Chapter 1181: Two Dreams Intertwined

Qin Mu crossed the Nether Sea, entered the Ninth Divine City of Fengdu, and arrived beneath the Heavenly Gate of Youdu. He looked up, scrutinizing the colossal structure.

The Heavenly Gate of Youdu was jointly created by the Ghost Emperor and Empress Diyiyue. Diyiyue possessed a Soul Spirit Body, inherited from the Heavenly Duke, making her one of the most powerful spiritual bodies in the world.

The strength of the Soul Spirit Body lay in its ability to rapidly master any system of divine arts, regardless of the path, with minimal obstacles.

The Ghost Emperor's ultimate treasure was the Heavenly Gate of Youdu. He began forging it during the mid-Dragon Han era, but it was shattered multiple times, never reaching completion.

By the Emperor's Era, the Ghost Emperor had cultivated to the peak of the Emperor's Throne realm. Knowing he had reached his limit and could progress no further, he began to strive towards the cultivation methods of the Celestial Heavens.

However, he was not one of the Ten Celestial Venerables. When he attempted to cultivate other systems of divine arts, using his Youdu Great Dao as a foundation, he encountered immense difficulties.

His attempts to merge other cultivation methods with his original ones met with repeated failures.

Similarly, his efforts to complete the Heavenly Gate of Youdu, intending to use it to merge other cultivation methods, also failed time and again.

It was at this time that Empress Diyiyue's reputation began to rise, gradually gaining widespread renown across the heavens.

The Kaihuang Celestial Heavens at that time was supported by the ancient gods, who wished to elevate the Kaihuang era to an unprecedented level of power, pushing Kaihuang to confront the Ten Celestial Venerables.

Consequently, the Kaihuang Celestial Heavens maintained excellent relations with the Heavenly Duke, Earth Count, and the Four Emperors of the Ancient Gods.

Kaihuang sent Empress Diyiyue to train with the Four Emperors of the Ancient Gods, having her apprentice under them. It was then that Diyiyue's immense power was fully revealed.

Empress Diyiyue effortlessly mastered and integrated the divine arts of the Four Emperors, successfully cultivating the Four Heavenly Palaces, which astonished the world.

Not only that, but she also integrated other Emperor's Throne cultivation methods and contended with Kaihuang for the throne. Although she was defeated, Kaihuang held her in even higher regard, making it a celebrated anecdote of the time.

It was then that the Ghost Emperor connected with Empress Diyiyue, seeking her advice on how to forge the Heavenly Gate of Youdu. Through their interactions, coupled with the Ghost Emperor's good looks and his deliberate efforts to win her favor, the two fell in love.

Empress Diyiyue was strong-willed, but completely devoted to the Ghost Emperor. She selflessly helped him merge the Emperor's Throne cultivation methods and also assisted him in forging the Heavenly Gate of Youdu, holding nothing back.

When Empress Diyiyue planned to marry the Ghost Emperor, it was also the late Kaihuang era, a time of treachery and turmoil. Kaihuang secretly ordered Emperor Shakya King Li Youran to create Wushou Township, which was, in reality, the Wushou Sword and the Thirty-Three Heavens.

After Li Youran completed Wushou Township, he began constructing the Ark of the Other Shore. At that time, many advised Empress Diyiyue against marrying the Ghost Emperor, but she was blinded by love, unable to discern the true situation, and consequently died in the wedding hall.

Qin Mu gazed at the Heavenly Gate. It contained the Ghost Emperor's divine arts and Diyiyue's painstaking efforts. Diyiyue had reclaimed it from the Ghost Emperor; as deeply as she had loved him before, so profoundly did she hate him now.

Despite this, Qin Mu couldn't help but admire the Ghost Emperor's talent. The Heavenly Gate of Youdu contained the divine art of reincarnation, something not found within the Great Dao of Youdu itself.

The Ghost Emperor had once used the divine art of reincarnation to secretly harm Que Feiyin, the reincarnated spirit of the Southern Emperor. Que Feiyin was now Bai Yuqiong, the Third Heavenly Master of the Celestial Heavens, yet she had still not deciphered the Ghost Emperor's reincarnation divine art.

The Path of Reincarnation was truly the Ghost Emperor's fundamental strength and source of stability.

In this regard, no one surpassed him.

Empress Diyiyue emerged from behind the gate, a little embarrassed, and chuckled, "Brother, I didn't come to save you during the Yan Kang Catastrophe. It wasn't because I didn't want to, but because Kaihuang issued a decree, and I dared not act. I had made mistakes before, which led to the swift downfall of the Kaihuang Celestial Heavens, and now I no longer dare to act on my own initiative, fearing I might make another mistake."

Qin Mu smiled, "That matter is in the past. Am I not perfectly fine? I came here to break the Ghost Emperor's divine art of reincarnation, and I'll need your help, Sister."

Diyiyue rejoiced, "I also intend to decipher his divine art. Although the Ghost Emperor's character is deplorable, his mastery of the Path of Reincarnation is unparalleled. These past few years, I haven't had enough confidence to decipher it alone, but with your help, it will surely be faster!"

She caressed the Heavenly Gate of Youdu, her fingertips gently gliding over the runes on its surface. "The Ghost Emperor only cultivated four Heavenly Palaces, but the Heavenly Gate of Youdu is essentially another him. His strength isn't considered among the absolute top tier in the Celestial Heavens; Dao Ancestor and Grand Brahma Heaven King Buddha are much stronger than him. However, when combined with the Heavenly Gate of Youdu, his power is no longer inferior to Dao Ancestor and Grand Brahma Heaven King Buddha."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He carefully examined the Heavenly Gate of Youdu and solemnly asked, "Sister, what is the secret behind this gate you helped him create?"

"His talent is limited; he isn't the most gifted person. Merging four Emperor's Throne cultivation methods was already his limit," Diyiyue explained.

Diyiyue continued, "However, I realized that his Path of Reincarnation could be even better. That's the purpose of the Heavenly Gate of Youdu. This gate contains four Emperor's Throne cultivation methods. If fully activated, he would effectively possess eight Heavenly Palaces, not far from Dao Ancestor and Grand Brahma Heaven."

Qin Mu was greatly impressed.

"However, that was twenty thousand years ago," Diyiyue added. "Back then, with the Heavenly Gate of Youdu, he was equivalent to an Emperor's Throne expert who had cultivated eight Heavenly Palaces. As for now, I don't know."

She smiled, "This Heavenly Gate of Youdu was forged by him, but also by me. That's why I was able to prevent him from fully utilizing its power and reclaim this treasure from him. I've been studying the Path of Reincarnation these past few days, and I also learned some of its divine arts from him in the past. Come, take a look."

Diyiyue took out her research from recent days. The sheer volume of papers was immense, indicating how diligently Diyiyue had worked to seek revenge on the Ghost Emperor.

Qin Mu carefully flipped through the papers, cross-referencing them with the runes on the Heavenly Gate of Youdu, confirming each detail.

Immediately after, he once again entered the Path of Dream, swiftly reviewing Diyiyue's years of research and verifying it. Only then did he awaken from his dream.

Qin Mu mused, pondering what he had gained. A moment later, he looked up and smiled, "Sister, let's enter a dream together, shall we?"

"Enter a dream together?"

Diyiyue laughed in surprise, "Your dream is yours, and mine is mine. How can we enter a dream? And how can we be together?"

Qin Mu's gaze became exceptionally peculiar. As Diyiyue looked into his eyes, she felt as if she was seeing one circle after another, continuously expanding from small to large, swaying past her.

However, after a moment, she still felt no drowsiness. She chuckled, "Brother, your divine art isn't working... huh?"

She looked around and noticed that the surrounding environment had changed at some point. It was no longer Fengdu but Youdu!

She looked down and saw the Nether Sea. At the same time, she also saw the Heavenly Gate of Youdu towering above it!

Moreover, she saw another version of herself, dressed in crimson, the attire of a bride. Heavenly Lady Yin, Fisherman Celestial Master Hantang, Youdu Heavenly King Tianshu, and others were attacking the Heavenly Gate, and inside the gate, the Ghost Emperor stood, fending off their assaults!

Diyiyue couldn't help but stare in astonishment. She had no idea when she had entered the dream or when this dream had manifested.

"Sister, look over there." Qin Mu had appeared beside her at some point, raising a hand to point into the distance.

Diyiyue followed his gaze, and her body trembled slightly. She murmured, "What divine skill."