Chapter 935: Facing the Sea

Qin Mu stepped into the pavilion, standing shoulder to shoulder with another Qin Mu, gazing out at the surface of Yaochi.

"Heavenly Lord Mu doesn't seem surprised at all." The other Qin Mu glanced at him, chuckling, "If I saw another me standing right in front of me, I'd scream in surprise. My next reaction would be to eliminate them. Because in this world, I am unique."

Qin Mu smiled, "The Celestial Heavens can create more than a dozen Heavenly Lord Yus. What's so special about creating another me? This body was probably manufactured in the Zao Fu Heavenly Palace, wasn't it? It's quite similar. However, even if they create an exact replica of me, it would be outdated the very next moment."

The other Qin Mu observed his every word and gesture, mimicking his movements and tone of voice. "It's not about creating another you. My true purpose is to replace you. That way, you'll die silently, while another you continues to live."

He flawlessly mimicked Qin Mu's subtle movements. "After you die, you will continue to live as the leader of Eternal Peace's reforms. You will still be Heavenly Lord Mu, mingling among your allies. Lord of Earth and Heavenly Duke won't notice any flaws. These ancient gods dream of preserving your life, hoping that the Grandmaster of Myriad Calamities will resurrect them. You've given these decaying beings hope, but they won't realize that you've long been dead."

Qin Mu tilted his head, and the eyelids on his forehead slowly parted, revealing his third eye. He scrutinized the body. "You are Heavenly Lord Hao, aren't you? My defeated opponent, twice beaten by my hands."

The opposing Qin Mu's pupils suddenly constricted. A vertical eye also appeared on his forehead, its eyelids slowly parting. His third eye opened almost as quickly as Qin Mu's, clearly still mimicking him.His pupils were also diamond-shaped. Clearly, the Dao Ancestor had observed Qin Mu meticulously, ensuring every detail was identical.Even his clothes and accessories, the position of every strand of hair, and the number of hairs were exactly the same!The Dao Ancestor was indeed such a meticulous person.

"The first time was in the early years of the Dragon Han era, also right here." Qin Mu said with interest, "I beat you like a stray dog, scrambling for your life. Your subordinates desperately tried to stop me from killing you, but I slaughtered them like chickens. Their blood and yours stained this Yaochi red. Your mother, Lady Yuanmu, projected herself here to save you, yet I still beat you like a dead dog right in front of her. How long did it take you to recover from your injuries?"

The opposing Qin Mu said, "Medical techniques back then weren't advanced. The Heavenly Emperor invited renowned physicians to save me, but those healers were incompetent; none could cure your sword intent and sword injuries. I lay on my sickbed for over a hundred years, unable to eat or drink, relying on others to feed me. I was incontinent and needed palace maids to assist me. During those hundred-plus years, I thought of death more than once. I even begged my mother to kill me more than once."

Qin Mu smiled. "That's what I gave you. You only lay there for over a hundred years, but Heavenly Lord Yu lay there for millions of years."

"Afterward, my injuries slowly healed, and I could walk again. It was then that I realized my physical wounds had actually healed long ago; what hadn't healed was my Dao Heart."

The opposing Qin Mu's pupils constricted abruptly, his eyes shimmering with divine light. Then the light receded, and he said indifferently, "The wounds on my Dao Heart needed much longer to heal. For a thousand years afterward, whenever I closed my eyes, I would see your sword piercing my body, see your fists smashing into me, breaking my bones and tearing my sinews."

Qin Mu said apologetically, "I should have killed you back then. That way, you wouldn't have suffered such torment."

The opposing Qin Mu said coldly, "It took a thousand years for me to emerge from your shadow. But once I did, I knew I was no longer the me I used to be. The old me was merely a blade in my imperial father's hand, used to eliminate Heavenly Lord Yu, a powerful enemy who might threaten his position in the future. You made me die and then live again. From that moment on, I swore to live for myself."

Still mimicking Qin Mu's speech and mannerisms, he continued, "I began to become more calculating. I wasn't conspicuous among the imperial princes; after all, I was a failure, a wretch beaten like a dead dog by Heavenly Lord Mu. However, the more I was like that, the more opportunities I had, and the more my imperial father valued me. I helped him devise a plan to eliminate the First Crown Prince, deposing and killing him. He was the son of the Empress and my imperial father, and he used to humiliate me, mocking me as a bastard, mocking me for being beaten like a dead dog by Heavenly Lord Mu. So I gave him the name Xie Wuqi, as a mark of shame, ensuring that even after death, he would continue to suffer in Youdu!"

Qin Mu saw the smile on the opposing figure's face, as guileless as his own, yet beneath that guilelessness lay profound hatred and the exhilaration of revenge.

"After Xie Wuqi's death, none of the influential imperial princes were my match. Some died, some were injured, and others had their Dao Hearts shattered by me."

The other Qin Mu chuckled, "My imperial father thought Heavenly Lord Yun and Heavenly Lord Ling were still threats to the Celestial Heavens, so he planned to support a trusted subordinate to deal with and restrict them. He chose me. Heh heh, at that time, he could only choose me. So, I came to the Primordial Realm, established the Dragon Ascension Celestial Heavens, and contended with Heavenly Lord Yun and his allies, fighting to the death. But because of this, I also built my own team. With this foundation, I could slowly plot my grand ambition."

Qin Mu praised him, "Heavenly Lord Hao, you've grown up."

"This is all thanks to you." The other Qin Mu's smile became purer and sunnier, like a big boy's. "I fought with Heavenly Lord Yun for a long time. Humanity and the postnatal beings were too weak, no match for the demigods. To boost the confidence of humanity and the postnatal beings, he even transformed into you to fight me. How laughable!"He couldn't help but laugh. "I was indeed frightened at the time, but I quickly realized that Heavenly Lord Mu wasn't you. No matter how well he imitated you, he couldn't fool me."He wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile, a cry that wasn't quite a cry. "Who could understand you as well as I do? The devil that appeared in my countless nightmares was always you! Heavenly Lord Yun was too naive, to actually imitate you! However, I didn't expose him in front of everyone. I simply approached him privately and told him about my plan. So I, the one you hate to the bone, smoothly joined the Heavenly Alliance. Heh heh, I killed Heavenly Lord Yu, humanity hates me to the bone, and you hate me to the bone, yet I joined the Heavenly Alliance and became one of its elders! Because Heavenly Lord Yun wanted to deal with my imperial father with me—"

He watched Qin Mu's expression, trying to find disappointment and dejection on his face, but there was none.

"I conspired with him and laid out the grand plan to eliminate my imperial father. At the same time, I continuously infiltrated demigods into the Heavenly Alliance to contend with him. I wanted not only to eliminate my imperial father but also to seize control of the Heavenly Alliance!"

He smiled slightly. "I succeeded; he failed."This sentence was simple, but it concealed a series of breathtaking past events.

Qin Mu chuckled, "Even if you succeeded, the Heavenly Alliance didn't fully fall under your control. You suffered your second failure in this life, and again, it was because you encountered me."

The opposing Qin Mu didn't deny it. He nodded and said, "I've never seen your true appearance. I fashioned Heavenly Lord Yu into the strongest weapon, a divine weapon of the Celestial Heavens realm, to descend and eradicate Earth Mother Sovereign. I never expected that the Grandmaster who resurrected Earth Mother would be you. You used Earth Mother's sword, employing the very move that laid me on my sickbed for a hundred years, and the shadow in my heart reappeared, causing me to be injured by Earth Mother, taken advantage of, and lose the Primordial Realm. However, that was merely a surprise attack."

He appeared carefree, his tone indifferent. "Now, in my eyes, you no longer hold your original significance. Over the long span of time, my cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, and my understanding of the Dao has grown immensely. When I recall the battle at Yaochi back then, I merely chuckle, laughing at my own youth and immaturity."

He gazed at the waves of Yaochi Sea, saying leisurely, "I no longer harbor any hatred for you. The hatred I display is merely for deceiving others. You hold no position in my Dao Heart; you are merely a tool to be used. And..."A smile bloomed on his face, growing wider and wider. "And you are going to die today. I have prepared a perfect death for you."

"Did you see the palace maids in Yaochi? On the night of the Yaochi incident, the divine officials and demon god army who came to announce the Heavenly Emperor's decree were sent by me. The palace maids in Yaochi were also replaced at my instruction, including the divine turtles carrying divine mountains in Yaochi Sea, and the flower spirits in the lotus blossoms—they are all my people."

He turned around, his smile deepening. "Even the people around you have been sent away by me. I have planted agents in Heavenly Lord Yun's residence, Red Emperor's residence, and Southern Emperor's residence, making it very easy to remove the people near you. If I kill you here, no one will know. Heavenly Duke and Lord of Earth won't know that the true Heavenly Lord Mu is dead."

Qin Mu sighed, "Heavenly Lord Hao, I never expected your cunning to reach such a profound level. It seems I can't escape this calamity. But, are you certain that this Heavenly Lord Mu you've created will definitely be my match?"He smiled slightly, "You meticulously crafted Heavenly Lord Mu. To ensure he's identical to me and to avoid suspicion from other Heavenly Lords and ancient gods, you must keep him at the Divine Bridge Realm. Such a physical body cannot contain your primordial spirit; your primordial spirit is too strong. You can only use a wisp of consciousness to control this body. However, I have killed far too many practitioners of the Divine Bridge Realm, even destroying two weapons like Heavenly Lord Yu."

The other Qin Mu's smile was bright and sunny, yet it sent shivers down one's spine. In this short time, he had achieved a degree of similarity to Qin Mu that made it almost impossible to discern any difference.

"You underestimate my achievements over these past million years. For a million years, I have contemplated countless times, engaging in battle with you countless times within the depths of my consciousness. You and I have, in fact, clashed hundreds of millions of times."

He laughed heartily, "Before, you won more often than you lost. However, as I grew, your chances of winning diminished. During the Emperor's Era, you were already defeated by me. Afterward, every time I fought you in the depths of my consciousness, I was experimenting with the simplest way to kill you. By the time of the Founding Emperor era, I only needed one move to kill you."

He exuded strong confidence, smiling, "I have compiled the moves I use to kill you into a technique called 'A Hundred Methods to Slaughter Mu,' comprising a hundred divine arts. As of today, in the depths of my consciousness, you are dead before you even make a move!"

Qin Mu's pupils suddenly constricted.

His aura surged. His sword pellet flew out, and he unleashed his sword with ferocity!His first move was the second form of the Calamity Sword, the Elevating Calamity Sword!At the Yaochi Grand Assembly back then, he had used this very move to gravely injure Heavenly Lord Hao under Lady Yuanmu's projection, leaving him unable to care for himself, needing assistance for all basic needs!Now, the power of this Elevating Calamity move was even greater, with more variations. Elevating Calamity was a sword Dao and also a foundational sword technique, also known as the Nineteenth Sword Form, capable of merging with any other sword technique, its variations truly limitless and infinite!

Unexpectedly, before Qin Mu's sword could unleash its full power, the other Qin Mu's attack arrived first, emerging from behind. He thrust out a finger, and a burst of light erupted from its tip, piercing through the Elevating Calamity Sword and striking Qin Mu's forehead.

Qin Mu's forehead showed no abnormality, yet the back of his head suddenly exploded. An expression of disbelief appeared on his face. His body swayed, then toppled to the ground, his legs twitched twice, and then he ceased breathing.

The other Qin Mu slowly retracted his finger, stating indifferently, "Killing you is this simple, merely the power of one finger. How lonely..."

He faced the Yaochi Sea, his expression serene. On the surface of the sea, a Qin Mu was walking towards them.

The other Qin Mu stood in the pavilion with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for Qin Mu's arrival.

He watched Qin Mu approach, come to his side, and also face the sea.

"Heavenly Lord Mu doesn't seem surprised at all."

He glanced at Qin Mu, chuckling, "If I saw another me standing right in front of me..."

He frowned slightly, feeling that something seemed off.

In the real world, Qin Mu was sitting behind him, pouring himself a cup of tea. He raised the teacup to his lips and thought, "This move isn't bad. It's very difficult for me to resist; I would have to trade my life for it. Heavenly Lord Hao has indeed made great progress."