Chapter 837: Fire Heavenly Venerate

He turned around, his face now that of Mu Qing.

"It's you!"

Fiend Celestial's expression changed dramatically. Qin Mu seized the opportunity, pushed off with his toes, and leaped backward toward the Heaven-Bearing Gate, his body falling backward, about to plunge into darkness.

Fiend Celestial's magic power erupted. His five fingers splayed open, and just as Qin Mu was about to fall into Youdu, he felt an immense and profound magic power hold him in place!

He looked outward. Outside the Heaven-Bearing Gate, Fiend Celestial appeared like a towering deity, high above, flames warping the space around him.

"Celestial Mu, it has indeed been a long time since we last met."

His voice seemed to come from another world. His vast magic power was unimaginable; even across worlds, it could easily control Qin Mu's life and death.

"Do you remember the Heavenly Lake Grand Assembly from all those years ago?"

Fiend Celestial said slowly, "It must have been a million years, hasn't it? What surprises me is that after a million years, you haven't made any progress. You're just as weak as you were before."

Qin Mu's distance from him rapidly closed, about to return to the Celestial Heavens once more.

Just then, a paper boat appeared in Fiend Celestial's line of sight. An old man stood at the bow of the boat, holding a lantern.

Fiend Celestial suddenly felt his magic power sever. He immediately stopped and looked across at the old Spirit Guide on the paper boat.

One stood on the top floor of the Celestial Heavens' Repository Pavilion, surrounded by light, while the other stood in Youdu, where darkness reigned.

"Celestial You," Fiend Celestial murmured, a twitch in the corner of his eye.

The old man in the darkness calmly replied, "Celestial Fiend."

Fiend Celestial's gaze was complex as he whispered, "In those days, we were both among the Seven Celestials, and our friendship was excellent. Why have we come to this antagonistic situation today? Celestial You, ever since Celestial Yu died, you've been lost. You shouldn't have gone to Youdu. Going there made your personality more erratic and reclusive, eventually leading you down the wrong path. I still remember when Celestial Yu died, you wore a ghost mask and sobbed, convulsing, for him. At that time, you were truly devoted and pure. Though I found your demeanor annoying, I didn't dislike you."

"You also cried when Celestial Yu died."

The Spirit Guide on the paper boat seemed to show no emotional fluctuations as he calmly said, "Yet, you succumbed afterward, eventually straying down the wrong path. The upright Fiend Celestial of those days also died with Celestial Yu's passing. Standing in the darkness, I look at you and no longer recognize you."

Fiend Celestial's pupils contracted sharply.

At that moment, the elderly voice behind him grew closer, hurrying toward the top floor of the Repository Pavilion. It said, "Is there an enemy invading the Repository Pavilion? Impossible, this is a sealed space, located in the heart of the Celestial Heavens, a forbidden zone within a forbidden zone..."

In the darkness, the old Spirit Guide's paper boat carried Qin Mu away.

Fiend Celestial's expression returned to normal. He gently waved his hand as if bidding them farewell. As he raised his palm, Qin Mu's Heaven-Bearing Gate was completely erased by him, leaving no trace.

Behind him, a white-haired old Daoist ascended to the top floor. He looked around but saw no one, showing a puzzled expression. "No invaders?" he asked.

Fiend Celestial calmly replied, "My senses must have been mistaken; no one has been here. Why isn't Dao Ancestor here?"

The old Daoist laughed. "Dao Ancestor hasn't returned here in over a century. He's as elusive as a dragon in the clouds; I don't know when he'll be back."

Fiend Celestial nodded slightly. "Dao Master, please activate the Repository Pavilion, imprint the runes, and send them to the Creation Divine Artifacts. I'll take my leave first."

The old Daoist quickly activated his magic power. All the jade slips in the Repository Pavilion flew up, orienting themselves towards the central jade pillar. Immediately, a pillar of light ascended from below, illuminating the phantom image of Celestial Yu on the top floor.

"Stabilize!"

The old Daoist shouted, stabilizing the light. Then he took out his sword and cut out the phantom image of Celestial Yu from the jade pillar.

Strangely enough, even after he cut a large piece from the jade pillar, it slowly began to grow back, quickly returning to its original state.

Within this jade piece, Celestial Yu and the rune imprints were still clearly visible. It was the old Daoist who had used his magic power to activate the runes, imprinting them onto the beautiful jade.

If Qin Mu, Lin Xuan, and the others were still there, they would have been dumbfounded, secretly stomping their feet in frustration.

They had only thought about how to memorize these rune grand paths. Qin Mu had even refined a bright mirror, painstakingly crafting its internal space, spending a long time to create a treasure capable of imprinting these rune grand paths.

However, even these exceptionally intelligent individuals hadn't realized that the method for imprinting these rune grand paths was on the very top floor, and it was so simple!

All they needed to do was imprint the rune grand paths, then cut them out and take them away. This way, they could obtain all the rune grand paths from the Repository Pavilion without leaving any trace.

Yet, the smarter one is, the more easily one can get stuck in a rut.

Fiend Celestial walked downstairs and soon reached the outside of the Repository Pavilion.

He hesitated, not heading towards the Grand Cloud Palace. He thought to himself, "Celestial Mu, you've appeared again. Is this time the true you? In the dark years past, you showed yourself many times, but I knew that wasn't really you."

He looked at the distant Grand Cloud Palace, his expression flickering between dark and bright. "Though you once struck me, you investigated Celestial Yu's killers and avenged him. I hold no hatred for you in my heart; instead, I am filled with respect. However, why have you appeared this time? You don't realize that this is not a million years ago. You are too weak now..."

He withdrew his gaze and walked in the opposite direction from the Grand Cloud Palace.

In Youdu, Qin Mu stood on the boat, looking around, searching for Lin Xuan, Xiao Chunfeng, and Yu Hongxiu. He said, "I pushed them into Youdu, so they should have landed nearby."

The old Spirit Guide at the bow hung the lantern there and said, "Youdu is vast. They are not Youdu beings, nor are they Youdu's divine son or the King of the Underworld. Here, they cannot use divine abilities or fly. They will, of course, keep falling, just as you did back then. If they aren't gods, they'll likely fall for hundreds of years until they die of old age, or they might suffocate. There's no air in the darkness; they can't breathe."

Qin Mu stared at him with wide eyes. "You could catch me, so naturally, you can catch them too."

The old Spirit Guide calmly said, "I entrusted Celestial Yu to you. Where is Celestial Yu?"

Qin Mu said with a guilty conscience, "He's doing very well, quite happy, even happier than me. He's with an elder of mine. This elder is the one who taught and guided me; he has excellent character, high cultivation, and never keeps anything he finds. He's a model scholar of Yankang and a pillar of the nation!"

The old Spirit Guide's expression shifted slightly, and he snorted coldly, "How could someone who taught you to be like this be a good person? I don't trust you to entrust Celestial Yu to such an individual!"

Qin Mu retorted angrily, "What's wrong with me? I'm also a Celestial Master, renowned throughout history! The one who nurtured me is naturally a moral paragon!"

The old Spirit Guide calmly said, "I'll go with you to Yankang and meet this moral paragon."

Qin Mu quickly said, "You're so spooky; won't you scare people to death if you go to the Yang World? Don't worry, I would never mistreat Celestial Yu; I'm good to him! Please rescue my three friends quickly before they suffocate."

Ahead, three more paper boats flew over, each with an old Spirit Guide standing at the bow. Inside the boats were Dao Master Lin Xuan and the others.

Qin Mu relaxed and smiled. "You have a sharp tongue but a kind heart. I knew you would rescue them. You can just take us to the Yong River and that will be enough..."

The old Spirit Guide scoffed, "Only you think I'm a good person. Look at the three boats; isn't everyone's face ashen when they see me?"

Qin Mu looked at the three boats and indeed saw Lin Xuan, Xiao Chunfeng, and Yu Hongxiu pale-faced, huddled in the corners of their boats, terrified.

"What were you doing running off to the Celestial Heavens?"

The old Spirit Guide softened his tone. "Is the Celestial Heavens a place where you can just come and go? If I hadn't noticed you opening the Heaven-Bearing Gate again, you would have died there! So audacious and reckless, I regret entrusting Celestial Yu to you!"

Qin Mu chuckled, "But you arrived immediately and saved me. I know you care about me very much."

The old Spirit Guide shook his head. "I was only worried that you might bring Celestial Yu to the Celestial Heavens. If I had known it was just you, I wouldn't have come."

Qin Mu's face darkened, and he sneered, "Then take Celestial Yu back. I'd like to see how you manage to teach him well."

The old Spirit Guide's face also darkened. After a moment, he stammered, "I don't know anyone else. You should teach him. I don't trust the people who raised you... Fiend Celestial is very dangerous; do not approach him."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. "When Celestial Yu died back then, you and Fiend Celestial were the most heartbroken. I could see that he, like you, genuinely respected Celestial Yu. Perhaps Fiend Celestial has also been misled; perhaps we can bring him into our alliance..."

The old Spirit Guide cut him off, stating firmly, "People change!"

Qin Mu paused, then asked, "Why did Fiend Celestial change? What has he experienced over the years? Back then, I exposed that the killers of Celestial Yu were Celestial Hao and the Yin Emperor, with the Heavenly Emperor's dark hand also involved. Even if he wasn't bright, he should have seen that! Why does he still remain in the Celestial Heavens?"

"People change," the old Spirit Guide repeated. Then he added abruptly, "The Yang World has arrived; you should disembark now. Don't go back to the Celestial Heavens, and don't trust Fiend Celestial. You will die."

Qin Mu suppressed his doubts and voluntarily jumped off the boat, while Dao Master Lin Xuan and the others were picked up by the Spirit Guide and dropped off.

Below the boat was darkness, but the next moment, it burst into bright light. The four stood on solid ground and looked around, seeing only the vast river and towering mountains nearby. Their recent experience felt like a dream.

Qin Mu turned his head, but the old Spirit Guide had already vanished.

"Fiend Celestial, have you truly changed?" Qin Mu murmured, lost in thought.

"Cult Master Qin, Cult Master Qin!"

Dao Master Lin Xuan roused him. "We should return to Azure Cloud Heaven and handle the follow-up matters."

Qin Mu came to his senses and nodded. He looked at Xiao Chunfeng and Yu Hongxiu. "So, after this experience, what are your plans?"

Xiao Chunfeng hesitated, then said, "I come from the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect and share the same heritage as Dao Master Lin. Therefore, I plan to first go to the Yankang Dao Sect, then gradually develop and achieve something significant in the future."

Yu Hongxiu thought for a moment. "I'll also go to the Dao Sect, but I won't become a Daoist nun."

Qin Mu's eyes lit up. "Sister Hongxiu, have you heard of the Heavenly Saint Cult? My Heavenly Saint Cult is a renowned righteous sect..."