Chapter 1235: Severely Wounding Shang Pingyin (First Update!)
The entire divine city, with a million heavenly soldiers and heavenly generals, had all simultaneously become the Imperial Emperor's loudspeakers!
Qin Mu felt a chill run down his spine. The Imperial Emperor's divine consciousness was so powerful that even Shang Pingyin had fallen under his control at this moment, utterly powerless to resist!
What's more, even a powerhouse like Shang Pingyin, a Celestial Master, likely wouldn't know that the Imperial Emperor's divine consciousness had invaded him; he wouldn't retain any memory of being parasitized by the Imperial Emperor!
Qin Mu struggled to steady his mind, forcing a smile. "Fellow Daoist Imperial Emperor wants to talk? Then let's talk. What does Fellow Daoist Imperial Emperor wish to discuss?"
Shang Pingyin chuckled. "Celestial Venerable Mu, you're a clever man. You should know what I want to discuss."
Qin Mu's expression turned serious. "The Creators of the Other Shore Void—that matter is not up for discussion! If you've come to talk about that, then you can leave. My bottom line is non-negotiable!"
Shang Pingyin laughed heartily. "Fine! Then we won't discuss the Creators. I've come to talk about the Primeval Origin Stone between your brows!"
Qin Mu's brow twitched. The vertical eye on his forehead was usually closed, so others could only see a slight bulge there, completely unaware that he had an eye in that spot. He only opened it when necessary.
However, the Imperial Emperor had seen this eye many times, and its power was astonishing, with the Primeval Origin Stone serving as its pupil.
As the first owner of the Primeval Origin Stone, the Imperial Emperor naturally couldn't be fooled about the stone in his own eye.
"You want the Primeval Origin Stone?"
Qin Mu smiled. "That's not impossible. What are you offering in exchange?"
"Use the Carefree Realm of the Great Void and the lives of the Creators as trade."
Shang Pingyin said, "If you give me the Primeval Origin Stone, I will leave immediately, cease hostilities with the Carefree Realm, and stop opposing the Creators of the Great Void. Our past grievances can also be wiped clean!"
Qin Mu gave a wry smile. "Trading future uncertainties for present benefits—you've got a good scheme, Imperial Emperor, trying to get something for nothing. Unless you hold the fate of the Carefree Realm and the Creators of the Great Void in your hands, I would only trade with you then. Right now, the Carefree Realm and the Creators are doing just fine. Only if I were stupid would I trade them for this. Offer another condition."
Shang Pingyin stared straight at him. "Aren't you afraid I'll just kill you and take the Primeval Origin Stone?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "If you could act, you would have done so long ago. Shang Pingyin and the Northern Dipper Sect are formidable, but controlling so many troops at once must be cumbersome. And I happen to know the flaw in your Supreme Limitless Divine Consciousness. To kill me, you'd have to strike me dead in one blow; otherwise, alerting Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable would be troublesome for you too."
Shang Pingyin was silent for a moment, then said, "How do you want to trade?"
"The Heavenly Court will inevitably send a third Celestial Venerable. I want you to intercept that Celestial Venerable and prevent him from descending into the Great Void!"
Qin Mu declared decisively. "If you accomplish that, I will dig the Primeval Origin Stone out of my divine eye and give it to you!"
Shang Pingyin pondered for a moment, then mused, "Then that third Celestial Venerable must be Hao Celestial Venerable. Hao Celestial Venerable is the foremost of the Ten Celestial Venerables, with unfathomable strength..."
Qin Mu said flatly, "Moreover, Hao Celestial Venerable will likely bring a Divine Artifact Imperial Celestial Venerable with him. With Hao Celestial Venerable plus the Divine Artifact Imperial Celestial Venerable, his power will be even more terrifying. As the first ruler of the ancient era, the Imperial Emperor probably doesn't have the strength to deal with him."
"Don't try to provoke me; that trick won't work on me."
Shang Pingyin said leisurely, "My divine consciousness is anchored in the Ultimate Void, forming the Supreme Limit Divine Consciousness Heaven, immortal and indestructible, making me the foremost in the Great Dao. Hao Celestial Venerable may be powerful, but he's not impossible to deal with. I can intercept him. You prepare the Primeval Origin Stone."
Qin Mu smiled. "The Imperial Emperor trusts me that much?"
Shang Pingyin said flatly, "If you don't give it, I'll parasitize everyone in Eternal Peace."
Qin Mu shuddered.
Shang Pingyin laughed heartily. Suddenly, the soldiers throughout the city regained their senses and continued with their tasks.
Shang Pingyin also snapped back to awareness. He seemed to sense something amiss, looked around in confusion, but then noticed Qin Mu's arrival. His heart tightened, and he bowed in greeting. "When did Celestial Venerable Mu arrive?"
Qin Mu replied politely, "I just got here and saw the Celestial Master lost in thought, so I didn't disturb you."
Shang Pingyin smiled. "Has the Celestial Venerable come to inspect my formation?"
Qin Mu couldn't help but laugh. "I saw the Celestial Master's formation sixty thousand years ago; it was truly extraordinary. If the Celestial Master still wants a contest, I'll invite the Lonesome Mountain Hermit to spar with you."
Shang Pingyin's face drastically changed, and the hidden wound in his Dao Heart flared up, recalling the terrifying scene on the Heavenly River sixty thousand years ago.
Qin Mu patted him on the shoulder and left the divine city, saying, "Sixty thousand years have passed. You should have come up with a countermeasure by now, right? But unfortunately, it's already outdated."
Shang Pingyin's expression shifted between gloom and brightness as he watched Qin Mu's retreating figure. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes; he wanted to kill him but had to hold back.
Sixty thousand years ago, the Lonesome Mountain Hermit, the Azure Sky Canopy, the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace—that battle was his greatest defeat, the shadow of his entire life!
He clenched his fist tightly and suddenly called out, "Celestial Venerable Mu, I will not lose this time!"
Qin Mu stopped, turned around, and flashed a bright, sunny smile. "Really?"
"Really!"
Shang Pingyin's robes fluttered as if he would ride the wind away, his spirit soaring like a rainbow, and he said solemnly, "Even if the Lonesome Mountain Hermit makes a comeback, he would be nothing before me! I haven't accomplished nothing in these sixty thousand years! Don't underestimate me, Celestial Venerable!"
Qin Mu walked back, smiling warmly. "I encountered the Lonesome Mountain Hermit and saw him with the Azure Sky Canopy. Since we have some acquaintance, I've seen his current formation skills. Since the First Celestial Master has the determination to overcome the enemy, I'll reveal his formation to you in advance."
His primal energy burst forth, manifesting the twenty-eight heavens of the Azure Sky Canopy, with various divine beings surrounding a series of treasures in formation. The twenty-eight heavens continuously evolved, the formation extremely intricate, exhausting all possibilities of change.
Qin Mu said kindly, "Celestial Master, first think about how to break the formation, so that when the Lonesome Mountain Hermit arrives, you won't be flustered and unprepared. I'll take my leave." With that, he turned and left.
Shang Pingyin stared at the formation within the twenty-eight heavens, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he racked his brains over troop deployment and how to break the twenty-eight heavens formation.
This formation was different from the Azure Sky Canopy he had seen before. The various treasures within the Azure Sky Canopy had been reforged, made more precise and powerful!
Not only that, but even the sole weakness of the Azure Sky Canopy had been specially addressed by the "Lonesome Mountain Hermit"!
The only weakness of the Azure Sky Canopy was discovered by Celestial Master Yue Tingge: the central celestial sphere. By breaking the formation from the celestial sphere and nailing the operation of the heavens like driving in wedges, one could break the Azure Sky Canopy.
Now, even that weakness was gone!
He sank into an endless process of breaking the formation.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Pingyin's face turned deathly pale. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion sallow, yet he still stared fixedly at the twenty-eight heavens formation, frantically deducing.
Dozens of days passed, and he still couldn't find a way out of the formation, his aura growing weaker and weaker.
Another half year passed, and Shang Pingyin was withered and haggard, on the verge of death.
When Fire Celestial Venerable received the news, he immediately came and waved his hand to extinguish the primal energy formation Qin Mu had left behind. But Shang Pingyin still couldn't escape the formation; the twenty-eight heavens formation Qin Mu had left was deeply imprinted in his mind, indelible.
Fire Celestial Venerable looked at Shang Pingyin, who was exhausting his wisdom and constantly spitting blood, and frowned deeply. "Celestial Venerable Mu has ruined one of my great generals!"
"It's not Celestial Venerable Mu's fault..."
Shang Pingyin grabbed the hem of his robe, his breath faint. "He did it for my own good, letting me see the Lonesome Mountain Hermit's formation in advance. I will pull myself together..."
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