Chapter 1308: The Instigator (Fourth Update)
In the Chaos Sea, Taiyi, with a kind and benevolent expression, smiled at the stunned Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian. "Brilliant, isn't it? But there are still some fellow cultivators who haven't made their move yet."
The crowd had already been numbed by shock. They looked up, and from their vantage point, the tentacles above the Chaos Sea were incredibly thick and pitch-black, their bark resembling dragon scales, reflecting the unpredictable storms of the Chaos Sea.
"Earth Mother, how dare you try to take what's mine?"
Although Xiao Tianzun's hand was severed, his angry snort came from within it. His fist slammed down, and countless roots of the Earth Mother formed an altar. On the altar, the Earth Mother's true form rose slowly to meet this blow!
The terrifying waves above the Chaos Sea surged in all directions, but when they reached the Chaos Sea, they encountered Taiyi's staff standing upright in the sea, instantly calming the storm into a placid, undisturbed surface.
In the sky, countless roots of the Earth Mother Sovereign snapped and fell in a flurry, crashing into the Chaos Sea. Before long, they were assimilated by the sea, turning into strands of chaotic energy.
Xu Shenghua's gaze fell on Taiyi's staff, and he exclaimed in surprise, "This staff seems far more powerful than the Primeval Tree. What kind of wood is it made of?"
Taiyi noticed his gaze and chuckled, "This wood? The Mu Celestial Lord has plenty of it at home, but I've burned most of it. Don't tell him I still have a piece here, or he'll try to take it from me."
Xu Shenghua was bewildered. "The Mu Celestial Lord has plenty of it at home? When did he become so wealthy? That guy always looks like a penniless pauper, trying to snatch anything good he sees from others. Right now, he's probably scheming to take someone else's wealth..."
The elderly Taiyi smiled. "Look quickly. Another fellow cultivator is about to stir things up! But the instigator is still on his way."
At that moment, Qin Mu was still traveling by boat, speeding along, inwardly complaining that he had hidden too high up and shouldn't have retreated into the Twenty-Ninth Void.
Xiao Tianzun's right fist struck the Earth Mother, forcing her form to sink. Just as she was about to fall into the Chaos Sea, her altar shattered into pieces, and countless roots retracted, burrowing into the earth and disappearing.
The Earth Mother Sovereign, having only one soul left and her cultivation weakened by Qin Mu, suffered a great loss and had no choice but to avoid the confrontation.
Above Xiao Tianzun's severed right hand, the struggle between the Lotus and the Four-Square Cauldron continued. Both supreme treasures of the Celestial Lords unleashed terrifying power, each trying to overpower the other and claim Xiao Tianzun's right hand along with the Primal Chaos Origin Stones it held.
Suddenly, a rainbow light streaked across the sky, a pillar of light pouring through the broken seal of the Ancestral Court. It formed a massive palm print that slammed down onto the Lotus and the Four-Square Cauldron, forcing both treasures to fall faster toward the Chaos Sea!
"Heavenly Lord!"
The Celestial Lords and the Grand Emperor, who were fighting in the sky, were startled and quickly intervened, intercepting the Heavenly Lord's strike from the Celestial Capital.
At that moment, demonic energy from the Netherworld surged forth, flooding the Chaos Sea in an instant. Within the demonic energy, a towering Earth Lord rose, his vertical eye on his forehead opening wide, freezing Xiao Tianzun's falling right hand in place. With a sharp crack, his whip lashed out, wrapping around the Celestial Lord's hand and pulling it toward the sea of Netherworld demonic energy.
"Heavenly Lord, Earth Lord, have you finally grown tired of solitude and decided to meddle in worldly affairs?"
Xiao Tianzun, having repelled Yan Tianfei, descended from the sky with a cold sneer. "But the seal is still intact. You cannot descend in your true forms, so you are no match for me. If your true forms descend, you will be bound by the Great Dao, and that will be your end. Withdraw now!"
He descended in fury, even using hidden methods to force Yan Tianfei to retreat, showcasing his immense strength. However, as he charged toward the Earth Lord, the Grand Emperor suddenly veered in from the side. Xiao Tianzun's heart tightened, and the two clashed in midair, each retreating.
The Grand Emperor sneered, abandoning him to charge straight at the Earth Lord below. "Not bad, adopted son."
Xiao Tianzun sneered back, also charging toward the Earth Lord. "Your wife? I've slept with her."
The Grand Emperor's rage flared, and as he chased the Earth Lord, he engaged Xiao Tianzun in a fierce battle. The Earth Lord, not being in his true form, struggled to retrieve his Nether River Whip while trying to return to the Netherworld.
Boom!
The sea of Netherworld demonic energy violently shook as the Grand Emperor and Xiao Tianzun descended, blasting the demonic sea apart. The overwhelming aura of two Celestial Lord-level powerhouses split the demonic sea, revealing the Chaos Sea below.
Beneath the Chaos Sea, Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, and the others looked up, seeing only the massive, pillar-like legs of these towering divine beings standing on the surface of the Chaos Sea.
Their pressure did not fall on the Chaos Sea itself but on the elderly Taiyi's staff.
Xu Shenghua glanced at the staff and saw it bending slightly under the strain.
"Brother Dao, you said this staff came from the Mu Celestial Lord's home?"
Xu Shenghua asked, "Does the Mu Celestial Lord have plenty of this kind of wood?"
The elderly Taiyi smiled warmly. "It covers the mountains and fields. If Brother Xu wants some, just ask the Mu Celestial Lord for a few mountain peaks. He's very generous and won't refuse."
Xu Shenghua was quite tempted.
Lan Yutian also felt a stir of desire. "I'd like a few mountain peaks too."
"The Mu Celestial Lord will surely give them to you. Don't worry, don't worry." The elderly Taiyi smiled kindly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several more violent shocks rang out as the Earth Lord's demonic sea completely exploded. Yan Tianfei, Ancestral God King, Langxuan Divine Emperor, and others descended, their Celestial Lord divine radiance purging the demonic sea until it was utterly gone!
The Lava Earth Lord stood with his Nether River Whip in hand, surrounded by several Celestial Lords. The other end of the whip was still tied to Xiao Tianzun's right hand.
Even though the Earth Lord was usually calm, resourceful, and immensely powerful, he now stood there in utter awkwardness, completely at a loss.
He couldn't escape back to the Netherworld either. The ground beneath him was the Netherworld, but now the demonic energy had been dissolved, and beneath his feet was the Chaos Sea. He was trapped with nowhere to go.
This Lava Earth Lord was merely an avatar, lacking the terrifying combat power of his true body. Facing the wolves around him, he would be killed in a single blow.
Suddenly, the Chaos Sea stirred again as the Void Mother Beast descended, clinging tightly behind the Grand Emperor, warily eyeing Ancestral God King and the Earth Lord. She had nearly been refined to death by Ancestral God King but managed to escape when he clashed with the Grand Emperor, though her strength was greatly diminished.
Beneath the Chaos Sea, the crowd grew uneasy. On the surface, five Celestial Lord-level beings had gathered, with the Void Mother Beast barely counting as half. The Earth Mother Sovereign lurked in the shadows, watching hungrily, while the Heavenly Lord above closely monitored the situation, ready to strike at any moment.
And in the center stood the Lava Earth Lord, surrounded by these terrifying presences, yet his own power was still formidable.
With so many powerful beings gathered here, could Taiyi's withered wooden staff really hold up?
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a flash of light streaked across the sky as Qin Mu finally burst out of the void, appearing above the Chaos Sea.
He glanced down and immediately turned to leave.
"The instigator!" The Grand Emperor looked up at him and snorted coldly.
The Celestial Lords present were all in a bind, completely at a loss for what to do. If they truly went to war, many Celestial Lords would likely die!
Suddenly, Qin Mu turned back and shouted, "Brother Earth Lord, what are you waiting for? Throw away the Primal Chaos Origin Stones! Throw them into the sea!"
The Earth Lord came to his senses and released his Nether River Whip. Xiao Tianzun's right hand, along with the Primal Chaos Origin Stones it held, fell into the Chaos Sea.
On the surface, the faces of the gathered beings twitched, but no one dared to act rashly. They could only watch helplessly as the Origin Stones sank into the sea.