Chapter 1534: Long River’s Qin Melody

The Golden Ship of Salvation arrived above the chaotic river formed by the Fourth Universe, its speed slowing down. Qin Mu stood at the bow, looking down, meticulously searching for Tai Yi's whereabouts.

Tai Yi had been cast down into the Fourth Universe, and trying to search an entire universe to find him was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

However, during the Great Cataclysm of Destruction, the universe was collapsing, and all living beings were perishing. The entire universe was constantly shrinking, with space turning into nothingness and matter transforming into energy. The only remaining habitable space was likely near the World Tree in the ancestral court.

Therefore, Qin Mu only needed to observe the surviving powerhouses of the Fourth Universe to find Tai Yi.

However, Tai Yi was skilled in transformations. He had been struck into the Cataclysm of Destruction by the Master of Miluo Palace and powerhouses from the Fourth Universe, indicating that there were beings in the Fourth Universe capable of rivaling him.

Moreover, according to the information revealed by Wei Suifeng, Tai Yi had been severely wounded by the Master of Miluo Palace. He most likely changed his appearance immediately after falling into the Fourth Universe. Therefore, Qin Mu had to track Tai Yi's transformations from the very beginning of the Cataclysm of Destruction to find out what he ultimately became.

Qin Mu searched meticulously along the way as the Golden Ship of Salvation proceeded unhurriedly. After an unknown number of days, Qin Mu suddenly saw Tai Yi's body rapidly plummeting from beneath the river's surface into the chaotic river!

He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

This was precisely the scene where Tai Yi was cast down into the Fourth Universe!

He focused his attention, his vertical eye in his glabella tightly locked onto Tai Yi's falling figure.

Two Dao Attainers were pulling Tai Yi into the chaotic river. The three continued to fight fiercely as they fell, their figures spinning like a carousel, creating a dazzling spectacle.

The golden ship continued forward, and as it advanced, the battle below seemed to accelerate countless times.

Giant Tai Yi, heavily wounded, found it difficult to contend with the two Dao Attainers. However, he transformed, becoming a young boy, and his injuries miraculously disappeared.

But the young Tai Yi's strength was no match for the two, and he continued to sustain injuries. Each time his injuries worsened, Tai Yi transformed again, leaving the two Dao Attainers helpless.

Suddenly, Tai Yi transformed into a wisp of chaotic qi and fled into the distance. The two Dao Attainers pursued him, continuing their battle.

Aboard the golden ship, Qin Mu closely tracked the three figures. He saw them fighting their way to the base of the World Tree amidst the Great Cataclysm. Even while standing on the tree, they constantly moved their bodies, striking at each other.

As the golden ship moved, it drew closer to the opposite bank. He saw that the universe below was almost completely annihilated, with nearly all matter transformed into compressed energy. Chaotic qi enveloped the World Tree, a terrifying sight!

Even Dao Attainers could hardly escape death from such terrifying energy. Only the World Tree remained as before, still slowly extending its roots and tendrils, absorbing the energy of the Great Cataclysm, amidst this intense and ultimate destruction.

There was no trace of soil on the World Tree's roots and tendrils. The entire ancestral court had turned to ash and smoke, and many Dao Attainers who failed to reach the World Tree in time turned into calamitous dust.

However, some Dao Attainers managed to reach the tree, attempting to burrow into the World Tree's roots, hoping to escape this ruined universe and climb into the next era, the future universe.

On the World Tree, the three individuals engaged in combat also found it difficult to withstand the intense and ultimate Great Cataclysm. One after another, they burrowed into the World Tree's roots.

The entire Fourth Universe was completely annihilated. Only the World Tree remained, floating in chaotic energy, brewing the next creation of heaven and earth, the evolution of the primordial universe.

At this point, Qin Mu saw the Jade Capital City and couldn't help but be stunned.

He saw an exceedingly magnificent divine city constantly collapsing amidst the ultimate destruction of the universe, yet it was not entirely destroyed!

Within this divine city, a lush Dao tree flourished, stabilizing the chaotic energy. Beneath the Dao tree, a figure stood, and did not proceed to the World Tree.

He stood alone in the completely destroyed universe, his gaze filled with sorrow and desolation, seemingly grieving the destruction of this universe.

"The Master of Miluo Palace!"

The Golden Ship of Salvation paused slightly and arrived at the opposite bank. The ruins of the Fourth Universe's Jade Capital City appeared before him.

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, his brows tightly furrowed.

After observing for so long, he still couldn't discern any distinctive characteristic of Tai Yi!

A person's characteristics are difficult to change, yet each time Tai Yi changed form, his characteristics also changed, with absolutely no identical traits!

Neither his words, actions, subtle expressions, nor his divine abilities were ever repeated!

"Recalling it carefully, even at the Great Black Mountain, Tai Yi seemed to have no distinct characteristics."

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath and propelled the golden ship to fly over the ruins of Jade Capital City between the two chaotic rivers. He murmured, "Now that I recall everything about him, although each instance left a deep impression, trying to remember his face is a blur. Is this the characteristic of chaos?"

But the crucial problem lay in this point: although he had firmly tracked Tai Yi during the Fourth Universe's Cataclysm of Destruction, he was completely unaware of what Tai Yi transformed into during the Fifth Universe's Cataclysm of Destruction.

If he couldn't find Tai Yi's distinguishing characteristic, he couldn't find his traces in the Fifth Universe.

As for the Sixth and Seventh Universes, it would be even more impossible to find him!

"He told me to search for him using a map, so is it related to that geographic map?"

Qin Mu pondered. The geographic map left by Tai Yi's staff was incredibly complex, depicting places he had never seen. Moreover, Qin Mu didn't even know if this map was of the current universe!

If it was a map of a prehistoric universe, it would be even more impossible to search!

"Wait a minute, Tai Yi has one distinct characteristic!"

Qin Mu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he clapped his hands, laughing. "Every time he transformed, his voice, appearance, smile, demeanor, habits, and divine abilities were all different. But there was one form he used more than once! That was Giant Tai Yi!"

He couldn't help but feel excited. Giant Tai Yi must be his original body, the body that wielded the Chaos Axe, his born supreme treasure, and also his most powerful body.

Tai Yi had once used this body when he chopped down the World Tree. Later, when the World Tree revived, he transformed back into Giant Tai Yi, carrying the Chaos Axe to prepare to chop it down again.

And in the Fourth Chaotic River, when Tai Yi was cast down into the Fourth Universe, he initially used that very body!

"In other words, this is Tai Yi's distinguishing characteristic! I don't need to worry about any of Tai Yi's transformations. As long as I see Giant Tai Yi in the subsequent universes, that person must be him!"

Qin Mu excitedly piloted the Golden Ship of Salvation ashore, flying over the ruins of the Fourth Universe's Jade Capital City and towards the Fifth Universe's chaotic river.

He looked down and unconsciously recalled the majestic figure standing in the ruins of the divine city, and the sorrow in his eyes.

"The Master of Miluo Palace must have started building the Jade Capital at that time, hoping to create a divine city that could shelter the weak. In his dream, this divine city would also be the source of civilization for the next universe."

He suddenly understood why the Master of Miluo Palace had become disheartened, why he returned to the universe of his birth, and why he chose to integrate with the Dao.

From the First Universe to the Sixteenth Universe, the Master of Miluo Palace had always dreamed of saving everyone, but failed every time.

He then settled for the next best thing, dreaming of creating a sanctuary city to bring the seeds of past universes' civilizations into future universes. However, these very efforts became tools for the young masters of Jade Capital City to vie for power and gain.

He found no hope, and thus became disheartened, returning to the era of his birth, placing Miluo Palace there, and choosing eternal death.

"A person worthy of respect..."

Qin Mu leaped from the golden ship and walked among the ruins of Jade Capital City, reminiscing about that towering being. His heart surged with emotion, which ultimately transformed into a gesture of respect.

He bowed respectfully towards the ruins, then leaped back onto the Golden Ship of Salvation.

The golden ship entered the Fifth Universe's chaotic river, heading directly for the moment of the Fifth Universe's complete demise. As the entire universe was utterly destroyed, he finally found Tai Yi's true form.

When Tai Yi found himself in perilous situations, he still couldn't help but use his most powerful physical body!

However, this time, Qin Mu's search for Tai Yi's traces was no longer his primary objective. Instead, he spent more time observing the Master of Miluo Palace.

The Master of Miluo Palace built another Jade Capital City, but this time he was not alone. He had several followers by his side who helped him maintain the Jade Capital City, attempting to survive the Great Cataclysm without relying on the power of the World Tree.

This calamity was no different from the last, and the Jade Capital City still turned into ruins.

Qin Mu didn't know if the Master of Miluo Palace's followers had survived. By the time the Fifth Universe was completely annihilated, he had already landed, unable to witness the final outcome.

The Golden Ship of Salvation sailed over the cataclysms of destruction in universe after universe. Beneath the chaotic river, numerous skeletal hands reached out towards the ship, trying to board it and pass through the calamity.

Qin Mu drew his Calamity Sword and slashed continuously along the way, cutting down the Dao Attainers who attempted to board the ship.

He found traces of Tai Yi in universe after universe, and also witnessed the Master of Miluo Palace's persistence. Furthermore, he saw the Master of Miluo Palace's followers growing in number.

The divine cities they built became more complete and stronger. Through repeated failures, they grew closer and closer to the Jade Capital City of later generations!

"The current Jade Capital City was built by the Master of Miluo Palace through repeated failures; it was not built in a single day."

Qin Mu couldn't help but marvel. From the process of the Master of Miluo Palace building the Jade Capital City, it was clear that there was no "Jade Capital trap"!

The true traps were the Lingxiao trap and the Zixiao trap!

The Golden Ship of Salvation arrived at the Great Cataclysm of the Tenth Universe. It was calm and peaceful there, with no Dao Attainers attempting to board the large ship.

Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, secretly urging the Golden Ship of Salvation to accelerate, while privately remaining vigilant.

Last time, it was here that he encountered the Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace, the Dao Attainer who looked like an emperor, sitting under a tree and reading sheet music!

That time, Lord Yuanxiang of the South had used the Master of Miluo Palace's name, and the Fourth Young Master let them pass.

But the Fourth Young Master had never said he would let Qin Mu return!

What was even more terrifying was that other Dao Attainers could not survive exiting the chaotic river, yet this Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace stood safely on the river, with his physical body, Dao Fruit, and Dao Tree all intact!

If he were to appear again to block them, even with the Golden Ship of Salvation, Qin Mu wasn't entirely confident he could escape!

The Golden Ship of Salvation's speed grew faster and faster, gradually reaching its peak. The ship drew closer and closer to the opposite bank, and Qin Mu's tense nerves gradually relaxed.

Just then, a chaotic mist surged from ahead, and faint, intermittent zither sounds drifted from within the mist.