Chapter 1417: The Heavenly Court Descends
Qin Mu's expression was grave. If the Heavenly Court was relocating to the Ancestral Court, then the next step—the full force of the Heavenly Court would be directed against the Heavenly Duke!
The Heavenly Duke sought death not for the sake of dying, but for liberation. However, based on Qin Mu's understanding of Heavenly Venerable Hong, although Hong was the reincarnation of the Heavenly Duke, he was no longer the same person. He was filled with an insatiable craving for power, a desperate thirst for strength. Once freed from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao, Heavenly Venerable Hong would become a Ten Heavenly Venerable wielding boundless power!
If Qin Mu wanted to intervene and rescue the Heavenly Duke, he would need to possess even greater strength.
And the best shortcut at present was to undergo the tempering of the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform, mastering its Great Dao!
By then, Qin Mu would have firmly established himself at the realm of the Nine Prisons Platform. Only then would he have even a modicum of power to contend against the Ten Heavenly Venerables!
The Heavenly River rose higher and higher, signaling the movement of the Heavenly Court. The situation was critical, and there was no time to waste!
The Butcher, Tian Shu, and the others each rose to their feet, their gazes fixed on him. The Butcher said, "You want to go to the Ancestral Court now, to face that number one fierce blade under heaven?"
Qin Mu nodded.
Over the past two years and six months, the five of them had pushed the Dao of the Blade to its absolute limit. First, they engaged in blade Dao duels to deepen Qin Mu's understanding and comprehension. Then, each of them unleashed their own spirit.
The blade nourishes the spirit. They used their individual spirits to oppose Qin Mu, grinding his spirit against theirs, sharpening his will with the blade's intent, and elevating his blade Dao until his spirit transformed into a blade's edge.
During this time, Qin Mu's enlightenment of the blade Dao had reached its peak. Using their spirits as whetstones, he honed himself. He could be said to have employed every ounce of his intelligence, integrating all his past knowledge and insights into the blade Dao.
In two and a half years, his blade Dao had soared directly to the Sixteenth Heaven, surpassing the Butcher, and quickly catching up to Luo Wushuang, reaching the Eighteenth Heaven of entering the Dao through the blade.
He used his mastery of divine abilities to enter the Dao, drawing parallels and creating his own blade Dao heavens, layer by layer. Later, the Butcher, Tian Shu, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang also continuously improved under the grinding of his spirit.
In the end, their essences, energies, and spirits mutually honed one another, imprinting upon layer after layer of void. Together, they deduced the blade Dao to the level of the Twenty-Fifth Void!
In two and a half years, these five great masters of the blade Dao had not only elevated their blade Dao to the Twenty-Fifth Heaven but had also reached the point of imprinting the blade Dao across the Twenty-Fifth Void. This was an immense breakthrough in the Dao of the Blade, a feat that would influence blade techniques and divine abilities for generations to come!
However, at this stage, their accumulated insights were nearly exhausted. Even if they could deduce another heaven, the time required would increase dramatically.
The Butcher said in a deep voice, "We'll go with you to the Ancestral Court, to see this number one fierce blade under heaven!"
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, glancing at Tian Shu, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang. The Ancestral Court's Execution Platform, the number one fierce blade under heaven—it could slaughter even Emperor Seat powerhouses as easily as chopping vegetables. He didn't want to see these friends risk their lives for him.
Yet, with his current understanding of the blade Dao, it was still extremely difficult for him to enter the Execution Platform and survive.
He had no confidence in overcoming this platform. None at all.
If his blade Dao could reach the Twenty-Eighth, Twenty-Ninth, or even Thirtieth Heaven, he might have a chance to cross the Execution Platform.
But not now.
Luo Wushuang said calmly, "I once visited the Heavenly Court's Execution Platform and survived. That platform's blade Dao is subtle and its laws are strict. Seeing the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform might be very helpful to you."
Zhe Huali stretched his limbs and laughed, "I've never been to the Ancestral Court. It's good to see the world. Unlike you, I'm not reckless—I'll just look, I won't go inside."
Tian Shu chuckled darkly, "The number one fierce blade under heaven—can it be more fierce than my Emperor Que? This blade of mine once cut off the Earth Lord's horn! I don't believe a naturally formed object can surpass the blade Dao we've painstakingly cultivated!"
Their experience of comprehending the Dao at the Yong River had greatly benefited each of them. It had nurtured their essences, energies, and spirits to be indestructible, forging their wills to be as sharp as their blades.
"Four cobblers are at least worth one Mu Heavenly Venerable."
The Butcher said flatly, "The five of us have all set foot at the pinnacle of the blade Dao. There is no higher peak for us to climb. We must all take a trip to see this number one fierce blade. Since you feel you can't protect yourself, why don't the five of us ascend this Execution Platform together and give it a try?"
Tian Shu licked his lips and said, "Our skills are already imprinted in the Twenty-Fifth Void. Even if we die, our Dao won't be erased by our deaths. With this achievement, we've lived enough. Even the Kai Emperor only surpassed us by ten heavens."
"The Sword Dao reaches the Thirty-Fifth Void!"
Luo Wushuang's gaze grew distant, and he murmured, "If the blade Dao cannot reach the Thirty-Fifth Void and contend with the sword Dao, how sorrowful that would be. Perhaps the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform is the opportunity for our blade Dao to advance further."
Qin Mu looked at them, feeling their sincere hearts and deep affection. Only gratitude remained in his heart.
So-called pursuit of the Dao—it was really just concern for his safety.
"Good!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "Let's go, the five of us cobblers, together!"
Everyone laughed. "Five cobblers—can't they at least match the Kai Emperor of the sword Dao? Let's charge in together!"
At the Ancestral Court, the light from the eleven great Spiritual Energy Teleportation Bridges merged into one, forming an immensely vast teleportation array. The locations of these eleven bridges had been precisely calculated by Dao Sect experts.
The positions of these teleportation bridges were exactly aligned to form a single structure, and the light from this bridge was just enough to encompass the entire Heavenly Court.
On this day, countless divine beings of the Heavenly Court mobilized. Countless warships sailed out of the Heavenly Court, with massive chains tethered at one end to the ships and at the other to the Heavenly Court, straining to drag this colossal entity.
Within the Heavenly Court, atop various heavenly palaces and divine halls, powerful beings activated the might and authority of the palaces and the seventy-two divine halls, gradually accelerating the Heavenly Court.
At this moment, the Heavenly River twisted, moving along with the Heavenly Court.
Above the Ancestral Court, the vast, boundless Heavenly Court had already revealed a corner from within the Spiritual Energy Teleportation Bridge. Giant warships were operating at full power, pulling chains in an attempt to drag the Heavenly Court into the Ancestral Court.
Relying solely on the power of the teleportation bridges, it was difficult to move this behemoth quickly and relocate it to the Ancestral Court. Almost all the divine beings in the Heavenly Court had been mobilized, yet the Heavenly Court still moved slowly.
The scene was absolutely magnificent and awe-inspiring. As the Heavenly Court's shadow loomed over the Ancestral Court, growing larger, the stars in the Ancestral Court's sky lost their color, and the sun dimmed.
The space of the Ancestral Court was even being compressed and distorted, with violent tremors spreading through the void in all directions!
As the Heavenly Court squeezed into the Ancestral Court, spiritual energy erupted from the teleportation bridges, its light clearly visible to all living beings in the Origin Realm.
That light was the spiritual energy ejected from the Ancestral Court, the spiritual power and spiritual qi being teleported out!
In the Origin Realm, one could see eleven pillars of spiritual power and spiritual qi. These pillars surged, their vast, majestic energy gathering above the original site of the Heavenly Court, gradually forming stars, continents, and world barriers!
Splendid heavenly realms took shape as the Heavenly Court departed, making the place it had vanished from dazzling and colorful.
In the Ancestral Court, the eleven Heavenly Venerables stood beside their respective Spiritual Energy Teleportation Bridges, looking up at the sky.
The Heavenly Court was descending bit by bit into the Ancestral Court. However, although the calculations of the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect were clever, the Heavenly Court was too large, and some flaws emerged during the teleportation.
The edges of the Heavenly Court failed to fully enter the teleportation bridge. Sliced by the bridge's light, parts broke off from the Heavenly Court. Some warships, while dragging the Heavenly Court, caused it to tilt or shift slightly, resulting in sections being cut off by the Spiritual Energy Teleportation Bridge. Fragments fell from the sky.
These fragments trailed long flames, their fiery tails stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, falling from the sky into the Ancestral Court. After more than ten days, they finally crashed into the Ancestral Court's ground.
Even so, these fragments hadn't burned out completely. They struck the Ancestral Court's earth, triggering landslides and earth fissures, fire hurricanes howling, and fire meteors raining down like a storm of continuous disasters.
The eleven Heavenly Venerables turned a blind eye to this, continuing to oversee the Heavenly Court's relocation.
The parts of the Heavenly Court that were cut off were merely a drop in the bucket of this colossal entity, insignificant.
Just then, the North Heavenly Gate was sliced open. The massive gate tilted and fell from the Heavenly Court, turning into a bright star in the sky. The star was torn apart by the Ancestral Court's geomagnetic force, splitting into dozens of pieces like dozens of dazzling great stars.
Suddenly, Heavenly Venerable Hong frowned slightly. He summoned a Dao Sect disciple and said in a deep voice, "Why has the teleportation speed slowed down?"
The Dao Sect disciple quickly replied, "Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable, the teleportation bridges are too hot. During the spiritual energy teleportation, the spiritual energy rubs against the altars, and the altars are about to give way. We are mobilizing the Rain Masters and Water Gods from various heavenly realms to come and cool the bridges. The Dao Lord also said to take this opportunity to adjust the warships, so the Heavenly Court won't be cut off too much by the teleportation bridges."
Heavenly Venerable Hong nodded. "Quickly summon the Rain Masters, Water Gods, and River Gods from all heavenly realms, as well as the Dragon Kings from the seas!"
The Daoist hurried away.
On the other side, the other Heavenly Venerables were mostly inquiring about the same matter. Qiang Tianfei dismissed the Dao Sect disciple and thought to herself, "Mobilizing the Rain Masters and Dragon Kings from all heavenly realms will probably take another month or so..."
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a disciple came to report, saying, "Your Highness, Heavenly Venerable Mu has arrived. He says he wants to go to the Execution Platform in your territory."
Qiang Tianfei was slightly startled, then laughed. "This kid is reckless, coming to seek death. Let him go."
The disciple quickly added, "Heavenly Venerable Mu has brought four strange companions with him—one missing an arm, one a drunkard, one who looks like a butcher, and one who is slovenly, carrying a demon blade with an eye on it. Heavenly Venerable Mu says he has brought some friends and plans to ascend the Execution Platform together."
Qiang Tianfei waved her hand dismissively. "No matter how many come, they're all seeking death. Go back and tell Heavenly Venerable Mu to go ahead and ascend the platform. I must stay here to oversee the situation and will go to cheer him on later."
The disciple acknowledged and hurried away.
Before the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform, a hundred miles away from this divine structure, Qin Mu and the Butcher both stopped. Gazing at the two terrifyingly fierce blades of killing intent, their faces changed simultaneously, and they praised in unison, "What a fierce blade!"
Around them, there was a series of sharp clanging sounds. The might of the number one fierce blade under heaven on the Execution Platform was too intense. As the five great masters of the blade Dao arrived, the blade intent formed by the two streams of killing intent clashed with their own blade intent!
The Execution Platform was a natural formation. Over the long ages, it had absorbed the killing intent of heaven and earth, nourished by the killing intent from countless wars in the Ancestral Court over the eons, becoming immensely powerful and ferocious.
Fortunately, the five of them were all blade Dao experts and were not invaded by the fierce blade's might.
Tian Shu's face turned ashen. He turned and walked away, chuckling dryly, "I suddenly remembered I have important business. You go ahead, I'll take my leave first!"
The Butcher grabbed him and said, "I still have a boatload of fine wine here."
Tian Shu's expression shifted between uncertainty and determination. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll have the Thief God steal another boatload to drink later!"
The Butcher laughed. "Easy to say. Everyone, have you noticed?"
They all looked over.
The Butcher laughed. "These two streams of killing intent have been around for so long that they've become sentient. They're about to transform into two peerless divine blades! If we can subdue them, these two blades would be supreme treasures!"
Everyone's minds shook. They quickly looked at the two streams of killing intent but couldn't see anything.
Qin Mu opened his vertical eye on his forehead and also looked at the two streams of killing intent. His body trembled slightly, and he murmured in admiration, "What a handsome pair of divine blades!"