Chapter 955: Cloud Heavenly Venerable
Shu Jun lifted his eyelids one after the other, glancing at Qin Mu twice, surprised by his rare moment of humility. He said unhurriedly, "If you forge a new path, one completely different from the Heavenly Palace, it means you are entirely discarding the wisdom of cultivators over the past million years and abandoning the accumulated experience of others. The myriad techniques and divine abilities developed over this million years would be utterly useless to you. You would be, single-handedly, creating an entirely new civilization."
Qin Mu indeed harbored such thoughts in his heart.
In his view, although the Heavenly Palace system had not yet evolved into the perfect Heavenly Court, it was not immutable.
He truly wanted to completely abandon the Heavenly Palace cultivation system and create a brand new one.
"But have you considered how much time this would take?"
Shu Jun continued, "You might need a million years to perfect the new path you carve out, just to make this cultivation system mature. And on this path, there might only be you alone, so even a million years would be a short estimate. However, if you accept the Heavenly Palace system, perhaps you could reach the pinnacle in just a few thousand or even a few hundred years, becoming the most powerful existence under heaven. This is my advice from experience, but the road lies beneath your feet—how you walk it is your choice."
Qin Mu fell silent, then bowed deeply to Shu Jun on the altar in thanks before dissipating into a wisp of divine consciousness.
Shu Jun wondered, "Why is this kid being so respectful to me all of a sudden?"
On the Grand Emperor's altar, Qin Mu looked up. Above the altar, the Grand Emperor Seal floated, borrowing the Grand Emperor's power to resist the increasingly powerful domain of supreme divine consciousness.
Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang turned to look back. The star ring on the cliff had returned to its normal rotation speed, not accelerating, which made them breathe a sigh of relief.
The altar flew through the air, approaching the Grand Emperor's physical body's brow, drawing closer and closer to Fire Heavenly Venerable.
However, Qin Mu kept staring blankly at the Grand Emperor Seal, lost in thought. Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang were puzzled but didn't ask.
Suddenly, two clear tears slid down from the corner of Qin Mu's eye. Both Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang were startled, not understanding why this Mu Heavenly Venerable had suddenly become so sentimental.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, a wave of sadness washing over him, causing tears to fall unbidden.
He had made a decision. He would not explore an unknown path, not seek where that path led, not pursue the wonders at its end.
He had once vaguely glimpsed that path, seeing endless beauty, but now he had to abandon it.
He would reopen the Heavenly Palace, using the wisdom of people over the past million years to walk the path of the Revered God, True God, Jasper Terrace, Jade Capital, and other realms.
Perhaps he could wait a million years, using that time to perfect his own path, becoming an eternal legend, surpassing even the realm of the Heavenly Court.
But Eternal Peace could not wait, the Eternal Peace Reformation could not wait, and his friends, his comrades—they could not wait.
He might miss countless beautiful sights along that path, fail to see the end of the Great Way, miss the origin and beginning of the Way at its terminus, but he could grasp the present and cherish what was before him.
As he let go of all this, the feeling within him gradually faded, leaving only a lingering trace of melancholy.
This melancholy was not the sorrow deep in his heart, but rather a sadness seemingly transmitted from the end of the Great Way.
The Grand Emperor's altar drifted quietly past Fire Heavenly Venerable, heading toward the Grand Emperor's brow.
Luo Wushuang looked back at Fire Heavenly Venerable, who was now behind them, and couldn't help asking, "Qin Overlord Body, you're avoiding Fire Heavenly Venerable. Shouldn't we rescue him first?"
Yue Tingge also noticed this. Qin Mu was clearly planning to bypass Fire Heavenly Venerable, who was struggling forward, and reach the Grand Emperor's brow before him.
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Fire Heavenly Venerable won't die. Right, Fire Heavenly Venerable?"
Fire Heavenly Venerable's body was frozen in place, the Dao runes around him slowly changing, seemingly deaf to their words.
"He has no objections," Qin Mu said.
Luo Wushuang's eyelid twitched, and he turned to look at Fire Heavenly Venerable.
Qin Mu reassured him, "Relax, relax. It's hard for Fire Heavenly Venerable to get in, but easy to get out. He just needs to turn around and spend a few hundred years to leave this place."
Luo Wushuang was exasperated: "Could it be that Mu Heavenly Venerable is afraid that after rescuing Fire Heavenly Venerable, he would repay kindness with enmity and kill you?"
Qin Mu said calmly, "I'm not sure if he would kill me, but he would definitely kill Yue Tingge, Heavenly Master Yue. Right, Heavenly Master Yue?"
Yue Tingge sighed, dejected: "I tricked him and Void Heavenly Venerable into coming here, trapping him in this supreme divine consciousness domain for so long. He'll most likely come after me."
The altar wobbled as it flew into the Grand Emperor's brow. Inside the Grand Emperor's brow, there was no Primal Origin Stone, only a diamond-shaped wound.
It was vast and spacious, with enchanting light pouring from the Grand Emperor's brain, like colorful clouds, streaking across in bands.
The Grand Emperor's altar flew into the layers of radiant light. The Grand Emperor Seal continuously absorbed the light, which surged like tides. Vaguely, a figure could be seen sitting amidst the overlapping radiance.
Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang were puzzled and looked at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu suppressed his excitement, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "Heavenly Master Yue, Luo Divine Blade, can you move the body of a Heavenly Venerable?"
Their hearts shook violently as they stared in disbelief at the figure sitting motionless in the light.
The Grand Emperor's altar finally reached the person in the radiance. Luo Wushuang studied the man in the light—his bearing was elegant, his features beautiful, his temperament transcendent and refined, like a middle-aged emperor yet very handsome. But Luo Wushuang didn't recognize him, thinking to himself, "Could this be some ancient emperor? But from Qin Overlord Body's tone, he should be a Heavenly Venerable. Which Heavenly Venerable died here?"
Yue Tingge's heart trembled, and he said in a low voice, "He is Cloud Heavenly Venerable..."
Luo Wushuang's mind buzzed at the words, and he exclaimed, "He is the Cloud Heavenly Venerable who opened the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure?"
Qin Mu urged, "Both of you, my cultivation can't move his body. You'll have to do it."
The Grand Emperor's altar floated before Cloud Heavenly Venerable's physical body. Qin Mu said softly, "Daoist Cloud, it's time to go home."
Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang suppressed their shock, stepped forward, and used their divine abilities to lift Cloud Heavenly Venerable's body, slowly placing it onto the Grand Emperor's altar.
Qin Mu examined Cloud Heavenly Venerable's wounds, but strangely, there were no wounds on his body at all. However, his soul had completely vanished.
"Moon Heavenly Venerable said Cloud Heavenly Venerable is dead, so he truly is dead. But even if he's dead, I can still revive him!"
Qin Mu inspected carefully, found no trace of the Grand Emperor's divine consciousness, thought for a moment, and made a decision: "Please send him to my brow. Hidden within my brow is a Youdu; I'll store his body there first."
Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang had a thousand questions but still followed his instructions, sending Cloud Heavenly Venerable's physical body into Qin Mu's brow, where it landed on the Qin Continent.
Qin Mu let out a long breath, activated the Grand Emperor's altar, and began the return journey.
The Grand Emperor's altar passed by Fire Heavenly Venerable again. Luo Wushuang couldn't help but look at Qin Mu. Qin Mu sighed in resignation, stopped the altar, and said, "How about you turn him around?"
Luo Wushuang sneered, "What good would turning him around do? He's still trapped in the supreme divine consciousness domain!"
Qin Mu said, "If he turns himself, it would take over two hundred years to succeed. If we help him turn, we can let him escape over two hundred years earlier."
Luo Wushuang frowned, about to argue further, when Qin Mu said, "Luo Divine Blade, can you guarantee that after Fire Heavenly Venerable escapes, he won't kill me or Heavenly Master Yue?"
Luo Wushuang fell silent and, together with Yue Tingge, turned Fire Heavenly Venerable around.
The Grand Emperor's altar continued outward. After a long while, it crossed the void abyss and arrived beneath the star ring. The three of them and the dragon jumped down from the altar. Qin Mu put away the Grand Emperor's altar, keeping only the Grand Emperor Seal, and looked suspiciously at the divine dragon.
This dragon had been very quiet throughout the journey, unlike before when it kept exclaiming "Maha Maha" in surprise.
Suddenly, Yue Tingge's voice trembled: "Fire Heavenly Venerable took a step!"
Qin Mu's heart jolted, and he quickly looked. Indeed, he saw Fire Heavenly Venerable take a step toward them!
"Damn it!"
His scalp tingled, and he immediately ran toward the outside of the supreme divine consciousness domain. Luo Wushuang, Yue Tingge, and the divine dragon hurriedly followed him.
The closer they got to the core of the supreme divine consciousness domain, the stronger the suppression, but as long as Fire Heavenly Venerable took the first step, his next step would be faster because he was moving outward!
With each step he took, the pressure lessened!
Given his strength, escaping would be a matter of a short time!
Qin Mu's scalp crawled as he charged outward with all his might, trying to escape before Fire Heavenly Venerable broke free.
Just then, he heard footsteps.
The footsteps were earth-shattering, stomping the void into collapse, erupting with the roar of mountains splitting and earth cracking.
Qin Mu looked back and saw flames soaring into the sky within the supreme divine consciousness domain.
Suddenly, another footstep sounded, even louder, and the flames rose higher, melting the sky!
"It's over! Fire Heavenly Venerable has escaped!"
Qin Mu gritted his teeth and charged forward madly. Yue Tingge whooshed past him, speeding away, shouting, "I'm not going to die with you! I'm off! Mu Heavenly Venerable, hold him off for me, and I'll burn paper money for you next year!"
"Burn your ancestor!"
Qin Mu was furious, but he saw Yue Tingge turn into a pile of blocks, rolling forward with a clatter, disappearing quickly.
Qin Mu sprinted ahead, only to see Luo Wushuang also moving swiftly, even getting ahead of him. Clearly, Luo Wushuang had recovered well recently and could now use the power of the Jasper Terrace or Jade Capital realms.
"Luo Wushuang, you've been nagging to save Fire Heavenly Venerable all along, so why are you running?" Qin Mu shouted angrily.
Luo Wushuang hesitated, slowed down, and said shamefacedly, "I only thought that Mu Heavenly Venerable has a reputation to uphold. If Fire Heavenly Venerable kills you, he'll definitely kill me to silence me, to avoid the stigma of killing a Heavenly Venerable. I forgot about righteousness..."
At that moment, even the divine dragon overtook him, wagging its tail and riding the wind, moving much faster than Qin Mu!
Qin Mu was puzzled: "This dragon is something I visualized; its strength shouldn't surpass mine... Damn! The Grand Emperor has borrowed life! He's borrowed life into the dragon I visualized!"
The moment he realized this, a blazing light shone from behind, scorching his body until it felt like it was about to ignite.
Qin Mu froze, stopped, and turned around, forcing a smile: "Fire Heavenly Venerable, long time no see."
Luo Wushuang had no choice but to stop and turn, his blade aura soaring ten thousand zhang, ready for battle.
Fire Heavenly Venerable whooshed into the air, leaped over them, and landed in front of the divine dragon, reaching out to grab it.
The dragon struggled but couldn't break free, sneering, "Fire Heavenly Venerable, you want to kill me? You can't kill me. My divine consciousness fills this entire supreme domain; I am immortal..."
It burst into flames and soon turned to ash.
Fire Heavenly Venerable looked at Qin Mu, who stood stiffly.
"Mu Heavenly Venerable, we meet again."
Fire Heavenly Venerable's face was expressionless. The flame wheel behind him, which burned everything, slowly turned. Flames danced on the wheel, sometimes flaring up brightly, like suns suddenly exploding within the fire. Clearly, seeing Qin Mu stirred no calm within him.
"Every time I see you, I remember how you beat me up on the Jasper Terrace," Fire Heavenly Venerable said.
Qin Mu said seriously, "As the saying goes, 'No fight, no friendship.' Many life-and-death friendships are forged through battle..."
"Cloud Heavenly Venerable's physical body falling into your hands is better than falling into mine. Thank you." Fire Heavenly Venerable left these words, turned, and walked away, his figure receding into the distance.
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then called out, "Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for reviving Imperial Heavenly Venerable."
Fire Heavenly Venerable's voice came from afar: "Back on the Jasper Terrace, I said that if you could find out who harmed Imperial Heavenly Venerable, I would no longer hold a grudge against you. You not only did that but also revived him."
Qin Mu waved high: "Fire Heavenly Venerable, stay and talk a while!"
Fire Heavenly Venerable's voice grew fainter: "Seeing you makes me feel disgusted and want to beat you to death. Be wary of Void Heavenly Venerable; she is a very dangerous person..."
Luo Wushuang's face changed drastically, his heart in turmoil: "I seem to have heard something I shouldn't have again. This time, even if I don't rebel, I'll have to rebel..."
— Heading to Suqian, traveling alone this time. Hopefully, I won't get lost? Speaking of which, Zhai Zhu has been getting bolder lately. Before, he always went out with his wife, but now he dares to go out alone~