Chapter 510: Obsessed with Money

Qin Mu was startled and turned to look at Chi Xiu. Chi Xiu had twisted its neck around, burying it in its feathers and feigning ignorance.

"Chi Xiu's ability to be a trusted confidant of Yama is not just for show," Qin Mu thought. "Firmly refusing to witness Yama's unsightly moments—that's the true path to self-preservation. If it were anyone else, they would have already rushed into the ruins to rescue Yama."

Qin Mu sighed to himself. While rescuing Yama would undoubtedly demonstrate loyalty, it would also mean witnessing Yama's undignified appearance, thereby damaging Yama's wise and mighty image. There would be both credit and fault, yet one could not know which weighed more heavily in Yama's mind. Therefore, it was better to simply feign ignorance.

Furthermore, the collapse of Qin Wang Palace couldn't possibly harm Yama, making any display of loyalty pointless.

"Yama said I could enter the darkness of the Great Ruins without being harmed. Is that true or false?" He hesitated, as entering the darkness was a matter of life and death. If it were a lie, he would perish immediately upon entry, and he dared not risk it. Since childhood, the villagers of Disabled Elderly Village had taught him about the great horrors within the darkness of the Great Ruins, warning him never to enter. Growing up, Qin Mu had also witnessed these terrors firsthand and had never even considered whether he could enter the darkness unscathed.

He had entered the darkness multiple times before, but always relying on powerful artifacts or god-like protectors—such as Xing An's box, the Village Chief's protection, or the Dragon Rearing Sovereign's shield—to remain unharmed.

The thought of going in alone, without any protection, still made him hesitant.

"Let's go," Chi Xiu urged. "After I take you away, I'll need to rest as well."

"Divine Being Chi Xiu," Qin Mu said, "I still need to visit the Heavenly Saint Cult and the Human Emperors' residence to retrieve Dragon Qilin and the box."

Chi Xiu had no choice but to lead him to the residences of the past cult masters of the Heavenly Devil Cult. Every door was tightly shut. Dragon Qilin was outside the Young Ancestor's door, wagging its tail with a loud clatter, sweet-talking and begging to be let in.

The Young Ancestor adamantly refused to open the door, shouting from within, "Life and death are separate paths! I am dead, and you are alive. We cannot be together; go with the Cult Master!"

Dragon Qilin clawed at the door, crying profusely.

The Young Ancestor, too, choked up slightly, wanting to open the door. Yet, fearing the creature would rush in and rub against him, he steeled his heart and kept it shut.

Qin Mu called Dragon Qilin over and smiled. "Dragon Fatty, there's no need to be sad. The Ancestor is doing well here, and we are doing well outside. You can come visit him anytime in the future."

As Dragon Qilin approached, the pure Yang true fire radiating from the sun caused flesh to subtly appear on its body. The colossal sun in the sky had risen high, appearing even larger and seemingly on the verge of falling.

Qin Mu looked up and saw that the temples within the sun appeared to be cast from gold. The gods and demons before these temples were faintly visible, frantically beating drums and using the pure Yang true fire to refine Fengdu.

Qin Mu couldn't help but wonder if these gods and demons from the sun might attack at any moment.

"They dare not attack," Chi Xiu Shenren said calmly, preening its feathers. "This is Fengdu, also a part of Youdu. It appears close, but it's actually very far, separated by the world's barrier; ordinary gods and demons cannot cross it. Besides, they've tried attacking many times before and suffered losses. Now, they only dare to hide in the sun, beating drums and shouting."

"This sun in the sky is vastly different from Yankang's sun," Qin Mu said, puzzled. "This sun..."

"It's the true sun of the Great Ruins," Chi Xiu Shenren replied. "Yankang's sun is an illusion."

Qin Mu gasped; this sun was truly terrifying. Fortunately, they lived under the illusion of sun, moon, and stars. Otherwise, if the people of Yankang were to witness such a dreadful sun, even the emperor would likely go insane.

"Ancestor, do you have any money?" Qin Mu asked through the door crack. "Entering Fengdu requires Fengdu gold coins, and I only have three. Taking a boat will cost more."

The Young Ancestor slipped a few gold coins through the door crack, saying, "I haven't been dead long, so I don't have much money here. Spend it carefully."

Qin Mu assented, then went to knock on the doors of the other cult masters to demand money. "Esteemed cult masters," he said, "if you don't provide funds, I will cease your offerings and dismantle your spirit tablets."

"You scoundrel who disrespects your elders and ancestors! Is it just money? Take it!"

Qin Mu went door to door, extorting money, and amassed one or two hundred Fengdu gold coins. He then approached the Human Emperors' residence and asked the exotic beasts guarding the Five Yang Divine Temple, "Has the First Ancestor returned?"

The two exotic beasts hurried into the temple and threw Taotie out of the Five Yang Divine Temple, stating, "Our master has not returned."

Taotie landed and, scorched by the sun's true fire, instantly transformed with a few thumps into a large box, obediently trailing behind Dragon Qilin.

"Cult Master Qin, it's time to leave!" Chi Xiu urged.

"Divine Being Chi Xiu, please wait a moment."

Qin Mu then went to the Second Ancestor's residence. The Second Ancestor opened the door but remained inside the divine temple, likely concerned about being burned by the pure Yang true fire. "I am truly poor and have no money," he said. "I can only go to First Ancestor's teacher's house to ask for some."

Qin Mu took out a few Fengdu gold coins and smiled. "I know you've always been a person of integrity, so I've brought a few gold coins to help you get by for now, Second Ancestor. Once I visit the Human Emperor's Palace, I'll burn more money for the perpetual support of all the ancestral masters."

The Second Ancestor was overjoyed, hastily accepting the gold coins. "You are far more filial than that brat Su!" he exclaimed. "That brat Su hasn't returned yet, but when he does, we plan to give him a big surprise!"

"Second Ancestor," Qin Mu said, "don't forget to tell the Village Chief I was here."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely tell him!" the Second Ancestor said through gritted teeth.

Qin Mu hesitated, then tentatively asked, "Second Ancestor, could I perhaps borrow the First Ancestor's Path Between Life and Death for a while? I'd like to use it for business..."

The Second Ancestor looked puzzled. "How can you conduct business using the Path Between Life and Death?" he asked.

Qin Mu smiled. "There are countless gods and demons in Fengdu who cannot go to the living world, and many of them have unfulfilled wishes. So, I propose using the Path Between Life and Death as a bridge, allowing divine arts practitioners from Yankang to come here and trade with them. The practitioners could collect their gold coins, or learn their divine arts and spells from when they were alive, and in return, help them fulfill their wishes. I believe this could be a huge business! I'm planning to open a path to the Great Ruins, and I'll need funds to cover the expenses."

The Second Ancestor remained somewhat puzzled. "Where would the money come from?" he asked.

Qin Mu explained, "The divine arts practitioners who enter the Path Between Life and Death will pay me. I'll collect money from the living world, and that way, I can make a significant profit."

The Second Ancestor suddenly understood and, laughing, playfully chided, "You clever rascal."

Qin Mu smiled. "The Path Between Life and Death connects Fengdu and the living world, so you, Second Ancestor, can also collect money from this side—charging tolls to the gods and demons who use the Path Between Life and Death. You could also make a fortune. Even if I don't offer incense and burn paper money, you all could live comfortably. Within a few years, all the ancestral masters will be the wealthiest landowners in Fengdu City!"

The Second Ancestor was dumbfounded, blurting out, "Collect money from both sides? Such a good thing exists? Won't people curse us behind our backs?"

"The Path Between Life and Death is in our hands," Qin Mu explained. "This is the only route connecting the underworld and the living world. They can curse us all they want, but they'll still have to use our path and pay us."

The Second Ancestor hastily stepped out, enduring the pure Yang true fire, and rushed straight to the First Ancestor's Five Yang Divine Temple. Disregarding the blazing flames consuming his body, he burst into the temple and retrieved the Path Between Life and Death.

The two colossal beasts guarding the gate curled their lips and remarked, "Second Master, our master's family fortune is dwindling; you'll deplete it all sooner or later!"

The Second Ancestor chuckled, "Is my master still going to treat me like a stranger? When I prosper, you'll benefit too."

Qin Mu took the Path Between Life and Death, which was a small, flowing river, roughly a zhang in length, complete with boats and bridges.

The Second Ancestor instructed, "You should first refine this Path Between Life and Death. When you activate it, I will be able to sense it. Remember to activate it at night. If you do so during the day, it will resemble the current situation, and the gods from the sun will come to burn us, making any business impossible."

Qin Mu affirmed, hanging the small river on his body. "Second Ancestor, just await my news."

The Second Ancestor suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Business is a trivial matter; don't spend too much energy on it. Your cultivation should be your priority. Leave the money collection to others."

Qin Mu nodded. "I understand," he said. He then took out some Fengdu gold coins and handed them over. "Please give these to the other ancestral masters and grand-ancestors to help them get through the next few days."

"Human Emperor Qin, that is very considerate of you."

Qin Mu bid farewell and departed. Divine Being Chi Xiu escorted him to the boundary marker of the Realm of the Living and the Dead. "Once you cross this marker," it said, "there will be no pure Yang true fire; you can simply take a boat back."

Qin Mu expressed his gratitude and stepped out of the Realm of the Living and the Dead, his body instantly returning to normal. He waved to Divine Being Chi Xiu, only to see it suddenly spread its wings, flap them, and fly off.

Qin Mu arrived at the dock and summoned the lone boat from the misty sea. Daoist Ling Jing, in his skeletal form, punted the boat over, carrying Qin Mu, Dragon Qilin, and the box towards the opposite shore of the misty sea.

Upon reaching the opposite shore, Qin Mu disembarked and took out three gold coins to pay the boat fare. Daoist Ling Jing was startled and quickly said, "They are not human; they don't accept money."

Qin Mu smiled. "Daoist, just take it."

Daoist Ling Jing quickly accepted the coins, then tentatively asked, "Has Human Emperor Qin come into wealth?"

Qin Mu burst into laughter. "I'm about to get rich! Farewell, Daoist."

Daoist Ling Jing watched him depart, then carefully hid the gold coins. He thought to himself, "If I keep this up for a few more centuries, I'll be able to buy a house in Fengdu..."

Divine Being Chi Xiu returned to Qin Wang Palace, finding the collapsed structure fully restored. Chi Xiu cautiously entered, observing Yama standing at the back of the hall, gazing at the flames beyond the door.

"The visitor from Carefree Village is very interesting," Yama suddenly said with a smile. "Although he wasn't born in Carefree Village, he is, after all, a descendant of Kaihuang's lineage, possessing extraordinary qualities. During this brief interaction, I've developed significant expectations for him. If his father had come, my expectations would have been great, but they would have eventually cooled. With his arrival, however, although I was initially quite disappointed, my expectations are now steadily growing."

Divine Being Chi Xiu did not understand. "This Cult Master Qin, Human Emperor Qin, has an incredibly volatile nature," it said. "Why do you have expectations for him? He spent most of the day in our Fengdu, beating up the successive Human Emperors, smashing Ancestor Yang Cult Master's palace, and assaulting the past Heavenly Devil Cult Masters. Just now, he even went to extort money from the past cult masters, and then demanded the Path Between Life and Death, intending to connect the underworld and the living world to conduct business! Isn't this just pure mischief?"

Yama turned around and smiled. "Fengdu is too desolate. Let him stir things up; perhaps he can bring about unexpected changes. I've never seen such an interesting and innovative person; perhaps he can achieve what others cannot. Furthermore, the secrets he carries are not as simple as he imagines, which only increases my anticipation..."

Divine Being Chi Xiu was startled. "Yama, are you truly indulging him, allowing him to connect Fengdu with the living world and conduct business?"

Yama waved his hand, saying nothing further.

Youdu remained profoundly dark. Despite the sun having risen, it was still utterly devoid of light, with no sky, no land, no sun, moon, or stars visible.

Xing An drifted through the darkness. Suddenly, a faint voice resonated, rousing him awake.

"Xing An, awaken..."