Chapter 1637: Limitless Divine Power

Aside from his existing reservations, Qin Mu had another reason: resurrecting the Earth Duke. If the Earth Duke appeared in public and the Heavenly Court learned of it, they would realize that Qin Mu had not lost his Dao heart, but was instead plotting a counter-offensive.

At that point, the Heavenly Court would accelerate its attack on Eternal Peace!

He was currently trying to buy time, so naturally, he didn't want to revive Ah Chou, the Earth Duke.

However, only the Earth Duke could likely find the reincarnated form of Grand Emperor, forcing Qin Mu to revive Ah Chou earlier than planned.

After resurrecting him, Qin Mu would have to restrain Ah Chou, preventing him from appearing in public, as this would otherwise bring immense disaster upon Eternal Peace!

As the deity who controlled the world of the dead, the Earth Duke's soul was immensely powerful. Simply summoning his soul's black sand took several days.

The Earth Duke's soul's black sand was taken by the Celestial Yin Realm, not because the Celestial Yin Realm was more powerful than Youdu, nor because Celestial Yin Empress was stronger than the Earth Duke. Rather, it was due to the complementary relationship among the ancient gods born of the Great Dao.

Heavenly Duke governed the operations of the Heavenly Dao in the mortal realm, the Earth Duke presided over the afterlife, and Celestial Yin Empress oversaw the destination of souls after their dispersion.

In recent years, as the intensity of war escalated, more and more gods, devils, and mortals had their souls shattered. Consequently, the Celestial Yin Realm had been continuously expanding, and the power of its Dao techniques and divine arts had been steadily increasing.

Although Celestial Yin Empress was no longer an ancient god, her control over the Celestial Yin Realm meant her cultivation and strength were rapidly improving day by day.

Another two or three days passed. Qin Mu finished his ritual, utterly exhausted and swaying on his feet.

Ling Yuxiu stepped forward, intending to support him, but Qin Mu waved her off, steadying himself. Ahead, Ah Chou, the Earth Duke, slowly awoke.

Upon Ah Chou's awakening, layers of karmic fire ignited within him, one deeper than the last. Within the flames, struggling specters of all living beings appeared—the karma of millions of years, amassed within Ah Chou.

Ah Chou was no longer the Earth Duke; he had shed the Great Dao of Youdu and reverted to the ordinary, unsightly father, husband, and son who had once struggled to survive in the mortal world.

The karmic fire he endured transformed into layers of heavens, reaching thirty-five layers. However, just as it was about to reach the thirty-sixth layer, the karmic fire suddenly extinguished, leaving it incomplete.

Qin Mu frowned slightly.

Heavenly Duke and the Earth Duke had both begun laying out their paths to Dao attainment millions of years ago. Heavenly Duke refined the reincarnated form of Grand Emperor into Hong Tianzun, making him one of the Ten Celestial Venerables.

If he could indeed use Hong Tianzun's power to break free from the Heavenly Dao's constraints and achieve great success in the Battle of Xuandu, he truly could have attained the Dao through it.

However, Hong Tianzun turned his back on the Heavenly Dao and, for various reasons, ultimately died at the hands of his son, Ancestral God King.

The Earth Duke also laid his plans in the early Dragon Han era, choosing Ah Chou as his breakthrough point. Logically, the karmic fire accumulated over millions of years should have been sufficient for him to attain the Dao. Yet, upon his resurrection as Ah Chou, he did not achieve Dao attainment but stopped at the thirty-fifth layer of karmic fire Dao realm.

"Thank you, Celestial Venerable Mu," Ah Chou said, rising to bow.

Heavenly Duke also bowed, saying, "Thank you, Celestial Venerable Mu, for your righteous rescue."

Qin Mu gave a half-smile. "Brother Ah Chou, Brother Heavenly Duke, by resurrecting you, have I also violated the Great Dao of Youdu and the Heavenly Rules of Xuandu, committing a great sin?"

He was referring to an old incident: when Qin Mu initially sought to resurrect mortals, Heavenly Duke forbade it, leading to a dispute. Qin Mu felt Heavenly Duke was selfish, only willing to revive ancient gods but not ordinary people.

Later, to comprehend the Dao of the Blade, Qin Mu went to the Southern Frontier battlefield and resurrected fallen heroes using resurrection divine arts, thereby violating the Dao of Youdu. Celestial Venerable You, under the Earth Duke's command, personally came to stop him.

Qin Mu ignored him, acting willfully, which resulted in his inability to re-enter Youdu until his mastery of the Dao of Reincarnation became increasingly profound.

By bringing up the old matter, he was somewhat venting his displeasure and taking the opportunity to mock Heavenly Duke and the Earth Duke.

Heavenly Duke and Ah Chou exchanged glances. Ah Chou remained silent, while Heavenly Duke defended himself, saying, "The natural order of Heaven dictates: prosperity for those who follow the heavens, and demise for those who defy them..."

Qin Mu waved his hand and chuckled. "All acquired Daos in this world defy the heavens. Take the medical Dao, for example. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order. But does a healer, by curing ailments and delaying death, defy the heavens and violate the Dao of Youdu? Should healers be judged by Youdu after death? Nonsense!"

Heavenly Duke opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words.

Qin Mu continued, "Is building bridges and roads where none exist defying the heavens? Is creating flying chariots and airships because people lack wings defying the heavens? When it's hot, there are ice chests; when it's cold, there are warm stoves. When there's too much rain, gods and devils disperse the dark clouds; when there's drought, rain masters conjure clouds and bring rain. Shouldn't all of this be considered defying the heavens? Heavenly Duke, the medical Dao is the Dao of Creation. With Eternal Peace's current medical Dao, it won't be a century before the aging of mortals can be resolved. At that point, universal longevity will not be far off."

Heavenly Duke finally found a point to retort, saying with a half-smile, "Then the entire universe will be full of humans, and the Great Cataclysm won't be far off."

Qin Mu burst into laughter. "Humanity's triumph over heaven is inevitable. If we cannot progress, we will only perish, either from external forces or from within. Heavenly Duke, I won't argue this with you. Brother Ah Chou, after your revival, I will set three rules with you."

Heavenly Duke was about to argue further, but Qin Mu didn't give him the chance, holding up a finger. "Before the final battle between the Heavenly Court and Eternal Peace, you are not permitted to appear in public."

Ah Chou nodded. "As you wish."

Qin Mu held up a second finger. "You are not permitted to see Celestial Venerable Void. You may see her when the Heavenly Court and Eternal Peace engage in their final battle."

Ah Chou hesitated, then said, "Also as you wish."

Qin Mu held up a third finger, his expression slightly stern. "You are not to act on your own initiative or cause any trouble! Whatever you intend to do, you must discuss it with me!"

Ah Chou raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he said gruffly, "You've become formidable now. Very well, I'll comply."

Qin Mu smiled. "You must swear an oath to the Earth Duke."

Ah Chou probed, "Which Earth Duke should I swear to? Or should I swear to myself?"

"Naturally, it's Qin Fengqing, the Earth Duke of Eternal Peace," Qin Mu replied.

Ah Chou had no choice but to swear an oath to Qin Fengqing. As his oath began, an eerie wind suddenly swept through, and demonic qi surged. Qin Fengqing, with demonic fire swirling around his horns, descended amidst the inferno and qi, his voice deep yet tinged with childishness.

"Who calls upon the great Master of Youdu, the wise and beautiful... Earth Duke!"

Seeing Ah Chou, Qin Fengqing was both surprised and delighted. Forgetting to finish his sentence, he eagerly rushed over. "Big Guy, you're alive again! You're much smaller now, even smaller than me!"

Ah Chou's expression grew stern, and he admonished gravely, "As the Earth Duke, you cannot behave so frivolously! I must make a pact with you, so stand still... Don't cling to me, stand still... Don't touch my head! Stand still!"

Respectfully, he swore an oath to Qin Fengqing, establishing the Earth Duke's pact. If he violated the three rules, Qin Fengqing would consume his soul.

Qin Fengqing was inexplicably excited to see him and managed to resist the urge to pounce until Ah Chou finished his oath, at which point he finally rushed forward.

Ah Chou, resigned, adopted a serious expression and gruffly began teaching him some principles of being the Earth Duke.

The deaths of the Earth Duke and Founding Emperor had greatly impacted Qin Fengqing, forcing him to mature into a youth. He had been sullen for days, but only after learning that Founding Emperor was still alive did a smile return to his face. Now, seeing Qin Mu resurrect Ah Chou, he had reverted to his youthful mindset.

"I have one more matter to ask of you, Brother," Qin Mu said.

Qin Mu had Qin Fengqing retrieve the Earth Duke's Ledger of Life and Death. His eyes gleamed as he said, "I wish to find the two souls of Grand Emperor's reincarnated form in Eternal Peace."

Ah Chou shook his head, not reaching for the ledger. "Now that Eternal Peace has an Earth Duke and a Ledger of Life and Death, finding Grand Emperor's reincarnated form is not difficult. What the Earth Duke lacks is merely a good teacher. Giving a man a fish feeds him for a day; teaching him to fish feeds him for a lifetime. I will teach him for two days, and then he will be able to find Grand Emperor's reincarnated form."

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and bowed. "Thank you, Brother."

Ah Chou returned the bow. "No need. Earth Duke, come with me."

Qin Fengqing followed him. The two sought a secluded spot in Qin Mu's Celestial Palace. Ah Chou taught diligently, and Qin Fengqing learned earnestly, grasping concepts instantly, which greatly pleased Ah Chou.

Two days later, Ah Chou and Qin Fengqing emerged. Ah Chou said to Qin Mu, "Celestial Venerable Mu, the Earth Duke is ready."

Qin Mu thanked him again. "Brother, please do not forget the Earth Duke's pact."

Heavenly Duke chuckled. "If we violate it, do you truly intend to seize our souls? Our friendship..."

Qin Mu simply smiled faintly without speaking.

Heavenly Duke shivered, falling silent.

Ah Chou said, "Celestial Venerable Mu keeps his word. If we truly break the oath, we will be doomed for eternity. Brother, let's go."

Heavenly Duke followed him, whispering, "That boy, Celestial Venerable Mu, how obedient and well-behaved he was back then? Now he even threatens us..."

Ah Chou's voice drifted back, "We were in the wrong, and we know it. Brother, say no more..."

Qin Fengqing retrieved the Ledger of Life and Death and activated his divine art. "Brother," he said, "I need some time to search all living beings in Eternal Peace, examine their past lives, and trace back hundreds of generations to determine who Grand Emperor's reincarnated form is."

Qin Mu waited quietly, observing his spellcasting.

Having received Ah Chou's instruction, Qin Fengqing immediately activated the Ledger of Life and Death. Countless images of humans, gods, and devils appeared within the ledger; all living beings in Eternal Peace, regardless of race, were reflected within it.

With a thought, he filtered out those with past lives. The multitude of beings in the ledger dwindled to hundreds of thousands, but the number was still considerable.

Qin Fengqing activated the Dao of Youdu. His horns grew scorching hot, and his vertical eye on his forehead shone upon the Ledger of Life and Death. Wherever the light fell, the past and present lives of individual beings gradually appeared.

He meticulously searched, and after a long time, he clearly perceived all the past lives of every being on the Ledger of Life and Death, no matter how many they had.

Gradually, only a dozen or so individuals remained on the Ledger of Life and Death.

Qin Fengqing continued his search. His horns, like gigantic, winding mountain peaks standing between heaven and earth, turned fiery red as if burned by magma.

His vertical eye on his forehead grew brighter and brighter, igniting his horns. Between his horns, the Dao of Youdu seemed to coalesce into a massive eye, shining upon these dozen or so individuals!

He illuminated the deeper past lives of these dozen or so individuals, causing several more to disappear, leaving only seven.

"This one is me," Qin Mu said, pointing.

Qin Mu raised his finger and continued, "I am proficient in the Dao of Reincarnation, Brother, you cannot trace my origins. This person is Celestial Venerable You; you also cannot trace his origins. This person is Celestial Venerable Ling, and this one is Grand Beginning; they have obscured the Ledger of Life and Death, so there's no need to look for them... This person should be Celestial Venerable Void's reincarnated form in Eternal Peace; her Dao of Youdu is not inferior to yours, so do not disturb her."

Qin Fengqing excluded these individuals, leaving only two on the Ledger of Life and Death.

Qin Mu examined them closely. The two individuals on the Ledger of Life and Death were named Du Yufei and Yan Duxing.

Their past lives were even more numerous than those of Heavenly Master Bai Yuqiong of the Heavenly Court, making it extremely difficult for Qin Fengqing to search for their past lives.

"It should be these two," Qin Mu affirmed.

Qin Mu rose. Ling Yuxiu quickly said, "Husband, how will you obtain the remaining fourteen treasure halls without alarming them? Although Grand Emperor is secluded in the Eastern Extremity Heaven, he is still a Dao achiever and possesses the One Qi Grand Overarching Heaven. Any action by his reincarnated forms will be difficult to hide from his eyes!"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, and his figure vanished, only his voice lingering: "My divine arts are long beyond Grand Emperor's comprehension."

Ultimate Void, Grand Emperor's One Qi Grand Overarching Heaven.

Grand Emperor's primordial spirit sat beneath the Dao tree, while his two avatars studied Eternal Peace's Dao techniques and divine arts, attempting to mend his deficiencies using the Dao of Grand Emperor that Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and others had comprehended.

Thus, every action of these two avatars was entirely within his grasp.

One day, his avatar Yan Duxing was studying at Eternal Peace Imperial College. As class ended, a young man approached him, raising his hand, clenching his fist, and then suddenly spreading his fingers.

Yan Duxing was momentarily stunned, and Grand Emperor's primordial spirit in the Grand Overarching Heaven was also momentarily stunned. He rushed to look, but the man had already left.

In that brief instant, Yan Duxing had already undergone thousands of reincarnations within Qin Mu's reincarnation divine art and dream, and then all memory of it was erased.

He knew nothing of what had happened during those thousands of lives.