Chapter 1634: Star Yans' Gift

Qin Mu looked at him calmly. After a long moment, he smiled and said, "If you truly had me as an opponent, Your Majesty wouldn't just shed tears; you'd be agonizing over how to eliminate me. What you seek is eternal power, to grasp it firmly. Your momentary sentimentality upon seeing me is simply that."

Emperor Haotian burst into loud laughter, his booming voice causing the waters of the Celestial River to tremble endlessly.

"You are right."

Emperor Haotian looked directly at him, his smile slowly fading. He stated solemnly, "If you hadn't conceded, I would genuinely be in distress. I could kill everyone in Yankang, but even if only you remained, I wouldn't have a moment's peace. Your threat is even greater than that of Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye!"

Qin Mu felt a pang of sadness at the mention of Emperor Kaihuang.

Emperor Haotian's gaze fell upon Qin Mu's face. Sensing a slight tremor in his Dao heart, he smiled faintly and said, "You possess an immortal body; no one in this world can kill you, not even I, the foremost being of this era. Even if I were to cast you into the ultimate void, I fear you would still survive. Celestial Venerable Mu, the only one who can defeat you is yourself."

Qin Mu looked up, a puzzled expression on his face.

Emperor Haotian pointed at Qin Mu's chest and said earnestly, "Because your mind has a weakness, Celestial Venerable Mu. You value Yankang too much; this is the fatal flaw in your Dao heart. I simply need to control Yankang, and I will control your weakness. As long as Yankang exists, you are not my opponent; as long as Yankang exists for a day, you will suffer defeat for a day."

He smiled and said, "You can become invincible if you wish. Aren't you skilled at breaking stalemates? How astounding was it when you killed Earth Count before me? If I hadn't had the fallback plans of the Third and Fourth Young Masters, I would have undoubtedly lost that round. Back then, Qin Fengqing would have transformed into the new Earth Count, and with Emperor Kaihuang assisting you, I would have been forced to share the world with you. Now, you can use the same method to break this deadlock."

His tone became aggressive as he stated solemnly, "Eliminate everyone in Yankang, and you will have no weakness! That is the kind of person I am! Nothing can impede my progress; everything can be utilized by me! This is why I am the victor!"

Qin Mu's gaze flickered, not daring to meet his eyes.

Emperor Haotian said coldly, "You disappoint me! If, after your defeat, you had disregarded the lives of the Yankang people to preserve your Dao heart, I would have eagerly awaited a true confrontation with you! But instead of destroying Yankang to perfect your Dao heart, you succumbed to despondency and got married, adding yet another shackles to yourself!"

Qin Mu's lips twitched, but he remained silent.

Emperor Haotian suddenly felt an inexplicable clarity; his Dao heart became unobstructed, and the inner demons that had suppressed it vanished. He smiled gently and said, "But you are Celestial Venerable Mu; you cannot destroy Yankang. I am the Celestial Emperor, and as long as you live, I cannot destroy Yankang to complete your Dao heart. My apologies, I referred to myself as '朕' again."

He smiled and said, "Celestial Venerable Mu, seeing you now, I feel both heartache and satisfaction. Heartache for your decline, and satisfaction that I have defeated you."

Qin Mu's voice was hoarse as he struggled to say, "It wasn't you who defeated me; it was the Third and Fourth Young Masters of the Miluo Palace!"

Emperor Haotian laughed heartily, "Borrowing power is, in itself, a form of strength! Did my father, Grand Prime, not wish to borrow the power of the Miluo Palace? He did, but he couldn't. I, however, succeeded, and that is my strength! You have already lost; there's no need to glorify yourself further."

Qin Mu opened his mouth, then suddenly sighed wistfully.

Emperor Haotian smiled and said, "Simply live a comfortable life as a wealthy man. This place is pleasant, with beautiful scenery, not far from Yankang, and you have a lovely companion."

He suddenly turned, observing Ling Yuxiu approaching, appearing slightly nervous.

Emperor Haotian smiled faintly, instantly sensing Qin Mu's body tense, clearly showing extreme nervousness.

"You have indeed been defeated."

Emperor Haotian said wistfully, "You were defeated by emotions you shouldn't have harbored. I truly wish you would recover your spirit, so I could defeat you once more."

He unconsciously exuded killing intent, which was directed not at Qin Mu, but at Ling Yuxiu.

At that moment, Qin Mu's Dao heart beside him seemed to blossom like an old tree in spring, as if layers of restraint had been shed, and his fighting spirit grew increasingly intense and powerful.

Emperor Haotian smiled, and the Heavenly Palaces of the two great Heavenly Courts behind his head merged, transforming into two towering Ten Thousand Dao Heavenly Wheels.

A series of tremendous booming sounds echoed within Qin Mu, as his dormant Dao heart rapidly revived!

Suddenly, Emperor Haotian turned and struck with a palm, meeting Qin Mu's hand. Their hands collided, unleashing astonishing tidal waves in the Celestial River, which tore through the air with incredible force!

The ever-shifting clouds in the sky were swept away, leaving a clear, boundless blue sky.

Blood spilled from Qin Mu's lips as he instantly appeared in front of Ling Yuxiu to shield her.

Emperor Haotian walked towards them with his hands clasped behind his back, nodding slightly. "Sister-in-law," he began, "you once sent someone to kill the reincarnated Fire Celestial Venerable. That person was a young boy carrying a box, who occupied the body of the young Imperial Celestial Venerable. Who is this individual?"

Ling Yuxiu dared not delay, bowing as she replied, "That is a god-devil named Xing An, who is extremely powerful but has an eccentric temperament."

Emperor Haotian walked past them, saying, "I am searching for him. Please inform Emperor Yanfeng, sister-in-law, that he is the one I seek. Have him sent to the Heavenly Court; I intend to bestow rewards upon him."

Ling Yuxiu was slightly taken aback.

Emperor Haotian smiled and said, "Celestial Venerable Mu, your Yankang is still within my grasp. As long as you behave, I will not touch Yankang."

Qin Mu groaned, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his newly revived Dao heart immediately dulled, layers of self-sealing enveloping it.

Emperor Haotian laughed heartily, then his figure vanished.

Ling Yuxiu quickly checked Qin Mu's injuries. Qin Mu waved his hand and said, "I'm fine. He can injure me, but he cannot kill me. He merely clashed with me, attempting to inflict wounds. He is still uneasy, intending to leave some incurable Dao injuries on me. I can soon refine these injuries."

Ling Yuxiu relaxed, then worriedly asked, "Will awakening your Dao heart and engaging him arouse his suspicion?"

Qin Mu activated his cultivation method, refining the Dao injuries, and shook his head. "Precisely because of this, he won't be suspicious. I am just a little worried..."

His eyes flickered as he gazed in the direction Emperor Haotian had departed. "He believes he has defeated me, and the inner demons in his Dao heart have vanished. His Dao realm has likely improved. He is now stronger than before."

Ling Yuxiu frowned slightly.

Qin Mu asked, "What happened with Xing An?"

Ling Yuxiu recounted how she had sent Xing An to kill the reincarnated Fire Celestial Venerable. "After Mr. Xing returned," she said, "he went into seclusion and has been residing on Star-Picking Peak. I don't know what happened."

"Celestial Venerable Haotian was the one who most desired to kill Fire Celestial Venerable. Celestial Venerable Haotian's reincarnated form must have encountered Xing An and perished by his hand."

Qin Mu instantly pieced together the truth. "Xing An follows an unconventional path," he said. "I once told him that he would find it difficult to achieve great things by studying Dao arts and divine abilities alone. So he began to engage with Yankang's reforms. It seems he has made significant progress over the years, which is why he could defeat Celestial Venerable Haotian. What did he send for our wedding this time?"

Ling Yuxiu hesitated, then whispered, "What he sent was a human skin covered in various Dao patterns. Since it was quite shocking, I didn't show it to you."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He said solemnly, "Where is the human skin? I want to see it!"

The Dao injuries left by Celestial Venerable Haotian were quite stubborn, recurring periodically and causing him intense pain, yet they could not kill him.

Qin Mu frowned occasionally; indeed, after the inner demons were removed from Celestial Venerable Haotian's Dao heart, he was stronger than before!

Ling Yuxiu retrieved a jade box, which had a seal on it, likely placed by her.

Qin Mu unsealed the box and unfolded the human skin, examining it closely. The Dao patterns drawn on the skin depicted the intricate structures of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces and fifty-eight Treasure Halls. On the reverse side were the structures of the Thirty-Five Heavenly Palaces and fifty-eight Treasure Halls.

Both great Heavenly Courts had been meticulously deconstructed using Dao patterns; even the crucial Purple Heavens Palace and Lingxiao Palace were precisely rendered.

This human skin was, astonishingly, the complete operational path of Emperor Haotian's cultivation method and the underlying principles of his Great Dao!

Qin Mu gasped, "This is the skin of Celestial Venerable Haotian's reincarnated form! That fellow, Xing An, not only killed Celestial Venerable Haotian's reincarnation but also skinned him! No, Xing An completely dissected Celestial Venerable Haotian's reincarnated body! No wonder he sent this as a wedding gift; it's truly a substantial offering!"

Ling Yuxiu felt a chill down her spine; this human skin was actually from Emperor Haotian's reincarnated form!

What astonished her even more was that Xing An had actually analyzed Emperor Haotian's two great Heavenly Court cultivation methods!

This was simply beyond human capability!

Qin Mu pondered carefully and quickly found a solution for the Dao injuries within him. "The skin Xing An sent me," he said, "contains six flaws of Celestial Venerable Haotian. He must have been attempting to uncover all the weaknesses in Celestial Venerable Haotian's cultivation method... This monstrous talent shouldn't possess such profound attainments after all these years. Even with exposure to Yankang's reforms, he shouldn't have been able to achieve this level..."

Ling Yuxiu cautiously asked, "Mr. Xing has resided on Star-Picking Peak these past few years. I ordered people to send him all the achievements of Yankang's reforms... Did I make a mistake?"

Qin Mu paused, then shook his head and smiled. "No, you didn't make a mistake. Xing An is incredibly unorthodox, yet he adheres to a principle: he never targets the weak and rarely harms lives. If you were to let him roam freely, he would be a malicious god. But if you employ him and provide what he desires, he will do no evil; he will simply focus on his research."

Ling Yuxiu breathed a sigh of relief. "So, should we send Mr. Xing to the Heavenly Court?"

"If he wishes to go, let him."

Qin Mu didn't look up, continuing his research. "He won't stay in the Heavenly Court for long," he said. "Since he has entered Yankang, he is now one of its people. The Heavenly Court is a place of corruption, with nothing worth lingering over... Wait a moment!"

As he spoke, he suddenly entered a dream state. Layers of dreams unfolded, and countless miniature Qin Mus busied themselves, carrying the human skin of Emperor Haotian's reincarnated form.

Ling Yuxiu found herself in a state of amused helplessness and could only wait for him to awaken.

Qin Mu slept for a day and a night, his dream deepening with hundreds of years passing within it. Suddenly, the layers of dreams dissipated, and Qin Mu awoke. He picked up a brush and wrote a few Dao patterns on the human skin. "Wife," he said, "have someone deliver this human skin to Xing An. I've completed the few Dao patterns he couldn't deduce."

Ling Yuxiu chuckled, "Celestial Venerable Mu is second to none; you just have to prove it, don't you?"

Qin Mu clasped his hands behind his back and said leisurely, "Naturally!"

Ling Yuxiu put away the human skin and immediately ordered it to be sent to Star-Picking Peak at Wen Dao Academy.

Qin Mu closed his eyes, meticulously contemplating Emperor Haotian's cultivation method until he had mastered it. Emperor Haotian's mastery of Innate Primordial Qi surpassed his own, and he also possessed remarkable attainments in the Dao of Gui Xu, particularly the Dao of Grand Plain, aspects of which Qin Mu did not fully comprehend.

Qin Mu absorbed Emperor Haotian's strengths, compensated for his own shortcomings, and improved his Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique. After a long while, he slowly activated the Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique, his vital qi circulating, his divine treasure domain manifesting, and his body forming a universe unto itself.

Just then, he heard a soft click from within his divine treasure, Gui Xu.

In the chaotic sea at the deepest layer of Gui Xu, a Gui Xu lotus seed sprouted.

Starting today, Zhai Zhu's official WeChat account will reveal the strength rankings of the Ten Celestial Venerables—this is Zhai Zhu's personal ranking. Everyone is welcome to follow my official account by searching for "Zhai Zhu" to see it. Zhai Zhu's ranking might not be what you expect.