Chapter 1418: Five Old Foxes (First Update)
Last time Qin Mu came here, his understanding of the blade’s path was not deep enough, and he dared not examine the Ancestral Court’s Execution Platform closely. Now, with a deeper comprehension of the blade’s path, looking at the Execution Platform again, he discovered many things he had never noticed before.
There were two blades, like swimming dragons, moving within the baleful aura. These two divine blades possessed unparalleled ferocious might, absorbing the baleful energy accumulated over the long passage of time, and over the ages, they had become sentient!
Not only that, but the two blades naturally contained the great dao of the Execution Platform. Logically, they should have formed into beings similar to ancient gods, but for some unknown reason, they had instead taken the form of two divine blades.
The blade aura they had sensed came from these two divine blades!
However, these two blades were still in the process of formation, possessing form but lacking substance. If one were to classify them by the five stages of cosmic formation, among the Five Primordial Tai, these two blades belonged to the stage of Tai Shi.
The Butcher’s understanding of the blade’s path surpassed that of the others, which was why he could be the first to sense the two blades within the Execution Platform, while the others could not. Qin Mu, with his unparalleled divine eyes, could also see them.
The five of them walked toward the Execution Platform. Tian Shu, the Heavenly King, shivered as he gulped down fine wine. He was timid by nature, and only drinking could suppress the cowardice in his heart.
The other Heavenly Kings of the Kai Emperor often mocked Tian Shu, saying that before he drank, he would massage the Kai Emperor’s shoulders and back, but after drinking, he would squint and order the Kai Emperor to massage his.
Among the five, Tian Shu was originally at the back, but as he drank, he soon found himself at the front. He tore open his shirt, baring his chest, and laughed heartily, “That Qiang Tianfei woman is quite beautiful, but I’ve never had the chance to get close to her… Hiccup! This woman’s been alone in her empty chamber—come out and entertain Old Man Tian for a bit!”
Qiang Tianfei’s disciple was a being at the Imperial Throne realm, named Fang Ziyan. Hearing this, she frowned deeply but forced herself to endure, thinking to herself, “This shifty-eyed fellow seems to be the rebel Tian Shu, the one who dared to fight the Nether Emperor. Mu Tianzun appears refined and courteous—how did he end up associating with such a rebel?”
Her cultivation realm was extremely high, and she was leading the way. The blade aura of the Execution Platform posed a great threat to her as well. The closer they got to the Execution Platform, the harder it became for her to bear.
The blade aura emanating from the Execution Platform not only invaded her body but also attacked her dao heart, causing great disturbance. Even more terrifying, countless blade auras invaded her primordial spirit, making it feel as if ten thousand blades were cutting into it, bringing intermittent stabs of pain.
Moreover, the baleful energy within the blade aura made her restless. The baleful influence caused her temples to throb violently, blood rushing to her head, making her want to hack the drunken fool beside her into pieces!
But that hateful drunk, Tian Shu, kept pressing closer to her, asking when Qiang Tianfei would come out to entertain Old Man Tian.
“If it weren’t for Mu Tianzun’s face, I’d mince you into fine bits and make minced meat filling for dumplings…” Fang Ziyan said with a smile, her teeth grinding audibly.
Her dao heart was still no match for Qin Mu, the Butcher, and the others. Even Tian Shu was far stronger than her. When sober, Tian Shu was as timid as a mouse, but when drunk, his dao heart was unimpeded, his demonic nature awakened, and he feared nothing, his dao heart reaching the twenty-fifth heaven.
When they reached a point ten miles from the Execution Platform, Fang Ziyan could no longer bear it. She quickly took out a protective talisman given to her by Qiang Tianfei and hung it around her neck. This jade talisman emitted a wondrous dao resonance, pushing back the blade might of the Execution Platform, preventing the two ferocious blades’ power from invading her body.
When they arrived at the foot of the massive Execution Platform, the jade talisman given to her by Qiang Tianfei seemed to be under strain, emitting a series of faint cracking sounds.
Fang Ziyan was terrified and quickly said, “The Execution Platform is here, Mu Tianzun. I can only escort you this far! This Execution Platform is extremely dangerous—please be careful, Tianzun.”
Just as she was about to leave, Tian Shu squinted and noticed a palace nearby. The area around the Execution Platform was completely barren. Even the fertile soil of the Ancestral Court had been chopped into fine dust by the blade aura, with no plants or mountains. The fact that this palace had survived in such a dangerous place was astonishing. He immediately decided to charge in.
“This must be Qiang Tianfei’s bedchamber—warm jade and fragrant warmth!”
The drunken Heavenly King dragged his Imperial Gate Divine Blade and burst through the palace gate, shouting, “Qiang Tianfei is a rare beauty—come out and let Old Man Tian have some fun! Heh heh, if the Heavenly Emperor can sleep with her, why can’t I?”
Fang Ziyan could no longer hold back. Her anger exploded, and she chased after him, shouting, “This is the Empress’s bedchamber! How dare you, a lowlife, break in?”
Suddenly, a thunderous crash came from within the palace. Tian Shu was sent flying backward, clearly having triggered a powerful seal within the palace. He hurtled toward Fang Ziyan.
Fang Ziyan felt a slight relief and raised her hand to strike Tian Shu’s back, using eighty to ninety percent of her strength. She thought to herself, “This man is a rebel. Out of respect for Mu Tianzun, I won’t kill him, but I’ll teach him a lesson. As long as he gets a little injured, the Execution Platform will drain all his blood and energy. Even if Mu Tianzun blames me, it won’t fall on my head…”
Just as her palm was about to land on Tian Shu’s back, the hilt of his Imperial Gate Divine Blade suddenly turned. It struck first, hitting Fang Ziyan’s chest before her hand could reach him.
The jade talisman on Fang Ziyan’s chest let out a soft *ding*, then shattered with a crack!
Fang Ziyan was shocked. The baleful energy immediately invaded her body, and knife wounds appeared on her skin—the blade aura of the Execution Platform had cut her!
The moment the blade aura injured her skin, the baleful energy had already entered her body, damaging her primordial spirit and dao heart!
As her dao heart was damaged, the blood and energy within her body immediately went out of control. Blood spurted from her wounds, drawn by the baleful energy of the Execution Platform, and surged toward it with a roar!
“I’ve been set up!”
Fang Ziyan knew something was wrong. She quickly glanced at Qin Mu and the others, only to see Qin Mu, the Butcher, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang all watching coldly. None of them had moved to help her when she tried to ambush Tian Shu.
Not only that, but even the drunken Tian Shu seemed to have sobered up by seventy or eighty percent, staring at her intently.
“They wanted to break my jade talisman and use this opportunity to test the power of the Execution Platform!”
More wounds appeared on Fang Ziyan’s body, and her blood and energy drained faster. She let out a furious roar, and her heavenly palace manifested behind her.
Her primordial spirit sat on the throne in the Jade Capital Hall of her heavenly palace. Now, her heavenly palace was filled with blade light, especially in the Jade Capital Hall, where the blade light surged like a tide, leaving her primordial spirit covered in wounds!
Fang Ziyan mobilized all the power of her heavenly palace to forcefully resist the blade might of the Execution Platform. She flew backward, hurtling into the distance!
From her body, the blood and energy surged out like a long rainbow, held by the Execution Platform. Even after she had fled a hundred miles, she still couldn’t break free from its devouring pull.
She ran a thousand miles before the Execution Platform could no longer drain her blood and energy. She breathed a sigh of relief, but then her vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
Qin Mu and the others’ gazes followed her figure closely. Only when the Execution Platform stopped draining her blood and energy did they each withdraw their gazes.
Tian Shu was now completely calm, with none of the drunken, rambling demeanor left.
“The blade might of the Execution Platform first breaks through Fang Ziyan’s skin, then destroys her dao heart. Once the dao heart collapses, blood and energy go out of control, and cultivation and strength plummet, with blood and energy being devoured by the Execution Platform.”
He said in a deep voice, “If we enter the Execution Platform, we absolutely cannot sustain any injury!”