Chapter 1499: Memorial

The night was cold and damp, heavy with dew.

When the sun rose, the chill on Qin Mu's body slowly dissipated. He swayed to his feet, leaning on his staff. The blood on the wooden staff was divine blood, still bright and fresh.

He looked ahead; the area was a mess.

Last night's battle had caused significant damage. The cracked black mountain had been utterly pulverized by the lanky monster's Dao fruit, leaving no trace.

The monstrous flaming eye, once wedged between the cracked black mountains, was also gone. The surrounding ground was deeply concave, having been sacrificed by the lanky monster to the past universe and transformed into pure energy.

Petrified corpses of the lanky monster were scattered everywhere. The energy balance between the past and present universes remained stable; although some of the ancestral court's matter had been sacrificed, the lanky monster's bodies replenished that lost energy.

The surrounding black mountains seemed to have been nourished by the lanky monster's energy, becoming lush and green. Many plants and vegetation unique to the ancestral court had grown, and the leaves of trees and tender grass bore dew drops formed by condensed spiritual energy.

Half of the lanky monster's body was still in the past universe, but its Dao fruit had been destroyed.

With its Dao fruit destroyed and only half a body remaining, it would soon be annihilated in the cataclysm of universal collapse, completely ceasing to exist.

A hoarse voice broke the morning's tranquility. Leaning on his staff, Qin Mu called out in a low voice, trying to summon the Cripple's soul black sand.

However, no soul black sand responded to him.

Qin Mu's spell casting was slow, and his voice was drawn out, like a wounded old wolf in the mountains calling out to its kin with a rough, hoarse howl.

From beginning to end, no soul black sand was drawn to him.

The Dao fruit's explosion had been too violent; under such circumstances, no soul black sand could have survived.

A Dao fruit is condensed from the Great Dao, representing a Dao practitioner's supreme attainment. The Cripple had thrust the Grand Primordium staff into the lanky monster's Dao fruit, triggering its explosion. In such a fierce blast, souls would be completely annihilated.

Qin Mu leaned on his staff with one hand and reached out with the other, but grasped nothing.

He gasped heavily. Was it possible that at the last moment, with his incredible speed, the Cripple had passed through the Dao fruit and entered the monstrous eye behind the creature?

Could he have entered the past universe through that eye?

A flicker of hope reappeared in Qin Mu's eyes. He stumbled forward, leaning on his staff, trying to find any clues in the wasteland.

The hope in his eyes gradually faded, leaving his gaze vacant.

Even if the Cripple had gone to the past universe, he couldn't have survived the great cataclysm of destruction. He would still be completely annihilated, leaving nothing behind.

He sat down, lost in thought. After a long time, his lips trembled, and he whispered, his voice choked with tears, "You're the greatest thief in the world, not even the Imperial Fragrance Palace could stop you..."

He fell silent again. After a long pause, he took out a jade bottle and carefully collected the divine blood from the wooden staff, though some brownish bloodstains remained on the wood.

Voices of people could be heard; it was those who had left last night returning to check on the battle.

Qin Mu hid his sorrow deep within. He activated the Three-Pillars Hegemon Body Technique to improve his complexion before standing up. He quietly wiped away the tear stains from his face, ensuring no one would see he had cried, then patted his cheeks to relax the stiff muscles from his weeping.

The people approaching were those who cared for him most: Grandma Si, the Mute, the Blind, and others hurried over. Seeing Qin Mu standing there safe and sound from a distance, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mu'er, where's the Cripple?"

Grandma Si rushed over, first checking Qin Mu's injuries before sighing in relief. She looked around, puzzled. "Where did that old Cripple run off to? The Blind man said he saw the old Cripple sneak back last night, saying he was going to save you... Where is the Cripple? Old Cripple, stop hiding, come out quickly!"

She searched everywhere, but found no trace of her old friend, and called out a few more times.

The Blind man opened his divine eyes and looked around, then stopped Grandma Si, shaking his head. "Grandma, no need to call out, the Cripple isn't here. Mu'er, did old Cripple not show up last night?"

Qin Mu composed himself, a smile appearing on his face. He softly said, "Grandpa Cripple appeared last night. He helped me kill that Dao practitioner from the past universe."

The Mute tightened his grip on the box in his hand, feeling uneasy. The Blind man's expression changed, and he looked at the staff in Qin Mu's hand.

Qin Mu subtly shifted his hand, covering the bloodstains on the staff.

Grandma Si forced a smile. "That coward, always timid as a mouse, when did he become so brave...? Where did he go?"

The smile on Qin Mu's face remained. "He went to the past universe. He told me that he'd already stolen everything there is to steal in our universe, and there's no more room for him to display his skills. He wants to go to the past universe to steal sacred treasures there."

A smile also appeared on Grandma Si's face. She laughed, "That old Cripple, he's not happy a day if he doesn't steal something from someone. He really has stolen everything in the world, even the Heavenly Emperor's harem. He even stole the Heavenly Emperor's eggshell. Last time, he boasted, lamenting that there was nothing left in this world worth his effort."

Qin Mu nodded. "That's right. Grandpa Cripple's ambition is to keep stealing, taking on increasingly challenging feats."

Grandma Si's smile deepened, becoming almost unshakeable. "He's exactly like that. Even when his abilities were still low, he stole from Emperor Yanfeng's treasury and had a leg chopped off by Jiang Baigui, but even then, Jiang Baigui couldn't keep him." Qin Mu hummed in agreement.

Grandma Si continued to laugh. "When we lived in seclusion in Disabled Elderly Village, he still loved to steal. When I found you annoying and sent you away, he would always steal you back and bring you to my room, then he'd hide in a dark corner, happily watching me lose my temper with you."

"Yes, he's exactly like that."

Grandma Si sighed contentedly, chuckling, "He must have decided there was no more fun for him here, so he went to the past universe to cause trouble for the Dao practitioners there. That old Cripple is so wicked, the Dao practitioners of the past universe are in for a hard time this time!"

She laughed joyfully, clapping her hands. "The Dao practitioners of the past universe brought us so much suffering; it's about time they suffered too! They deserve it! Blind man, Mute, don't you agree?"

She turned to look at the Blind man and the Mute. They said nothing, simply nodding in silence.

Grandma Si then feigned annoyance. "It's just that this fellow left without saying goodbye, which makes me a bit angry! He's always like this, sneaking off without a word, never leaving any message, then suddenly popping up to give people a fright! When he gets bored in the past universe and comes back to scare me, I'm going to pin him to the ground and give him a good thrashing!"

She feigned seriousness, telling the Blind man and the Mute, "None of you are allowed to stop me!"

With that, she burst out laughing again. "You never stopped me when I beat him anyway. Alright, alright, everyone, let's disperse. Now that the crisis is over, we have more things to do. I'll go find the Devil King of Dutian; that fellow ran fast last night and hid far away. I need to find him and make him move the relocated Yan Kang people back... That Cripple, that fellow..."

She shook her head and turned to leave, appearing very displeased with the Cripple.

Grandma Si walked away quickly, her steps growing faster and faster. Only when she was far from Qin Mu and the others did her pace gradually slow down.

She hid in a corner of the mountain hollow, sat down, and suddenly burst into tears.

She cried for a long time, then composed herself and got up to find the Devil King of Dutian.

She knew Qin Mu didn't want her to be sad, so he fabricated the lie about the Cripple going to the past universe. But she also didn't want Qin Mu to know she was sad, so she continued the lie, deceiving Qin Mu, deceiving the Blind man and the Mute, and also deceiving herself.

But only when she was alone did she dare to confront her own lie and allow herself to weep aloud.

However, she was someone who understood priorities. She had always been the backbone of Disabled Elderly Village, and she had to maintain that image, unable to show sadness in front of the others in the village.

The people of Disabled Elderly Village, though appearing as divinely gifted individuals with proud hearts and unique talents, were in reality poor souls with deeply scarred Dao hearts.

The Village Chief was like this, and so were the Blind man and the Mute.

They had once been a group of failures, huddling together for warmth.

They were more vulnerable than others, cherishing their friendships deeply. If she were to break down in front of them, they would break down even faster and more completely.

Beside Qin Mu, the Blind man and the Mute didn't know what to say at that moment. They patted Qin Mu's shoulder and left, carrying the damaged Lapis Lazuli Heavens Pagoda.

"The Lapis Lazuli Heavens Pagoda is damaged; we'll go repair it," they said.

The two old men took the Lapis Lazuli Heavens Pagoda beneath the World Tree, thrusting the precious artifact into the ground. They unfolded the twenty-eight layers of heavens and toiled silently, repairing the damaged precious treasures of the heavens.

The extent of the damage to these precious treasures revealed the ferocity and danger of last night's battle.

It was hard to imagine that Qin Mu had been able to withstand such powerful attacks.

The two old men refined treasures and repaired formation diagrams. When they grew tired, the Mute suggested, "Let's rest for a while."

The Blind man stopped. They sat on the ground beneath the tree. The Mute took out his tobacco pouch, filled it, and lit it.

He brought the water pipe to his lips, but after a moment's thought, he paused and placed it on the empty spot beside him.

Seeing this, the Blind man remained silent.

When the tobacco in the pipe had burned itself out, the Mute whispered, "He finished smoking..."

The Blind man nodded silently.

A few days later, the people who had evacuated from the One Hundred Thousand Black Mountains gradually returned, and the Black Mountains slowly grew lively again.

Xu Shenghua, as always, continued to receive Dao dew and repair the Black Mountains on Qin Mu's behalf. He was the most composed person in the Great Black Mountains; no matter how significant external events were, he always possessed the presence of mind and courage to complete his tasks.

Lan Yutian continued to meditate beneath the tree, expounding his insights to the people in the Black Mountains. After finishing his own duties, Xu Shenghua would also come to meditate and listen to his sermons.

Qin Mu would occasionally join them, listening to their sermons and teachings, though he was often somewhat distracted.

Seeing this, Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun both frowned but didn't ask questions.

Though time doesn't truly exist, it is often this non-existent 'time' that heals wounds.

Yan'er, the Southern Emperor, and the Bright Emperor had not returned; they had each gone to attend to their own matters.

One day, Jiang Yunjian hurried over and announced to everyone, "The Imperial Preceptor has gone to the outer mining area of the Black Mountains!"

Everyone was startled and stood up.