Chapter 694: The Smartest Person

The holy woodsman examined him closely, his heart stirring. "I know him," he said. "His name is Ning Jin, one of the many gods I dispatched to explore the source of darkness. I placed a Seal of Creation Demonic Art on him to protect him from being devoured by the monsters there. Is he still alive?"

Qin Mu replied, "Neither alive nor dead. Teacher, he has completed his mission."

The holy woodsman's eyes held a hidden emotion, but he didn't let it show. He nodded slowly and asked, "Can you wake him?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "When night falls, he will come alive in the darkness," he explained. "Then, Teacher, you can meet him."

Just then, a surge of darkness swept forward. Yama moved, his body trailing darkness that enveloped them. The human skin immediately fluttered like a paper cutout. Beneath it, flesh began to grow, and soon the Founding Emperor's divine being stood fully formed and alive before them.

"He can live in Fengdu," Yama's voice resonated obscurely from beneath his dark cloak.

The Founding Emperor's divine being raised his hands, examining them repeatedly with an incredulous expression. He murmured, "The feeling of being alive, this is the feeling of being alive... After twenty thousand years, this is the first time I've felt alive..."

Qin Mu couldn't help but interject, "Senior, you are actually dead. It is Yama who brought the realm of the living dead to you, making you feel alive."

The Founding Emperor's divine being was too excited to process Qin Mu's words. Suddenly, he spotted the holy woodsman, and his eyes reddened. He immediately dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and raised them above his head, his voice ringing powerfully.

"Greetings, Heavenly Master!" he declared. "Ning Jin of the Heavenly Character Division, after twenty thousand and six hundred years, has returned to report for duty! Reporting: Fifty-eight members of the Heavenly Character Division, dispatched by the Heavenly Master to explore the source of darkness, have perished, their souls scattered. I am the sole survivor. I am fortunate to have not disgraced my mission, having uncovered the truth of darkness. I request the Heavenly Master to permit my reinstatement."

The holy woodsman remained silent, a flicker of light in his eyes, though no emotion escaped him. After a moment, he stepped into the darkness, took Ning Jin by the arm, and said, "Soldier of the Heavenly Character Division, your mission is complete."

"Thank you, Heavenly Master!"

Ning Jin rose, his body ramrod straight like a soldier awaiting inspection. He declared loudly, "Ning Jin requests to return to the Heavenly Character Division!"

The holy woodsman offered a faint smile and said softly, "The Founding Emperor era has fallen. I failed you all. The Heavenly Character Division has been disbanded. Ning Jin, you are free..."

Ning Jin looked bewildered, his eyes wide, still struggling to accept the truth. He said with immense difficulty, "Heavenly Master, for twenty thousand years, I have been waiting for reinstatement... Heavenly Master, Ning Jin has returned to report, requesting reinstatement!"

The holy woodsman frowned. "The Founding Emperor's Heavenly Court is gone; there is no Heavenly Character Division anymore. You are free, Ning Jin..."

The Founding Emperor's divine being's voice was hoarse and trembled, rasping, "Ning Jin requests reinstatement!"

The holy woodsman was silent for a long time, his voice also slightly trembling. It was difficult for him to show genuine emotion, but in this moment, he could barely contain himself. Suppressing his Dao Heart with all his might, he said, word by word, "Soldier of the Founding Emperor, Ning Jin of the Heavenly Character Division, I grant your reinstatement!"

Ning Jin smiled, then burst into tears.

The holy woodsman patted his shoulder, his gaze complex, and remained silent.

Qin Mu watched them. What kind of emperor could command such loyal soldiers? The Founding Emperor? Yet, the Founding Emperor had been hidden in Wuyou Township for twenty thousand years, likely having long forgotten he had such a group of followers whose loyalty endured even unto death.

"The divine beings of the Founding Emperor era owe nothing to the Qin family, nor to me," he mused. "It is the Qin family that owes a great debt to these loyal and righteous heroes."

Xu Shenghua asked curiously, "Cult Master Qin, why did you invite us here?"

Qin Mu briefly recounted his experiences in the Celestial Yin Realm. "All of you possess greater wisdom and intelligence than I," he said. "I'm struggling to solve the Celestial Yin Empress's predicament; perhaps you can devise a solution."

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. The holy woodsman knew Qin Mu had accompanied the Fisherman to fish for the sun and moon, but he never imagined the Fisherman would disappear, or that this young man would actually venture into the Celestial Yin Realm!

"I once dispatched fifty-eight divine beings from the Heavenly Character Division to explore the Celestial Yin Realm, and not one returned alive. Yet, he simply walked right in."

The holy woodsman secretly shook his head, thinking, "This young man is as fearless as my eldest disciple. My eldest disciple sought to become a saint, but what is his purpose? Surely it's not merely to satisfy his curiosity?" He truly didn't know what to do with Qin Mu. The Celestial Yin Realm's dangers were well known, yet Qin Mu had not only returned alive but also resurrected the Celestial Yin Empress, who had been dead for countless millennia. Such an experience, such fortune, and such a way of solving problems — even he found it incredible.

"Cult Master Qin just said our wisdom and intelligence surpass yours?"

Xu Shenghua, rarely one to smile, did so now, saying with a grin, "Cult Master, would you mind repeating that?"

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace cleared his throat. "I'd also like to hear Second Senior Brother say it again," he added.

The Human Emperor First Ancestor chuckled. "And me. Mu'er, just repeat that last sentence."

Yama's voice, distant as if from Fengdu, resonated. "To hear such praise from someone so proud, admitting they are not as clever as us—that alone is enough comfort for this lifetime."

Each of them had, at some point, been thoroughly outsmarted by Qin Mu. The First Ancestor, of course, and Xu Shenghua had been thoroughly impressed. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was particularly astonished by Qin Mu's creation of the Primordial Spirit Lure, the Three Primordial Spirit Gathering, and even the Eighteen Sword Forms. As for Yama, there was no need to elaborate; the brutal beating he suffered in the Qin King Hall remained his lifelong trauma.

Qin Mu's face turned as dark as ink. He sneered, "Only four of you are smarter than me. Figure out who among you isn't."

At his words, everyone fell into deep thought.

The First Ancestor sighed, a melancholic expression on his face, thinking, "He refused to learn my Heaven and Earth Seal Art because he believes his own is superior..."

Yama also felt he wasn't as nimble-witted as the young man. He sighed inwardly, his body receding into the darkness. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace's eye twitched, and he fell silent.

Xu Shenghua pondered carefully, feeling that while he might surpass Qin Mu in certain areas, he still wasn't confident he could defeat him now, and thus felt a touch of disappointment.

"There's an ancient legend of one peach killing three warriors," the holy woodsman chuckled. "Now, Qin Mu's single sentence has managed to deflate four of you highly intelligent individuals. You don't need to dwell on it. He's simply not as clever as us. He's a Hegemon Body, born with great potential, but he's still only at the Celestial Human Realm, which clearly shows his dull mind has hindered his cultivation. Come, let's go visit the Celestial Yin Empress in the Celestial Yin Realm."

Qin Mu muttered, "Teacher's cultivation realm is the lowest among the Four Heavenly Masters, which suggests he's also not very bright."

The holy woodsman took out his axe and whetstone, grinding the blade until sparks flew. Qin Mu, silenced, quickly led them toward the Celestial Yin Realm.

The Dragon Qilin dared not enter the Celestial Yin Realm, so Qin Mu had him follow He Yiyi to work on the road.

They looked around, seeing darkness flow and black sand submerge everything. Only a tall pagoda suppressed the monsters within the darkness, confining them to the Celestial Yin Realm's edge.

"So these are the soul black sand and famished ghosts?"

Everyone looked around, Yan Jingjing, who was also here for the first time, was very curious.

Xu Shenghua's cultivation realm was the lowest, at the same Celestial Human Realm as Qin Mu. He attempted to touch the darkness, but the holy woodsman shook his head. "Beware of the famished ghosts," he warned. "They are incredibly fast."

Xu Shenghua chuckled, "The famished ghosts are suppressed by that pagoda; they can't get through. I'd actually like to capture one to study it closely."

"Wait here!"

Qin Mu disappeared into the darkness. Moments later, he reappeared, holding a famished ghost.

Xu Shenghua was about to examine it closely when the holy woodsman interjected, "Let's first pay our respects to the Empress; we mustn't be impolite."

They arrived at the seashore, and from a distance, saw the Celestial Yin Empress seated there. Everyone looked up, their hearts greatly shaken.

"Such a powerful ancient god, yet the Black Emperor of the Underworld managed to kill her. How astonishing must the Black Emperor's power be?"

Qin Mu led everyone closer. The Celestial Yin Empress observed them curiously. "Great Master," she said, "are these the individuals you spoke of, whose wisdom and intelligence surpass your own?"

"Empress," Qin Mu began, "this is my teacher, the holy woodsman, who was the backbone of reform during the Founding Emperor era. This is the Imperial Preceptor, the backbone of contemporary reform. And this is Yama of Fengdu, who carved out territory from Youdu and now presides over the Great Ruins, possessing exceptionally high attainments in soul arts. This is the Human Emperor First Ancestor, who personally created the Heaven and Earth Heart Sage Art, a cultivation technique that reached the Empyrean realm – though that was twenty thousand years ago, when he was merely a studying prince. While he may have stagnated for these past two decades, his innate talent and comprehension are undeniable. And this is Xu Shenghua, a pseudo-Hegemon Body, and the individual who achieved the unprecedented feat of merging the Seven Stars and Six Harmonies divine treasures."

After introducing them one by one, Qin Mu continued, "I am often astonished by their cleverness and deeply admire their knowledge. Their wisdom is no less than that of the Son of Yin, and perhaps they can help Empress completely resolve the lingering issues of the Celestial Yin Realm."

The others bowed in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Empress."

The Celestial Yin Empress raised her hand. "You all need not be so formal," she said. "The Great Master helped me devise two ideas, but both are temporary measures and do not address the fundamental issue of the Celestial Yin Realm. Since you are all individuals of extraordinary wisdom, can you guess which two ideas the Great Master proposed?" She didn't truly believe these individuals could surpass Qin Mu in wisdom, so she decided to test them.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace mused, "Could it be to hang a sun in the Celestial Yin Realm?"

The Celestial Yin Empress's eyes lit up.

Xu Shenghua looked up at the sky, pondering. "Perhaps it's to pierce a hole in the Heavenly Duke's foot and steal his power," he suggested.

The Human Emperor First Ancestor mused, "I believe it should be to block the rift connecting the Celestial Yin Realm with the Great Ruins using divine human stone statues, preventing darkness from pouring into the Great Ruins."

Yama of Fengdu shook his head. "That wouldn't work either; the Celestial Yin Realm would still fall into chaos," he said. "Human Emperor Qin's idea must be to release the other him suppressed in his brow, allowing the one with nostrils on his head to devour the famished ghosts and darkness here. Earth Count likely cannot reach this place, so we can't invite him; only that scoundrel can be called upon."

The Celestial Yin Empress was both surprised and delighted. The ideas these four came up with were actually two more than Qin Mu's, clearly demonstrating their extraordinary intelligence! She quickly turned to the holy woodsman, politely asking, "Daoist friend, why don't you offer your solution?"

The holy woodsman pondered. "I was thinking, since Empress was ambushed by the Black Emperor of the Underworld and devoured by the famished ghosts, then after dying, shouldn't she also have become a famished ghost?" he mused. "Since Empress was able to return from the dead, it suggests that the threat of famished ghosts has already been resolved. Why seek other solutions?"

The Celestial Yin Empress was profoundly shaken, exclaiming, "So you are truly the cleverest person in the world!"

"I am not."

The holy woodsman said seriously, "The person who resurrected the Empress likely possesses wisdom greater than mine. May I ask, Empress, who is this individual?"

The Celestial Yin Empress looked at Qin Mu, who smiled without speaking, though he couldn't hide his smug expression.

The woodsman glanced at him and said blandly, "He clearly already possessed the means to resolve it, yet didn't realize it himself. That hardly makes him clever."

Qin Mu's face turned as dark as iron.

— The Founding Emperor's divine being held up a sign: 'Request to join fan team: Divine Dynasty!'