Chapter 1439: Self-Inflicted Suffering, No Way to Live (Second Update)
Just as Hongtianzun's palm was about to cover Tianfang City, a dazzling burst of light erupted between the two, vanishing without a trace the moment it flared.
At the same time, on Hongtianzun's colossal face, his benevolent, kindly smile twisted into shock and fury. His body was so immense that the shift in expression seemed to crawl in slow motion, yet the shock and fury faded, leaving only a cold, stern visage.
From his severed wrist, flesh wildly regenerated. Thick strands of sinew, as massive as mountains, surged forward madly; blood vessels writhed like flood dragons, and bones grew like the mountain ranges of the earth.
Then, Hongtianzun's brow furrowed slightly.
He sensed something strange. He was using the Way of Creation to repair his physical injuries, which consumed his divine power. Logically, at his level of cultivation, the power expended should have recovered quickly.
Yet at this moment, he felt no sign of his power replenishing at all.
It felt as if an invisible lock—an extraordinarily complex and intricate chain—had sealed his power layer by layer, preventing him from restoring his cultivation!
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than a sharp, stabbing pain struck his heart. In a daze, Hongtianzun felt as though he had fallen into a bottomless well, looking up at the sky from its opening.
This sensation was somewhat similar to the moment at the Heavenly Alliance meeting, by the Jade Pool, when he had fallen out with Qin Mu and been hit by one of Qin Mu's moves.
But this strange feeling quickly faded. The power he had lost was trivial to him—a mere drop in the ocean.
His palm soon regenerated, and he clenched it heavily. Below, the severed hand exploded, and from within it, several Heavenly Dao divine weapons flew out, landing in his newly formed hand.
"Five Heavenly Dao divine weapons are missing, and the most crucial one—the Heavenly Principle weapon—has also been stolen."
Hongtianzun had been looking down at Tianfang Divine City, but now he slowly raised his head. He saw that the shattered continent of Tianfang City, under Di Qing's protection, had already broken through the encirclement of the Heavenly Court's army and was fleeing outward.
At the edge of that continent, streaks of light flickered, and five masked figures burst forth from the radiance. They sprinted for dozens of miles before stopping.
Their bodies exploded, but then blood flowed back, bound by a strange force that left them virtually unharmed.
The five missing Heavenly Dao divine weapons were precisely in their hands.
"Mu Tianzun, you still haven't understood that 'order brings fortune, chaos brings calamity.' You severed my hand and stole my divine weapons. It seems there is no room for reconciliation between us."
Hongtianzun's body rapidly shrank, soon returning to normal height. With wide sleeves and flowing robes, he appeared ethereal and elegant, like a transcendent sage, drifting gracefully toward the continent. "Self-inflicted suffering leaves no way to live."
"All divisions of the Heavenly Court's army, annihilate the remnants of Xuan Du's Tianfang City. Spare no one."
His voice, deep and unhurried, reached the ears of every military commander in the Heavenly Court. "This is your great chance to earn merit, and also your golden opportunity to plunder Xuan Du's wealth and capture slaves."
Countless banners unfurled. Warships and great vessels set sail. Hordes of mighty divine beings and demons rose from the ships, charging toward the Xuan Du gods and demons of Tianfang City who had not perished under Hongtianzun's palm strike.
Some planets, untouched by that blow, drifted in space, still bearing Xuan Du's people. A few surviving Sun Guardians and Moon Guardians strained their divine powers and techniques, trying to lead these people to escape.
Though Hongtianzun's steps seemed slow, his speed was immense, and he drew ever closer to that continent.
On that continent, Qin Mu, the Butcher, and the other four staggered, their feet shifting. With a series of clangs, they drove the five Heavenly Dao divine weapons into the ground, finally steadying themselves.
The five exchanged glances, still shaken.
"I've got the Heavenly Seal divine weapon!" Zhe Huali said, his voice steadying after the shock.
"I have the Heavenly Origin divine weapon." Luo Wushuang looked at the Heavenly Origin Mirror in his hand.
"Mine should be the Heavenly Pillar divine weapon." Tian Shu leaned against a divine tower.
"I have the Heavenly Mechanism divine weapon." The Butcher looked at the Heavenly Umbrella planted in the ground.
Qin Mu gazed at the Heavenly Dao divine weapon he had thrust into the earth. It resembled a celestial canopy; when opened, it became a dome, with forty-nine strands of Heavenly Principle hanging down from its apex like the guiding threads of the sky.
"This one is the Heavenly Principle divine weapon—the general outline of the Heavenly Dao," Qin Mu said solemnly. "With this treasure, I can control the other Heavenly Dao divine weapons."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Their desperate gamble had not been in vain.
This time, they had risked their lives—and more. Hongtianzun's strike had shattered even matter into chaos. In that chaotic state, even souls would dissolve into chaos, no longer material, leaving no black sand of the soul behind!
At that point, neither Qin Mu's soul-shaping techniques nor the principle of matter's indestructibility would have been of any use. There would have been no chance of survival!
"Hongtianzun is someone who can shatter the thirty-fifth layer of void with his own divine power. Among the Ten Heavenly Honored, he has the strongest power, surpassing even Huo Tianzun and Xiao Tianzun."
Qin Mu exhaled a breath of turbid air and looked back, his heart tightening. He saw Hongtianzun, sleeves billowing, already past the Heavenly Court's front lines, walking toward them under the bright light of Xuan Du.
It wouldn't be long before he arrived.
"Who are you?"
Suddenly, Di Qing's voice rang out. Qin Mu did not answer, touching the black cloth on his face. It was still there. Tian Shu the Heavenly King laughed and said, "Di Qing, we've already introduced ourselves. I am the Nether King under the Kai Emperor, and these four are friends I invited to help."
Di Qing acted as if he hadn't heard him, his gaze fixed directly on Qin Mu. "Who are you?" he asked sternly.
"You wouldn't want to know who I am."
Qin Mu said flatly, "What you should be thinking about now is how to escape Hongtianzun's pursuit and get these people out of Xuan Du."
Di Qing fell silent. He turned to look at the people on this shattered continent. There were still hundreds of thousands of Xuan Du civilians and over a hundred Sun Guardians, all of them wounded.
The civilians and injured Sun Guardians fixed their eyes on him, a mix of despair and hope in their gazes. They still had faith in him, still believed he could lead them out of this dead end and bring them hope.
Di Qing forced a smile and nodded to them.
"You won't tell me who you are, and I won't force it. But I have one request of you five."
All of Di Qing's pride was gone. He bowed deeply, touching the ground. "I beg you all to take these disciples of Xuan Du to a safe place, far from Xuan Du."
Zhe Huali, quick to speak, couldn't help blurting out, "We told you long ago to evacuate the city's people! We urged you more than once, and you wanted to behead us to rally the troops! What were you doing back then?"
Di Qing was deeply ashamed, his forehead pressed to the ground, not rising.
Zhe Huali was about to say more, but Qin Mu raised a hand to stop him. Looking at Di Qing, still bowed to the ground, he said, "You can't hold him off for long alone. I'll give you four of the Heavenly Dao divine weapons, but not this Heavenly Principle one. Stall him as long as you can, and I'll send the people on this continent far away."
Di Qing rose, wiped the tears from his face, and smiled. "Thank you, brother, for granting my wish! If there is a next life..."
Qin Mu shook his head. "There is no next life. Go."
Di Qing took the Heavenly Seal, Heavenly Origin, Heavenly Pillar, and Heavenly Mechanism divine weapons. He bowed once more to Qin Mu and the other four, then turned and soared into the air. A heavenly palace erupted behind him as he charged toward the approaching Hongtianzun.
He was a great expert on par with the Nether Emperor and the White Emperor, bolstered by the Heavenly Dao and wielding its divine weapons. He was determined to fight to the death, to buy even a moment—just a moment!
"Self-inflicted suffering... Heh, it was my own doing..."
He chuckled bitterly, watching Hongtianzun draw nearer. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter, unleashing all his cultivation and activating the full power of the four Heavenly Dao divine weapons as he rushed at Hongtianzun!
"I can't make amends to the clansmen who died because of me, nor can I repay the brothers who helped me. All I can do is die—use my life to give others a chance to live!"
His heart swelled with heroic resolve, but the approaching Hongtianzun wore a calm, detached expression, looking at him as if he were an ant.
Hongtianzun raised his hand lightly, and in his palm, several Heavenly Dao divine weapons radiated overwhelming might.
"After all, he is my child," Di Qing heard Hongtianzun say indifferently just before his death.
He stared at Hongtianzun in confusion, and his eyes slowly sank into darkness.