Chapter 507: Asking the Deafening Question

"Only now do I realize that Wenyuan's breadth of mind and capabilities far surpass ours, the previous cult masters'."

In the back garden of Wenyuan Hall, the former cult masters stood up. Si Yuanwei, filled with emotion, suddenly remembered something and said, "Why did I take you as a disciple back then? I've just realized how excellent my judgment was!"

The young Ancestral Master's face flushed slightly, and he said, "When Master took me as a disciple, she said it was because I was beautiful and had good aptitude. Of course, the main reason was my beauty."

Qin Mu looked around. Everyone here was handsome or beautiful; none of the Heavenly Devil Cult's past cult masters, including the young Ancestral Master, were unsightly.

Si Yuanwei's face also flushed slightly as she smiled and said, "I remember now. I took you as my disciple intending for you to break my Dao heart through romantic love. My Great Cultivation Heavenly Devil Scripture primarily focuses on cultivating the mind. I broke my master's Dao heart, which is how I became the cult master. I also needed someone to break my Dao heart. As the saying goes, 'no destruction, no construction.' If you could break my Dao heart, you would become the cult master. If you couldn't, it would allow me to advance further, perhaps even becoming a devil or a god. However, later on, while I was guarding against you, Cult Master Yulian took advantage of an opening and ambushed me."

Cult Master Yulian, looking triumphant, said, "Master only guarded against Youngest Junior Brother's romantic affections, but didn't realize that hidden arrows are hard to guard against. How old was Youngest Junior Brother then, and you already had designs on him? If you hadn't harbored such thoughts and had instead been more wary of me, perhaps Youngest Junior Brother truly could have become the Sacred Cult Master."

Qin Mu pondered; the reason the Heavenly Devil Cult has the character 'devil' in its name was probably related to this master-disciple inheritance method.

Such a style, where masters indulged their disciples in ambushing them, could only be called demonic, just like Li Tianxing. When Granny Si ambushed Li Tianxing, she was only at the Celestial Being realm, making it impossible for her to kill the Divine Bridge realm Li Tianxing with her true strength.

Yet, Li Tianxing deliberately gave her that opportunity.

The master-disciple conflicts within the Heavenly Devil Cult likely originated from its founding Ancestral Master. However, the founding Ancestral Master's goal was to make the Heavenly Devil Cult stronger with each generation, so a rule was established: a disciple who defeated their master could become the Heavenly Devil Cult Master.

But subtly, this rule gradually changed. Combined with the Great Cultivation Heavenly Devil Scripture being truly bizarre and unpredictable and easily fostering demonic tendencies, this seemingly good rule gradually evolved into its current state.

The young Ancestral Master smiled and said, "If I had become the Sacred Cult Master, I would likely have been preoccupied with the Heavenly Sacred Cult's interests, just like all of you, disregarding the common people. Not becoming the cult master actually benefited me."

The successive cult masters all nodded in agreement.

"As for Cult Master Qin..." Si Yuanwei turned to Qin Mu, paused for a moment, and then said, "We won't quibble over your cult master position, despite its unconventional origins. You've done quite well since becoming cult master, but we could have done just as well in your place."

Qin Mu humbly replied, "That's natural. All of you former cult masters are exceptional individuals; if you were in my position, you would certainly do better than I. It's just that when you *were* in my position, you did nothing."

Many of the former cult masters' faces twitched, their expressions fluctuating, as they struggled to suppress the urge to kill him.

This young man was brazen; after all, he was the Sacred Cult Master. He bore the heavy responsibility of inheriting the cult master's position, and the scriptures on the stone tablet still relied on him to pass them to the next cult master. If they killed him, the Heavenly Devil Cult would be finished.

Qin Mu spoke seriously, "Just now, I was rude. I was just indignant that you seniors were using erroneous and outdated rules to restrict future generations, which led to my offense. I apologize to all the past cult masters of the Sacred Cult."

The expressions of the past cult masters softened. Cult Master Zuyang quickly helped him up and smiled, "Little Cult Master Qin has achieved things we never could, which earns our immense admiration. Among all the cult masters throughout history, even if you can't be in the top three, you can certainly be in the top five. People say everything is empty after death; we don't take such minor disagreements to heart."

Cult Master Hujun chuckled, "Besides admiring your cultivation and achievements, we're more concerned that after you return, you won't allow the cult members to burn spirit money and offer sacrifices to us during festivals!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Everyone laughed, saying, "We certainly don't want to become like those pitiful paupers in the Human Emperor's Palace, who don't even have anyone to burn paper for them!"

"The current Human Emperor of the Human Emperor's Palace is truly neglectful," one remarked, "not even burning incense or paper money as offerings during festivals. Look, no matter how glorious the Human Emperors of the Human Emperor's Palace were in life, they are now just as destitute in death. Unlike us, who were glorious in life and glorious in death!"

Everyone burst into laughter. The young Ancestral Master also chuckled a few times, then, suddenly remembering Qin Mu, quickly glanced at him.

Qin Mu also gave a few dry laughs. Fortunately, he was now shameless and thick-skinned, otherwise, his face would surely have turned crimson.

The past cult masters of the Heavenly Devil Cult did not know that his other identity was the current Human Emperor. The reason the past Human Emperors of the Human Emperor's Palace were so destitute was also related to him, as the current Human Emperor, not burning paper or incense for them.

"After returning to Eternal Peace, I must visit the Human Emperor's Palace and ensure the past Human Emperors live prosperous lives; they can't be too poor!" he secretly resolved.

"Cult Master Qin." The young Ancestral Master spoke seriously, "You've come to see me. So, after returning to the living world, what do you plan to do?"

The laughter ceased, and everyone looked at him, curious to see how he would respond.

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "After I return to Eternal Peace, my first priority will be to build roads."

"Build roads first?" The young Ancestral Master frowned and said, "While road transport is convenient for the people, it's also very costly. Eternal Peace has undergone several wars, and its treasury is depleted. For the sake of the people's livelihood, why build roads first? Eternal Peace already has developed roads; building more now would be a waste of manpower and resources."

Qin Mu declared with emotion, "Because I have already pacified the Western Earth!"

The young Ancestral Master was greatly shaken and blurted out, "You led troops to conquer the Western Earth? How large an army did you have? The Western Earth is so vast; how did you occupy it?"

The other past cult masters were also deeply shocked and incredulous.

"I alone, with Dragon Qilin and Bear Qi'er, pacified the Western Earth." Qin Mu smiled slightly and said, "The Western Earth has now been incorporated into Eternal Peace, but it is a hundred thousand miles from the Central Plains. As the saying goes, 'a long whip cannot reach beyond its grasp' and 'heaven is high, and the emperor is far away.' Currently, there are no proper roads connecting the Central Plains and the Western Earth. For a short time, the Western Earth might remain stable, but eventually, chaos is bound to erupt there. What I want to do is open up transportation between the Western Earth and the Central Plains!"

The young Ancestral Master and the past cult masters could not believe his words; they paced back and forth, rubbing their foreheads. Suddenly, one former cult master stopped and said gravely, "The Central Plains and the Western Earth are separated by the Great Ruins and the Flaming Desert, with even the shortest distance being a hundred thousand miles! You want to build a road a hundred thousand miles long?"

Qin Mu said, "Not one, I'm planning for two. These two major roads must be incredibly flat, allowing chariots, cavalry, and armies to pass quickly. The fastest cavalry, riding exotic beasts, should be able to travel ten thousand miles day and night!"

"Wrong!" The former cult master sharply retorted, "Do you have that much money? Does Eternal Peace have that much money? Building roads is about spending money, expending divine arts, and sacrificing lives! Although our Sacred Cult has the Hall of Heavenly Works, if you make them build roads, it won't just cost immense sums, it will also work countless disciples of my Hall of Heavenly Works to death!"

Qin Mu shook his head: "No. During my trip to the Western Earth, I saw that their roads are far more developed than Eternal Peace's. The divine arts of the True Heaven Palace can be used for road construction. I am on good terms with the major aristocratic families in the Western Earth, and I can invite the True Heaven Palace Master to lead Western Earth's divine art practitioners to build roads. They can pave a thousand miles of road in a single day. A hundred thousand miles of road can be paved in a hundred days, and the cost won't be too excessive."

The former cult master's eyes lit up; he smiled and stepped back. The other past cult masters continued to circle Qin Mu. Suddenly, Si Yuanwei stopped and said, "What about the Flaming Desert? The Flaming Desert spans tens of thousands of miles, dry and waterless. If you build roads there, they'll be engulfed by sand and utterly useless! At that point, people on the roads will be distressed and miserable, dying on the way!"

Qin Mu said, "Now that the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor has killed the True Heaven Old Mother, the flames of the great desert have extinguished. We just need to use the Black Tortoise Pearl to draw water and irrigate the desert, and the Azure Dragon Pearl to plant trees and vegetation, transforming the desert into grasslands and forests, which isn't difficult. There are snow mountains in the northern grasslands, and their melting snow forms rivers. I will divert water from the snow mountains to create lakes in the desert, which will solve the water problem!"

Si Yuanwei smiled and also stepped back.

Another cult master stopped and asked, "The closest route is through the Great Ruins. The Great Ruins are somewhat peaceful during the day, but at night, monsters and darkness invade. How will you guarantee safe passage?"

"I cannot guarantee complete safety. However, I can relocate stone statues, gather them, and use them to combat the darkness. There will be a town every thousand miles and a city every ten thousand miles, with settlements between the two roads, providing resting places. With these towns, goods will flow between the Western Earth, the Great Ruins, and the Central Plains, and commerce is bound to flourish."

"You still haven't said how you'll resolve the financial issues!"

"Once the roads are open and trade flows, the financial issues will naturally resolve themselves!"

"The Great Ruins are not smooth terrain; there are many supernatural and bizarre occurrences. How will you make thousands of mountains and rivers into clear paths?"

"When faced with mountains, open them; when faced with water, build bridges; when faced with gods, worship them!"

"How wide will the main roads be?"

"Thirty-six zhang wide, with eight chariot tracks and four infantry paths."

"The width of chariot tracks in the Western Earth differs from those in Eternal Peace. How will you ensure smooth rail transport?"

"Then the chariots will share the same tracks!"

"The customs of the Western Earth are different from Eternal Peace. What will you do about that?"

"Then their conduct will align!"

"The scripts are different, and the divine arts are different. What then?"

"Then the written language will be unified, and education will be established!"

Suddenly, all twenty-eight former cult masters burst into laughter. They bowed to Qin Mu and reverently said, "Cult Master Qin can truly be called a Saint! You are worthy of the title 'Sacred Cult Master'! We have tested you on behalf of Cult Master Li, and you have passed!"

Qin Mu returned the bow, sincerely saying, "Many thanks, Cult Masters, for your thought-provoking questions, which enlightened my wisdom. I have learned much! Now that I return to the living world, I have a clear path for reform. If my reforms succeed in the future, transforming insurmountable barriers into smooth paths, all of you cult masters will have made immense contributions!"

Everyone laughed heartily and stood up.

The young Ancestral Master was also very happy for them. Qin Mu had originally been at odds with the past cult masters, but now, all previous grievances were swept away, and he was greatly relieved.

Suddenly, from outside the hall, the bird-headed divine being Chixiu's voice called out, "Cult Master Qin, the King of Hell wants to interrogate you personally! Aren't you coming out?"