Chapter 1575: The Red Rope Knot Seal
The Empress and Nguyên Mẫu shared a single body, tightly bound by this dao chain. The immense tidal force came crashing down, nearly snapping their body in two!
But both of them knew that this was Tần Mục saving them. Had this dao chain not bound them, they would inevitably have been swept by the tide into the great cataclysm of the Sixteenth Universe's destruction, reduced to ashes of calamity!
The tide grew increasingly violent, tearing at their bodies. Whether it was Tần Mục or the Empress and Nguyên Mẫu, their physical forms were beginning to split apart!
They could be said to be the most powerful beings in the current world—those who could serve as their opponents across the entire universe could be counted on one hand. Yet even existences this powerful found it difficult to resist this force.
"Red rope!"
Lady Nguyên Mẫu suddenly called out loudly: "Look up quickly! The red rope!"
The Empress and Tần Mục were startled, then with great difficulty turned their heads upward. Sure enough, they saw that at the end of this dao chain, several red ropes were tied around it.
Those red ropes were extremely thin, looking utterly ordinary. Yet they held the dao chain fast, resisting the tearing of a powerful existence like the Second Young Master of the Mê La Palace, resisting the tides and gravitational pull of the Quy Khư Great Abyss, and even withstanding the great cataclysm of the Sixteenth Universe's destruction!
Even stranger, the area around the red ropes appeared calm and peaceful, without any danger—as if the destructive calamity and the power of Quy Khư, upon reaching that place, were suppressed by some invisible force.
"The tide caused by the universe's destruction is far too strong!"
Empress Dowager shouted at the top of her lungs to Tần Mục below: "We cannot hold out long in this tide. We must reach the red ropes to be safe!"
Tần Mục immediately began moving his body with great difficulty, making his way toward them.
His physical body and primordial spirit were torn and wounded all over by the terrifying tide. Within the tide, the Bất Dị Divine Ability no longer worked, because the tide was too fierce—after his body was broken open, his flesh and blood were immediately swept away by the tide with a howl. Even if he used the Bất Dị Divine Ability, he could not reclaim the flesh and blood that had been lost.
Moreover, the tide tore his body apart, and his flesh and blood were transformed into pure energy by the tide's power.
Had it been Lăng Thiên Tôn's Mass-Energy Bất Dị, his body could have remained intact. But Lăng Thiên Tôn had not had time to teach Tần Mục the Mass-Energy Bất Dị she had comprehended over forty thousand years before Tần Mục was captured by Hạo Thiên Tôn.
At present, Tần Mục could only activate the Tạo Hóa Divine Ability, using the Dao of Creation to continuously repair his body and shattered primordial spirit.
His Dao of Creation was extremely powerful, but the Tạo Hóa Divine Ability consumed his cultivation base. This tide would eventually grind away all his cultivation and take his life!
He could also activate the Luân Hồi Divine Ability, but he could not hold out long with that either.
The Quy Khư Great Abyss was one of the few dangerous places capable of killing him.
Finally, Tần Mục reached the Empress and her sister, and with great difficulty shook the dao chain. The Empress's body immediately broke free, only to be swept up by the tide, rushing upward with a howl!
Tần Mục reached out his hand, and the Empress immediately grabbed it, swinging lightly to draw closer to the dao chain, hooking one jade-like leg around it.
They climbed up along this dao chain, their physical bodies and primordial spirits constantly being torn to pieces by the tide.
The ferocity of this tide was more than a hundred times greater than the tide of the Quy Khư Great Abyss in their own universe. Tần Mục could not withstand it, and neither could the Empress. Fortunately, their cultivations were both extremely profound, so they could hold on for a short while.
They were like two little ants on the dao chain, climbing upward with difficulty. Suddenly, a stabbing pain hit Tần Mục's back. He looked down and saw a strand of white hair piercing through his chest!
He looked further down and saw strands of white hair coiled around the dao chain, continuously growing upward—it was none other than the white hair of the Second Young Master of the Mê La Palace!
Tần Mục reached out, grabbed the Empress's ankle, and squeezed it firmly.
On the back of the Empress's head, Lady Nguyên Mẫu's face emerged. She looked down and immediately saw Tần Mục's dire situation.
This woman hooked her legs around the dao chain, hung upside down, severed that strand of white hair, then picked up Tần Mục and placed him above herself.
Her strength was greater, and from behind she could resist the attacks of the Second Young Master's white hair.
The two continued climbing. Suddenly, strands of white hair locked around the Empress's legs. Lady Nguyên Mẫu immediately grabbed hold of Tần Mục's pant leg.
Tần Mục turned his head to look down, saw the Empress's predicament, and slowly retreated downward.
He lay on the Empress's back, took out the Kiếp Sword, and with all his might executed the Phá Kiếp technique. Beams of sword light slashed at those white hairs, severing them.
Lady Nguyên Mẫu looked at him with a resentful gaze, while the Empress's body tensed up, clearly nervous and uncomfortable.
Tần Mục climbed upward with all his strength, leaving the Empress's body.
They helped each other along the way. After who knows how long, they finally reached the red ropes.
There were six red ropes in total, tied around six dao chains. The ropes interwove, knotted together, forming a strange seal.
They climbed onto the red ropes. The place where the red ropes were knotted was completely calm, not large—only about three meters square.
Everywhere else, the tide surged and raged with extreme violence.
Above their heads was the cataclysm of the entire universe's destruction, as if it might press down at any moment—a breathtaking sight.
Tần Mục lay on one of the red ropes, gasping for breath. He rested for a long while but still had not recovered. The Empress and her sister were also weak, their bones and muscles aching, unable to move. One person with two faces, all gasping heavily for air.
Those strands of white hair followed them to the red ropes. The moment they touched the red ropes, they suddenly trembled as if electrocuted and fell away.
Tần Mục weakly rolled his eyes, saw this scene, and only then felt relieved.
After another long while, he staggered to his feet, stepping on the red ropes to reach the center of the knot seal, curiously examining that strange rope knot.
Suddenly, the Empress said coldly: "Mục Thiên Tôn, if you dare try to untie this knot, I will swallow you alive this instant!"
Tần Mục's body stiffened, sensing the killing intent coming from behind.
It wasn't just the Empress who had developed killing intent toward him—Lady Nguyên Mẫu's killing intent was even stronger than the Empress's!
"I won't untie the knot."
Tần Mục turned around and smiled: "I'm just looking at this knot. The shape of the knot gives me some insights."
"My dear, what insights?"
Lady Nguyên Mẫu curiously examined the knot. The knot was extremely complex, seeming to conceal some strange and profound principles within it, but she couldn't understand it either.
Tần Mục patiently explained: "Look at the shape of this knot—doesn't it bear some resemblance to the dao patterns emanating from the dao chains?"
The Empress and Nguyên Mẫu carefully examined the knot, then looked at the dao chains, and shook their heads.
Nguyên Mẫu couldn't help but ask: "Where is the resemblance?"
Tần Mục smiled: "The internal runes are all very similar. I think this knot is not actually a knot, but a seal technique left by the Master of the Mê La Palace, manifested in the form of a rope knot. In other words, five of these ropes represent his five fingers. This knot and the dao chains are equivalent to him using his hand to suppress the Second Young Master of the Mê La Palace beneath his palm!"
He paced back and forth on the red ropes, saying: "These dao chains pass through the Second Young Master's face—that is to say, when the Master of the Mê La Palace suppressed her, his palm was pressed against her face, driving her into the Quy Khư to be sealed! No wonder the Second Young Master cannot escape!"
He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Although the Master of the Mê La Palace is not here, this single palm strike of his transformed into red ropes and dao chains, remaining here forever. Truly, his divine abilities are boundless and immeasurable, unfathomably profound!"
Lady Nguyên Mẫu became even more curious and laughed: "You say the red ropes are the five fingers of the Master of the Mê La Palace, but there is a sixth red rope here. So what is this extra red rope for?"
"This red rope is probably the key to unlocking the seal."
Tần Mục examined it carefully, calculated for a moment, then came to the side of one red rope and said: "This red rope is like the slipknot of this divine ability. One only needs to pull this red rope to open the seal..."
Suddenly, two palms grabbed the back of his neck—it was the Empress and Nguyên Mẫu simultaneously reaching out to seize his neck, to prevent him from untying that red rope!
Tần Mục laughed heartily: "You two need not be nervous. I am not curious enough to go that far."
The Empress gritted her teeth: "If you dare move, your head will be separated from your body!"
Tần Mục gently pushed their hands away, pondering: "Perhaps this red rope has another possibility—that is, once pulled, the full power of the Master of the Mê La Palace's palm strike will completely erupt, striking down from above and beating the Second Young Master to death! It's just that... is this red rope the slipknot that kills the Second Young Master, or the slipknot that releases her..."
Lady Nguyên Mẫu immediately said: "Whether it kills her or releases her, you must stay far away from this rope!"
Tần Mục smiled slightly and took two steps back.
The faces of the Empress and Lady Nguyên Mẫu were concentrated on a single face, watching him without blinking. The Empress said calmly: "We have escaped death and come here. The Second Young Master's power cannot reach this place. So shouldn't Mục Thiên Tôn now teach us the Dao of Reincarnation?"
Lady Nguyên Mẫu said with a smile: "The Quy Khư Mirror you wanted, we have also taught you. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise. As long as we resolve our own flaws and become true Quy Khư Goddesses, perhaps we can join forces with you to fight our way down, block the Second Young Master's attacks, and escape with our lives!"
Tần Mục turned a deaf ear, his gaze still fixed on the sixth red rope, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The Empress was annoyed and said coldly: "Could it be that Mục Thiên Tôn does not wish to teach us?"
Tần Mục waved his hand and walked toward the knot again, murmuring: "Wait a moment, this knot's structure is somewhat similar to the Hồng Manh runes. Allow me to study it for a moment..."
The Empress was furious and was about to make a move, but Nguyên Mẫu raised her other hand to block her attack, laughing: "Killing him won't help matters. If he dies, we'll have no choice but to keep fighting each other for the rest of our lives—and trapped in this cramped space, fighting for the rest of our lives at that."
Tần Mục studied the knot. Suddenly, his primordial energy transformed into runes that flew about, attempting to strike the knot, but failed again and again.
After a long while, the Empress could no longer hold back and coughed once, saying: "Mục Thiên Tôn, after you teach us the Dao of Reincarnation, you will have all the time you need."
Tần Mục snapped back to awareness. His divine consciousness rippled, directly transmitting the Dao of Reincarnation he had comprehended into their minds, then lowered his head and continued studying.
Lady Nguyên Mẫu couldn't help but ask: "Why didn't you chant scriptures? Didn't you teach the Dao of Reincarnation through scripture chanting?"
Tần Mục rolled his eyes and crouched by the knot, continuing his research.
Nguyên Mẫu was furious, then suddenly realized something and laughed again: "This wicked brat, full of schemes!"
The Empress smiled: "Mục Thiên Tôn is naturally full of schemes. Perhaps the Luân Hồi Divine Ability he taught us contains hidden traps. We must be on our guard."
Nguyên Mẫu nodded repeatedly, saying: "So, we must be careful, lest we fall into his trap without realizing it. How about this—after we sisters comprehend it, we won't cultivate it immediately. We'll exchange our insights with each other, cross-verify, and see whether it contains any traps."
"Exactly, exactly." The Empress said repeatedly.
The two women immediately began comprehending the Dao of Reincarnation separately. Whether or not there were traps, they directly began cultivating, each striving to master it before the other, and kill the other dead!