Chapter 1273: Qin Mu and Taishi

Within the egg, Grand Beginning chuckled, "What you call 'Dao injuries' are nothing to us. Grand Plain, with her form and substance but no body, can heal those Dao injuries with ease."

Qin Mu's heart sank. He pressed on, "What about the cultivation realms Heavenly Venerable Hao destroyed? Heavenly Venerable Hao obliterated twenty-six Heavenly Palaces. I worked so hard to destroy those. She can't possibly restore all of them for Heavenly Venerable Hao in one go, can she? I don't think Grand Plain has that level of cultivation!"

"Grand Plain indeed does not have that level of cultivation," Grand Beginning in the egg sighed. "Her current strength is far inferior to a Heavenly Venerable. Of course, you, as a Heavenly Venerable, are an exception."

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Although the ancient god in the egg's words annoyed him, at least Grand Plain couldn't fully restore Heavenly Venerable Hao. A Heavenly Venerable Hao not at his peak was a mere shell, and it wouldn't be difficult to kill him.

"Heavenly Emperor Grand Initial was incomplete when he was born, but he can be considered the most complete of the egg-born ancient gods, second only to Grand Change," Grand Beginning in the egg explained. "Currently, the strength of the Ten Heavenly Venerables is already approaching that of Heavenly Emperor Grand Initial back then. Such strength far surpasses Grand Plain's. Grand Plain's power is stronger than the Four-Colored Emperors but weaker than the Four Ancient God Emperors."

Qin Mu's heart tightened. Even so, her power was extraordinary. The Four-Colored Emperors—Emperor of Nether, White Emperor, Qi Xiaoyu, and Azure Emperor of the East—all possessed formidable strength. The Four Ancient God Emperors were beings only Heavenly Venerables could contend with! Grand Plain's strength, situated between them, was roughly equivalent to a powerful practitioner who had cultivated ten or more Heavenly Palaces in the small Heavenly Court.

"However, Grand Plain can restore Heavenly Venerable Hao's Heavenly Palaces," Grand Beginning in the egg continued. "She can control the chaotic energy within Heavenly Venerable Hao, allowing his nine Heavenly Palaces to recover quickly. As for the other twenty-six Heavenly Palaces, it's just a matter of time for her."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then asked, "How much time do you think it would take?"

Grand Beginning in the egg thought for a moment. "Without affecting Grand Plain's own strength, it would take a hundred years."

Qin Mu stated decisively, "So, within fifty years, Heavenly Venerable Hao can be restored to his peak state!"

Grand Beginning in the egg considered this, then nodded. "You are right. After Heavenly Venerable Hao's nine Heavenly Palaces are restored, he can also cultivate himself and perfect his Heavenly Palaces. Coupled with Grand Plain's restoration, fifty years should be enough for him to recover to his peak."

Qin Mu paced around the egg of Grand Beginning. The egg remained quiet and motionless.

"Heavenly Venerable Hao can only recover nine Heavenly Palaces in a short time, meaning he won't be a significant threat in the immediate future. I was originally planning to flee, but now it seems unnecessary. Since his power hasn't recovered, he must be biding his time and hiding his true abilities, fearing that others might notice a weakness."

Suddenly, Qin Mu stopped and looked at the egg of Grand Beginning. "Grand Plain grants all wishes. What if Heavenly Venerable Hao asks for the thirty-sixth Heavenly Palace? Can Grand Plain grant him that?"

Grand Beginning in the egg mused, "It's not impossible..."

Qin Mu shivered.

Grand Beginning in the egg continued, "If that were the case, Heavenly Venerable Hao would become too deeply controlled by Grand Plain, merely a puppet. Grand Plain's wish-granting is not without cost; the more one asks for, the more one becomes controlled by her."

Qin Mu blinked. "You mean?"

Grand Beginning in the egg explained, "If Grand Plain gives Heavenly Venerable Hao the thirty-sixth Heavenly Palace, then Heavenly Venerable Hao would not possess a true Heavenly Court realm, nor could he reach the pinnacle of the Heavenly Palace-Heavenly Court system. His Dao path would be like Grand Emperor's, always falling short. The Heavenly Court system focuses solely on power, but Heavenly Venerable Hao might not be able to achieve the ultimate peak in terms of power."

"Heavenly Venerable Hao is also not someone to be underestimated. Grand Plain will find it difficult to control him!"

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed as he probed, "Then, Dao Brother Grand Beginning, do you think the thirty-six heaven Dao realm system is a perfect one?"

Grand Beginning in the egg chuckled. "How could there be a perfect system in this world? If it were perfect, how would Heavenly Venerable Mu, Great Cult Master Qin, be able to reform and change it?"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, but a warning bell rang in his mind. "This Grand Beginning fellow is a cunning old fox, having rolled through hot oil again and again, then fished out to spend the night! His words are completely airtight."

"Back then, when Dao Brother Grand Beginning and Dao Sister Grand Plain communicated in the egg, what did you two talk about?" he asked casually. Though seemingly unconcerned, Qin Mu was extremely worried about this matter. Grand Beginning and Grand Plain had communicated and secretly deliberated more than once, but as soon as Qin Mu's divine sense approached, they would immediately fall silent.

"Oh, that matter..." Grand Beginning in the egg chuckled. "Just some trivial things. I told her about Grand Initial imprisoning me, and she told me about nearly being refined by Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu. We were discussing how to deal with Grand Initial and Xuanwu and get our revenge."

Qin Mu didn't believe him in the slightest, but since Grand Beginning in the egg was unwilling to say more, he found it difficult to press the issue.

Grand Beginning in the egg suggested, "Even if Heavenly Venerable Hao recovers nine Heavenly Palaces, you still can't contend with him. Why don't we return to the ancestral court to avoid his immediate threat? The Grand Beginning ore veins in the ancestral court are in the hands of Heavenly Consort Yan, who is in the Heavenly Court. We can seize this opportunity to attack the Grand Beginning ore veins and occupy that woman's territory! Once we gain benefits, I'll split it fifty-fifty with you!"

Qin Mu was dumbfounded. Had the ancient god Grand Beginning become too worldly? He was an existence like Heavenly Emperor Grand Initial, and Heavenly Emperor Grand Initial would never say such a thing.

"I still have a younger brother in the Supreme Void whom I need to find," Qin Mu said with a smile. "Fifty-fifty split, I remember. Don't worry, after I find my brother, I will leave this troubled place and head to the ancestral court."

The ancient god in the egg was silent for a moment, then said, "The fifty-fifty split was a joke; don't take it seriously."

***

In the Supreme Void's Youdu, in the Nether City.

Heavenly Venerable Hao's injuries were visibly lessening. He opened his eyes, struggled to get up, turned, and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, fellow Daoist."

He raised his head and saw the woman's face, suddenly growing dull, a trace of infatuation in his gaze. The woman standing behind him, with her brows, eyes, and appearance, bore a surprising resemblance to Lady Yuanmu.

"If you ask for it, your wishes will come true. Whoever you think of in your heart, I will resemble them when you look at me," the woman named Grand Plain said with a smile. "As long as you don't hold that thought in your heart, you will see my true appearance."

Heavenly Venerable Hao closed his eyes. When he opened them again and looked at Grand Plain, her appearance had already changed. In his eyes, Grand Plain no longer resembled Lady Yuanmu but was a stranger, aloof and cold. Behind her head was a tangible, substantial but unformed light, its brilliance like dark eyebrows, shifting between reality and illusion.

The laughter Heavenly Venerable Hao had heard moments ago was not this woman's laughter, but the laughter from the depths of Heavenly Venerable Hao's own heart. In reality, the goddess Grand Plain had never laughed. The form of this ancient god was already difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.

The goddess Grand Plain looked at Heavenly Venerable Hao, seeing him recover from her miraculous Dao rhythm in such a short time. She couldn't help but show approval. "Hao, son of Grand Initial, indeed possesses extraordinary abilities. Hao, you are currently heavily injured. With my power, I can help you recover to the thirty-five Heavenly Palaces realm within a hundred years, or I can grant you an additional Heavenly Palace, allowing you to fully cultivate the Heavenly Court."

Heavenly Venerable Hao bowed his head. "So, it is Auntie Plain. Auntie Plain only needs to restore the nine Heavenly Palaces within my body; for the other Heavenly Palaces, I will find my own way."

The goddess Grand Plain looked at him, her gaze flickering, unable to see the expression on his lowered face.

After a moment, the goddess Grand Plain smiled. "Good. I will restore your nine Heavenly Palaces. You may bow to me now."

Heavenly Venerable Hao knelt down and kowtowed.

****

In the last four hours of 2018, a surge of inexplicable emotion rose within me. Is this year truly passing? Grand Plain wishes everyone all the best and that your wishes come true!