Chapter 1357: Old Sect Leader and Young Sect Leader

Wei Suying coughed repeatedly. As the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Saint Cult, he knew that no one in the cult had informed Qin Mu about the appointment of a new cult master.

Qin Mu stared at him. Wei Suying coughed for a long time, almost to the point of coughing up blood, but couldn't evade the issue. He finally relented, saying, "You haven't been usurped, have you? You're still alive and well."

Qin Mu glared at him, his face dark. "I just turned seventeen, and I'm already the old cult master?" he demanded. "When did you depose me? You could have at least informed me!"

Yu Chenzi wisely remained silent, thinking to himself, "The Heavenly Saint Cult always acts like a bunch of devils. They appointed a new cult master without even informing the previous one! Any other sect would have splintered by now. This is their internal affair; I shouldn't speak out of turn."

Wei Suying sighed helplessly. "The decision to appoint a junior cult master was made by all the hall masters, elders, heavenly kings, guardians, and holy maidens of the Heavenly Saint Cult," he explained. "It also received the approval of past cult masters. Si Youyou, as the former Holy Maiden, agreed as well! And naturally, when they consulted me, I also gave my consent..."

Qin Mu fumed, "But I'm still alive! Shouldn't you have notified me first about appointing a junior cult master?"

"Who knew if you were dead or alive? Who knew where you were?" Wei Suying retorted, growing angry. "Ever since you became the Saint Cult Master, you've been running all over the place, either courting death or on the brink of it! When have you ever returned to the Heavenly Saint Cult? When you vanished, everyone speculated that there was a fifty-fifty chance you were alive. Only when you show up and are observed can your status be confirmed! We couldn't possibly wait until you're dead to appoint a junior cult master, could we?"

Qin Mu stammered, "Alright, appoint him then, but why are you getting angry? You could have at least notified me..."

Wei Suying snorted. "Every time you've returned to Yankang, have you ever visited the Heavenly Saint Cult?" he asked. "The hall masters originally had no intention of appointing a junior cult master, but you always left in a hurry shortly after arriving in Yankang, never attending to cult matters. After I returned, they sought me out, asking me to temporarily act as cult master. Naturally, I refused. So, everyone decided to elect a junior cult master to temporarily fill the role. You're quite familiar with this junior cult master."

Qin Mu's heart stirred.

Wei Suying sent someone to fetch Granny Si and Wen Yuan. Moments later, Granny Si appeared with a handsome, elegant youth, whose lips were red and teeth white. Qin Mu quickly stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Patriarch, long time no see."

The young Wen Yuan smiled. "Cult Master, please don't be so formal," he said. "I'm merely the junior cult master; you are the true cult master. Technically, I'm still your disciple!"

Qin Mu was dumbfounded.

This youth was none other than the Heavenly Saint Cult's Young Patriarch, who had reincarnated at some unknown time, reborn as a young boy, and had even become Qin Mu's nominal disciple!

Granny Si blinked and chuckled. "Wen Yuan is doing very well now, and he's outstanding in the Institute of Learning," she said. "And since I'm Mu'er's teacher, that technically makes me his patriarch too."

She was quite pleased with herself.

Years ago, Wen Yuan was her patriarch, always appearing as a youth, hence his title of Young Patriarch. Now, with the tables turned, she had become the patriarch of Patriarch Wen Yuan!

After they all reminisced for a while, Granny Si spoke earnestly, "Wen Yuan, strive to eliminate the old cult master as soon as possible, and you'll be the new cult master!"

Qin Mu chuckled, "I'm afraid that's unlikely to happen in this lifetime..."

Granny Si shot him a fierce glare, and Qin Mu immediately fell silent.

Yu Chenzi cleared his throat. "Everyone," he said, "let's continue."

He paused, then resumed. "Granny Si, Wen Yuan, and Crown Prince Youming studied for a long time," he explained, "and concluded that the problem lay in the transition from the Celestial Palace into the Southern Heavenly Gate. So, they began experimenting, attempting to have their primeval spirits pass through the Northern Heavenly Gate. After their primeval spirits successfully passed through it, they gained significant enlightenment. By then employing the Northern Emperor's divine abilities, they finally managed to enter the Dao Realm. Granny, Wen Yuan, is that correct?"

Granny Si and the young Wen Yuan nodded in affirmation.

"We informed the others at the Institute of Learning about this," Granny Si said. "Subsequently, many began experimenting, gradually developing the functions of the Four Heavenly Gates."

Yu Chenzi continued, "The system of the Heavenly Gates has now been largely perfected by the deities at the Institute of Learning. However, there's a peculiar aspect: many can gain enlightenment when traversing these four gates, yet few can truly enter the Dao. The probability of entering the Dao is extremely low; it's considered remarkable if even one or two out of a hundred deities succeed. Ultimately, it still hinges on natural talent."

Qin Mu paced back and forth, deep in thought. The Four Heavenly Gates realm, he realized, wasn't solely pioneered by Granny Si and Crown Prince Youming, but was a collective creation by the brilliant minds at the Institute of Learning.

Granny Si, the young Wen Yuan, and Crown Prince Youming were the trailblazers, building upon the existing Southern Heavenly Gate to address its deficiencies.

Though they couldn't be called half a Celestial Venerable, their groundbreaking achievement was nonetheless extraordinary!

The individuals at the Institute of Learning showed immense promise. Granny Si and Crown Prince Youming, in particular, were geniuses who integrated the Dao Realm with the Celestial Palace system, destined to leave a profound mark on future cultivation practices.

Their contribution to the future cultivation system rivaled that of the Dao Ancestor and Great Brahma.

"What the Institute of Learning lacks is perspective." Qin Mu stopped pacing, suddenly looking up. "Hua Xuanxiu, Granny Si, Wen Yuan, Crown Prince Youming, and everyone who has contributed to the Four Heavenly Gates realm," he declared, "this time, you will all accompany me to the Ancestral Court!"

Wei Suying's eyes lit up, eager to act, barely suppressing his excitement.

Qin Mu glanced at him, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Does Senior Brother have any contributions to the Four Heavenly Gates realm?" he asked.

"Yes!" Wei Suying chuckled. "I founded the Heavenly Saint Cult! Si Youyou is the former Holy Maiden of my cult, Wen Yuan is the patriarch who passed down the techniques, and Hua Xuanxiu is my disciple's disciple—even if my disciple was a bit dense. If I hadn't founded the Heavenly Saint Cult, there wouldn't be a Heavenly Saint Holy Maiden, a Heavenly Saint Patriarch, or even a Heavenly Saint Cult Master!"

Qin Mu's bluster instantly diminished, and he stammered, "Fine, go then. Why bring up such old, stale matters? Our Heavenly Saint Cult has always respected the old and cherished the young, at most the new cult master gets rid of the previous one..."

Everyone prepared for departure. With the Yuan Realm's situation now stable, these experts from the Institute of Learning didn't need to remain indefinitely. Following Qin Mu to the Ancestral Court to experience the world was indeed an exciting prospect.

However, Qin Mu did not depart immediately with them. Instead, he waited a few more days until the Village Chief finally returned from Celestial Venerable You, bringing the Apothecary with him.

"Celestial Venerable You checked nearly everyone in Yankang, which is why it took so long," the Village Chief explained.

The Village Chief handed Qin Mu a small booklet. "This is the result of Celestial Venerable You's investigation," he said. "It lists all the divine arts practitioners and deities in Yankang who could potentially be the reincarnations of the Heavenly Court's Ten Celestial Venerables, from the Yankang calamity to the present! Apothecary, have some tea."

The two sat down, slowly boiled water and brewed tea, glancing at Qin Mu occasionally.

Qin Mu composed himself and opened Celestial Venerable You's booklet, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

The booklet was in Celestial Venerable You's handwriting. The first few pages listed the names of the Heavenly Court's Ten Celestial Venerables: Hao, Xiao, Hong, Zu, Lang, Huo, Gong, Yan, Qiang, and Xu. Following each name were two or three individuals suspected of being their reincarnations!

Every Celestial Venerable had reincarnated bodies, including Celestial Venerable Hong and even Celestial Venerable Huo, who had most fiercely resisted the reforms!

Even Celestial Venerable Xiao, whose two reincarnated bodies Qin Mu had eliminated, now had a new reincarnation in Yankang—a baby only two or three months old!

Of course, Celestial Venerable You noted in the booklet that these were merely suspected reincarnations, not confirmed. This was because these Celestial Venerables possessed immense power and were nearly all proficient in the Great Dao of Youdu, making even Celestial Venerable You uncertain. Furthermore, some individuals had deliberately laid false trails, attempting to mislead Celestial Venerable You's investigations by using others.

"These old schemers..." Qin Mu gritted his teeth. He then noticed over a dozen more pages in the booklet, and, taken aback, continued to flip through them.