Chapter 363: Tian Alliance

Chapter One has been updated.

The measurement of the sky's height and thickness, while a significant blow to Qin Mu and others, was most devastating to Dao Master Lin Xuan.

The Daoist sect's doctrines, cultivation techniques, and divine arts were all founded on the principle of "Dao follows nature." They sought the essence of all things from nature, striving to make their cultivation, divine arts, and even their state of mind align with nature, thus approaching the Dao.

Suddenly, he discovered that the celestial phenomena in nature were fake. No wonder his state of mind collapsed!

How could one comprehend the true Dao by studying a false nature?

Dao Master Lin Xuan, who had been walking forward on his own, suddenly felt his legs give way. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his expression blank, his eyes dull. Several Daoists rushed to help him, but they heard their Dao Master mumble, "No one has ever mastered the fourteenth chapter of the Dao Sword. My master spent his entire life trying to comprehend the fourteenth sword; his talent was certainly sufficient, yet he still couldn't master it... So it wasn't that it couldn't be mastered after all, but that even this nature itself is false. How could one master it by studying a false nature... *cough cough*!"

He coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. All hope vanished. "Dao follows nature" was the core teaching of the Daoist sect, and the realization that nature itself was false dealt him an immense, unimaginable blow.

Qin Mu looked at Xu Shenghua and asked, "Is the sky in your High Heavens the same as the sky here?"

Xu Shenghua looked up at the sky and nodded.

The same sky, the same stars. The High Heavens were no exception.

Qin Mu's claim that he was a "discarded person" was indeed true.

The sky was a cage. Whether it was the High Heavens or the Great Ruins, they were all birds in a cage, only the birds didn't know they were caged.

Qin Mu steadied himself, walked over to Dao Master Lin Xuan, helped him up, and whispered, "The truth is truly cold and difficult to accept. It's best not to reveal it to the public. Dao Master, please catch up with those Daoists who ran off and tell them not to spread rumors. At least, some hope must remain."

Dao Master Lin Xuan stared blankly at him, his expression somewhat strange, and his voice hoarse, "Do you think anyone would believe them if they spoke of it?"

Qin Mu smiled. "But people *will* believe you."

"Are you telling me not to speak of it?"

Dao Master Lin Xuan showed a self-deprecating look and chuckled. "Countless Dao Masters and Daoists throughout the history of my sect have sought to unravel the fourteenth chapter of the Dao Sword, expending immeasurable effort to comprehend the nature of heaven and earth. The fourteenth chapter of the Dao Sword seemed like an unscalable peak, an unsolvable conjecture. Yet, in the end, it was all because the celestial phenomena were wrong. Heh, what goddamn irony!"

Although he was the Dao Master of the Daoist Holy Land, he was still essentially a young man and couldn't help but utter a few expletives.

Qin Mu said meaningfully, "Previous Dao Masters of your sect didn't know where the error lay, so they couldn't master the fourteenth sword. But you do. Perhaps Dao Master Lin will be the first person to master the fourteenth sword!"

Dao Master Lin Xuan's heart trembled slightly, and he looked at Qin Mu.

"Crisis, crisis. Danger and opportunity coexist; it is both danger and opportunity."

Qin Mu smiled slightly. "Ordinary people only see the danger, but the wise can see the opportunity that coexists with danger. However, only truly capable individuals can seize this opportunity! Which kind of person are you, Dao Master?"

Dao Master Lin Xuan's chest heaved violently.

Just moments ago, he had felt that the heavens were false, the celestial phenomena were false, and these false phenomena had locked the progress of the Daoist sect's techniques and divine arts, preventing everyone from comprehending the ultimate mysteries of the Dao Sword.

However, Qin Mu's words made him see the arrival of an opportunity. Knowing it was false meant seeking the true, and thus, the fourteenth chapter of the Dao Sword now had the possibility of being mastered by him!

"I am truly convinced of your worthiness as Human Emperor."

Dao Master Lin Xuan composed himself and said, "I believe the doctrinal dispute between the Daoist sect and the Heavenly Devil Cult can be put aside for now."

Qin Mu nodded. "Indeed, it should be put aside. I think we can form an alliance, and when our strength is sufficient in the future, we can break through this sky!"

Wang Muran walked over, extended his palm, and said, "Wang Muran of Little Jade Capital is willing to form an alliance with the Human Emperor and the Daoist sect!"

Qin Mu and Dao Master Lin Xuan each extended their palms, placing them together. Qin Mu turned to look at Xu Shenghua, who walked over and extended his palm. "Xu Shenghua of the High Heavens is willing to form an alliance with the Human Emperor, the Daoist sect, and Little Jade Capital. But shouldn't our alliance have a name?"

Wang Muran smiled. "How about we call it the Heaven Alliance!"

The three of them said in unison, "Good! The Heaven Alliance it is!"

The four of them withdrew their hands. Dao Master Lin Xuan bowed to everyone and departed with the many Daoist masters.

"Lord Qin, should we inform the Emperor about this?" Volcano Order stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"Naturally, we must tell the Emperor."

Qin Mu said, "But tell only the Emperor. Do not speak carelessly to others, or you might lose your head."

Volcano Order quickly nodded, summoned other officials from the Bureau of Celestial Observation, and hurried away.

Wang Muran let out a deep breath and said, "Human Emperor, please forgive me, but I must inform Martial Uncle Qing You about this matter!"

Qin Mu nodded. "Immortal Qing You knows what to say and what not to say. Just tell him."

Wang Muran said to Mu Qingdai, "Senior Sister, please go find Senior Brother Long Yu. I'm going to see Martial Uncle!"

The two immediately departed in different directions.

Now only Qin Mu, Xu Shenghua, and Jing Yan remained. Qin Mu glanced at Xu Shenghua and said, "Brother Xu doesn't seem surprised at all. Even the Dao Master couldn't help but be shocked and unsettled, yet Brother Xu's expression remains as calm as ever. I admire that. I, too, lost my composure just now; my cultivation in mental fortitude is still somewhat inferior to Brother Xu's."

Xu Shenghua's expression remained unchanged as he said, "I was shocked, and I am still shocked. I originally thought the High Heavens were lofty and far removed from worldly defilement, but I never expected them to be within a cage as well. The shock and blow I received are immense."

Qin Mu scrutinized him, seeing no sign of shock, and asked suspiciously, "Really?"

Jing Yan whispered, "Cult Master Qin, this is how my young master looks when he's shocked. At most, he'll furrow his brow a little."

Qin Mu frowned. "What about when he's not shocked?"

"He looks like this then too."

Qin Mu was stunned. Xu Shenghua looked up at the sky and suddenly asked, "Brother Qin, what do you think lies beyond the sky?"

"I don't know."

Qin Mu walked towards the capital city, saying, "Once we have the strength, we'll go and see what's beyond the sky."

Xu Shenghua followed him, and the three entered the city. Xu Shenghua and Jing Yan returned to the blacksmith's shop, while Qin Mu went to the Imperial College. There, many master mathematicians had already established the spatial mathematical model for the Golden Scroll. The Daoist sect had a copy, the imperial palace had a copy, Qing You Immortal had a copy, the Imperial College kept a copy, and of course, the Heavenly Devil Cult also had one.

The establishment of the Golden Scroll meant that cult master-level experts, previously stuck at the Divine Bridge realm, now had the possibility of breaking through. It was likely that a large number of divine beings would emerge. Of course, not everyone could connect to the Divine Bridge; cultivating the techniques in the Golden Scroll still required a high level of mathematical proficiency.

Without sufficient proficiency, even with the Golden Scroll's techniques and spatial mathematical model, one couldn't complete the Divine Bridge.

Qin Mu arrived at his residence to find Qing You Immortal, the Village Chief, and others present, all with grave expressions. Wang Muran was also there, having apparently already informed them of Qin Mu and the others' recent calculations.

"I just remembered someone."

The Village Chief looked up at the sky and suddenly said in a daze, "Perhaps he knows some secrets. Daoist Qing You, do you know who I'm talking about?"

"Yes, the one who drew his blade against the heavens."

Qing You Immortal's eyes flickered. "Heavenly Blade."

Qin Mu was slightly startled. "Grandpa Butcher?"

"Legend has it that Heavenly Blade drew his blade against the heavens, fighting his way up to the firmament. Many witnessed that scene: his blade sliced open the sky, gods appeared, and he fought them, his body ultimately falling to the mortal realm. He was called the craziest martial fanatic. If not for that battle, Heavenly Blade would not have vanished without a trace."

Qing You Immortal continued, "If Heavenly Blade hadn't left back then, Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang would not have been able to make the sword arts surpass the combat techniques, and he wouldn't have been called the Sword God. The gods Heavenly Blade fought were not from the High Heavens, but from beyond the sky. I hadn't thought about it deeply before, but now, it seems Heavenly Blade must know many things. Some time ago, Heavenly Blade and Divine Spear visited my Little Jade Capital. They sensed the aura of the gods from the High Heavens and quickly departed. Unfortunately, I don't know where he is now."

The Village Chief pondered, "That madman must have gone to look for those false gods from the High Heavens. Ever since his waist was reattached, he's been in a half-mad state. If Blind wasn't constantly by his side, he would have caused great trouble long ago. He knows many secrets, so we should go find him. Mu'er, let's go find Butcher."

Qin Mu hesitated. "Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang still owes me a hundred treasures, and he's about to return to the capital..."

The Village Chief shook his head. "Are the treasures from the Loulan Golden Palace even worth a glance? The Grand Venerable of the Golden Palace is just a junk collector; even Cripple wouldn't find the treasures he's collected his entire life worth seeing."

Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then quickly summoned Fox Ling'er and instructed, "Ling'er, Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang still owes me a hundred treasures. When he returns to the capital, please collect them for me."

Fox Ling'er's eyes immediately lit up, and she asked with a smile, "Young Master, what kind of treasures?"

Qin Mu said, "The treasures he brought from the Loulan Golden Palace, we can choose a hundred of them!"

Fox Ling'er was overjoyed but then hesitated. "Young Master, my discerning eye isn't as good as yours. I'm afraid I won't be able to pick out the best ones."

"I will teach you the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method. Once you open your eyes with it, you'll be able to tell what treasures are valuable."

Qin Mu then taught the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method to Fox Ling'er, summoned the Dragon Qilin, placed the Village Chief on its back, and asked, "Village Chief, how can we find Grandpa Butcher?"

The Village Chief calmly replied, "It's simple. As soon as I release my aura, it will alert the visitors from the High Heavens, and it will also alert Butcher and Blind. This way, they will know we are here. The High Heaven visitors will undoubtedly release their aura to challenge me, and once we arrive, we'll be able to meet Butcher and Blind."

He quietly added, "The matter of the High Heaven visitors should also be resolved."

Just as he was about to unleash his aura, he suddenly showed a startled expression. Qing You Immortal and the other powerful cultivators from Little Jade Capital also looked startled, each raising their heads to gaze in the same direction.

Qin Mu was about to ask when he, too, suddenly felt waves of terrifying tremors.

The Village Chief murmured, "It's those fellows from the High Heavens. Strange, I haven't even released my aura yet, and they've already released theirs first... No, they're fighting!"

A look of shock appeared on his face, and he exclaimed, "The Four Monarchs of the High Heavens are fighting amongst themselves! What's happening? Mu'er, I'm going ahead!"

Boom!

A loud bang came from the rocking chair, and the Village Chief vanished from the Dragon Qilin's back. Then, with several more tremors, the three old immortals—Qing You, You He, and You Yun—also disappeared into thin air.

"Muran, once Qingdai finds Long Yu, both of you hurry over!" Qing You Immortal's voice echoed from afar.