Chapter 1559: The Death of Tai Su
In Yankang, a young girl with light footsteps hummed a little tune as she walked through the snowy wilderness of Yankang’s northern border. Her skin was whiter than snow, and she was wrapped in a white marten fur coat. The north was bitterly cold, a land of ice and snow, but even that could not compare to the delicate whiteness of her skin.
She arrived at Shuofang City.
Shuofang City was a city of bitter cold. Originally, Yankang’s territory had not extended this far, but later, through expansion, Shuofang was established in this desolate, frozen land.
Here, snow and ice never melted year-round. Even cultivators were unwilling to stay long. Looking around, aside from white snow and icebergs, only some massive Shuofang exotic beasts roamed the ice fields. Ruins were rarely seen.
As an important divine city of the northern border, Shuofang was protected by gods, so it wasn't too desolate. From afar, one could see the gods of Yankang standing amidst the ice and snow, like stone statues, yet radiating blazing heat, sheltering the region and preventing Shuofang’s weather from becoming too harsh.
The young girl quickly walked into Shuofang. The city was quite lively. Thanks to the gods’ protection, many people had gathered here, and trade was prosperous. Whether human or other races, everyone wore thick cloaks and fur garments, looking rather bulky, but it gave them a unique, bold spirit.
The people of Shuofang loved strong liquor, the stronger the better. The girl also tried some, feeling a line of fire go down her throat. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue and ran out of the tavern, followed by a burst of laughter from inside.
The girl was full of curiosity, wandering around Shuofang City to see its unique sights. Suddenly, she spotted a huge ice slide and let out a cheer. She quickly ran over, slid down, and let out a crisp laugh.
She had a sweet face, fair and charming, and was very lively, attracting the attention of many young men.
After playing for a while, the girl took out a roll of golden paper. With a *shua* sound, she opened it, glanced at it, then closed it again. She excitedly waved at a young man and said, "Wei Shijie! Are you Wei Shijie?"
The young man was sturdy but had delicate features. He smiled and said, "Miss, do you know me?"
"I don't know you, but the Book of Life and Death does."
The girl's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed: "Wei Shijie, the Imperial Emperor, using a borrowed body from the Yu clan of Juyu, has been hiding in Shuofang. Your secret is out. I have been ordered by the Emperor to come and kill you. Wait a moment, let me find the Emperor's official decree."
She rummaged around and finally found the imperial edict of Emperor Yanxiu, Ling Yuxiu. With a *shua* sound, she opened it, beaming: "Found it! Everyone, please step aside to avoid any collateral damage!"
The surrounding young men scattered with a *hua* sound, hiding far away.
Wei Shijie glanced around, pulled his cloak tighter, and sneered: "Did Emperor Yanxiu send you? I doubt it. Does Emperor Yanxiu have the guts to make a move against me? Where is Mu Tianzun? Tell him to come out!"
The girl put away the imperial edict and smiled: "Uncle Qin doesn't know about this. The Emperor sent me. Uncle Qin is very busy; when would he have time to bother with your affairs? The Emperor got the news from the Great Luo Heaven."
Her accent carried the charm of the Western Lands, soft and sweet, making one wish she would never stop talking.
"My name is Xiong Qier. Imperial Emperor, please enlighten me." The girl bowed, revealing a sword case on her back.
Wei Shijie snorted coldly, then suddenly erupted, unleashing a terrifying and domineering divine might!
Although he was the Imperial Emperor's borrowed body, his cultivation and strength were by no means weak. As he struck, over thirty celestial palaces and precious halls appeared behind his head in a scattered array!
He had kept a low profile in Yankang, so he was not well-known.
Those who were ostentatious, like Xiao Tianzun's reincarnated body, had been shot dead by Qin Mu. Since then, the reincarnated bodies of the Ten Heavenly Venerables in Yankang had all become extremely cautious.
Learning from Yankang's reforms was acceptable, but one must never touch Qin Mu's reverse scale.
Attempting to enter Yankang's power center and usurp control would surely be met with Qin Mu's relentless eradication, regardless of the cost!
The Imperial Emperor understood this as well, but he was more cautious. He only studied Yankang's Dao techniques and divine abilities, never revealing his true strength. Even in a remote place like Shuofang, he had little fame.
But now, as he revealed his power, the vast celestial palaces forming a heavenly court instantly shook even the gods guarding Shuofang, who felt immense pressure!
Although his cultivation realm was at the Jade Lake stage, his combat power had reached the Jade Capital!
The Imperial Emperor, Wei Shijie, had murderous intent in his eyes. He took a step and appeared before Xiong Qier!
He had to finish this quickly, before more experts from Yankang arrived, and kill this sweet-voiced girl from the Western Lands!
The moment he reached Xiong Qier, the sword case on her back opened. In an instant, a sword domain surged like a tide!
Behind Xiong Qier, celestial palaces also formed a heavenly court, her Dao realm cultivation equally high!
—The women of the True Heavenly Palace in the Western Lands were always renowned for their closeness to nature and the Great Dao!
Her cultivation realm also surpassed that of the Imperial Emperor, Wei Shijie, and was even stranger and more comprehensive. She possessed the Four Heavenly Gates realm, the complete Jade Lake realm, and the Heavenly Sea realm!
Her magical power was even greater than Wei Shijie's!
Their figures crossed, the sword domain clashing with the supreme divine consciousness domain. Then they separated, sliding dozens of steps backward!
Wei Shijie turned around and said coldly: "Little girl, did you train at the Yankang Dao Academy?"
Xiong Qier turned around, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She took out a silk handkerchief, wiped away the blood, and nodded: "I went there. Sword God Su guided me for half a year. I also followed the Dao Academy's Si Jijiu for a while and studied under National Teacher Jiang for some time. Not long ago, I went to the Ancestral Court and followed Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian for a while."
"No wonder..."
Wei Shijie's body split open, sword scars emerging on his surface, shocking to behold.
"After Mu Tianzun killed Xiao Tianzun's reincarnated body, I became too cautious. I didn't dare go to the Dao Academy or get close to Yankang's most advanced and newest divine techniques and Dao methods. As a result, my cultivation realm has been surpassed by a junior."
His life force grew weaker and weaker. He muttered softly: "Heh, if I had died in the Great Luo Heaven, that would have been fine. At least it would have cemented my unparalleled reputation. After all, I would have died heroically under the siege of five Heavenly Venerables. But now, to die at the hands of an unknown little girl... How can I accept this... I won't accept it—"
His divine consciousness erupted, bursting out of this unupgraded body and shooting toward a young man in the distance, attempting to borrow a new life!
The moment his divine consciousness left his body, Xiong Qier's sword domain exploded, enveloping all his consciousness!
Xiong Qier was tense, rapidly calculating. Soon, she got the result. Sword lights flew out of the sword case, landing one by one in the sword domain, forming a Tai Chi diagram.
She activated the sword domain, and the Tai Chi sword domain spun, completely grinding away the Imperial Emperor's divine consciousness!
Xiong Qier breathed a sigh of relief. Countless sword lights returned to the sword case on her back. The girl adjusted her marten fur coat and walked out of this northern border divine city, stepping into the snowy wilderness.
Gong Tianzun, carrying the Ten Thousand Dao Heavenly Wheel, left the Heavenly Court. The Tai Su Goddess floated behind her and said: "The Guixu Great Abyss is beneath the Netherworld, in the endless darkness under Tu Bo's feet. Why doesn't Gong Tianzun ask Xu Tianzun to send you to the Netherworld, instead of taking a detour through the Primordial Realm?"
Gong Tianzun's divine consciousness rippled: "I have always been aloof and dislike interacting with others. I have no friendship with Xu Tianzun. Asking for her help would put me in her debt."
Qin Mu poked his head out of the Ten Thousand Dao Heavenly Wheel: "I have a good relationship with Tu Bo. I can open the Gate of Heaven's Succession to let you into the Netherworld."
Tai Su Goddess rang her bell, sending him back into the wheel, and said: "So, how do you plan to enter the Netherworld and go to the Guixu?"
Gong Tianzun arrived at a Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge and said: "Where the Primordial Realm connects to the Netherworld, there is a god named Lu Li who guards that place. I will go there, and Lu Li will guide me into the Netherworld."
Tai Su Goddess asked no further.
Qin Mu said: "Why go through all this trouble? My senior brother, Wei Suifeng, you both know him, right? He is Yun Luo Emperor. He left behind the coordinates of the Guixu in the universe. If you just let me out, I can use a teleportation technique to send you directly to the Guixu."
The two women ignored him.
When they arrived at the Primordial Realm, Gong Tianzun entered the divine city the Heavenly Court had established there. She performed a ritual within the city, summoning Lu Li from the Netherworld, and said: "Activate the Netherworld's Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge. I want to go to the Netherworld."
Qin Mu laughed heartily: "Tu Bo is my elder brother! If you pass through the Netherworld, my brother will definitely not let you go!"
Gong Tianzun frowned and said to Lu Li: "Is there any place where I can enter the Netherworld and avoid Tu Bo?"
Lu Li replied: "Your Excellency, the Netherworld is everywhere, and Tu Bo is everywhere. As long as you pass through the Netherworld, you cannot avoid Tu Bo. That ancient god is immensely powerful and boundless."
Gong Tianzun glanced at him. Lu Li quickly added: "Your servant has an idea. We can place the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge directly at the Jade Lock Pass. Once the bridge is opened, you enter the Jade Lock Pass and leave immediately. Tu Bo won't have time to act."
Gong Tianzun nodded: "Prepare quickly!"
Lu Li apologized and returned to the Netherworld to prepare at the Jade Lock Pass. Gong Tianzun waited quietly.
Tai Su Goddess's gaze flickered. She smiled and said: "Gong Tianzun, you are an extraordinary woman with great ambition. Are you truly willing to submit to Hao Tianzun? Can men be emperors while women cannot? A woman as emperor is not impossible. What you lack is merely someone to support you."
Gong Tianzun's heart stirred. She turned around, facing Tai Su, and could only see a hazy figure. She said: "Tai Su Niangniang, what advice do you have for me?"
Tai Su smiled: "You have methods and schemes. What you lack is luck. Your luck has arrived. You know my abilities and my methods. I am one of the Five Primordial Tai, existing alongside Tai Yi, Tai Chu, and Tai Ji!"
She changed the subject, saying calmly: "The sword wound that Kai Huang left on you was healed by me. I can heal you, and I can also make the wound reappear, making your life worse than death."
In the Ten Thousand Dao Heavenly Wheel, Qin Mu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Tai Su ignored him and continued: "Huo Tianzun, Xu Tianzun, Lang Xuan, and Zu Shen Wang were also wounded, and I healed them as well. They are equally unable to escape my control! Hao Tianzun may seem to hold the reins of the Heavenly Court, but in reality, the one who truly holds the power of the Heavenly Court is me!"
Gong Tianzun seemed somewhat tempted. Qin Mu laughed heartily.
Tai Su frowned but still ignored him, saying leisurely: "Gong Jun, as long as you submit to me, the position of Heavenly Emperor will not belong to Hao Tianzun, nor to Xiao Tianzun, but to you! What do you think?"
Qin Mu rolled on the ground laughing inside the Ten Thousand Dao Heavenly Wheel.
Tai Su finally couldn't suppress her anger and said coldly: "Qin Mu, you little brat, what are you laughing at? You will soon die, buried in the Guixu with no hope of return! Only by surrendering to me and relying on me can you have a chance to save your life!"
Qin Mu said leisurely: "Tai Su, your premature birth is related to me. I have wronged you in a way, and I can't bear to see you die like this. But unfortunately, you are too stupid. When you heard my laughter, you should have been alert and stopped talking. For one thing, do you know who Gong Jun is?"
Tai Su sneered: "Who?"
"A woman who clings to men."
Qin Mu said meaningfully: "Also a pure self-interested person. She will sell out everything for profit, only clinging to the strongest man. Since you are the one who grants all wishes, when one sees you, they see their deepest fears and the person they most want to see. So why don't you ask Gong Tianzun what she sees when she looks at you?"
Tai Su looked at Gong Tianzun: "Gong Jun, when you look at me, what do you see?"
Gong Tianzun did not hide anything: "I can only see a mass of Qi, a blurry figure that looks like a woman."
Tai Su frowned.
"Let me help you see more clearly, Gong Tianzun!"
Qin Mu emerged from the Ten Thousand Dao Heavenly Wheel, half of his body visible. He raised his hand and gently drew a line. A piece of glass appeared before Gong Tianzun, transparent.
Gong Tianzun looked through the glass at Tai Su and finally saw who the blurry figure was—it was herself!
Tai Su's expression changed.
"Tai Su, you claim to be able to control people's desires and fears, but you never expected that there would be someone like Gong Tianzun in this world."
Qin Mu sighed and said: "From the very beginning, you should not have chosen to help Hao Tianzun, because you cannot defeat him. You simply cannot control him. That was your most foolish move. You realized this too late, but not too late. However, you misjudged people by choosing to try to win over Gong Tianzun. You are too arrogant. I can no longer save you."
Tai Su felt a chill run down her spine.
At that moment, Hao Tianzun's voice came from behind her, very gentle, yet it made her blood run cold and her bones shiver: "Auntie, you have disappointed Hao'er very much."