Chapter 632: Smashing Through the Human Sovereign Hall
The Second Patriarch and the others watched Qin Mu leave, then turned their heads. The First Patriarch Human Sovereign had also vanished.
The First Patriarch Human Sovereign had never actually died. Instead, his physical body had turned to stone, allowing him to shed it and retreat into seclusion in Fengdu. Coming and going was merely a thought for him.
His primordial spirit possessed vast divine abilities, moving with incredible speed. By now, he had likely already returned to his physical body.
"What do we do now?"
The various Human Sovereigns looked toward the Second Patriarch. "If they fight again, we'll be the ones to suffer."
The Third Patriarch Human Sovereign wore a worried expression. "If Human Sovereign Qin loses this time, my bones will be the ones smashed."
The other Human Sovereigns also looked troubled. To rise to the level of defeating the First Patriarch Human Sovereign at the same cultivation realm within less than a year seemed impossibly difficult. Each of them had been the most outstanding figure of their respective eras. Though limited by their times and unable to cultivate to the absolute peak, every one of them possessed god-level mastery.
But the First Patriarch had reached the divine level in every aspect, and even surpassed it.
Less than a year had passed since Qin Mu's last defeat at the hands of the First Patriarch Human Sovereign. No matter how rapidly his strength advanced, at most it would only be an improvement in his cultivation realm.
A mere increase in cultivation realm would not be enough to defeat the First Patriarch.
Improving one's realm wasn't particularly difficult for a cultivator, but strengthening one's foundation was extraordinarily hard.
Raising one's realm was like building another floor on top of a building. Strengthening one's foundation, however, meant reinforcing the base without damaging the existing structure, expanding it to hold more, allowing the building to rise higher. The difficulty of this was easy to imagine.
Only by strengthening his foundation could he defeat the First Patriarch at the same realm. This required elevating his vision and accumulated knowledge to the level of the First Patriarch Human Sovereign!
"How old is Human Sovereign Qin?" the Second Patriarch suddenly asked.
Qi Kang Human Sovereign thought for a moment. "Su mentioned his age. By the reckoning of the mortal world, he should be nineteen."
The Second Patriarch said, "Nineteen... a vibrant young man. A person's lifelong achievements often begin at this age. How old were you all when you first established your techniques and divine abilities?"
The Third Patriarch thought for a moment. "Old man, when you took me as your disciple, I was twelve. At twenty, I created the prototype of the Yin Yang Reversing Hand. My technique, the Yin Yang Nine Great Cycles Art, also took shape around that time. It took me several hundred years to perfect both."
The Fourth Patriarch said, "I didn't cultivate the teacher's techniques or seals. He was a failure; learning from him would only make me more of a failure. So I created my own techniques and divine abilities. I'm better than the old man. At seventeen, I had the idea for my Dharma Path Ten Crossings Art. I achieved great mastery in middle age and gave the old man a beating."
The Third Patriarch glared, sneering coldly. "Being able to beat me is something to brag about?"
The Fourth Patriarch smiled. "Yes, it is."
The other Human Sovereigns each spoke of the age at which they had first established their techniques and divine abilities. Most were between their teens and thirties or fifties. They had already set the direction for their life's work by then. Only Tu Yu Human Sovereign and the Sixth Patriarch had achieved greatness later in life.
"Human Sovereign Qin is nineteen. That means he is at the peak of his creative period."
The Second Patriarch Human Sovereign mused. "Perhaps his techniques have already found their own path, and his divine abilities have taken shape. Maybe he won't lose to the First Patriarch. Losing again would be too great a blow to him..."
Lan Po Human Sovereign said, "Having a prototype for techniques and divine abilities—does that give him a chance against the First Patriarch? The First Patriarch's techniques and divine abilities are not prototypes. They have been perfected to the utmost, flawless and without any gaps."
The other Human Sovereigns fell silent.
"But he is the Overlord Body..."
Qi Kang Human Sovereign said somewhat timidly. "The Overlord Body should be very powerful, right? That rascal Su Mozhe, my disciple, has been bragging about his disciple being the Overlord Body, almost boasting to the heavens..."
The others shook their heads. "The Overlord Body still needs to grow. At nineteen, how far can he have grown?"
After a moment, the Second Patriarch made a firm decision. "Let's manifest our spirits and go to the Human Sovereign Hall! Human Sovereign Qin is traveling from the mortal world; it will take him a day or two to reach the hall. We'll go ahead, and when we get there, we'll all attack together and gang up on the First Patriarch!"
"Good! Gang up on the First Patriarch! We'll beat him until he admits defeat and dares not contend with Human Sovereign Qin!"
The many Human Sovereigns were enthusiastic, nodding in agreement. Their figures faded one by one, disappearing from Fengdu.
The Bird God Chi Xiu watched from afar as these Human Sovereigns manifested their spirits and departed. He turned his head to look at the King of Hell beside him and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, aren't you going to stop them? They are all dead. Rushing recklessly into the mortal world like this violates the rules of our Fengdu."
"No need."
The King of Hell shook his head. "The Human Sovereign Hall belongs neither to the mortal world nor to the underworld. It is a place beyond our jurisdiction. The successive Human Sovereigns have always been a fearless bunch. Their going to the Human Sovereign Hall is not under Fengdu's control."
Chi Xiu was stunned. "The Human Sovereign Hall belongs neither to the mortal world nor the underworld?"
"The Human Sovereign Hall is a fragment of the Kaihuang Heavenly Court, beyond Fengdu's reach."
The King of Hell withdrew his gaze and turned to leave. "The largest fragment of the Heavenly Court fell and became the Great Ruins. Other crucial fragments—such as the thirty-six heavenly palaces and seventy-two treasured halls—are not places Fengdu can govern. The location of the Human Sovereign Hall is one of those heavenly palaces: the Yu Ming Palace. Once they go to the Yu Ming Palace, my power cannot reach there to bring them back. The reason Fengdu can hold this land of the Netherworld is also because a heavenly palace is hidden within Fengdu, called the Pi Sha Palace, which allows it to suppress ghosts and gods."
Outside Xianglong City, Qin Mu rode clouds and mist, activating the Human Sovereign Seal, following its imprint toward the direction of the Human Sovereign Hall.
The moment he left, a divine demon with three heads and six arms arrived in Xianglong City, accompanied by a young man. They were Chi Xi and Ban Gongcuo.
"Why does the teacher want to observe the customs and culture of Yankang?"
Ban Gongcuo asked, puzzled. "We've finally returned from Taihuang Heaven. Why not go directly to the Southern Lands?"
"The Southern Lands have sunk, becoming the Southern Sea, resting on the seabed for over three hundred thousand years. The Long Day and Short Day are both there. Since we've returned to our ancestral land, there's no need to rush."
Chi Xi's three heads looked around leisurely. "I am observing Yankang's customs to see the potential of this era, whether it has the capital to contend with the Heavenly Court."
"What has the teacher observed?" Ban Gongcuo asked.
"There are signs of great prosperity, but it is not enough."
Chi Xi said, "The current Yankang could be extinguished with a flick of a finger, utterly fragile. It will face a calamity of destruction in the future. Yankang's Dao techniques and divine abilities advance rapidly, but the time is too short and the strong are too few. It survives only by relying on the lingering blessings of the Kaihuang era. But Kaihuang is merely a corpse that hasn't fully decayed; it is still dead in the end and cannot protect Yankang for many more years. Therefore, Yankang is destined to be destroyed. No need to look further. Let's go."
Ban Gongcuo was puzzled, not understanding how Chi Xi had reached this conclusion. Chi Xi had already walked far ahead, and he hurried to catch up.
Qin Mu, eager to reach the Human Sovereign Hall, happened to miss them.
As he traveled, he activated the Overlord Body Three Dan Art. The divine Dao hidden realms and demonic Dao hidden realms within him continuously churned, his Yuan Qi growing increasingly turbulent and surging. While in Tai Ming Heaven, he had already begun merging the Six Harmonies Hidden Realm and the Seven Stars Hidden Realm within his demonic Dao hidden realms. Now, this process had reached a critical stage.
His Yuan Qi cultivation grew more profound and vast, the boundaries between the two hidden realms gradually blurring. However, he had not devoted much effort to the demonic path, so he was still somewhat lacking in refinement.
Two days later, Qin Mu arrived at the gateway to the Human Sovereign Hall. The light of the Human Sovereign Seal shone upon the portal, and it opened. He stepped inside.
What met his eyes were endless mists and graves scattered across the desolate landscape, stretching far and wide.
Qin Mu seemed oblivious, walking steadily toward the Human Sovereign Hall.
Ahead, there were traces of battle.
Qi Kang Human Sovereign's primordial spirit was stuck in a large pit, like a black radish planted in the ground, with only his head exposed.
"Human Sovereign Qin, don't come any further!"
Qi Kang Human Sovereign's primordial spirit was trapped, unable to move. He shouted, "I couldn't beat him! He knocked me down! The other Human Sovereigns were all knocked down too!"
Qin Mu paid no attention and continued forward.
The five-foot-tall Qi Kang Human Sovereign's primordial spirit lay sprawled on the ground, eyes vacant, twitching occasionally.
Qi Kang Human Sovereign struggled to move his fat head, his neck thicker than his head, and gasped, "Don't go! He's too fierce..."
Qin Mu stepped forward, divine and demonic aura swirling around him. He took off the two Taotie pouches at his waist and threw them to the ground. Not far away, Lan Po Human Sovereign's primordial spirit was hung on a tombstone, barely lifting his head, his voice hoarse. "You can't beat him. His strength is too terrifying..."
Qin Mu took out his sword orb and dropped it on the ground.
Tu Yu Human Sovereign grabbed his leg, looking up. "Don't go! All of us Human Sovereigns attacked together and still couldn't defeat him... He only used the Divine Bridge realm, and only his primordial spirit, yet he knocked us all down..."
Qin Mu continued walking, dragging Tu Yu Human Sovereign's primordial spirit a few steps before the latter let go.
On the path ahead, the primordial spirits of successive Human Sovereigns lay scattered on both sides, struggling to rise.
Qin Mu's expression was wooden. He arrived at the thatched huts of the past Human Sovereigns and looked forward. The First Patriarch Human Sovereign stood quietly outside the hall, waiting for his arrival.
Qin Mu surged his Yuan Qi, and a roaring sound echoed in his ears. Amid the thunderous noise, his demonic Six Harmonies Hidden Realm and demonic Seven Stars Hidden Realm finally merged, crashing together as one!
The First Patriarch Human Sovereign said calmly, "You only came to find me after a year. You have disappointed me. Make your move. Let me see your progress over this past year. I did not destroy their bones because I was waiting for you to arrive. After I defeat you, I will destroy these useless ones..."
Boom—
Qin Mu's Yuan Qi suddenly blazed with unparalleled ferocity and violence. His feet exploded with force, and his figure vanished almost instantly, reappearing right in front of the First Patriarch Human Sovereign!
Before the First Patriarch could finish his sentence, before the shock could even register on his face, Qin Mu's fist slammed heavily into his face!
Behind Qin Mu, a volcano erupted, flames shooting into the sky. The technique he used was none other than Qi Kang Human Sovereign's signature move!
His Dharma power exploded like a volcanic eruption in an instant. The First Patriarch Human Sovereign's figure flew backward, crashing with a thunderous boom into the wall of the Human Sovereign Hall. Qin Mu strode forward, his hands stacking together—the stacked hand technique of the Yin Yang Reversing Hand!
At the same time, his palms flew wildly, like a thousand-armed Buddha executing Ma Ye's Thunderclap Eight Forms!
He unleashed both seal techniques simultaneously, countless stacked hands striking together. The entire Human Sovereign Hall trembled violently. Suddenly, the back wall of the hall collapsed with a deafening crash, and the First Patriarch Human Sovereign flew backward!
Qin Mu lowered his head, charging forward like a wild storm. His Yuan Qi raged, transforming into a Milky Way cascading from the nine heavens, sending the First Patriarch Human Sovereign tumbling uncontrollably!
"Progress? See for yourself!"
Behind Qin Mu, the Great Luo Celestial Star appeared, forming the Great Luo Celestial Star Force Field. He struck with a seal, and the stars behind him blazed brilliantly. Countless star rays connected, forming a palm strike of immense power that crushed over ten miles of air and slammed into the First Patriarch Human Sovereign!
"Watch me use their techniques to see if I can beat you to death!"
—The mute smoked his water pipe, squinting: Ah-ba! (Translation: Asking for monthly votes!)