Chapter 1830: Daughter of Chaos

"Brother Wuya, there's no need to panic."

Qin Mu approached the tree, stroked its trunk, and said with a smile, "If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it long ago. I'm here to bid you farewell. After all, we are old acquaintances, and our friendship still remains."

The large tree stopped trembling. Old Man Wuya's voice came from within the tree, saying, "Farewell? Are you planning to return to the past and become Young Master Chaos?"

Qin Mu nodded with a smile and said, "Brother Dao, you didn't lose out on that IOU I gave you back then, did you? Fortunately, you really kept it, otherwise things wouldn't be as they are today."

Old Man Wuya, from within the tree, sneered, "You don't dare kill me! Chaos, it's not that you don't want to kill me; it's that you don't dare! Because you know your path might not work out! You didn't spare my life; you beat me almost to death, and then knelt before me, begging me not to die!"

Qin Mu was stunned.

Old Man Wuya chuckled, "I know your little schemes, your hidden agendas. Your Eternal Peace has lost its vitality, and the reforms lack momentum. Heh heh, you need me to be Eternal Peace's enemy, its adversary. What a clever idea. But aren't you afraid I'll destroy Eternal Peace?"

Qin Mu wore a benevolent smile.

Old Man Wuya laughed heartily, "Once you're gone, I'll be invincible in the Seventeenth Epoch! If I just recover a little, I can connect my roots to prehistoric cosmic epochs, allowing an endless stream of mighty beings from ancient times, unwilling to die, to smuggle themselves over and easily destroy Eternal Peace and all the heavens and myriad worlds! Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua—they're all mere 'juniors' in front of me!"

Qin Mu blinked and smiled, "Brother Dao still has such grand ambitions; I am greatly comforted. Please don't disappoint the words you've spoken today. After this farewell, I wonder when we will meet again."

"...I will utterly destroy your Eternal Peace and return this world to chaos!"

Old Man Wuya exclaimed excitedly, "When you return, you'll find that I've become the master of this shattered universe! By then, I'll have recovered to my peak, as powerful as the Master of the Mi Luo Palace! All your relatives, your women, your children..."

Qin Mu turned his head and gave him a grim look.

Old Man Wuya's excitement immediately vanished, and he began to tremble.

Qin Mu turned to leave, scoffing, "Junior!"

He had finally learned a popular term from this era.

The war in the Ancestral Court continued, locked in a stalemate. While Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, Emperor Kai Qin Ye, Jiang Baigui, Xing An, and others were powerful, they couldn't break through the Heavenly Well. The hall masters and enlightened beings of the Mi Luo Palace were not without resistance either.

Among them, some had successfully ascended to the ultimate void, forming the Great Luo Heaven, and achieved enlightenment again in this universe, greatly increasing their combat power.

Dragon Qilin also returned from the Ancestral Court, heavily wounded. He clung to Qin Mu every day, shamelessly begging for spirit pills even after his injuries healed.

Qin Mu tried to shoo him away several times, but he wouldn't budge, so Qin Mu eventually gave up.

Although Dragon Qilin was the esteemed Lord of the Beast Realm, he cherished this time. From their first meeting at the entrance of the Imperial College, they had been companions, supporting each other. Qin Mu was responsible for Dragon Qilin's food, calling him 'Fatty Dragon,' while Dragon Qilin had faced life and death with him, offering encouragement that no one else could.

They were the best of friends.

On this day, Qin Mu finally decided to leave.

He didn't wait for Emperor Kai, nor for Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian; their strength was still needed on the front lines, and he couldn't delay much longer.

"Senior Brother Supreme still hasn't reincarnated, that old fox..."

Qin Mu felt quite indignant. If Supreme had reincarnated, he could have entered the Ultimate Void's messy arena, forced Tai Yi's hand, and made Tai Yi eliminate the Heaven-Opening multitude.

In his mind, the hidden danger posed by the Heaven-Opening multitude was far greater than that of the Mi Luo Palace members. The Mi Luo Palace members still acted with some principles, while the Heaven-Opening multitude's actions were utterly reckless. He always felt that eliminating the Heaven-Opening multitude would be a better choice.

However, Supreme had never reincarnated, evidently anticipating this. Only after Qin Mu returned first to become one of the Seven Young Masters would Supreme disperse his cultivation and Dao, and reincarnate.

"Husband, don't worry about those troublesome things anymore."

Ling Yuxiu straightened his clothes, her expression gentle, but her tone unusually firm: "Find Ling Jun and bring her back!"

Qin Mu nodded solemnly and embraced her, "Don't worry, I will find her, and I will definitely bring her back!"

On this day, most of his old acquaintances who remained in Eternal Peace came to see him off.

The Woodcutter Saint also came, wearing a hat that covered his sparse hair, looking quite energetic.

Qin Mu released Ling Yuxiu and looked at the familiar faces, beaming with smiles, as if they were about to beat gongs and drums to celebrate his departure.

These feigned smiles warmed his heart.

"Don't miss me, everyone," he said with a smile.

Everyone urged him, "Hurry and go! Go plague those ancient monsters from prehistoric times! The Seventeenth Epoch can't afford you anymore!"

They laughed heartily.

Qin Mu's eyes reddened. Behind him, the Hall of Chaos slowly emerged, its portal opening to reveal sixteen chaotic rivers within.

"Mu!"

You Tianzun limped forward, leaning on his staff. After a moment of silence, he said, "Find Yue and Ling, and bring them back."

Qin Mu nodded solemnly.

"Cult Master Qin, if you don't come back, there'll be no one in this world to control me."

Xing An lay on a tattered box, yet he struggled forward. He tried to lift his head, wanting to get up, but couldn't, panting heavily. Still, he smiled proudly, "Jiang Baigui can't defeat me, nor can the Old Sword God. Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, no one can kill me. Without you to keep me in check, be careful I don't turn the Seventeenth Epoch into utter chaos."

Qin Mu burst out laughing, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Xing An. Good people don't live long, but troublemakers live for a thousand years. If you don't die, how could I bear to die?"

He then turned his face, his expression grim, and whispered to the Apothecary, "Grandpa Apothecary, how is this fellow so heavily wounded and still not dead?" With that, a fierce glint in his eye, he made a feigned gesture across his own neck.

Xing An, lying on the box, shivered.

The Apothecary waved his hand and whispered, "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll give him medicine to finish him off tomorrow. Go on, don't worry. Tomorrow there will be an obituary: 'Saint Xing An died from severe injuries'."

Xing An shivered again.

Qin Mu smiled, his eyes twinkling, "Fellow Daoist Xing An, take good care of your injuries; don't worry about what happens after you're gone. I'm leaving, everyone, no need to see me off!"

He waved vigorously and walked into the hall.

"Cult Master!"

Qin Mu stopped and looked back at Dragon Qilin. After a moment of silence, Dragon Qilin shouted, "When will you return?"

Qin Mu smiled, "The chaotic void is where I enter my dream. When I return, it will be when I awaken and the dream shatters, and the chaotic void there will bloom like fireworks."

He turned and walked into the Hall of Chaos.

Whoosh—

The first chaotic river surged with waves, engulfing his figure. As this great wave rolled, the entire Hall of Chaos was struck and pulled into the long river.

Eventually, the waves disappeared, and all sixteen chaotic rivers vanished without a trace.

Dragon Qilin looked up, and many others also raised their heads to the sky. Xing An sneered, "What are you looking at? He's returned to the depths of time and space, not flown up into the sky! There's nothing in the sky! That's why none of you are my match!"

Dragon Qilin lowered his head and said, "I was just pretending he flew up there."

Xing An continued to sneer.

"Alright!"

The Woodcutter Saint pulled out his chopping axe and said in a deep voice, "Mu'er has left, but the war continues. The Celestial Heavens are not destroyed, and Emperor Haotian is still there. Everyone, follow me to continue the fight! Hantang! Hantang! You lead the left division, Qing Huang leads the right division, let's turn heaven and earth upside down... Where's Hantang? He didn't go fishing again, did he..."

Black Tiger God quickly comforted him, whispering to the crowd, "Master has been lonely for too long these past years. He always imagines that his old friends are still alive... It's fine, he'll sober up soon. He just selectively forgot some things..."

"Not a single Heavenly Venerable can be spared! The reforms must continue!"

The Woodcutter Saint looked up, his face solemn as he gazed at the sky, "Qin Ye, I told you, you cannot move to Carefree Village, otherwise everything will be ruined! Our foundation, our roots, are here, on this land!"

Soon, everyone became accustomed to the Woodcutter Saint's rambling. The wisest man under heaven, now, due to too much silence, had his memories diluted by sorrow and the passage of time, leaving his thoughts somewhat muddled.

The Apothecary examined him and said, "It's not a big problem. It's just that too much time has passed, and his consciousness has been protecting him, making him forget some unbearable things. Invite the West Emperor to blow the horn of war, and then have the pig butcher beat the war drums, and he will wake up."

Everyone nodded silently.

In the first epoch of the universe, time flew by. After eight hundred billion years, the first epoch finally reached its end.

The aura of the Calamity of Destruction permeated all the heavens and myriad worlds. Even the most ancient beings were bewildered by this calamity of unknown origin. Old Man Wuya rose from under the tree, watching the destruction of one heaven after another, his expression filled with confusion.

The enlightened beings of the First Epoch were also at a loss. The worlds they protected withered away, and lives constantly perished, making them feel the danger themselves.

Their Great Dao began to decay, their Dao trees withered, their Dao flowers fell, and their Dao fruits lost their spirituality.

The enlightened beings journeyed to the Ancestral Court, where resided a majestic being—the first enlightened one of the First Epoch, and the founder of the cultivation system. His wisdom and divine powers were boundless; he surely had a way to resolve this sudden great calamity of destruction.

They called this majestic being Mi Luo, meaning vast, supreme, and boundless. His dwelling place was also known as the Mi Luo Palace.

When they arrived, they saw the first enlightened one from afar, collecting the Ancestral Court's most precious divine gold, using his vast power and cultivation to forge a massive golden ship.

"This is the Golden Ship of Salvation."

The Master of the Mi Luo Palace said to the enlightened beings who had come from afar, "I sense that this destruction will sweep through everything, destroy everything, and flatten all. But after everything is destroyed, the universe will reopen on its own. The Golden Ship of Salvation can carry all life of the universe to the next epoch."

The enlightened beings of the First Epoch were filled with admiration.

At this moment, dozens of heavens were destroyed, and the resulting chaotic energy converged. The scorching winds of entropy howled, forming the chaotic energy into a surging river that swept towards other heavens.

The Master of the Mi Luo Palace was surprised. He looked up at the chaotic river, his gaze profound, as if he had seen something.

"Brother Mi Luo, what are you looking at?" an enlightened being asked.

"I seem to have seen a lotus leaf in that river, and a female infant wrapped within it."

The Master of the Mi Luo Palace showed a look of confusion, saying, "The lotus leaf drifted away. How strange, how could a living being survive in that long river..."

He then perked up, smiling, "Someone can survive, which means this great catastrophe can surely be overcome! Everyone, quickly help me; let's build this Golden Ship of Salvation to rescue all living beings!"

At this moment, the chaotic river churned again, and powerful figures flew out from it, one after another. Though puzzled, the Master of the Mi Luo Palace was in a critical phase of forging the golden ship and had no time to investigate.

Suddenly, a grand hall, imbued with chaotic energy, spun out from the chaotic river.

The Master of the Mi Luo Palace looked up, exchanged a distant glance with the person in front of the hall, and then immersed himself once more in the shipbuilding.

He did not know that on this day, his seventh disciple of the future had returned.

Five years later, the female infant, carried by the lotus leaf, was emaciated and stumbled along with the refugees. The people who had helped her survive, the fleeing masses, one by one collapsed and perished in the great catastrophe of destruction.

She stood amidst a mountain of corpses, looking up. In the ruined world, only she remained.

The sea of fire twisted, and the terrifying "demons" pursuing her finally found her, seeking to seize and destroy her.

At this moment, the Calamity of Destruction came to a halt.

A tall figure parted the sea of fire and walked towards her.

"I've found you, I've found you... my child."

A familiar yet strange voice echoed in her ears, seeming to awaken the fading memories imprinted within her.

Daughter of Chaos.