Chapter 1541: Deceiving the World

Hao Tianzun, Xiao Tianzun, and others had felt some hesitation before coming here. But their doubts vanished after they witnessed the capabilities of Jiang Yunjian, Taiyi's disciple, saw the Dao pattern arrays Qin Mu left on the cliff, experienced the terrifying sights beyond the Hundred Thousand Black Mountains, and beheld Taiyi's Dao tree.

Now, upon seeing this golden palace, the chaotic qi emanating from it filled them with even greater reverence for the "elder" within.

This was a true Path Attainer, possessing boundless divine abilities and unfathomable depth!

However, Qin Mu inside the palace was still feeling uneasy, his heart pounding. If Xiao Tianzun, Hao Tianzun, and the others were to test him, even Ancestral God King and Xu Tianzun, without Hao Tianzun's intervention, could easily expose him!

The reason he had Jiang Yunjian lead them to the cliff, and why he wanted to delay until dusk, was to use the Holy Land's phenomena and Taiyi's Dao tree to establish an invincible image, preventing them from harboring any doubts.

Every time the sun set, apocalyptic scenes would appear outside the World Tree, capable of destroying heaven and earth—a truly terrifying sight!

Furthermore, leaving the Holy Land at that time would mean entering the Calamity of Destruction of the Sixteenth Universe, making survival nearly impossible!

When Taiyi left, he had agreed with Qin Mu that his Dao tree would appear every nightfall, dripping Dao dew. Qin Mu could collect this dew to repair the fractured Black Mountains.

Qin Mu precisely used these two points to dispel all doubts from the Seven Heavenly Venerates and the two Ancient Gods.

The news of Taiyi's predicament absolutely could not be leaked!

Xiao Tianzun stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Brother Dao, your early attainment of the Path is truly commendable. My own journey to attain the Path, however, has been fraught with difficulties. I have come to visit today, hoping you might offer some guidance."

Qin Mu, seated amidst the chaos, spoke with a resonating voice, "Friend Daoist, are you not on the verge of attaining the Path? Why do you ask this question?"

Xiao Tianzun's heart was struck with awe. "Taiyi is indeed unfathomable; he knows I am about to attain the Path!"

He became even more humble. "Brother Dao, with your vast divine powers, you must know that the 'Path attainment' I speak of is not merely cultivating to become a Heavenly Court."

Qin Mu calmly said, "The Path attainment you refer to is the Grand Beginning's Path attainment. You wish to become a complete Grand Beginning Ancient God."

"Please instruct me, Brother Dao," Xiao Tianzun replied, utterly respectful.

Various thoughts flashed through Qin Mu's mind as he slowly said, "Friend Daoist, you already have a plan for how to achieve the Grand Beginning's Path attainment. Why ask me?"

Xiao Tianzun's heart swelled with joy, and he pressed on, "Brother Dao, if I simply kill all the Creators, devour their divine consciousnesses, and gather all the Grand Beginning primordial stones, I can cultivate the Grand Beginning Great Dao and become a complete Grand Beginning. The Creator race became Creators because of me and the Grand Beginning ore veins; they seized my providence. If I am to become a complete Grand Beginning, I must resolve this karma! Is this speculation correct?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. After a moment of silence, he said, "Your greatest enemies are the Juyu Clan and yourself. Remember that, remember that well."

Xiao Tianzun felt satisfied and took a step back.

The Solar Ancient God stepped forward, bowing, and asked, "Brother Dao, may I ask how I can attain the Path?"

Qin Mu replied, "Friend Daoist, do you not already have a method for attaining the Path? Why do you ask this question?"

The Solar Ancient God hesitated, then said, "My sister and I discovered that our Dao hearts were tainted by the mortal world, moving us further from Path attainment. Thus, we entered the world early, intending to experience it and find a solution. However, when we sought out Empress and Yuanmu and tried to help them attain the Path, something went wrong. This has left us uncertain and hesitant, not daring to confirm if we can attain the Path. We humbly ask for your guidance, Brother Dao."

Qin Mu unhurriedly said, "Yin and Yang are the transformations of Taiji. You are different from Empress and Yuanmu; Empress and Yuanmu are born of destruction, antithetical and incompatible. But Yin and Yang, when they converge, give birth to all things. You have no need to worry."

The Solar Ancient God's heart brightened, and he stepped back.

Goddess Tai Su floated forward, smiling, "Brother Dao, this is our second meeting. Last time, it was my fault. This time, I've come first to apologize, and second, to seek your instruction. May I ask, Brother Dao, how can I attain the Path?"

Qin Mu did not reply.

Goddess Tai Su asked again. Qin Mu said, "You cannot attain the Path."

Goddess Tai Su scoffed, "Why can I not attain the Path?"

"Your foundation is too shallow," Qin Mu replied.

Qin Mu continued unhurriedly, "In your early years, you were unearthed by Gong Jun, who took you as a dowry to the Juyu Clan. The Grand Emperor then sealed you. After the Grand Emperor's defeat, you fell into the hands of the Xuanwu Emperors, ancient gods born from the Juyu Clan's sacrifices, who refined you into a treasure, transforming you into the Glazed Blue Sky Banner. Later, you fell into the hands of Mu Tianzun and had to emerge prematurely due to the Calamity of Destruction in the Sixteenth Universe. Such a foundation is truly shallow. Moreover, since your emergence, you have encountered unsuitable people and made unwise choices. You possess wisdom, but not great wisdom; perseverance, but not great perseverance; cunning, but not great cunning; vision, but not great vision. Sooner or later, you will suffer because of this."

Goddess Tai Su's heart pounded erratically. She turned to look at Hao Tianzun.

"Your life is barely secure; how can you speak of attaining the Path?" Qin Mu concluded with finality.

Goddess Tai Su turned back, scoffing, "Brother Dao, what do you think I should do to avoid this death calamity and embark on the path to Path attainment?"

Qin Mu said, "The one who broke your foundation is also the one who can establish it. If you wish to attain the Path, you must seek him out; then there will still be an opportunity."

Goddess Tai Su seemed thoughtful as she retreated.

Hao Tianzun burst into laughter, stepped forward, bowed slightly, and declared, "Brother Taiyi, I did not come here to visit you myself, but to accompany my aunt. However, hearing your words, I also have something I wish to ask you. May I?"

Without waiting for Qin Mu's reply, he continued, "Brother Dao, you know about Ancestral Court Jade Capital, do you not? Ancestral Court Jade Capital is a place refined by Path Attainers from sixteen prehistoric universes. They are preparing to descend. Brother Dao, do you think we should resist them, or should we comply with them?"

Qin Mu said, "Hao Tianzun, once you become the Heavenly Emperor, would you want a Supreme Emperor above you?"

Hao Tianzun's eyes flickered.

Qin Mu continued, "When the prehistoric Path Attainers descend, after you become Heavenly Emperor, you won't have just one Supreme Emperor above you, but thousands."

Hao Tianzun smiled, "Brother Dao's words resonate deeply with me; I am enlightened. Brother Dao, are you saying that I can become the Heavenly Emperor?"

Xiao Tianzun smiled without speaking.

Hao Tianzun continued, "Could it be that in Brother Dao's heart, you believe Mu Tianzun and Qin Tianzun cannot succeed?"

Qin Mu said, "Qin Tianzun lacks ambition and cannot accomplish great things. Mu Tianzun lacks shrewdness and cannot accomplish great things. In the future I have seen, you will be Emperor Hao. I have one piece of advice: Your Majesty should care for the world, cultivate the benevolent Dao, and reduce bloodshed. Then your blessings will be continuous and boundless."

Hao Tianzun burst into hearty laughter, filled with ambition. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your auspicious words, Brother Dao! Your admonition, I... I will remember it!"

Emperor Lang Xuan stepped forward, his face filled with hope, and asked, "May I ask, Brother Taiyi, can I attain the Path?"

Qin Mu did not reply.

Emperor Lang Xuan asked again, but heard snoring from within the golden palace.

Emperor Lang Xuan was somewhat unwilling to give up and was about to continue asking when Jiang Yunjian stepped forward and said, "My master doesn't bother with those who cannot attain the Path. All right, all right, you may all withdraw."

Emperor Lang Xuan's face flushed crimson, and he retorted angrily, "I cannot attain the Path? What a joke! Taiyi's words aren't necessarily accurate..."

Jiang Yunjian chuckled, "My master didn't say anything. If you can't attain the Path, what use is it to speak to you?"

Emperor Lang Xuan was furious and wanted to lash out, but dared not be presumptuous, so he could only retreat.

Xiao Tianzun, Hao Tianzun, and the others bowed and withdrew. Although Ancestral God King and Xu Tianzun also wanted to ask if they could attain the Path, they could only secretly lament their missed opportunity at this moment.

The group walked outwards. Not long after, a brilliant golden light erupted, and when the Heavenly Venerates looked back, they saw that the golden palace had vanished without a trace.

"Truly a divine being!" Ancestral God King couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

He then remembered that he hadn't had a chance to ask Taiyi his question, and secretly regretted, "It's all Lang Xuan's fault, that blockhead! He has no fate with Path attainment, and he cost me my chance to ask!"

The Solar Ancient God mused, "This grand hall... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."

Jiang Yunjian led them outwards, saying, "Outside now is the Calamity of Destruction of the Sixteenth Universe. You cannot easily go there, or you will turn into calamity ashes. My master's intention is that you can stay here for a while and leave after dawn."

Xiao Tianzun's expression was gentle as he smiled, "Brother Taiyi is indeed thoughtful. Just now, we were comprehending the Dao pattern arrays beneath that cliff, but we haven't fully understood them yet. Since it's still early until dawn, why don't we go back there and continue our comprehension?"

Jiang Yunjian had no choice but to lead them towards the cliff, saying, "The Dao pattern arrays on this cliff are for me to test you. If you comprehend anything from them, you must teach me."

Xiao Tianzun and Hao Tianzun were in high spirits, laughing heartily, "Don't worry, whatever we comprehend, we will teach you all of it!"

Jiang Yunjian led them to the foot of the cliff. Suddenly, a distant mountain cliff trembled, then cracked open with a crunching sound.

The Heavenly Venerates' hearts stirred slightly, and they all looked towards it. Ancestral God King asked, "Young brother, is there a monster beneath your mountain here?"

"Not monsters," Jiang Yunjian replied, "but beneath almost every mountain here, there are prehistoric powerhouses trying to climb up from past eras."

Jiang Yunjian explained, "My master guards this place, preventing them from crawling out and harming the world. But because of this, he cannot leave here."

Xiao Tianzun, Hao Tianzun, and the others exchanged glances, all letting out a sigh of relief. "If Taiyi cannot leave this place, he cannot interfere with worldly affairs. As long as he doesn't oppose me, then there will be no one in the world who can stand against me!"

They sat beneath the cliff, meticulously comprehending.

At this moment, Qin Mu returned to the main hall, his face etched with worry. Seeing this, Wei Suifeng asked, "Junior Brother, you've deceived these Heavenly Venerates, so why are you still worried?"

"I inadvertently gave them an opportunity to comprehend the Primordial Chaos runes," Qin Mu sighed, letting out a breath.

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath, saying, "But I couldn't *not* display the Primordial Chaos runes, or I wouldn't have been able to suppress them."

Wei Suifeng chuckled, "The Dao patterns of the Jade Pure Palace are incredibly complex and profound. What could they possibly comprehend in one night?"

"One must not underestimate them," Qin Mu said, his expression grave.

Qin Mu's face was solemn as he spoke in a deep voice, "One is a Dragon Han Heavenly Venerate, another is Grand Beginning Heavenly Emperor, and there's half of Tai Su, half of Taiji. Their aptitude and comprehension are in no way inferior to my own. If they comprehend something significant, I fear it will greatly enhance their Dao cultivation..."

He shook his head.

The night was extremely long. Finally, the sky gradually brightened.

Jiang Yunjian woke the Heavenly Venerates and Ancient Gods, saying, "It is time for you all to leave."

The group looked at the Dao pattern arrays on the cliff face with reluctance, but still, as promised, they imparted what they had comprehended during the night to Jiang Yunjian.

Jiang Yunjian's mind was filled with new knowledge, and he was delighted. He then escorted Hao Tianzun and the others out of the Black Mountains.

Returning to the Black Mountains, he went to the foot of the cliff, just about to begin his own comprehension and verification, when Qin Mu suddenly appeared before him and asked in a deep voice, "Yunjian, how much did they comprehend?"

Jiang Yunjian immediately circulated his divine consciousness. Qin Mu's divine consciousness touched his, and he instantly grasped everything that the Seven Heavenly Venerates and three Ancient Gods had comprehended the previous night.

Qin Mu's expression was grave. After a long silence, he finally murmured, "They are indeed outstanding individuals, truly remarkable beings..."

What Xiao Tianzun, Hao Tianzun, and the others comprehended that night was more than he had anticipated. Even Xu Tianzun, who had a weaker cultivation base, had comprehended extremely profound things from the Dao pattern arrays!

"I remember now!"

Xiao Tianzun stopped and looked back at the Solar Ancient God, smiling, "Friend Daoist, what did you remember?"

The Solar Ancient God said, "I remember where I saw Taiyi's golden palace before. That golden palace was seen on Mu Tianzun's golden ship, which is truly remarkable. My sister and I once saw a similar golden palace on that ship."

Xiao Tianzun looked thoughtful, glanced at the Hundred Thousand Sacred Mountains, and suddenly chuckled.

The Solar Ancient God pondered, "It must be that after Mu Tianzun returned, he respectfully offered the golden palace from his golden ship to Brother Taiyi. That fellow is very cunning, even planning to move against us and eliminate us."

"Interesting," Xiao Tianzun said.

Xiao Tianzun suddenly burst into laughter, "Truly interesting... Let's go back!"