Chapter 988: The Iron Pass Truly Is Like Iron
The Supreme Purity Realm Dao Sword had already achieved the realm of the sword domain, which was fundamentally different from the previous thirty-two heavens of sword dao.
The previous thirty-two heavens of sword dao had not yet broken free from the pattern of entering the dao through techniques, whereas the Supreme Purity Realm Dao Sword entered the realm of the sword domain, somewhat similar to the Supreme Divine Consciousness Domain, and was therefore called the sword domain.
However, the sword domain was still different from the Supreme Divine Consciousness Domain.
The Supreme Divine Consciousness Domain focused more on the influence of divine consciousness over external objects. Entering the divine consciousness domain, everything gradually came to a standstill—this was the pinnacle of visualization.
The Opening Emperor's sword domain, on the other hand, focused more on offense, the pinnacle of the sword.
For Qin Mu, the Supreme Purity Realm Dao Sword was already difficult to understand and comprehend, yet beyond this heaven, there was another heaven that made his scalp tingle.
Finally, the Opening Emperor's thirty-fourth heaven sword domain was unleashed—the Supreme Clarity Realm Sword Domain. As soon as this sword was drawn, the entire Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court nearly boiled over.
The old ministers of the Opening Emperor era wept tears of joy, their voices merging into a torrent, calling out Qin Ye's name in unison. Their fervor was like a great flood sweeping across heaven and earth, involuntarily dragging even the new generation of gods and demons of Carefree Village into a state of worship for the Opening Emperor.
Their cries were like those of the ancient Creator race worshipping the Grand Emperor—so fervent, so frenzied, so irrational.
Qin Hanzhen and his wife frowned slightly, looking at the crowd around them that had lost their reason. This kind of frenzy was something they had never encountered before, making them uneasy.
Yan Yunxi also furrowed her brow. This situation made her deeply uneasy as well.
She had never seen the Opening Emperor use the Supreme Clarity Realm Sword Domain; it should have been a sword technique he created after taking over Carefree Village. But that was not the key point.
The key point was that the old ministers of the Opening Emperor and the new generation of gods and demons now regarded the Opening Emperor as an omnipotent deity. As the Opening Emperor fought Qin Mu, both unleashing the thirty-three heavens sword dao, the old ministers were awakened by the spirit contained within the sword dao, as if returning to the glorious years of the past.
Yet the situation was far more complicated than she had anticipated.
Qin Ye had not been the Opening Emperor from the start. He had gradually become the leader of that era through battle after battle, through life-and-death struggles against his enemies.
He carried far too many legendary stories, and without realizing it, he became a symbol of an era, the backbone of that time.
By the end of the Opening Emperor era, even the old ministers regarded the Opening Emperor as an undefeatable existence, an omnipotent being, the most sagacious and enlightened presence. They dared not question any of his decisions, nor would they.
This was also the reason why, after arriving in Carefree Village, the old ministers suddenly lost their spirit, and it was the root cause of the failure of the Opening Emperor's reforms.
They had erected a god in their dao hearts, and the Opening Emperor was that god, becoming their faith.
When the image of the Opening Emperor collapsed, their faith crumbled, leading to two thousand years of despondency and decay.
Now, the thirty-three heavens sword dao seemed to have returned them to that era of blind worship of the Opening Emperor.
Yan Yunxi's heart was in turmoil. Re-establishing the Opening Emperor as the god in the hearts of everyone in Carefree Village was absolutely disastrous!
Qin Mu using the Opening Emperor's thirty-three heavens sword dao to awaken the withered and decayed dao hearts of Carefree Village's old ministers was a good thing—Yan Yunxi had even abandoned the idea of having Qin Mu give the Opening Emperor a thorough beating.
But the Opening Emperor's charisma was too strong. Tying the spirit of an entire era to a single person would only lead to repeating past mistakes!
"The Opening Emperor must lose!"
Veins bulged on her forehead, and she gritted her teeth. Now she found herself missing the Woodcutter, Wen Tian Pavilion. "If Wen Tian Pavilion were here, he would surely have a way to prevent this from happening! But this bastard swore he would never enter Carefree Village..."
The Opening Emperor era was not the era of a single person, and the Opening Emperor's reforms were not the reforms of a single person.
Now, history was repeating itself, and she was powerless to stop it.
The Supreme Clarity Realm Sword Domain displayed astonishing combat power before everyone's eyes, nearly invincible. Qin Mu struggled to resist, but against this kind of sword domain, he seemed utterly helpless!
In the blink of an eye, he was covered in wounds.
He recognized this sword domain. In the Creator city within the Tai Xu Realm, Fire Heavenly Venerable had left behind his own dao imprint, and at that time, he had faced the Opening Emperor.
The Opening Emperor's sword domain had erupted, forcing Fire Heavenly Venerable to push his cultivation and power to their peak, yet even Fire Heavenly Venerable was wounded by the Supreme Clarity Realm Sword Domain!
Facing the Opening Emperor's sword domain, Qin Mu had done everything in his power, unleashing various sword techniques, even his own Calamity Sword, but in the end, the Opening Emperor's sword pierced through him!
At this moment, the cheers of Carefree Village's people reached their peak, the fervent waves of sound surging into the clouds, shaking the entire Carefree Village!
The Opening Emperor gripped the Carefree Sword, his expression as calm as ever, unshaken by anything.
Yet in his eyes, a trace of sorrow, a hint of grief, flickered.
Just then, rolling yellow sand swept in, filling the sky in an instant. The wind howled, as if an invisible giant had spread a desert across the heavens, creating the extraordinary phenomenon of a thousand-mile desert in the sky.
The Opening Emperor stood in the yellow sand desert, sword in hand, gazing ahead.
Doot-doot—
Above the Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court, an exceptionally clear war horn sounded, like the eve of battle. A giant stirred his primal energy, blowing the war horn, its stirring sound bringing waves of killing intent.
Ahead, the wind whipped the yellow sand into a sandstorm, burying even the Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court.
Qin Mu's figure emerged from the dust storm. Countless stars shone in the sky, and behind him, a primal tree took root, sprouted, and grew at a terrifying speed into a towering tree, level with the sun and moon, even rising beyond the heavens.
The Opening Emperor looked up and saw the Heavenly Duke; he looked down and saw the Earth Count.
Around him, celestial palaces emerged from the yellow sand desert, rolling dust flowing from them and pouring down. The evil celestial palace floated in the sky, while others sank into the ground.
Ancient gods sat in each celestial palace, ruling over this vast heavenly court. Countless ancient gods and demons with towering and ferocious forms seemed to be the oldest rulers of this world, controlling the fate of all living beings.
Qin Mu walked forward, and the entire heaven and earth moved with him, pressing down on the Opening Emperor with supreme pressure.
Starlight reflected, the dao runes of the ancient gods gleaming with bright colors, shining upon him. The Heavenly Duke's Xuan Du, the Earth Count's You Du, the Earth Mother's Yuan Du, the Empress and her sister's Gui Xu, the Yin Calamity Empress's Yin Calamity Realm, the Four Imperial Ancient Gods' Four Extremes Heaven—all the ancient gods cast their dao upon him, blessing him.
He was like the exalted Heavenly Emperor of the ancient gods, possessing incomparable power, controlling the life and death of all!
And the Opening Emperor, the Opening Emperor's era, the Opening Emperor's people—all were mere ants that could be crushed at will!
He possessed the strongest power in the world!
The Opening Emperor broke into a run, thrusting the Carefree Sword forward with all his might. One sword, thirty-three heavens, like an unparalleled warrior charging at the heavens.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Southern Heavenly Gates rose one after another before him. He charged through them, his body seeming to bear the weight of a celestial palace with each gate he passed. After breaking through fourteen Southern Heavenly Gates, he leaped into the air, only to be met by Qin Mu's fist.
The massive fist contained a power that inspired despair, crushing his thirty-three heavens sword dao, slamming into him, and sending him sprawling into the yellow sand.
This scene brought the cheers in the Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court to an abrupt halt. Both the old ministers and the new generation of gods and demons stared blankly at this sight, watching their invincible leader being knocked down with a single punch.
Suddenly, the Opening Emperor soared into the air. The Carefree Sword flew around him, reflecting countless teleportation runes, turning his form into a stream of sword light. He flew rapidly around the vast heavenly court, weaving around Qin Mu's towering figure, searching for an opening.
The cheers erupted again, wave after wave of sound—the people of the Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court cheering for the Opening Emperor, encouraging him.
The Opening Emperor struck again, unleashing the Supreme Clarity Realm Sword Domain, but it was met by a giant hand that swatted him like a fly, slamming him hard into the ground!
The cheers stopped once more.
The Opening Emperor staggered to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at the towering figure in the heavenly court.
With a roar, he charged forward again, fighting with all his might.
Boom!
He was slammed into the ground again, even harder than before. His limbs went weak, and he struggled briefly to get up before collapsing back down.
Finally, he rose again, facing the fist hurtling toward him, and barely lifted the Carefree Sword.
Boom!
He was driven deep into the yellow sand desert, his body tumbling like a tattered sack, kicking up waves of sand.
Qin Mu struck again and again. The people of the Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court below watched in a daze. Each of Qin Mu's punches seemed to land not on the Opening Emperor, but on them, shattering their worship, shattering their pride.
"You want to reform?"
The voice that came from Qin Mu's mouth was like that of a god from beyond the nine heavens—aloof, utterly cold: "You want to change this world?"
"With just you?"
"With just you alone?"
"Ridiculous!"
Boom!
He lifted his foot and stomped the Opening Emperor hard into the ground, laughing heartily: "The so-called Opening Emperor era never existed! It was always just you, stubbornly holding on! Who did you rely on? What dao companions did you have? You only had a pack of helpless servants! They are not your dao companions—they are just servants who worship you!"
"Why didn't you go along with the crowd? Why didn't you become a smiling, affable Qin Heavenly Venerable? Why do you still lift your head?"
Qin Mu stomped down again, bellowing: "Why do you still get up?"
The Opening Emperor held up his foot with both hands, kneeling on one knee, swaying, struggling to stand.
"Don't get up!"
A young god and demon wept: "Your Majesty, don't get up! Surrender!"
Qin Mu pressed down with his leg, stomping the Opening Emperor deep into the dust, his face twisted with ferocity: "You don't owe anyone anything! You haven't let anyone down! Just kneel down, and you can still be Qin Heavenly Venerable! Not the rebel Qin Ye, not the Opening Emperor enshrined on the altar in Carefree Village! Kneel down! Be Qin Heavenly Venerable!"
He lifted his foot, and the Opening Emperor lay in the imprint of his sole.
Qin Mu reached out with two fingers, pinching him like a tiny ant.
He looked down upon all living beings with contempt, laughing heartily: "These people are your dao companions? These are the main force of your Opening Emperor reforms? They are nothing but a bunch of pitiful wretches!"
"Qin Ye, surrender. These people aren't worth fighting for! Take off your clothes, come to the Heavenly Court, kneel before the Ten Heavenly Venerables, and confess your sins. You can still be Qin Heavenly Venerable, still be exalted, still be admired and worshipped by countless people!"
Just then, Qin Mu suddenly felt an endless surge of rage.
Below, in the Opening Emperor's Heavenly Court, an old minister tore off his upper garment, raised two large hammers, and struck the war drum hanging before the Southern Heavenly Gate. The thumping drumbeats rang out, and his hoarse, weathered voice turned into a heavy war song: "The west wind rages—"
Fang Youji tore off his clothes, removed his hat, let his hair down, set his coffin upright, and slapped it as he sang: "The west wind rages! The wild geese cry in the frosty moonlit sky!"
Yan Yunxi drew her sword, the blades clashing with a crisp sound: "Frosty moonlit sky! Horses' hooves shatter, bugles choke. The iron pass truly is like iron!"
One by one, the old ministers of the Opening Emperor erupted with the spirit of that troubled era, their energy like a rainbow. Their voices were no longer cries of worship, their dao hearts no longer the twisted faith that placed all hope on the Opening Emperor alone.
Their voices were low, yet filled with penetrating power, showing the new generation of Carefree Village the suffering and hope of those glorious years, shaking their hearts.
"The iron pass truly is like iron, yet now we stride forward from the start!"
"Yet now we stride forward from the start—from the start!"