Chapter 1745: Qin and Yue Play Together
The scene at the altar was utter chaos. Heavenly Emperor Hao was suspended in midair, frozen. The Joy Hall Master attacked Moon Venerable, who plucked her zither strings to interfere with the Fourth Young Master amidst the Sixteenth Epoch's Destruction Calamity. Qin Mu tampered with the Fourth Young Master's zither strings, while the Four Elders struck to kill everyone.
The altar shattered. Heavenly Emperor Hao immediately broke free from the sacrificial state, but before he could land, he encountered the Third Elder, Cangyan Cui, who slapped him to the ground with a single palm strike.
At the same time, Qin Mu's fingers landed on the zither strings. He pressed two fingers against the string and swept them forward with force!
Heavenly Capital Heaven-Opening Chapter!
A beam of light howled along the string, vanishing into the spacetime of the past.
The history of the Seventeenth Epoch's universe spanned six billion years. Qin Mu's divine ability traveled along this string connecting to the past, instantly tracing back six billion years of history.
In that brief moment, using this divine ability and the Fourth Young Master's zither string, Qin Mu saw his own technique travel from this moment back to the beginning of the Ancestral Court's sealing. It passed through the battlefield of the Creators and the Ancient Gods, reversing time, allowing him to witness the era when giant beasts roamed the Ancestral Court, the rise of the Creators, and the birth of each Ancient God.
The next instant, his divine ability carried his vision into an even more ancient era. The Five Great Primitives had just formed. Taiyi chopped down the World Tree, and a great fire swept across the land.
Then, his divine ability carried his vision through the Creation Calamity and into the Destruction Calamity!
Within the Destruction Calamity, chaos stretched vast and boundless. The magnificent Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court stood amidst the chaos, enduring the baptism of the great destruction, eternally renewed, never breaking.
Qin Mu's divine ability shot rapidly through the zither string, rushing into Jade Capital City.
In the city, beneath the Dao Tree, the Fourth Young Master, Zixiao, sat in splendid brocade robes, playing his zither under his Dao Tree. His index finger pressed down on a zither string.
Boom!
The power of the Heaven Capital Heaven-Opening Chapter surged through the string. With a *chi* sound, a small section of the Fourth Young Master Zixiao's index finger was severed. A look of surprise crossed his face!
Losing that finger was not a serious injury to him. He was also proficient in the art of creation and could regenerate it quickly. But the fact that this divine ability could travel along his zither string and attack him, only being detected when it reached him, was truly astonishing!
"Seventh Brother, you have some skill!"
The Fourth Young Master Zixiao regrew his severed finger and praised him. Then he gently plucked the ancient zither, strumming and brushing with leisurely ease.
On the other side, Qin Mu had just executed the Heaven Capital Heaven-Opening Chapter, ambushing the Fourth Young Master, when his own two fingers exploded with a *pop*.
The Fourth Young Master's divine ability, carried by the zither's sound, instantly transmitted to Qin Mu's fingers. Even his Primordial Chaos physical body could not withstand the technique.
Qin Mu's exploded fingers immediately transformed into chaotic energy and then reformed into two new fingers. His Taiyi Dao vibrated and transformed into the Taiyi Divine Axe.
Heavenly Emperor Hao had just scrambled to his feet when he saw Qin Mu swing a colossal axe toward the back of his head. The divine axe technique was so exquisite that even Hao could not comprehend Qin Mu's axe method, let alone know how to dodge it.
"Venerable Mu hates me to the bone and is determined to kill me! My life is over!"
Just as he thought this, he saw Qin Mu's axe swing with terrible aim, striking empty air.
Heavenly Emperor Hao was stunned. Qin Mu's axe had clearly missed, yet it seemed to have struck something. The Taiyi Divine Axe, formed from Taiyi Dao, was shaken apart, and even Qin Mu's palm was drenched in blood from the shock.
The Taiyi Divine Axe shattered, but a new Taiyi Dao formed, once again becoming the Taiyi Divine Axe. Qin Mu rapidly circled Heavenly Emperor Hao, unleashing one great Taiyi Tree-Felling Divine Ability after another toward the back of Hao's head.
Heavenly Emperor Hao dared not move an inch. He stood there, drenched in sweat. "He's fighting the Fourth Young Master from across the void!"
In the past, the Spirit Official Hall Master had told him that he wouldn't last ten moves against Qin Mu before being defeated and killed. But that was over ten years ago.
Now, he felt that if Qin Mu wanted to kill him, he probably couldn't even survive one move. He would die the moment Qin Mu struck!
Fortunately, Qin Mu was now fully focused on countering the divine abilities the Fourth Young Master sent through the zither strings. The two were clashing across sixty billion years, with the battlefield in the present. The Fourth Young Master, Zixiao, was at a disadvantage because he couldn't see Qin Mu's techniques, and the influence of the Destruction Calamity made him less adaptable and responsive than Qin Mu.
Earlier, his strike had torn through the Heavenly Court, killing countless heavy artifacts and prehistoric experts, even Feng Hualian, an elder who had achieved Dao, died under his zither strings.
But that strike had been long-prepared. In his duel with Qin Mu, Qin Mu wouldn't give him time to prepare.
Qin Mu's Taiyi Divine Axe chopped at the zither strings, trying to sever them and prevent him from interfering with the Seventeenth Epoch.
At the same time, the Fourth Young Master had to protect the strings, using his divine abilities to shield them from being cut by Qin Mu.
If Qin Mu severed the strings, cutting off his connection to the Seventeenth Epoch, then in the next moment, Qin Mu could chop down Heavenly Emperor Hao with a single axe, causing the proxy he had cultivated to perish!
The descent of Miluo Palace would then be indefinitely postponed.
Furthermore, he also had to block Qin Mu's divine abilities from traveling through the zither strings to Jade Capital City. Qin Mu's earlier strike had injured his finger, catching him off guard and embarrassing him. If Qin Mu succeeded again, the loss of face would be even greater.
The two fought at lightning speed. Heavenly Emperor Hao stood there, his hair standing on end. Qin Mu's axe shattered and reformed repeatedly, flying around his head, leaving him unable to move.
"If I were to ambush Venerable Mu right now, could I severely wound him and let the Fourth Young Master succeed?"
A bold idea suddenly arose in Heavenly Emperor Hao's mind. He itched to act, barely able to restrain himself.
Just then, the Fourth Elder, Yan Xiuge, arrived and struck to kill Qin Mu!
Qin Mu frowned. All his strength was focused on countering the divine abilities the Fourth Young Master Zixiao sent through the zither strings. He had no spare energy to deal with Yan Xiuge's techniques and her Dao-Achieving Treasure.
Yan Xiuge's cultivation was profound. In terms of Dao techniques, she was inferior to him, but her cultivation base far surpassed his.
If they were to fight head-on, Qin Mu could defeat her with his own Dao techniques, though it wouldn't be easy.
Now, Qin Mu had no extra power to handle Yan Xiuge's attack.
Suddenly, the sound of a zither rang out. Moon Venerable's Zixiao Dao-Achieving Melody played once more. The Fourth Young Master's zither strings immediately ceased transmitting divine abilities. Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and redirected his Taiyi Divine Axe, slashing toward Yan Xiuge!
Seeing an opportunity, Heavenly Emperor Hao immediately activated the Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel Seal. Yuan Qi erupted from his hands, forming two Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheels, which he slammed heavily into Qin Mu's back!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Within his Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheels, his Dao realm reached thirty-two heavens. Sixty-four consecutive thunderous explosions erupted as the full power of the Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel Seal was unleashed.
Qin Mu's back suddenly arched high. The muscles on his back writhed like great dragons beneath his skin, vibrating sixty-four times in succession. Heavenly Emperor Hao staggered backward.
At the same time, Qin Mu's tree-felling axe descended, colliding with Yan Xiuge's Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion.
The Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion was Yan Xiuge's Dao-Achieving Treasure. Inside the pavilion was a Hall Swallow. The swallow flew out, rushing toward Qin Mu's face. Its two sharp claws aimed for his eyes, and its beak pecked at the vertical eye on his forehead.
This swallow was one of the three fragrances in the pavilion, a divine swallow she had raised since childhood, accompanying her through countless Destruction Calamities. But just as the swallow pounced on Qin Mu's face, his three eyes blazed with brilliant light, directly refining the divine swallow into ashes!
*Chi!*
Qin Mu's axe fell, splitting the Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion. The second fragrance inside the pavilion was a mirror. As the pavilion split open, the mirror faced Qin Mu directly. With a *shua* sound, it sucked him into the mirror.
Yan Xiuge raised the third fragrance, which was a powder compact. She blew into the mirror, and dust filled the air. "Die!" she shouted fiercely.
Inside the mirror, Qin Mu's physical body immediately collapsed, shattering into countless particles of dust, just like the powder from the compact.
Having succeeded with her strike, Yan Xiuge was about to kill Heavenly Emperor Hao when suddenly the mirror filled with a hazy chaos. With a *kacha* sound, the bright mirror cracked open.
Yan Xiuge turned around and saw Qin Mu walking out of the chaos, swinging his axe in a downward chop. Yan Xiuge hurriedly activated her Dao Tree to block, but the tree snapped under the axe!
Startled, Yan Xiuge shouted, "Second Brother!"
Huang Tang was in the middle of delivering a killing blow to the Joy Hall Master. Hearing this, he immediately abandoned her and strode over. His Treasure Canopy was immensely powerful. He swung it directly, and as it spun, various Dao techniques and divine abilities howled out, rotating along with it.
Qin Mu's Taiyi Divine Axe dissipated. He used his hand as a sword and slashed horizontally. *Chi, chi, chi!* A flurry of chaotic strikes rained down, and Huang Tang's Treasure Canopy was reduced to a bare pole.
The bare pole of Huang Tang's Treasure Canopy thrust forward, striking Qin Mu's chest with a *dong* sound. Qin Mu was sent flying backward, crashing all the way from the center of the Heavenly Court to the Southern Heavenly Gate, shattering the half-standing gate into pieces!
*Zheng, zheng, zheng!*
The zither notes rang out loudly. The space of the Heavenly Court suddenly folded and twisted. Within Moon Venerable's zither music, the fallen Southern Heavenly Gate instantly appeared beside the altar. She used her divine ability to send Qin Mu back.
"Be careful!"
As soon as Qin Mu landed, his expression changed drastically. He stepped sideways to shield Moon Venerable. To save Qin Mu, Moon Venerable's zither rhythm had faltered. The Fourth Young Master regained his composure and, across spacetime, sent a divine ability through the zither string to kill her!
Qin Mu was also heavily injured and hadn't yet caught his breath. He could only roar and erect the Taiyi Coffin to block in front of them.
*Chi—*
An invisible force sliced through. The lid of the Taiyi Coffin was instantly shaved down by a large chunk!
Qin Mu and Moon Venerable ducked. The invisible divine ability flew over their heads. Even though it was blocked by the Taiyi Coffin, it still sheared off a lock of their hair.
The Joy Hall Master charged in, her figure appearing everywhere. This woman was incredibly fierce, simultaneously blocking Li Shu while striking to kill them.
Moon Venerable immediately sat down cross-legged, placing her zither horizontally. She looked up at Qin Mu, who understood her intent. He stood beside her and pointed a finger.
The power of the Primordial Chaos Finger erupted, resembling a universe in its infancy with the Five Great Primitives appearing. The universe at his fingertip took the shape of a bell, expanding outward!
*Dong.*
The great bell tolled, its vibrations unceasing, pressing against Moon Venerable's zither music.
Moon Venerable entered her Dao realm, stepping into the Dao realm of the Killing Dao Melody. The Shang Lord's Killing Dao Melody flowed from her fingertips, one kill, two kills, three kills, instantly rising to the thirty-seventh kill!
The Joy Hall Master hadn't even reached them when a Dao injury erupted. Blood gushed from her waist!
She shrieked, and then Li Shu slammed an acre of yellow earth onto her face, pinning her to the broken altar.
Moon Venerable's heart warmed. Listening to the bell's tolling, she thought to herself, "If I could play a duet with him, bell and zither in harmony, it would be worth it."
At the same time, Huang Tang and Yan Xiuge fought around Heavenly Emperor Hao. The Fourth Young Master's zither music vibrated unceasingly, blocking the divine abilities of the two Dao achievers, shaking their hands until they were drenched in blood. Yet the two fought like madmen, refusing to retreat.
*Chi.*
A zither string suddenly pierced through Huang Tang's head and slashed across his Dao Tree.
His head split open. His Dao Tree fell.
Qin Mu frowned. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted a chest. He whispered, "Yue, the person we're looking for has been found. Retreat quickly!"
—Zhaizhu has been feeling unwell lately, lacking energy and spirit. Updates in the next few days might be delayed. Just a heads-up~