Chapter 1070: The Azure Bird Arrives, Canopy Shrouds the Sky (Fourth Update!)
Yun Tianzun and the others arrived outside the Great Void and looked back once more. The Great Void, which had been hidden within the void, had now been torn apart by the Grand Emperor, revealing streaks of radiant light.
Within the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, at Ling Tianzun's residence, Qin Mu set down all the blueprints and closed his eyes.
The scene of the battle in the Great Void had already taken shape in his mind. Every single step Yun Tianzun took was reflected with crystal clarity in his thoughts, transforming into one image after another.
From the Grand Emperor crushing the Great Void, which was constructed from divine consciousness, and using the collapsing consciousness to slaughter countless Creators, to the Creator leaders luring the enemy deep into a trap, drawing the Grand Emperor into their snare.
Then came Ling Tianzun deconstructing the Grand Emperor's Seal and the Grand Emperor's Altar, Yun Tianzun designing the internal structure of the trap, and Ling Tianzun laying out the domain of supreme divine consciousness.
Although he had not witnessed these events firsthand, relying solely on the blueprints in Ling Tianzun's residence, he could deduce the details of this lethal ambush.
After a moment, Qin Mu opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. His voice was deep and steady: "Yan'er, Long Pi, let us go wait on the Heavenly River outside the Xiaohan Heavenly Court."
Yan'er asked curiously, "Wait for whom? Is it Yun Tianzun and the others?"
"No."
Qin Mu's eyes blazed with intensity. "We wait for Da Hong!"
"If the Grand Emperor dies, Da Hong will surely come bearing a grudge to destroy the Xiaohan Heavenly Court!"
Qin Mu said solemnly, "At the Western Extreme Heaven of the White Tiger, Xi Di, I blocked Hong, preventing him from harming the Western Emperor. Even without a reason to attack her, he still demanded an IOU from me, saying I owed him a favor. His nature is to retaliate for the slightest grievance. Yun Tianzun destroyed his physical body and trapped his divine consciousness—he will definitely come seeking revenge!"
Yan'er and Long Qilin were startled and quickly followed him outside the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. Long Qilin hitched the carriage.
Qin Mu sat behind the pearl curtain of the treasure carriage, steadied his mind, and took out his sword orb. With a gentle flick, the orb flowed and transformed into a divine sword resting across his knees.
Six heavenly dragons pulled the treasure carriage to a halt on the Heavenly River before the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. Qin Mu sat cross-legged, the sword across his lap, his eyes closed in quiet meditation.
Yun Tianzun's plan to kill the Grand Emperor in the Great Void was clear and understandable to Qin Mu.
However, the Xiaohan Heavenly Court was not the Great Void. Therefore, Qin Mu could not replicate Yun Tianzun's arrangement.
What he could rely on was only Ling Tianzun's method of deconstructing the Grand Emperor's Seal and the Grand Emperor's Altar.
But Da Hong was also extremely powerful. During their time in the Ancestral Land, his battle with the reincarnated body of the Heavenly Emperor had already fully displayed his terrifying combat prowess.
Qin Mu knew well that his own strength was far from a match for Da Hong. Whether he could use Ling Tianzun's method to break Da Hong's supreme divine consciousness and domain of supreme divine consciousness, Qin Mu had no confidence at all.
The waters of the Heavenly River flowed from west to east, surging endlessly through the sky, day and night without rest.
The dragon-drawn treasure carriage stopped outside the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, letting the river rush beneath it, yet the carriage itself remained utterly still.
The great sun sank in the west, and the lanterns hanging before the treasure carriage lit up. The moon descended, and the sun rose again from the Eastern Sea.
Several days and nights passed like this. During that time, a thin rain fell—it was a drought in the Primordial Realm. A tribe had sacrificed three pairs of virgin boys and girls to the ancient god, the Rain Master.
The Rain Master devoured the children and then projected himself into the Primordial Realm to bring rain. Dissatisfied with the meager offering, he only let down a thin layer of rain, followed by thunder to warn the people below that if they wanted more rain, they would need to sacrifice more virgin boys and girls.
After the Rain Master's rainfall, a Drought Demon brought calamity, scorching the land for a thousand miles, baking the earth dry.
Many cultivators ran to the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, begging the divine beings within to go down and subdue the Drought Demon. They hurriedly flew past the treasure carriage.
Qin Mu remained motionless.
Yan'er grew a bit impatient, craning her neck to look around. She saw the phantoms of the Thunder Lord and Lightning Mother racing through the clouds, hurling heavenly thunderbolts with rolling thunder and flashing lightning—they were hunting down several thieves who had infiltrated the Ziwei Palace to steal heavenly fire.
The daily life of the Primordial Realm continued as usual. Ancient gods still occupied a major stage, though such scenes would be hard to see in later ages.
As Yan'er was looking around, suddenly a mournful, weeping voice came from afar, crying out shrilly: "Da Hong—! Da Hong—!"
Yan'er's heart leaped. Long Qilin immediately stood up, and the six heavenly dragons went weak in the bones, nearly collapsing onto the river's surface.
In the distance, a massive bird flew toward them, its azure-golden wings blotting out the sky like a vast dark cloud heading for the Xiaohan Heavenly Court.
As the great bird drew closer, it seemed to grow larger and larger. When its wings spread, it appeared as if it could completely cover the entire Xiaohan Heavenly Court!
Suddenly, the canopy of the dragon-drawn treasure carriage flew up, spinning in the sky. It rose higher and higher, its ribs extending into the heavens, merging with the blue sky. Forty-nine heavenly ways slanted down, shrouding the Xiaohan Heavenly Court.
Qin Mu sat in the carriage and said in a deep voice, "Da Hong, it has been a while. Why not come and have a talk?"
Hearing this voice, the azure-golden bird swept its piercing gaze toward him. A vast wave of divine consciousness surged forth like a heavenly flood bursting its banks, overwhelming the sky and earth!
That was Da Hong's divine consciousness. He did not use his domain of supreme divine consciousness—against a mere little human Tianzun like Qin Mu, he disdained to use such a supreme technique.
Qin Mu pressed his sword without moving, activating the Tyrant Body Three Dan Technique. His own divine consciousness immediately transformed into a layer of Great Luo Heaven, shielding the dragon-drawn treasure carriage.
The two divine consciousnesses collided. The waters of the Heavenly River churned violently on all sides, leaving only a thousand-zhang radius around the treasure carriage relatively safe.
With the dragon-drawn treasure carriage at its center, a massive sphere formed. Outside the sphere, waves surged sky-high; inside, the wind was calm and the waters still.
Qin Mu held his breath and concentrated. Although his cultivation realm was not high, his divine consciousness was absolutely powerful. Da Hong was not attacking with full force, merely using a divine consciousness strike—Qin Mu had the strength to withstand it!
As their divine consciousnesses clashed, Qin Mu suddenly changed his technique, transforming into the Embryonic Divine Treasure Domain. The embryo was the Dao One, giving rise to the two qi of Yin and Yang, forming the Taiji. Then came the separation of heaven and earth, followed by earth, water, fire, and wind.
All the stars of the heavens emerged. The Heavenly Lord, the Earth Lord, and all the various gods took their respective positions and duties. Then, one by one, heavenly palaces rose from the ground.
His domain bloomed, smashing through Da Hong's divine consciousness!
The surging waters of the Heavenly River suddenly calmed. The waves raised by Da Hong's divine consciousness, hundreds of zhang high, crashed down with a swoosh, and the river became flat and still, without a ripple.
In the instant their techniques clashed, Da Hong flew toward the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, reaching out a claw to grab the canopy.
That canopy was the Tianzun's carriage forged by the Heavenly Court seventy thousand years later. The treasure carriage itself was a rare artifact, composed of various treasures, its surface inscribed with patterns representing the Heavenly Lord, the Earth Lord, the Four Imperial Lords, and other gods.
The Ten Tianzuns of the Heavenly Court had given this carriage to Qin Mu in an attempt to break his alliance with the ancient gods.
Qin Mu raised the canopy, transforming it into the Heavenly Lord. Just as Da Hong's claw reached for the canopy, Qin Mu's divine treasure domain also expanded instantly, covering the Dragon Han Heavenly Court with a soft rustle.
Within his domain, the sky reflected his image. The Heavenly Lord, bearing Qin Mu's face, rose up, merging with the heavenly ways of the canopy, and forcefully blocked Da Hong's strike!
The great azure bird's sharp claws clashed with the canopy. The Heavenly Lord beneath the canopy could barely hold on, on the verge of shattering.
Inside the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, the gods of the human race and various other post-natal races reacted. Ranks of divine soldiers were about to surge out and engage the great azure bird in battle when Qin Mu's divine consciousness surged like a wave, turning into a thunderous shout: "I am Mu Tianzun! All disciples, listen to my command! Together, channel your power into the canopy and follow my direction!"
Tens of thousands of divine beings were within the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. Hearing this, they quickly sent their primordial spirits out, mobilized their yuan qi, and drove the canopy's power.
In the sky, the canopy covered the heavenly court, growing brighter and brighter. The forty-nine heavenly ways sealed off the Xiaohan Heavenly Court.
The great azure bird struck several times in succession but failed to break through the canopy. Suddenly, it retracted its azure feathers. Qin Mu's eyelids twitched—Da Hong had already arrived before him!
"Mu Tianzun, you insist on blocking me?"
—Taking readers' advice, I am adjusting the update schedule. From now on, two chapters will be released together at noon, and two chapters together at 8 PM. If there aren't enough for two chapters, I will release a single chapter of over three thousand words.