Chapter 1587: How Many Steps to Kill Tu Bo?
His aura could not be said to be weak. Among the Nine Heavenly Lords of the Dragon Han Era, the Fire Heavenly Lord had opened the Heaven-Human Divine Treasury, ranking fourth. His talent was extremely high; otherwise, he could not have opened the Heaven-Human Divine Treasury, leaving a heavy mark on the divine treasury cultivation system. The Heaven-Human Divine Treasury was a treasury that connected heaven and earth, linking the Five Luminaries and Six Cardinal Points, and also served as a bridge to the subsequent Life-Death Divine Treasury. The Yan Kang reforms improved the divine treasury, modifying the Divine Bridge Divine Treasury opened by the Cloud Heavenly Lord, but they made few changes to the Heaven-Human Divine Treasury. From this, one could see the extraordinary nature of the Fire Heavenly Lord’s aptitude.
Yet the Cloud Heavenly Lord seemed utterly oblivious to his terrifying Dao might. The Fire Heavenly Lord’s divine power was vast and profound, far surpassing the Cloud Heavenly Lord’s physical body, but the Cloud Heavenly Lord remained calm and composed, even looking at the Fire Heavenly Lord’s eyes with a hint of pity and sympathy.
“Fire, are you planning to eliminate me?” the Cloud Heavenly Lord asked, half-smiling. “This time you kill me, I suppose you won’t be holding back tears, will you?”
The Fire Heavenly Lord said grimly, “In the past, I thought you were my Dao companion, so I wept for killing you. But only now do I see your true face. You are nothing but an ambitious petty person, just like Qin Ye and Qin Mu!”
His murderous intent surged, and beneath his mask, his pupils revealed boundless killing desire. “Your harm is greater than Qin Mu’s or Qin Ye’s! They are foolish, but you are cleverer. You will lead our human race into an abyss of eternal damnation, destroying the excellent situation I have painstakingly built! I cannot tolerate you living!”
The Cloud Heavenly Lord laughed heartily, his pity deepening. “Fire, haven’t you been curious about one thing? How did you know I would take this path? Who told you I would pass through here?”
Behind him, the Village Chief was slightly startled. He too was puzzled by this matter. Only five people knew that the Cloud Heavenly Lord was heading to the Ancestral Court: Qin Mu, the Ling Heavenly Lord, the Cloud Heavenly Lord, the Moon Heavenly Lord, and himself. Yet the Fire Heavenly Lord seemed to know in advance that the Cloud Heavenly Lord would go to the Ancestral Court, even arriving early at their must-pass place to wait!
The Cloud Heavenly Lord would not betray himself, and Qin Mu, the Ling Heavenly Lord, the Moon Heavenly Lord, and the Village Chief were even less likely to betray him! So how did the Fire Heavenly Lord know that the Cloud Heavenly Lord would pass through here?
“You were able to wait for me here because that person deliberately leaked the news to your reincarnated body in Yan Kang, letting you know I would go to the Ancestral Court and pass through this place.” The Cloud Heavenly Lord said calmly. “His goal is not to use your hand to eliminate me. He also knows that even if you kill my physical body, I will not die, after all, I have cultivated the perfect Divine Consciousness Luo Tian, more perfect than the Great Emperor. His purpose is only to make me give up on you.”
He revealed a mocking expression and said leisurely, “This person is the Mu Heavenly Lord, whom you despise. How can you outmaneuver him? He is another me, guiding this life of mine. He leaked this news to you, first to make me see your true face and completely give up on you. Second, to lure you here, both to shatter your Dao heart and to take the opportunity to eliminate you.”
The Fire Heavenly Lord’s pupils contracted sharply. His ability to block the Cloud Heavenly Lord here was indeed due to information his reincarnated body had unintentionally obtained! After receiving this news, he had immediately come.
The Cloud Heavenly Lord smiled slightly. “The Mu Heavenly Lord’s actions combine my ruthlessness with the art of killing the heart. If it were me, I would never give you the chance to see your allies abandon you; I would use any means to eliminate you. But he is different. He calculated that you would definitely come, calculated that the Void Heavenly Lord, the Ancestral Heavenly Lord, and others had already gone to the Netherworld. He wants to shatter your Dao heart and make you feel despair.”
Suddenly, the Dao fire in the canyon roared and spun, forming layers of Dao fire behind the Fire Heavenly Lord’s head. The Fire Heavenly Lord warily looked around. If he had been lured here, then Qin Mu must have set up numerous traps, determined to kill him here! Qin Mu would never miss this golden opportunity!
At that moment, the Fire Heavenly Lord saw a Dao tree emerge in the sky, its roots planted in the Luo Tian of the Ultimate Void. A figure stood beneath the tree, like a peerless sword, its edge impossible to conceal even with heaven and earth as its sheath! It was the Kai Emperor, Qin Ye! The Kai Emperor, Qin Ye, had been guarding the Cloud Heavenly Lord all along!
The Cloud Heavenly Lord watched the Fire Heavenly Lord’s every move, his disappointment deepening. He shook his head and said, “Fire, you are no longer the Fire who dared to fight and risk everything. Seeing the Qin Heavenly Lord, you have shown a reluctance to fight. In the old days, even when facing the Mu Heavenly Lord, you dared to fight him to the death, continuing the battle even when beaten bloody. No wonder your Dao heart cannot be as clear as the Qin Heavenly Lord’s, no wonder you cannot outmaneuver the Mu Heavenly Lord. You also cannot outmaneuver the Hao Heavenly Lord.”
He tried to enlighten the Fire Heavenly Lord, saying, “You are a human race Heavenly Lord. How could the Hao Heavenly Lord be at ease with you? I have met the Hao Heavenly Lord; he was startled and fled. He knows I have been reborn, so how could he not be wary of you?”
The Fire Heavenly Lord was slightly stunned.
The Cloud Heavenly Lord raised his voice and said, “Brother Hao, since you are here, why hide and skulk? Now that you have achieved Luo Tian, you are the most powerful existence in the world. Why stoop to petty tricks?”
As his words fell, another Luo Tian appeared, with a Dao tree rooted in it and a Dao flower in full bloom. The Hao Heavenly Lord stood beneath the Dao tree. The two Luo Tian shone in mutual radiance. The Hao Heavenly Lord laughed heartily and said, “No one knows me better than Brother Yun.”
The Cloud Heavenly Lord smiled slightly. “You and I have fought for three hundred thousand years; we know each other deeply.”
“Yet you cannot defeat me.” The Hao Heavenly Lord said leisurely. “Now that I am here, I can match Qin Ye. As long as the Fire Heavenly Lord makes a move, you will surely die. Even Qin Ye might be buried here today. Yun, you couldn’t defeat me in your past life, and it’s the same in this one.”
“Is that so?” The Cloud Heavenly Lord laughed. “I cannot defeat you, but the Mu Heavenly Lord can. Although the Mu Heavenly Lord is not as ruthless as I am, his mind is more meticulous. How do you know that only the Kai Emperor has come?”
The Hao Heavenly Lord’s heart tightened. Standing on his Luo Tian, he looked down and suddenly rolled up his sleeve, sweeping up the Fire Heavenly Lord and carrying him away in a whoosh, disappearing without a trace.
“He discovered me.” The Moon Heavenly Lord emerged from the depths of space, annoyed. “It seems the Kai Emperor was right; my Ultimate Void is no longer perfect. The Hao Heavenly Lord can also see through my Dao techniques and divine powers!”
The Cloud Heavenly Lord laughed. “If you could comprehend the Dao of space to its utmost, grow a Dao tree, bloom a Dao flower, and bear a Dao fruit, then even the Hao Heavenly Lord would not be able to see through your whereabouts.”
The Moon Heavenly Lord came to his side and said, “Sister Ling told me that Dao realms and achieving Dao through force are not the orthodox paths to enlightenment. One doesn’t need to cultivate Dao realms to achieve Dao. Once she researches it, she’ll pass it on to me…”
The Cloud Heavenly Lord’s face darkened, and he shook his head. “You listen to her? Ling is naturally extremely clever, but to achieve her goals, she can endure a million years of solitude, studying the Unchanging Divine Ability alone. By the time she researches the orthodox path to enlightenment, who knows how many tens of thousands of years will have passed! You can wait, but the human race cannot.”
The Moon Heavenly Lord recalled the Ling Heavenly Lord’s past research on the Unchanging Divine Ability and suddenly understood. She gave up on that idea and smiled. “In that case, I will wholeheartedly comprehend the Dao realms.”
All along, she had followed the Cloud Heavenly Lord, assisting him, and later followed the Ling Heavenly Lord, assisting her. She was always a little sister, obedient to their words, without much opinion of her own.
The Cloud Heavenly Lord bowed to thank the Kai Emperor. The Kai Emperor returned the bow and said, “The Mu Heavenly Lord invited me to stay in the Ancestral Court for a few months to protect you until you can use the power of your physical body.”
The Cloud Heavenly Lord suddenly understood, clapped his hands, and laughed. “So that’s it! I know his purpose in doing this. He wants to use you to tie down the Hao Heavenly Lord while he takes the opportunity to kill Tu Bo. With you in the Ancestral Court, the Hao Heavenly Lord must stay in the Heavenly Court, wary of you leveling it.”
“Kill Tu Bo?” The Kai Emperor showed a surprised expression, then nodded. “It is indeed his style. But with his strength, can he kill Tu Bo while dealing with the Ling Heavenly Lord and the Ancestral God King?”
He left the Sword Dao Luo Tian, came to the Cloud Heavenly Lord’s side, and the Village Chief, facing these three Heavenly Lords at once, felt some pressure. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Do you know the story of when the Mu Heavenly Lord was a child and was chased and beaten by a chicken-dragon?”
...
Under the protection of the two Heavenly Lords and the Village Chief, the Cloud Heavenly Lord continued toward the Blackwood Holy Land. From afar, he saw the World Tree in the Holy Land and was slightly shaken. “This tree is even larger than the Yuan Wood! But it’s still a sapling, not yet grown. If it were fully grown, how vast would it be?”
They were about to enter the Blackwood Holy Land when suddenly the Cloud Heavenly Lord was slightly startled. He saw a woman standing quietly before the Holy Land, as if waiting for them. The Moon Heavenly Lord’s heart jumped, and she quickly said, “I’ll go check the Holy Land first!” With that, she vanished in a flash.
The Kai Emperor frowned and also walked into the Holy Land, saying, “Daoist Su, let’s have a spar.”
The Village Chief’s spirits lifted, and he quickly followed.
The Cloud Heavenly Lord stepped forward and came to the woman’s side. Lang Wan turned around, her gaze clear and flawless. The Cloud Heavenly Lord felt a bit dizzy, then steadied his mind. The little Creator girl who had followed him back then had grown up. Her beauty was unmatched in the world, but her eyes carried no emotion. As her cultivation technique operated, her emotions were suppressed deep within her heart, difficult to release.
The Cloud Heavenly Lord greeted her. “Miss Lang Wan...”
Lang Wan turned and left. The Cloud Heavenly Lord was slightly stunned, watching her go.
“I still cannot let go.” Lang Wan’s divine consciousness came from afar. “Seeing you again, the old emotions I suppressed have surfaced, reminding me of the deaths of those millions of clansmen. Uncle Yun, I will not see you again.”
The Cloud Heavenly Lord was melancholy and walked into the Blackwood Holy Land. He came to the World Tree, and the Village Chief led him to meet Lan Yu Tian. When the Cloud Heavenly Lord saw the young man comprehending the Dao under the World Tree, he was stunned, standing there motionless for a long time.
Lan Yu Tian looked up, saw him, and was a little surprised. He smiled and said, “I feel like I’ve seen you before. Do we know each other? Grandpa Village Chief said to let you be my disciple and cultivate with me for a while.”
“Elder brother!” The Cloud Heavenly Lord stepped forward, bowed deeply, and tears fell drop by drop to the ground.
At the same time, the Ferry Ship of Salvation sailed into the Netherworld, arriving at the Tian Qi Ren Sheng Wang Mansion on Tu Bo’s horn. Before he could dock the ship, a violent and cold aura erupted from the mansion. With a thunderous boom, the Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s unparalleled primordial spirit burst through the mansion, reaching out to grab Qin Mu on the golden ship!
“Netherworld Heavenly Lord, it’s me, don’t attack!” Qin Mu quickly shouted.
The Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s hand stopped above the golden ship, his gaze falling on him. He said coldly, “I sense a murderous intent toward Tu Bo from you!”
“How is that possible?” Qin Mu’s forehead beaded with cold sweat, and he said in surprise, “Why would I have murderous intent toward Tu Bo? You must have sensed it wrong. Look, I’ve come here, and the Netherworld Great Dao hasn’t harmed me at all, showing that it has set aside past grievances and knows I’m here to help Tu Bo through his tribulation! Quickly withdraw your hand!”
The Netherworld Heavenly Lord showed a suspicious expression, sensing carefully, but still detected a murderous intent toward Tu Bo from Qin Mu. He was deeply immersed in the Netherworld Great Dao, with a profound Dao realm, not inferior to the Void Heavenly Lord or A Chou Tu Bo, and even surpassing them, so he was extremely sensitive.
“But how could the Mu Heavenly Lord have murderous intent toward Tu Bo? I must have sensed it wrong.” The Netherworld Heavenly Lord withdrew his primordial spirit. Qin Mu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and laughed. “Netherworld Heavenly Lord, I’ve brought you an old friend. I’ve brought the Ling Heavenly Lord!”
The Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s mind shook greatly, and he hurriedly looked toward the ship. Qin Mu said casually, “Netherworld, Tu Bo’s Book of Life and Death is still with you, right?”
The Netherworld Heavenly Lord involuntarily nodded.
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief, laughed heartily, and embraced him as they walked into the mansion. He laughed, “Ling, you come too!”
The Ling Heavenly Lord came to his side, her divine consciousness fluctuating. “Got the Book of Life and Death?”
Qin Mu nodded. “Got it. Now there’s only one problem left. How many steps does it take to kill Tu Bo, and how to set it up?”
“Two steps.” The Ling Heavenly Lord transmitted her thoughts. “Walk to Tu Bo’s side and kill Tu Bo.”