Chapter 933: Gazing into the Abyss

"The Dao is a toad." This single phrase encapsulates Dao Ancestor's profound dedication to seeking the Dao.

In the past, Dao Ancestor was so engrossed in his pursuit that he paid no attention to worldly affairs. He couldn't even manage his own basic needs, relying on the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha for assistance. When Qin Mu traveled back to the early Dragon Han era and encountered them, it was the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha who would beg for alms, bringing back spiritual pills to sustain both of them. At that time, Dao Ancestor was completely immersed in the Dao, indifferent to any other matters of right or wrong.

When he said, "The Dao is a toad," he was equating the ancient gods with the Dao, seeing them as "toads" to be analyzed through arithmetic and calculations. Over hundreds of thousands of years, he perfected classical arithmetic and divination, using it to decipher the Great Dao of individual ancient gods. He then transformed these Great Daos into runes, which aided the Ten Celestials in establishing the Heavenly Court realms. He no longer needed the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha to beg for alms on his behalf.

However, Qin Mu's statement "seeking the Dao from the Dao" implied that Dao Ancestor sought the Dao from the ancient gods. Since the ancient gods are embodiments of the Dao, their Dao already existed. His pursuit of the Dao from them meant he created nothing new; the Dao was already present, independent of his search. Qin Mu then explained that "seeking the Dao from humanity" refers to human creativity. Before humans, there was no Path of the Sword; humans created it. There was no Path of Calligraphy and Painting; humans created it. There was no Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure; humans created it. There were no cultivation techniques; humans created them. Both the Divine Treasure and Heavenly Palace cultivation systems were created by humans, not by the ancient gods or his "toads."

Dao Ancestor had spent years researching the ancient gods, becoming so absorbed in his academic pursuits that he couldn't break free from them. Consequently, his accomplishments lagged behind those of the Ten Celestials. Nevertheless, he must have realized his own limitations, which is why he told those two "toads" to serve as his public facade. Longevity does not automatically equate to greater intelligence or wisdom. Innate talent accounts for half, while the other half comes from acquired learning, which is heavily influenced by one's environment. Qin Mu, hailing from Yankang, was a key figure in the Yankang reforms. He witnessed the evolution from societal reform to a fundamental transformation of the Dao itself, observing how the Great Dao of heaven and earth changed as a result. While he wouldn't claim his perspective or knowledge surpassed Dao Ancestor's, his insights in certain areas were indeed superior.

"I heard that Lady Yunxiao visited the Jade Pond and met with Celestial Venerable Mu," Dao Ancestor said. "So, Celestial Venerable must be here for Celestial Venerable Yun's box." Dao Ancestor produced a wooden box. "I have guarded this box for hundreds of thousands of years," he said. "Now, I can finally unburden my mind."

Qin Mu took the box and inquired, "Does Dao Ancestor not know what's inside?"

Dao Ancestor shook his head. "How could I presume to open something Celestial Venerable Yun intended for Celestial Venerable Mu?" he replied. "Celestial Venerable Yun left two boxes: one for Celestial Venerable Mu and another for Celestial Venerable Qin. I have already delivered the other box to Celestial Venerable Qin."

"Celestial Venerable Yun also left a box for Emperor Kai?" Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise. "Lady Yunxiao never mentioned this to me." Qin Mu, surprised, asked, "What was inside Celestial Venerable Qin's box?"

Dao Ancestor smiled. "I was present when Celestial Venerable Qin opened it," he said. "It was a geographical map of a place called Tai Xu. I didn't examine it closely."

"Tai Xu?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. "I just visited Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable," he said, "and heard that there are unusual activities in Tai Xu. They are taking their disciples to explore it. What kind of place is Tai Xu?"

Dao Ancestor shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "Only the Ten Celestials truly know what Tai Xu is. I've only heard of its existence, but I don't know what's there or where it's located. However, after Celestial Venerable Qin obtained the Tai Xu geographical map, the Emperor Kai Calamity erupted, and Celestial Venerable Qin went to Carefree Village. There are rumors that Carefree Village is situated within Tai Xu. It's likely that the Heavenly Court's Ten Celestials are so interested in Tai Xu because they want to find Celestial Venerable Qin's whereabouts."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment. Was there a connection between Tai Xu, Carefree Village, and the world the creators had envisioned and brought into existence? He recalled seeing on the blood-rusted zone's carvings how prehistoric creators, pooling their immense divine consciousness, had manifested another world in the void, hoping to escape the chaotic reality and the ancient gods' massacres. Could this world, created by the primordial beings, be Tai Xu? And is Carefree Village located within Tai Xu? Furthermore, both Qin Hanzhen and Consort Zhen had spoken of dangers in Carefree Village. What did that imply? He was utterly perplexed.

Qin Mu opened Celestial Venerable Yun's box and was momentarily stunned to find a tiny altar inside. The altar was remarkably small, barely an inch and three fen long and about two fingers high, appearing miniature within the box. Qin Mu reached in to retrieve the small altar, but as his hand entered the box, he noticed it shrinking, seemingly unable to reach the bottom.

"The internal space of this box must be vast," he murmured. "And the altar isn't as small as it appears." Qin Mu carefully examined the box and the altar. He then noticed something incredibly tiny resting on the altar. He activated his magic power, and his vital qi materialized into a hand that reached into the box's inner space to retrieve the object from the altar.

Qin Mu withdrew his vital qi, revealing a perfectly square and upright treasure seal in his hand. It was slightly larger than his palm, but small enough for his fingers to wrap around. "This treasure seal is..." He wondered what it was. The seal wasn't large, and it was semi-transparent, allowing him to faintly discern the lines on his palm through it. He had no idea what material it was made from. Typically, seals bear inscriptions, but this one was blank. Only its top featured intricate mountain-shaped carvings.

After examining it, he handed the seal to Dao Ancestor. "Dao Ancestor, can you discern any secrets within this treasure seal?" he asked.

Dao Ancestor meticulously observed the seal. Suddenly, an eye opened on his forehead, radiating boundless starlight—it was the divine ability of the Heaven's Eye. A moment later, his Heaven's Eye closed, and another eye emerged on his forehead, blazing with the demonic fires of Youdu—it was the Eye of Earth Count. He then dismissed the Eye of Earth Count and manifested various other divine eye abilities of the ancient gods, yet he still couldn't uncover the seal's mysteries.

"I cannot discern the mystery of this treasure seal," Dao Ancestor stated. He shook his head and returned the seal. "Since Celestial Venerable Yun was so deliberate in ensuring this seal was given to you, it must hold a profound significance," he said.

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He opened the vertical eye on his forehead and scrutinized the seal. At that moment, Uncle Jun's voice echoed in his mind: "This is the Emperor Seal of Grand Emperor Ju Yu! It's a treasure forged from Grand Emperor Ju Yu's condensed divine consciousness!" Using his third eye, Qin Mu immediately detected the Emperor Seal's unusual nature. This Emperor Seal, a substance condensed from incredibly potent divine consciousness, transformed in his third eye's vision into a colossal emperor standing majestically in his palm! As Qin Mu's gaze fell upon the emperor, he instantly felt his divine consciousness under assault! His divine consciousness was instantly forced back into his body, specifically to his brow, and was so compressed it almost collapsed!

Qin Mu quickly closed his third eye, and Uncle Jun's voice continued, "How did a treasure belonging to Grand Emperor Ju Yu end up here? This Emperor Seal symbolizes Ju Yu's authority. In the past, Ju Yu's envoys carried it across the cosmos, eradicating any defiant races. When the Grand Emperor Seal appeared, bodies would litter the land for thousands of miles; none dared to disobey! But Grand Emperor Ju Yu should have perished in the ancient gods' siege. Why would his Grand Emperor Seal reappear now?"

Qin Mu's divine consciousness had been so violently impacted that his head throbbed. After a moment, he felt his mind recover slightly and asked, "Uncle Jun, how can I unleash the power of the Grand Emperor Seal?"

Uncle Jun chuckled. "Offer me all your qi, blood, and divine consciousness for the next three years, and I will teach you how to activate the Grand Emperor Seal's power," he said. "The Grand Emperor Seal is immensely powerful. It suppressed and killed countless creators in its time; even clan leaders, or ancient gods formed by the collective consciousness of billions of tribesmen, could not withstand its might! Just give me your qi, blood, and divine consciousness for the next three years, and I can let you wield this power!"

"Never mind," Qin Mu decided. Ignoring him, Qin Mu tossed the Grand Emperor Seal in his hand, murmuring to himself, "What profound meaning did Celestial Venerable Yun have in leaving this Grand Emperor Seal? The box for Emperor Kai contained a geographical map of Tai Xu, and my box contains the Grand Emperor Seal. Surely, these two items are connected somehow..."

Dao Ancestor, surprised, asked, "Celestial Venerable Mu, do you know the name of this treasure seal?"

Qin Mu put away the Grand Emperor Seal and smiled. "I know a little about it," he said. "This Grand Emperor Seal was condensed from the divine consciousness of the prehistoric Grand Emperor Ju Yu, and it's incredibly powerful, though I'm unsure how to activate it. Dao Ancestor, your relationship with Celestial Venerable Yun must have been quite good, wasn't it?"

Dao Ancestor nodded. "After I achieved some renown among humanity, Celestial Venerable Yun sought me out," he recounted. "He inquired about my mastery of arithmetic. We spoke for a long time, and he told me that my understanding of arithmetic could be used to decipher the Great Dao of the ancient gods and ultimately overthrow their rule." He slowly recounted the story of how Celestial Venerable Yun found him.

At that time, Celestial Venerable Yun was already the Heavenly Emperor of the Sky-Han Heavenly Court. Nominally, his court was subservient to the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, and he governed all acquired beings in the mortal realm on behalf of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor. The Dragon Firmament Heavenly Court, conversely, was under the rule of Celestial Venerable Hao, who served as its Heavenly Emperor and governed all demigod races across the land. The two Heavenly Courts engaged in perpetual conflict, and the battles between demigods and acquired beings never ceased. These inter-racial wars raged for hundreds of thousands of years during the Dragon Han era, claiming innumerable lives.

Despite the constant warfare, both Heavenly Courts were nominally branches of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court. The ancient gods maintained their complete rule over the world, with the ongoing conflicts between demigods and acquired beings inadvertently solidifying their authority. Both the Sky-Han and Dragon Firmament Heavenly Courts continued to offer sacrifices and tributes to the ancient gods. If sacrifices and tributes were withheld, the ancient gods of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court would descend, intervene in the conflict by aiding the opposing side, and punish any forces that defied the Dragon Han Heavenly Court. Such interventions invariably resulted in rivers of blood and mountains of corpses.

It was under these circumstances that Celestial Venerable Yun sought out the already somewhat renowned Dao Ancestor and invited him to join the Heavenly Alliance. At that time, Dao Ancestor was attempting to use arithmetic to analyze the world's various Great Daos. He was proficient in many divine abilities, though his actual combat power was not particularly high; he simply had a vast repertoire of learned techniques. In that era of suffering, geniuses were as abundant as stars, and many possessed immense combat power. Dao Ancestor and the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha were not particularly conspicuous among them.

When Celestial Venerable Yun told Dao Ancestor that his arithmetic could decipher the Great Dao of the ancient gods, thereby completely overthrowing their rule and ending the suffering in the world, Dao Ancestor was astonished and found it hard to believe. At that time, Dao Ancestor had already parted ways with the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha; they lived separate lives, each with their own disciples and followers. Yet, Celestial Venerable Yun convinced him that this was achievable—that mortals could comprehend, and even acquire, the source of the ancient gods' power. Consequently, Dao Ancestor began to execute Celestial Venerable Yun's plan, tirelessly analyzing the Great Dao of the ancient gods. This endeavor continued for five or six hundred thousand years. To this day, he has essentially mapped out the Great Dao of the ancient gods.

"However, I've also observed the changes in the world," Dao Ancestor mused, suddenly. "The ancient gods are no longer the primary threat to heaven and earth. Instead, it is the Heavenly Alliance that has replaced the ancient gods as the world's threat. I am merely a scholar, detached from worldly affairs, and I was entirely unprepared and at a loss for this situation. That's why, when I learned of Celestial Venerable Mu's visit to Qingyun Heaven last time, I risked sending you to the Scripture Repository, hoping to impart the Great Dao of the ancient gods to you, in order to bring about some change."

Qin Mu thanked him and asked, "Dao Ancestor, why did you transmit the Great Dao of the ancient gods from the Scripture Repository to the ancient god Heavenly Emperor?"

Dao Ancestor hesitated briefly. "That was also Celestial Venerable Yun's idea," he replied. Qin Mu was taken aback.

"In his final days, Celestial Venerable Yun seemed to know his time was short," Dao Ancestor explained. "He told me that the Heavenly Alliance had spiraled out of control and needed an external enemy. He had a premonition that one person within the Alliance might be the ancient god Heavenly Emperor, and he advised me to cultivate a closer relationship with him." Dao Ancestor continued, "He was powerless to control the Heavenly Alliance. His only option was to attempt to divide it, to prevent it from becoming an uncontrollable leviathan. Regrettably, the Heavenly Alliance still transformed into the very entity he feared."