Chapter 1598: Pure Innocence and Evil

"But I am not the only one who can do this."

Nether Heavenly Venerate gently pushed the Book of Life and Death towards him and softly said, "You can do this too, Heavenly Venerate Mu. You were once the God-child of Youdu, so you can also wield the power of Youdu's Book of Life and Death. Not only can you control this power, but you can also decide the life and death of countless beings."

"I can do that too?" Qin Mu's gaze fell upon the shimmering golden page.

The Book of Life and Death was merely a simple, golden page, lying flat on the table, devoid of any flaws or textures.

Nether Heavenly Venerate said, "Activate the Great Dao of Youdu, and you can control this power."

Qin Mu hesitated, then extended his hand. Activating the Great Dao of Youdu, his palm rested on Earth Count's Book of Life and Death.

Suddenly, he leaped back like a startled rabbit, withdrawing his hand and looking at the Book of Life and Death in horror.

The moment his palm touched Earth Count's Book of Life and Death, he suddenly saw countless living beings and gods across all heavens and myriad worlds, all under the control of the book!

The instant he activated the Great Dao of Youdu, he sensed that he could decide the life and death of all beings and gods in all heavens and myriad worlds, controlling their destinies!

Qin Mu paced beside the stone table, his gaze occasionally drifting to the Book of Life and Death on the table, his eyes gleaming with demonic temptation.

The Book of Life and Death seemed to possess an invisible, immensely powerful demonic allure, drawing him in. It was as if countless voices were whispering in his ear, tempting him to pick up the thin golden tome and seize the power to decide the fate of countless lives!

Qin Mu gasped for breath; the demonic nature within his heart had been ignited by the Book of Life and Death!

With the Book of Life and Death in his grasp, he would possess the most terrifying power in the world!

He could directly erase everyone's Divine Treasure of Life and Death, imposing lifespan limits on demigods and all acquired beings; even those who cultivated to the divine realm would face birth, aging, illness, and death!

If he were to do so, it would inflict a devastating blow upon the current Heavenly Court!

The Heavenly Court was a community of interest for gods and devils.

These gods and devils, possessing eternal life and longevity comparable to heaven and earth, maintained the Heavenly Court to rule over more territories and prevent any future rebellion, thereby protecting their own interests.

The Ten Heavenly Venerates were merely representatives of these gods and devils.

If these gods and devils were deprived of their eternal life, this community of interest would collapse into chaos!

This might not threaten beings like the Ten Heavenly Venerates or those powerful individuals proficient in the Great Dao of Creation, but the Heavenly Court's power would certainly diminish on a massive scale.

Once these gods and devils became mere divine arts practitioners, he could use the power of the Book of Life and Death to become Earth Count, ruling over all life!

Qin Mu, wielding the Book of Life and Death, could arbitrarily alter their lifespans, or even, with a single stroke, directly obliterate them!

He could even coerce the gods of the Heavenly Court, forcing them to pledge allegiance to him!

Unconsciously, Qin Mu's vital qi transformed into dark demonic energy, blackening his Celestial Palace and turning his Divine Treasure domain into a realm of darkness!

More terrifying still, the World Tree within his divine treasure also turned into a tree of darkness, and under the terrifying influence of this power, all his Great Daos became corrupted.

His aura erupted, plunging the Palace of Renowned Saint King Tianqi into darkness. Moreover, this darkness quickly spread to Earth Count's horns, causing the rivers of lava flowing from them to cease burning and freezing the River Styx!

Heavenly Venerate Ling frowned slightly, about to speak, when Nether Heavenly Venerate raised a hand to stop her.

Heavenly Venerate Ling looked at him, surprised, but Nether Heavenly Venerate shook his head.

The demonic nature around Qin Mu grew increasingly intense, and the darkness enveloped an ever wider area, even completely engulfing Earth Count's incredibly massive horns.

His face was swallowed by the darkness, only his eyes gleaming with demonic light. The intense demonic glow illuminated his face intermittently, making him appear even more ferocious!

"As long as I obtain the Book of Life and Death!"

Qin Mu's voice was filled with dark demonic energy, his Dao heart twisted. The primordial spirit behind him also plunged into darkness, appearing like a demonic king standing in the black night!

"Once I have the Book of Life and Death, I can crush the power of the Ten Heavenly Venerates in one swift move, destroy the Heavenly Court, and everyone will bow at my feet!"

"With this golden tome, I will possess the most awe-inspiring power. I will be unconstrained, I can become the sovereign, I can become the King of the dark world! No, the King of the entire universe!"

He laughed maniacally, his face contorted, his hand trembling as he reached out to grasp the Book of Life and Death.

"I will become the most tyrannical despot in the world, the most powerful emperor of countless worlds. My position will be more stable than Grand Beginning, and my methods more cruel than the Ten Heavenly Venerates! No one will dare to defy me; everyone will merely exist under my oppressive might! Even the Ten Heavenly Venerates will be powerless to resist me!"

"My power will traverse the sixteen Rivers of Chaos, shrouding sixteen universes in darkness. I will dominate the prehistoric era, and the six young masters of the Mi Luo Palace will also kneel before me!"

As his hand was about to touch the Book of Life and Death, he suddenly withdrew it like lightning. A look of horror appeared on Qin Mu's face as he stumbled back repeatedly, shaking his head. "No! I can't do this! If I do, I'll become like the Ten Heavenly Venerates, like those ancient gods! I can't do this..."

The darkness shrouding Earth Count's horns gradually receded, and light returned to the Palace of Renowned Saint King Tianqi.

Qin Mu's face was gradually illuminated by the light radiating from him, and the Celestial Palace and Heavenly Court behind his head slowly emerged from the dispersing darkness, along with his primordial spirit.

The World Tree was still dark, but gradually, the darkness receded from the precious tree.

Qin Mu clenched his fists, no longer looking at the Book of Life and Death. His clothes were drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled from water.

"Such potent demonic influence."

He closed his eyes, desperately fighting the temptation of the Book of Life and Death, and murmured, "I cannot do this, nor can anyone else. If this were to happen, humanity would have no hope left."

Qin Mu spoke as if to them, yet also to himself: "The immortal ancient gods would become eternal rulers. Humans and other acquired races are naturally short-lived. Even if they could cultivate to the divine realm within a mere hundred years, they would still face death, unable to retain high-level combat power. Conversely, ancient gods who could bestow blessings and longevity could gather countless followers by granting extended lifespans. Removing all gods would only lead to a return to ancient god rule. So many lives were lost to overthrow ancient god rule back then..."

Heavenly Venerate Ling said, "The Heavenly Alliance was founded with the sole purpose of overthrowing ancient god rule."

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath, opened his eyes, and his gaze brightened once more. He said, "Human lifespans are limited, and demigods live longer than humans. Even without ancient gods, it would be difficult for humanity to turn the tide with their limited lifespans. Heavenly Venerate You, you opened the Divine Treasure of Life and Death, significantly extending the lifespan of divine arts practitioners, allowing them to live up to eight hundred years! Heavenly Venerate Yu opened the Celestial Palace, enabling people to possess infinite lifespans, and only then did humanity's path to rise begin."

He shook his head. "Cutting off everyone's Divine Treasure of Life and Death is not progress; it's a regression! Mortals can become deities through cultivation, which motivates divine arts practitioners to continuously practice and improve. If this motivation is removed, many will lose their drive. This is unacceptable!"

Nether Heavenly Venerate looked at the Book of Life and Death and said, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you have passed Earth Count's test. You resisted the demonic invasion from the Book of Life and Death and can inherit Earth Count's power, becoming the new Earth Count. Your Dao heart is very strong, and you could certainly use this power for good."

Qin Mu's gaze fell upon Earth Count's Book of Life and Death. It was an immense weapon, but he shook his head. "I was able to successfully resist the book's demonic influence this time, but I might not succeed again. The Book of Life and Death already has a master, and that person is not me."

He had originally hoped to steal the Book of Life and Death and remove the names of the people from Eternal Peace and Carefree Village, so that even if the Heavenly Court controlled Youdu, they would be unable to exterminate humanity.

However, now he knew he was not the one meant to wield the Book of Life and Death.

"The power of the Book of Life and Death is too immense, its implications too vast. It can only be in the hands of the true Earth Count..."

Qin Mu's gaze slowly drifted away from the Book of Life and Death. He said, "I am not the true Earth Count. I fear that if I wielded the power of the Book of Life and Death, I might do something foolish."

His voice was still somewhat hoarse. "The Book of Life and Death must never fall into the hands of the Heavenly Court. Heavenly Venerate You, Earth Count surely had his reasons for choosing you to manage it."

Nether Heavenly Venerate's gaze lingered on the Book of Life and Death. After a moment, he put it away and said, "I am not a suitable master for the Book of Life and Death either. After Earth Count entrusted it to me, he hoped I would succeed him, but for millions of years, I have also been resisting its demonic influence. Back then, Earth Count helped me suppress the demonic nature. If Earth Count dies..."

He did not continue speaking.

If Earth Count died, there would be no one to help him suppress the Book of Life and Death's demonic influence. How terrifying would Nether Heavenly Venerate be if controlled by its demonic nature?

"Or perhaps, destroy the Book of Life and Death."

Heavenly Venerate Ling said, "Simply destroy this evil treasure."

"It cannot be destroyed."

Nether Heavenly Venerate shook his head. "The Book of Life and Death is a treasure formed from the collective essence of the sixty-four Great Daos of Youdu. Unless you can destroy these sixty-four Great Daos of heaven and earth, it is impossible to destroy it."

Heavenly Venerate Ling fell silent as well; she was also unable to destroy the sixty-four Great Daos of Youdu.

"After you kill Earth Count, I might be controlled by the Book of Life and Death."

Nether Heavenly Venerate said, "If that happens, you must let me die fighting alongside the Heavenly Venerates of the Heavenly Court."

Qin Mu frowned deeply, then suddenly rose and smiled. "Wait for me here for a moment; I'll be right back."

He vanished, then suddenly reappeared, chuckling, "Lend me your paper boat!"

Without waiting for Nether Heavenly Venerate's reply, he leaped onto Nether Heavenly Venerate's paper boat and swiftly departed.

Heavenly Venerate Ling looked at the Book of Life and Death on the table and asked, "Will I be controlled by its demonic nature?"

Nether Heavenly Venerate shook his head. "You do not understand the Great Dao of Youdu, so you cannot activate the power of this Book of Life and Death. It can only unleash its power when in the hands of someone proficient in the Great Dao of Youdu."

Heavenly Venerate Ling said no more, waiting silently.

After a long while, Nether Heavenly Venerate said, "Ling, it's comfortable talking with you."

Heavenly Venerate Ling replied, "Talking to you requires little effort."

Not long after, the paper boat flew back, howling. Standing on the small paper boat was an enormous, grotesquely large-headed infant, trying to shrink its feet to fit onto the vessel.

Qin Mu stopped the boat, and the large-headed infant jumped down, shaking the Palace of Renowned Saint King Tianqi continuously.

"Brother, gently!" Qin Mu said with a serious expression.

Qin Fengqing looked around curiously, giggling, "Big Earth Count is so huge, he should last a long time to eat."

Qin Mu led him into the Saint King's residence. Qin Fengqing's massive body caused houses to collapse and rooms to crumble, leaving a trail of destruction.

Qin Mu pointed to the Book of Life and Death on the stone table and smiled. "Brother, look at this golden paper..."

Qin Fengqing reached out and picked it up. Qin Mu and Nether Heavenly Venerate immediately tensed, staring intently at him. The moment he was controlled by the book's demonic nature, they would immediately act to suppress him!

Qin Fengqing was an embodiment of Youdu's demonic nature, exceptionally evil. If the Book of Life and Death were to further awaken his demonic nature, and the two fused, the result would likely be even more terrifying than when Qin Mu was controlled by the book!

Qin Fengqing shook the Book of Life and Death, then asked with a bewildered expression, "Is this the paper Earth Count uses to wipe his backside? And you're treating it like a treasure..."

He casually tossed the Book of Life and Death aside. Qin Mu and Nether Heavenly Venerate looked dumbfounded.

Nether Heavenly Venerate quickly picked up the Book of Life and Death, placed it into Qin Fengqing's hand, and said gravely, "Little Earth Count, use the Great Dao of Youdu to activate this paper!"

Qin Fengqing glanced at him, giggling, "Are you a hell-officer? Strange, you've become younger..."

He tried to activate the Book of Life and Death with the Great Dao of Youdu. The book grew brighter and brighter, yet strangely, Qin Fengqing was not affected by its demonic influence; he remained a plump, endearing-looking large baby.

Nether Heavenly Venerate looked stunned, then turned to Qin Mu and asked, "When you two brothers separated, did you perhaps sever your innocence and leave all the evil and demonic nature to yourself?"