Chapter 740: Laughing with Tears, Lord You

“Brother Qin, Brother Mu!”

Yin Tianzi emerged from behind the young man, smiling. “And Senior Niu Ben! You’ve caused a massive disaster! This Jade Pool is the Empress’s domain. You’ve smashed it to pieces, and the Empress will surely make things difficult for you. Yu Tianzun, these three are Senior Brother Qin Kai, Senior Brother Mu Qing, and Senior Niu Ben, whom I mentioned to you earlier.”

Only then did Ling Tianzun realize Qin Mu and the others’ “names” were aliases. She was so engrossed in her research that she was oblivious to other matters, and believing Qin Mu and Kai Huang to be kindred spirits, she had forgotten to ask for their names.

Qin Mu looked at the young man, thinking, “Is he Yu Tianzun? The first to open the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure?” Yu Tianzun was the one who established the Divine Treasure cultivation system, and he was also potentially the one who would open the Celestial Palace cultivation system. For later generations, opening the Spirit Embryo and even having one’s primordial spirit ascend to the Celestial Palace became commonplace—though ascending to the Celestial Palace was still difficult, countless deities throughout history had achieved it. However, for people in the ancient era, who had no idea what cultivation was, this was nothing short of a world-shattering feat! Yu Tianzun, who created the Divine Treasure cultivation system out of nothing, absolutely deserved the title of Tianzun!

Qin Mu observed Yu Tianzun. He was like jade, gentle and serene, standing there like a rare qionghua tree, his eyes sparkling like dew, his heart possessing a discerning wisdom.

Qin Mu bowed respectfully and smiled. “I have long heard of Yu Tianzun’s esteemed name and finally have the honor of meeting you today. You truly live up to your reputation.”

Yu Tianzun replied, “Brother Mu and Brother Qin’s Dao and divine abilities are magnificent and impressive. The clash just now startled the Jade Pool, making us realize that there are always those who are superior. Senior Niu Ben’s peerless skill, in particular, astonished the Heavenly Court, making many envious. Please forgive my ignorance, as I had not heard of your renown before. May I ask where you three hail from?”

Qin Mu and Kai Huang exchanged glances. Kai Huang politely said, “We are from a humble place. Yu Tianzun’s fame has spread throughout the world, and with this Jade Pool grand assembly, we heard the news and came. It’s just that we two have rather bad tempers, and we started fighting over a disagreement. We were a bit reckless; please forgive us, Yu Tianzun.”

Yu Tianzun smiled. “That’s quite alright. This place has been damaged, and I’ve already arranged for repairs. This is not a suitable place for conversation. Perhaps I could invite the three of you to move to the Jade Pool Cottage? It is the Empress’s detached palace and much sturdier than this area.”

Ling Tianzun seemed a bit reluctant and was about to speak when Yu Tianzun gently smiled. “Ling Tianzun, your palace was also destroyed, so it’s not a suitable place to stay right now. Let’s go to the Empress’s detached palace together.” Ling Tianzun pondered for a moment and then nodded.

Yu Tianzun led the way, his eyes gleaming. “Brother Qin, Brother Mu, I observe that your Dao and divine abilities are extraordinary, your divine power has reached mastery, surpassing countless ordinary beings. Your attainments are so profound that even I cannot fully comprehend them. May I ask about your lineage and origin?”

“Just figured it out ourselves,” Qin Mu mumbled gruffly.

Kai Huang laughed. “We two have bad tempers and fought whenever we met. As we fought, our Dao and divine abilities improved. Yu Tianzun is the true genius, having founded the Divine Treasure system, benefiting future generations. We truly admire you.”

Yin Tianzi looked puzzled, thinking, “Earlier, on the back of the giant kun, they seemed to be meeting for the first time; they didn’t recognize each other. Why does Qin Kai now say their Dao and divine abilities improved from fighting? That doesn’t sound like the truth.” Although he thought this, he did not voice it.

Yu Tianzun frowned slightly, then smiled. “If you prefer not to discuss it further, I won’t press the matter. Although many cultivators have come to this assembly, with talents as numerous as carp crossing a river, only the three of you are truly noteworthy. Beyond this floating bridge ahead is the Jade Pool Cottage, which was not destroyed.”

Ahead, a flying bridge spanned the air, unsupported, continuously floating on the sea. Many cultivators walked across the bridge, heading towards another island. Qin Mu looked back to see the Jade Pool Island thoroughly damaged by the three of them, with many demigods flying about, repairing the shattered palaces.

As Yu Tianzun walked, he gazed at the sparkling sea. In the distance, two ancient gods were pulling out an ancient god who had been stuck in the sea—the one knocked unconscious by old Niu, his head submerged. Some old turtles were also surfacing from beneath the water, with sacred mountains rising from their backs from the seabed, and seawater cascaded down these mountains, forming waterfalls. This was all the damage caused by old Niu’s outburst.

“The Heavenly Emperor is broad-minded and will not fuss over this with the three of you,” Yu Tianzun said with an ambiguous smile. “However, the Empress might throw a small tantrum, so you three need to be careful… You Tianzun!”

He called out to a young boy who was also walking towards the Jade Pool Cottage, listlessly throwing runes into the sea as he went. Qin Mu’s heart stirred. The runes You Tianzun was throwing seemed somewhat similar to the characters of Youdu. When the runes hit the water, they stunned several large fish. “You Tianzun, who opened the Life-Death Divine Treasure? Why does he have such a childish temper?” he wondered.

You Tianzun had a small pigtail pointing upwards, snot bubbles occasionally emerged from his nostrils, and a grotesque mask was tied to the back of his head. The mask was a smiling face, yet under its two eyes, there were tear marks. This Tianzun was different from the others Qin Mu had seen. He seemed to have a reclusive personality; even when Yu Tianzun initiated conversation, he barely acknowledged it, just glancing at Yu Tianzun, then at Qin Mu, Kai Huang, and the others, before continuing to listlessly throw Youdu runes.

Qin Mu curiously observed You Tianzun. Since You Tianzun had opened the life-death secret realm, it was natural that he would be proficient in Youdu runes, and he probably excelled at Youdu divine arts. In this ancient era, mastering Youdu divine arts meant understanding life and death, which was already a remarkable achievement.

“You Tianzun…” Qin Mu took out a small notebook and smiled. “Could you sign this for me?”

You Tianzun glanced at him, then looked at Qin Mu’s glabella, suddenly showing a flicker of interest. “The eye on your glabella is strange.”

Qin Mu’s heart jumped, and he chuckled. “You’ve found out. My power is too immense, so I had to seal my eye to avoid causing trouble.”

You Tianzun raised a hand, wanting to peel off the willow leaf from Qin Mu’s glabella, but Qin Mu quickly blocked him. You Tianzun immediately became unhappy, leaped up, and jumped off the floating bridge. “If you don’t want me to see, then don’t! I’m not interested anyway!”

Qin Mu looked down from the bridge and saw that You Tianzun didn’t land on the sea. Instead, he took out a small paper boat, which grew larger and larger. He landed on the paper boat, and it drifted towards the island where the Jade Pool Cottage was located.

“This paper boat…” Qin Mu was stunned for a moment. The grotesque mask on the back of You Tianzun’s head suddenly opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue at him. Qin Mu was startled, and the mask then made another grotesque face before becoming still.

“Don’t take it to heart, You Tianzun has always had such a childish temper,” Yu Tianzun said. “He lost his father very early and was raised by his mother, who was frail and sickly and constantly plagued by severe illness. When I first met him, he was only about ten years old and didn’t speak much, as he was caring for his bedridden, paralyzed mother. He told me he wanted to create a method, a way to make his mother immortal. A few years later, he opened the Life-Death Divine Treasure.”

Kai Huang said, “He is a filial son, yet opening the Life-Death Divine Treasure could not save his mother’s life.”

Yin Tianzi, who was nearby, added, “I heard his mother died of illness before he opened the Life-Death Divine Treasure. Since then, You Tianzun has become even more reclusive. Last time, he even said he was going to see Tu Bo to snatch back his mother’s soul. Truly audacious!” He shook his head.

Yu Tianzun said, “Actually, he has already met Tu Bo.”

Yin Tianzi paused, slightly startled. Yu Tianzun continued, “When he was opening the Life-Death Divine Treasure, Tu Bo came to him. He begged Tu Bo to take back the Tianzun title, and not to grant him immortality, but only for his mother to be immortal. However, at that time, his mother had already passed away, and her soul had entered Youdu. Tu Bo is impartial and just; he would not change the rules of Youdu for him. That’s why he said he would enter Youdu in the future to snatch back his mother’s soul.”

Qin Mu watched the drifting paper boat, but another figure appeared in his mind: the old man on a small boat under a horse lantern at the bow. Could he be Tianqi Rensheng Wang? If so, how did You Tianzun gradually become Tianqi Rensheng Wang back then? Did he ever rescue his mother from Tu Bo?

The paper boat moved silently, faintly forward, the boy on it wearing a face that smiled through tears. Qin Mu was stunned, thinking of his own mother.

Yu Tianzun said, “Brother Mu seems to have something on his mind.”

Qin Mu forced a smile. “Seeing You Tianzun reminded me of myself. I feel a bit of shared sorrow.”

Yu Tianzun looked thoughtful and smiled. “With your current abilities, Brother Mu, it’s only natural to be called a Tianzun. I plan to report to the Heavenly Emperor; perhaps His Majesty will confer upon Brother Qin and Brother Mu the titles of Qin Tianzun and Mu Tianzun. At that time, there will be nine Tianzuns.” He burst into laughter.

Yin Tianzi’s expression was a bit displeased, and he felt dispirited, a trace of loss and jealousy rising within him.

Kai Huang shook his head and said, “The title of Tianzun is for those who have achieved great things. I am not worthy of the Tianzun title. Brother Mu and I…”

Qin Mu sneered, “Don’t call me Brother Mu, I don’t deserve it!”

Kai Huang’s eyebrow twitched, and he huffed. Behind them, old Niu, who had been silent all along, coughed heavily, revealing a clear threatening implication. Yu Tianzun saw it and smiled slightly. “These three are truly strange.”

Kai Huang continued, “Although Mu Qing and I’s divine abilities and Dao are not bad, we have no world-shaking creations, so we are not worthy of this title.”

Yu Tianzun laughed heartily. “Senior brothers, if you are unworthy, then who is? Your battle on Jade Pool Island was not just amazing; it was truly world-shattering! To be honest, I considered my own Dao and divine abilities to be quite good; in this world, only ancient gods could surpass me, and everyone else was mediocre. But after meeting you two, I truly understood the vastness of the world and what genuine Dao and divine abilities are! You are the only two creators of Dao and divine abilities. You are absolutely worthy of the Tianzun name!” He smiled. “If you yourselves believe you are unworthy, then all seven of us Tianzuns should resign our titles. We might as well retire!”

Qin Mu blinked. This Yu Tianzun was indeed a hero among men. His words and actions were as pleasant as a spring breeze, making him remarkably smooth and tactful. Such a person was a natural leader, making people unconsciously develop a good impression of him!

Ahead, they arrived at the Jade Pool Cottage. Once there, Qin Mu understood what “cottage” truly meant. It was normal for the palaces to be magnificent, as it was the Empress’s detached palace, but what was most astonishing was how incredibly vast the palaces were—unbelievably huge! The pillars at the entrance alone were over two hundred zhang tall! Everything here was hundreds, even thousands, of times larger than ordinary things! One could imagine that the Empress living here must also be hundreds of times taller than ordinary people!

Yu Tianzun said, “After the Heavenly Court grand assembly, once the Heavenly Court’s name is decided, I will submit a memorial to the Heavenly Emperor and ask His Majesty to bestow titles upon you.”

Qin Mu thanked him and smiled. “If we can be granted the title of Tianzun, we will be eternally grateful to Yu Tianzun!”

Kai Huang frowned. “This Mu Qing is truly manipulative!” Old Niu beside him coughed again, and Kai Huang had no choice but to patiently refrain from acting out, lest the divine demon go berserk again.

Yu Tianzun laughed heartily. “These are all small matters; you deserve them. I’m just helping to secure them for you. Frankly, at this Jade Pool assembly, I want to achieve two things. The first is that I have found a path to immortality, which can help all cultivators advance further, become equal to gods, and their cultivation and strength will also grow higher and higher. The second matter is…”