Chapter 1405: Path Realm, Twenty-Sixth Heaven

The murderous intent in Lanxuan God Emperor's eyes slowly receded. He was somewhat relieved that the powerful divine ability Qin Mu had comprehended, the Path of Primordial Beginning, was not his own God Yuan Finger. If Qin Mu's newly understood Dao Realm supreme art truly was his God Yuan Finger, then Lanxuan would have no choice but to eliminate Qin Mu. The God Yuan Finger was his unparalleled technique. If an outsider learned or comprehended it, it could expose his weaknesses, which was something he absolutely could not tolerate. Unlike Fire Heavenly Venerate, who could generously pass on his techniques and cultivation methods to Hao Heavenly Venerate, even entrusting his life to him, Lanxuan was not so magnanimous.

When the power of "One Qi Primordial Dao, Shared Journey" erupted, Lanxuan God Emperor's eye twitched, and his recently settled mind became uneasy once more. It was a divine ability manifested from the Path of Primordial Beginning, perfectly blending divine consciousness with innate primordial qi. Wherever the attack landed, everything was vaporized, transforming into wisps of chaotic energy. Qin Mu's movement took the form of a bow. He bowed forward. Eight layers of the Jadeite Platform appeared beneath his feet. Qin Mu stood upon it, bowed deeply, and everything before him dissolved into chaotic energy, leaving no trace. The might of this technique was even greater than that of his God Yuan Finger, containing incredibly terrifying Dao power!

Of course, Lanxuan God Emperor assessed the power of Qin Mu's technique from the perspective of his own cultivation strength. If Qin Mu's cultivation were to reach his level, the power of "One Qi Primordial Dao, Shared Journey" would significantly exceed that of the God Yuan Finger. At present, Qin Mu's cultivation was insufficient to unleash the full potential of "One Qi Primordial Dao, Shared Journey," but Lanxuan could already discern its immense power. This technique, "One Qi Primordial Dao, Shared Journey," rekindled his murderous intent. Nevertheless, he suppressed his murderous thoughts. Although "One Qi Primordial Dao, Shared Journey" was powerful and surpassed his God Yuan Finger in terms of Dao Realm, Qin Mu's cultivation level was still relatively low, and the Jade Pond realm posed no threat to him. The repercussions of killing Qin Mu would be too severe for him to bear.

In the sky, Qin Mu slowly descended, landing once more on the Jadeite Platform. Lanxuan God Emperor observed the young man's flowing robes settling around him, restoring calm. Qin Mu stood motionless, eyes closed in contemplation. Lanxuan God Emperor's heart skipped a beat. "Is he still comprehending the Dao?" he wondered. "His aptitude and comprehension are simply too extraordinary."

Fortunately, Qin Mu was not in the process of entering the Dao, as no Dao rhyme emanated from him, much to Lanxuan God Emperor's relief. He thought, "The Jade Pond is mine. Heavenly Venerate Mu and I are both just one step away from comprehending the Dao. If Heavenly Venerate Mu can enter the Dao on the Jade Pond and comprehend a divine ability of the Great Path of Primordial Beginning, then I can too!" His heart swelled with eagerness.

He already possessed the God Yuan Finger, a divine ability that was, in fact, also a Dao-entering technique. Bearing the bloodlines of both the Creator and Heavenly Emperor Primordial Beginning, he was born with innate divine abilities, representing the pinnacle among demigods. By adulthood, his mastery over divine consciousness and innate primordial qi was profoundly deep, allowing him to wield immensely powerful divine abilities without conscious comprehension. This was an advantage inherent to adult demigods: their talents were born with their bloodline and grew stronger with age.

He cultivated two Great Paths: divine consciousness and innate primordial qi. When the Seven Heavenly Venerates of Dragon Han established the Divine Treasure system, and Qin Mu and Hao Heavenly Venerate (on behalf of Yu Heavenly Venerate) began teaching the method of apotheosis, Lanxuan, as the progenitor of demigods, also transitioned to cultivating the Divine Treasure Heavenly Palace system, thereby developing the full potential of the Path of Divine Consciousness and innate primordial qi. Previously, his divine abilities were innate; he could use them but understood nothing of their underlying principles. However, after cultivating the Divine Treasure Heavenly Palace system, he was able to independently create divine abilities.

He had always wanted to integrate divine consciousness and innate primordial qi but had never been able to create such a divine ability. This changed only after the death of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, when the Dao Ancestor was tasked with analyzing the Great Dao runes within the Heavenly Emperor's body using macro-numerical methods. While comprehending the Great Dao runes within the Heavenly Emperor's body, he experienced a sudden enlightenment, involuntarily entering a Dao-entering state, and it was then that he created the God Yuan Finger. Once created, this finger technique became the most potent divine ability among the Ten Heavenly Venerates!

At that time, Lanxuan God Emperor was completely unaware that his creation of the God Yuan Finger signified his entry into the Dao Realm, and he did not delve deeper into this realization. All Ten Heavenly Venerates had entered the Dao on multiple occasions, but the Dao Realm was never developed as a cultivation system. In that era, they merely regarded the Dao Realm as a type of divine ability. It wasn't until the emergence of Kaihuang, who advanced the Dao Realm directly to the thirty-fifth heaven, that it gradually evolved into a recognized cultivation system. Yet, even today, the Dao Realm has not been fully embraced by the world and still requires time for integration.

"Great Paths vary in profundity, and comprehension also varies," Lanxuan mused. "My Path of Primordial Beginning is undoubtedly the most supreme Great Path in existence, far surpassing Kaihuang's Sword Dao! If I can comprehend the Primordial Beginning Dao Realm, my cultivation and strength will surely increase dramatically!"

Lanxuan God Emperor's heart burned with anticipation. He immediately ordered the overseers and mining slaves to repair the eight dragon veins. Though filled with resentment, the overseers and slaves dared not voice their complaints and diligently began restoring the eight mountain ranges. They thought to themselves, "First, he ordered them dismantled, and now he wants them rebuilt. Has God Emperor been possessed by 'Demolition Qin'?"

With a beaming face, Lanxuan God Emperor walked toward the Jadeite Platform. He intended to re-traverse it, comprehend its profound Dao, and ascend to the second heaven of the Primordial Beginning Dao Realm! Yet, as he stepped onto the Jadeite Platform, he still failed to comprehend anything. Growing increasingly anxious, Lanxuan God Emperor ascended layer after layer of the platform, but comprehension continued to elude him. As he himself had stated, Great Paths vary in profundity, and comprehension also varies. For instance, Qin Mu's Sword Dao consisted of only three heavens—Initiating Calamity, Raising Calamity, and Responding to Calamity—yet with it alone, he could contend equally against Godblade Luo Wushuang's thirteen heavens of Blade Dao. Lanxuan God Emperor's first heaven of the Primordial Beginning Dao Realm was already considered the most potent offensive divine ability among the Ten Heavenly Venerates. If he could continue his comprehension, the power of the second heaven would undoubtedly be even greater! However, he had already squandered the chance to reach the second heaven of the Primordial Beginning Dao Realm! The Jadeite Platform was his opportunity to grasp this chance, but his overly domineering nature suppressed the Great Dao of the platform itself, preventing him from seizing the opportunity.

Lanxuan God Emperor reached the eighth layer of the Jadeite Platform, his expression turning grim and unsightly. In front of him, Qin Mu stood with his back turned, his body enveloped in the primordial energy of the Jadeite Platform, his aura ethereal. Lanxuan God Emperor suppressed his murderous intent and approached, only to observe Qin Mu's vital energy steadily rising, his cultivation continuously strengthening. Unable to hide his jealousy, he assumed Qin Mu was benefiting from entering the Dao within his Jade Pond. Yet, he was unaware that Qin Mu's continuous cultivation improvement wasn't due to Dao comprehension but rather because he was reforging the Jade Pond and Jadeite Platform within his own Heavenly Palace.

Qin Mu's Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique integrated nineteen Heavenly Palaces. Even reforging just one Heavenly Palace's Jadeite Platform and Jade Pond would yield a significant increase in cultivation and magic power; imagine the effect of reforging all nineteen Heavenly Palaces' Jadeite Platforms and Jade Ponds. Now, Qin Mu's Jade Pond and Jadeite Platform perfectly corresponded to the Primordial Jade Pond and Jadeite Platform of the Ancestral Court, and he had even established eight dragon veins within his Jade Pond! The completion of the eight dragon veins brought an unparalleled sense of wonder! When his first Heavenly Palace integrated the eight dragon veins and the Jade Pond, his Jade Pond instantly filled with primordial qi, which slowly condensed and transformed into primordial liquid! While the formation and dripping of the primordial liquid were slow and it wasn't true Ancestral Court liquid, its benefits for cultivation were undeniably significant! Furthermore, with nineteen Heavenly Palaces, plus a Jadeite Platform and Jade Sea in his Spirit Embryo Ancestral Court, he effectively possessed twenty such platforms and seas, resulting in an incomparable boost to his cultivation.

The advantages of rebuilding the Jade Pond and Jadeite Platform extended beyond these. Possessing such a multitude of Jade Ponds and Jadeite Platforms implied astonishing primordial qi recovery, extended combat duration, and an overall remarkable increase in his power! Lanxuan God Emperor merely assumed Qin Mu had gained immense benefits by using his Jade Pond to enter the Dao. He never imagined that Qin Mu's ambition stretched further: Qin Mu sought to redefine the Jade Pond realm, perfectly integrating the Dao Realm with the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court systems! For Lanxuan and the other Ten Heavenly Venerates, this was a radical change. However, for the entire world, it was merely a restoration of proper order.

Suddenly, Qin Mu opened his eyes and smiled. Looking at Lanxuan God Emperor, he bowed and said, "Many thanks, Dao Brother, for protecting my Dao."

Lanxuan God Emperor's eye twitched, and he forced a smile. "Heavenly Venerate Mu was comprehending the Dao on my Jadeite Platform," he said. "If anything untoward had happened, my culpability would have been immense."

Qin Mu burst into laughter, then suddenly grew serious. "Just now, when I entered the Dao, the eight dragon veins of the Jade Pond broke once," he stated. "They will certainly break again! That massive entity underground will undoubtedly eradicate the Jade Pond's dragon veins and destroy this entire location. God Emperor, I propose that two-tenths of the Jade Pond's output belongs to me, and in return, I will help you locate that entity. What are your thoughts on this condition?"

Lanxuan God Emperor erupted in fury. "You distinctly said one-tenth of the primordial liquid earlier," he roared. "Why has it now become two-tenths?"

No sooner had he spoken than a violent tremor emanated from beneath the Jade Pond. With a thunderous rumble, Lanxuan God Emperor swiftly turned to look at the Jade Pond, witnessing the eight jade mountain ranges suddenly shattering! Each mountain range fractured into three to five segments, as if some colossal demonic beast from beneath the earth had brandished its sharp claws and ripped apart the Jade Pond's dragon veins. Lanxuan God Emperor's eye twitched uncontrollably. He activated his Divine Consciousness Eye, attempting to pinpoint the source of the attack. However, despite his thorough search, he could not locate the origin of the assault.

"Times have changed," Qin Mu stated plainly. "If the God Emperor had agreed before I entered the Dao, I would have only asked for one-tenth of the benefit. At that point, I hadn't yet achieved Dao comprehension and still relied on the God Emperor, hence the lower price. Now that I have entered the Dao, I no longer need to appeal to you, so the current offer is fair. If you hesitate further, my price will increase." He held up two fingers, and a third was about to follow.

Lanxuan God Emperor's expression shifted erratically. Just as Qin Mu raised his third finger, Lanxuan God Emperor quickly grasped it, smiling. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, Alliance Leader Mu, two-tenths it is!" he conceded. "Now, can you finally tell me what that massive entity beneath the earth is?"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, then curled his fingers and moved to the edge of the platform. "That massive entity underground intends to seize the Great Dao of the Jade Pond and Jadeite Platform, absorbing the Jade Pond's power to aid its revival," he explained, smiling. "Beneath us lies a giant coffin! When the coffin attacked the eight dragon veins just now, its lid opened, and I witnessed a horrifying spectacle emanating from within, accompanied by incredibly brilliant light!"

Lanxuan God Emperor looked in the direction Qin Mu indicated but saw no coffin, prompting him to ask, "Where is this giant coffin?"

Qin Mu extended a finger, tapping it gently on Lanxuan God Emperor's glabella. "I will lend you a portion of my power," he stated gravely, "so you may see through my eyes!"

Lanxuan God Emperor's eyes widened, and he instantly witnessed an astonishing sight!