Chapter 1376: Nine Prisons Lock the Heart, the Dao Endures (Third Update)
The power Qin Mu could utilize gradually increased, and his pace quickened as well. The mysteries of the Nine Prisons Platform realm were being uncovered by him bit by bit.
Within his celestial palace, the Nine Prisons Platform slowly materialized. Using his own understanding of the Nine Prisons Platform’s prison-locking heart technique, he began to reconstruct the celestial prison of the Heavenly Court, transforming it into a realm.
With his own intelligence and talent alone, he would certainly find it difficult to fully develop all the mysteries of this realm. He would still need the efforts of other deities and countless people in future generations to turn this realm into a mature one.
For now, however, he could first establish this realm.
Moreover, having personally experienced the Nine Prisons Platform and personally undone its seals, he surpassed countless future deities by an immeasurable margin.
The Nine Prisons Platform was far too dangerous and perilous. Very few could enter the Nine Prisons Platform, reforge their heart, and emerge alive. In the future, Qin Mu would develop this realm and teach others how to open the Nine Prisons Platform, allowing the world to cultivate this realm.
Essentially, all deities would build upon his foundation to further explore the mysteries of the Nine Prisons Platform. Therefore, their understanding would not be as exquisite as directly entering the Nine Prisons Platform itself.
Of course, if someone had the ability to enter the true Nine Prisons Platform, they could also comprehend it like he did, using it to temper themselves. Their achievements would not be inferior to his.
But very few could accomplish this. Even among the Ten Celestial Venerables, fewer than five could likely step into the Nine Prisons Platform and obtain its mysteries.
It was more likely that the Nine Prisons Platform could not restrain the Ten Celestial Venerables. They would enter, then leave, gaining nothing.
The Nine Prisons Platform demanded an extremely high level of heart cultivation. With the slightest misstep, one could very well sink into the prison forever.
To walk out of the Nine Prisons Platform alive required an extremely high level of attainment in the Dao realm, at minimum the twenty-fourth level of the Dao realm!
But even the twenty-fourth level of the Dao realm was not enough to guarantee survival. Qin Mu managed to walk out because of his unique experiences; others might not have such fortune.
Currently, deities all followed the divine treasury and celestial palace system. Gods and demons focused only on power, with low attainments in the Dao realm. Thus, falling into the prison meant certain death.
As time passed, Qin Mu undid more and more seals. In his spirit embryo divine treasury, the ancestral court had fully recovered its vitality, with the great Dao flourishing.
The nineteen celestial palaces also recovered one by one. A host of primordial spirits stood within the celestial palaces, possessing vast divine powers.
Meanwhile, the myriad realms such as the Xuan Du, You Du, and Yuan Du within his divine treasury were slowly being unsealed.
Qin Mu’s cultivation grew purer, and his heart’s operation became increasingly clear and bright.
He fell into a wondrous state. The Dao mysteries of the Nine Prisons Platform transformed into Dao sounds and Dao rhythms, which then, as his vital energy and great Dao were gradually unsealed, turned into strange Dao patterns. These patterns formed the celestial prison and Nine Prisons Platform within each of his celestial palaces.
Not only that, but Qin Mu also mobilized his newly increased cultivation, planning to not only open the Nine Prisons Platform within his celestial palaces but also establish one on the reverse side of his ancestral court!
His ambition did not stop there. He also intended to erect four celestial gates within his ancestral court, build the Yao Terrace and Yao Pool, forge his own God-Slaying Platform, and even the Jade Capital City!
Within this small square inch of space, his cultivation grew increasingly vigorous, and his pace quickened!
This square inch of space, in his eyes, was like an endless journey to temper his heart. From within his body came crackling explosions as his sealed divine consciousness and great Dao continuously broke free.
His blood vitality surged like a tidal wave, rushing out from the Ninth Prison, filling the Eighth Prison, the Seventh Prison, and the Sixth Prison!
After a moment, a sound like surging tides suddenly erupted from within the Nine Prisons Platform, each sound louder than the last, each wave higher than the previous. Amid earth-shattering roars, a vast ocean of blood vitality surged forth, filling the celestial prison and turning it into a sea of blood vitality!
Boom—
A celestial palace leaped out from the sea of blood vitality of the Nine Prisons Platform, settling upon the ocean’s surface. Rays of Dao light shot out in all directions from the celestial palace.
At the same time, one celestial palace after another leaped forth, suppressing the sea of blood vitality, forming a continuous Heavenly Court with thousands of palaces and halls arranged in perfect order!
Qin Mu’s figure rose slowly from the sea of blood vitality. His form was majestic, his posture robust and steady, as he walked calmly out of the sea of blood.
Within his body, nearly two thousand ancient god imprints resided in the various apertures of his flesh. Their spirits were clear, their Dao pure and unified!
This was a phenomenon he had never experienced before.
His understanding of the ancient gods’ great Dao came mainly from the records in the Library of Guardians, combined with the analysis of microscopic numerology and the Supreme Emperor’s supreme boundless divine consciousness.
Thus, he had forged nearly two thousand ancient god imprints, storing them in the apertures of his body to enhance his physical strength. However, these imprints were incomplete, and their Dao was impure.
In particular, he had not received the Supreme Emperor’s direct teachings on the supreme boundless divine consciousness. Instead, he had forcibly seized the Supreme Emperor’s memories by refining his divine consciousness. Moreover, he had never seen those ancient gods who had vanished into history, so he could not refine his body to the Supreme Emperor’s level.
But after the prison locked his heart and his heart was reforged, the great Dao contained within these ancient god imprints was also purified. His insights deepened, and his understanding of the Dao became purer.
Although his physical body was still far inferior to the Supreme Emperor’s peak form, he now possessed the potential and latent ability to rival or even surpass the Supreme Emperor!
His main primordial spirit rose, vast and boundless, seated within the Heavenly Court. One by one, his subsidiary primordial spirits flew out, landing in their respective celestial palaces.
The main primordial spirit commanded all the subsidiary primordial spirits, like a great emperor ruling over the heavens, commanding the emperors who guarded the various great Daos and realms!
The sea of blood vitality boiled, gradually rising and merging back into his physical body.
Qin Mu looked down at the Nine Prisons Platform. The Ninth Prison appeared empty, yet in his eyes, he saw his former heart, once locked away.
The Ninth Prison lay beneath his feet, but within the Ninth Prison of his heart, he saw himself still walking there tirelessly, his steps heavy, measuring his own square inch of heart.
A realization dawned upon him. Although he had escaped the Nine Prisons Platform, his heart remained within the prison, constantly being tempered.
“The mortal world is a great cage. Everyone is within a prison, moving forward through hardship. The thorns of the Nine Prisons Platform are the trials one must face in life—sharp thorns that pierce the flesh until it is riddled with holes, that pierce the heart until it is full of wounds.”
“The weak suffer and wail, but the strong strive forward, never retreating. The weak curl up in their prison, no longer advancing, while the strong attempt to break free.”
Suddenly, his Buddhist celestial palace became complete. His Buddhist primordial spirit appeared solemn and dignified, clad in white robes with bare feet, bearing a smile that spoke of countless sufferings endured.
Buddhism had no techniques. Great Brahma Heaven had not taught him any techniques, nor had Master Ma taught him the Buddhist celestial palace.
Buddhism was a study of the heart. Once one understood, the Buddhist celestial palace would naturally be cultivated.
He gazed at the Nine Prisons Platform. Though he had escaped, his heart remained within the prison.
And though he had escaped the Nine Prisons Platform, was the mortal world not just another Nine Prisons Platform?
He let out a long laugh, his heart refined and accomplished. In this state of enlightenment, he involuntarily unleashed the twenty-fifth level of the Dao realm that he had comprehended.
Nine Prisons Lock the Heart, the Dao Endures!
He stepped upon the Nine Prisons. The countless thorns of Mount Qi on the Nine Prisons Platform spun wildly, large and small, locking the enemy’s heart within the prison!