Chapter 1261: Eighteen Heavenly Palaces (Third Update)
Lu Zheng clamped the Woodcutter Sage and Yan Yunxi under his arms and fled at top speed, while the Black Tiger God transformed into a black cat and perched on his shoulder. Behind them, Niu Sanduo carried the Martial Combat Heavenly Master as they ran. The Martial Combat Heavenly Master had exchanged two blows head-on with the Heavenly Sovereign Hao, and his injuries were severe.
Not far away, Xi Tianjun staggered along, half his body still covered in flesh and blood, the other half reduced to nothing but bones.
Qi Xiayu's body was tattered and torn, her heavenly palaces nearly completely destroyed. A peach branch was lodged in her chest, and it had begun to take root and sprout. Thick roots pierced through her heavenly palaces, spreading across them one by one.
Xiu Zhong and the Silkworm Woman were even more miserable. One had lost his physical body, the other her head, and they could only merge together and flee in a mad dash.
In the sky, Bai Yuqiong, the Third Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Court, was also retreating into the distance, spitting blood as she went.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Bai Yuqiong, the strongest among the Four Heavenly Masters in combat power, had hidden herself in the rear. Using spatial formations, she had nearly flayed the Heavenly Sovereign Hao alive, and with the strings of the Moon Heavenly Sovereign's zither, she had severed his head—a stunning achievement.
However, her injuries were also among the most severe of the group. In his fury, the Heavenly Sovereign Hao had nearly shattered her!
Everyone fled in a frenzy. Having suffered such a great loss, the Heavenly Sovereign Hao would surely hunt them down to the last, never allowing them to escape.
Yet to their astonishment, the Heavenly Sovereign Hao did not give chase.
The Woodcutter Sage called out loudly, "The Heavenly Sovereign Hao must be too badly injured to suppress his own wounds! Follow me, and we'll strike back!"
No one paid him any attention.
The Woodcutter Sage struggled for a moment but couldn't break free from under Lu Zheng's arm. He growled in anger, "Donkey, put me down!"
Lu Zheng, unlike before, did not mock him. He continued to charge ahead in silence. The Black Tiger God couldn't help but say, "Master, look at who's still fit to fight besides you?"
The Woodcutter Sage was taken aback. He looked around at the others. Xi Tianjun was shedding chunks of flesh as he ran. Qi Xiayu staggered, on the verge of death at any moment.
The Silkworm Woman and Xiu Zhong were even worse off. The Dao wounds left by the Heavenly Sovereign Hao were rampaging through their divine consciousness and physical bodies, destroying them from within.
Yan Yunxi's bones and internal organs were all shattered. She was now hanging on by a single breath. If that breath faded, she would be gone, a jade shattered and fragrance lost.
The Martial Combat Heavenly Master had taken two heavy blows head-on from the Heavenly Sovereign Hao. Though he appeared to have the lightest injuries, they were actually extremely severe. He was left with only one broken arm, and all his martial arts prowess was now confined to his legs.
As for the donkey Lu Zheng, the old ox Niu Sanduo, and the Black Tiger God, the Heavenly Sovereign Hao's silk had drained all their magical power. They couldn't even summon clouds or ride mist anymore and could only rely on their physical bodies to flee.
This battle—they had faced the already spent Heavenly Sovereign Hao at their peak, with seven beings at the Emperor Throne level among them—and yet this was the outcome!
It shouldn't have come to this. The Woodcutter Sage's calculations had been correct. The Heavenly Sovereign Hao dared not fight a prolonged battle. There was no need to confront him head-on; they only needed to stall for time, and the pressure of his own cultivation would crush his physical body.
But man proposes, heaven disposes. The Heavenly Sovereign Hao's oppressive aura was too strong, preventing everyone from coordinating. Under the threat of their Dao hearts collapsing, they all struck at the Heavenly Sovereign Hao in a scattered, uncoordinated fashion, leading to such a swift defeat!
"Ah, there's still Mu'er!"
The Woodcutter Sage's spirits suddenly lifted. He thought of Qin Mu and said urgently, "Donkey, put me down! Mu'er is still back there!"
Lu Zheng gritted his teeth and said nothing, running for his life. The Black Tiger God said, "Master, how shrewd is your second disciple? Seeing the situation turn bad, he would have fled long ago. Would he still be there now? Master, the most important thing now is how we escape with our lives!"
The Woodcutter Sage gritted his teeth and roared, "Knowing him as I do, he would never run! He will absolutely seize this opportunity and try everything to eliminate his mortal enemy, the Heavenly Sovereign Hao! This isn't just a once-in-a-thousand-years chance—it's a once-in-a-million, once-in-a-hundred-million-years chance! Put me down! With the combined wisdom of my disciple and me, we might just be able to kill the Heavenly Sovereign Hao!"
Lu Zheng turned a deaf ear and sped away.
At that moment, in the dark valley behind them, the domain of divine consciousness erupted. The myriad Heart Demon Heavenly Sovereign Mu had become part of the divine storage domain, transforming into the gods within that domain!
All the energy within the divine storage domain converged, and under Qin Mu's command, it evolved into a strike that shook heaven and earth!
The light from this strike drove away all the darkness in the valley, so bright that it cast the shadows of everyone fleeing in panic.
Their shadows stretched long, and the flickering light made their shadows dance on the ground, writhing like demons.
The Woodcutter Sage looked back and sighed inwardly.
That was indeed Qin Mu clashing with the Heavenly Sovereign Hao, trying to kill him. But the power unleashed was too great. Even if he wanted to go back now, he couldn't.
The energy released from the battle between Qin Mu and the Heavenly Sovereign Hao was too intense. With his strength, he couldn't even get close without being torn to pieces by the shockwaves!
"Mu'er must be using the power of the Heart Demon Heavenly Sovereign Mu. He is the true Heavenly Sovereign Mu, commanding all the Heart Demon Heavenly Sovereign Mus, giving him the strength to fight the Heavenly Sovereign Hao, and perhaps even drag him to his death."
The Woodcutter Sage showed a faint smile and murmured, "You've grown up now. You're an old hand at this. This battle has shown me that you already possess the wisdom to contend with a Heavenly Sovereign…"
In the dark valley.
Qin Mu stood at the center of the divine storage domain. Around him, four of the five innate great veins erupted with surging Dao energy, flowing into the long sword in his hand!
At the same time, all the Dao from the Ancestral Court, the Mystic Capital, the Nether Capital, the Four Extremes, the Primordial Capital, the Heavenly Yin, and the myriad worlds within the domain surged into his sword!
The Heart Demon Heavenly Sovereign Mu stationed in each of those myriad worlds simultaneously activated all their Dao techniques and divine powers!
His eighteen heavenly palaces also lit up at the same time, unleashing a vast torrent of power!
This was the first time Qin Mu had activated his Great Heavenly Court cultivation technique!
He had comprehended his eighteenth heavenly palace, the Innate Heavenly Palace, during the battle between the Heavenly Sovereign Hao and the Imperial Emperor, finally realizing his Great Heavenly Court technique.
Now, it was his first battle!
As the Great Heavenly Court technique activated, the power of countless Heart Demon Heavenly Sovereign Mus converged. The moment it poured into his divine sword, Qin Mu let out a long, passionate cry and swung his sword to meet the charging Heavenly Sovereign Hao!
In that instant, the sword light became a massive vortex, spinning, surging, and rising in the dark valley. It turned into a pillar of light that pierced the clouds and shot beyond the heavens, stunning the entire Tai Xu region!
Boom—
A violent storm of sword energy swirled and overflowed, breaking through the dark valley, shattering the mountains, and leveling the corpse walkers that were running on all fours, grinding them to dust in the raging sword light!
Finally, the sword light subsided. Bodies rained down from the sky like a downpour—the bodies of the Heart Demon Heavenly Sovereign Mu, lying scattered and fallen everywhere.
Everywhere were collapsed heavenly palaces, destroyed Mystic Capitals, Nether Capitals, and other myriad worlds. Qin Mu had lost.
The Heavenly Sovereign Hao lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. He sneered, "Finally defeated you, cough, cough…"
He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, staggered to his feet, and wore an expression caught between laughter and tears. "Finally defeated you, Heavenly Sovereign Mu! A million years—I've lived in your shadow for a million years! But today, I have finally killed you and stepped out of your shadow!"
He laughed heartily, his voice filled with exhilaration. "You are no longer my heart demon!"
Just then, his pupils contracted sharply.
In the dark valley, which had been reduced to dust, matter was flowing back and restoring itself!
The shattered Qin Mu was recovering at an astonishing speed. His heavenly palaces were rebuilt, the Mystic Capital floated in the air, the Nether Capital sank into the ground, and the Ancestral Court, Primordial Realm, Four Extremes Heavens, and the myriad worlds all reappeared in a flash.
"Heavenly Sovereign Hao."
Qin Mu raised his sword, gathering all his strength and the torrent of Dao, and charged forward, his spirit soaring with boundless pride. "Even if you cultivate a true Heavenly Court, I, this heart demon, will remain forever etched in the depths of your heart, never to be erased!"