Chapter 1362: Big Black Mountain Pilgrimage

Tian Gong, Earth Count, and Qin Mu looked around. Each of them saw different sights and heard distinct sounds of the Great Dao.

Tian Gong perceived a deeper layer of the Heavenly Dao, reaching higher realms he had never comprehended before. He heard the very voice of the Heavenly Dao, resonating with a profoundness even beyond what he, a being born of the Heavenly Dao, had grasped.

Earth Count, on the other hand, witnessed the Great Dao of Youdu, which was equally astonishing. The sounds he heard were so enchanting that he felt an irresistible urge to sing upon hearing them.

What Qin Mu saw and heard differed from both of them. He perceived a chaotic, blurry, and unintelligible void, yet found it subtly profound and difficult to decipher.

Each of the three had unique feelings. While Tian Gong and Earth Count were rarely moved, at this moment, they were exceptionally agitated, their ancient, unwavering Dao hearts struggling to remain calm.

Qin Mu, however, was already accustomed to Tai Yi, so he remained unexcited.

Continuing their ascent, they finally arrived at the entrance of the grand hall.

They looked inside the hall, where shimmering light enveloped everything, drifting like jellyfish tentacles and expanding slowly like clouds, creating an indescribably sacred atmosphere.

The hall no longer resembled a mere hall; it felt more like the origin point of all Great Daos. Even Qin Mu felt as if he were entering this place for the very first time.

This hall was built by him; it was his palace. Although Qin Mu had visited only a few times, he knew the hall definitely did not look like this before.

"Mountains don't need to be high, nor water deep," he mused inwardly. "With Tai Yi, a truly sacred being, residing in my palace, it has become extraordinary and transcendent."

Its true value lay not in the hall itself, but in the one who resided within it.

Tian Gong and Earth Count were even more astonished. Qin Mu's cultivation level was still relatively low, so he couldn't perceive things as deeply or as far as they could. The sights they witnessed were far more astounding!

In Qin Mu's eyes, the elderly Tai Yi, surrounded by myriad Daos, seemed like a withered tree, albeit one that still held a spark of life. But to Tian Gong and Earth Count, he was an entirely different matter.

They seemed to witness the origin of the cosmos, the genesis of the Great Dao—a being seated at the pinnacle of the Great Dao, eternally imprinted upon the past, present, and future of this universe!

Tian Gong and Earth Count stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Dao brother."

"There's no need for such formality, fellow Daoists," the elder Tai Yi responded.

The elder Tai Yi nodded slightly and said, "I already know why you two have come."

Even the normally unperturbed minds of Tian Gong and Earth Count rippled with curiosity. Earth Count asked, "Was it you, Dao brother, who instructed us to remove the Creator Race from the ancestral land back then?"

Tai Yi nodded.

Tian Gong and Earth Count exchanged a glance. Tian Gong then asked, "Heaven cherishes life. Why did you wish to eliminate the Creator Race, Dao brother?"

"I did not intend to eliminate the Creator Race, but rather to ask you to remove them," Tai Yi clarified.

Tai Yi continued, "My wish was good, but during the process of removing the Creator Race, your own ambitions arose, leading you to eventually seek their complete eradication. This was not what I wanted to see."

Tian Gong and Earth Count fell silent.

Selfish motives.

Indeed, during their campaign against the Creator Race, various selfish desires had emerged among them. Some transformed into ambition, others into a craving for power, and still others into greed for material possessions.

Consequently, the ancient gods began to enslave demigods and post-celestial races. They began to feed on demigods and post-celestial beings, reveling in their sacrifices.

Thus, the ancient gods came to rule all heavens and myriad worlds, lofty and detached, having lost their original intentions.

Among them, some ancient gods were originally created by the Creator Race to serve them. Others were born of heaven and earth, nurturing countless primeval beasts and maintaining order. Still others were born of the Great Dao of heaven and earth, overseeing birth, aging, sickness, death, the movement of celestial bodies, and creation and destruction.

There were also those born embodying the will of heaven and earth, emerging from eggs to protect the world.

However, during the process of eliminating the Creator Race, all their initial intentions gradually changed as their power grew.

After they eliminated the Creator Race, they themselves became another group of creators—even more tyrannical ones.

Tian Gong and Earth Count remained silent for a moment. Then, Tian Gong bowed and asked, "Dao brother, will I succeed?"

"What is your wish?" Tai Yi asked.

Tian Gong replied, "To break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao."

Tai Yi nodded, "You will succeed."

A look of joy appeared on Tian Gong's face.

Earth Count also bowed and asked, "Dao brother, will I succeed?"

"And what is your wish?" Tai Yi asked.

Earth Count replied, "To break free from the shackles of the Great Dao of Youdu and become a living, breathing human being."

Tian Gong frowned, looking at him with some confusion.

Tai Yi said, "You will succeed."

Earth Count showed a joyful expression.

Qin Mu, eager to try, raised his hand and asked, "Dao brother Tai Yi, will I succeed?"

Tai Yi did not respond.

Excited, Qin Mu declared, "My wish is to promote the Path of the Sages, to make gods serve humanity, and to limit their power! To bring harmony between gods and humans, to let the Post-celestial Dao flourish and surpass the Pre-celestial, to make people prosperous, so they can apply their talents and achieve mastery! To eliminate corrupt figures like the Ten Celestial Venerables and allow new talent and fresh blood to continuously emerge! Can this succeed?"

Tai Yi still did not answer.

Qin Mu frowned, about to ask again, but Tai Yi had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.

Qin Mu's eyes widened as Tai Yi's snores began to grow louder. Qin Mu then loudly said, "Dao brother, why aren't you speaking? Dao brother, you're living in my Great Black Mountain without paying rent, and you don't even answer my questions..."

Tian Gong and Earth Count bowed to Tai Yi, then, one on each side, they lifted Qin Mu and started walking him out. Tian Gong complained, "Celestial Venerable Mu, how can you speak to Dao brother Tai Yi in such a tone? He is someone who has attained the Dao, a transcendent being; you must not treat him disrespectfully!"

Earth Count also added, "He may not mind, but you shouldn't be so impudent. If word gets out, everyone will curse you, and I'll have to make another note about you in my ledger!"

Without another word, the two carried Qin Mu out of the sacred hall. Qin Mu, his hands and feet cold, still called out into the hall, "Dao brother Tai Yi, will my wish succeed? Whether it will or not is just a nod or a shake of the head for you, why won't you say?"

The grand hall suddenly lost all its shimmering and Dao light; Tai Yi was gone.

Qin Mu felt a sense of profound loss.

Tian Gong chuckled, "Celestial Venerable Mu, Dao brother Tai Yi lives here with you; you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask him in the future. Why rush? Fellow Daoist Earth Count, what's going on with you? I can understand you breaking free from the shackles of the Great Dao of Youdu, but why do you want to become a living, breathing human? Humans experience seven emotions and six desires, joys and sorrows, birth, aging, sickness, death, and pain. We ancient gods seek transcendence by breaking free from Dao shackles, not by binding ourselves with human emotions! Your path has gone astray!"

Earth Count set Qin Mu down, a faint smile appearing on his grotesque face. "Dao brother," he said, "when you look down upon all living beings from your high position, you view them from above. As for me, in Youdu, I look up to all living beings. You aspire to transcend the Heavenly Dao, while I aspire to become one of them."

Tian Gong frowned.

Earth Count continued, "Celestial Venerable Mu gave us the opportunity to meet Tai Yi and ask him questions about the Dao. Now that we have done so, it's time to give Celestial Venerable Mu what he is due. Celestial Venerable Mu, the Horn of Primordiality, I have already prepared it for you."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Earth Count, Tian Gong reluctantly dropped the subject for now. He said, "Celestial Venerable Mu, you wish to forge the strongest divine eyes in the world. I have also prepared the Heavenly Dao crystal from my own divine eye, which can transform into the anterior chamber of your divine eye! Are you ready?"

Qin Mu was still staring intently at the grand hall. After a moment, he slowly withdrew his gaze and numbly replied, "I'm ready."