strength remained formidable, posing a significant deterrent to both the Miluo Palace and the World Tree.
Not long after the battle began, the already-Dao-achieved Tai Shi arrived with the Dao Ancestor Gongsun Yan to provide support.
Tai Shi, having achieved the Dao, displayed astonishing combat prowess, able to contend with Dao achievers possessing several Dao Fruits, though he was slightly inferior to beings at the Hall Master level.
Achieving the Dao through the Five Supremes was the most supreme form of innate Dao achievement. Tai Shi had followed Qin Mu for a long time, and Qin Mu had not concealed his insights from studying the transformations of the Five Supremes. This had broadened Tai Shi’s horizons and knowledge far beyond his own original limitations.
Tai Shi had also fought for decades with the Taiji Ancient God siblings, deepening his understanding of the world’s Daos and the Five Supremes.
This was the benefit of innate strength, something others could not envy.
His emergence from seclusion this time was crucial for enhancing the combat power of the Yan Kang faction, and it also had a significant impact on the blood sacrifice in the Jade Capital.
Tai Shi intercepted the energy of the blood sacrifice, transforming it into the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, strengthening Qin Mu’s seal in the ancestral court. Although he could not contend with the Third or Fourth Young Masters, he could still manage to intercept a portion.
This could temporarily slow the descent of the Miluo Palace’s Dao achievers.
This fierce battle between the two sides was also the reason why the Miluo Palace’s Hall Masters and Dao achievers did not block Qin Mu’s path.
Ultimately, the Boundless Old Man failed in his bid for Qin Lingyun and returned from the past to the World Tree, severing the Fourth Young Master’s zither string, which brought this battle to an end.
By the time Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu settled down, the war was already over.
In this battle, the Boundless Old Man’s forces suffered heavy losses. Having his lair breached by the Fourth Young Master was also a great loss of face for the Boundless Old Man.
The Boundless Old Man was enraged. Outside the World Tree, chaotic qi billowed, and numerous chaotic rivers coiled around this sacred tree, forming a natural barrier. The roots of the World Tree extended in all directions, seizing the energy of the blood sacrifice.
—The Third Young Master Ling Xiao was also searching everywhere for Qin Lingyun. Without the Third Young Master presiding over the blood sacrifice, the ancestral court’s Jade Capital could not reap the maximum benefits.
Qin Mu’s visit to the Master of the Miluo Palace had dragged away too many experts, causing this battle to fail to achieve the ancestral court’s Jade Capital’s intended goals.
The roots of the World Tree also took root in the cataclysmic destruction of the Sixteenth Eon universe, attracting more powerhouses to hide within the roots and stow away into the Seventeenth Eon.
At the same time, more Hall Masters and Dao achievers descended from the Miluo Palace. More and more Dao Trees were resurrected within the ancestral court’s Jade Capital, forming a majestic forest, lush and green.
This Jade Capital also seemed to have lost much of its vicissitude, becoming much more radiant.
Within the Jade Capital, one treasure hall after another rose up. The Dao light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the sky of the ancestral court with brilliant colors.
This was a sign that the energy of the blood sacrifice was so immense that the ancestral court’s Jade Capital was about to cross over from the past into the Seventeenth Eon!
Tai Shi, Qin Ye, Shang Jun, and others returned, carrying Tai Yi, who could only move half of his body, to see Qin Mu. Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian had treated Tai Yi for two years, significantly alleviating his injuries.
Qin Mu stood up, bowed to Tai Yi, and then greeted everyone. His expression was gentle as he said, “Everyone has worked hard. After this battle, we can establish a foothold in the ancestral court.”
Tai Yi wanted to stand up, but many Dao-Severing Divine Nails were still embedded in his body, preventing him from getting up.
“So, Fellow Daoist, was your return this time successful?”
Tai Yi had no choice but to remain seated. His gaze flickered as he looked into Qin Mu’s eyes, probing, “Fellow Daoist returned to the Miluo Palace for the second time. Your daughter should have been born by now, right?”
Everyone was surprised and looked towards Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu.
Ling Yuxiu’s expression darkened, and she said nothing.
Qin Mu’s expression turned somber. “Brother Tai Yi seems to know something. Since you know, why didn’t you speak up earlier?”
“Sometimes, knowing something doesn’t mean you can speak of it.”
Tai Yi said, “If I had spoken, you wouldn’t have done it. The you of now thinks this is wrong, considers it a bad thing. But the you of the future thinks it was right, that it was actually a good thing. So I had no choice but to remain silent.”
His words were confusing, but Qin Mu understood.
Many things must have happened in the past universes. Tai Yi had likely encountered a future version of himself. His silence was based on his own considerations.
“Brother Dao, you are the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, the leader of the Heaven-Opening Multitude. How should I face you?”
Qin Mu set aside the matter of Qin Lingyun and asked, “You should be well aware of the actions of the Heaven-Opening Multitude. The Master of the Miluo Palace sent you to the Fourth Eon, both as compensation and to show you the deeds of the Heavenly Capital’s Heaven-Opening Multitude. The Heaven-Opening Multitude is searching for you. They will surely descend in the future. How will you face them?”
Tai Yi fell silent. After a long time, he said, “What they want is the Heavenly Capital, not Tai Yi. I am not the Heavenly Capital.”
“The Heaven-Opening Multitude will not see it that way.”
Qin Mu said in a deep voice, “You are their spiritual leader. They possess vast divine abilities, and they will stop at nothing to find you. I have already experienced this on the road. In the chaotic river, every member of the Heaven-Opening Multitude has a unique means of self-preservation. Each one of them is extremely powerful, and their methods are bizarre and incredibly difficult to deal with.”
He suddenly tore open his upper garment, revealing strange wounds on his chest. The wounds were shocking, and the fluctuations of the Dao wounds caused Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian to exclaim in surprise.
The Dao wounds on Qin Mu’s chest were caused by Dao techniques and divine abilities they had never seen before!
The two of them had already studied all the Daos of the world, and even dabbled in the Dao techniques and divine abilities of the Miluo Palace. Yet, the Dao techniques and divine abilities of the Heavenly Capital’s Heaven-Opening Multitude were beyond their comprehension!
Ling Yuxiu gasped softly. Although she had been present during Qin Mu’s battle with the Heaven-Opening Multitude on the river surface and knew he was injured, she did not know that his injuries were incurable. Qin Mu had never mentioned it.
Tai Yi’s expression was grave as he looked at the wounds on Qin Mu’s chest. Some wounds had already begun to fester, showing that Qin Mu had been helpless against these Dao wounds during this time.
“The divine abilities of the Heaven-Opening Multitude have already departed from the scope of the original creation of heaven and earth. Their divine abilities have taken a different path.”
Tai Yi said in a deep voice, “Back then, we only discussed the possibility of such a path—a path different from the runic Dao created by the Master of the Miluo Palace. One that doesn’t require runes, Dao realms, or Dao Trees to achieve the Dao, and can even create Daos. Judging from the Dao wounds on your body, they have already made some achievements.”