Chapter 1526: The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat—it was the zither music of the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace!
The Golden Ship of Salvation charged into the mist, where the chaotic fog made it difficult to discern direction. But this posed no problem for him—he only needed to check the trajectory of the Tenth Universe's destruction below in the Chaotic Long River to find the opposite shore.
The Golden Ship of Salvation sped forward, Qin Mu pressing his hand on his sword hilt, his gaze flickering.
Suddenly, the mist ahead dispersed, and a Dao Tree appeared before them. Several Dao Fruits hung from its branches—Qin Mu counted seven of them.
Beneath the Dao Tree, the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace, dressed in imperial regalia, still sat there as before, one hand holding a zither score while the other attempted to play, though he could never quite produce the melody written on the score.
The Golden Ship of Salvation seemed to sink into layers of thick mud, its speed slowing more and more. By the time it reached the side of the Dao Tree, the ship could no longer advance at all.
Qin Mu leaned against the ship's railing, his right leg planted firmly while his left leg crossed behind it on tiptoe, swinging his leg lazily—a picture of complete ease.
The Fourth Young Master set down the zither score, his brows furrowed tightly. He tried adjusting the strings, then stroked the zither again, but the notes were even more off-key than before, grating to the ear.
"This melody likely cannot be played. I have tried many methods, yet I still cannot produce it."
The Fourth Young Master sighed, then continued attempting to play, saying: "Young Master Mu, have you met the Master of Miluo Palace? Is he well?"
"Very well indeed."
Qin Mu smiled: "I chatted with him for a while, then borrowed a ship from him before hurrying back."
The Fourth Young Master nodded, adjusting a string, and said: "I count myself among those who followed him earliest. The fact that Jade Capital City could be refined is partly my contribution. Back then, I was convinced by his foresight and insight, and I devoted myself wholly to assisting him in building a divine city that could shelter all living beings. He always possessed a compassion for the world that continually inspired me. It was not until the divine city was completely built that he suddenly lost his courage."
He raised his head, his gaze falling upon Qin Mu on the ship: "When the destruction calamity of the Sixteenth Universe arrived, he grew weary—tired of it all. He told us that his ideals might never succeed. He did not attempt to lead us into the Seventeenth Universe, but instead told us each to return to the universe where we were born. He himself returned to the primordial universe."
The Fourth Young Master chuckled softly: "He was the leader, so of course I heeded his words. That is why I returned here. But I was not resigned to it."
He looked at the zither score, tenderness flowing in his eyes, and said softly: "This score was left by my beloved wife. In all the world, only she could play the melody written upon it. When our universe was destroyed back then, I lacked the power to save her. I watched her perish in the great calamity of destruction—everything turned to ash and smoke, leaving nothing behind. The only thing I managed to save was this score. After I returned here, the destruction calamity could no longer harm me in the slightest, yet I still cannot save her."
Qin Mu listened quietly.
"I dwell within the Chaotic Long River, attempting to rescue her, but I fail again and again. I try to play her melody, and I fail again and again."
He shook his head: "You have never heard such a beautiful tune. Once heard, it is unforgettable for a lifetime. Perhaps across all the universes, only she alone could play this piece. I came here only to hear her play once more, yet even this modest wish cannot be fulfilled. And so..."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, asking: "And so?"
The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace smiled: "And so I shall journey to the future. In the future, I will become far more powerful—until I am strong enough to transcend the destruction calamity, to surpass the Master of Miluo Palace. Then I can return here and rescue my wife."
His gaze was filled with tenderness: "I have no grand ambitions. I have lived through seven cosmic ages, and I have stood at the pinnacle of power across seven universes. Every form of worldly power I have tasted; every form of worldly worship I have savored. I have only one goal—to return here and hear her pluck the strings once more, playing for me. That melody is something one never forgets once tasted."
His gaze fell upon Qin Mu once more, and he said coolly: "To achieve my goal, I must enter the Seventeenth Universe, and I must stop at nothing. Whoever blocks my path, I will kill. Young Master Mu, do you understand?"
Qin Mu nodded gently: "I understand."
The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace smiled: "The Master of Miluo Palace is dead, is he not?"
Qin Mu was astonished, and said in confusion: "Fourth Young Master, what makes you say such a thing? He is perfectly fine—just a bit dispirited. Go there and see him yourself. Why would you curse him as dead?"
The Fourth Young Master's gaze remained fixed on his face, as if trying to discern whether he was lying.
Qin Mu showed no sign of deception.
After a long moment, the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace laughed: "I was overthinking. I worried that with his deeply emotional and saintly nature, he might lose all motivation and die of a broken heart. Hearing that he is safe and sound, I am relieved."
Qin Mu asked: "Then, have you met Taiyi?"
The Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace raised an eyebrow.
Qin Mu said: "I have been searching for his whereabouts. If the Fourth Young Master has seen him, you might offer me some guidance."
The Fourth Young Master lowered his gaze, studying the zither score and tuning the strings.
Qin Mu asked again. Without raising his head, the Fourth Young Master said: "He and I have a grudge. You keep asking about him—are you trying to provoke me, seeking death?"
Qin Mu laughed: "You truly are one who has worn the imperial crown—your moods shift like the weather. A moment ago we were speaking cordially, and now you suddenly fly into a rage and want to kill."
The Fourth Young Master said calmly: "You use him to provoke me, to erode my Dao heart—do you think I do not know? But then again, how much do you truly know of Taiyi?"
Qin Mu was momentarily taken aback.
"What is his name? What great Dao does he cultivate? How many Dao Fruits hang from his Dao Tree? How many lifetimes has he lived? What did he do in the past? Were his deeds good or evil? Do you know?"
The Fourth Young Master's zither notes were dull and somber, his voice deep: "You know nothing. Young Master Mu, you may leave now."
Qin Mu fell silent. Hearing this, he suddenly realized that he indeed knew nothing about Taiyi.
The Golden Ship of Salvation sailed forward. Qin Mu looked back at the emperor tuning his zither beneath the tree, and called out loudly: "You support Heavenly Venerate Hao, but Heavenly Venerate Hao is destined to fall at my hands! You could support me instead—I have far more promise than he does!"
The Fourth Young Master plucked a string, and the Golden Ship of Salvation shook violently: "Young Master Mu, Heavenly Venerate Hao can help me reach the shore and arrive in the future age. You, however, only know how to muddy the waters. Go now. For the sake of the Master of Miluo Palace, I will not make things difficult for you this time."
Qin Mu steadied his footing and laughed: "As fellow young masters of Miluo Palace, I very much look forward to playing a game of chess with you in the future! My struggle against Heavenly Venerate Hao counts as our first exchange in the future age, would you say?"
"You are not yet qualified." The Fourth Young Master's voice came through, and the thick chaotic mist shrouded him, vanishing from Qin Mu's sight.
Qin Mu chuckled softly. The Golden Ship of Salvation gave a gentle lurch and arrived at the shore.
Within the Chaotic Long River, the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace played his zither, but the melody would not form.
He sighed, sinking into the destruction calamity. No matter how violently the great calamity raged, it could not harm him in the slightest.
He stood within the waves of calamity, his gaze tender as he looked downward. There was a woman there—his wife.
"I will return to this moment and save you from death," he murmured.
The woman turned to ash within the destruction calamity, vanishing without a trace.
"No one can stop me!"
He closed his eyes, refusing to watch that scene: "No one!"
The Golden Ship of Salvation pressed ever onward, crossing one Chaotic Long River after another. Several times, Qin Mu saw the Master of Miluo Palace working alongside many Dao Achievers to forge a new Jade Capital City. The city gradually took shape, growing ever more stable as it contended against the destruction calamity.
Observing the Jade Capital Cities of different eras also brought him many insights.
After an unknown span of time, he finally arrived at the first Chaotic Long River and began searching carefully, attempting to locate Taiyi's whereabouts.
This was the Sixteenth Universe. Before the World Tree, many Dao Achievers and powerful figures of the Sixteenth Universe rushed toward the World Tree, only to see the phantom of the giant Taiyi felling the World Tree, preventing them from sneaking across.
Countless Dao Achievers struggled within the great calamity, attempting to board the Jade Capital City, yet they could never reach the shore.
Qin Mu searched meticulously, far more carefully than when he had first come here. Suddenly, his heart stirred, and his gaze fell upon the root hairs of the World Tree.
To this day, he still could not discern who had set up the blood sacrifice of the Ancestral Court. Logically speaking, at the moment the Sixteenth Universe was destroyed, that person should have laid down the blood sacrifice. Yet looking only from the Chaotic Long River, he could not tell who had done it.
"At this time, Miluo Palace should have split into several factions—some advocating using the Jade Capital City to enter the next universe, others attempting to sneak across via the World Tree. Besides these, there should also be the Chaotic Space. But why can I not even find the Chaotic Space?"
He searched again and again, yet he never found any of this within the Chaotic Long River. He did not see who had set up the blood sacrifice, nor did he find the Chaotic Space, and he certainly did not find any trace of Taiyi.
"Could someone have obscured all of this?"
His heart trembled with alarm. What kind of person possessed such immense divine power that they could obscure everything even as the universe was being destroyed?
Was it the Master of Miluo Palace? Or Taiyi? Or one of the young masters of Miluo Palace?
Suddenly, Qin Mu withdrew his gaze. He sensed someone approaching across the river's surface.
Upon the Chaotic Long River, chaotic energy billowed. Two Taiji Ancient Gods rode a Dao Tree across the river, sailing from the depths of the long river.
They did not see the Golden Ship of Salvation, nor did they see Qin Mu upon it. They simply sailed past the side of the ship.
Upon the Dao Tree there was also a massive silkworm cocoon, and within the cocoon, something seemed to be squirming.
"The fusion of the Empress and Yumu is more complicated than we imagined."
The two Ancient Gods looked worried. The female Ancient God said: "After the fusion, will what emerges be the Empress or Yumu? If it is Lady Yumu? By then she will have achieved the Dao—would she not turn against us?"
"We only need to comprehend our own fusion Dao from their method of fusion. As for who emerges, we need not concern ourselves."
The male Ancient God on the Dao Tree comforted her: "Whether the Empress or Yumu ultimately survives, she will owe us gratitude. Without our intervention, how could they have achieved the Dao?"
Qin Mu steered the golden ship, quietly following after them.