Chapter 1034: The Piaoxiang Hall Descends
Qin Mu's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Was this your idea, along with the Southern Emperor's?"
Chi Qiyu, the Red Emperor, looked puzzled and replied, "This was also the Moon Venerable's idea. Mu Venerable, you are the Great Mage who is indestructible through countless kalpas. Logically, you shouldn't be so tense. For you, the Heavenly Lord and the Earth Lord are still alive. Reviving the Southern Emperor and freeing her from the shackles of the ancient god's Dao—isn't that a godsend?"
"A godsend?"
Qin Mu laughed in exasperation, slumping powerlessly onto his throne. "A godsend? You didn't consult me, yet you dare call it a godsend? My resurrection techniques aren't omnipotent. There are still spells in this world that can counter my soul-rebuilding arts, and they are all held by the Ten Venerables of the Heavenly Court..."
Chi Qiyu's face changed dramatically.
Qin Mu had already given the order, and the Dragon Carriage charged toward the Southern Extreme Forbidden Zone.
"The Grand Emperor's Divine Awareness Grand Heaven, the Heavenly Court's Piaoxiang Hall, the Heavenly Emperor's Forbidden Zone, and the Empress and Yuanmu's Return to Nothingness—all can resist my soul-summoning technique. Even if you hide your soul in the Great Void, I cannot find it."
Qin Mu sat in the carriage, a hint of anger in his heart. "Southern Emperor, are you so certain that I can revive you?"
He couldn't help but be angry. The Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, was one of the few ancient gods with whom he had a deep friendship, second only to the Heavenly Lord and the Earth Lord.
Back when Qin Mu returned to the early Longhan Era, the first ancient god he met was the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird. They had a pleasant conversation on the boat, and she recognized him as her younger brother.
Later, when Qin Mu brutally beat the Hao Heavenly Lord and had no place to stay in the Heavenly Court, he hid in the Southern Emperor's heavenly palace.
Moreover, the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, was the first ancient god to know about the Heavenly Alliance.
Later, on the ghost ship, when Qin Mu stole the power of the Four Ancient God Emperors, they captured him and Zhe Huali. It was the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, who took the lead in ordering their release, allowing them to escape the ghost ship's bondage.
His feelings for the Heavenly Lord and Earth Lord were like those of a junior to an elder, while his feelings for the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, were like those of a younger brother to an older sister.
He understood the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird's intentions. She wanted to take this opportunity, like the Yin Tian Empress, to shed her ancient god body, gain rebirth, and no longer be bound by the Dao of Heaven and Earth.
The reason Qin Mu was angry was precisely because she had acted without consulting him, taking it for granted that Qin Mu, the Great Mage indestructible through countless kalpas, was all-powerful and would surely revive her!
For her, the Ten Venerables' scheme was the perfect opportunity. By dying at their hands, she could also cleanse the gods and demons the Heavenly Court had planted in the Southern Heaven, killing two birds with one stone.
"But this opportunity is also the perfect chance to strike at me and the ancient gods!"
Qin Mu clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. The Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, wanted to use this chance to die and be reborn, breaking free from the Dao's constraints, while the Heavenly Court would use it to suppress her soul, preventing her revival!
The Ten Venerables would surely use this opportunity to show the world and the ancient gods that Qin Mu, the Great Mage indestructible through countless kalpas, was not their pillar of support!
They had enough means to counter and suppress Qin Mu's spells, preventing him from reviving the dead ancient gods.
"The Ten Venerables have four or five methods to counter my resurrection spells, but the Grand Emperor's Ultimate Void cannot be used, or it would expose his identity. The Empress and Yuanmu's Return to Nothingness also cannot be used, as they fear exposure. The Heavenly Emperor's Forbidden Zone cannot be moved. So, the only thing they can use is the Piaoxiang Hall."
Qin Mu looked ahead, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
The Heavenly Court's Piaoxiang Hall was where the remnants of the Imperial Heavenly Lord's soul were suppressed. When Qin Mu summoned the Imperial Heavenly Lord's soul, he couldn't pull it out of the Piaoxiang Hall.
Even the Earth Lord personally searched for the Imperial Heavenly Lord's soul remnants but couldn't enter the Piaoxiang Hall!
The Piaoxiang Hall was one of the Heavenly Court's seventy-two treasured halls. The Ten Venerables would definitely use this hall to suppress the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird's soul, rendering Qin Mu's techniques ineffective and causing her complete death!
"I hope this is just my speculation. I hope the Piaoxiang Hall is still in the Heavenly Court and hasn't been sent to the Southern Extreme Heaven..."
The Dragon Carriage's speed reached its peak. Qin Mu looked back and saw the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Palace collapsing. The destruction of this most ancient heavenly palace was inevitable, and the Southern Extreme Heaven changing hands was a certainty.
Even if he could revive the Southern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, she could no longer control this place.
Moreover, she might not even be revived!
Boom—
The sky shook violently. A Heavenly River, tens of thousands of miles wide, suddenly appeared above the Southern Extreme Heaven. The river surged, twisting space, flowing between a series of suns. Countless ships and great vessels floated on its surface.
Unlike rivers in the mortal world, the Heavenly River's surface here was disc-shaped, like two plates pressed together. The river had no up or down, so countless ships and great vessels sped along both sides.
That was the Heavenly River Navy!
The Heavenly River connected various heavens, so over a million years, the Heavenly River Navy had become the Heavenly Court's strongest military force, with the largest number of gods and demons!
Throughout history, the Heavenly River Navy had been the main force in suppressing rebellions across the heavens and destroying entire eras!
Whether it was the Xiaohan Heavenly Court of old, the Chiming Heavenly Court, the Shanghuang Heavenly Court, or even the Kaihuang Heavenly Court, they were all crushed into ashes under the onslaught of this largest army of gods and demons and their ships!
Qin Mu looked up and saw the Heavenly River splitting into tributaries, like a nine-tailed fox of immense size spreading its tails, but with far more than nine tails.
Hundreds of Heavenly River tributaries surged into various parts of the Southern Extreme Heaven. Ships and great vessels followed these tributaries, charging straight into the Southern Extreme Heaven. The river water extinguished the blazing fires of the Southern Extreme Heaven, and countless Southern Extreme Heaven gods and demons were slaughtered.
It was a one-sided massacre.
The Heavenly Court's war machine had started, and destroying the Southern Extreme Heaven among the Four Extreme Heavens was effortless!
Such was the accumulated strength of the Heavenly Court over a million years!
Dozens more Heavenly River tributaries surged toward Qin Mu's front, and ships and great vessels descended from the sky, charging toward the brightest blaze of light in the Southern Extreme Heaven.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze.
Finally, the carriage arrived at the Southern Extreme Forbidden Zone.
Ahead, the Dao's radiance steamed and rose, looking from afar like a massive altar formed of flames protruding from the horizon. It wasn't an altar but an image created by the Dao's radiance.
The Dao's radiance formed a bird's nest-like structure above, immense in size. From a distance, it seemed to blaze with fiery light, holy flames raging, as if forming a Vermilion Bird spreading its wings to take flight.
When the Dragon Carriage arrived here, it felt the intense heat. The temperature was so high that even the six Jade Capital realm heavenly dragons dared not approach.
However, the temperature had already dropped somewhat because the Heavenly River Navy had arrived earlier. As many as thirty-six wide Heavenly River tributaries flowed into the Southern Extreme Heaven's forbidden zone.
The Heavenly River Navy had mobilized the power of the Heavenly River to suppress this Dao forbidden zone. Many ships had already sailed into the zone, pursuing the Southern Extreme Heaven gods and demons who had fled here.
Many gods and demons had taken refuge in the Southern Extreme Heaven's forbidden zone. Born in the Southern Extreme Heaven, they used their geographical and bloodline advantages to resist the Heavenly River Navy, and the battle was extremely brutal.
The Dragon Qilin drove the carriage forward, stepping into the Dao's radiance of the Southern Extreme Heaven. The Four Ancient God Emperors of the Four Extreme Heavens all valued their birthplaces greatly and never revealed them lightly.
Qin Mu had been to the Eastern, Western, and Northern Extremes but had never seen the birthplaces of these three Ancient God Emperors. Even the seemingly innocent and cute Western Emperor, he had never seen the forbidden zone where she was born.
The Four Ancient God Emperors hid their birthplaces because these forbidden zones contained the Dao rules that gave birth to them. They had to guard them carefully, lest someone study them thoroughly and find their weaknesses.
But now, this Southern Extreme Forbidden Zone had emerged. Even from outside, Qin Mu and the others could feel waves of terrifying Dao tremors coming from within!
The six heavenly dragons pulled the carriage into this forbidden zone, moving cautiously and unconsciously slowing down. The temperature here was extremely high, and the radiance was even more dangerous.
From the outside, the forbidden zone looked like an altar formed of radiance, but once inside, it revealed a different world.
The Dao's radiance that formed the forbidden zone created mountain ranges tens of thousands of miles long. The layout of these mountain ranges formed natural runes, incredibly complex. More detailed Dao radiance formed different textures embedded in the mountains, the ground, and even the air.
These Dao radiances and natural Dao patterns were extremely dangerous. Even the natives of the Southern Extreme Heaven had to be careful, or they might trigger Dao might.
The power of ancient gods came from the power of the Dao, and in this forbidden zone, the Dao had almost become tangible!
Ahead, the Heavenly River Navy cleared the way. Powerful gods and demons used the Heavenly River, suppressing the fire and subduing the mountain ranges formed by the Dao radiance. On the ships, thousands of divine soldiers constantly rose and descended to suppress the area.
Qin Mu's Dragon Carriage followed behind, encountering few dangers. As they advanced, they saw more and more ships in the sky. Suddenly, some ships burst into blazing Dao flames, and the gods and demons on board turned into fire figures, running wildly on the decks, screaming in agony.
They had triggered the Dao radiance here, activating Dao might.
If they couldn't suppress the Dao radiance here, they would suffer backlash.
Not only the Heavenly River Navy was here, but also rebels from the Southern Extreme Heaven. These rebels launched sneak attacks, even daring to provoke Dao might deliberately, seeking mutual destruction with the Heavenly River Navy.
The Dragon Carriage followed the Heavenly River. Although the soldiers on the ships in the sky saw them, no one questioned them. Some commander must have ordered that they not be blocked from entering the Southern Extreme Forbidden Zone.
"Ahead is the Dao Fire Zone! Everyone, halt!"
A divine being from the Heavenly River Navy stood at the bow of a ship, loudly giving orders. "Drive the rebels into the Dao fire!"
Countless divine soldiers flew from the ships, pressing toward the rebels ahead. The Southern Extreme Heaven gods and demons numbered in the tens of thousands, but they couldn't resist the Heavenly River Navy's onslaught and were forced deeper into the forbidden zone.
The Dragon Carriage stopped. Qin Mu, Yan'er, and the Dragon Qilin looked ahead. They saw the tens of thousands of people charging into the Dao Fire Zone. Suddenly, they burst into flames, their forms and souls annihilated, all turning to ashes without a single survivor!
"Mu Venerable!"
The divine being looked down from above and shouted, "Our Heavenly River Navy is about to withdraw. The Heavenly River won't be here to suppress the zone, so please take care!"
Qin Mu nodded. The divine being ordered the retreat. The Heavenly River tributaries rapidly contracted, their waves carrying the ships out of this forbidden zone.
The divine being's ship stayed behind to suppress the Dao might of the zone, remaining until the end.
"Venerable, the Dao fire has nine layers. This is only the first layer. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. Take care!" The divine being waved his sleeve, and the last Heavenly River tributary withdrew.
Qin Mu stepped down from the carriage and said solemnly, "Yan'er, Dragon Fatty, follow me. The carriage stays here. Yan'er, use your lantern to suppress the Dao fire."
Yan'er held up her lantern, guarding their advance, while the Dragon Carriage remained in place.
Ahead, the Dao fire blazed fiercely. The temperature grew higher and higher. The flames twisted the void, melting layer after layer of space. Qin Mu glanced back inadvertently and couldn't help but marvel.
Looking outward from within the Southern Extreme Forbidden Zone's flames, the Southern Extreme Heaven appeared as a twisted ring, with the entire Southern Extreme Heaven visible at a glance.
This was the first layer of the forbidden zone's Dao fire. The Moon Venerable's lantern could easily handle it.
When they reached the second layer of Dao fire, Qin Mu looked back again. This time, the countless stars of the Southern Heaven and many Southern Heaven constellations had also turned into a ring, hanging outside the forbidden zone, forming another heaven outside the Southern Extreme Heaven.
At the third layer, an even more wondrous scene appeared. Qin Mu saw the Yuan Realm and the myriad heavens of the universe forming a third ring outside the forbidden zone!
At the fourth layer of Dao fire, the Heavenly Lord's Xuan Du had become the fourth heaven!
The Netherworld was the fifth layer of Dao fire, forming a dark halo.
The Return to Nothingness was the sixth layer of Dao fire. The Netherworld was dark, but the Return to Nothingness was black, devoid of any light.
At the seventh layer, it was the Heavenly Court, an extremely bright halo, dazzling.
At the eighth layer of Dao fire, it was the other three of the Four Extreme Heavens, like three small bright rings hanging on a larger ring.
The lantern in Yan'er's hand suddenly burst into flames. Even the lantern refined by the Moon Venerable couldn't last long here!
Qin Mu looked ahead. They had reached the outskirts of the ninth layer of Dao fire!
Just then, the power of this Dao forbidden zone greatly diminished. The flames on the lantern gradually extinguished, and a violent air current rushed toward them, stirring their clothes!
Qin Mu looked up and saw a hall descending from the sky. It was covered with talismans, each rune like countless locks binding the hall!
The Piaoxiang Hall had descended.
"Mu Venerable, you are too late."
Within the flames of the ninth layer of Dao fire, a majestic figure stood amidst the fire, turning his head slightly and said calmly, "The Southern Emperor has already fallen."
—I wanted to write a four-thousand-word chapter, but I was a hundred words short. Oh well, here's the update~