Chapter 1636: For Tu Bo's Soul Summoning

Ancestral Court, Celestial Sea.

Emperor Haotian descended upon the Celestial Sea, walking on its surface. The sea remained undisturbed, calm as a mirror.

Emperor Haotian thought of Qin Mu, recalling the past humiliations Qin Mu had inflicted upon him. Yet, the Celestial Sea remained completely still.

"My inner demons are completely gone," he thought, feeling a profound peace. The intricate details of various divine arts and Dao methods flowed into his mind. The Dao rhythm emanating from him also began to intensify, a clear sign that he was about to achieve a breakthrough in his Dao Realm!

The Ten Thousand Dao Celestial Wheel rotating behind his head grew increasingly powerful, its Dao rhythm ever heavier. After a long time, the Ten Thousand Dao Celestial Wheel suddenly began to split repeatedly. With a buzzing sound, thirty-one Ten Thousand Dao Celestial Wheels appeared above the Celestial Sea, clearly distinct in their positive and negative aspects!

One layer of Dao Realm, one layer of heaven. These thirty-one Ten Thousand Dao Celestial Wheels represented his achievement of thirty-one layers in the Dao Realm!

Suddenly, all the Ten Thousand Dao Celestial Wheels merged, transforming back into a single celestial wheel behind his head, which rotated slowly.

As the second Heavenly Venerate in the Dragon Han era to establish a new realm, Emperor Haotian possessed exceptional talent and comprehension!

"Founding Emperor, you created the Dao Realm system with astonishing talent and brilliance," Emperor Haotian mused. "It's a pity you died; not being able to truly determine who was superior is my lifelong regret."

Emperor Haotian, his robes fluttering, ascended from the Celestial Sea and walked towards the Heavenly Court. "With the Founding Emperor dead and Heavenly Venerate Mu injured, who else in this world can be my opponent and help me advance further?" he wondered.

A hint of melancholy welled up in his heart. However, upon arriving at the Heavenly Court, a divine official immediately came to report: "Your Majesty, someone named Xing An has arrived from the lower realm. He claims Your Majesty invited him to become the Palace Master of Zaofu."

Emperor Haotian's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. "Heavenly Venerate Mu is quite efficient in his work! Bring him in at once!"

His melancholy vanished. He chuckled, "With Heavenly Venerate Xing An here, I can advance even further!"

In Qin Mu's hidden Celestial Palace above Surging River, a sense of tranquility prevailed. These days, Qin Mu spent his time herding cattle, raising chickens, feeding fish, catching insects for his carrots, drinking tea with the Apothecary and the Village Chief, sparring in blade arts with the Butcher, comparing divine eyes with the Cripple, helping the Mute with smithing, and occasionally going to the Deaf to draw and write. It was quite a pleasant existence.

Ling Yuxiu went to Grandma Si's place and learned to make clothes. As Grandma Si sewed baby clothes, she subtly glanced at Ling Yuxiu's abdomen. Ling Yuxiu's face flushed slightly.

"Ten months of pregnancy... it should be noticeable in a few more days, right?" Grandma Si rubbed a silver needle against her head, asking casually as if without intent.

"Not yet!" Ling Yuxiu quickly replied, "My husband said the Heavenly Court could launch an attack at any time, so he doesn't want children right now."

"Nonsense!" Grandma Si cursed, then suddenly chuckled. "Are you going to wait until the Heavenly Court never attacks to have children? If everyone in the world thought like you, humanity would have gone extinct long ago. Have one sooner."

Ling Yuxiu hummed in acknowledgment and quickly changed the subject. "Grandma, do you think the chicken-dragon hens have been acting strangely lately? They've been secretive these past few days, as if discussing something important..."

"They're just a bunch of chickens," Grandma Si said dismissively. "Once you're pregnant, I'll have Cripple kill one for you every day to nourish you. The chickens outside the Celestial Palace aren't enough, but thankfully, there are plenty more in the Crippled Elderly Village below. That ginseng can also be sliced and stewed in the pot. What has Mu'er been doing these days?"

Ling Yuxiu replied, "He's been cultivating. He seems to have encountered some difficulties, but he hasn't told me. However, I can guess that he's stuck in the Jade Capital realm with only fifty-eight treasure palaces instead of seventy-two. It's causing him headaches, and he feels he can't enter the next realm."

Grandma Si put down her needle and thread, pondering. "Fifty-eight treasure palaces? Seventy-two treasure palaces... why doesn't he just ask the Imperial Preceptor? Doesn't the Imperial Preceptor have a complete set of seventy-two treasure palaces?"

The Imperial Preceptor she referred to was Jiang Baigui, who had already cultivated the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Palaces.

Ling Yuxiu understood this point. "My husband said that the seventy-two treasure palaces the Imperial Preceptor cultivated are based on the primordial path, while his thirty-six Heavenly Palaces are based on the post-primordial path. They are different from the seventy-two treasure palaces of Jade Capital City. The seventy-two treasure palaces of Jade Capital City are actually formed from the Grand Dao of seventy-two prehistoric Dao achievers, representing their profound Dao attainments."

Grandma Si was unconcerned. "Mu'er sometimes gets stuck in a rut. He has something readily available, yet he insists on seeking something that merely *looks* better. The seventy-two treasure palaces of Jade Capital City are borrowed power; no matter how well he cultivates them, they'll ultimately be like reflections in a mirror or flowers in water. Didn't Saint Woodcutter give him three hundred and sixty types of post-primordial Grand Dao? He could just pick out seventy-two and refine them into treasure palaces."

Ling Yuxiu chuckled, "Grandma, you're right. It's just that my husband is very competitive and finds it hard to humble himself to cultivate Teacher Woodcutter's techniques."

Grandma Si spat dismissively. "He's 'gnawed' on everyone in the world; who hasn't been 'gnawed' on by him? Even the Dragon Qilin was 'gnawed' by his Human Cultivation Sutra! What's wrong with 'gnawing' on his own teacher? It's perfectly natural!"

"I'll go talk to him." Ling Yuxiu stood up, about to go find Qin Mu, when Grandma Si hastily shoved several baby clothes into her hands. "You're excellent. I used to worry you'd still have the air of an empress and wouldn't adjust, but now it seems I worried too much. Show these clothes to the cowherd! Hang them above his bed every day!"

Ling Yuxiu took the clothes and quickly left.

She found Qin Mu, relayed Grandma Si's words, and said, "Grandma makes a lot of sense. Husband, why don't you consider it?"

Qin Mu chuckled, "Wife, my concerns go beyond that. Researching the post-primordial path is time-consuming and labor-intensive; it's about creating something from nothing. How incredibly difficult is it to advance to a profound realm? The war between Eternal Peace and the Heavenly Court won't drag on for many years. Cultivating the post-primordial path at this time would simply take too long."

Ling Yuxiu thought for a moment, then smiled. "Imperial Preceptor Jiang's realm is already very high. Can his thirty-six Heavenly Palaces be transformed into treasure palaces? Since you've even 'gnawed' on Xing An and Emperor Haotian, why not 'gnaw' on him?"

She took out a twig that Jiang Baigui had given them at their wedding and chuckled, "Husband, you should be able to deduce what realm Imperial Preceptor Jiang has cultivated to from this, right?"

Qin Mu took the twig, flicked it with his finger, and with a whoosh, the twig floated in the air. Immediately, the Dao rhythm contained within it erupted, and in an instant, the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Palaces appeared. Jiang Baigui's ethereal figure stood atop the Jade Capital City, radiating immense battle intent!

*Whoosh*— Jiang Baigui's sword pierced forward, his sword path vast and boundless, resplendent as the opening of the cosmos, majestic and grand!

Qin Mu extended a finger and gently tapped the sword light.

With a soft sound, the sword light instantly dissipated.

Jiang Baigui reappeared, his sword techniques even more ferocious. His ethereal figure unleashed the second layer of his sword path, integrating all his ambitions into the sword art!

The power of this sword path held a spirit that greatly surpassed even the Founding Emperor!

As the sword path moved, it immediately attracted the Village Chief, who looked up at Jiang Baigui's sword techniques, utterly excited.

Qin Mu pointed again with a finger, and Jiang Baigui's second sword path was once more broken.

Sword lights continuously surged, the sword path transforming, magnificent and fervent, embodying the spirit and essence of the era, much like Eternal Peace's reforms.

Qin Mu effortlessly countered the moves. Soon, Jiang Baigui's twenty-six layers of sword techniques were all displayed. Qin Mu showed a look of disappointment. With his final strike, Jiang Baigui's ethereal figure, along with the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Palaces, shattered into dust.

The Village Chief watched, mesmerized and crestfallen, repeatedly praising the display.

"Transforming the post-primordial path into treasure palaces is still not ideal," Qin Mu said, shaking his head.

"Junior Brother Jiang's abilities have indeed reached a supreme level, capable of contending with the Heavenly Teachers of the Heavenly Court," Qin Mu explained, "but he hasn't perfected the post-primordial path. If I were to force myself to cultivate his techniques, it would only be to fill a gap, not to maximize my combat power. Furthermore, his sword path might not even surpass the Primordial Qi..."

Suddenly, the Mute's voice was heard, sounding displeased. "Mu'er, are you looking down on the post-primordial path?"

The rest of the Crippled Elderly Village residents also looked displeased; they had all started by cultivating the post-primordial path.

Qin Mu quickly said, "Grandpa Mute, I absolutely don't have that idea. The Founding Emperor's sword path itself is the post-primordial path; how could I dare to underestimate it? The post-primordial path will definitely produce many Dao achievers in the future, but it's not complete yet. If Eternal Peace had enough time, the post-primordial path would surely flourish and become dominant, surpassing the primordial path. However, right now, I don't have that much time to fully develop the post-primordial path to an extremely high level. Moreover, every art has its specialists; the post-primordial path needs future generations to complete it with their wisdom and talent."

He chuckled, "We are their predecessors. What we can do is provide them with a world where they can realize their ambitions and showcase their talents! This requires our generation to fight with our flesh and blood, to sacrifice our lives to shape such a future for them!"

The Mute fell silent. After a long moment, he sighed, "I misunderstood you. Doesn't the Ancestral Court have seventy-two treasure palaces? You're only missing fourteen; just go to the Ancestral Court again."

Qin Mu shook his head. "The seventy-two treasure palaces in the Ancestral Court have already been divided up by Heavenly Venerate Haotian and Grand Prime. Currently, the remaining fourteen are all in Grand Prime's hands."

"Can't you get them from Grand Prime?" the Village Chief asked.

Qin Mu shook his head. "Grand Prime was defeated by his own son, but there's no way he would ever cooperate with me. When Yuxiu and I got married this time, he maliciously sent scales of the East Emperor Qing Long, testing if I was truly disheartened and in seclusion. If I were to revive Qing Long, he would immediately inform Heavenly Venerate Haotian."

His eyes gleamed. "Once one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates, always one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates. He cannot escape that."

Grandma Si suddenly said, "Grand Prime still has two souls reincarnated in Eternal Peace, but no one has ever found them! If Grand Prime still harbors grand ambitions, then they must have also learned the other fourteen treasure palaces! Perhaps you can start with these two reincarnations to obtain those palaces!"

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. "Can the Register of Life and Death find them?"

Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "I once ordered a nationwide census specifically to find them, but I couldn't. He's taken precautions, so the Register of Life and Death can't locate them either. Heavenly Venerate You also tried to find them, but failed."

Qin Mu pondered, pacing back and forth. Suddenly, he said, "Please invite Heavenly Duke to come here! Ask him to bring A-Chou Earth Count!"

A few days later, Heavenly Duke arrived, utterly excited. He put down A-Chou Earth Count's body and chuckled, "Has Heavenly Venerate Mu's anger subsided?"

"After being put in such a passive position, how could my anger subside?" Qin Mu shook his head, then waved his hand to create a barrier around the entire Celestial Palace. He immediately began to perform a soul-summoning ritual for Earth Count.