Chapter 1561: Attaining the Path Cultivation Method

In other words, the Grand Emperor's Dao tree is rooted in this treasure, and his Great Dao is attached to this sacred sword. Since I've merged with his Dao tree and become part of it, I am also attached to this sacred sword.

Yun Tianzun chuckled, "When you attack his Dao tree and its fruit, you are attacking the sacred sword. And when the Grand Emperor attacks me, he is also attacking this sacred sword. That's why I've been able to survive until now and not die."

Qin Mu's eyes widened. After a moment, he exhaled a turbid breath. "Such a monstrous talent..."

"If it were you, you could achieve it too," Yun Tianzun said humbly. "After all, you are the peerless Hegemon Body who defeated Fire Venerable and Heavenly Venerable Hao, and also the guide of the Crimson Light era. I have seen many of your deeds in the Great Overarching Heaven, and they left me in awe and admiration."

Qin Mu replied earnestly, "Of course, I can do it. I am a Hegemon Body. I just didn't expect you, Brother Yun, to be no weaker than me." Despite his words, he felt a slight lack of confidence.

He always felt somewhat unconfident when facing monstrous talents like Yun Tianzun and Yu Tianzun. Yun Tianzun was the one who built the Divine Bridge when the path seemed to end, forcibly opening the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure when there was no cultivation path ahead, inspiring Yu Tianzun to establish the Heavenly Palace! Compared to such prodigies, he genuinely lacked confidence. However, even if one loses, one shouldn't lose face, so he always maintained a brave front.

"In other words, you have compensated for the Grand Emperor's weakness," Qin Mu said, his eyes flickering. He paced back and forth on the ship's bow, then suddenly stopped, looked up sharply, and continued, "As long as you are here, the Grand Emperor has no weaknesses! And since you are symbiotic with the Grand Emperor's Dao tree and Grand Initial's Emperor Sword, attacking the Grand Emperor is also attacking you."

Yun Tianzun said, "If we can eliminate the Grand Emperor this way, then I am willing to sacrifice my primordial spirit."

Qin Mu shook his head and chuckled derisively. "Yun, you underestimate your own life too much. How can the Grand Emperor's life be compared to yours? The Grand Emperor cannot personally descend from the Divine Consciousness Great Overarching Heaven, so his threat is limited. If it weren't to save you, why would I go to such great lengths, invite so many masters, and even enter the Divine Consciousness Great Overarching Heaven myself? Your life is far more important than the Grand Emperor's!"

Moved, Yun Tianzun asked, "So, Heavenly Venerable Xiao and Heavenly Venerable Hao were also invited by you?"

"That's right. It took me quite some effort to persuade them to come and lend a hand," Qin Mu nodded, continuing to ponder how to deal with the Grand Emperor and sever Yun Tianzun's strange symbiotic relationship with him.

Yun Tianzun's expression turned strange. Qin Mu's relationship with Heavenly Venerable Xiao and Heavenly Venerable Hao was clearly not good. His so-called invitation for them to assist was likely a mix of schemes, tricks, and deception. This approach was vastly different from Yun Tianzun's.

Yun Tianzun also used schemes and tricks in his dealings, such as using a honey trap to kill Emperor Tai Chu and a "total annihilation" scheme to kill the Grand Emperor. Both of these tactics were unsavory. He was more ruthless, even sacrificing the lives of a million Creators to kill the Grand Emperor, something Qin Mu would not have been able to do. However, he generally preferred the kingly way, acting honorably and straightforwardly, much like Yu Tianzun in his prime.

Qin Mu's schemes, on the other hand, were more cunning and adept at using leverage: using the Grand Emperor's power against Heavenly Venerable Xiao and Heavenly Venerable Hao, using Heavenly Venerable Xiao's and Heavenly Venerable Hao's power against the Grand Emperor, using Heavenly Venerable Hao's power against Heavenly Venerable Xiao, using Heavenly Venerable Xiao's power against Heavenly Venerable Hao, and using the Ten Heavenly Venerables' power against themselves. However, this also revealed how dire Qin Mu's environment truly was. The Ten Heavenly Venerables wielded supreme authority and controlled all power, with the Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun suppressing all realms, making the situation even more despairing than during the Dragon Han era. Under such extreme oppression, no personal power could develop, leaving Qin Mu with no choice but to rely on indirect strategies.

Yun Tianzun also employed schemes in his time, but he typically used his own power to set up his plans, such as when he killed the Grand Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor. This was because during the Dragon Han era, the only enemy in the Void of the Other Shore was the Grand Emperor, and the Dragon Han Celestial Heavens had only one ruler, the Heavenly Emperor. He had no way to divide the enemy's power.

Suddenly, Heavenly Venerable Hao grunted, falling from above, covered in blood from the Grand Emperor's assault.

*Whoosh—*

Countless Dao tree roots wrapped around him, tearing at his limbs and head, suspending him in the air, his arms, legs, and head pulled rigidly straight. Heavenly Venerable Hao struggled vigorously but couldn't break free. His injuries were too severe; Qin Mu had shattered his heart and pierced his chest, wounds that still hadn't healed. The Dao wounds Qin Mu inflicted on him were so profound that even the Goddess of Grand Primordium couldn't cure them.

Suddenly, he spotted Qin Mu and Yun Tianzun, paused in surprise, and then shouted, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, aren't you going to remove the Dao wounds on me?"

Qin Mu, deep in thought about a countermeasure, waved his hand casually. The Dao wounds in Heavenly Venerable Hao's chest instantly vanished, his heart regenerated, and his ribs regrew.

Heavenly Venerable Hao's spirits soared. He frantically activated his Heavenly Palace treasures, his primordial spirit standing firm in the Heavenly Court, propelling countless Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheels to slice in all directions, shaking the Dao tree roots off his body. Heavenly Venerable Hao shot into the air, charging towards the Grand Emperor.

No sooner had he flown up than Emperor Kai fell from above.

Emperor Kai focused solely on the Way of the Sword, valuing refinement over breadth. He had not cultivated the Profound Creation Art but instead dedicated himself wholeheartedly to elevating his sword skills to the highest level. Therefore, though his strength was formidable, the accumulation of physical injuries would threaten his life, worsen his condition, and eventually severely diminish his power.

Qin Mu waved his hand, and a Creation Divine Ability flew out, healing Emperor Kai's injuries even as he was still falling.

Emperor Kai let out a long roar, his spirits reinvigorated, and surged upwards to attack once more.

"The Emperor Sword of Grand Initial must not fall into Heavenly Venerable Xiao's hands. If it does, he might cut down even us after killing the Grand Emperor," Qin Mu muttered. He glanced at Yun Tianzun. Yun Tianzun's back was connected to the Dao tree, and Qin Mu couldn't be sure if the Grand Emperor's death would implicate Yun Tianzun. Dying in the ultimate void meant that even Qin Mu couldn't revive them, as both body and soul would completely etherealize and could not be recalled. Furthermore, how to retrieve Grand Initial's companion treasure was also a huge challenge. This sword was hidden within the Dao tree. Not to mention splitting open the Dao tree to retrieve the Emperor Sword, Emperor Kai, Heavenly Venerable Xiao, and the others couldn't even scratch the surface of the Dao tree!

He couldn't help but feel a severe headache. The Grand Emperor, with his Dao tree rooted in the Emperor Sword and himself possessing the Heavenly Emperor's body, was practically flawless! The only potential flaw, perhaps, was the Primordial Chaos runes Qin Mu had secretly hidden within the Heavenly Emperor's body!

"Yun, pass on to me the Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness you have comprehended!" Qin Mu said, his eyes gleaming, lowering his voice. "If anything goes wrong, you absolutely must obtain that sacred sword. Do not let it fall into Heavenly Venerable Xiao's hands!"

Yun Tianzun nodded silently, and with a ripple of divine consciousness, he transmitted the complete Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness he had comprehended to Qin Mu.

Immediately, an incredibly complex and profound cultivation art appeared in Qin Mu's mind. He had previously learned fragments of the Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness by refining the Grand Emperor's divine consciousness and stripping away memories of the art. Qin Mu then used his intellect to complete it, integrating later divine treasure and Heavenly Palace systems, and combining it with his own Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, only then achieving mastery. However, the Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness he had repaired was inherently incomplete, inferior to the Grand Emperor's. Furthermore, his divine consciousness cultivation was far beneath the Grand Emperor's, which meant he couldn't use his divine consciousness to fight back whenever he encountered Empress Qiang or the Grand Emperor's physical body.

The Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness that Yun Tianzun transmitted to him, however, was the art that the Grand Emperor had developed after combining it with later divine treasure and Heavenly Palace systems. It also contained Yun Tianzun's own insights, completing the deficiencies of the art, making it even more perfect than what the Grand Emperor himself had learned and comprehended! Yun Tianzun had further integrated his own perfected, flawless Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness with his Purple Heavens Blue Depths Art, merging it into the latter to forge his own unique path.

"This is a Dao attainment art!" Qin Mu couldn't help but admire Yun Tianzun even more, thinking, "To be suppressed for hundreds of thousands of years and still be able to turn a disadvantage into an advantage, borrowing the Grand Emperor's path to Dao attainment to comprehend his own — his talent truly isn't inferior to mine!"

Yun Tianzun and the Grand Emperor had been locked in a struggle for hundreds of thousands of years. First, Yun Tianzun had schemed, using the chaotic divine consciousness created by the deaths of a million Creators and Heavenly Venerable Ling's incomplete Unchanging Divine Ability, to kill the Grand Emperor's physical body and trap it in the Supreme Divine Consciousness domain of the Primordial Void. Later, the Grand Emperor's primordial spirit reincarnated as Heavenly Venerable Ming Fangyu, killing Yun Tianzun at the end of the Dragon Han era. He then hid Yun Tianzun's corpse, suppressing it within the Grand Emperor's physical body's glabella, while his primordial spirit was sent to the Divine Consciousness Great Overarching Heaven for torment.

The intricate saga of their grievances and entanglements was truly legendary. Even more legendary was how Yun Tianzun's primordial spirit, while being suppressed by the Grand Emperor, managed to comprehend the Grand Emperor's cultivation art, complete its deficiencies, and ultimately discern his own path to Dao attainment!

The ultimate outcome of their struggle, right or wrong, success or failure, was still undecided!

"Yun, protect me!"

Qin Mu dropped this sentence and immediately entered a dream, where he manifested a myriad-world universe. Countless miniature Qin Mus emerged from the dream, each comprehending the complete Great Overarching Supreme Divine Consciousness, attempting to unravel the mysteries of this art in the shortest possible time. He not only intended to comprehend it but also to use his wisdom to fully integrate this art into his Hegemon Body Three Elixir Art, enhancing his cultivation, strength, and understanding!

Yun Tianzun watched him fall into a dream right there on the ship's bow, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. He had longed to meet Qin Mu, yearned to sit and discuss the Dao with him on the ground, believing it would be the greatest fortune of his life. However, throughout the long history of the Dragon Han era, this wish had remained unfulfilled. Ultimately, he died, and this unfulfilled desire became his greatest regret. He had often fantasized about sitting and conversing with Qin Mu about the Dao, feeling so inspired that he would burst into song-like roars, expressing his surging emotions. He even envisioned different scenarios and varying topics of their discussions, which truly thrilled him. But now that he had actually met Qin Mu, he never expected him to be such an unreliable fellow, capable of entering a dream in such a dangerous situation, completely devoid of any caution or defense!

"Heavenly Venerable Mu is like... like... a silly roe deer!" he mused internally. "Where is the glorious, imposing figure of legend?"

Suddenly, Heavenly Venerable Xiao's body, battered and torn, fell from the sky, grievously wounded, more severely than Emperor Kai or Heavenly Venerable Hao had been. The Grand Emperor "cared" for him the most, which meant he struck with the utmost ferocity!

Yun Tianzun's heart leaped in alarm. Faced with such injuries, he too was helpless.

Just then, Qin Mu, still in his dream, subtly raised his hand. Heavenly Venerable Xiao's injuries rapidly healed, and he instantly recovered, bowing remotely to Qin Mu before soaring back into the air to attack the Grand Emperor once more.

Yun Tianzun paused, then looked at Qin Mu, who was dreaming at the ship's bow, and smiled. "He isn't a silly roe deer. On the contrary, he is incredibly alert even in his sleep."

A short while later, Qin Mu suddenly rose to his feet, laughing heartily. The Golden Ferry of Deliverance shot through the air, his voice echoing from afar, "Yun, wait for me. Watch me break the Grand Emperor's invincibility and free you!"

"He comprehended the mysteries of my art so quickly?" Yun Tianzun paused in slight surprise, then a gratified smile appeared on his face. "As expected of Heavenly Venerable Mu! His talent is indeed not inferior to mine!"