Chapter 693: The Smartest Person
The Woodcutter Sage examined carefully, his heart stirring slightly, and said, "I recognize him. His name is Ning Jin, one of the many gods I sent to explore the source of darkness. I placed the Creation Demon Art seal on him to ensure he wouldn't be devoured by the monsters in the darkness. Is he still alive?"
Qin Mu said, "Neither alive nor dead. Teacher, he has already completed his mission."
The Woodcutter Sage's eyes held emotion, but he did not let it show. He nodded slowly and said, "Do you have a way to wake him?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "When night falls, he will come alive in the darkness. Then Teacher can meet with him."
At that moment, a surge of darkness rolled forward. The King Yan moved, his body dragging the darkness as it enveloped them. The human skin immediately fluttered like a paper cutout, and beneath the skin, flesh and blood began to grow. Soon, the Kaicheng Divine Man was full-bodied and stood before them, alive.
"He can live in Fengdu." The voice of the King Yan under the dark cloak was hoarse.
The Kaicheng Divine Man raised his hand, examining it repeatedly, an expression of disbelief on his face. He murmured, "The feeling of being alive... this is the feeling of being alive... Twenty thousand years, and for the first time, I feel like I'm still alive..."
Qin Mu couldn't help but say, "Senior, you are actually already dead. It's the King Yan who brought the realm of the dead to your side, making you feel as if you're alive."
The Kaicheng Divine Man was too excited to contain himself and didn't hear his words. Suddenly, he caught sight of the Woodcutter Sage, and his eyes reddened. He immediately dropped to one knee, clasped his fists high above his head, and spoke with a resounding voice.
"Reporting to the Celestial Master! Ning Jin of the Celestial Character Division, after twenty thousand and six hundred years, returns to report to the Celestial Master!"
"Report: The Celestial Character Division, fifty-eight members, under the Celestial Master's orders to explore the source of darkness. Fifty-seven died, their souls scattered. Only this subordinate remains. I have not disgraced my mission and have uncovered the truth of the darkness. I request the Celestial Master's permission to return to my post."
The Woodcutter Sage was silent. Light flickered in his eyes but never spilled over. After a moment, he stepped into the darkness, took Ning Jin's arm, and helped him up. "Soldier of the Celestial Character Division, your mission is complete."
"Thank you, Celestial Master!"
Ning Jin stood up, his body straight as an arrow, like a soldier awaiting inspection by a general. He shouted loudly, "Ning Jin requests to return to the Celestial Character Division!"
The Woodcutter Sage revealed a faint smile and said softly, "The Kaicheng era has already fallen. I have failed you. The Celestial Character Division has been disbanded. Ning Jin, you are free..."
Ning Jin was dazed, his eyes wide, still unable to accept this fact. He said with great difficulty, "Celestial Master, twenty thousand years... I have been waiting to return to my post... Celestial Master, Ning Jin reports back and requests to return to his post!"
The Woodcutter Sage frowned. "The Kaicheng Heavenly Court is finished. There is no Celestial Character Division anymore. You are free, Ning Jin..."
The Kaicheng Divine Man's voice trembled, hoarse, and raspy as he screamed, "Ning Jin requests to return to his post!"
The Woodcutter Sage was silent for a long time, his voice also trembling slightly. It was hard for him to show true emotion, but at this moment, he could barely hold back. He suppressed his Dao heart with all his might and said, word by word, "Soldier of Kaicheng, Ning Jin of the Celestial Character Division, I grant you permission to return to your post!"
Ning Jin revealed a smile, then burst into loud sobs.
The Woodcutter Sage patted his shoulder, his gaze complex, and said no more.
Qin Mu watched them. What kind of emperor could have such soldiers? Kaicheng?
But Kaicheng had hidden himself in the Land of No Worries, hiding for twenty thousand years, likely having long forgotten that he still had such loyal and unwavering followers.
"The divine men of Kaicheng never owed the Qin family anything, never owed me anything. Rather, it is the Qin family that owes these loyal ministers and righteous men a great deal," he thought to himself.
Xu Shenhua asked curiously, "Qin Cult Leader, what is the reason you invited us here?"
Qin Mu roughly recounted his experiences in the Tianyin Realm and said, "All of you are more intelligent and talented than I am. I am unable to solve Lady Tianyin's problem. Perhaps you can come up with a solution."
Everyone widened their eyes, somewhat incredulous. The Woodcutter Sage knew that Qin Mu had followed the Old Angler to fish for the sun and moon, but he never expected the Old Angler to disappear, and this kid had actually ended up in the Tianyin Realm!
"Back then, I sent fifty-eight divine men of the Celestial Character Division to explore the Tianyin Realm, and not one returned alive. Yet he just barged right in."
The Woodcutter Sage shook his head inwardly, thinking, "This kid is just like my eldest disciple—fearless of heaven and earth. My eldest disciple sought to become a saint, but what is he after? Is it just to satisfy his curiosity?"
He truly had no idea what to do with Qin Mu. The danger of the Tianyin Realm was unimaginable, yet Qin Mu had not only returned alive but had also resurrected Lady Tianyin, who had been dead for who knows how many tens of thousands of years.
Such experiences, encounters, and methods of solving problems were unbelievable even to him.
"Qin Cult Leader just said that we are more intelligent and talented than you?"
Xu Shenhua rarely showed a smile and said with a hint of amusement, "Cult Leader, would you mind saying that again?"
Yankang National Teacher coughed and said, "I would also like to hear Second Senior Brother say it again."
The First Human Sovereign laughed. "Me too. Mu'er, just repeat that sentence once more."
The King Yan's voice was distant, as if coming from Fengdu. "To hear such a proud man praise us, admitting that we are smarter than him—this alone is enough to satisfy me for life."
All of them had been thoroughly crushed by Qin Mu before. The First Human Sovereign went without saying, Xu Shenhua had also been impressed by Qin Mu, and the Yankang National Teacher was still shocked by Qin Mu's creation of the Primordial Spirit Guide and the Triple Primordial Spirit, as well as the Eighteen Forms of the Sword.
As for the King Yan, there was no need to mention it—the beating at the Qin King Palace was the shadow of his life.
Qin Mu's face darkened like iron, and he sneered, "Only four of you are smarter than me. Think about who the one who isn't as smart as me is."
At these words, everyone fell into deep thought.
The First Human Sovereign sighed, a melancholic look on his face, thinking, "He doesn't want to learn my Heaven and Earth Seal Technique because he thinks his technique is better than mine..."
The King Yan felt that he might not be as clever as this kid either, sighed quietly, and his body faded into the darkness. The Yankang National Teacher's eyelids twitched, and he said nothing more.
Xu Shenhua also thought carefully. He felt that although he surpassed Qin Mu in some areas, he still had no confidence in defeating him now, so he too felt a bit disappointed.
"In ancient times, there was the tale of 'one peach killing three warriors.' Today, we have Qin Mu using one sentence to suppress the four of you, the most brilliant minds."
The Woodcutter Sage laughed. "You don't need to dwell on it. He is not smarter than us after all. He is a Dominator Body, born with good capital, but he is still stuck at the Heavenly Man realm. Clearly, his stupidity has hindered his cultivation. Let's go. We'll visit the Tianyin Realm and pay our respects to Lady Tianyin."
Qin Mu muttered under his breath, "Teacher's cultivation realm is the lowest among the Four Celestial Masters, which also shows that he is stupid."
The Woodcutter Sage took out his axe and whetstone, sharpening the axe until sparks flew. Qin Mu said no more and quickly led them to the Tianyin Realm.
Long Qilin dared not enter the Tianyin Realm, so Qin Mu had no choice but to let him follow He Yiyi to build roads.
Everyone looked around and saw darkness flowing, black sand burying everything. Only a tall tower suppressed the monsters in the darkness, forcing them to the edge of the Tianyin Realm.
"Is this the Soul Black Sand and the Starving Ghosts?"
Everyone looked around. Yan Jingjing was also here for the first time and was very curious.
Xu Shenhua had the lowest cultivation realm, also at the Heavenly Man realm like Qin Mu. He tried to touch the darkness, but the Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "Be careful of the Starving Ghosts. These things are extremely fast."
Xu Shenhua smiled. "The Starving Ghosts are suppressed by that pagoda and can't get through. I'd like to catch one to study it carefully."
"Wait a moment!"
Qin Mu vanished into the darkness. After a moment, he reappeared, holding a Starving Ghost.
Just as Xu Shenhua was about to examine it closely, the Woodcutter Sage said, "Let's go pay our respects to the Lady first. We must not be rude."
Everyone arrived at the seaside and saw Lady Tianyin sitting there from afar. They looked up, and their hearts shook violently.
"Such a powerful ancient god, and the Nether Capital Black Emperor was able to kill her. Just how terrifying is the Black Emperor's strength?"
Qin Mu led everyone to her side. Lady Tianyin looked at them curiously and said, "Great Mage, are these the ones you said are more intelligent and talented than you?"
"Lady, this is my teacher, the Woodcutter, the pillar of the Kaicheng era's reforms. This is the National Teacher, the pillar of the current era's reforms. And this is the King Yan of Fengdu, who split off a territory from the Nether Realm and occupies the Great Ruins, with extremely high attainments in soul arts. This is the First Human Sovereign, who created the Heaven and Earth Heart Saint Technique, a cultivation method that reaches the Lingxiao realm. However, that was twenty thousand years ago, when he was just a prince studying. Although these twenty thousand years have been wasted, his talent and comprehension are beyond question. This is Xu Shenhua, a fake Dominator Body, who accomplished the feat of merging the Seven Stars and Six Harmonies Divine Treasuries."
Qin Mu introduced them one by one and said, "I am often amazed by their intelligence and talent, and I deeply admire their learning. Their wisdom and talent are no less than that of the Nether Emperor. Perhaps they can help the Lady completely solve the troubles of the Tianyin Realm."
Everyone bowed in greeting. "Greetings, Lady."
Lady Tianyin raised her hand. "Everyone, no need for formalities. The Great Mage came up with two ideas for me, both of which are only temporary solutions and cannot solve the root problem of the Tianyin Realm. Since you are all people of exceptional talent, can you guess what the two ideas the Great Mage thought of are?"
She didn't quite believe that these people could surpass Qin Mu in wisdom, so she decided to test them.
The Yankang National Teacher pondered and said, "Could it be to hang a sun in the Tianyin Realm?"
Lady Tianyin's eyes lit up.
Xu Shenhua looked up at the sky, thinking, "Perhaps it's to poke a hole in the Celestial Lord's foot and steal his power."
The First Human Sovereign thought for a moment and said, "I think it might be to use divine stone statues to block the crack where the Tianyin Realm connects to the Great Ruins, preventing the darkness from flowing into the Great Ruins."
The King Yan of Fengdu shook his head. "That won't work either. The Tianyin Realm will still fall into chaos. Qin Human Sovereign's idea must be to release the other him suppressed in his brow, the one with nostrils on top of his head, to let that scoundrel devour the Starving Ghosts and darkness here. Earth Lord cannot come here, so we can't invite him. We can only invite that villain."
Lady Tianyin was both surprised and delighted. These four had come up with two more ideas than Qin Mu, proving that they were indeed exceptionally talented!
She quickly looked at the Woodcutter Sage and said politely, "Fellow Daoist, why don't you share your solution?"
The Woodcutter Sage thought for a moment and said, "I was thinking: since the Lady was ambushed by the Nether Capital Black Emperor and devoured by the Starving Ghosts, then after the Lady died, she should have become a Starving Ghost herself, right? Since the Lady has been resurrected from the dead, it seems the problem of the Starving Ghosts has already been solved. Why bother thinking of other methods?"
Lady Tianyin's heart shook violently, and she exclaimed, "So you are the smartest person in the world!"
"I am not."
The Woodcutter Sage said seriously, "The one who resurrected the Lady is probably even more intelligent than I am. May I ask the Lady, who is this person?"
Lady Tianyin looked at Qin Mu, who smiled without speaking, but could not hide his smug expression.
The Woodcutter glanced at him and said flatly, "Having the means to solve the problem himself but not realizing it—that is not the mark of a smart person."
Qin Mu's face turned as black as iron.
—The Kaicheng Divine Man held up a sign: Please join the fan team of The Legend of the Shepherd God: Divine Court!