Chapter 1356: For the Way, Crying Bitterly

Qin Mu cried his heart out, weeping uncontrollably.

Yu Chenzi immediately grew anxious and quickly slipped away to fetch Wei Suifeng, Yu Chudu, and others. He thought, "When has Heavenly Venerate Mu ever cried? I've certainly never heard of a Heavenly Venerate weeping like this; it's no small matter. I can't possibly comfort him."

He found Wei Suifeng, Yu Chudu, and the others and told them what happened. Wei Suifeng exclaimed in surprise, "My junior brother cried? That's odd. He's fearless; what could possibly make him shed tears? I'll go see."

Yu Chudu also quickly stood up. Yun Jianli's eyes flickered as he said, "Heavenly Venerate Mu has cried before. I heard that during the Eternal Peace Calamity, when Heavenly Venerate Mu was fighting against the Celestial Heavens, he cried out to the heavens, but they didn't answer, and the Lord of Heaven didn't help him. He called upon the earth, but it was unresponsive, and the Earthly Duke didn't help him either. Surrounded by enemies and feeling powerless to oppose the Celestial Heavens or save Eternal Peace from ruin, he gouged out his eyes and wept bitterly."

Wei Suifeng felt a pang of sympathy for his junior brother and stood up, saying, "Let's go see."

When they arrived, they saw Hua Xuanxiu gently patting Qin Mu's back and comforting him in a low voice. Yu Chudu felt a warmth in his heart, remembering how Hua Xuanxiu had comforted him in the same way when he was exhausted during their escape years ago.

Although he always felt Hua Xuanxiu was comforting him like a large, wounded dog.

Wei Suifeng burst into laughter. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, a mighty, towering nine-foot man, why are you crying like a child?"

Qin Mu stifled his grief, looked up, and sneered, "I'm weeping for your mediocrity and incompetence, for burning a tree of great timber as mere firewood. I weep for how many brilliant talents in this world revert to mediocrity, and for those with ability who are unable to use their skills!"

Wei Suifeng was irritated by his words and sneered, "Stop changing the subject! You're just upset that Yun Jianli and I didn't stay in the Peach Forest to help you. You feel we owe you something, so you're feigning grievance to extort us. There was a Heavenly Venerate battle in that Peach Forest; even if we had stayed, it wouldn't have made any difference!"

Qin Mu shook his head and stood up, his gaze falling on Hua Xuanxiu. "I wasn't talking about that matter; I was talking about her. If Xuanxiu had truly listened to you and not delved into the Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian realms, Eternal Peace would surely have lacked a Great Heavenly Venerate who could open new realms in the future."

He sighed, "She was almost ruined by a single word from you. When I thought that if not for my question, she would undoubtedly have been mediocre, at most only able to associate with you and compete with you, sadness welled up in my heart. Then I thought of how many such prodigies throughout history have also often been ruined by an unintentional remark, and I couldn't help but shed tears. 'You are wrong, stop what you are doing'—that sentence is the most damaging."

He involuntarily thought of Grand Emperor.

Grand Emperor had said that when Qin Mu abandoned his own path and embraced the Celestial Palace and Heavenly Court system, Grand Emperor transformed into a tear at the corner of Qin Mu's eye.

Now, he understood Grand Emperor's feelings from back then.

Wei Suifeng, Yun Jianli, and the others paused slightly, then all looked towards Hua Xuanxiu.

Yun Jianli tentatively asked, "Does Heavenly Venerate mean that these three realms truly exist?"

Qin Mu nodded.

Wei Suifeng shook his head. "We've all tested it, and these three realms do not exist. However, the realms of the East Heavenly Gate, West Heavenly Gate, and North Heavenly Gate do exist. Each of these Four Heavenly Gate realms has its own strengths, and their intricacies require continuous in-depth research."

"Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian—these three realms do exist."

Qin Mu said, "The Celestial Palace and Heavenly Court cultivation system was initiated by Heavenly Venerate Yu. However, Heavenly Venerate Yu only started it, laying out a basic framework. It was gradually perfected throughout the Dragon Han Era, slowly completing the Celestial Palace. It's only now, in the present day, that the Heavenly Court is gradually being completed, yet no one has truly cultivated it to completion."

Wei Suifeng and Yun Jianli nodded in agreement. Wei Suifeng then asked, "So why are you so certain that these three realms exist?"

"Because of the Dao Realm cultivation system."

The others were all momentarily stunned. Yu Chudu felt a little dizzy, finding it hard to keep up with Qin Mu's line of thought.

"The Celestial Palace system focuses on cultivation, magic power, and strength, but it lacks comprehension of the Dao. You've all noticed this, haven't you?"

Qin Mu continued unhurriedly, "The Dao Realm system, on the other hand, emphasizes the comprehension of the Dao, with each realm representing a higher level. So, does the Celestial Palace truly have no comprehension of the Dao? I believe the Four Heavenly Gates are the gateways to entering the Dao. Entering these gates allows one to enter the Dao—this is the true essence of the Celestial Palace system. Because Heavenly Venerate Yu died, this essence was never unearthed, which is why it evolved into a distorted cultivation path purely focused on power."

Wei Suifeng frowned in thought. "When I tested my primordial spirit passing through the other three Heavenly Gates, I did feel something unusual, a sense of enlightenment. However, regarding the Mingde, Danfeng, and Chengtian portals, I didn't experience any sense of Dao enlightenment."

"That's because these three portals of the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens are all fake; they are mere facades without substance."

Qin Mu perked up. "Not only are these three portals fake, but even the Four Heavenly Gates, including the South Heavenly Gate, don't encompass the true Great Dao rules of the actual Four Heavenly Gates. The real Heavenly Gates are in the Ancestral Court, and the true Jade Pool, God-Slaying Platform, and Jade Capital City are also within the Ancestral Court!"

Yun Juanshu and Wei Suifeng seemed to be deep in thought.

"If there's someone who can perfectly integrate the Dao Realm and Celestial Palace systems, and such an existence isn't a Heavenly Venerate, then who is?"

Qin Mu flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "The so-called Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Celestial Heavens, apart from Heavenly Venerate Hao and Heavenly Venerate Huo, are nothing more than individuals who possess immense power but have made no contributions to perfecting or pioneering cultivation systems!"

"The Heavenly Venerates I speak of are beings like the Seven Heavenly Venerates of Dragon Han, like Founding Emperor who pioneered the Dao Realm, like Xu Shenghua who established the Divine Treasure of the Heavenly River, like those who opened up the Ancestral Court realm, like myself!"

"And such an existence, there is one right here in the Academy of Dao Inquiry!"

His gaze fell upon Hua Xuanxiu.

Everyone's eyes simultaneously turned to Hua Xuanxiu. Startled, Hua Xuanxiu took a step back and nearly tripped over the thigh bone she had dropped on the ground.

"Heaven help us, her thoughts and mind haven't been completely shackled by your rigid thinking."

Qin Mu continued unhurriedly, "If I had come a few years later, she would have become just like everyone else, resembling you all."

Wei Suifeng, Yun Jianli, and Yu Chenzi all felt quite displeased, but they had to admit that they had indeed nearly stifled Hua Xuanxiu's creativity.

Yu Chudu, however, was very happy. He was Hua Xuanxiu's teacher, and he taught the young girl regularly, caring greatly about her growth.

"Besides Hua Xuanxiu, there's also half a Heavenly Venerate in the Academy of Dao Inquiry. Who is the deity who opened up the other three Heavenly Gates?"

Qin Mu's curiosity was piqued. He said, "This person created half a realm; they can be called half a Heavenly Venerate."

"It was something Prince Youming and Wen Yuan created when they were studying divine arts and Dao techniques with Granny Si."

Yu Chenzi explained, "Granny Si had a very deep comprehension of the Dao Realm system. When Wen Yuan and Prince Youming followed her to learn the Dao Realm of divine arts, and comprehended the Northern Emperor's divine arts and Dao techniques system, Wen Yuan always found it difficult to utilize the Northern Emperor's divine arts to their fullest potential. Prince Youming taught him, but oddly enough, Prince Youming also couldn't utilize the Northern Emperor's divine arts to their fullest. Granny Si initially thought it was due to bloodline, and even drew Prince Youming's blood for research. She eventually concluded that the root of the problem wasn't in their bloodline, nor in their cultivation techniques. The three of them pondered for a long time and felt that something was missing from the Celestial Palace system."

Qin Mu listened intently, then asked, "Wen Yuan? Which Wen Yuan?"

Yu Chenzi looked surprised. "He's the Young Cult Master of your Sacred Cult of Heavenly Saints. You're the Old Cult Master; how could you not know?"

"I'm the Old Cult Master now?"

Qin Mu stood dumbfounded, then slowly turned his head to look at Wei Suifeng. "Senior Brother, when was my authority usurped? Why didn't even I know about this?"