Chapter 1423: An Ironclad Friendship (Second Update)
Qin Mu could feel the power and might of his own Execution Platform growing stronger and stronger. Especially after he had refined the two Blood Fiend Execution Blades, the power of the two blades on his platform also rose correspondingly, becoming increasingly terrifying!
The Butcher, Tian Shu, Luo Wushuang, and Zhe Huali also took this opportunity to reshape the Execution Platforms within their Heavenly Palaces, but the benefits they gained were not as great as his.
The five of them refined the baleful aura of the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform. Four-fifths of it was refined by Qin Mu, while the remaining fifth was divided among the Butcher and the other three.
Even so, it was no small feat.
Their divine treasures did not contain an Ancestral Court, only the Execution Platform within their Heavenly Palaces. For the four of them to share a fifth of the baleful aura was already an extraordinary achievement.
It must be remembered that the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform had accumulated baleful aura from the Primordial Era to the present day. Now, half of it had been refined by them. This baleful aura was enough to cause a qualitative leap in their Heavenly Palace Execution Platforms!
Zhe Huali, in particular, had been at the Jade Pool realm before stepping onto the Execution Platform. Now, he had vaulted directly into the Execution Platform realm. The benefits he gained were incalculable!
In this Execution Platform realm, he would have few rivals!
In the Execution Platform realm, unless a Heavenly Sovereign made a move, no one could contend with him!
Although the realms of the Butcher, Luo Wushuang, and Tian Shu had not advanced, their Execution Platform realms had become incredibly stable. Their cultivation of the Dao heart had advanced by leaps and bounds, and the benefits were unimaginable!
The baleful aura stored within their Execution Platforms enhanced the power of their blades and had a tremendous impact on their Dao techniques and divine abilities. Additionally, for Tian Shu and the Butcher, who frequently entered and exited battlefields, absorbing the baleful aura also resolved the hidden danger of the baleful energy surrounding them and affecting their Dao hearts.
The stronger their cultivation and power became, the faster they could refine the two baleful Execution Blades, and the more benefits they would reap.
If they were given another three to five months, they could completely refine all the baleful aura of the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform, claiming it for themselves. They could even elevate their combined five-person combat technique to the level of thirty-one heavens or even thirty-two heavens!
By then, the five of them working together would likely possess combat power comparable to a Heavenly Sovereign, at the very least earning the title of Minor Heavenly Sovereign!
Of course, it was only when the five of them joined forces that they could elevate the Dao realm of the Blade Dao to such a level. If they were separated, even Qin Mu could not achieve a Dao realm of thirty heavens.
Suddenly, Qin Mu felt the power of the two baleful Execution Blades on the platform surge dramatically. His expression changed drastically, and he said in a deep voice, "Retreat!"
He moved, and his divine treasure domains unfolded layer by layer, wrapping around the other four as they flew back!
At that moment, the power of the two baleful Execution Blades erupted wildly, turning everything before their eyes a bloody red. Their ears were filled with endless sounds of slaughter, deafening and making their ears ring, as if they had been transported to a battlefield of the Primordial Era that could destroy heaven and earth!
The two evil dragons swooped down to strike them, one from the left and one from the right, and then snapped together like a pair of shears!
*Crack!*
The space of the Ancestral Court trembled violently, shaking. Qin Mu and the others saw red, even witnessing the thirty-fifth layer of void being split open by the two Execution Blades!
This power was not something the two Execution Blades could unleash on their own. It was the result of an incredibly powerful being pushing their might to the extreme!
The power of the two Execution Blades was too terrifying. If Qin Mu and the other five had not absorbed a small portion of the baleful aura, causing the two divine blades to revert to their peak, formless and intangible state, even a Heavenly Sovereign would struggle to withstand their might!
If the divine blades had become corporeal, their power would likely be enough to slay a Heavenly Sovereign!
"Consort Qiang!"
Qin Mu flipped his hand and took out Ling Tianzun's hairpin. His divine consciousness erupted, turning into a thunderous sound that boomed across the area. He shouted, "You allowed us to enter the Execution Platform. Are you going to go back on your word?"
He swung the hairpin with force, unleashing the power of the Unchanging Divine Ability, adopting a posture of fighting to the death.
Previously, when he had used the Unchanging Divine Ability within his Embryonic Divine Treasure, he had only used fragments of it, not its full power. If he were to unleash the full might of this divine ability, it would freeze time and space, halt all material changes, and even reverse them!
However, doing so would also turn Qin Mu into unchanging matter, trapping him within the divine ability.
He could save Ling Tianzun, but to save himself, he would have to use the power of the Primordial Beginning, which would come at a great cost to him.
Just as he activated the Unchanging Divine Ability, Tian Shu the Heavenly King raised his Imperial Gate Divine Blade and slashed down, cleaving open a Gate of Inheritance. He shouted, "Head for the Netherworld!"
Now that the Ancestral Court was open, the Netherworld had also arrived within it. Entering the Netherworld to take shelter was a good strategy.
Tian Shu the Heavenly King was one of the few who could cultivate the Gate of Inheritance and open the Netherworld, which was why he was honored as the Netherworld Heavenly King. Moreover, this title was personally bestowed upon him by Tu Bo.
Qin Mu retreated, shielding the Butcher and the other three as they entered the Netherworld. The Butcher, Tian Shu, and the others had just arrived in the Netherworld when they saw two bloody evil dragons suddenly slash out from the void. With a *crack*, they cleaved the Netherworld open!
The four of them were startled. The two bloody evil dragons had sheared right over their heads, making their scalps tingle and cold sweat pour down their foreheads!
"Mu'er is still over there!"
The Butcher was about to rush back when he saw that the Gate of Inheritance had been shattered by the two bloody evil dragons, cutting off his path back.
"Blade Heavenly King, no need to worry."
Tian Shu the Heavenly King hurriedly grabbed him to prevent him from charging recklessly. He said, "How could the Celestial Venerable Mu be anything less than cunning? He is also the leader of the Heavenly Alliance and bears the title of the Undying Dharma Celestial Venerable. Consort Qiang wouldn't go so far as to kill him."
The Butcher struggled, but Luo Wushuang also said, "Celestial Venerable Mu has his ways of protecting himself. He didn't die after all those years in the Heavenly Court, and he won't die now. Tian Shu the Heavenly King's identity is problematic. If Consort Qiang catches him, he'll definitely be used as a sacrifice for the blade. Zhe Huali and I are also defectors from the Heavenly Court. We cannot be caught by Consort Qiang."
The Butcher stopped struggling and looked around. The Netherworld was pitch black, with only monsters swimming in the darkness.
This place was different from other realms. In other realms, there were at least Netherworld messengers to guide the souls of the dead. Here, there were no messengers or ghost ships.
"How do we get out of here?" Zhe Huali asked, somewhat troubled.
Tian Shu slapped his chest confidently and laughed, "I am the Netherworld Heavenly King, appointed by Tu Bo himself! My relationship with Tu Bo is excellent, practically like brothers. Just follow me, and I'll take you to see Tu Bo. We'll eat and drink well!"
Zhe Huali believed him and cheered, ready to follow.
Luo Wushuang quickly grabbed him and shook his head slightly, whispering, "That was in the past. Ever since he got drunk that year and used the Imperial Gate to cut off Tu Bo's horn, Tu Bo hasn't looked kindly upon him."
The Butcher also nodded repeatedly and whispered, "I heard from Mu'er that this guy was fleeing for his life and barely made it to the Great Ruins in the mortal world. Tu Bo grabbed him with one hand and squeezed him in his palm. Because it was the mortal world, Tu Bo was bound by the rules of the Netherworld and couldn't crush him, but he squeezed him for over twenty thousand years."
Zhe Huali's face turned pale, and he whispered, "Is there any other way out of here?"
"Unless we go back to the Ancestral Court."
Tian Shu turned his head and grinned, "But if we go back to the Ancestral Court, Consort Qiang will crush us. Or she'll send us to the Execution Platform to be beheaded. Don't worry, don't worry. Celestial Venerable Mu has already resolved the grudge between Tu Bo and me. Now, Tu Bo and I only have friendship left—an ironclad friendship!"
More than ten days later, Tian Shu, the Butcher, Luo Wushuang, and Zhe Huali were locked in cages. Tian Shu gripped the iron bars, staring resentfully at the Netherworld messenger.
The Netherworld messenger's face was expressionless as the paper boat carried the four large cages, drifting slowly toward Tu Bo.