Chapter 1822: Daughter of Chaos
"Brother Wuyan, there is no need to panic."
Qin Mu approached the tree, caressing its trunk, and said with a smile, "If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so long ago. I have come to bid you farewell. After all, we are old acquaintances, and there is still friendship between us."
The great tree stopped trembling, and the voice of Elder Wuyan came from within, saying, "Farewell? You intend to return to the past and become Young Master Chaos?"
Qin Mu smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother, that IOU I gave you back then—you didn't lose out, did you? It's fortunate that you really kept it, or else today's situation would not be what it is."
Elder Wuyan inside the tree sneered, "You don't dare kill me! Chaos, it's not that you don't want to kill me, but that you truly don't dare! Because you know your path may not succeed! You didn't spare my life; you beat me to the brink of death, then knelt before me, begging me not to die!"
Qin Mu was taken aback.
Elder Wuyan chuckled darkly, "I know your little schemes, your little calculations. Your Eternal Peace has lost its vitality; the reforms have no momentum. Heh, you need me as an enemy for Eternal Peace, a rival. Truly a good idea. But aren't you afraid I'll destroy Eternal Peace?"
Qin Mu wore a kind smile.
Elder Wuyan laughed heartily, "Once you're gone, I'll be invincible in the Seventeenth Epoch! As long as I recover a little, I can extend my roots to connect with the cosmic epochs before history, allowing those powerful beings from prehistory who refuse to die to sneak over in an endless stream. Destroying Eternal Peace and the myriad realms will be effortless! Blue Yutian, Xu Shenghua—they're all mere juniors before me!"
Qin Mu blinked, smiling, "Brother, you still have such lofty ambitions. My heart is comforted. Do not let today's words go to waste. This parting, I know not when we shall meet again."
"...I will destroy your Eternal Peace and return this world to chaos!"
Elder Wuyan said excitedly, "When you return, you'll find that I have become the master of this shattered universe, restored to my peak, as powerful as the Lord of Miluo Palace! All your loved ones, your women, your children..."
Qin Mu turned his head and gave him a dark, sinister look.
Elder Wuyan's excitement vanished instantly, and he began to tremble.
Qin Mu turned and walked away, snorting coldly, "Junior!"
He had finally learned a popular term from this era.
The war in the Ancestral Land continued, forming a stalemate. Blue Yutian, Xu Shenghua, Kaihuang Qin Ye, Jiang Baigui, Xing Han, and others were formidable, but they could not breach the Heaven-Piercing Well. The hall masters and Dao-achievers of Miluo Palace were not without the power to resist.
Among them, some had already succeeded in entrusting themselves to the Ultimate Void, forming the Great Luo Heaven, achieving Dao again in this universe, greatly increasing their combat power.
Dragon Qilin had also returned from the Ancestral Land, severely wounded. He clung to Qin Mu every day, shamelessly begging for elixirs even after his injuries healed.
Qin Mu tried to shoo him away several times, but he simply wouldn't leave, so Qin Mu gave up.
Although Dragon Qilin was honored as the Lord of the Beast Realm, he cherished this time. From their meeting at the gates of the Imperial Academy, they had accompanied and supported each other. Qin Mu was responsible for Dragon Qilin's meals, calling him Fatty Dragon, while Dragon Qilin had gone through life-and-death battles with him, giving Qin Mu encouragement that no one else could.
They were the best of friends.
One day, Qin Mu finally decided to leave.
He did not wait for Kaihuang, nor for Xu Shenghua and Blue Yutian. The front lines still needed their strength, and he could not delay any longer.
"Senior Brother Taishang still hasn't reincarnated. That old fox..."
Qin Mu felt quite unwilling. If Taishang reincarnated, he could enter the filthy grounds of the Ultimate Void, confront Taiyi, and force Taiyi to slay the Heaven-Opening Multitude.
In his mind, the threat of the Heaven-Opening Multitude was far greater than that of the Miluo Palace crowd. The Miluo Palace crowd still had principles in their actions, while the Heaven-Opening Multitude acted without restraint. He always felt that eliminating the Heaven-Opening Multitude would be a better choice.
But Taishang had never reincarnated, clearly anticipating this, waiting for him to return first and become the Seventh Young Master before Taishang would scatter his cultivation and Dao and reincarnate anew.
"Husband, stop worrying about those troublesome matters."
Ling Yuxiu tidied his clothes, her expression gentle but her tone unusually firm: "Find Lingyun and bring her back!"
Qin Mu nodded solemnly, pulling her into his embrace: "Rest assured, I will find her, and I will bring her back!"
That day, most of his old friends remaining in Eternal Peace came to see him off.
Sage Woodcutter also came, wearing a hat to cover his sparse hair, looking quite spirited.
Qin Mu let go of Ling Yuxiu and looked at those familiar faces. They wore smiles, as if they were about to beat drums and gongs to send him off.
These fake smiles warmed his heart.
"Don't miss me, everyone," he said with a laugh.
They urged him, "Hurry up and go! Go plague the old monsters of prehistory! The Seventeenth Epoch can't afford you anymore!"
They laughed heartily.
Qin Mu's eyes reddened. Behind him, the Chaos Hall slowly emerged, its doors opening to reveal the sixteen Chaos Rivers within.
"Mu!"
You Tianzun, leaning on a cane, limped forward. After a moment of silence, he said, "Find Yue and Ling. Bring them back."
Qin Mu nodded solemnly.
"Lord Qin, if you don't come back, there will be no one in this world who can control me."
Xing Han lay on a box, battered and broken, yet he still struggled forward. He tried to lift his head and climb up but couldn't, panting heavily. Yet he smiled arrogantly: "Jiang Baigui can't beat me, nor can the old Sword God. Xu Shenghua, Blue Yutian—none of them can kill me. Without you to keep me in check, watch out—I'll turn the Seventeenth Epoch into a mess."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, saying, "Brother Xing Han, rest assured. The wicked live long, and the evil live a thousand years. As long as you don't die, how could I bear to die?"
But as soon as he turned his face, his expression darkened, and he said to Medicine Master, "Grandpa Medicine Master, this guy's injuries are so severe—why isn't he dead yet?" With that, he showed a fierce look and made a slashing motion across his own neck.
Xing Han, lying on the box, shuddered.
Medicine Master waved his hand and whispered, "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll poison him tomorrow. Leave soon. No need to worry—there will be an obituary tomorrow saying Sage Xing Han died of his injuries."
Xing Han shuddered again.
Qin Mu, wearing a smile, said cheerfully, "Brother Xing Han, take good care of your injuries. Don't worry about what comes after. I'm off, everyone! No need to see me off!"
He waved vigorously and walked toward the hall.
"Lord!"
Qin Mu stopped and turned to look at Dragon Qilin. Dragon Qilin was silent for a moment, then shouted, "When will you return?"
Qin Mu smiled: "The chaotic space is where I enter my dreams. When I return, it will be when the dream shatters. The chaotic space there will bloom like fireworks."
He turned and walked into the Chaos Hall.
Whoosh—
The first Chaos River surged with waves, swallowing his figure. As this great wave rose, the entire Chaos Hall was also struck and fell into the river.
Finally, the waves disappeared, and all sixteen Chaos Rivers vanished without a trace.
Dragon Qilin looked up, and many others also raised their heads to gaze at the sky. Xing Han sneered, "What are you looking at? He went back into the depths of time and space, not flying into the sky! There's nothing in the sky! That's why none of you are my match!"
Dragon Qilin lowered his head, saying, "I was just pretending he flew up there."
Xing Han sneered coldly.
"Alright!"
Sage Woodcutter drew his wood-chopping axe and said solemnly, "Mu has left, but the war continues. The Heavenly Court is not yet destroyed, and Emperor Hao is still here. Everyone, follow me to continue the battle! Han Tang! Han Tang! You lead the left flank, and Azure Emperor leads the right. Let's turn the world upside down... Where's Han Tang? He hasn't gone fishing again, has he..."
Black Tiger God quickly calmed him, whispering to the others, "The master has been lonely for too long. He always fantasizes that those old friends are still alive... It's fine. He'll snap out of it soon. He's just selectively forgotten some things..."
"Not a single one of the Ten Celestial Venerables can be spared! The reforms must continue!"
Sage Woodcutter looked up, his face serious, staring at the sky: "Qin Ye, I told you, we cannot move to the Land of No Worries, or everything will be ruined! The foundation, our foundation is here, on this land!"
...
Soon, everyone got used to Sage Woodcutter's ramblings. The once-greatest wise man of the era, after being silent for too long, had his memories dulled by grief and time, leaving his thoughts somewhat confused.
Medicine Master examined him and said, "It's not a big problem. It's just that too much time has passed. His consciousness has been protecting him, making him forget some unbearable things. Call the Western Emperor to sound the war horn, and let the butcher beat the war drum. He'll wake up."
Everyone nodded silently.
In the First Cosmic Epoch, time flew like a shuttle. After eight hundred billion years, the First Epoch finally reached its end.
The aura of the Destruction Calamity filled the myriad realms. The most ancient beings were also bewildered by this calamity of unknown origin. Elder Wuyan stood up from under the tree, watching the destruction of one realm after another, a look of confusion on his face.
The Dao-achievers of the First Epoch were also at a loss. The worlds they protected withered one by one, and life died continuously, making them sense danger.
Their Dao began to decay, their Dao trees withered, their Dao flowers faded, and their Dao fruits lost their spirituality.
The Dao-achievers went to the Ancestral Land, where a majestic being resided. He was the first Dao-achiever of the First Epoch and the one who had created the cultivation system. His wisdom was boundless, his divine powers immeasurable. Surely he would have a way to resolve this sudden great calamity of destruction.
They called this majestic being Miluo, meaning vast, supreme, and boundless. The place where he lived was also called Miluo Palace.
When they arrived, they saw from afar that the First Dao-achiever was collecting the most precious divine gold from the Ancestral Land, using his vast power and Dao to forge a huge golden ship.
"This is the Golden Ship of Salvation,"
the Lord of Miluo Palace said to the Dao-achievers who had traveled far. "I sense that this destruction will sweep away everything, destroy everything, and level all. But after everything is destroyed, the universe will spontaneously reopen. The Golden Ship of Salvation can carry the life of the entire universe to the next epoch."
The Dao-achievers of the First Epoch were filled with admiration.
Just then, the chaotic energies from the destruction of several dozen realms connected, and the wind of heat death howled, forming a surging river of chaos that swept toward other realms.
The Lord of Miluo Palace was surprised. He looked up at the Chaos River, his gaze deep, as if he saw something.
"Brother Miluo, what are you looking at?" a Dao-achiever asked.
"It seems I saw a lotus leaf in that river, carrying a baby girl."
The Lord of Miluo Palace showed a puzzled expression, saying, "The lotus leaf drifted away. Strange, how could a living being survive in that river..."
Then he perked up and laughed, "If someone can survive, it means this calamity can surely be overcome! Everyone, help me quickly! Let's forge this Golden Ship of Salvation and save all living beings!"
At that moment, the Chaos River stirred again, and several powerful figures flew out from it. Although the Lord of Miluo Palace was curious, it was a critical time for forging the golden ship, and he had no time to investigate.
Suddenly, a hall shrouded in chaotic energy spun out of the Chaos River.
The Lord of Miluo Palace looked up and exchanged a distant glance with the person in front of the hall, then immersed himself again in the work of shipbuilding.
He did not know that on this day, his future seventh disciple had returned.
Five years later, the baby girl carried by the lotus leaf was skin and bones, stumbling along with the refugees. Those who had helped her survive fell one by one, buried in this calamity of destruction.
She stood among a mountain of corpses, looking up. The destroyed world had only her left.
The sea of fire twisted, and the terrifying "monsters" that pursued her finally found her, coming to take her and destroy her.
Then, the Destruction Calamity came to a halt.
A tall figure parted the sea of fire and walked toward her.
"I've found you, found you... my child."
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded in her ears, as if trying to awaken the memories fading in her mind.
Daughter of Chaos.
—Qin Mu's card has appeared, brothers, don't forget to draw it. If you get it, consider it fun; if not, no worries.