Chapter 1767: The Eve of Suppression
After the two hall masters, Phoenix and Harmony, retreated into Jade Capital City, Kaihuang Qin Ye immediately struck at the Dao-achievers from Miluo Palace who were attempting to descend outside the city walls.
Without the protection of the two hall masters, these Miluo Palace Dao-achievers could not withstand his sword path at all. They were quickly swept clean. A few of the Dao-achievers were decisive, immediately halting their descent and returning to the Sixteenth Epoch to preserve themselves.
Inside and outside the city, calm was restored.
The Golden Ship of Salvation floated quietly outside the city. Everyone sat on the ship. Moon Venerable, having learned medicine from long experience, treated their injuries, but she could not fully heal the wounds on their bodies.
Nearly all of the most powerful beings in the Eternal Peace were gathered here. Everyone had many questions they wanted to ask the Kaihuang, but none knew where to begin.
After a long silence, Nether Venerable broke the quiet and said, "Qin Ye, where have you been for these forty-two years?"
Kaihuang Qin Ye replied, "Back then, I charged into Jade Capital City, crossed the sixteen Chaotic Long Rivers to reach Miluo Palace, and met the Seventh Young Master in the Chaotic Hall of Miluo Palace. The Seventh Young Master told me some things and planted a divine technique within my body, specifically designed to counter the techniques of the Fourth Young Master, Purple Firmament. Forty-two years ago, I blocked the Fourth Young Master Purple Firmament's killing blow aimed at Ling Venerable, which triggered the Seventh Young Master's technique. Since then, I have remained on this ship."
"The ship?"
Everyone was stunned. Moon Venerable asked, "On this very ship?"
Kaihuang Qin Ye nodded. "On this very ship. I could see you, but I could not touch you. I could hear your conversations, but I could not convey any information to you. You could not see me, could not touch me, could not hear my words. On this ship, I comprehended the Seventh Young Master's teachings, and I also met the master of Miluo Palace, conversing with him for a long time."
"The master of Miluo Palace?"
Everyone was horrified and quickly turned their heads to look at the golden halls on the Golden Ship of Salvation.
"It was the Dao shadow of the master of Miluo Palace."
Kaihuang Qin Ye explained, "His skill has reached a level I cannot understand or comprehend. His Dao left many shadows on this ship, guiding me greatly."
Moon Venerable steadied herself and probed, "Did Mu Venerable tell you many things about the future?"
Everyone's gaze fell on Kaihuang Qin Ye's face, waiting for his answer. Kaihuang shook his head. "He didn't say much. I was lying just now to deceive those two hall masters, forcing them to dare not confront us head-on."
The crowd was skeptical.
In the past, they had trusted Kaihuang Qin Ye from the bottom of their hearts, believing every word he said, because everyone knew that Qin Ye was not the kind of person like Qin Mu whose words could run wild.
Qin Mu was full of lies, but Qin Ye would never lie.
Yet now they realized that an honest person lying was far more terrifying, because others could never tell which words from the honest person were true and which were false.
"He really didn't tell me much."
Kaihuang Qin Ye said helplessly, "I don't know much about the future. At that time, he didn't have time to tell me many things, and it seemed he was unwilling to tell me."
Everyone remained deeply suspicious.
Kaihuang said no more.
"The longer we drag this out, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us."
Xu Shenhua suddenly spoke, "The Dao-achievers of Miluo Palace have ample time to descend. The more Dao-achievers gather inside Jade Capital City, the sooner we will face a devastating blow. Should we charge into Jade Capital City to stop their descent?"
"No need."
Kaihuang Qin Ye glanced back and said, "After the Ancestral Court was sealed, the blood sacrifice was confined within it. The energy for the blood sacrifice here can only come from two sources: one is historical accumulation, and the other is the strong who die in the Ancestral Court in subsequent battles. Most of the historically accumulated blood sacrifice energy was used by Boundless Elder. The blood sacrifice power that Miluo Palace can control is limited, and the number of strong they can descend should also have a limit. To break this limit, they have only two paths."
He pursed his lips and continued, "Killing us is the first path. Destroying the World Tree and killing the strong under Boundless Elder is the second path."
Xu Shenhua pondered for a moment. If Qin Mu's seal was completed, this would indeed be the only two choices for Miluo Palace.
Even if Miluo Palace killed them, it would not be enough to allow all their strong to descend. They would have to deal with Boundless Elder's forces to ensure that all their Dao-achievers could descend into the Seventeenth Epoch.
In other words, Qin Mu had turned the Ancestral Court into a three-way deathmatch by sealing it!
The Ancestral Court was a giant beast cage. Whether it was Miluo Palace, Boundless Elder, or them, they were all beasts in the cage. Only the final victor could leave here alive!
"Jade Capital City is full of dangers. There's no need for us to charge in. Charging in won't eliminate the blood sacrifice energy; instead, it will cause us heavy casualties."
Kaihuang Qin Ye said, "On the contrary, we should leave Jade Capital City and stop guarding here. Once the Dao-achievers of Miluo Palace descend, they will definitely seek out Boundless Elder, and a deathmatch between the two sides is inevitable. However, before that, we need to prevent the Dao-achievers in Jade Capital City from leaving the Ancestral Court until the Seventh Young Master's seal is complete! If anyone leaves the Ancestral Court, they will be able to rebuild the blood sacrifice altar in the outside world!"
Xuan Di's heart stirred, and he asked, "Qin Ye, did the Seventh Young Master tell you this?"
Kaihuang nodded.
Wu Di's spirits lifted, and he pressed further, "What else did the Seventh Young Master tell you?"
Kaihuang Qin Ye shook his head. "He only told me this. He said nothing else."
Lang Wu suddenly asked, "Daoist friend, when did Mu Venerable become the Seventh Young Master?"
Kaihuang shook his head. "I don't know."
Lan Yutian asked, "How did my brother go back to the past?"
"I don't know."
Everyone itched with curiosity, wishing they could tear open his mouth to make him spit out everything he knew. But since Kaihuang remained silent, they had no choice but to accept it.
In the southern part of the Ancestral Court, the earth suddenly rose. The fourth Heavenly Wall was growing, but its growth rate was much slower than the other walls. Clearly, Qin Mu had greatly depleted his vitality by folding three sides of the Ancestral Court, and he was no longer as strong as before.
By the time Granny Si, Ling Yuxiu, Village Chief, and others arrived there, the southern Heavenly Wall of the Ancestral Court had already risen to the zenith. From a distance, the Ancestral Court now looked like a giant cauldron floating at the center of the universe.
From the outside, the four walls of the cauldron were surrounded by suns, moons, and stars. Mountains rose and fell in endless chains, rivers stretched for thousands of miles, and giant beasts dwelled on the walls.
There, herds of colossal beasts roamed, and magnificent palaces dotted the landscape. Dragon Qilin and Yan'er were flying through the clouds, patrolling their territory.
Their speed was fast, but from a distance, their flight appeared extremely slow.
From the inside, the inner walls of the cauldron looked like four independent worlds, undisturbed by one another.
When Ling Yuxiu, Granny Si, and the others found Qin Mu, his aura was withered and decaying. He was still expanding his vast inner universe, channeling his magical power with all his might, mobilizing every ounce of strength to make the Heavenly Wall grow higher.
Seeing them arrive, Qin Mu relaxed, landed on the Heavenly Wall, and leaned against a divine coffin to rest. His expression, however, showed a hint of ease.
Ling Yuxiu stepped forward, her heart aching for him.
Though haggard, Qin Mu had a completely relaxed calm. He smiled and said, "I'm not seriously hurt. I'm just exhausted. I'll recover after resting for a while. Don't worry about me."
Village Chief looked around. The Ancestral Court now resembled a giant cauldron. The geography and mountains had almost completely changed, making it feel unfamiliar.
He suppressed the shock in his heart and recalled the past, feeling deeply moved. He had never imagined that the boy who had walked out of the Crippled Village would grow to such heights.
"The seal on the Ancestral Court still needs reinforcement. The current seal won't hold back hall master-level existences from Miluo Palace."
Qin Mu took the elixir that Medicine King handed him and swallowed it, saying, "But if they try to leave, they will trigger the seal I left behind. My seal connects all the divine mines, divine mountains, and other sacred sites in the Ancestral Court, borrowing the power of the Ancestral Court's heaven and earth. This will hold them back for a while."
Blind opened his divine eyes and looked around. He saw that the geography and mountain trends of the Ancestral Court had been altered, forming many formations and arrays.
Qin Mu's move could be said to have mobilized the power of the Ancestral Court's heaven and earth. If anyone attacked the seal, they would be contending against the power of the Ancestral Court itself, and the counterattack would be terrifying!
After all, the Ancestral Court was the origin of all heavens and myriad realms. Countless heavens and countless sacred lands originated from here. Even the Xuan Capital and Nether Capital were heavens split from the Ancestral Court!
And the Yuan Realm was formed from the Ancestral Court's fertile soil!
The power of the Ancestral Court's heaven and earth being mobilized—imagine how terrifying its might would be!
Qin Mu said the seal was not enough to stop hall master-level existences, but in Blind's view, the current seal was already quite perfect.
"Mu'er, how are you sealing the sky?" Blind looked up and asked.
"The sky, I seal it with the Return to Nothingness Great Abyss."
Qin Mu refined the elixir, recovering some strength. It was far from enough to return to his peak state, but fortunately, his Chaotic Hall connected to the Chaotic Long River. He could use the Return to Nothingness Dao to refine the chaotic energy from the Chaotic Long River to continuously restore his cultivation.
"I sensed that the Empress is dead. The Return to Nothingness is now masterless, with only the Second Young Master suppressed there. In the Return to Nothingness Dao, no one in the world can surpass me."
Qin Mu smiled faintly and said calmly, "Even if the Empress were still alive, her achievements in the Return to Nothingness would not match mine. If I mobilize the Return to Nothingness, she cannot contend with me. I will summon the Return to Nothingness and use its power to seal the sky of the Ancestral Court, locking down the ultimate void above. But before that, Kaihuang and the others must keep everyone inside the Ancestral Court, preventing them from escaping. If even one escapes, it will be a great threat to the outside world."
His eyes flickered, and he said in a deep voice, "The hall masters of Miluo Palace will soon realize that now is their last chance to break free from the Ancestral Court. They must leave the Ancestral Court before I completely seal it, bringing the blood sacrifice to the myriad heavens and realms. What awaits Kaihuang will inevitably be a bloody battle!"
He looked at Medicine King: "Kaihuang and the others should be injured. Grandpa Medicine King, go to Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court and help them heal."
Medicine King nodded and immediately set off.
Village Chief, Butcher, and others quickly said, "Medicine King, we'll go too!"
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then called out loudly, "Village Chief, Granny, before I seal the sky of the Ancestral Court, you must leave the Ancestral Court. Do not stay under any circumstances! Staying here is extremely dangerous!"
Village Chief waved his hand: "Don't worry, we will leave naturally!"
Qin Mu frowned and looked at Ling Yuxiu, saying, "Wife, you also need to leave as soon as possible."
Ling Yuxiu sat down beside the divine coffin and smiled, "I won't leave. I thought that after we got married, we would have our own little world, but we've been apart more than we've been together. Now, this is a rare time for us to be together. As long as you are in the Ancestral Court, I will stay here."
Qin Mu looked at her, nodded after a moment, and sat down beside Tai Yi's coffin. He smiled and said, "We will build our own world here and have a few children. This will be our Carefree Village."
—To the Alliance Leader Wu Duan 233, happy birthday!
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