Chapter 1667: A Single Sword Guards the Body for Ten Thousand Miles
With the Heavenly Court's military forces, preparing the Grand Dao Offering was very simple. The various armies sent the slaves captured by the Heavenly Court, and after a little over a month, the number of slaves reached the requirements of the Lingguan Hall Master.
On the day of the Grand Dao Offering, the Lingguan Hall Master used the bones of countless slaves to build an altar. Ascending this altar, he used the flesh and blood of the slaves as sacrifices, offering them to the past patriarchs of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court, the sacred beings who had attained the Dao in the countless Great Firmaments, one thousand two hundred Dao Lords. With the blood of all living beings, he begged these Dao Lords to lend him their power and grant him their protection.
When the Grand Dao Offering reached its critical moment, a phantom of the Jade Capital of the ancestral court appeared above the altar, suppressing heaven, earth, and the cosmos.
This divine city was vast, majestic, and magnificent. Within it were sixteen Chaotic Long Rivers, forming winding and twisting rings. Between the rivers were the ruins of various Jade Cities.
The Lingguan Hall Master performed his rituals on the altar, sacrificing all living beings. The souls within the countless bones wailed in agony, incredibly shrill, transforming into streams of black smoke that rushed toward the Jade Capital.
One could see wisps of black smoke charging into the city, coalescing within the various Chaotic Long Rivers, gradually revealing the figures of those who had attained the Dao.
These figures numbered one thousand two hundred, blurry and indistinct, like black and white silhouettes.
But these figures stood within the Chaotic Long Rivers, having endured the great calamity of destruction and remaining undying for ten thousand ages. These were the beings who had attained the Dao in the history of the Jade Capital. Though the Grand Dao Offering was said to be mysterious, it was in fact based on the principle of mass-energy conversion: sacrificing living beings to borrow power from these Dao Lords.
The Heavenly Emperor Hao, the Grand Emperor Taichu, and the civil and military ministers of the Heavenly Court observed the ceremony. Seeing this scene, they were both shocked and terrified.
"Your Majesty, the power of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court is too great. We must be on guard."
The Grand Emperor Taichu advised, saying, "If all the Dao Lords of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court were to descend, I fear the destruction of this universe would be imminent."
The Heavenly Emperor Hao nodded lightly: "The Grand Emperor speaks truly. However, the Dao techniques and divine powers of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court greatly intrigue me. This Grand Dao Offering, borrowing the power of past Dao Lords through sacrifice, is extremely formidable! As the master of the seventy-two halls, Lingguan is truly vast in his divine abilities."
Taichu said no more.
The Lingguan Hall Master was indeed immensely powerful, proficient in all kinds of divine techniques and Dao methods. This Grand Dao Offering opened everyone's eyes. Compared to it, even the achievements of today's Yancheng reforms could not match the accumulated power of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court of the past universe.
On the altar, waves of terrifying power surged, empowering the Lingguan Hall Master. This power shook the void, causing even the two Dao attainers, Taichu and Heavenly Emperor Hao, to feel deep dread. As for the other civil and military ministers, they were already so shaken by this immense power that their Dao hearts wavered, and they knelt prostrate, not daring to lift their heads.
The Lingguan Hall Master had no head. After completing his rituals on the altar, he activated his own Dao Fruit, connecting his personal Dao to it!
This Dao Fruit was tied to his head. If he could erase the sword Dao divine ability secretly hidden by Qin Mu within the Dao Fruit, he could use the power of the Dao Fruit to grow a new head.
If he could not erase Qin Mu's sword Dao divine ability, he might even be invaded by Qin Mu's sword Dao, which could infect his other Dao Fruits and Dao Flowers!
At this moment, he was full of confidence. His personal Dao connected with the Dao Fruit, triggering the sword Dao divine ability secretly hidden by Qin Mu within it!
Suddenly, on the altar, sword light crisscrossed like light and lightning. In an instant, the sky was filled with sword radiance, layer upon layer of heavens spreading out!
The Lingguan Hall Master had bull horns growing from his shoulders, intestines coiling like a coiled dragon, and a spine like a serpent. Within his body, one thousand two hundred great and small gods, connected to the auras of the one thousand two hundred Dao Lords of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court, gave him boundless power!
His momentum was unmatched. Leveraging the power of the Grand Dao Offering, he fiercely clashed with Qin Mu's sword Dao divine ability, exhausting every effort to refine and dissolve it!
Clang, clang, clang—
Thirteen consecutive sword sounds came from the altar. After a moment, the sky full of sword radiance vanished, the sword light dimmed, and the Lingguan Hall Master stood there, with three Dao Fruits and one Dao Flower floating before and behind him.
Flesh writhed at his shoulders, and soon a new head grew out.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your help!"
The Lingguan Hall Master bowed to the one thousand two hundred Dao Lords in the phantom of the Jade Capital in the air. The one thousand two hundred Dao Lords in the phantom bowed in return, their figures gradually fading away.
The phantom of the Jade Capital in the ancestral court also quickly disappeared, and the Grand Dao Offering ended.
The Lingguan Hall Master felt completely relaxed. He jumped down from the altar, and the massive bone altar immediately collapsed into dust. The spiritual energy and power of the countless bones had been exhausted. They had been held together by the Lingguan Hall Master's power, but now that he had descended, they naturally crumbled and shattered.
"Heavenly Emperor, I originally did not intend to be an enemy of the Seventh Young Master. But who would have thought that the Seventh Young Master would actively provoke me, recruiting a villain like Lord Shang into his ranks."
The Lingguan Hall Master strode over, arriving before the Heavenly Emperor Hao. His face was filled with anger, and his voice rumbled like thunder: "The Seventh Young Master showed no regard for friendship, ruined my Dao cultivation, and destroyed my Dao Tree. He has truly offended me. Since that is the case, I need not pretend to be friendly with him! If you want to raze Yancheng, then I will lend you a hand, raze Yancheng, and blood-sacrifice the Yuan Realm!"
The Heavenly Emperor Hao laughed heartily, rising from his throne, and said loudly: "With the Hall Master's help, what worries do I have? Someone, prepare a feast! Today, the Emperor and my beloved ministers, along with the Lingguan Hall Master, will drink until we are drunk!"
Thus, a grand banquet was held in the detached palace. The gods of the Heavenly Court toasted and laughed joyfully, with many deities offering drinks to the Lingguan Hall Master.
The Lingguan Hall Master accepted every toast, drinking heartily. Some deities, emboldened by the wine, stepped forward to inquire about Dao techniques and divine powers. The Lingguan Hall Master was extremely generous, answering every question without reservation.
For a time, host and guests were all delighted, laughter rumbling like thunder.
In the midst of the revelry, the Heavenly Emperor Hao leaned in and asked with a smile: "Hall Master, you are older, so I will call you elder brother. May I ask, elder brother, how many methods are there to attain the Dao in this world?"
The Lingguan Hall Master, tipsy from the wine, said: "Younger brother, there are four methods to attain the Dao. The first is the most orthodox method of attaining the Dao through the Dao realm, created by the teacher. The second is the Jade Capital method of attaining the Dao, also called attaining the Dao through force, which involves borrowing power, borrowing the power of the Jade Capital—a side path. The third is the method created by the Second Young Master, called the Guixu method of attaining the Dao..."
The Heavenly Emperor Hao's heart shook violently, but he remained calm and asked: "May I ask, how does one attain the Dao through the Guixu method?"
The Lingguan Hall Master was about to speak when suddenly, the middle of the three Dao Fruits floating behind his head cracked with a snap!
A sword light burst forth unexpectedly from that Dao Fruit, and with a swish, it cut off the Lingguan Hall Master's head!
The Lingguan Hall Master was holding a huge wine cup, and his head fell straight into the cup with a gurgling sound, wine and Dao blood splattering everywhere!
The sword light was incredibly sharp, like a sword that could split the heavens. It swept in all directions, instantly splitting the Heavenly Emperor Hao's detached palace in two!
With this single sword strike, many deities in the hall ducked their heads and prostrated themselves on the ground to avoid the sword light. Many who were too slow to dodge had their heads sliced off!
The Heavenly Emperor Hao roared in anger, rising to block the sword light. Just as he blocked it, he saw the head in the huge wine cup held by the Lingguan Hall Master explode with a bang, turning into a mass of Chaotic Qi!
The Chaotic Qi rose slowly from the giant wine cup. From within the vast, misty energy, a figure emerged, absorbing the Chaotic Qi. This figure, formed from the Chaotic Qi, had graying temples and eyebrows and eyes identical to Qin Mu's.
Meanwhile, behind the Lingguan Hall Master, another sword light flew out from the cracked Dao Fruit, caught by the Qin Mu formed from the Chaotic Qi.
The Lingguan Hall Master was caught off guard. He quickly activated his Dao Fruits and Dao Flower to stabilize the wound on his shoulder, preventing the sword light from invading his body!
"When I was young, I had many peculiar traits."
That Qin Mu danced with his sword, the sword light like a bolt of silk, sweeping in all directions. Beneath the flying detached palace, the five experts of the Five Emperor Thrones were struck by the sword, blood flying everywhere, and the five Emperor Throne experts were sent flying backward!
Qin Mu reversed his sword and pointed it at Taichu's forehead. Taichu immediately retreated, raising a finger to block his forehead, holding off the sword light.
"Mocking the Jade Gate's Dingyuan, the pot-headed Xinshi."
The Qin Mu formed from the Chaotic Qi chanted continuously, his sword light crisscrossing, causing chaos at the banquet. One by one, the civil and military ministers of the Heavenly Court were struck. Some were pierced through the body by the sword light and pinned to the ground, sliding along. Others had just sent their primordial spirits out of their bodies, about to use their divine abilities to attack, when they were pierced through!
The Heavenly Emperor Hao leaped into the air and charged, his long sleeves fluttering as he attacked the Qin Mu formed from the Chaotic Qi.
As soon as he made his move, the other civil and military ministers dared not join the siege. The two figures flew about, quickly causing large swaths of palaces to collapse. The civil and military ministers scattered to avoid them, but many were too slow. Some were sent flying by the Heavenly Emperor Hao, spinning like windmills in the air, while others were pierced through by the sword light, spilling blood as they fell to the ground.
"A single sword guards the body for ten thousand miles, choosing neither the Southern Sea nor the North Pole!"
That Qin Mu formed from the Chaotic Qi moved through the detached palace like light and lightning, not engaging the Heavenly Emperor Hao head-on, but attacking the civil and military ministers instead.
Taichu attacked from one side, joining the Heavenly Emperor Hao in blocking the Qin Mu phantom. However, the Qin Mu phantom refused to fight them directly, touching and retreating, sometimes turning into Chaotic Qi, sometimes materializing to wound an enemy with a sword strike!
"Wine gut and poetic gall, lately narrow. Facing the west wind, climbing high and gazing far, chaotic mountains and slanting sun. How to obtain a good bow and a swift horse, to briefly compete in strength with you all?"
Qin Mu sang to express his ambitions, causing chaos and killing in all directions. For a time, the detached palace was filled with panic, and the civil and military officials of the Heavenly Court scattered in all directions.
Suddenly, the Lingguan Hall Master stabilized his injuries. His form flickered, and he appeared horizontally in front of the Qin Mu phantom, striking out with a palm. Qin Mu exploded with a bang, turning into a mass of Chaotic Qi.
Just as the Chaotic Qi was about to coalesce, the Lingguan Hall Master swung his sleeve, scooping up all the Chaotic Qi into his sleeve!
The Lingguan Hall Master spread his five fingers, and the Chaotic Qi flowed out of his sleeve into his palm.
The Lingguan Hall Master clenched his fist heavily, and the Chaotic Qi exploded with a bang. The sword Dao divine ability hidden within was crushed by him!
The dragon head at his navel roared in fury: "Seventh Young Master—"
"How dare you toy with me like this! I will make you know what it means to wish for death but be unable to die!"
In the Ultimate Void, Qin Mu found the location marked on the Taiyi Geographic Map. He looked around and couldn't help but feel suspicious. The void was empty, with nothing there.
"Not even the cold, still wind. That's the strange part."
He opened his vertical eye on his forehead, looking around, seeing through this piece of the Ultimate Void.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A beam of light shot out from his vertical eye. Where the light shone, the Ultimate Void slowly receded, revealing a tiny piece of the Great Firmament.
That Great Firmament was pitifully small, only the size of a square zhang. There was a thatched cottage, and behind it, an old tree.
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