Chapter 1774: Entering the Miluo Palace Once More
Qin Mu rested for a few days, recovering some of his cultivation, and then became busy again. Shang Jun had been struck by Jiang Baigui's Immutable Divine Ability and was caught between life and death. Resolving his state between life and death was rather troublesome, requiring one to block the Joy Hall Master's killing strike at the very moment the Immutable Divine Ability was broken.
After all, the Joy Hall Master was an existence at the Hall Master level. Although she was dead, her divine ability continued to circulate within the Immutable Divine Ability, killing Shang Jun over and over again.
The only ones capable of blocking her killing strike were Qin Mu and the Kai Emperor.
The two prepared themselves. Qin Mu moved to break the Immutable Divine Ability, and at the moment it unraveled, the Kai Emperor Qin Ye thrust out his sword, blocking the divine ability that was striking at Shang Jun!
Shang Jun was pulled back from the gates of death by the two of them, and the Medicine Master immediately stepped forward to treat his wounds.
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief, then summoned Tai Yi. They saw Tai Yi lying motionless on the golden ship, his entire body pierced by spikes of Dao-Slaying Divine Nails.
"Imperial Brother, Brother Xu, Junior Brother Jiang, I will teach you the Hongmeng runes of the Miluo Palace. You will treat Tai Yi's wounds."
Qin Mu invited the three over and imparted the Hongmeng runes as well as the Miluo Palace Dao techniques and divine abilities he had comprehended to them, saying, "Third Young Master and Fourth Young Master suffered a setback this time, but they will surely return in force. The Boundless Elder will also eventually heal his Dao wounds and reappear. You must heal Tai Yi as soon as possible."
Jiang Baigui hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Didn't Second Senior Brother say that Tai Yi is the Lord of Tiandu? If we heal him, what if the Heaven-Opening Multitude of Tiandu come looking for him..."
"Healing Tai Yi and the Heaven-Opening Multitude of Tiandu coming to find him are two different matters."
Qin Mu laughed. "The Heaven-Opening Multitude won't be able to find their way here so easily. If they could have found this place, they would have come long ago. After all, Tai Yi guarded the Great Black Mountain of the Ancestral Court for billions of years, and was once sent to the Fourth Era by the Master of the Miluo Palace. If the person the Heaven-Opening Multitude sought was Tai Yi, they would have had plenty of opportunities. Clearly, the one they seek is not Tai Yi, but the Lord of Tiandu."
Xu Shenghua was puzzled. "Is there a difference?"
"Tai Yi is a lone wanderer, coming and going by himself. The Lord of Tiandu, on the other hand, is the leader of Tiandu. That is the greatest difference."
Qin Mu said, "Tai Yi and the Lord of Tiandu must be different in some way, but I don't know exactly how. Perhaps Ling Tianzun would be able to explain it clearly."
Lan Yutian said, "Brother, wouldn't you be more adept at treating Tai Yi? Your attainments in Hongmeng divine abilities are higher."
Xu Shenghua and Jiang Baigui both nodded.
"In my Chaos Hall, there are still the Burial-Dao Divine Coffin and the Small World Tree. I need to go in and deal with the Third Young Master's hand that is suppressed there."
Qin Mu sighed and said seriously, "Moreover, there is also the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City and the forces under the Boundless Elder—these two major powers will inevitably stir restlessly. I also need to make the rounds, suppressing what needs to be suppressed and killing what needs to be killed. Furthermore, the Ancestral Court's prison is not stable, and I need to continuously reinforce it. There are too many matters, and I don't have the time to treat Tai Yi. I am teaching you the Miluo Palace's Dao techniques and divine abilities, and you can also take this opportunity to improve yourselves, striving to attain the Dao as soon as possible. Then I won't have to work so hard."
The three had initially suspected that he found treating Tai Yi too troublesome and had therefore dumped it on them, but upon hearing this, they felt a pang of guilt.
The World-Crossing Golden Ship landed, and Qin Mu invited everyone off the ship, leaving only Ling Yuxiu behind. The golden ship grew smaller and smaller, carrying the two of them away into the distance.
After a moment, Qin Mu's shadow suddenly flickered on the golden ship, and then Shang Jun's figure emerged, being tossed off the ship by Qin Mu.
Jiang Baigui looked up at the sky and said to Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian, "We weren't wrong—he just finds it troublesome. All troublesome matters, he can't be bothered to deal with, and only dumps them on us."
Lan Yutian shook his head. "My brother is not that kind of person. Brother Xu, right?"
Xu Shenghua was noncommittal, saying, "Treating Tai Yi is of utmost importance."
The three of them could be said to be the three with the highest comprehension and aptitude. Joining forces to comprehend the Miluo Palace Dao techniques and divine abilities that Qin Mu had taught them, and then observing Tai Yi's Dao wounds, exchanging ideas with one another, they would naturally be faster than Qin Mu slowly figuring things out on his own.
However, to heal Tai Yi, they would need a high level of attainment in the Miluo Palace Dao techniques and divine abilities, which would take time.
At this moment, the golden ship drifted leisurely, unhurriedly flying toward the Jade Capital City. Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu leaned against each other at the bow, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility and tenderness.
Ling Yuxiu suddenly laughed. "Husband, isn't it a bit unfair of you to dump Tai Yi on them?"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "If I took everything on myself, they would have no opportunity to train. Now their chance has come. Besides, we really do have quite a lot of matters to attend to."
He took Ling Yuxiu's hand and led her toward the golden hall on the ship. Ling Yuxiu's face flushed red, and she covered her lips with her other hand, looking somewhat reluctant, but she still followed his steps.
After a moment, the World-Crossing Golden Ship swayed back and forth, as if drunk, suddenly crashing into a divine mountain. Then it wobbled up into the air again, suddenly plummeting to the ground, dragging for tens of thousands of miles across the earth, then suddenly soaring into the sky and plunging into a sea of clouds.
Fortunately, the Ancestral Court was now devoid of human habitation, so there was no need to worry about shocking the world.
After who knew how long, the World-Crossing Golden Ship finally flew slowly to the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City.
Several Dao-Attainer cultivators of the Miluo Palace had already descended into the city, watching this strange golden ship as if facing a great enemy. Suddenly, the golden ship seemed to lose control, crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom, landing and not moving at all.
The deaths of the three Hall Masters of Joy, Phoenix, and Zengcheng had already spread to the Miluo Palace, shocking the entire palace.
Even more shocking was that Third Young Master Lingxiao had actually had his right arm severed, causing an uproar throughout the Miluo Palace. They were shocked, angry, and fearful of Seventh Young Master.
Shocked because Qin Mu, who had not yet attained the Dao, possessed such strength; angry because Qin Mu was the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace, yet he mercilessly killed his own people; fearful because Qin Mu would kill them all without mercy—if they descended to the Seventeenth Era, they would likely fall victim to his hands as well.
These days, the Miluo Palace had been using the power of blood sacrifices to urge new Dao-Attainers to descend to the Seventeenth Era, but the newly descended Dao-Attainers had become much more cautious, never leaving the Jade Capital City.
They hadn't gone out, but they never expected Qin Mu to come barging in!
These few Dao-Attainers were cautious and did not approach, instead observing from a distance. They saw that the World-Crossing Golden Ship was empty of people.
After a moment, the doors of the great hall on the golden ship suddenly opened. Qin Mu walked out while tidying his clothes, his face radiant, laughing, "Fellow Daoists need not worry. I have not come to kill, but to see the Teacher. I ask that you all make way."
The few Dao-Attainers in front silently made a path.
The World-Crossing Golden Ship rose and flew toward the depths of the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City.
Ling Yuxiu walked out of the golden hall, seeing that the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City was desolate, with withered Dao trees everywhere, collapsed divine palaces and halls, and the eerie Cold Still Wind and Heat Still Wind.
Apart from those few descended Dao-Attainers, there was not a single living thing to be seen.
Suddenly, a Dao Fruit flew onto the golden ship, hovering before the two of them. A woman's voice laughed from within the fruit, "Nanxiang greets Seventh Young Master."
Ling Yuxiu looked at Qin Mu, who laughed, "Fellow Daoist Nanxiang need not stand on ceremony. This is my wife."
"Nanxiang greets the Young Master's wife."
Within the Dao Fruit, Dao chains spun, vaguely revealing a stunningly beautiful woman. However, being inside the Dao Fruit, she wore no clothes, faintly revealing her exquisite figure.
Ling Yuxiu's face flushed slightly, and she glanced at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu remained composed, laughing, "Fellow Daoist Nanxiang, I have come to see the Teacher. I ask that you announce my arrival, so as to avoid any complications along the way."
The woman within the Dao Fruit giggled. "Seventh Young Master is quite bold! Many Hall Masters of the Miluo Palace's Seventy-Two Halls have died at the hands of the Young Master and his followers, yet you still dare to come see the Teacher! You want to destroy the Teacher's legacy—not only will the Teacher not tolerate you, but who in the entire Miluo Palace could tolerate you?"
Qin Mu smiled slightly, extending a finger to gently touch the void.
There was a string there that could not be seen with the naked eye.
This string extended from the Chaotic Long River all the way to the World Tree of the Ancestral Court.
The string was pulled taut, its power ready to erupt at any moment.
"Fourth Brother will let me pass."
Qin Mu smiled. "The one pulling this string is Hao Tianzun. He is the only complete Dao-Attainer in the Jade Capital City, though he attained the Dao through force. If Fourth Brother does not allow me to pass, I will use this string of his to unleash a divine ability and directly kill Hao Tianzun."
Nanxiang Yuanjun's expression changed slightly, and she bowed within the Dao Fruit: "Young Master, please wait a moment!"
The Dao Fruit flew off in a hurry.
The World-Crossing Golden Ship carried Qin Mu and his wife onward, and soon they arrived beside the first Chaotic Long River. The river's waves were fierce, the currents swift, the long river stretching endlessly without a visible end. Countless living beings could be seen struggling, dying, and being destroyed within the river.
The golden ship stopped.
Qin Mu and his wife waited for a moment, and then a Dao Fruit flew out from the Chaotic Long River. Nanxiang Yuanjun said to Qin Mu, "Young Master, Madam, Fourth Young Master says the two of you may cross the river, and he will not obstruct you. But he can only guarantee that he will not act. As for whether others will act, that has nothing to do with him."
Qin Mu bowed in thanks. "I am indebted to Nanxiang."
"I dare not."
Nanxiang returned the bow from within the Dao Fruit. "I will guide the Young Master."
When the World-Crossing Golden Ship sailed into the Chaotic Long River, Ling Yuxiu observed carefully and saw that the Dao Fruit suddenly began to unravel like silk being pulled from a cocoon. The woman within the fruit stretched her body and actually stepped out of the fruit!
The Dao chains and Dao patterns of the fruit then transformed into a magnificent feathered robe, draping over her body, quite resplendent.
Nanxiang Yuanjun gathered her robes and held them to her chest, leaving only a hint of snow-white skin exposed, laughing, "I never heard the Young Master mention having a wife before."
Ling Yuxiu said with a smile, "We were married not long ago. After my husband and I married, we destroyed the Heavenly Court."
Nanxiang Yuanjun said in surprise, "So the Madam married the Young Master in order to destroy the Heavenly Court."
Ling Yuxiu said with a gentle smile, "We are planning to have children. My husband said he wanted to come to the Miluo Palace to see the Teacher. The round trip will take about two years, and by the time we reach the Miluo Palace, the child will just be born—perfect timing to ask the Teacher to name it."
Nanxiang felt a chill in her heart and said no more.
Marrying before destroying the Heavenly Court showed that Qin Mu was confident of victory, which was why he could marry.
Now that Qin Mu was planning to have children, did that mean he was confident he could destroy the Miluo Palace as well?
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