Chapter 1787: The Shepherd's Child

Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master, hesitated to make a decision. Pulling the sixth red string would release Wuji, the Second Young Master.

He had previously known little about the Bound Red Cord Seal of the Miluo Palace Master. However, Qin Mu had once used this seal against him, sealing a portion of his power and consciousness for eight long years. This experience had given him a profound understanding of the seal. Over those eight years, he had thoroughly deciphered every variation of the Bound Red Cord Seal that Qin Mu employed.

After all, he was also a successor to the Miluo Palace Master. Understanding the variations of the Bound Red Cord Seal mastered by Qin Mu allowed him to draw parallels and discern even more profound mysteries and insights within the Miluo Palace Master's own Bound Red Cord Seal. The greatest mystery left by the Miluo Palace Master was the sixth red string.

Wuji, the Second Young Master, might not understand the mystery of the sixth red string. She had long ago abandoned the Miluo Palace's Taoist arts and divine abilities, instead dedicating herself to studying the Tao of the Great Ruins. However, the Third Young Master could discern the mystery of the sixth red string. It was a lifeline left by the Miluo Palace Master for the Second Young Master. The Miluo Palace Master was benevolent; even when facing the most formidable enemies, he would leave a glimmer of hope, let alone for his own disciple.

"As soon as the sixth red string is pulled, the Bound Red Cord Seal will turn to dust, and Wuji will be released. The Seventh Young Master is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, and the only one who can restrain him is Senior Sister Wuji. However, releasing Senior Sister Wuji..."

He suddenly shivered. Releasing Wuji, the Second Young Master, could pose a greater danger than Qin Mu! Qin Mu merely aimed to prevent the Miluo Palace from descending into the Seventeenth Epoch. If the Miluo Palace did not descend, he would not bother provoking it.

But Wuji, the Second Young Master, was different. If released, she would likely bring about an apocalypse, destroying everything—be it the Miluo Palace, the World Tree, or the Seventeenth Epoch, all would be annihilated! Wuji was extreme in her actions. In the Sixteenth Epoch, she had already begun targeting the Miluo Palace's enlightened ones and other enlightened beings! Outsiders, and even some Hall Masters, believed it was Shang Jun who massacred the enlightened ones, but no one had expected the Second Young Master to be the one responsible for the killings. The number of enlightened ones killed by Shang Jun was a mere fraction of those killed by the Second Young Master!

However, allowing Qin Mu's child to be born would likely add a formidable adversary to the Miluo Palace, an adversary capable of leading to its demise!

The Third Young Master placed his hand on the Bound Red Cord Seal, and his voice entered the Great Ruins: "Senior Sister, your junior brother has come to pay his respects."

A profound silence filled the Great Ruins. After a long pause, Wuji, the Second Young Master's voice came through, giggling: "Oh, it's the Third Young Master. Ling Xiao, what brings you to see me? Ah, that's right, you haven't descended into the Seventeenth Epoch yet. The Seventh Young Master blocked you, so you've come to see me, hoping to use my passage to enter the Seventeenth Epoch, haven't you? Come down—"

Her voice turned strange and unpredictable: "You should know, there are only two stable substances in this world: the World Tree and the Great Ruins. People are foolish, only thinking of sneaking through the World Tree, but they don't realize that sneaking through the Great Ruins is the simplest. Third Young Master, you can descend along the Great Ruins Lotus, and I will guide you to the correct lotus stem that leads to the Seventeenth Epoch."

The Third Young Master remained unmoved. Entering the Great Ruins would mean risking the destruction of his cultivation. With the old monster, Wuji, the Second Young Master, present, who would dare enter the Great Ruins? It was the Miluo Palace Master himself who suppressed her within the Great Abyss of the Great Ruins in the Sixteenth Epoch!

"I've come to tell Senior Sister that the Seventh Young Master's child is about to be born."

The Third Young Master said: "The Seventh Young Master's child is currently still in the womb. The Seventh Young Master is taking his wife through sixteen chaotic long rivers, intending to go to the Miluo Palace to see Master. Along the way, he is nourishing the child in the womb with the power of the Great Ruins Lotus and the World Tree Lotus's calamity-breaking abilities."

Silence fell over the Great Abyss of the Great Ruins. After a long silence, Wuji, the Second Young Master's voice came through: "The Seventh Young Master is playing with fire! Is he trying to cultivate his child into the Son of the Epoch for all cosmic epochs? How preposterous!"

The Third Young Master said: "Senior Sister, if this child is born, the fortunes of the previous sixteen universes will inevitably converge on the Seventeenth Epoch, and our Miluo Palace will bear the brunt. You won't be able to escape either!"

"What do you want me to do?" the Second Young Master asked.

The Third Young Master stated decisively: "Kill this child, or take this child away! He must not fall into anyone else's hands!"

The Second Young Master scoffed: "I am suppressed here; how can I kill him? Third Young Master, release Master's seal, and I'll go kill him!"

The Third Young Master shook his head: "This concerns the very survival of the Miluo Palace..."

"What does that have to do with me?" the Second Young Master replied coldly.

Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master's expression subtly changed, and he patiently explained: "This also concerns the fortune of the Great Ruins. This child was born by drawing upon the essence of the calamity of destruction, and as he grows, he will continuously absorb the power of the Great Ruins, eventually evaporating it completely..."

"What does that have to do with you?" the Second Young Master giggled.

The Third Young Master's face drastically changed, and he said in a deep voice: "What Senior Sister needs to do is simple: activate the power of the Great Ruins to prevent the Seventh Young Master from mobilizing the chaotic long rivers. I will intercept him in the subsequent chaotic long rivers and ensure the child is eliminated! In return..." He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and said: "I will help Senior Sister undo one of the runes in Master's seal, allowing your power to leak out."

A silence fell over the Great Abyss of the Great Ruins. After a long silence, Wuji, the Second Young Master's voice came through, laughing: "Very well, then, one rune it is. As long as you undo one rune, I will lend you a hand, preventing the Seventh Young Master from borrowing any power from the chaotic long rivers! But Third Young Master, you must think carefully: when you return to the calamity of destruction in a past universe, you will become progressively weaker. You are not chaos; when you go back to the past, your cultivation will be that of your past self. I fear you may not be a match for the Seventh Young Master."

Ling Xiao meticulously examined the Bound Red Cord Seal, carefully erasing a rune mark. He said in a deep voice: "As long as the Seventh Young Master cannot borrow any power from the chaotic long rivers, he will be no match for me. Senior Sister, I have fulfilled my promise to you. It's time for you to fulfill yours!"

"Go ahead to the Fifteenth Epoch. There, he won't be able to borrow any power."

Hearing this, Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master's spirits soared, and he immediately rose and departed.

Not long after he left, a wisp of Great Ruins power overflowed from the missing primordial rune in the Bound Red Cord Seal, transforming into a tiny Great Ruins rune that filled the void.

"A dike of a thousand miles crumbles from an ant's nest. This single rune is the beginning of my escape!"

The Third Young Master Ling Xiao entered the Great Calamity of Destruction in the Fifteenth Epoch and immediately felt his cultivation plummet. There was another version of him in the Great Calamity of Destruction of the Fifteenth Epoch. When he entered the calamity, that other self vanished, but his cultivation level remained at the level of that other self. This was highly disadvantageous to him. However, if Qin Mu could not borrow any power from the Great Calamity of Destruction, then Qin Mu would be far from his match!

The Third Young Master, invigorated, pursued the Golden Ferry of Transcending Worlds. The golden ship was in sight ahead, and Qin Mu was still using the Great Ruins Lotus and the World Tree to absorb the power of the calamity of destruction, strengthening himself while nourishing his unborn child.

Just as the Third Young Master was about to rush forward, he suddenly stopped. He saw a burly man amidst the calamity of destruction, his clothes tattered, freely expressing himself. He stood before a magnificent palace, beating a war drum and singing with great spirit: "The Grand Tenuity condenses the Imperial Cosmos, the Jade Light straightens the divine realm. Measuring the sun, shining records of history, observing the capital's beautiful sights. Arranging the Han to construct immortal palaces, establishing heavenly palaces to open the heavens!"

"The Heaven Capital Heaven-Opening Multitude!"

Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master was startled, but then he saw a grove of red trees appear in the distance amidst the calamity of destruction. The great calamity raged, destroying everything, but the red forest remained lush and verdant, its red leaves vibrant as fire, exceedingly prosperous. "Where is the Divine Sovereign, how can the Grand Primordium exist? In the eastern sky is the Ruo Wood, below which lies the Torch Dragon!"

Within the Ruo Wood forest, a woman in a large red dress sang loudly: "Who dares to slay the Young Master, amidst the calamity, towards the Heaven Capital?"

Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master scoffed. Amidst the great calamity, another small boat drifted into view. An old, pot-bellied fisherman sat on it, making the boat's stern tilt high and its bow almost submerged in the calamity. The fat old fisherman held his rod, fishing in the chaotic long river. Pushing back his bamboo hat, he chuckled: "The Grand Primordium nears the Heaven Capital, mountains extend to the sea's edge. White clouds merge when one looks back, green mist vanishes upon entering. Those who wish may bite the hook, those who wish may bite the hook!"

In the Great Calamity of Destruction of the Fifteenth Epoch, peculiar-looking men and women appeared, blocking the Third Young Master's path. There were thirty-five of them in total.

"The thirty-five Heaven Capital Heaven-Opening Multitude are nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings, a motley crowd." He showed no fear and walked forward: "All thirty-five of you are far inferior to the Grand Primordium, far inferior to the Heaven Capital!"

The drum-beating strongman laughed heartily: "Third Young Master of Miluo Palace, we are merely holding you back for a while, just to let the Seventh Young Master of Miluo Palace cross the river! We have been watching the birth of the Holy Child for a long time!"

Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master charged forward, and the Heaven Capital Heaven-Opening Multitude immediately launched their attacks, encircling him in a fierce battle. The Third Young Master was indeed incredibly valiant, forcing his way through a bloody path, pushing back the Heaven-Opening Multitude until he was breathless. However, once he broke free, he found that the Golden Ferry of Transcending Worlds had already vanished.

He arrived at the Fourteenth Epoch, jumped into the river, and his cultivation decreased further. Nevertheless, he strenuously pursued the Golden Ferry of Transcending Worlds. "The Heaven-Opening Multitude regards the Seventh Young Master's child as a Holy Child, so they won't harm the Seventh Young Master on the way; instead, they will protect him. This makes things a bit tricky."

His eyes flickered: "And the Heaven-Opening Multitude isn't thirty-five people, but thirty-six. The strongest and most terrifying among them is the thirty-sixth person, that Profaner of the Tao!"

Just as he thought of this, a peach tree suddenly appeared in the great calamity of destruction ahead, propping it open. No matter how terrifying the power of the calamity, it could not shake the peach tree in the slightest. Beneath the peach tree, a woman looked up, admiring the peach blossoms, her expression serene and detached.

"The Heaven Capital Profaner of the Tao!"

Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master stopped, his expression grave. The Profaner of the Tao beneath the tree plucked a peach branch, lightly sniffed the blossoms, and whispered: "Such a wonderful thing, yet merely transformed energy. Isn't that strange?"

She turned around, revealing herself to be Senior Celestial Ling, who had been sent back to the past universe by the Second Young Master.

"Qin Mu's child is beyond your grasp. Third Young Master of Miluo Palace, you possess the most immense power in the world, but to me, you are merely a mass of energy and matter."

Senior Celestial Ling flicked the peach branch lightly, and peach blossoms danced everywhere in the chaotic long river, obscuring the sky and sun, engulfing Ling Xiao, the Third Young Master!