Chapter 1542: Helping You Achieve Enlightenment

On the cliff face, Qin Mu had arranged a series of runic patterns. To make them appear as profound and inscrutable as possible, he used Primordial Qi runes as the core, supplemented them with the Five Tais transformations, and integrated runic patterns from various Great Dao.

Lacking sufficient fundamental knowledge himself, he copied many fragments from the Mi Luo Palace Master's runic patterns, altered them, and used them to confuse the nine observers.

Even so, within a single night, Heavenly Venerate Haotian, Heavenly Venerate Xiao, and the others delved into extremely profound areas.

Qin Mu carefully organized the insights gained by the seven Heavenly Venerates and two Ancient Gods over the night, discovering that each of the nine excelled in different aspects.

Heavenly Venerate Void had already reached the threshold of demonic arts transforming into the Dao of Grand Ultimate, while Ancestral God King had explored the very edge of the Heavenly Dao transforming into the Dao of Grand Ultimate. Both provided significant inspiration to Qin Mu.

Divine Emperor Lang Xuan, from the array of runic patterns, perceived the Dao of Grand Beginning and left many of his own insights. Some of these insights were things Qin Mu had not yet grasped, demonstrating Lang Xuan's extraordinary aptitude and comprehension.

The Ancient God of the Sun comprehended the Dao of Grand Ultimate evolution, even touching upon the idea of Grand Ultimate evolution in reverse leading to the Dao of Grand Purity. Meanwhile, Grand Purity deduced from it the principle of the Dao of Grand Purity reversely proving Grand Immaterial and evolving Grand Ultimate.

Heavenly Venerate Xiao, on the other hand, deduced a path where primordial energy (Yi Qi) combined with divine consciousness to evolve Grand Beginning, along with sporadic instances of Grand Immaterial and Grand Beginning exchanging.

Heavenly Venerate Haotian had also deduced approximately the same.

"The intellect of these nine individuals is extraordinary; they managed to comprehend so much in just one night," Qin Mu mused. "They probably held back, only sharing insignificant parts with Jiang Yunjian while concealing what they considered most important."

Qin Mu couldn't help but exclaim, "I truly wish I could confine them here, letting them study day and night to deduce all the secrets of the Mi Luo Palace runic patterns for me."

Even though the seven Heavenly Venerates and two Ancient Gods had held back their true insights, not fully imparting them to Jiang Yunjian, their partial discoveries still greatly inspired Qin Mu, allowing him to comprehend even more.

Just as Qin Mu was about to settle down and carefully organize his thoughts, Jiang Yunjian rushed in, his face flustered, and blurted out, "Godfather, Heavenly Venerate Xiao is back!"

Qin Mu's expression subtly changed. Jiang Yunjian pulled out a piece of paper and said, "Heavenly Venerate Xiao asked me to give this drawing to Grand Change!"

Qin Mu took it and saw a golden boat drawn on the paper.

"My disguise has been exposed after all," Qin Mu murmured.

Qin Mu took a deep breath. To display Grand Change's prestige and deter suspicion, he had moved one of the golden palaces from the Golden Boat of Crossing into the World and used it as Grand Change's palace.

The golden palace contained chaotic energy, which could blind the divine eyes of Heavenly Venerate Xiao, Heavenly Venerate Haotian, and others, preventing them from seeing Qin Mu's appearance and thus from discovering that this Grand Change was a disguise.

However, the sole flaw was that the Ancient God of the Sun had once boarded the golden boat.

He presumed the exposure stemmed from this fact.

"Who else is with Heavenly Venerate Xiao?" he inquired.

Jiang Yunjian replied, "No one else, just Heavenly Venerate Xiao."

A glint flashed in Qin Mu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Yunjian, invite him here!"

Jiang Yunjian's heart skipped a beat. He whispered, "Godfather..."

"Go! I have a plan."

Jiang Yunjian had no choice but to depart quickly.

Shortly after, Heavenly Venerate Xiao strolled over to Qin Mu, looked up at the stone carvings on the cliff face, and after a moment, chuckled, "Heavenly Venerate Mu was quite frightening last night. Your words, a mix of coaxing and deception, almost fooled me. Your trickery is even more refined than that of the Grand Ultimate Ancient God. So, it seems Grand Change isn't here after all."

Qin Mu calmly replied, "Grand Change is like a divine dragon, visible only by its head or tail, never entirely. Even I don't know his whereabouts, which is why I resorted to this last resort. I hope I didn't frighten you, fellow Daoist?"

"Not at all, not at all."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao smiled faintly and said leisurely, "In truth, Grand Change has encountered danger, hasn't he? It's even possible he's already dead!"

Qin Mu raised an eyebrow.

"If Grand Change were safe and sound, you wouldn't need to go to such great lengths, risking exposure. You could simply tell us he wasn't here, and what could we do to you then? Out of respect for Grand Change, an enlightened being, we wouldn't dare touch you."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao smiled, "It is precisely because Grand Change has encountered unimaginable peril, perhaps even death, that you would risk so much to impersonate him! Your goal isn't just to enjoy the thrill, but to protect this sacred land and Yongkang. I can keep your secret."

Qin Mu smiled faintly, "But there's a price to pay."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao chuckled, "Everything good in this world comes with a price. Back then, when I helped you save Yongkang, you paid a price. It's the same now. Heavenly Venerate Mu, you can never escape the palm of my hand."

Qin Mu snorted coldly but said nothing.

"You can rescue Heavenly Venerate Ling, but we'll need to work together," Heavenly Venerate Xiao stated.

Heavenly Venerate Xiao said lightly, "The moment you rescue Heavenly Venerate Ling will be the moment Grand Emperor dies, and also the moment I reclaim my physical body. Do you understand this point?"

Qin Mu slowly nodded. "I understand."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao chuckled, "I am a magnanimous ruler. Whether it's you, Emperor Rinkai, Heavenly Venerate Moon, or Heavenly Venerate Ling, I can tolerate all of you, and even grant you power and status, as long as you cease reforming and no longer attempt to resist. Heavenly Venerate Huo has done very well; do you understand?"

Qin Mu said, "Your humble servant understands, and Emperor Rinkai will understand as well."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao smiled, "When our goal is achieved, I will not treat you unfairly."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's benevolence."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao burst into laughter, turned, and departed, saying leisurely, "During the Yongkang calamity, you couldn't contend with me, and it's the same now. When you prepare to rescue Heavenly Venerate Ling, inform me in advance. Do not act on your own initiative again. I will not give you a second chance."

"Farewell, Your Majesty."

Qin Mu watched him disappear, then smiled and whispered, "With Heavenly Venerate Xiao's help, rescuing Heavenly Venerate Ling is secure. Rescuing Heavenly Venerate Yun is also secure."

He let out a long breath, feeling more at ease than ever before.

"Heavenly Venerate Xiao, it's not that you've grown old; it's that I've grown up."

The smile on his face deepened. He whispered, "Before, I was weak and at your mercy. But now, I've grown to a point where I can contend with you as an equal. You want to control me? Unfortunately, you no longer can. Be careful, or you'll get hurt."

The Ancient God of the Sun waited outside the Hundred Thousand Sacred Mountains. Shortly after, Heavenly Venerate Xiao emerged, and the Ancient God of the Sun quickly went to meet him, whispering, "Brother Dao, how was your discussion with Heavenly Venerate Mu?"

"Very smoothly," Heavenly Venerate Xiao replied.

Heavenly Venerate Xiao smiled faintly and said, "Heavenly Venerate Mu is quite sensible, and he has no choice but to be. His greatest backer has fallen, and in this world, he can only rely on me. He is still ambitious, and he will undoubtedly make a move when rescuing Heavenly Venerate Ling. However, I will make him understand that any action he takes will be in vain."

He radiated immense confidence, as if the Heavenly Emperor Grand Beginning, who once unified the world and controlled the universe, had returned: "When I reclaim my physical body, devour Grand Emperor's primordial spirit, and reach the ultimate void to consume Grand Emperor's Dao tree, I will be the most powerful, the invincible existence in this world! Even if all the Heavenly Venerates unite, including Heavenly Venerate Qin, Heavenly Venerate Mu, Heavenly Venerate Moon, and Heavenly Venerate Ling, none of them will be my match!"

The Ancient God of the Sun breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "I congratulate you in advance here, Brother Dao."

Heavenly Venerate Xiao laughed heartily, "When I eradicate the Beyond Void and all the Creation Masters, achieving the Dao will be incredibly simple for me! And by then, you two siblings can also achieve the Dao!"

The Ancient God of the Sun's face showed a look of longing.

Within the Sacred Mountains, Qin Mu continued to study the Mi Luo Palace Master's runic patterns, his mind deeply immersed. The deeper he delved into the patterns, the more a sense of awe grew within him; the Mi Luo Palace Master's knowledge was truly profound.

Based solely on this one runic pattern, he was truly worthy of being called the foremost expert in seventeen universes!

However, in the short term, Qin Mu still found it difficult to fully comprehend the transformations within the runic patterns, only managing to slightly enhance the power of his Primordial One-Finger technique.

He got up and went aboard the Golden Boat of Crossing into the World. Inside, Blind Man, Granny Si, and others were still moving in and out, searching every golden palace.

"Mu'er, this boat holds many secrets," Granny Si said as she saw him.

"We occasionally see the owner of this boat inside! We encounter him often when exploring the golden palaces!"

Qin Mu explained, "This boat was forged by the Mi Luo Palace Master for crossing into the world. He invested so much effort and energy into it that his presence is imprinted within, occasionally manifesting as historical echoes."

Granny Si shook her head. "Sometimes it doesn't seem like a historical echo. We occasionally see the real Mi Luo Palace Master, and we've even spoken with him!"

Qin Mu was surprised and shook his head. "The Mi Luo Palace Master is dead. What you encountered must be historical reflections. As for speaking with him, it's likely the boat itself playing tricks. This boat possesses a spirit."

Blind Man's expression was solemn. "Mu'er, this boat is indeed strange. What we saw was definitely not a historical echo, but the true Mi Luo Palace Master! Let me show you!"

Qin Mu shook his head, smiling wryly, and followed him. Blind Man pushed open the door of a grand hall and said, "It was here that we met the Mi Luo Palace Master; he even guided our cultivation... Huh!"

He looked bewildered. The hall was completely empty inside, with no one present.

Blind Man was puzzled. "There were people here before! Many saw them!"

Granny Si, Wei Suifeng, Prince Youming, and the others all nodded, saying in unison, "We all saw them!"

Qin Mu chuckled, "Your cultivation is too shallow. It's likely that the Mi Luo Palace Master's power and his imprinted presence are so real that they influenced you, making you mistake historical echoes for reality. There's no need to make a fuss. Once you cultivate to my level, you'll be able to discern all of this."

The others were furious but helpless.

At present, Qin Mu indeed had the right to call their cultivation shallow.

Qin Mu then tried to send them off the boat, but the golden boat stubbornly refused to let them disembark. Qin Mu painstakingly whispered to the boat, reasoning with it for a long time, appealing to its emotions and logic, until it finally agreed to let them off.

The others watched him muttering endlessly to the boat, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Mu'er is under too much pressure; he's probably gone mad," Granny Si said.

Granny Si felt a pang of heartache. "He should find a companion..."

Qin Mu sent everyone off the golden boat, then sailed away from the Hundred Thousand Sacred Mountains on it. He thought to himself, "Are the Mi Luo Palace Master's imprints really that powerful, capable of misleading even Emperor's Throne realm cultivators like Wei Suifeng and Prince Youming? Well, their discernment is far inferior to mine; they probably can't distinguish between an imprint and reality..."

As the Golden Boat of Crossing into the World sailed out of the Sacred Mountains, Qin Mu suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure flashing within one of the golden palaces, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Is it an imprint?" he wondered.

His heart pounded. He went to search but found nothing.

"Never mind that, first I'll go to Carefree Village to see Emperor Rinkai and Heavenly Venerate Moon!"

Two months later, the golden boat arrived at Carefree Village. Along the way, Qin Mu did indeed notice that he wasn't the only one aboard; he occasionally saw other figures flash by.

However, when he went to look for them, he never found anyone.

These figures were like the ghosts of the Imperial Forest Guards on a phantom ship; they would vanish into nothingness when observed, and even his spell that made matter difficult to change couldn't fix them in place.

Emperor Rinkai came forward to greet him. Qin Mu dismissed his distracting thoughts, stepped forward, and smiled, "Emperor Rinkai, I'm here to help you achieve the Dao!"

Emperor Rinkai stepped onto the boat and examined the golden vessel. "I'm still a bit short of achieving the Dao. Without the God-Slaying Platform, my Dao realm struggles to advance further. And the Ancestral Court's God-Slaying Platform is controlled by Heavenly Consort Qiang; I've been to her place, and she took the platform, cutting off my path to enlightenment... There are other people on your boat!"

Qin Mu's heart leaped. He quickly looked around but saw no one. He chuckled, "Heavenly Consort Qiang, I've already killed her. I've brought not only the God-Slaying Platform but also the God-Slaying Profound Blade, which is enough to bring your Dao realm to perfection!"