Chapter 1178: Tian Shu Drunk

Grey mist enveloped Fengdu. Ahead lay a sea of fog and mountains of skulls. Each skull mountain rose from the mist, covered in skulls, some of which were still crawling.

Qin Mu took out a Fengdu gold coin, intending to summon Daoist Lingjing to ferry him across the sea of fog, but then he suddenly froze.

During the Yankang Catastrophe, Daoist Lingjing had already perished.

This Daoist was a powerful figure from the Village Chief's era, known for his stubbornness. He had once challenged the Village Chief, hoping to claim the title of Sword God.

Later, during the invasion of the High Heavens, he and the young Ancestor Wen Yuan intercepted the High Heaven gods, buying time for the Village Chief and the others. He died in the process, becoming a ghost in Fengdu.

King Yama had given him the identity of a ferryman, entrusting him with guiding passing souls or living people across the river.

At that time, he was still troubled by the thought of buying a house in Fengdu, believing it would take him another thousand years to afford one.

When the Yankang Catastrophe erupted, Daoist Lingjing was again among the first to step forward, joining the successive cult masters of the Heavenly Saint Cult to rescue people. However, only his primordial spirit remained, and it too dissipated in that great calamity.

He had left no relics, so even if Qin Mu wanted to summon his soul and reconstruct it, he couldn't.

From the mist ahead, a ferry approached. The ferryman, dressed in tattered clothes, stood tall in the small boat, his ragged cloak fluttering in the fog.

The boat docked at the ferry point. Qin Mu boarded the small vessel, and the ferryman propelled it towards Fengdu.

Standing on the boat, Qin Mu involuntarily recalled his conversation with Daoist Lingjing when the Yankang Catastrophe began.

He had said, "Daoist Lingjing, you and Ancestor Wen Yuan sacrificed your lives for Yankang, intercepting the High Heavens. Yet, none of Yankang's people know you are their protecting hero."

At the time, Daoist Lingjing, punting his boat through layers of skull mountains, had smiled and replied, "But I know I am a hero. I will follow my heart and do what needs to be done."

Daoist Lingjing had also said that the next time Qin Mu returned, the ferryman might not be him.

Qin Mu looked at the ferryman; it was not Lingjing, but another god or devil from Fengdu.

When the small boat reached the shore, Qin Mu paid the fare, disembarked, walked past the boundary marker of the realm of the living and the dead, crossed the mountains, and headed towards Fengdu.

In this world, there are all sorts of people, living all sorts of lives. Some are happy, some live uneventfully, some work hard, and some endure suffering.

But no matter how good or bad life is, there are always some who bear burdens and even sacrifice their lives for others.

For these individuals, we should not mock their choices, but rather give them the respect they deserve.

Fengdu's Great Dao rules attempted to transform Qin Mu's physical body, turning him, a living person, into a skeleton. However, Qin Mu's understanding of Youdu's Great Dao was profoundly deep, and his cultivation was now exceptionally vast. Fengdu's Great Dao rules could not alter him in the slightest.

He continued forward, looking around to see that Fengdu had expanded considerably, almost comparable to Emperor Yintian's Nether Capital. It was vast and boundless. Clearly, many Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Kings from the Kaihuang era had gathered here and developed Fengdu remarkably well.

Qin Mu crossed the mountain range and saw divine cities of Fengdu appearing before him.

This place held countless memories for him, but its layout had changed drastically, making him feel as if he had entered a foreign land.

He entered Qinwang City. Many gods and devils moved along the streets, and upon seeing him, they all paused, staring at him in astonishment.

Qin Mu smiled and nodded to the Kaihuang divine beings on either side.

In response, they all returned his smile.

Soon, news of Qin Mu's arrival in Fengdu spread. The divine being Chixiu, with a bird's head and a human body, was the first to rush over, landing in front of Qin Mu. He bowed respectfully and asked, "Should I address you as Human Emperor Qin, or as Heavenly Venerable Mu?"

Qin Mu smiled and replied, "Heavenly Venerable Mu will do."

The divine being Chixiu bowed and led the way. "Please come in, Heavenly Venerable Mu. Have you come to visit old acquaintances this time?"

"Chixiu, you are also an old acquaintance of mine," Qin Mu replied with a smile.

Qin Mu smiled, "Indeed, I have come to call upon all of you."

The divine being Chixiu tilted his head. "However, your old acquaintances don't seem very eager to see you. King Tienshu of Nether Capital heard you arrived and hid in a tavern, afraid to come out. King Diyi Yue was so frightened she lost her composure and hid in the lowest level of Fengdu. King Dishi claimed he was going into seclusion to study the Limitless Kalpa Sutra, and the two Heavenly Masters of Martial Combat simply sealed their doors."

He glanced at Qin Mu. "Even King Yama isn't in Qinwang Palace; he's also gone to the lowest level of Fengdu. Do you know why, Heavenly Venerable?"

Qin Mu did not reply.

The divine being Chixiu continued, "Because during the Yankang Catastrophe, none of us helped, and we feel indebted to you. As Human Heavenly Venerable Mu, you rescued King Tienshu from the God Blade of Emperor Que, showing great kindness to him. As Human Heavenly Venerable Mu, you resurrected King Diyi Yue, showing great kindness to her."

"Heavenly Venerable Mu eradicated the Heavenly Court's influence in the Buddhist Realm, benefiting King Dishi. Human Heavenly Venerable Mu created the Heavenly River Divine Treasure, saving the martial artists of the Big Dipper realm from being unable to become gods, benefiting Heavenly Master Martial Combat. Heavenly Venerable Mu also rescued the people of Taishang Heaven, and Sage Qiaofu feels you have been kind to him."

"Even King Yama was only able to stabilize Fengdu because of you. It was out of respect for you that Heavenly Venerable You and Earth Count did not destroy Fengdu. They all feel they have wronged you."

The divine being Chixiu concluded, "You have shown them kindness, so they are afraid to face you."

Qin Mu smiled faintly and said, "What about the Fisherman and Qinghuang? Heavenly Master Fisherman and King Qinghuang have been kind to me; surely they wouldn't be afraid to see me."

The divine being Chixiu led him forward. "Qinghuang sent the divine dragons from Dragon Village to assist you, but that was actually to help Taishang Heaven, which is part of Kaihuang's remaining forces, not directly helping you. Yet you helped Taishang Heaven, so he owes you. The same applies to Heavenly Master Fisherman; his help in fishing the sun and moon from the Sun Well and Moon Well was for Kaihuang's Sun Herders and Moon Herders, not for you personally, but also for Kaihuang. They all feel indebted to you, which is why they are afraid to see you."

He continued, "Among Kaihuang's subordinates, only the First Ancestor Human Emperor, Prince Qin Wu, dared to help you during the Yankang Catastrophe. But he no longer considers himself a prince or imperial descendant of the Kaihuang era."

Qin Mu said, "He is Yankang's Human Emperor, the founder of the Yankang era. The Human Emperor Palace is now very prosperous; he and the successive Human Emperors have opened the palace to teach disciples, making significant contributions to Yankang."

The divine being Chixiu nodded. "Thus, he is a symbol of Yankang. However, the people in Fengdu are not."

Qin Mu fell silent for a moment.

The divine being Chixiu led him to a tavern in Fengdu and said, "King Tienshu of Nether Capital is inside."

Qin Mu stepped inside. Upon seeing him, Tienshu immediately flipped over and hid under a table, not daring to show his face.

Qin Mu walked to the table and sat down. He poured a cup of wine, picked it up, and said, "King Tienshu of Nether Capital, I toast you."

Helpless, Tienshu crawled out from under the table, picked up his wine cup, and the two sat opposite each other, drinking it down in one gulp.

Qin Mu smiled. "I've already been to Worry-free Village and met Kaihuang."

Tienshu was silent for a moment, then asked hoarsely, "How is he?"

"He left Worry-free Village to find you all, but couldn't. Later, he fought his way to the Heavenly Court, confronting Heavenly Venerable Hao, Heavenly Venerable Xiao, Heavenly Consort Qiang, and Heavenly Consort Yan. He nearly split the Heavenly Court in half with a single sword stroke."

Upon hearing this, King Tienshu's blood boiled with excitement. It was as if wine spirits had burrowed into his mind. He couldn't resist picking up the wine jug, pulling off the lid, and tilting his head back to guzzle it down, exclaiming with delight, "He fought his way to the Heavenly Court?"

Qin Mu nodded gently, motioning for the ghostly bartender to bring a few more jars of wine to the table. "He fought his way to the Heavenly Court and pierced Heavenly Venerable Hao's palm with a single sword."

King Tienshu slapped open a wine jar and laughed heartily. "I knew he would do that! He's cautious after drinking, but incredibly bold when he doesn't drink! He's always looked down on Heavenly Venerable Hao!"

The two clinked their wine jars together and drank deeply, tilting their heads back.

King Tienshu drank until tears streamed down his face, and he choked out, "Has he always been so calm? Did you never see him flustered?"

Qin Mu set down his wine jar. "He has always been very resourceful, as if he consistently had everything under control, without any emotional fluctuations. But if you interact with him, you can feel the wildfire burning fiercely within him."

King Tienshu couldn't resist picking up another wine jar and guzzling it down, chuckling. "That's exactly the kind of person he is. He can easily win people over like that. It feels incredibly safe to be by his side!"