Chapter 1796: Arranged Properly

Qin Mu's tense shoulder muscles relaxed. He still didn't fully trust Tai Yi; the moment Tai Yi's hand landed on his shoulder, he was indeed startled, but he quickly composed himself.

If Tai Yi had intended to harm him, he could have acted much earlier, when Qin Mu was fighting the thirty-five Creator Race members. There was no need to wait until now.

"The Ancestral Court needs Heaven Master Mu more than it needs Tai Yi."

Tai Yi sensed Qin Mu's hostility quickly dissipating and smiled faintly. He said, "You shouldn't be held up here. I will suppress them; you should return to the Ancestral Court. The burden of the Ancestral Court is heavier. I'll take on a lighter task."

"Do you know how to complete this Obelisk Forest?" Qin Mu asked.

"You can teach me."

Tai Yi said earnestly, "I learn things very quickly."

In the past, Tai Yi had often taught divine arts and doctrines to Qin Mu, but now, the roles were reversed. The Obelisk Forest seal of the Grand Prime, derived from Primordial Runes, was a sealing divine art evolved from them. Although Tai Yi had some understanding of Primordial Runes, his knowledge wasn't extensive, nor was his comprehension as profound as Qin Mu's.

Qin Mu imparted his knowledge to him. Tai Yi meticulously contemplated it, and if he encountered something he didn't understand, he would ask directly.

His cultivation was exceptionally high. When he posed his questions, he used Dao language, which contained vast and complex information, striking directly at the essence of the problem.

Qin Mu also responded in Dao language, explaining the most complex issues in the simplest manner.

As the two exchanged questions and answers, Dong Yang, Ya Ya, Zhu Santong, and others, who had barely managed to stabilize their injuries, listened intently. The Dao language of both was profound and obscure, difficult to comprehend, yet understanding even one or two sentences proved immensely beneficial to them all.

Meanwhile, the Creator Race members suppressed within the stone steles mocked them sarcastically. They ridiculed the divine arts and doctrines of the Mi Luo Palace as outdated and weak, mere names without substance.

Qin Mu and Tai Yi paid them no mind. Later, Tai Yi's Dao language transformed into Primordial Dao language, and Qin Mu also responded in Primordial Dao language. Their exchange became even more profound, so much so that even Dong Yang and the others could no longer understand.

Dong Yang sighed, feeling somewhat despondent.

In his prime, he had been as renowned as the Grand Prime. However, the current divine arts and doctrines far surpassed those of his era. The exchange between Qin Mu and Tai Yi left him awestruck and unable to keep up.

After several dozen days, Tai Yi finally mastered the rune and formation variations of the obelisks. Moreover, during their dialogue, he discovered many variations that even Qin Mu and the Grand Prime had not, which greatly benefited Qin Mu.

Tai Yi attempted to activate the Primordial Runes just as Qin Mu had. After a long time, he seemed to become a humanoid stone stele.

"Brother Dao, try the formation variations again," Qin Mu reminded him.

Tai Yi tried to harness the power of the Obelisk Forest. Qin Mu nodded and smiled, "Brother Dao, you have mastered it. In that case, I'll leave this place for you to control."

He stood up and stretched his body. Tai Yi sat down and asked, "Dong Yang, what are your plans?"

Qin Mu stepped forward to help Dong Yang and the others heal their Dao injuries. The old man, Dong Yang, hesitated before saying, "Ling invited me to look after the Master of Heaven Capital..."

Tai Yi interrupted him, saying, "You are no longer willing to enter the world."

The old man, Dong Yang, fell silent. After a moment, he said hoarsely, "I truly no longer dare. In my time, I was one of the most talented and powerful beings across seven cosmic epochs. But now, I..."

He shook his head and repeated hoarsely, "I no longer dare to enter the world."

The old woman, the woman, the girl, and Zhu Santong hesitated. Their long-cherished dream was to escape suppression and return to the world. However, hearing the old man Dong Yang's words, they too wavered.

The current divine arts and doctrines were vastly different from those of their time. The evolution of the Dao had progressed to a point where even these old "monsters" could not comprehend it. In their respective eras, they had been rare and exceptional beings, but now, they were likely far behind the times.

"Here in the Obelisk Forest, we can still be formidable, boast a little, and talk about our past deeds. But to enter the world..."

Zhu Santong scratched the bristles on the back of his head and shook it, "Heh heh! Who would recognize us? We'd probably be slaughtered before we even had a chance to boast."

Qin Mu's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, "Brother Dong Yang, everyone, if you trust me, I can offer you an opportunity."

Everyone looked over. In their eyes were expectation, but also hesitation and fear – a fear of the future.

Although they appeared fierce and menacing while suppressed here, having witnessed the destruction and creation of cosmic epoch after cosmic epoch, they had long lost their ambitions, becoming nothing more than a group of pathetic individuals.

Qin Mu cleared his throat and said, "Lord Shang was once suppressed here too, but he later left with me. You know Little Shang's character; he's very loyal, honest, and quite straightforward. However, for him to enter the 17th cosmic epoch, he had to follow my rules. He committed many misdeeds in the past, but I gave him a chance to reform and make a comeback. My Eternal Peace has the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel, which allows for reincarnation. So, I arranged for Little Shang to be reincarnated..."

Tai Yi raised an eyebrow and cast a glance at him.

Qin Mu cleared his throat again, carefully saying, "Before Lord Shang reincarnated, he dissolved his own Great Dao—his Great Luo Heaven, his Dao tree, Dao flower, Dao fruit, his Dao of killing—all of it dissolved, returning to heaven and earth to nourish the 17th cosmic epoch. Little Shang, you could say, reincarnated as a blank slate, starting completely anew."

Tai Yi glanced at him again. Qin Mu cleared his throat once more and said, "Currently, my 17th cosmic epoch is undergoing the Eternal Peace Reform, which is in full swing, producing countless talents. And now, Little Shang is a young man in his twenties, also outstanding within my Eternal Peace."

Tai Yi was about to glance at him again, when Qin Mu shot him a fierce glare. Then, turning to face the others, he adopted a benevolent expression and smiled, "Little Shang could do this, and so can all of you. His Dao heart remains unchanged; he's confident that even after reincarnation, he'll still be a top-tier talent, able to keep pace with the Eternal Peace Reform, and even become a future leader of the reform! If any of you believe you can compare to him, you might as well follow his example and reincarnate into my Eternal Peace. If, however, you believe you are not as capable as him, then so be it; you can remain here."

The old man, Dong Yang, hesitated. Although he found Qin Mu's words somewhat unbelievable, they were indeed tempting.

Zhu Santong, the girl, and the others also wavered. Qin Mu's words gave them the impression that a trap had been set, making them feel that he was somewhat unreliable.

Moreover, asking them to abandon everything outright—to give up their previous cultivation, their physical bodies, primordial spirits, Dao trees, and Dao fruits—they were reluctant to do so.

If that were the case, what would be the meaning of their hundreds of millions, or even tens of billions, of years of arduous cultivation?

Qin Mu looked deeply at everyone, saying meaningfully, "Fellow Daoists, there's something you should know. In the future, even if Dao achievers from past universes desire this chance at reincarnation, I might not grant it. For example, the Mi Luo Palace, the Creator Race, or those under Elder Wu Ya."

He said indifferently, "Their fate will be singular: self-dissolution of their Dao, returning the cosmic energy they absorbed back to the universe. This process will involve war, slaughter, and the only thing awaiting them is..."

He pursed his lips, "...utter annihilation of their souls and spirits!"

The old woman looked at the old man, Dong Yang, opening her mouth but not speaking. Zhu Santong, the girl, and the woman also looked towards the old man, Dong Yang. Unable to make a decision, they sought help from Dong Yang.

The old man Dong Yang's dim eyes looked imploringly at Tai Yi. He said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Dao..."

Tai Yi sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Mu's determination is to cleanse all corruption from prehistoric times. Even the Master of Heaven Capital is prehistoric corruption. Even the Master of Mi Luo Palace is prehistoric corruption. The Master of Mi Luo Palace was very wise; when his Dao heart died, he voluntarily dissolved his Dao, returning his entire cultivation to the universe."

The old man, Dong Yang, immediately understood his meaning.

However, Tai Yi was still concerned he didn't fully grasp it, so he continued, "The reason I can retain my cultivation and power is that my physical body and primordial spirit are the Tai Yi of *this* universe, so I don't need to return anything. But you are different; you must return what you have to benefit the 17th cosmic epoch. However, this is also an opportunity. The current 17th cosmic epoch is vastly different from previous ones. The changes in divine arts and doctrines brought about by the Eternal Peace Reform are unprecedented in the trillions of years across the past sixteen cosmic epochs. If you have the chance for reincarnation and rebirth, you must seize it, because reincarnating in the 17th epoch will bring far greater benefits than if your true selves were to descend."

The old man, Dong Yang, finally made up his mind. He stood up and said to Qin Mu, "We humbly ask Seventh Young Master to grant us, these timid wretches, an opportunity!"

Zhu Santong, the girl, and the others also rose and bowed in unison, "We humbly ask Seventh Young Master to give us a chance!"

Qin Mu quickly extended both hands, saying earnestly, "If you trust me, I will certainly not let you down! You can rest assured, I will arrange everything perfectly for you!"

Tai Yi cleared his throat.

Qin Mu's expression darkened, and he shot a fierce glance over.

Tai Yi understood. With an air of both intention and nonchalance, he said, "Dong Yang, you've followed me for so long; there are some things I still need to remind you about. Although Eternal Peace is very good, it also has some bad people. When you reincarnate, be careful not to be sold out and then count the money for someone else. Some people's reputations aren't exactly good."

The old man, Dong Yang, shivered internally, thinking, "Tai Yi seems to be implying something. Indeed, Seventh Young Master's reputation in previous universes was utterly notorious. Is Tai Yi warning us to be wary of being tricked by Seventh Young Master during reincarnation?"

But since Tai Yi hadn't explicitly stated it, he couldn't directly ask.

"If I let Tai Yi continue, there will definitely be complications!"

Qin Mu made a decisive move, taking Dong Yang, Zhu Santong, and the others out of the Obelisk Forest. He thought to himself, "Long nights breed many dreams; let's go now!"

In the stele forest, the faces of the thirty-five Creator Race members were pressed against the mirror surface, watching them with strange gazes. The old man, Dong Yang, and the others followed Qin Mu out of the portal. Qin Mu looked around. Zhu Santong asked curiously, "What are you looking at, Young Master?"

"Those coffins."

Qin Mu said, "You are about to dissolve your Dao. It would be a great pity to simply let all your cultivation dissipate without using it. I plan to catch some coffins, and you can help me drag them to Eternal Peace to directly shatter them and transform them into spiritual qi and energy for heaven and earth... Strange, where did those coffins go?"

Since there was still fighting in the Ancestral Court, he had no time to search for them. He could only leave first with the old man Dong Yang and the others.

Upon arriving at the Primordial Realm, Qin Mu immediately made arrangements for their physical bodies and primordial spirits to undergo Dao dissolution. He also summoned Qin Fengqing and prepared the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel.

Qin Fengqing was startled upon seeing the old man Dong Yang and the others. He quickly sent a telepathic message, "Brother, where did you find these gullible Dao achievers?"

"Never mind that."

Qin Mu replied telepathically, "They are about to dissolve their Dao, but their souls will be preserved. You must arrange everything for them properly; there can be no mistakes."

Qin Fengqing hesitated and asked, "Have you told them that after reincarnation through the Six Paths, their past life memories will be erased?"

Qin Mu smiled.

Qin Fengqing immediately understood. He nodded and gave a thumbs-up, "You're my brother, I'm the younger one!"

"What are you two talking about?" The girl asked curiously.

"Nothing much. My brother and I haven't seen each other in a while, so we're just catching up."

Qin Mu turned his head, smiling benignly, "Brother, are there any good families? Help arrange these Daoists."

Qin Fengqing opened the Book of Life and Death, searched meticulously, and said, "Yes, there's a good family whose master is a black pig who achieved Dao, once blessed by the ancient god Emperor Tai Chu. He's a great venerable among the demon race, with numerous descendants and excellent bloodline. Fellow Daoist Zhu Santong, would you like to be placed in this family?"

Zhu Santong was overjoyed and laughed, "We can even choose where to be placed!"

Qin Fengqing, filled with goodwill, looked deeply at him and said, "You are all friends of my brother, so naturally, you deserve special care."