Chapter 1355: Future Celestial Venerable

The Village Chief examined the divine bow. Although he couldn't discern its marvelous uses or understand the various markings on it, he praised it profusely, saying, "The bow is mightier than man, the bow is mightier than man!"

Qin Mu was greatly displeased.

"This divine bow is truly excellent, far superior to any person!"

The Village Chief drew the divine bow, immediately drawing forth the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He was inwardly astonished and praised it repeatedly. Earlier, he had habitually taken a jab at Qin Mu, but now his admiration for the divine bow was sincere; it was far more formidable than even he was.

The Village Chief put down the divine bow and said, "Leave the investigation of the gods to me first. I will go see Heavenly Venerate You and borrow his Register of Life and Death."

Qin Mu also possessed a scroll of the Register of Life and Death, but it was a treasure belonging to the Ghost Emperor. The Ghost Emperor's Register of Life and Death had more functions, but it couldn't trace the origins of a Heavenly Venerate.

To investigate the origins of a Heavenly Venerate's reincarnated body, Heavenly Venerate You's Register of Life and Death was still needed.

Qin Mu remained at Wen Dao Academy, awaiting news from the Village Chief. While waiting, he studied the achievements of Eternal Peace's reform. To his shock, the research at Wen Dao Academy was quite cutting-edge. It focused on reforming the Celestial Palace, attempting to alter its structure. The divine arts practitioners and gods at Wen Dao Academy were trying to modify the Celestial Palace realms using the various gates in the Heavenly Court.

They planned to divide the South Heaven Gate realm into four smaller realms.

In traditional cultivation, a divine arts practitioner's primordial spirit would ascend to the South Heaven Gate, and passing through it would allow them to become a true god.

However, the people at Wen Dao Academy intended to change it to four realms: South Heaven Gate, North Heaven Gate, East Heaven Gate, and West Heaven Gate, making the primordial spirit pass through each of these four gates.

Qin Mu let out a laugh, but as he laughed, his expression grew solemn. He tugged at his chin beard and muttered to himself, "An idea, a very good idea! Grand Emperor told me that there are indeed Four Heavenly Gates in the ancestral court, which are also the four sacred lands of the ancestral court, containing incredibly unique Great Dao. From Grand Emperor's tone, the Great Dao contained within the Four Heavenly Gates of the ancestral court are different. This means dividing the South Heaven Gate realm into four is feasible!"

He continued reading. The divine arts practitioners and gods at Wen Dao Academy also planned to abolish the Jade Capital realm, believing it was too vague and didn't fully realize the realm's potential.

They wanted to divide the Jade Capital realm into three: Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian. The Mingde realm was the city gate of Jade Capital City, the Mingde Gate; stepping through this gate would lead to the Mingde realm.

Danfeng was the imperial city gate within Jade Capital City, the Danfeng Gate; stepping through this gate meant entering the Heavenly Emperor's Forbidden City.

The Chengtian Gate was the entrance in front of the High Heavens Hall, connecting heaven and earth; stepping through this gate would allow one to gaze upon the High Heavens Hall.

"The folks at Wen Dao Academy are truly remarkable!"

Qin Mu's heart was greatly shaken. After a moment of contemplation, he rose and went to see Yu Chenzi, asking, "Senior Brother, who came up with these Four Heavenly Gate realms, and the Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian realms?"

Yu Chenzi replied, "Does Heavenly Venerate know a girl named Hua Xuanxiu?"

"Hua Xuanxiu?"

Qin Mu's expression shifted slightly. He immediately recalled a young girl he had saved while slaying the ancient gods of the Nine Provinces in the Western Heavens; her name was indeed Hua Xuanxiu.

This little girl had been crushed to death by Ancient God Zhu Yi, her soul scattered, and Qin Mu had revived her using the art of resurrection.

However, it was too dangerous to keep her by his side, so Qin Mu had his Senior Brother Wei Suifeng's disciple, Yu Chudu, take her to Eternal Peace. Yu Chudu, having learned from Wei Suifeng, was also very capable.

"Who is Hua Xuanxiu cultivating with?" Qin Mu asked.

"She is Yu Chudu's disciple, and she went with Old Master Wei to the Jade Capital City in the Heavenly Court."

The "Old Master Wei" Yu Chenzi referred to was Wei Suifeng, who was revered as "Old Master" because he was the founder of the Sacred Cult of Heavenly Dao. Yu Chenzi continued, "Old Master Wei said he was taking Yu Chudu and Hua Xuanxiu to see the world. This old man, young man, and child first went to collect many Emperor's Throne cultivation techniques. Later, they trespassed into the Heavenly Court's Jade Capital City, making their way to the Chengtian Gate, where they were discovered just before the High Heavens Hall and barely made it back alive. After they returned, Hua Xuanxiu said that Jade Capital City was too vast, and a single Jade Capital realm might not be able to fully utilize its profound mysteries. So, she conceived these three realms: Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian. Old Master Wei also praised her ideas highly."

Qin Mu smiled, "These three realms are indeed extraordinarily clever and profound."

Yu Chenzi dismissed it with a laugh, saying, "It's just a child's fantasy. While there's some logic to it, Old Master Wei and the others have studied it for the past two years without making any real progress. Each breakthrough in the Celestial Palace realms brings a huge increase in cultivation and power. However, the realms Hua Xuanxiu envisioned don't provide any increase in strength."

He explained, "The gods at Wen Dao Academy have tried it. Their primordial spirits passed through the Mingde Gate, Danfeng Gate, and Chengtian Gate of Jade Capital City, but they didn't experience any cultivation increase, only faintly heard some indistinct sounds."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then asked, "What about the North Heaven Gate, East Heaven Gate, and West Heaven Gate? Does the primordial spirit gain any cultivation or power increase by passing through these gates?"

Yu Chenzi clapped his hands and said, "That's precisely the surprising part! The gods at Wen Dao Academy have tested it. When their primordial spirits pass through these three gates, they do experience a cultivation increase, and their comprehension of the Dao becomes deeper. Some gods who were originally unable to comprehend the Dao actually achieved enlightenment and entered the Dao after crossing the Four Heavenly Gates!"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, instantly understanding the reason. He chuckled, "Presumably, when the ancient god Heavenly Emperor and other ancient gods built the Heavenly Court, they had only seen the Four Heavenly Gates of the ancestral court, and also the Jade Pool, Jade Terrace, and God-Slaying Platform, but they had never seen the true Jade Capital City."

Yu Chenzi didn't understand his meaning.

Qin Mu didn't explain further, asking instead, "What realm is Hua Xuanxiu in now?"

"She just finished planting the Innate Jianmu, so she should be in the Seven Stars realm now, right?" Yu Chenzi wasn't entirely sure.

Qin Mu's eyes widened. After a moment, he slowly exhaled a turbid breath and sighed, "Seven Stars realm, and Senior Brother dared to take her to roam around the Heavenly Court! If Senior Brother dies, it'll be from recklessness. Senior Brother, please ask Hua Xuanxiu to come here."

A moment later, Yu Chenzi brought Hua Xuanxiu.

Hua Xuanxiu was dressed in animal hides, with shorts and a short jacket, carrying an absurdly large beast bone — the thigh bone of Ancient God Zhu Er.

The girl looked like a wild child raised in the forest, with a bubble still coming out of her left nostril.

"Big-boned, three-eyed uncle!" Hua Xuanxiu exclaimed delightedly.

Qin Mu's expression darkened slightly, and he said exasperatedly, "Call me Grand-Uncle-Master! I am your Grandmaster's junior brother!"

Hua Xuanxiu stuck out her tongue. The girl was about ten years old, and unlike the divine arts practitioners of Eternal Peace, she exuded an untamable wildness.

Back then, when her soul was scattered, Qin Mu had not relied on the power of Heavenly Duke but used his own power and that of Earth Count to gather and shape her soul, bringing her back to life.

Because of this, her soul was much stronger than that of ordinary divine arts practitioners.

When Qin Mu had Yu Chudu take her away, she was a very timid little girl, but now she had developed a wild streak, which puzzled Qin Mu.

He didn't know, however, that Yu Chudu's journey to Eternal Peace with Hua Xuanxiu had been far from smooth. On the contrary, it was filled with pursuits and counter-pursuits. The pursuers from the Western Heavens were extremely powerful, and Yu Chudu had experienced bloodshed all the way, living like a savage, before finally bringing Hua Xuanxiu alive to Eternal Peace.

After experiencing so much, Hua Xuanxiu had also become a little savage. When the two arrived in Eternal Peace, they were covered in blood and dirt, dressed only in animal skins, looking quite disheveled.

"Your three realms—Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian—are very interesting."

Qin Mu said with a gentle expression, "If these three realms are successfully established, you will be a Heavenly Venerate of this era!"

"Big-boned uncle, no, Grand-Uncle-Master!"

Hua Xuanxiu quickly corrected herself, chuckling, "These three realms are fake. My master and grandmaster have both tested them, and everyone else at Wen Dao Academy has also tested them. They are not actual realms. I just said it casually; it shouldn't be taken seriously."

Qin Mu was stunned. Suddenly, his heart was touched, and tears streamed down his face, startling both Yu Chenzi and Hua Xuanxiu. Hua Xuanxiu quickly stepped forward, put the large bone aside, and squatted down, softly comforting him, "Grand-Uncle-Master, don't cry. You're such a big person, crying like a baby, aren't you ashamed?"

Qin Mu wailed, "I'm crying because even with someone like Senior Brother, with a sacred place like Wen Dao Academy, and an enlightened place like Eternal Peace, there are still instances of misleading young talent and almost hindering a Heavenly Venerate! I grieve for this education, I grieve for how many brilliant individuals throughout a million years of history have been dismissed by a single sentence, missing out on achievements that could change the world!"

Both Hua Xuanxiu and Yu Chenzi were utterly bewildered.