Chapter 1224: Great Joy at the Door (Second Update!)
Hồ Mộng Điệp's body swayed unsteadily, and finally collapsed to the ground.
"Âm Thiên Tử truly has great skill, even his disciples are this outstanding."
Tần Mục sheathed his sword, his expression grave. The reason Hồ Mộng Điệp had no power to resist before him was not because his cultivation was stronger—in fact, Hồ Mộng Điệp's cultivation was still deeper than his.
What allowed him to slay Hồ Mộng Điệp was that he had nearly thoroughly studied and understood the divine powers and techniques of the Âm Thiên Tử lineage.
Moreover, his attainments in the path of reincarnation also closely rivaled those of Âm Thiên Tử. Even so, the insufficiency of his cultivation forced him to use dreams to lure Hồ Mộng Điệp, making her expend her magical power to break the dreamscape.
Only at the very end, when Hồ Mộng Điệp had exhausted her cultivation, did she die beneath his sword.
"The Vô Vọng Thành that Hồ Mộng Điệp refined also shows great ingenuity—it is quite a fine treasure."
Tần Mục raised his hand, and Vô Vọng Thành flew up, transforming back into a wooden stake. This stake had only three hundred and sixty-five rings of annual growth, likely just a single branch from the Nguyên Mộc. For Hồ Mộng Điệp to have refined it to such a degree was truly extraordinary.
Back then, Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân had given Tần Mục a core of the Nguyên Mộc with as many as fifty million growth rings. If it were refined using Hồ Mộng Điệp's method, the terror of its power would be unimaginable!
"From this alone, one can also see the might of the Nguyên Mộc. Hiểu Thiên Tôn is unfathomably deep—"
His vigilance toward the strength of the Ten Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court grew even greater. Hạo Thiên Tôn had fought to the death against Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân, and Hiểu Thiên Tôn had seized the Nguyên Mộc—these two were likely the supreme existences among the Ten Heavenly Venerables!
Nương Thiên Phi had taken back Thái Đế's physical body, which was also incomparably terrifying, but whether she could suppress these two remained unknown.
He walked forward. He had already comprehended the path of reincarnation, though it was still incomplete, and the seventeenth heavenly palace, the Luân Hồi Thiên Cung, had not yet been fully established. But this was determined by his foundation.
His path of reincarnation was more complete than Âm Thiên Tử's. Âm Thiên Tử could refine the Luân Hồi Thiên Cung because his natural talent was limited—he could only comprehend this much and hastily forge his heavenly palace.
But Tần Mục sought perfection, and his foundation was too excellent. He wanted to refine it even more flawlessly, and precisely because of this, it was even harder for him to complete the Luân Hồi Thiên Cung.
"The Heavenly Court's main camp should be close now."
Tần Mục looked ahead and saw the phantom shadows of divine cities towering within the Thái Hư. Viewed from the Thái Hư U Đô, everything was only gray—no figures could be seen, only the constantly moving Sinh Tử Thần Tàng.
The Sinh Tử Thần Tàng is the sixth great divine repository of the human body. Anyone who opens their Sinh Tử Thần Tàng can understand life and death, and know how much lifespan they have remaining.
However, the Sinh Tử Thần Tàng connects to U Đô, which leads to a terrifying consequence: one can invade another's Sinh Tử Thần Tàng from U Đô, causing the target to die inexplicably.
This was also the reason the Heavenly Court was determined to seize U Đô.
If they controlled U Đô, then no one in the world would be able to resist the Heavenly Court!
The Thái Hư U Đô was built by Tần Phượng Thanh and possessed some of U Đô's characteristics, which was why one could observe the Sinh Tử Thần Tàng of gods, demons, and divine ability users from here.
However, the Sinh Tử Thần Tàng of the Heavenly Court's army were all sealed. Viewed from the Thái Hư U Đô, the light of runes flickered—this should have been set up by powerful experts proficient in formations, guarding against attacks from U Đô.
Beyond that, the various killing formations within those divine cities blazed with overwhelming killing intent. Even from within the Thái Hư U Đô, one could sense their extreme danger, making people hesitate to approach.
"It won't be easy for me to sneak into the city. I'd better move closer and reveal myself directly. As Mục Thiên Tôn, Hỏa Thiên Tôn and Hư Thiên Tôn wouldn't dare to destroy me outright before the entire army."
Tần Mục raised his foot and was about to step forward when suddenly he saw cherry blossoms fluttering in profusion ahead, grass growing and orioles flying—the entire world suddenly became vivid and alive, bringing other colors to U Đô.
Within that cherry blossom grove, orioles sang and maidens danced, the music melodious and lingering, accompanied by the babbling sound of water. Before he even saw the scene, Tần Mục's mind involuntarily conjured an image of a clear pond, with many women on the shore strumming zithers and singing softly, while in the pond, a young woman raised her hand from the water, revealing a fair arm, her five fingers like white scallions.
Tần Mục smiled and walked toward the cherry blossom grove.
He parted the flowers and brushed through the willows, stepping into this enchanting place.
After only a few steps, he saw several pieces of clothing hanging from the cherry blossom trees—thin as cicada wings, soft as silk.
Tần Mục paused to look, then continued forward. Suddenly a piece of clothing slipped down from a tree and landed on his shoulder. Tần Mục took it off—it was a white bellyband.
He picked up the bellyband and brought it to his nose, inhaling a faint fragrance.
Tần Mục held the bellyband in his hand, crumpling it into a ball. It was so light it seemed to have no weight at all.
He walked two more steps forward, and the music became clearer. Several rows of houses with red tiles and white walls appeared before him, along with a fence woven from bamboo—not tall, only reaching chest height.
Inside the fence was a clear pond, with many women playing by its edge. Some ran about barefoot in wet shorts, some sat by the pond strumming zithers, some held pipas in their arms, and one with fiery red lips and a cherry-like small mouth held a grape between her teeth, pressing down on another girl in white clothes, feeding her the grape mouth-to-mouth.
The white clothes of that girl were already wet, and with her eyes closed, she accepted the grape from the red-lipped woman's mouth.
Tần Mục peered over the fence and saw that the clear pond was covered with red garments. A woman rose slowly from amidst the red cloth, revealing half her body, and chuckled: "The esteemed Mục Thiên Tôn—why does he only dare to watch from outside and not come in?"
The women by the pond all turned to look outward and laughed: "Mục Thiên Tôn's reputation is formidable, yet he turns out to be a lecher—only daring to look, not daring to enter."
Tần Mục laughed heartily: "Âm Thiên Tử truly knows how to enjoy himself, to have so many beauties by his side. I think this red apricot branch is about to stretch out beyond the fence."
The red-clad figure in the pond rose slowly like blazing fire. The woman's fair toes lightly touched the water's surface, red garments wrapping around her as she landed upon a throne by the pond's edge. The other women surged forward, some lying on their sides, some leaning against her, gathering around her.
Tần Mục pushed open the fence and walked in. With a slight visualization, a throne appeared on its own, and he sat down by the pond across from the women, smiling: "I have not yet married. I wonder if Âm Thiên Tử would be willing to part with one of his beauties?"
The red-clad woman raised a hand to cover her chest, but her garment slipped down from her shapely leg, revealing a stretch of long, fair, slender leg. She giggled: "If Mục Thiên Tôn can take a liking to these common beauties, then by all means, pick whichever you want. Which one has caught the Heavenly Venerable's eye?"
Tần Mục raised his hand and pointed. The red-clad woman laughed: "I won't do. I am old and my beauty has faded, with the grace of a drooping willow. Besides, I am the imperial consort of the Minh Đế—hardly worthy of a Heavenly Venerable's regard."
Tần Mục smiled: "Green green your collar, lingering in my heart; for your sake alone, I ponder still. If Âm Thiên Tử will not part with you, then I shall have to kill him and take his wife by force."
The red-clad woman giggled, her jade fingers like white scallions as she pointed delicately at him, laughing: "If the Heavenly Venerable kills a high minister of the Heavenly Court over a woman, people will surely jab at his spine with their words. This concubine would not wish to be the one to make the Heavenly Venerable bear such infamy."
She was separated from him by the pond, yet her jade finger came directly to the space between Tần Mục's brows.
Tần Mục sat there unmoving, a smile on his face.
Just as the red-clad woman's fingertip was about to reach the vertical eye on his forehead, Tần Mục opened the eye between his brows.
The woman, Ngọc Vũ Phi, suddenly had her delicate finger explode—flesh and blood dissolving away, leaving only a single bone!
Ngọc Vũ Phi was both shocked and enraged. She let out a furious cry and rose abruptly, her red garments blazing like fire!
Around her, those delicate, coquettish women also soared into the air and landed behind her, valiant and spirited, wielding all manner of divine weapons, their killing intent surging as they stood within her heavenly palace!
Tần Mục laughed heartily as the throne beneath him collapsed with a boom, turning to dust: "A man's three great joys: promotion, wealth, and a dead wife! It seems Âm Thiên Tử is about to receive great joy at his door!"
[End of Chapter]