Chapter 1786: You Are Ill, You Need Treatment
Taiyi looked around at the thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes. After a moment, he said, "Fellow Daoists, how have you been?"
"How have you been!"
The thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes were overjoyed and spoke in unison: "Please, Lord of Heavenly Capital, come with us to the Waste Ground and return to your true body!"
Taiyi's gaze fell upon Qin Mu in the distance, then he withdrew his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Very well. Return to the true body!"
Qin Mu frowned.
Suddenly, the thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes activated the Heaven-Opening Altar formation, tearing open the sky, and together with Taiyi, they teleported out of the Ancestral Court prison, vanishing from sight.
Qin Mu's expression darkened. He mobilized his divine power, pulling back the Guixu that had been sent flying beyond the heavens by the thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes, and used the power of Guixu to reseal the area with layers of restrictions.
Kaihuang Qin Ye and Shang Jun and the others arrived. Before they could ask, Qin Mu said in a deep voice, "Taiyi has gone with the Heaven-Opening Multitudes to the Waste Ground to find the true body of the Lord of Heavenly Capital."
Taishi asked, "If he becomes the Lord of Heavenly Capital, can he still maintain his Taiyi form?"
Qin Mu shook his head.
He did not know the answer to that question. Ling Tianzun should have tampered with Taiyi, preventing him from being the Lord of Heavenly Capital, and the Master of Miluo Palace had sent him back to the Fourth Era, allowing him to examine the actions of the Lord of Heavenly Capital and the Heaven-Opening Multitudes for himself.
The current Taiyi's mindset was completely different from that of the Lord of Heavenly Capital.
But after Taiyi merged with the Lord of Heavenly Capital, whether he could maintain his Taiyi mindset was hard to say.
"Why did Taiyi go with them?"
Shang Jun was puzzled. He deeply respected both Taiyi and the paralyzed man in the Obelisk Forest, but he felt they were two different people. Taiyi had no need to become someone else.
"The Heaven-Opening Multitudes are too dangerous. If it came to a fight, Taiyi had no certainty of defeating them or keeping them confined in the Ancestral Court."
Qin Mu glanced around and said, "I need to go to the Waste Ground. You all stay here. While Taiyi and I are away, you must be wary of attacks from Yujing City and the World Tree. I will leave the Ferry of Salvation behind. If you cannot hold out, board the ship to take shelter."
Everyone nodded.
Qin Mu took a deep breath, his form flickering, and vanished from the Ancestral Court prison.
The Waste Ground.
The Heaven-Opening Multitudes walked with Taiyi through this place of filth, filled with mysteries. Many things that even the Destruction Calamity and Creation Calamity could not destroy were discarded here.
Here too were the ruins of Heavenly Capital City, the place where the Heavenly Capital's ascendants had opened the heavens, as well as the Obelisk Forest where Miluo Palace's First Young Master, Taishang, had suppressed evil heretics, along with various other strange and eerie objects.
Taiyi and the Heaven-Opening Multitudes revisited the ruins of Heavenly Capital City. They ascended the Heaven-Opening Altar, and the Heaven-Opening Multitudes sighed with emotion. The Smiling Face said, "Over the years, we have been searching for our leader. Ling said she sent the leader's primordial spirit to the future, but Ling is a highly uncertain person. After all, she joined Heavenly Capital City midway, and her Dao heart is not as pure as ours."
Taiyi stood with both feet on the two footprints at the center of the altar—footprints he himself had left. Standing there again filled him with emotion.
After a moment, Taiyi said, "Ling had the best talent and insight among you. Why did you not follow her after my death?"
The thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"Ling was not fit to be our leader. She was soft-hearted and could not see the essence of life."
The Smiling Face said, "Life is merely a pile of matter and energy. She thought it should be respected, but she overlooked that we can create life, even create worlds. We can even shape worlds and life into whatever we desire! She could not do that. Our leader is only one—the Lord of Heavenly Capital."
Taiyi looked at them, frowning slightly.
Once, he too had held this belief, which was why he had these followers.
But now his thinking had changed. Since becoming Taiyi, he had tried not to interfere with the course of the Seventeenth Era, letting it develop on its own. This was completely different from the actions of the Lord of Heavenly Capital.
"To rescue the leader, we once influenced the future from the past, showing Seventh Young Master the scene of Heavenly Capital City opening the heavens."
The Smiling Face said, "Unfortunately, Young Master Hundun disappointed us. When he was about to heal the leader, he hesitated. Leader, rest assured, we will surely heal you!"
"Heal me?" Taiyi looked at the Dao wounds on his body.
Clearly, the Heaven-Opening Multitudes were not referring to the Dao wounds left from the battle with Third Young Master and Fourth Young Master. They were referring to Taiyi's thoughts and ideals.
The Heaven-Opening Multitudes believed that the current Taiyi's thoughts and ideals were diseased, imperfect, and needed healing.
Their method of healing Taiyi was to turn him into the Lord of Heavenly Capital, the leader in their hearts!
They left the ruins of Heavenly Capital City. Strange and eerie things drifted through the Waste Ground, but they shrank back before the Heaven-Opening Multitudes.
They searched the Waste Ground for a long time until they saw a vast procession of coffins ahead, many linked together, sailing toward them.
When Qin Mu had come here before, encountering the coffin procession blocking his way, he had directly crushed them with the Ferry of Salvation, shattering many coffins while the others fled.
"Fellow Daoists!"
The Smiling Face stood before the Heaven-Opening Multitudes, his Dao voice shaking: "The day of your liberation is near! The Lord of Heavenly Capital is about to descend, and then you can see the light of day again, settle old scores! Your grudges with Miluo Palace and Seventh Young Master can be settled!"
The coffins seemed to understand his words, rejoicing, their chains rattling with a clatter.
"Young Master Hundun suppressed them for a reason."
Taiyi warned the Smiling Face and the other Heaven-Opening Multitudes, saying, "If they are released, the harm will be immense."
The Smiling Face's smile turned terrifying: "Miluo Palace is more powerful than our Heavenly Capital. The Heavenly Capital needs them to oppose Miluo Palace. Leader, you are truly ill. The old you would never have thought this way."
Other Heaven-Opening Multitudes also chimed in: "The leader is ill. The old leader never bothered with such things! Even if it meant destroying the universe and opening the heavens anew, starting over from scratch, that was fine."
Taiyi's eyelid twitched.
They continued onward, finally finding the gate that the Ferry of Salvation had smashed through. The thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes escorted Taiyi inside, laughing: "Young Master Hundun broke the formation here, saving us some trouble."
The obelisks here were toppled and scattered, the result of Qin Mu ramming them with the Ferry of Salvation during his last visit. Later, Young Master Taishang had descended, explaining the stakes to Qin Mu, convincing him to abandon the idea of "healing" Taiyi and the paralyzed man.
When Young Master Taishang and Qin Mu left, they had not restored the Obelisk Forest.
"Young Master Taishang and Young Master Qin Mu are two great villains. In the past universe, they suppressed many fellow Daoists."
The Smiling Face and the other Heaven-Opening Multitudes escorted Taiyi into the forest. They were so powerful that they could resist the forest's suppression. The Smiling Face said, "Young Master Taishang takes Miluo Palace's ideals as his own. He is too rigid in his rules and cannot be used. Young Master Hundun is also a great villain, but he acts without rules or principles, so he could be used. Unfortunately, Young Master Taishang ultimately persuaded him. This forced us to take the risk of coming from Guixu to personally heal the leader."
Taiyi said, "Young Master Taishang and Young Master Hundun suppressed those who harmed the world. Their actions were not excessive."
"The leader is truly ill."
The thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes each looked worried, then relaxed: "But soon we can heal the leader."
Seeing this, Taiyi had nothing to say.
Suddenly, his heart stirred. Logically, upon entering this Obelisk Forest, he should immediately resonate with the paralyzed man inside, eventually disappearing and merging with him.
Yet they had already ventured deep into the forest, and there was no change in him!
Taiyi remained expressionless, letting the crowd surround him as they continued deeper.
After a long time, they finally reached the core of the Obelisk Forest. A small village appeared there, surrounded by the obelisks. At the village entrance stood a tree, with a pig hanging upside down from it, squealing and struggling to get free but unable to escape.
On a stone by the village entrance, an old man squinted, puffing on a water pipe with a rhythmic sound.
Inside the village were a few dilapidated houses. A woman by the well was beating clothes with a mallet, the blows making a slapping sound.
A little girl with two pigtails was climbing a tree, trying to pick fruit, while under the eaves, an old woman leaned against the wall, dozing off.
The thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes escorted Taiyi to the village. Looking around, the Smiling Face bowed to the old man: "Brother Dongyang, the third strongest of Heavenly Capital City back then. You vanished long ago; I didn't expect you to be suppressed here! Brother, today is the day of your liberation, and also the day the leader's illness is cured. Congratulations."
The old man Dongyang glanced at him and said flatly, "So it's Brother Shijing. I wondered who had made their face so ugly. I am fine here. I am not suppressed by Taishang; I came here willingly. As for the leader, he is not ill, only wounded."
The Smiling Face said, "Brother Dongyang, whether the leader is wounded or ill, he still needs treatment. Where is the leader's physical body? Please bring it out quickly."
Old man Dongyang raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the other Heaven-Opening Multitudes. He tapped out his pipe, stood up, and chuckled grimly: "Since the leader died, you have become increasingly worthless, turning into neither human nor ghost, quite frightening. Go back. The leader does not need you."
The Smiling Face sighed: "It seems Brother Dongyang is also ill and needs treatment."
The other Heaven-Opening Multitudes chimed in: "Brother Dongyang is ill. Lie down quickly, and we will treat you!"
Old man Dongyang flew into a rage, his Dao voice like thunder: "Are you disobeying my orders?"
The thirty-five Heaven-Opening Multitudes turned a deaf ear to his Dao voice, each lifting their heads, their faces eerily staring at him.
Old man Dongyang was startled. His Dao voice could affect the mind and heart of those questioned, probing their Dao heart. Even the hall masters and young masters of Miluo Palace would need to respond, awakening hidden things deep in their Dao hearts.
The Heaven-Opening Multitudes should have had their memories of the past awakened, yet they were completely unaffected by his Dao voice!
"You have become monsters through repeated heaven-opening experiments."
Old man Dongyang sighed desolately and said, "Seventh Young Master, I am out of options. It's up to you."
As his words fell, Qin Mu emerged from the house behind the old woman, carrying a huge Burial Dao Divine Coffin on his shoulder.
Thump.
He set down the coffin and said flatly, "Inside this coffin is the paralyzed man you are looking for."