Chapter 709: Surprise Attack on the Nether Emperor
The Imperial Que Divine Saber struck the Nether Emperor right between the eyes. The timing was exquisitely perfect, occurring at the very moment when the Nether Emperor’s primordial spirit was being tugged by Qin Mu’s Soul-Pulling Incantation.
The Nether Emperor was hit directly. The Imperial Que Divine Saber nearly cleaved his entire body in two. The terrifying aspect of this divine saber lay not only in its ability to sever the Horn of Tubo, but also in its power to devour primordial spirits.
Even Tian Shu, the wielder, had once been caught off guard and had his primordial spirit swallowed, trapped within the saber’s inner space for seven or eight million years.
The moment he was struck, the Nether Emperor felt the world spin. His primordial spirit involuntarily began to fall into the Imperial Que Divine Saber.
“Fell into a trap!”
Yet he was decisive and resolute. The instant he realized this, he directly mobilized the power of the Nether Capital to assault the Imperial Que Divine Saber. The demonic qi of the Nether Capital surged forth in a torrent, madly flooding into the divine blade.
“Infinite Reincarnation!”
The Nether Emperor’s primordial spirit, now trapped within the saber’s inner world, immediately executed a divine ability. Vast, boundless Nether Seas materialized, and from within the sea rose a Nether Capital Heavenly Gate. The Nether Emperor swiftly hurled himself toward the portal. Before he passed through this gate, he was still a refined scholar. After emerging from it, his appearance had drastically changed, transforming into a delicate and charming woman.
Ahead, another Heavenly Gate materialized. The Nether Emperor, now in female form, once again passed through the portal.
His primordial spirit executed the technique with incredible speed. His form flickered like a fleeting shadow, darting through one Nether Capital Heavenly Gate after another, too fast for the naked eye to track.
Each time he passed through a Nether Capital Heavenly Gate, it was as if he had undergone a reincarnation. His primordial spirit underwent a massive transformation—his face, gender, and even race became completely different from before, as if he had become an entirely new person.
This Infinite Reincarnation divine ability allowed him to pass through thousands of reincarnations in an instant. The speed was so great that the formations within the Imperial Que Divine Saber could not adapt quickly enough.
The Imperial Que Divine Saber had a significant flaw. Because of the flaw in the cultivation technique of Emperor Sakyamuni Buddha, the forging of the divine saber had a slight imperfection.
Qin Mu had found a way to escape the Imperial Que Divine Saber from the Emperor Sakyamuni Sutra. The method the Nether Emperor used, however, was to constantly change his identity at an extremely rapid reincarnation speed.
Every time he changed his identity, the Imperial Que Divine Saber had to adjust the formation structure of its inner world. The formation runes designed by Emperor Kai Huang for the Imperial Que Divine Saber were not static. Since they were formations, they had to constantly change to adapt to the person entering them, in order to trap them.
The Nether Emperor’s Infinite Reincarnation ability changed his identity and race so rapidly that the divine saber’s formations had to change continuously as well. Eventually, this exceeded the saber’s formation calculation speed. The flaw that had taken Qin Mu nearly a year to calculate and find was discovered by the Nether Emperor in a very short time.
The Nether Emperor’s eyes lit up. When his primordial spirit flew out from the final gate, it had already escaped the saber and regained its freedom.
As his primordial spirit emerged from this gate, its appearance reverted to its original form. He saw that his physical body had already been cleaved in two by Tian Shu’s saber strike!
“A mere Imperial Seat powerhouse—nothing special!”
Tian Shu laughed heartily, swinging his divine saber toward the necks of the Nether Emperor’s two halves. “Your strength isn’t even greater than mine, an Empyrean!”
The Nether Emperor’s two halves separated, one left and one right, each stepping into a portal. When they emerged from the portals, they had transformed into two Nether Emperors!
“The gap between Empyrean and Imperial Seat is far greater than you can imagine.”
The two Nether Emperors spoke in unison: “Tian Shu, you’re a Heavenly King after all—how can you be so naive? Do you really think that by wielding Emperor Kai Huang’s saber, you can kill me?”
Having split into two, both Nether Emperors seemed to be the true body, both appearing to be at their peak condition. As soon as they engaged, Tian Shu was immediately at a disadvantage.
Under the siege of the two Nether Emperors, despite his vast divine abilities, Tian Shu was powerless to resist and could only rely on the power of the Imperial Que Divine Saber to defend himself.
From the darkness came the surging sound of waves. A vast, boundless Nether Sea materialized beneath Tian Shu’s feet—an ocean formed from the black sand of souls!
The black sand of souls churned, a magnificent sight.
The amount of soul black sand in the Nether Capital was no less than that of the Netherworld Yin Realm, forming a vast Nether Sea. It was unclear what the origin of this soul black sand was.
Tian Shu’s mind trembled violently. He had once clashed with the Nether Emperor before, but that encounter had been outside the Nether Capital, in the outer world. They had fought, and because the Nether Emperor had held back out of pride, Tian Shu had managed to escape.
But now, deep within the Nether Capital, above the Nether Sea, and with the Nether Emperor enraged by his injury, Tian Shu had no confidence in escaping unscathed.
Just then, a deafening, earth-shattering roar erupted. The entire Nether Capital trembled as a world shrouded in darkness violently collided with the equally dark Nether Capital!
A hunting cape unfurled and fluttered. King Yan’s cape enveloped the entire Fengdu. His gaze was icy and stern. Countless Fengdu gods and demons stood on the city walls beneath the cape, their killing intent palpable.
Colliding with the Nether Capital was none other than Fengdu!
Both worlds were fragments of the Horn of Tubo, and now they had finally crashed together!
King Yan’s hand, which had been resting on his sword, suddenly released it. Sword light flooded the Nether Sea. He mobilized the power of Fengdu and came bearing his sword. His sword strokes were perfectly straight, both horizontal and vertical, as if measured with strict precision. The arcs his sword traced followed flawless curves.
Few swordsmen would be so strict with themselves; sword techniques usually pursued greater variability. But King Yan was such a person. He had worked hard on the fundamentals of swordsmanship. Every sword technique he executed was proper and upright, exuding the bearing of a grandmaster, with no flaws to be found.
He led Fengdu into the Nether Capital, taking them by surprise and causing massive chaos. The Nether Sea, composed of soul black sand, was pressed flat and calm, preventing the Nether Emperor from mobilizing its power.
King Yan and Tian Shu, one wielding a saber and the other a sword, caught the Nether Emperor off guard. Soon, under their combined assault, he was wounded.
Shocked and furious, he realized that this scene was not a coincidence but rather a carefully laid plan.
From the tribulation brought by his three disciples, to the trap that befell the Woodcutter and the First Ancestor, to Qin Mu’s sudden appearance as the Son of Youdu, to Lou Yunqu’s forced opening of the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate—everything seemed to have been calculated by someone.
This person’s goal was not to stop the tribulation, nor to defeat Lou Yunqu and the other two. Their true target was himself!
Looking down on small fry like Lou Yunqu and setting their sights on an Imperial Seat-level existence like himself—this person was not just audacious; they were utterly reckless!
Similarly, this person must have once held a high position. Only by standing high enough could one see far enough to set such a target.
If it were someone of Qin Mu or Yan Kang National Teacher’s status, their goal would at most be Lou Yunqu, or at most stopping the calamity from occurring.
But the one who devised this plan was different. They must have been a figure of extremely high status in Emperor Kai Huang’s heavenly court to dare set their sights on him!
Who could this person be? The answer was obvious!
The Nether Emperor’s heart burned with rage: “I’ve been outmaneuvered by someone who planned this with full intent. This person is probably the chief of the Four Heavenly Masters of the puppet court, the Woodcutter! Yes, if I were him, and I wanted to scheme against someone like me, I would make sure everything was foolproof. I would never just mobilize King Yan and Tian Shu. If I were to fight, I would gather all the experts who hold a grudge against me. The one with the deepest grudge against me is Netherworld Yin Lady…”
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a group of gods and demons from the Nether Capital flew over to assist. The Nether Emperor’s hair stood on end. He quickly waved his hand and shouted, “Don’t come near me—!”
The space of the Nether Capital suddenly split open. The figure of Netherworld Yin Lady appeared in another world, smiling as she looked toward the Nether Emperor.
The Nether Emperor’s heart sank: “I’ve been hunting sparrows for years, only to have a little bird peck out my eyes…”
Netherworld Yin Lady held a leaking vessel—the very Celestial Dipper that the Nether Emperor had refined. She performed a ritual across the dimensional barrier. Suddenly, the Nether Sea churned. The entire ocean of soul black sand inverted, the sea above and the people below, crashing down upon them all!
The Nether Emperor was naturally unafraid, but the gods and demons of the Nether Capital could not withstand it!
His face turned ashen. The Celestial Dipper was a treasure he had refined to control the soul black sand and starving ghosts of the Netherworld Yin Realm. Now, it was being used against him!
“Nether Emperor, is this not poetic justice?”
Netherworld Yin Lady’s laughter rang out. The Nether Sea crashed down with a roar, crushing countless Nether Capital gods and demons beneath it. The soul black sand surged, washing away the primordial spirits of countless skeletal demons!
These skeletal demons varied in strength. Some powerful ones survived the initial impact, but their primordial spirits were severely damaged.
Netherworld Yin Lady smiled. She inverted the Celestial Dipper again. The Nether Sea rose into the air once more and crashed down with another thunderous roar!
She toyed with it as if it were a small plaything, flipping the Celestial Dipper back and forth. The Nether Sea rose and fell repeatedly, smashing countless Nether Capital skeletal demons into dust, their primordial spirits shattering into sand!
The Nether Emperor was truly enraged. He had never been so angry in his life. From his youth, everything had gone smoothly for him. He had never suffered so many losses, nor such great losses!
Tian Shu and King Yan joined forces, madly attacking him. His mind was in turmoil, and he suffered more wounds. Just then, a gate rose slowly from the Nether Sea, standing tall upon its surface.
The Nether Capital Heavenly Gate.
This gate was not a divine ability but the true Nether Capital Heavenly Gate.
Many disciples of the Nether Capital had cultivated the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate divine ability, but their techniques were all derived from this gate.
This gate, in turn, was born from the Gate of Inheritance of Youdu. In certain aspects of Dao and magic, even the Gate of Inheritance was inferior to the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate. For instance, the gate’s power of reincarnation and creation was unmatched by the Gate of Inheritance.
Thus, this gate was also counted among the Four Great Heavenly Gates and was known as the Northern Heavenly Gate.
“Netherworld Yin Lady, do you think I fear you?”
The Nether Emperor laughed in fury. The Nether Capital Heavenly Gate suppressed the Nether Sea, calming it instantly. Even Netherworld Yin Lady, wielding the Celestial Dipper, could not stir it. “It’s time for you to witness the true power of an Imperial Seat!”
Within the Qin Continent, the Heavenly Lord and the Crimson Emperor took turns observing the outside world through Qin Mu’s third eye. From Tian Shu’s appearance and his saber charge into the Nether Capital, to Fengdu’s collision with the Nether Capital, to King Yan’s sword assault on the Nether Emperor, and finally to Netherworld Yin Lady suppressing tens of thousands of Nether Capital gods and demons with the Celestial Dipper across dimensions—the Heavenly Lord and Crimson Emperor watched with great excitement, clapping and cheering.
“Could it be that Qin Mu had already coordinated with the Woodcutter and the others to put on a good show?”
The Crimson Emperor laughed. “The timing is far too perfect. Tian Shu, who fights like a raging tiger, King Yan of Fengdu, and Netherworld Yin Lady, who was just recently resurrected—all these forces are linked in a single line. They were clearly prepared long ago! And with Qin Mu acting as the Son of Youdu, the bait, the Nether Emperor was sure to take the hook!”
The Heavenly Lord chuckled. “It was definitely prepared in advance. This battle is exhilarating! Qin Mu played his part convincingly too. Even I couldn’t see through his act.”
The Crimson Emperor laughed. “I couldn’t see a single flaw either. Just now, I thought he was truly controlled by demonic nature, about to go on a killing spree and devour the primordial spirits of the skeletal gods. Who would have thought that he would instantly use his third eye to disrupt the Nether Emperor’s primordial spirit, allowing Tian Shu to land a sneak attack? He must have been part of this surprise attack on the Nether Emperor! Earlier, when he pretended to be controlled by demonic nature, it was really frightening.”
The Heavenly Lord breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “If he can control the demonic nature of Youdu, then I can rest easy. What is he doing now?”
The two looked through Qin Mu’s third eye and saw a blurry image of the back of a head.
“This is…”
Both the Heavenly Lord and the Crimson Emperor were puzzled. Suddenly, they realized the truth.
“This kid is gnawing on the head of the Calamity God!”
At that moment, Qin Mu was lying on the back of the Calamity God, excitedly opening his mouth wide and biting down on the Calamity God’s head, making gurgling sounds from his throat.
The Calamity God’s head was covered in blood from his bites.
The Heavenly Lord and the Crimson Emperor exchanged a glance and said in unison, “This kid has truly fallen into demonic possession—it’s not an act!”
—Still a 3,500-word chapter. I’ve been busy lately and didn’t have time to check for typos. My apologies to my brothers and sisters. Please bear with me.