Chapter 1253: The Sly Wen Tian Pavilion (Third Update)
Qin Mu was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time. Many others were in the same state as him—whether friend or foe, they were all utterly shocked by the means Wen Tian Pavilion had used to break Hao Tian's arrangements!
Aside from the Woodcutter Saint's Black Tiger God, the Woodcutter was arguably the weakest among the group, but his wisdom was the strongest. Even the seals laid down by Hao Tian could not stump him.
"Old thief Wen, what level of cultivation have you reached now?" Xi Tianjun asked nervously.
The Woodcutter's face twisted bitterly, and he said hoarsely, "Still at the Yaotai stage."
"So that means you're a Heavenly God?"
Xi Tianjun let out a long sigh of relief and muttered, "That's reassuring. A single breath from me could blow him to death... Everyone, let's explore this canyon and find Hao Tian as soon as possible so we can report back!"
The others also relaxed. Qi Xiayu said, "We are all loyal ministers and righteous warriors. Once we find Hao Tian, we'll treat his injuries and wish him eternal life and boundless blessings. There's no time to waste—let's go in quickly!"
Xi Tianjun, Qi Xiayu, and the others charged into the canyon first, while the Woodcutter Saint, the Creator Xiu Zhong, and the others lagged behind. Yan Yunxi's eyes flickered, and she said in a low voice, "Woodcutter, you broke Hao Tian's seals. If they rush in and join forces with Hao Tian against us, what then?"
The Woodcutter Saint smiled and said, "Who said I broke the seals?"
Yan Yunxi was stunned for a moment and looked toward the stone walls on both sides of the Eighth Canyon. There, the divine light of the canyon had been transformed by the Woodcutter into runes nailed to the cliffs, making it look exactly as if he had broken Hao Tian's seals!
"It only looks like it's been broken."
The Woodcutter said unhurriedly, "My cultivation is too low; I don't have the strength to truly break Hao Tian's seals. In a little while, these runes will transform back into the glow of the seals. Everyone, stay alert and be careful!"
Xiu Zhong and the Silkworm Girl came over to them. The Silkworm Girl pointed at the Woodcutter and said, "You old man are really wicked..."
Xiu Zhong said, "Fortunately, when we faced Wuyou Township back then, it was Zixi Heavenly Master and not the Woodcutter."
Yan Yunxi laughed and said, "I was never his match. Among all the Heavenly Masters, perhaps only the ancient Longshan Hermit and Yue Tingge could rival him in wisdom."
Suddenly, the Woodcutter tensed up and quickly shouted, "Be on guard! Hao Tian's seals are about to reappear! Protect me—I can't get hurt!"
The others were quite displeased but still surrounded him in the center. The Black Tiger God, due to its low cultivation, also received protection.
On the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, countless magnificent runes of the ancient gods' Great Dao suddenly burst forth, transforming into streaks of radiant light that filled the Eighth Canyon!
The power of the Heavenly Lord's seals erupted. The Crimson Emperor Qi Xiayu, Xi Murong, Xi Tianjun, and the others walking ahead immediately sensed something was wrong. Qi Xiayu and Xi Tianjun acted decisively, summoning their Imperial Throne treasures to protect themselves.
Qi Xiayu's zither spun rapidly around the group, and the sounds from its strings instantly turned into layers of spatial barriers.
Xi Tianjun's Demon-Subduing Staff vibrated in the air, splitting into two, then four, then eight, and in an instant, the sky was filled with staff shadows!
The other experts at the Yujing and Lingxiao stages also activated their divine weapons, but as the power of their weapons began to emanate, the divine light had already engulfed them!
The ancient zither spun faster, its notes more urgent, sealing off and blocking the Dao might of the seals hidden within the glow!
Qi Xiayu's expression was grave. Hao Tian's seals shattered the spatial barriers one by one, and the force reached her directly.
Suddenly, a phoenix cry rang out. She revealed her true form, transforming into a nine-headed phoenix, flapping her wings to forcefully resist the seals.
At the same time, Xi Tianjun's Demon-Subduing Staff could no longer withstand the Dao might of the seals. He felt as if ancient gods were using unparalleled Dao power to smash against the staff.
Forced into a corner, he also revealed his true form—a Taowu beast—with divine light bursting from his entire body!
The two joined forces to block the power of the seals, but when they looked around, only about ten of the Lingxiao stage experts beside them remained; the other dozen or so had already been lost to the terrifying seals within the canyon!
The two shattered the glow together and finally caught their breath. Xi Tianjun reverted to human form and roared angrily, "That sly old thief Wen—!"
They had been caught off guard, but the Martial Heavenly Master, Yan Yunxi, Xiu Zhong, and the others had been prepared. Though injured, they had survived.
The Woodcutter Saint heard Xi Tianjun's shout but ignored it, already used to it. He continued to guide the others, saying, "Yankang has runes of the ancient gods' Great Dao, sent by my useless second disciple. If you've studied the ancient gods' Great Dao runes, breaking them is actually not difficult. This glow seal is actually the Heavenly Duke's Xuandu Great Dao, the Heavenly Seal within the Heavenly Dao. You just need to break it like this..."
At the canyon entrance, Bai Yuqiong and Qin Mu stood outside, looking inward.
Bai Yuqiong saw the eruption of the glow and felt a chill in her heart. She tested the waters, saying, "As a disciple of Wen... Wen Tian Pavilion, Mu Heavenly Lord, you should know how to break the seals here, right? Wen Tian Pavilion wouldn't have failed to teach you this, would he?"
Qin Mu snorted coldly and said flatly, "He never passed on his knowledge to me; instead, he learned quite a bit from me. His method of breaking the seals probably came from Yankang, either from the Dao Sect or from Xu Shenghua. Breaking this isn't hard for me."
Bai Yuqiong smiled faintly, thinking he was just bragging to save face.
But she didn't know that the ancient gods' Great Dao runes from Yankang had indeed come from Qin Mu, who had stolen them from the Heavenly Court's Library Pavilion.
Qin Mu said solemnly, "However, my magical power isn't strong enough to break the seals and go deep, so I need your help, Heavenly Master Bai. Follow me, and we'll stand back-to-back, each covering one side."
He shook his body, revealing three heads and six arms, allowing him to see the glow seals from all directions.
Though he only had enough strength to protect himself and couldn't shield Bai Yuqiong, he could guide her.
The two carefully walked into the canyon. Compared to the Crimson Emperor Qi Xiayu's group, they moved much more calmly.
However, the Crimson Emperor and Xi Tianjun were at the very front, and with their formidable strength, they forcefully broke through the seals, gradually advancing deep into the Eighth Canyon.
Along the way, Qin Mu and Bai Yuqiong faced dangers but emerged unscathed, soon reaching the end of the canyon.
The four groups ahead had already arrived at the end, where a valley shrouded in thick black mist lay before them. They had each sent scouts ahead to explore.
Suddenly, a piercing cry came from ahead: "Hao Tian's inner demon has appeared! Everyone, be careful!"
"The inner demon is very strong!"
"Watch out! That's Mu—Ah—!"
Someone had been struck down and died. But another voice shouted harshly, "Watch out for Mu Heavenly Lord!"
Xi Tianjun and the Crimson Emperor were stunned: "Mu Heavenly Lord?"
Soon, all sound ceased in the darkness ahead. The many experts present tensed up, staring at the dark valley ahead. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
The figure held a sword in one hand and a head in the other, slowly lifting its face to reveal Qin Mu's features.
Hao Tian's inner demon—Qin Mu!