Chapter 680: Reencountering the Master

“The Martial Heavenly Master who farms?”

Qin Mu yearned to meet this Heavenly Master immediately. He suddenly recalled something and asked, “The Woodcutter is revered as a Saint. Are all Heavenly Masters Saints?”

“Not at all.” The Old Fisherman shook his head and said, “Among the four Heavenly Masters, he is the only one who can be called a Saint.”

Qin Mu was slightly surprised and asked, “But among the four Heavenly Masters, isn’t Teacher Woodcutter’s cultivation the lowest?”

The Old Fisherman smiled faintly, saying, “If sainthood were determined by martial prowess, then the Kaihuang era would have been filled with Saints. The Woodcutter became a Saint not because of his cultivation, but because of his achievements and philosophy. He laid the cornerstone for the Kaihuang era's twenty-thousand-year foundation, and among the four Heavenly Masters, he was paramount. Unfortunately, it only lasted twenty thousand years.”

Qin Mu was about to ask more questions, but the Old Fisherman focused on fishing for the moon, no longer discussing the other Heavenly Masters.

“Why did Teacher Woodcutter become the foremost of the Four Heavenly Masters? And who is the remaining Heavenly Master?” Suppressing the doubts in his mind, Qin Mu cast the Soul-Guiding spell, summoning the souls of the Moon Herders from Youdu. Beside the Moon Well, countless skeletons of Moon Herders rose to their feet.

The Dragon Qilin trembled like chaff and quickly buried his head in the dirt, afraid to look. Yan Jingjing stepped forward and gently comforted him, saying, “Don't be afraid, big dog. They're all dead, they won't harm you.”

Suddenly, a Yama Officer hastily arrived on a paper boat. A chilling wind gusted around him as he reached the Gate of Heaven's Legacy but did not pass through to the Human Realm. He called out loudly, “What trouble are you stirring up now? Can't you stay quiet for a while?”

Qin Mu quickly bowed and said, “Lord, I couldn't bear to see these heroes' corpses exposed in the wilderness. So I've summoned their souls back to their bodies. Once they've buried themselves, I'll send them back to Youdu. My apologies, my apologies!”

The Yama Officer's expression softened slightly. He glanced at the Old Fisherman, who was fishing for and anchoring the moon, and with some apprehension, said, “Qin Fengqing, I'm not unreasonable, but you can't come to my Youdu to demand people again and again. If you keep doing this, it will be hard for me to explain to Lord Tubo! Return these souls quickly after you've borrowed them. However, Lord Tubo will still record a transgression against you.”

Qin Mu instructed the resurrected Moon Herders to dig their own graves. Across the Gate of Heaven's Legacy, he asked the Yama Officer, “Emperor Yanfeng has a little notebook to record executions. Does Lord Tubo also have a little notebook? Lord, how many marks are against me in my notebook?”

The Yama Officer sneered, “I don't know about others, but I know yours isn't a small notebook; it's a stack this thick!” He spread his arms wide, gesturing, “All your glorious achievements!”

Qin Mu's face immediately darkened.

Many Moon Herders had already dug their graves, carved their own tombstones, and sat in their respective graves. These skeletons bowed in unison to Qin Mu, saying, “Thank you, Human Emperor!” Qin Mu returned the bow, saying, “May all you righteous heroes rest in peace.”

The Moon Herders' skeletons lay down one by one, and their valiant spirits ascended, passing through the Gate of Heaven's Legacy to return to Youdu. After paying his respects, Qin Mu waved his hand, and the graves closed.

The Yama Officer said, “I won't pursue today's matter further; I'll just record one transgression against you.”

Qin Mu walked among the graves, examining the names on each tombstone. Hearing this, he turned his head and asked, “During the battle in the Grand Emperor Heaven, a visitor from the Underworld held the Book of Life and Death, summoning countless demon souls and demon gods back into their bones. How great a transgression was that? Did Lord Tubo record that?”

The Yama Officer was slightly taken aback and remained silent.

Qin Mu sneered, “Is Lord Tubo also afraid of the Black Emperor of the Underworld? The Underworld is part of Youdu, isn't it? When the Black Emperor split off the Underworld, Lord Tubo didn't dare utter a peep. The visitor from the Underworld used the Book of Life and Death to summon countless demon souls and sacrificed them to destroy Luofu Heaven and Grand Emperor Heaven, and Lord Tubo still didn't dare utter a peep!”

The Yama Officer was furious: “What do you mean 'didn't dare utter a peep'?”

The Old Fisherman's ears twitched. He tightened his grip on his fishing rod, ready to rescue Qin Mu at any moment, thinking, “This Qin family brat has no sense of propriety. This Yama Officer is a manifestation of the Heavenly Qi Ren Sheng King. To disrespect him, and furthermore, to disrespect Lord Tubo in front of him, Lord Tian Qi will surely not let him off...”

Qin Mu put on a smiling face: “I merely suggested that Lord Tubo was perhaps too timid; he should at least say something.”

“What do you mean 'timid'?” The Yama Officer was still furious.

Qin Mu stammered, speechless.

The Old Fisherman was extremely tense, his back muscles rigid, and his nerves taut as bowstrings. He thought, “A second disrespect to Lord Tubo! Lord Tian Qi definitely won't hold back!”

After a moment, the Yama Officer sighed, “It's not that Lord Tubo wouldn't act, but rather that he couldn't. The Underworld's power is insignificant to Lord Tubo, but the Heavenly Court's power is truly immense.”

Qin Mu pouted, “Isn't that just bullying me? A thick stack of notebooks for my transgressions, but what about the Underworld's? Is Lord Tubo afraid of the strong and bullies the weak?”

The Yama Officer was speechless with anger, then after a moment, he burst out laughing, “I won't argue with you about this. Lord Tubo is impartial. His notebook won't be thinner because the Heavenly Court is powerful, nor will it be thicker because you lack influence. The reason you have such a thick notebook is simply that you've committed far too many misdeeds.”

“That was my brother's doing! How can you blame me for that?” Qin Mu shook his head, saying, “What if a visitor from the Underworld comes to Yankang, uses the Book of Life and Death to awaken the dead of Yankang, and then sacrifices them? What could Youdu do? What could Lord Tubo do? Would Lord Tubo dare utter a peep?”

The Yama Officer was enraged: “You dare use such foul language again!”

Qin Mu put on a wronged expression, saying disappointedly, “Lord Tubo can't uphold justice, he's too heartless, and incredibly harsh towards me. Perhaps I should just let my brother return to Youdu...”

The Yama Officer stared at his expression through the gate, then suddenly laughed, “Heavenly Grandfather has added another seal on you; you can't release him. Don't try to trick me!”

Qin Mu peeled back the willow leaf, revealing his third eye. The Yama Officer immediately saw a superimposed pupil within its iris—another person's eye peeking out, full of curiosity.

The Old Fisherman quietly turned his head, curiously looking at Qin Mu's third eye, even forgetting to reel in his fishing line. He was eager to see if there was truly a Tubo seal, a Heavenly Grandfather's avatar, the Crimson Emperor's consciousness, and the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha within Qin Mu's eye. If the Yama Officer hadn't been there, he would have loved to burrow into Qin Mu's eye to meet these senior masters.

The Yama Officer's expression changed drastically, and he quickly said, “Cover it! Cover it! I'm scared of you now; let me think for a moment...”

Qin Mu replaced the willow leaf.

The Yama Officer paced back and forth on his small boat, looking very troubled. He wanted to enter the Human Realm to discuss it further with Qin Mu, but since it wasn't night, he couldn't reveal himself.

Qin Mu waited quietly. After a moment, the old Yama Officer sighed, “Alright. Bring me your Book of Life and Death. I'll imprint a divine ability onto it for you, to suppress the opponent's Book of Life and Death. Will that be enough?”

Qin Mu earnestly said, “Lord, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Wouldn't it be better if you taught me this divine ability?”

The old Yama Officer shook his head and said, “You brat are digging a pit for me to fall into. I'd be crazy to trust you. If I pass this divine ability to you, once you learn it, you'll use it against those fellows from the Underworld. And given your nature, you'd certainly teach this ability to everyone in the world. At that point, Youdu's divine abilities would be practically worthless.”

Qin Mu looked abashed, showing embarrassment, and handed him the Book of Life and Death, saying, “Your wisdom is profound, Lord.”

“Of course, my wisdom is profound.” The old Yama Officer turned his back, performed a divine ability, and imprinted it onto the Book of Life and Death. Then he turned back and tossed the book to Qin Mu, saying, “Don't go randomly summoning souls from Youdu for no reason; it's very scary! Who knows if it's you summoning them or if your brother intends to summon some souls to eat? And you, the one fishing for the moon, your idea is very dangerous. Give it up soon, or his brother will grab your big head and start gnawing on it!”

He departed on his boat.

Qin Mu dispelled the Gate of Heaven's Legacy, let out a sigh of relief, and excitedly flipped through the Book of Life and Death to examine the divine ability the old Yama Officer had left on it.

The Old Fisherman stammered, “Does this Lord Tian Qi always speak so bluntly? Gnawing on my head? Qin family brat, is your brother very fierce?”

Qin Mu nodded repeatedly: “Extremely ferocious! You absolutely must not provoke him!”

The Old Fisherman fished up a moon. His primordial spirit caressed it, refining the moon until it was only the size of a plate. He calmly said, “How do you rate my power?”

Qin Mu praised, “Heavenly Master, your might is unparalleled, your power is immense, many times stronger than Teacher Woodcutter's.”

The Old Fisherman asked, “Could I provoke your brother?”

Qin Mu scratched his head and said, “Last time, my brother threw me into his eye and trapped me. I saw Heavenly Grandfather's avatar and the Crimson Emperor's avatar being beaten into submission by him.”

The Old Fisherman's face turned ashen. He said no more and focused on fishing for the moon, though his usually steady arms were now trembling slightly.

Qin Mu continued to examine the divine ability on the Book of Life and Death. The book had originally been as clear as a mirror, but now a seemingly chaotic cluster of runes had appeared in the center.

These runic markings were very complex, like indecipherable scribbles, revealing no discernible pattern. Yet, upon closer inspection, one discovered an entirely different world within them.

Beneath their seemingly haphazard exterior lay incredibly intricate and complex runic structures. Some patterns resembled colossal pillars extending downwards from above, their depths unseen. Others were tangled like an interwoven net, while some runes continuously flowed and transformed, shimmering with various colors.

Qin Mu had never seen such a complex and magnificent divine ability. He was unconsciously drawn in, his face moving closer and closer to the Book of Life and Death, attempting to discern more of its internal structures and fully comprehend this ability.

Yan Jingjing couldn't pull the Dragon Qilin's head out of the dirt, so she walked over to Qin Mu and said, “Big Brother Cowherd, your big dog won't come out...”

Yan Jingjing's expression froze as Qin Mu's head suddenly vanished!

Qin Mu's head had entered the Book of Life and Death. The Book of Life and Death was merely an incredibly thin golden paper, and Qin Mu's head had probed into it, yet it didn't emerge from the other side, as if his head had vanished into thin air!

Yan Jingjing was startled. She hurried forward and tugged at Qin Mu's clothes. Qin Mu pulled his head out of the Book of Life and Death and asked, confused, “Sister Jing, what's wrong?”

Yan Jingjing was relieved to see he was fine and said, “The big dog is too scared to come out.”

Qin Mu glanced over and saw the Dragon Qilin's head buried in the dirt, his rear end pointing skyward, still trembling.

“Fatty Dragon, time to eat,” Qin Mu said.

The Dragon Qilin hastily pulled his head out and darted over like lightning, carrying a washbasin and placing it before Qin Mu. He then obediently squatted down, staring intently at the basin.

After a moment, seeing no spirit pills placed in the basin, he looked up at Qin Mu in confusion and wagged his thick dragon tail.