Chapter 673: A Merit Greater Than Heaven
The features of the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor appeared on the Book of Life and Death, followed by a line of names: Jiang Ling, styled Bai Gui.
"So the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's real name is that!" Fu Yanqi cupped his severed hand, sucking in cold air. Suddenly, with his other hand trembling, he dipped it in divine blood and wrote the Imperial Preceptor's name and style on the book.
Jiang Ling, Jiang Bai Gui.
As this line of characters was written, the divine blood gradually seeped into the Book of Life and Death, growing fainter and fainter until it vanished from sight.
"The Book of Life and Death can record death. I've recorded his name, to summon his soul, to claim his life!" Fu Yanqi sneered coldly. "The blood from these four fingers of mine won't be wasted!"
Lou Yunqu and Wei Qingpei watched below as Qin Mu and the others continued their journey, their gazes fixed on the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor as they waited silently.
After a long time, the Imperial Preceptor still walked unhurriedly, helping the group fend off the raging winds and monstrous waves surging from all directions, protecting the cultivators as they pressed forward.
"Why hasn't his soul been summoned and his life claimed yet?" Fu Yanqi gritted his teeth. He dipped his finger in divine blood again, preparing to write the Imperial Preceptor's name, but Lou Yunqu raised a hand to stop him, shaking his head. "Junior Brother Fu, this man's divine abilities are vast. The arts of Nether Capital hold no secrets for him anymore. The more you test him, the more he learns of our Nether Capital techniques. Now that he has the Book of Life and Death, using it against him is useless."
Fu Yanqi fumed. "So my blood was shed for nothing?"
Wei Qingpei frowned. "In all the heavens, the arts and divine powers of Nether Capital are the most mysterious. How could they be broken? Even if this Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor is the leader of the Eternal Peace Reforms, he can't be so gifted as to see through our Nether Capital's techniques at such a young age!"
Lou Yunqu sighed. "Perhaps it's the influence of the origin place of the Five Dynasties' False Heavenly Court. All five false courts originated from there, so it naturally has some peculiarities. I've heard that among all the myriad heavens, only this ancestral land has the legend of a sage emerging every five hundred years. No other heaven has such a tale. This Imperial Preceptor might be favored by fate."
Fu Yanqui sealed the wound on his severed finger with his cultivation, stopping the bleeding, and frowned. "I won't undergo reincarnation through severance just for losing four fingers. Annoying. If he had killed me, it would be easier, but he only cut off four fingers. I'll go kill them and take the chance to sever my body and return to Nether Capital!"
Lou Yunqu watched Qin Mu and the others recede into the distance and smiled faintly. "Why rush? Let them go. Our purpose here is to blood-sacrifice the Grand Supreme Heaven, forcing the demons into Eternal Peace, compelling them to fight and kill. When enough cultivators and gods and demons die in Eternal Peace, it will awaken the stone statues of the gods there, and they will rise to destroy the world. Aren't we close to achieving that goal now?"
Wei Qingpei added, "Our second goal is to record the insights of the Eternal Peace Reforms and present them to our master. The fruits of those reforms are all embodied in the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor, so the easiest path is to capture him."
Lou Yunqu said, "The third goal is for our master to meet the Prince of the Nether Realm."
He chuckled. "I think all three tasks can be done simultaneously. Let them continue. When they reach the Grand Clarity Heaven, they'll realize that no matter how vast their powers or clever their schemes, they're always within our grasp. Junior Brother Fu, calm yourself. We'll wait."
The three divine beings of Nether Capital stood in the air, not giving chase.
Finally, tens of thousands of people were roasted to skin and bone. Even the most beautiful Grandmother Si became gaunt and skeletal in this harsh, apocalyptic world. When everyone, including the gods, could no longer endure, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign's injuries finally stabilized. With Qin Mu and the Medicine Master's meticulous care, his cultivation recovered somewhat.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign used the Creation Divine Art to create water from nothing, producing some clean drinking water, and the group managed to save their lives.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign no longer needed to be carried by True God Pang Yu and could barely walk on his own. Watching the people drink, this former prince of a fallen dynasty still carried a melancholic air.
When he saw the Seven Kill Star Lord Wei Liao, his melancholy deepened.
Wei Liao recognized him. "I once reported for duty at court and saw Your Highness. When I was still alive, I met a man who called himself the Heavenly Saint Cult Leader from the lower realm—a gentle-looking but wild man. I heard from him about Your Highness's deeds, how you led people of all races from a hellish world to find a path to survival."
The First Ancestor said gloomily, "The Kai Huang era has fallen. There is no prince anymore. I am a deserter, and Kai Huang was a deserter too. General, your righteousness is great; don't mention the past."
Wei Liao was taken aback, then suddenly laughed. "Your Highness, what do you think of Qin Mu, the Human Sovereign, leading tens of thousands of cultivators in this struggle for survival? How does this feat compare?"
The First Ancestor's melancholy faded. He turned to look at Qin Mu and smiled. "He is very good, a fine child. I've never seen anyone who can maintain such an optimistic attitude under such harsh conditions. He has great wisdom and great courage, daring to push forward against any setback. Though there are many gods around him, the one who can lead everyone out of this dead end is not a god or demon, but him—only him!"
Wei Liao laughed. "But the one he's learning from is you!"
The First Ancestor was stunned, then shook his head. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm just a deserter. Heh, at the Battle of Jade Bright Palace, I ran away..."
"But the situation you faced then was a hundred times worse than this!" Wei Liao said. "Qin Mu led everyone across the dying Grand Supreme Heaven, searching for a way out. As harsh as the Grand Supreme Heaven is, it's nothing compared to the terror at the end of the Kai Huang era. He is imitating you—you, who in that age of great terror, led countless old, weak, sick, and disabled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, avoiding countless dangers, even fighting to the death, to find a path to survival for all beings, to find Eternal Peace."
The First Ancestor stared blankly.
Wei Liao continued, "Without you, there would be no Eternal Peace today, no later reforms and changes, and no these vibrant youths. Your Highness, even the most vicious person in Eternal Peace would respect you and call you ancestor. Even the most powerful person in Eternal Peace is your subject, honoring you as Human Sovereign. You only know yourself as a deserter, but you haven't considered your achievements. These days, I've noticed that Qin Mu never calls you by name, only 'First Ancestor,' and the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor treats you with utmost respect. That should tell you how much they revere you."
The great skeleton laughed. "They see you as their closest kin! Even Qin Mu leading tens of thousands of cultivators across the dying Grand Supreme Heaven is learning from your example back then!"
"They've been discussing the reforms of Eternal Peace, but without you, how could there be an Eternal Peace nation or its reforms?"
"Your Highness, you left roots for the Kai Huang era, but the Eternal Peace era was also begun by you!"
"You only notice one stain in your life, forgetting that behind you, the roots you left have grown into towering trees and lush forests. Your Highness, look forward."
"Your stain is small, but your merit is greater than the heavens!"
Wei Liao laughed. "We old brothers who died are watching you from the heavens. Your classmates from the Jade Bright Palace are also watching you from the heavens. They hope you'll come out, not continue to sink like this."
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign suddenly burst into tears.
Ahead, a cliff appeared, filled with shattered space fragments. Qin Mu and the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor went forward to look. Countless space fragments were densely packed there, shimmering with multicolored light.
Some fragments were pure, flawless blue skies drifting silently by; others were seas like sapphires; still others were flames, earth, or mountain peaks. But these space fragments had no thickness. If one fell into them, they would be sliced apart without feeling anything.
Qin Mu looked around. The cliff was astonishingly wide and long, stretching beyond sight. What lay on the other side was impossible to see with their eyes. Too many space fragments blocked their view.
The lava sea's flow also abruptly ended here, its destination unknown.
"This is the great hole punched when the Great Ruins fell from the Heavenly Court."
Qin Mu had Dragon Qilin stop the South-Pointing Chariot. "I don't know how to get to the Great Ruins from here, but I do know the path from the Grand Clarity Heaven to the Great Ruins."
"The key is how to get from the Grand Supreme Heaven to the Grand Clarity Heaven!" Grandmother Si walked over and said softly.
She had replenished her water and become breathtakingly beautiful again.
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor glanced at her and quickly averted his eyes, thinking, "I am already married. I must not have improper thoughts."
Lame ran along the cliff at an unimaginable speed. After a moment, the hot wind howled past him as he stopped before the group and reported rapidly, "There's a bridge over there, seemingly leading to the other side!"
Everyone was astonished. "How could there be a bridge in such a place of shattered space?"
They hurried to the spot Lame mentioned and indeed saw a bridge leading to the other side. The bridge was woven from a dozen or so willow branches, still green, but the branches were as thick as dragons. Someone must have used the Creation Divine Art to make them huge and immeasurably long!
The willow branches intertwined and crossed, reaching the other shore, while on this side, the branches were rooted in the lava, drawing nutrients from it!
Qin Mu lowered his voice. "Lord Wei Liao, did your people build this bridge?"
Wei Liao looked at the bridge, equally bewildered, and shook his head. "I died early. I don't know about this bridge."
Qin Mu turned to True God Pang Yu, who also shook his head. "We fought the demons for twenty thousand years, and there was no bridge here. We don't have the means to build a bridge with willow branches."
The willow branch bridge connected two realms. Strangely, it avoided all space fragments. The bridge wasn't straight but twisted and turned among the fragments before the cliff, somehow finding a path to survival!
"Such profound mathematical calculations..." Lin Xuan Dao Master and the old Daoist from the Dao Sect were horrified as they looked at the winding bridge. Their hearts shook. One old Daoist murmured, "This level of skill is truly unfathomable, to calmly avoid such chaotic and traceless space fragments. Who built this bridge? Who has such profound mathematical ability?"
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign stepped forward to inspect it and said, "It was the work of the Heavenly Master. He came here, calculated the path to survival, and built this bridge with willow branches. The end of the bridge should be the Grand Clarity Heaven!"
Qin Mu was excited. "The Heavenly Master was the teacher of my Heavenly Saint Cult's founding ancestor! If any of you want to study mathematics, you can come to our Heavenly Saint Cult or the Heavenly Saint Academy!"
Lin Xuan Dao Master's face darkened, and he fell silent. Beside him, the old monk Jingming smiled slightly, thinking, "Now you see how hard it is to poach from Cult Leader Qin's walls, don't you?"
Lin Xuan Dao Master pondered for a moment and said to the old Daoist beside him, "When we return, should we discuss with the Emperor about opening a Dao Sect Academy?"
Qin Mu first sent someone across the bridge to scout. After a long time, the person returned from the other end and reported, "The road is safe. The other side is a dead, silent world."
"That's the Grand Clarity Heaven!" Qin Mu's spirits soared. He immediately ordered everyone to cross the willow branch bridge in an orderly fashion.
"Lord Wei Liao, we've been fortunate to have your protection along this journey. Will you come with us into the Great Ruins?" Qin Mu said to Wei Liao. "The Great Ruins has the Nether Capital. I once promised you a place there. It's time to fulfill that promise."
Wei Liao looked back at the dying Grand Supreme Heaven. After a long time, the Star Lord raised his arm and shouted, "Brothers who died in battle, follow me to the Nether Capital!"
The Village Chief looked at the thousand-plus skeletal gods and demons and sighed. Qin Mu was puzzled. "Village Chief, why are you sighing?"
"I was thinking about Lingjing Daoist, who ferries people across the river in the Nether Capital."
The Village Chief sighed. "With over a thousand gods and demons added to the Nether Capital this time, Lingjing Daoist will have even less chance of buying a house just by ferrying people for money. The housing prices in the Nether Capital are going to skyrocket..."
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