Chapter 563: Defense Is Futile

Qin Mu's eyes widened in disbelief, his heart filled with an inexplicable shock. His jade pendant was actually crafted by Tu Bo! This jade pendant should have been his family's, worn by him since childhood. How could it have been made by Tu Bo?

What was Tu Bo's connection to him? Or was it that he had committed many evil deeds, and Tu Bo had sealed him with the pendant? But at that time, he should have only been a newborn infant. How could he have committed evil? Moreover, he had no recollection of it. Furthermore, in Yankang and the Supreme Emperor Heaven, who didn't know that Cult Master Qin was pure and upright, broad-minded, and had never committed evil?

"The seal must have loosened," the Lava Tu Bo continued, flipping through the book. "Several gods and devils once tried to break the seal. Though they didn't succeed, the seal did loosen a bit, almost releasing you. It's fine; I'll reinforce it later."

He read extremely quickly, swiftly reviewing the records of Qin Mu's misdeeds in the book. Reaching the last page, he read: "Inauspicious land of the Supreme Emperor Heaven, Qin Fengqing, son of the Qin family, disturbed Youdu using the Soul-Guiding Technique, forcibly taking forty-eight thousand souls and injuring nether-officials..."

Qin Mu honestly stated, "Summoning forty-eight thousand souls from Youdu using the Soul-Guiding Technique was my doing. But injuring the nether-officials wasn't me; it was Seven Killings Star Lord Wei Liao. If you're looking for someone, look for him."

The Lava Tu Bo turned his head to look at the elderly nether-official and asked, "The one who injured the nether-officials was Seven Killings Star Lord Wei Liao?"

The elderly nether-official, who was an avatar of King Tianqi, replied, "The Book of Life and Death contains the name of Seven Killings Star Lord Wei Liao, but he was annihilated twenty thousand years ago and removed from the book, no longer under our jurisdiction in Youdu. The escape of forty-eight thousand souls this time, and the injury to the nether-officials, was caused by Qin Fengqing's act of resurrecting the Seven Killings Star Lord by reassembling his scattered soul. Therefore, this account of injuring the nether-officials must be charged to Qin Fengqing, as he is still alive and his name remains in the Book of Life and Death."

The Lava Tu Bo looked at Qin Mu and said, "The account is recorded against you. Do you accept this?"

Qin Mu replied, "No!"

"Record it against him," the Lava Tu Bo told the elderly nether-official. "We'll settle the score later."

Qin Mu's face instantly darkened. "If it's going to be recorded against me anyway, why bother asking?" However, the Lava Tu Bo's phrase "settle the score later" ignited a spark of hope in him. "Later" implied not "now," which suggested that the Lava Tu Bo had indeed summoned him merely to inquire about the cause and effect.

The Lava Tu Bo closed the thick book and looked down at the tiny Qin Mu below. "Why did you disturb the order of Youdu and summon away the souls of the dead? Have you remembered anything? Have any images of Youdu flashed in your mind?"

Qin Mu looked bewildered and shook his head. "When I was sent out... exiled from Youdu, I must have been only one or two months old, right? How could I have any images of Youdu flashing in my mind? As for summoning the souls from the inauspicious land, I had no choice but to do so." He then recounted the full story of why he used the Soul-Guiding Technique, after which he stood there honestly, quietly awaiting his judgment.

The Lava Tu Bo's eyes remained fixed on him. Suddenly, he spoke, "Are you truly certain no images have flashed in your mind? Have you recalled nothing?"

Qin Mu shook his head, smiling. "What could I possibly recall?"

"If you haven't recalled anything, then how did you become proficient in the Youdu language?" The Lava Tu Bo was still staring at him, seemingly able to see through his every thought. His tone was slow as he said, "Your proficiency in the Youdu language allowed you to begin cultivating Youdu's cultivation techniques and divine abilities, opening the divine treasure portal of the demonic path. Aren't you curious why you're able to open the demonic divine treasure?"

Beside them, the elderly nether-official added, "The demon race are descendants of demon gods from Youdu, which is why they can open the demonic divine treasure. Why are you also able to open the demonic divine treasure? Aren't you curious about this?"

"I am curious!" Qin Mu showed a curious expression and asked, "Why am I able to open both the demonic divine treasure and the divine path divine treasure?"

"Because you are a descendant of Carefree Village, and also a being born in Youdu..." No sooner had the elderly nether-official spoken than the Lava Tu Bo interrupted, "He doesn't need to know these things, and we don't need to explain them to him. He was summoned here for questioning, not to trick information out of us."

The elderly nether-official realized his mistake and chuckled. "He did trick a statement out of me. That boy's expression is so mischievous; he caught me off guard."

Qin Mu looked abashed and said apologetically, "My lord, you merely piqued my curiosity, which is why I asked. I wasn't trying to trick either of you. I'm just a young boy, barely eighteen years old..."

The elderly nether-official shook his head. "It's truly hard to tell if he's lying."

The Lava Tu Bo nodded. "This cunning is acquired later in life, learned from people in the mortal realm. It's not his original nature, but he has already honed it into second nature."

The elderly nether-official asked, "So, how much of what he says is true, and how much is false?"

The Lava Tu Bo knew Qin Mu inside out. "When he recounted the cause and effect of the resurrection in the inauspicious land, every word was true. After that, he seemed to say a lot, but in reality, he said nothing at all; he was only asking questions, trying to extract information from us."

The elderly nether-official thought it over carefully and realized it was indeed true.

Qin Mu said shyly, "This isn't my true nature. I was just instilled with some bad habits by the elders in the village, which is why I'm like this. I truly haven't recalled any images of Youdu."

"That statement is true," the Lava Tu Bo said. "The seal is still intact. Only some linguistic memories should have awakened, but memories of his experiences have not."

Sweat beaded on Qin Mu's forehead as he tentatively asked, "I've committed some killings before; will that increase my guilt?"

"That statement is false; he's trying to extract information," the Lava Tu Bo said. "However, what he wants to know is not classified information, so you can answer him."

The elderly nether-official explained, "All evil deeds committed in life are treated equally after death. Youdu is not a place of judgment but a destination for the deceased. Only those who are extremely wicked or who disturb the order of Youdu are devoured by Tu Bo."

Qin Mu sighed in relief. The elderly nether-official continued, "The extremely wicked are entangled with karma and grievances; even upon entering Youdu, they suffer eternal torment from karmic fire. Tu Bo devours them to absorb their sins and karmic fire. Disturbing the order of Youdu, like what you did by preventing the dead from staying dead, also means you will be devoured by Tu Bo."

Qin Mu's heart tensed up again. The elderly nether-official carefully observed his face, showing a look of satisfaction, and said, "However, we in Youdu do not interfere with the mortal realm. You are not yet dead, so we cannot deal with you now. We will only do so after your death."

"My lord, you've been tricked by his expression," the Lava Tu Bo said.

The elderly nether-official froze for a moment, then blurted out, "His true intention was to ask if he would be punished for this visit? He's truly unpredictable!"

The Lava Tu Bo nodded, his gaze still fixed on Qin Mu's face. "Don't speak for now. I will question him."

Qin Mu stood still obediently.

The Lava Tu Bo looked at his obedient stance, thought for a moment, and finally decided not to speak. Instead, he subtly raised a finger, and the jade pendant hanging around Qin Mu's neck slowly floated up, automatically settling into his palm. The Lava Tu Bo plucked a long, winding horn from his head, inserted it into the jade pendant, and pressed down firmly. The entire horn sank into the pendant, disappearing from sight. Rings of fiery light emanated from the pendant, slowly dispersing. The jade pendant then automatically floated up again, settled around Qin Mu's neck, and remained hidden beneath his clothes, close to his skin.

The Lava Tu Bo waved his hand. "The purpose of this visit was to examine the pendant's seal. Since the seal is now stable, send him back. Everything else can wait until after his death."

The elderly nether-official quickly said, "But after his death, won't he still..."

The Lava Tu Bo glanced at him, and only then did he remember Tu Bo's instruction not to speak, so he immediately fell silent. The Lava Tu Bo's body rotated, disappearing into the lava beneath his feet. His voice echoed from the lava: "Do not let anyone touch your jade pendant! My lord, do not speak with him when you send him away!"

Qin Mu quickly said, "Tu Bo, I wish to see my mother. May I?"

The Lava Tu Bo vanished.

Qin Mu stood there stunned, feeling a sense of profound loss. After a moment, he said, "I just want to see my mother. I've never seen what she looks like... My lord, do you know what she looks like?"

The elderly nether-official thought for a moment, then nodded.

Qin Mu looked at him with eager anticipation. The elderly nether-official was truly in a difficult position. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke, "Tu Bo has commanded me not to reveal any more information."

Qin Mu excitedly asked, "My lord, is my mother still alive?"

The elderly nether-official hesitated. Qin Mu's expression truly pained him, so he could only nod and whisper, "Don't ask any more questions; you're putting me in a difficult spot. Speaking with you now is already disobeying Tu Bo's command. Let's go. It's not yet dawn in the Supreme Emperor Heaven; I'll send you back to the mortal realm."

Qin Mu could only follow him, boarding the small boat. The youth remained silent.

The small boat drifted calmly, emerging from the cut-off landmass of Tu Bo's Horn and entering the darkness. Tu Bo's true form was incredibly colossal, its height, size, and breadth unknown. The small boat drifted for a long time in the darkness before finally moving away from the two winding Yellow Springs.

The elderly nether-official cautiously looked around, occasionally lifting his lantern to illuminate the surroundings. He then handed Qin Mu a yellow talisman. "Those who want to find you will not miss this opportunity. Stick this yellow talisman on your face. No god or devil will be able to see your true face; even if they do see something, it will be a false image, just like mine."

Qin Mu pasted the talisman onto his forehead, remaining motionless.

"Why aren't you poking two holes in it?" the elderly nether-official asked curiously.

Qin Mu, disheartened, replied listlessly, "No interest."

The elderly nether-official chuckled, "A child's temper."

At that moment, the small boat suddenly stopped drifting. The elderly nether-official stood up, holding his lantern, and calmly said, "Still haven't given up?"

"Please, my lord, grant us a way out!" A voice emerged from the darkness, sounding like countless voices overlaid: "We only want his face, his identity in the mortal realm! We don't want his life right now!"

The elderly nether-official said coldly, "You're overstepping your bounds. Retreat at once, or if my true form descends, you won't even be able to remain ghosts!"

On the boat, Qin Mu quietly took out the Book of Life and Death he had obtained from the Witch God Kui. He shone it towards the darkness, and his body and mind trembled with shock as a name appeared in the book.

"Hehehehe, he still revealed his weakness..." The strange voice in the darkness quickly receded.

The elderly nether-official turned back, his gaze falling upon the Book of Life and Death in Qin Mu's hand. He sighed, "You've learned his true identity, and he has learned yours. You used the Heavenly Court's Book of Life and Death. Such treasures are few in number, and he will quickly track you down. You... take care of yourself!"

Qin Mu was stunned, only then realizing where his mistake lay.