Chapter 1129: Once a Man

If this ancient god were to awaken, it could transform into any ancient god, even Heaven Duke, Earth Mother, or Earth Count, and simultaneously possess their powers. This alone would be incredibly terrifying!

But what's even more terrifying is its mastery of manipulating human hearts and minds.

Qin Mu had long found it strange that anyone who came into contact with the Glazed Azure Sky Banner — be it Long Qilin, Wei Suifeng, or even himself — would be captivated by the treasure. While Long Qilin's susceptibility was understandable, Qin Mu and Wei Suifeng were individuals with incredibly stable Dao hearts, forged through the immense trials of Dragon Han history. Yet, even they found themselves unconsciously drawn to and fascinated by the ancient god egg.

Moments ago, when a wisp of Qin Mu's divine consciousness entered the ancient god egg, his Dao heart's most vulnerable point was instantly exploited, nearly causing him to fall into an inescapable trance within the egg. Furthermore, Qin Mu hadn't managed to break through the illusion of comfort created by the ancient god egg, which exploited the weakness in his Dao heart. He had merely destroyed that wisp of his divine consciousness. This meant the flaw in Qin Mu's Dao heart persisted. As long as that weakness remained, the entity within the ancient god egg could still ensnare him. This was what he found most terrifying.

Qin Mu put away the Glazed Azure Sky Banner, his expression dark and uncertain.

"Uncle-master, this little girl is dead," Yu Chudu's voice drifted over.

Qin Mu composed himself and set the matter of the ancient god egg aside for the moment. He stepped forward to examine the girl, finding that Ancient God Zhuyi had crushed all her bones and shattered her internal organs. She had long since stopped breathing. In her hand, she was still clutching an animal bone that hadn't been fully gnawed clean.

Yu Chudu's expression turned somber. "In all the heavens and myriad worlds, such things happen constantly, Uncle-master," he said. "Even if you are Celestial Venerable Mu, you can't change any of this. Haha, even my teacher couldn't change it..."

"She can still be saved."

Qin Mu stepped forward and crouched down. Creation runes flickered faintly and delicately at his fingertips, their light almost imperceptible as they seeped into the little girl's body. His mastery of the path of creation was profound, having reached the pinnacle of this era. Soon, the little girl's physical injuries were fully healed. Qin Mu extended a finger and gently pressed it against her chest. A heartbeat resounded, and her small chest slowly began to rise and fall.

Yu Chudu couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle-master, how terrifying is the divine might of an ancient god? Her soul has already scattered; she can't be saved!"

Qin Mu stood up, and vital qi surged forth, causing the little girl's body to float in the air. "She can be saved," he stated in a deep voice. "I, the Grand Master of Myriad Tribulations and Indestructibility, am not exclusively a Grand Master for ancient gods."

He activated the Soul-Leading Incantation, drawing fragmented soul black sand to the little girl. The Heaven and Earth Profound Gate manifested behind him, and he began to borrow the powers of Heaven Duke and Earth Count to reshape her soul. This was a refined version of the soul-reshaping divine ability. The key difference was his use of the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate to replace the Gate of Heaven's Succession. In truth, he could have revived the little girl using only his own power, without needing to borrow from Heaven Duke and Earth Count. However, he decided to alert Heaven Duke and Earth Count nonetheless. Because he wanted to make his stance clear!

"Celestial Venerable Mu—"

Heaven Duke's voice resonated from an immensely high and distant place, entering only Qin Mu's mind. With that voice, he could even "see" Heaven Duke's white eyebrows, long beard, and eyes filled with radiant white light, all from his elevated position in Xuandu.

"You are borrowing my power to revive a mortal."

Heaven Duke's expression was unreadable, his voice drawn out. "You killed the ancient gods of Jiuzhou, the ancient gods of Three Pillars Heaven, and now you use our power to revive a mortal. Are you still the Grand Master of Myriad Tribulations and Indestructibility?"

"Heaven Duke, nothing here is hidden from you. You witnessed me slay the ancient gods of Jiuzhou and Three Pillars Heaven, yet you did not intervene to stop me." Qin Mu's divine consciousness resonated in his mind as he spoke to the exalted entity. "Now I wish to borrow your power to reshape this mortal's soul. Will you grant it to me? Reviving her is simple; the power I'd borrow from you is negligible, merely a drop in your vast ocean."

Heaven Duke was silent for a moment before responding, "Will you revive the ancient gods of Jiuzhou and Three Pillars Heaven?"

"No."

Qin Mu's tone was exceptionally calm. "Heaven Duke, you already know the answer. I will not revive them. Ancient gods are no more noble than mortals. If an ancient god commits evil, I will slay them."

"Who is to determine what is right and wrong, good and evil?"

Heaven Duke said, "When a wolf eats a sheep, how innocent is the sheep? When a sheep eats grass, how innocent is the grass? Ancient gods using humans as sacrifices is no different from wolves eating sheep. Celestial Venerable Mu, from the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, your notions of good and evil, right and wrong, are indistinguishable. The Heavenly Dao is impartial; it does not condemn the wolf for eating the sheep, nor the sheep for eating the grass."

Qin Mu replied, "That's why you are Heaven Duke, and I am not. I only view these matters from a human perspective. Heaven Duke, you are not truly impartial either; you view the world from the perspective of the ancient gods. You can passively watch ancient gods prey on the world, watch all beings become their sacrifices, yet when I slay ancient gods, you still harbor resentment."

Heaven Duke fell silent.

"Will you lend me the power to revive this little girl?" Qin Mu pressed.

Heaven Duke was silent for another moment before saying, "Celestial Venerable Mu, son of the Qin family, have you ever considered that you cannot change any of this? When ancient gods are no longer the rightful rulers of heaven and earth, and demigods replace them, they will still prey on all beings. Even if you kill the ancient gods, you would merely be allowing demigods to fully take their place, and the fate of beings across all the heavens and myriad worlds might not even be better than it is now."

Qin Mu stubbornly reiterated, "Heaven Duke, will you lend me the power to revive this small mortal?"

Heaven Duke remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I will lend it to you. However, you cannot continue like this. You must not continue slaughtering ancient gods. If news of your slaughter of the ancient gods of Jiuzhou and Three Pillars Heaven spreads, it will turn other ancient gods against you, making them your enemies."

Qin Mu retorted, "Should I smile at them, sit idly by as they treat my people as sacrifices, converse cheerfully with them, and pretend not to see? Heaven Duke, please enlighten me."

Heaven Duke replied, "You could view all beings from the height of the Heavenly Dao, seeing them as equals, and refrain from intervention."

"Which is why I am not Heaven Duke." Qin Mu smiled. "I am just a person, an ordinary human. If I shed my humanity to become Heaven Duke, I would cease to be human. Heaven Duke, you could, in fact, restrain the ancient gods, prevent them from indulging in blood sacrifices, and curb their greed for offerings."

Heaven Duke sighed. "I will try to restrain them and tell them to show you and your people due respect. But I will not force them; that would violate the Heavenly Dao."

Qin Mu nodded.

He continued to activate the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate, sensing Earth Count's power. Earth Count also perceived his divine ability and lent him his power.

"Earth Count, why did you not stop me from borrowing your power to revive this small mortal?" Qin Mu asked, "I killed the ancient gods of Jiuzhou and Three Pillars Heaven, scattering their souls. As the Grand Master of Myriad Tribulations and Indestructibility, a title associated with ancient gods, I did not revive *them*, yet I am reviving an insignificant mortal. Is Earth Count not angered? Are there no doubts?"

"Perhaps because I was once human." Earth Count said indifferently. "Once, as Ah Chou, I was a human, a child to an elderly mother, and a husband to a wife. They did not scorn me. From that moment, I felt a different kind of emotion emerge within the consciousness born from the Dao." His voice was grand, yet his tone still seemed devoid of emotion. "I believe I've been tainted by humanity, no longer a pure Dao-born god. Thus, I can understand you. However, this touch of humanity also signifies where I fall short compared to Heaven Duke."

"I understand."

Qin Mu bowed and continued to activate the divine ability, reshaping the little girl's soul.

At that moment, Earth Count felt a minuscule, almost imperceptible loss of power, while Heaven Duke sensed no change in his own. Meanwhile, the little girl slowly stirred, opening her eyes.