Chapter 1264: Wishes Come True (Second Update)
Qin Mu and Heavenly Lord Hao charged into the Heavenly Court camp, instantly throwing the entire encampment into chaos. Divine beings and generals fled in all directions, while the commanders of each camp stood bewildered, watching helplessly as Qin Mu unleashed his divine abilities, destroying vast stretches of the camp.
Meanwhile, Heavenly Lord Hao was fleeing, heading straight toward Green Emperor, White Emperor, and their group.
Green Emperor, White Emperor, and the various Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Kings were utterly overwhelmed. The Fourth Heavenly Master, Zhu Shaoping, sighed. "What about the Nether Emperor?"
"The Nether Emperor is far too cunning. Even if he knows, he won't come. He'll just pass this hot potato to us."
Meng Yungui gritted his teeth. "Everyone, Heavenly Lord Hao is fleeing toward us now. We have no choice but to act."
The group tensed up and nodded silently.
Heavenly Lord Hao had clearly spotted them and was heading their way. If they refused to intervene and rescue him, the consequences would be dire.
Remember, Heavenly Lord Hao, alongside Mu Tianzun, had taught the world the path to godhood. Who would dare to openly kill either of them?
If they stood by and did nothing, they would first fail their duties to the Heavenly Court. Then, the people of the world would curse them. Losing their lives and cultivation was one thing, but eternal infamy was far worse.
Just as they were about to act, a thunderous boom echoed, and both Heavenly Lord Hao and Qin Mu vanished.
The crowd was startled. Meng Yungui immediately realized what had happened and shouted, "Mu Tianzun has dragged Heavenly Lord Hao into the Netherworld!"
Everyone was at a loss. The Northern Heavenly King, Yi Luo, laughed. "That should be near the Nether Emperor's territory. Now the Nether Emperor has no choice but to act."
In the Netherworld, the Nether Emperor had already received word of Qin Mu pursuing Heavenly Lord Hao. His face turned ashen, and he paced restlessly.
What worried him wasn't that Qin Mu's strength had truly reached the point where he could kill Heavenly Lord Hao. He had heard about Heavenly Lord Hao's severe injuries from his battle with the Imperial Emperor. What he hadn't expected was that Heavenly Lord Hao was wounded so gravely!
The Heavenly Court's universally recognized number one Heavenly Lord had been reduced to fleeing for his life from Qin Mu.
He was reluctant to rescue Heavenly Lord Hao for the same reasons Meng Yungui and the others were reluctant. Heavenly Lord Hao had been chased from the highest heavens into the deepest underworld—how humiliating, how miserable!
If Heavenly Lord Hao survived, he would inevitably purge everyone who knew about this to maintain his image of light, greatness, and justice.
The more you know, the faster you die. The Nether Emperor understood this better than anyone.
After all, he had witnessed Heavenly Lord Hao shooting down the Great Sun Star Lord.
"But if Qin Mu kills Heavenly Lord Hao right at the gates of my Netherworld camp, and I don't save him..."
The Nether Emperor looked into the distance. Qin Mu was practically overwhelming Heavenly Lord Hao, unleashing a storm of divine abilities. Heavenly Lord Hao, meanwhile, was barely defending himself while fleeing toward the Netherworld camp.
It was clear that Heavenly Lord Hao was at his last gasp and couldn't hold out much longer.
Heavenly Lord Hao fled, all the while dispersing the chaotic cultivation within him.
Qin Mu had the upper hand, driving him from the heavens to the earth, from the Netherworld to the void, from one camp to another. During this chase, Heavenly Lord Hao had already dissolved twenty-six heavenly palaces, leaving only nine.
Yet, he still couldn't suppress his injuries.
If he continued to disperse his cultivation, he would eventually lose all his power and die at Qin Mu's hands!
Even in his disgrace, even losing face before the Heavenly Court's troops, he had to persevere.
On the other side, the Nether Emperor paced back and forth on the city wall, his expression shifting. "Qin Mu killed my son and my wife—I must avenge that. But if I act now, I might become the next Great Sun Star Lord..."
He was deeply conflicted. Heavenly Lord Hao was his pillar of support, the reason he had held the position of Black Emperor for so many years.
If Qin Mu truly killed Heavenly Lord Hao, his support would collapse. He might not be executed, but his power and status would surely be lost.
Between his life and his authority, he couldn't bear to give up either.
Just as he hesitated, war drums thundered, and a divine general reported, "Nether Emperor, the rebel Qin Fengqing and the King of Hell are attacking!"
"This is my lifeline!"
The Nether Emperor's spirits soared. He barked, "Muster the troops and march out to meet them! Kill every last rebel!"
A Northern Heaven general hesitated. "Your Majesty, what about Heavenly Lord Hao..."
The Nether Emperor shot him a glance. The general felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, fell silent, and dared not speak further.
News also reached Carefree Realm and the Other Shore Void. Qin Mu was chasing Heavenly Lord Hao, already covering tens of thousands of miles, throwing the Heavenly Court's ranks into chaos.
The high-ranking members of Carefree Realm exchanged bewildered looks, while the creators of the Other Shore Void cheered, praising, "The Saint Child is invincible!"
Woodcutter, Misty Cloud Xi, Martial Combat Heavenly Master, Xiu Zhong, Silkworm Girl, and the others had just fled back to camp. Hearing this news, they were stunned, their eyes wide and speechless.
Woodcutter sighed. "Mu'er is driving Heavenly Lord Hao into the Heavenly Court camp to strip him of his reputation, destroy his image, and shatter his invincible aura. He's ruining his name. If he could kill him, he wouldn't need to do this."
He understood clearly.
Qin Mu was tarnishing Heavenly Lord Hao's reputation and image because he wasn't sure he could kill him. So, he sought to maximize the benefit: planting the seed of his own invincibility in the minds of the Heavenly Court gods and casting a massive shadow over Heavenly Lord Hao's Dao heart!
Woodcutter's spirits lifted again. "But now is the perfect time to attack the Heavenly Court camp!"
Just as he was about to give the order, he saw the divine and demon armies of Carefree Realm and the Other Shore Void already mobilizing, surging toward the Heavenly Court formation.
Woodcutter paused and looked up. A monk and a Taoist were directing the forces of Carefree Realm and the Other Shore creators, assisted by the former Heavenly Court First Heavenly Master, Yue Tingge.
Woodcutter smiled. "Both my disciples have turned out well. Only the eldest is a bit disappointing... But having two successful ones is already quite good."
Boom!
Heavenly Lord Hao tumbled and crashed into the Nether Emperor's Netherworld camp. This was the Nether City, the Nether Emperor's garrison. But to Heavenly Lord Hao's fury, the city was completely empty of soldiers!
The Nether Emperor had ordered all his troops out of the city to engage Carefree Realm!
"Yin Chaojin..."
Heavenly Lord Hao gritted his teeth, staggered to his feet, then suddenly his knees gave way, and he crashed heavily to the ground, unable to rise.
His head drooped, his hands braced against the ground, but even the strength in his hands faded.
His body pitched forward, his face scraping against the cold ground as he slid forward until he lay flat.
Blood gushed from his mouth.
He struggled to lift his head to see where Qin Mu was, but couldn't.
He still had one trump card: completely abandon all his other heavenly palaces and keep only his main one. That way, he could regain control of his power!
But that would mean dropping from the Heavenly Court realm back to the Imperial Throne realm!
And even if he abandoned his cultivation, his injuries would remain. He might not have the strength to kill Qin Mu.
He refused to accept it. He wouldn't give in!
But he had to.
He prepared to gather his last ounce of strength for a fatal blow against Qin Mu!
Then, he heard footsteps. They must be Qin Mu's.
But what puzzled him was that another set of footsteps came from behind him.
Qin Mu's footsteps stopped, keeping a distance, clearly wary of the person behind him.
He heard a woman's voice, very pleasant, whispering softly in his ear, "Heavenly Lord Hao, do you wish for your injuries to heal?"
Heavenly Lord Hao's mind was foggy, his throat full of blood. He could only gurgle and wheeze, unable to speak.
"Just say you want to, and your wounds will heal."
The woman's voice was enchanting, carrying a natural allure. She murmured, "Just wish for it, and your shattered heavenly palaces will be restored. Just wish for it, and your cultivation will return."
The voice seemed to come from a dream, soft and distant, as if rising from the depths of his heart. "Just wish for it, and your Dao wounds will heal. Just wish for it, and you can overpower all rivals, eliminate Lord Heaven and Lord Earth, remove every obstacle, and become the Heavenly Emperor. Do you wish for it?"
Heavenly Lord Hao struggled to spit out the blood in his mouth and finally managed to speak, his voice hoarse. "Yes—"
——The last day of 2018, the last twelve hours, begging for monthly votes!