Chapter 1518: Battle of the Dao Achievers
The Grand Heavenly Court, formed from thirty-six celestial palaces, combined with as many as forty-eight precious halls, gave Heavenly Lord Hao a power that was immeasurably greater than that of the seven Heavenly Lords at their peak!
Under the pressure of his aura, Langxuan Divine Emperor, one of the seven Heavenly Lords, let out a muffled groan. With a thunderous crash, he was crushed to the ground, pinned down until blood flowed from his seven orifices, unable to move!
On the other side, Qin Mu rapidly retreated, stepping back again and again. With each step he took back, the ground of the Jade Capital City ruins before him sank under an incredibly terrifying force!
It was as if a colossal giant, unmatched in size, was raising a massive foot before him, relentlessly pursuing him, relentlessly stomping down!
That was the power of Heavenly Lord Hao!
Without even making a move, merely relying on the force generated by his aura, he forced Qin Mu to retreat!
"Langxuan, my elder brother, this is the achievement of Dao through sheer power in the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court system!"
The rejuvenated Heavenly Lord Hao raised his hand, and a Ten Thousand Dao Wheel appeared in his palm. Initially only the size of a cup's mouth, it spun with a whooshing sound, skimming across the ground towards Qin Mu.
The next moment, the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel arrived before Qin Mu, having transformed into several zhang in circumference. Within the wheel, all kinds of great Daos were fused into one, ten thousand Daos resonating within the wheel.
If one looked closely, they could see countless great Daos forming various divine abilities within the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel, incredibly complex. Countless divine abilities combined within the wheel, making its power even greater and stronger!
Hum—
Divine abilities surged out from the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel. The wheel dispersed, and Qin Mu thrust his Calamity Sword forward, using the Calamity-Breaking Sword Art to counter the wheel's divine abilities. A continuous clattering sound of collisions rang out. Qin Mu's arm muscles burst open from the shock, and he retreated over a hundred steps before finally breaking through all the divine abilities.
However, before he could even take a long breath, the flowing light of those divine abilities paused. The light converged to form a second Ten Thousand Dao Wheel. This wheel was even larger, a full sixty zhang high!
The ten thousand Daos within the wheel spun and surged as if in a crucible. The wheel's surface turned scarlet, then from scarlet to incandescent white. Ten thousand Dao divine abilities spun within the wheel and erupted!
Qin Mu switched the Calamity Sword to his left hand and thrust towards the divine abilities erupting from the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel. He didn't stop moving, continuously retreating. In the blink of an eye, his left arm was also dripping with blood.
Hum—
Countless divine abilities converged again, forming a third Ten Thousand Dao Wheel, a hundred zhang high, like a gleaming bright mirror appearing before Qin Mu.
Qin Mu retreated again. Arms sprouted from his armpits. The Calamity Sword vibrated and split into six. His six arms each grabbed a Calamity Sword, forcefully confronting the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel.
Divine abilities surged and flowed from the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel like a torrent, transforming into a rainbow light a hundred zhang thick that charged straight towards him.
Qin Mu let out a muffled groan. After breaking through this Ten Thousand Dao Wheel, the hundred-zhang rainbow light suddenly contracted and formed a fourth Ten Thousand Dao Wheel!
This wheel was a towering one hundred and forty zhang high!
Within the mirror's surface, the vision of the ten thousand Daos flowing could no longer be seen. Only Qin Mu's image could be seen, filling the entire wheel. But now the wheel's power had become even stronger!
"It's a Dao-Entering divine ability! One wheel, one level of heaven!"
Qin Mu came to this realization. He shook his body, and the forty-nine Heavenly Dao soldiers merged into one, transforming into a Heavenly Saber. He abandoned the sword and took the saber, raising it high with his six arms, and slashed down!
This slash split the oncoming rainbow light. The rainbow light split in two, but suddenly, with a swoosh, it converged behind him, forming a fifth Ten Thousand Dao Wheel.
Qin Mu turned, abandoned the saber, and a staff appeared in his hand. Using the Taiyi Staff as a sword, he thrust it towards this mirror surface, which was a hundred and eighty zhang high!
Boom!
The Taiyi Staff pierced through the rainbow light, colliding with Heavenly Lord Hao's attack. The next moment, Qin Mu's body shook violently, and he was sent flying high into the air. Then another Ten Thousand Dao Wheel appeared before him. In front of the mirror surface, Qin Mu's figure was tiny. The mirror reflected his body, illuminating his physical form and everything inside it with perfect clarity!
In the mirror, he was over two hundred zhang tall. His internal organs were all illuminated, even his divine hideaways, his heavenly palace, his primordial spirit!
Qin Mu landed and broke through this attack again. But the next moment, another Ten Thousand Dao Wheel appeared, even larger than the previous one!
Qin Mu rapidly retreated. Suddenly, his foot found nothing beneath it, and he stepped onto the Chaotic Long River. The soles of his feet were immediately eroded and corroded by the Chaotic Long River, starting to fester.
Unflustered in the face of danger, he transformed the Taiyi Staff into a small boat that landed on the river's surface. Qin Mu held his sword, his sword light shooting out, meeting the oncoming Ten Thousand Dao rainbow light!
Hum, hum, hum!
On the Chaotic Long River, Ten Thousand Dao Wheels appeared one after another before Qin Mu. Each attack blasted him hundreds of li away, driving him from the riverbank all the way to the center of the Chaotic Long River!
To say it was fast, from the moment the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel flew from Heavenly Lord Hao's palm to the moment Qin Mu was blasted into the Chaotic Long River, it was only the blink of an eye.
In that blink of an eye, Qin Mu had already used countless moves to counter this single attack from Heavenly Lord Hao.
But from a distance, one could only see Heavenly Lord Hao's palm strike out, a rainbow light connected to mirror surfaces, each mirror surface continuously blasting forward, and Qin Mu continuously retreating, eventually being forced onto the Chaotic Long River.
At the center of the Chaotic Long River, the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel before Qin Mu had already reached a height of ten thousand zhang. The domain of his Embryonic Divine Hideaway was reflected in the mirror with every minute detail revealed, as if it held no more secrets!
The great Daos he cultivated, the composition of his heavenly palace, the sun, moon, and stars in his divine hideaway, the myriad heavens and realms, and even all the arrangements in his Ancestral Court were illuminated completely!
His Dao techniques and divine abilities were reflected in the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel down to their most minute structures. His primordial spirit also revealed its most subtle mysteries in the mirror's light!
"This is Heavenly Lord Hao's Dao Realm, the Thirtieth Heaven."
Qin Mu's gaze remained sharp and piercing as he looked at his own projection within Heavenly Lord Hao's Ten Thousand Dao Wheel. Heavenly Lord Hao's Dao Realm had indeed reached the Thirtieth Heaven, making him extremely formidable.
His cultivation had already reached the level of the Heavenly Court, going further than the other Heavenly Lords. This was already terrifying, but his attainment in the Dao Realm was also above the other Heavenly Lords!
In this brief exchange, Qin Mu had already probed the secrets of the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel. This wheel reflected the opponent's shadow, analyzed the opponent's physical structure, Dao composition, heavenly palace structure, and primordial spirit structure, gaining insight into all their secrets.
By gaining insight into the opponent's secrets, one could break their Dao techniques and divine abilities and slay them!
Heavenly Lord Hao's current status was not solely due to his identity as the illegitimate son of Heavenly Emperor Taichu; he indeed had his own unique qualities.
"But wanting to kill me with one move, even with the power of a Dao Achiever, is impossible!"
Qin Mu thrust his sword forward. Within the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel, Qin Mu's reflection suddenly disintegrated. This meant that Heavenly Lord Hao's Ten Thousand Dao Wheel had fully analyzed all of Qin Mu's mysteries. This attack could completely disintegrate Qin Mu!
Boom—
At the center of the Fourteenth Chaotic Long River, a terrifying tremor erupted, kicking up a chaotic air wave that spun with a whooshing sound, like a chaotic tornado.
The tornado then dissipated, transforming into a hurricane that struck in all directions. After a while, the hurricane blew to the Jade Capital City ruins where Heavenly Lord Hao and the others were. The fierce wind howled, rustling the clothes of Heavenly Lord Hao and Heavenly Lord Xiao on the Dao Tree.
Heavenly Lord Xiao turned around, a smile on his face, and said leisurely, "Hao'er, did you kill your inner demon?"
On the Dao Tree opposite him, Heavenly Lord Hao's expression changed slightly. He sneered, "He escaped, he's not dead, but he won't live long."
Heavenly Lord Xiao smiled faintly. "There are five great Daos within him that you couldn't understand, right? These five Daos are: first, Taiyi; second, Taichu; third, Taishi; fourth, Taisu; fifth, Taiji. It's because you couldn't understand them that you couldn't kill him. And I am Taichu."
His aura surged madly. Behind him, celestial palaces emerged one after another, combining into a Grand Heavenly Court of thirty-six palaces and forty-seven precious halls!
"What you couldn't see through includes your own father god."
Heavenly Lord Xiao smiled slightly. "As my child, you are the most outstanding one. I admit, I underestimated you before."
Heavenly Lord Hao revealed a smile, the smile on his face growing thicker and thicker, becoming almost tangible. Behind him, the companion treasure of the Taisu Goddess began to change, transforming into a Ten Thousand Dao Wheel.
"You didn't just underestimate me before; you're underestimating me now too!"
Earlier, Heavenly Lord Hao's attack was a divine ability. But now, the Taisu Goddess's companion treasure evolving into the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel was a supreme treasure, a treasure born from the Taisu Egg!
"Father god, your supreme treasure was sent by the Grand Emperor to be suppressed in the Ultimate Void. Without your supreme treasure, without any help, you can only await death!"
Heavenly Lord Hao raised his hand, grabbed the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel, and soared into the air!
On the Third Chaotic Long River, Qin Mu stood on the small boat transformed from the Taiyi Staff, his hand supporting his World Tree. His physical body was tattered and broken, and he was gasping for breath.
The breath he exhaled was mixed with bloody froth.
Heavenly Lord Hao's Dao-Entering Thirtieth Heaven divine ability was indeed incredibly powerful. However, in the mirror light of his final attack, Qin Mu saw that the Ten Thousand Dao Wheel had not analyzed the five major mineral veins in his Ancestral Court. He thus realized where his chance of survival lay.
In his final move, he activated the five major mineral veins in his Ancestral Court, forcibly stimulating the power contained within these five mines. At the most critical moment, he even activated the power of the Taiyi Mine, finally blocking this attack and avoiding being killed by Heavenly Lord Hao.
"After achieving Dao, one is indeed unmatched in strength. I cannot contend..."
He fell down with a thud, letting the small boat drift with the current.
After an unknown amount of time, Qin Mu finally regained some strength. Suddenly, towering waves rose from the river. These were the fluctuations from the battle between Heavenly Lord Hao and Heavenly Lord Xiao impacting this place. The small boat could capsize at any moment!
Qin Mu struggled to his feet, controlling the small boat as it sailed towards the opposite shore.
The chaos was vast and boundless. He opened his vertical eye on his forehead, observing the cosmic evolution beneath the Third Chaotic Long River, searching for a path.
After more than ten days, he found the opposite shore. He looked up and saw another Chaotic Long River before him.
"Only two rivers left..."
He rested for a while. His injuries had healed considerably. Then he boarded the small boat and continued on his journey.
He was no longer so concerned about the outcome of the battle between Heavenly Lord Hao and Heavenly Lord Xiao. He now had only one thought: to find the Miluo Palace, to meet the master of the Miluo Palace, and to ask him about everything concerning the Jade Capital City.
If he could return alive, he would also need to stay on the Chaotic Long River formed by the Fourth Universe for a while, to track down Taiyi's whereabouts.
Time passed day by day. Qin Mu sailed alone on his small boat. His injuries were mostly healed. He possessed a complete Jade Pool realm, and the Jade Pool could produce Hongmeng Primordial Liquid, which was very beneficial for repairing physical and primordial spirit damage.
He arrived at the final Chaotic Long River and sailed his boat into it.
"Crossing this river should lead to the Miluo Palace..."
A piece of Dao Tree stump gently came to a halt, finally reaching the opposite shore of the last Chaotic Long River. An old crone stepped down from the stump, her body hunched so severely that her face was almost touching the ground.
She was Heavenly Consort Qiang, who had finally arrived here after countless hardships.
She trembled as she got off the stump, walking unsteadily, moving her feet with difficulty as she headed towards the Miluo Palace.
"Grand Emperor."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her. Heavenly Consort Qiang struggled to turn her head. Suddenly, her body felt light, lifted up by a hand.
Heavenly Consort Qiang struggled to look up, her old eyes dim and blurry. She vaguely saw that it was Qin Mu's face.
"Heavenly Lord Mu..."
Heavenly Consort Qiang struggled, trying to raise her two Soul-Slaying Mysterious Sabers to kill Qin Mu, but now she could barely lift those two divine sabers.
The two sabers had also lost all their divine power, hanging limply.
Qin Mu pried open her withered hand, took the two sabers, and then carried Heavenly Consort Qiang to the riverbank.
Heavenly Consort Qiang struggled desperately, tearing at his collar, her voice hoarse: "Let me go, I want to see the master of the Miluo Palace. You can't kill me, Heavenly Lord Mu. I am a guest of the master of the Miluo Palace..."
"I'm sorry, Grand Emperor."
Qin Mu pressed her into the Chaotic Long River, letting her hands tear at his collar and face. He watched as she turned to dust in the Calamity of Destruction, murmuring, "I have to kill you, I have to kill you. If I don't kill you now, I won't have complete certainty when I rescue Heavenly Lord Ling... Heavenly Lord Hao and Heavenly Lord Xiao are about to achieve Dao. I can't wait any longer. I have to go rescue Heavenly Lord Ling... Stop struggling..."
He slowly sank her into the river.