Chapter 990: Heaven and Earth Heroic Spirit, Forever Proud Through the Ages

The old man looked up at him, rolling his eyes, and sneered, "In ancient times, righteous people would admonish the emperor by dying for their cause, even carrying their coffins to court. If an emperor is muddle-headed, why can't I burn paper money for him? I insist on burning it! I've been burning it for twenty thousand years; I've burned so much that even after death, he could become the richest man in Youdu!"

Shu Jun burst out laughing, teasing, "If you want to be a righteous person, you should burn paper money for Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye right in front of him. Why do it in this remote, desolate place? Who are you burning it for? You are no righteous person."

The old man slumped, sitting down on the ground, and mumbled, "You're right, I'm not righteous. If I were, I should have carried my coffin to court and admonished him by dying for my cause twenty thousand years ago. I even had my coffin ready, but unfortunately, I chickened out and didn't dare carry it to court..."

He waved his sleeve, and a black coffin flew out. It must have been the coffin he had made back then, intending to carry it to court to admonish the emperor by dying.

Shu Jun examined the black coffin, noting its shiny, polished surface, likely from frequent touching. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Old man, you've handled this coffin so much it's gleaming! It shows you're also a hesitant person, indecisive and overly cautious."

The old man became furious, wanting to lash out, but then realized it was true. He hadn't dared to carry the coffin to court, instead spending his days touching and rubbing it, never quite making up his mind. Of course, it had become shiny from all the handling.

Shu Jun was about to mock him further but was stopped by Qin Mu.

"Elder, what is your name?" Qin Mu asked.

The old man, looking dispirited, replied, "Fang Youji, former Grand Tutor of the Four Aides in Emperor Kaihuang's Celestial Court. Now I'm just the tomb keeper of Qingming Heaven, basically a gravedigger."

Qin Mu said, "As a Grand Tutor, a first-rank official, why have you become so dejected as to be a mere tomb keeper?"

Fang Youji stood up and said, "You are Heavenly Venerate Mu, so whatever you say is right. I'm not very skilled in swordplay; I only know divine abilities. I use divine abilities to simulate swordplay. This sword technique is called the 'Qingming Heart Tribulation Sword'!"

He used his divine ability to perform the sword technique, immediately creating a scene of drizzling rain, bleak and desolate. Although it was a simulated version using a divine ability, Qin Mu could discern the sword dao artistic conception contained within. Emperor Kaihuang created this sword dao form to temper the heart during tribulation, to grieve the deaths of peers and comrades, to mourn the loss of ancestors, and to use the past to shape the present, thereby refining one's dao heart, and also testing the opponent's dao heart. This sword technique demanded an extremely stable dao heart. Facing it, one would surely be defeated if their dao heart was unsteady.

Grand Tutor Fang Youji performed it once and said, "I'm using a divine ability to imitate his third sword. After all, it's a divine ability and cannot fully display the profound mysteries of his sword dao. If Heavenly Venerate Mu cannot discern its mysteries, I can perform it a few more times."

Qin Mu closed his eyes, then opened them and chuckled, "There's no need."

Fang Youji squatted down again, burning paper money for the nameless grave. He said, "Heavenly Venerate Mu can go to Xuantai Heaven. Guarding Xuantai Heaven is the second of the Four Aides, Grand Tutor Gao Baixun."

Qin Mu thanked him and left with Shu Jun, not bothering to seek out the academy in Qingming Heaven for studies.

Shu Jun looked back and saw the old man still burning paper money, but no longer lamenting Qin Ye's tragic death. Instead, he sat by the fire with a smile, his face flushed red from the flames.

"It seems this Grand Tutor of Kaihuang is eager for you to defeat Kaihuang," Shu Jun wondered. "This old fellow is truly an internal traitor, and he's doing it so happily. Holy Infant, I know why you insisted on traveling around now. It's to have so many masters under Kaihuang hone your skills."

Qin Mu chuckled, "An old steed in the stable still longs to gallop a thousand li. A valiant hero in his twilight years still cherishes grand aspirations. Kaihuang leads his army of gods and devils, hidden in Wuyou Village, but not everyone is willing. Those with great aspirations don't wish for me to defeat Kaihuang; they merely want to use me to motivate him, to rekindle the ambition of this former leader."

He continued softly, "In fact, they also hope to stir their own ambitions. A majestic dragon, once soaring through clouds and winds, when confined to a small muddy puddle, curls its body and gazes up at the sky, remembering its magnificent form soaring amidst the clouds, not wallowing in the mud."

"I think you're talking about me."

Shu Jun burst into laughter, "I am the divine dragon you speak of!"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, and the two ascended to Xuantai Heaven. Before them lay a dense forest, and within it, someone was teaching, their voice loud and clear: "'Universal love is called benevolence; acting appropriately is called righteousness; following these is called the Dao.' What does this mean?"

"'Universal love' is benevolence. To uphold benevolence and bring it into being is righteousness. To follow the path of benevolence and righteousness, continuously practicing, is the Dao. This statement implies 'investigating things to gain knowledge' and 'knowing and then acting.'"

"To know and then to act, for knowledge and action to be one, is to attain the Dao. To know but not to act—that is Kaihuang!"

Qin Mu and Shu Jun walked closer, seeing a teacher wearing a tall cap, holding a scroll in one hand and a ruler in the other, passionately lecturing. His students, however, were a group of monkeys dressed in clothes. Some squatted on the ground, scratching their ears and cheeks; others sat in trees, picking lice off another monkey. They were lively and restless, rarely staying still.

When the monkeys saw Qin Mu and Shu Jun approaching, they hastily took off their clothes and caps, scattering and fleeing, leaving their scattered garments everywhere. The teacher became furious and shouted, "Integrity! Where has your integrity gone? You scoundrels, you run away at the sight of an enemy! Hmph!"

His eyes wide with anger, he lunged at Qin Mu, his ruler swirling as he unleashed an incredibly subtle sword technique. With a flick of the ruler, it became a heavy 'Xuantai Heaven Suppressing Sword', directly pressing down on Qin Mu! "Others might fear you, but I, Gao Baixun, do not!"

Shu Jun intended to block, but Qin Mu stopped him. The teacher, Gao Baixun, danced his ruler, demonstrating the 'Xuantai Heaven Suppressing Sword' once, then turned and left, shouting, "The enemy is formidable! It's not that I don't want to fight; I'm just imitating Kaihuang and running away!" With that, he clattered away on his wooden clogs, fleeing into the forest.

Shu Jun was dumbfounded.

Gao Baixun poked his head out again and shouted, "I'm no match for you, so I certainly won't tell you that Grand Tutor Zhou Jingmeng is waiting for you in Yuanming Heaven to avenge me!"

Qin Mu quickly asked, "How do we get to Yuanming Heaven?"

Gao Baixun raised a hand, full of integrity and righteousness, declaring, "I would rather die than tell you! I will absolutely not tell you that the path to Yuanming Heaven is over there!"

"Thank you," Qin Mu said, bowing gratefully, and walked with Shu Jun in that direction.

Shu Jun, stumbling slightly, followed him, looking back to see Kaihuang's Grand Tutor Gao Baixun calling the monkeys out of the forest again. The monkeys, looking unwilling, put on their clothes and tall hats to listen to his impassioned teaching.

"What strange people," Shu Jun shook his head.

"They have no choice but to be strange. Their ambitions cannot be realized, their Dao cannot progress, and without practicing benevolence and righteousness, their dao hearts become scattered." Qin Mu said, "'Investigating things to gain knowledge', 'knowing and then acting', and 'unity of knowledge and action.' Now, their knowledge and action cannot be unified; they know but cannot act. One can imagine how greatly this affects their dao hearts."

They arrived at Yuanming Heaven and encountered Grand Tutor Zhou Jingmeng, who was indeed waiting for them with murderous intent, vowing to avenge Grand Tutor Gao Baixun and prevent Heavenly Venerate Mu from stepping half a pace into Yuanming Heaven.

"Either step over my dead body!" Grand Tutor Zhou Jingmeng, his hair white, shouted with righteous indignation.

After performing the 'Yuanming Civil Exam Sword', he fell stiffly. Shu Jun stepped over his "corpse," and the old man cursed, "You actually stepped on me?" Qin Mu bowed in thanks and walked around him.

Zhou Jingmeng's primordial spirit emerged from his "corpse" and shouted, "My elder brother Zhou Xunfang will avenge me in Qiyao Heaven! Just you wait!"

Shu Jun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, turning back to ask, "How do we get to Qiyao Heaven?"

"Over there!" Zhou Jingmeng's primordial spirit raised a hand and pointed, shouting, "Go if you dare!"

Qin Mu and Shu Jun arrived at Qiyao Heaven and paid their respects to Zhou Xunfang, who intended to die for Kaihuang. Zhou Xunfang "died" to show his resolve, and his "death" was even more "tragic" than Zhou Jingmeng's. Before his "death," he told them that the Three Dukes of Kaihuang's Celestial Court would be waiting for them in the subsequent heavens.

As they journeyed, two months passed quickly. Qin Mu and Shu Jun unknowingly passed through Xu-wu Heaven, Taiji Heaven, Chiming Heaven, Xuanming Heaven, Yaoming Heaven, and other heavens, getting closer and closer to the uppermost layer of the thirty-three heavens.

One day, they arrived at Wushang Heaven. Just as they entered, Qin Mu heard a braying laugh. A donkey came trotting quickly, with a fishing rod tied to its head and a turnip dangling from it. It swiftly approached Qin Mu, then abruptly stopped, braying with laughter, "Ee-hee, isn't this Heavenly Venerate Mu? Why don't you recognize me?"

The donkey stood up, placing one of its sturdy forelegs on Qin Mu's shoulder and the other on Shu Jun's, sandwiching the two. Its body suddenly bristled with muscular knots as it brayed, "It's me, Lü Zheng! We've been through thick and thin together! I'll tell you a secret: Wushang Heaven is the territory of my master, Celestial Master Yan. She's been waiting for you for a long time!"

The donkey, still holding them, walked forward, chattering on and on: "Master said that Wuyou Village and the Creator have made peace, no more fighting! This is a great joy, something to celebrate. These days, she's been training some beautiful girls in song and dance. It's truly grand, called 'Peace for Ten Thousand Generations' or something. It's beautiful, truly beautiful..."

Shu Jun, with his large head clamped by the donkey, his feet not touching the ground, struggled twice but couldn't break free. His heart was filled with shock. He activated his divine consciousness ability, but his divine consciousness couldn't penetrate the donkey's mind. His shock deepened: "This donkey is terrifyingly powerful!"

Qin Mu whispered, "No need to resist. This donkey is a powerhouse of the Numinous Sky Realm, no less formidable than the Lords of the Heavens we just encountered!"

Shu Jun had no choice but to give up resisting. He wanted to speak, but the donkey kept talking, laughing, and braying from time to time, preventing him from interjecting. Qin Mu had long been accustomed to Lü Zheng's temperament, knowing that the donkey loved to argue and that if he engaged in conversation, he would surely be stifled to death. So, he immediately fell silent, letting the donkey carry him forward.

Lü Zheng led them to the divine city in Wushang Heaven. The city was resplendent with gold and jade. Countless singing girls and dancing girls were performing joyfully, their skirts swirling, colorful sleeves fluttering, utterly magnificent. On the left, hundreds of divine maidens played flutes; on the right, hundreds plucked zithers. Above, hundreds more rang bells and chimed stone chimes, while below, hundreds beat drums and played sheng pipes. The girls flew in the sky and danced on the ground, interweaving like flowing rivers, their postures graceful and captivating. Their singing, full of melodious inflections, extolled the greatness and brilliant martial prowess of Emperor Kaihuang.

Yan Yunxi, dressed in men's attire, sat on the city wall, enjoying the song and dance. She was so delighted that she clapped her hands and gesticulated with joy. Below, the divine officials accompanying her also sang praises and showered her with endless flattery.

Lü Zheng brought the two up to the tower and set them down.

Yan Yunxi's eyes darted about as she smiled, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, how do you find this song and dance performance? Is it magnificent? Once the other shore's Youdu is established, I plan to take these girls to Kaihuang's Celestial Court and perform for the civil and military officials, celebrating Kaihuang's glorious achievements."

Qin Mu chuckled, "The beauty of the dance is dazzling, like scattered flowers, and the wonder of the song is deeply moving."

Yan Yunxi clapped her hands and laughed heartily, glancing at him. "It's a pity, you don't know your place, daring to challenge Kaihuang. You don't know that Kaihuang is the foremost expert in sword dao, how high his achievements in swordplay are! It would shock you to know that Kaihuang is already comprehending Sword Twenty. I merely demonstrated your Sword Nineteen before him, and he immediately began comprehending Sword Twenty."

She stood up, declaring proudly, "Kaihuang is naturally brilliant and unmatched in martial prowess! So, you should abandon this rebellious idea. However, you certainly won't, will you? Therefore, let me defeat you with Kaihuang's sword techniques!"

She flung her wide sleeve and commanded, "Everyone retreat! I will use Kaihuang's sword techniques to show Heavenly Venerate Mu what true power is!"

The music and dance ceased, and the dancers and singers all withdrew. Yan Yunxi drew her sword and looked at Qin Mu.

Qin Mu was astonished, blurting out, "Even you..."