Chapter 1751: Enemies Everywhere

Qin Mu directly refused Lang Huan, telling the woman, "This trip is extremely perilous. Our opponents include five powerful enlightened beings, along with figures like Emperor Hao and the Joyful Palace Lord. Emperor Hao also carries a string from the Fourth Young Master's zither. It would be fine if we don't fall out, but if we do, I won't be able to protect you."

Lang Huan's expression darkened.

Seeing Lang Huan's face, Emperor Yanfeng became even more certain: "The Creator wants to undermine my Ling family! The Imperial Preceptor has been bribed by her! But my son-in-law is a true hero; he wasn't tempted or swayed by her!"

Lang Huan was always aloof, so her current girlish demeanor surely hid an ulterior motive. An experienced veteran like Emperor Yanfeng naturally saw through it clearly.

Although Lang Huan was a God King of the Creator race, well-traveled and knowledgeable, she was inexperienced in matters of emotion, making it easy for her to leave traces in her actions.

Qin Mu, completely unaware, continued, "This time, Heavenly Venerate Yue will accompany me. The Fourth Young Master's string is extremely terrifying, and the path the Joyful Palace Lord walks seems to be the same as Heavenly Venerate Yue's. With Heavenly Venerate Yue present, the danger of this trip isn't great."

Heavenly Venerate Yue responded. Emperor Yanfeng grew nervous again and asked Jiang Baigui, "Imperial Preceptor, do you think Heavenly Venerate Yue also intends to undermine my Ling family?"

Jiang Baigui replied indifferently, "Your Majesty, there was once a man who lost his axe and suspected his neighbor had stolen it. No matter how he observed, he was convinced his neighbor was the thief. Later, he found the axe at home, and when he looked at his neighbor again, he no longer seemed like a thief."

Emperor Yanfeng laughed, then turned his face away, his expression grim: "The Imperial Preceptor has indeed been bought!"

Heavenly Venerate Yue went to pack her belongings.

Qin Mu asked Heavenly Venerate You, "You, can you find Xing Han's whereabouts?"

Heavenly Venerate You activated the Book of Life and Death, immersing himself in Youdu. The Book of Life and Death illuminated the myriad worlds. After a long while, Heavenly Venerate You reappeared, shaking his head: "Xing Han's trace is not found in any world. Only the Ancestral Court remains, blocked by prehistoric stowaways, preventing entry for inspection."

Qin Mu was surprised and looked towards the Ancestral Court: "Did Xing Han go there?"

Heavenly Venerate Yue arrived, her hair tied up, dressed in practical attire, with her guqin strapped to her back. She asked, "Does that Joyful Palace Lord also cultivate the Void of Extreme Limit?"

Qin Mu boarded the Golden Ship of Crossing Worlds with her, sending Lan Yutian off the ship. Dragon Qilin also tried to get on, but Qin Mu sent him away too, saying, "I'm not entirely clear about her cultivation techniques and divine arts, but when she countered my divine arts, she used the path of space. I tried to use my divine sense art to make her hallucinate, but she broke through it, so she must have cultivated other grand paths."

Heavenly Venerate Yue pondered. Divine sense arts indeed countered the path of space; to deal with her back then, the Ten Heavenly Venerates had Emperor Lang Xuan, who was proficient in divine sense arts, attack first.

Qin Mu using divine sense arts against the Joyful Palace Lord was, in a way, targeting her weakness. Yet, she broke through it, indicating that the Joyful Palace Lord possessed more than just the path of space.

"Each Palace Lord of the High Heavens Palace possesses unique secrets. Although the Joyful Palace Lord was severely wounded by Lord Shang, she still cannot be underestimated."

Qin Mu repeatedly cautioned, "Your goal is the Fourth Young Master's zither string, not her. It's best to avoid conflict with her if possible. Although you have achieved enlightenment, you haven't yet imprinted the void, so you are temporarily not her match."

Heavenly Venerate Yue nodded gravely.

Since Lan Yutian began spreading his teachings, her path to enlightenment was no longer the traditional Dao Realm method. Instead, she intended to use Lan Yutian's Ancestral Court Dao Realm system to imprint thirty-six layers of void within her own universe.

Although her Dao Realm cultivation had reached its peak, she hadn't yet perfected the Ancestral Court cultivation system, thus still lacking in overall power. Only by completing the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system would her cultivation become immensely profound, making her a true enlightened being, and only then would she have the strength to contend with the Joyful Palace Lord.

The Golden Ship of Crossing Worlds slowly sailed towards the Heavenly Court above the Ancestral Court. The Heavenly Court's current scale had grown even larger, featuring many exotic buildings, likely characteristics of a civilization from the previous universe.

Qin Mu and Heavenly Venerate Yue observed from afar, noticing that the runes and Dao patterns on those buildings were distinctly different from contemporary ones. However, grand divine arts, though taking different paths, ultimately led to the same destination. If one pondered them carefully, one could grasp the irrefutable truths of the Grand Dao within them.

Having cultivated to Qin Mu and Heavenly Venerate Yue's level, observing various inconceivable Dao methods gave them a sense of seeing through appearances to the essence, as if there were no secrets left.

Qin Mu looked towards Emperor Hao, and once again saw the zither string from the past universe, his expression somewhat grave.

The power of this string was sufficient to destroy an enlightened being like Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye. If Emperor Hao brought this string into the Heavenly Court, the power over life and death for the entire Heavenly Court would likely fall into his hands!

Facing the danger of death, these stowaways would probably surrender to the High Heavens Palace!

"Yue, can you see that string?" Qin Mu asked.

Heavenly Venerate Yue looked around, but could only see Emperor Hao walking towards the Heavenly Court, not the string. She shook her head: "I cannot see it."

Qin Mu's heart sank slightly. If Heavenly Venerate Yue couldn't see it, then others likely couldn't either.

It seemed he was the only one who could see that string!

The profoundness of the High Heavens Palace's Fourth Young Master's Dao methods was evident!

Qin Mu composed himself and looked in another direction, seeing Empress Dowager leading the Heavenly Court's remnant forces entrenched in a remote area of the Ancestral Court.

Emperor Hao had few remaining troops, and among them, Empress Dowager was the only master left who could contend with Yankang.

"While you were away, the Empress Dowager sent envoys to discuss surrender."

Heavenly Venerate Yue and Qin Mu stood side-by-side at the bow of the ship. Heavenly Venerate Yue adjusted the guqin on her back and told Qin Mu, "The Empress Dowager had the intention to surrender. Her envoy was discussing with Emperor Yanfeng when Jiang Baigui burst in and flatly refused to negotiate. The Empress Dowager then gave up hope."

"Junior Brother Jiang did well," Qin Mu said with a smile.

Qin Mu laughed: "I know all of the Empress Dowager's plans. She merely believes she still has some power and wants to defect to preserve her influence, remaining one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates. But times have changed; the era of the Ten Heavenly Venerates should be ending... The Seventh Young Master of the High Heavens Palace has come to visit!"

The Golden Ship of Crossing Worlds arrived outside the Heavenly Court. Qin Mu's voice echoed, quickly spreading throughout the entire Heavenly Court.

Moments later, five Dao trees vibrated, and Dao fruits floated into the air. Dao chains overflowed from the fruits, shooting out in all directions. Chain connected to chain, forming a massive, interlocking net that completely enveloped the Heavenly Court, making it impenetrable!

Seeing this, Heavenly Venerate Yue suspiciously said, "Mu, they seem to be guarding against you as if you were a thief..."

Qin Mu's face was filled with confidence, and he smiled slightly: "This is definitely a misunderstanding! Don't worry, they know my identity, so they naturally need to prepare and greet us with great fanfare!"

Inside the Heavenly Court, chaos erupted. Most of those guarding it were prehistoric Heavenly Venerate-level beings, whose cultivation and power were quite extraordinary. Each powerful individual sent their primordial spirit out, activating their various Dao realms, making the defenses incredibly dense and even more secure!

Heavenly Venerate Yue looked into the Heavenly Court and saw heavy artifacts being pushed out from various grand halls or treasuries. These were newly refined heavy artifacts made by the prehistoric experts after they stowed away, quite different from Yankang's.

The power of artifact after artifact was activated, and these heavy artifacts were strikingly aimed at Qin Mu and Heavenly Venerate Yue!

Qin Mu was about to speak when suddenly, someone from the Heavenly Court shouted, "The scoundrel from the High Heavens Palace is here! Everyone, be careful and perk up! Five Elders, Five Elders!"

An old voice rang out, barking, "Don't panic! That scoundrel from the High Heavens Palace is just a greenhorn now, not yet the Seventh Young Master. We don't fear him!"

Qin Mu's face immediately darkened, while Heavenly Venerate Yue covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the side, speaking clearly: "The Joyful Palace of the High Heavens Palace, accompanied by His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor of the Seventeenth Epoch, and by the command of the Third and Fourth Young Masters, has come to visit the Five Elders of Fengshu."

Qin Mu looked to the side and saw a woman, only her upper body remaining, standing atop a Dao tree. Below the Dao tree, Emperor Hao walked over, smiling at him.

Qin Mu completely ignored Emperor Hao, his gaze falling upon the Joyful Palace Lord. He smiled gently: "Fellow Daoist Joy, we meet again."

The Joyful Palace Lord dared not delay, bowing on the Dao tree. She respectfully said: "Greetings, Seventh Young Master! You ordered Lord Shang to kill me, and then harmed me with your divine arts on the way, yet I still managed to escape. If this gets out, I'll have great face."

Qin Mu burst into laughter, unfazed. He said: "My targets were never you, but Chu Ge and Chang Feng. Chu Ge and Chang Feng are already dead, both slain by me. It won't be long until you go to meet them."

The Joyful Palace Lord's heart chilled. She sneered: "Seventh Young Master, we are all from the same master, disciples of the same teacher. Don't you fear the teacher for harming your fellow disciples so brutally?"

Qin Mu was unconcerned: "I am not yet the teacher's disciple, so it's not considered harming fellow disciples. Moreover, the High Heavens Palace harmed the Seventeenth Epoch. As the strongest being of the Seventeenth Epoch, it is natural for me to protect all living beings and act on behalf of heaven."

The Joyful Palace Lord snorted. Emperor Hao smiled slightly and said: "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you are hopelessly deluded..."

Qin Mu ignored him, turning his head to see an old man leading numerous prehistoric Heavenly Venerate-level beings rushing quickly from behind the Heavenly Court's South Heaven Gate.

The old man stopped beneath the South Heaven Gate and bowed, saying: "What wind brings both the envoys of the Third and Fourth Young Masters and a Palace Lord here today?"

The old man's gaze fell on Qin Mu, revealing a look of reluctance, which then vanished, replaced by a broad smile. He said: "To think the Seventh Young Master would honor us with his presence! You make our humble Five Elders of Fengshu shine! Seventh Young Master, envoys, Palace Lord, please come in quickly!"

Qin Mu and Heavenly Venerate Yue stepped off the Golden Ship of Crossing Worlds. Heavenly Venerate Yue's gaze fell on the Joyful Palace Lord, then moved away to examine her Dao tree and Dao fruit.

The Joyful Palace Lord also observed her, her gaze resting on the guqin on Heavenly Venerate Yue's back. Her heart stirred suddenly, and she said: "Are you the woman who played the zither and disturbed the Fourth Young Master's Dao heart?"

Heavenly Venerate Yue smiled serenely and said: "That piece of music is very difficult."

The Joyful Palace Lord laughed: "It is indeed very difficult. That piece is called the 'Purple Heavens Dao Attainment Melody.' It requires one to enter the Dao through music and reach the Dao Realm to play it completely. Back then, the Fourth Young Master Zixiao found it difficult to attain enlightenment, but his wife had already achieved it before him, so she created this piece, embedding supreme spirituality within it to aid his enlightenment. Across sixteen epochs, only one person managed to enter the Dao through music and cultivate to the Dao Realm. When the Fourth Young Master's wife experienced tribulation and perished, this piece became a lost art."

"I see," Heavenly Venerate Yue realized, saying, "No wonder I always found it difficult to play that piece completely. It turns out one needs to attain enlightenment through music. Fortunately, I learned by analogy and, while awakening Lord Shang with ultimate killing intent, I achieved great mastery in the Void of Extreme Limit, allowing me to barely play this piece. Elder sister, you also cultivate the Void of Extreme Limit, don't you? Can't you play it?"

A murderous glint flashed in the Joyful Palace Lord's eyes, and she said with a smile: "I haven't made much progress in music. Good sister, you absolutely must play a piece later for me to hear."

Heavenly Venerate Yue smiled: "It's easy enough to say. Lord Shang's ultimate killing intent was awakened by my 'Killing Dao Melody.' Sister, Lord Shang's killing Dao still lingers in your wounds. I fear you might not be able to endure even one of my pieces before perishing."

"Easy enough to say!" the Joyful Palace Lord said coldly.

The two women turned their heads away from each other and fell silent.

Qin Mu asked the guiding elder: "Daoist brother, are you one of the Five Elders of Fengshu? Do we know each other?"

The old man hastily replied: "I wouldn't dare! Seventh Young Master, we Five Elders of Fengshu are merely insignificant figures from a past universe, unworthy of your notice. It's just that back then, us five old bones were disciplined by you, Seventh Young Master, but perhaps because we were too humble, you don't remember."

Qin Mu burst out laughing, muttering to himself: "Even here, I run into old enemies? How many people did I offend when I went back to the past? Is my popularity really that bad, that I don't have a single friend?"