Chapter 1253: The Sly Wen Tian Pavilion (Third Update)
Qin Mu was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long while. Many others were in the same state as him—whether friend or foe, all were utterly shaken by the means Wen Tian Pavilion had used to break through Hao Tianzun's arrangements!
Except for the Black Tiger God of the Woodcutter Saint, the Woodcutter could be said to be the weakest among the group, but his wisdom was the strongest. Even the seals laid down by Hao Tianzun could not stump him.
"Old thief Wen, what level of cultivation have you reached now?" Xi Tianjun asked with a tense expression.
The Woodcutter's face turned bitter, and he said hoarsely, "Still at the Yaochi realm."
"Then you're a Heavenly God?"
Xi Tianjun let out a long sigh of relief and muttered, "That's reassuring. A single breath from me could blow him to death... Gentlemen, let's explore this canyon and find Hao Tianzun quickly so we can report back!"
The others also breathed sighs of relief. Qi Xiayu said, "We are all loyal ministers and righteous warriors. Once we find Hao Tianzun, we'll treat his injuries and wish him eternal longevity and blessings as vast as the heavens. There's no time to waste—let's hurry inside!"
Xi Tianjun, Qi Xiayu, and the others charged into the canyon first, while the Woodcutter Saint and the Creator Xiu Zhong and his group lagged a step behind. Yan Yunxi's eyes flickered, and she said in a low voice, "Woodcutter, you broke Hao Tianzun's seals. If they rush in and join forces with Hao Tianzun against us, what then?"
The Woodcutter Saint laughed and said, "Who said I broke the seals?"
Yan Yunxi was stunned for a moment, then looked at the stone walls on both sides of the Eighth Canyon. She saw that the divine light in the canyon had been transformed by the Woodcutter into runes nailed onto the stone walls—it clearly looked like the Woodcutter had broken Hao Tianzun's seals!
"It only looks like they've been broken."
The Woodcutter said unhurriedly, "My cultivation is too low; I don't have the strength to break Hao Tianzun's seals. After a little while, these runes will transform back into radiant seals. Everyone, stay alert—be careful!"
Xiu Zhong and the Silkworm Woman hurried to their side. The Silkworm Woman pointed at the Woodcutter and said, "You old geezer are truly wicked..."
Xiu Zhong said, "Thank goodness that during the standoff with Wuyou Township back then, it was Heavenly Master Zixi and not the Woodcutter."
Yan Yunxi laughed and said, "I was never his match to begin with. Among all the Heavenly Masters, perhaps only the ancient Longshan Wanderer and Yue Tinge could match him in wisdom."
The Woodcutter suddenly tensed up and quickly shouted, "Be on guard! Hao Tianzun's seals are about to reappear! Everyone, protect me—I must not be injured!"
The group felt quite displeased, but they still shielded him in the center. The Black Tiger God, due to his low cultivation, also received protection.
On the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, countless magnificent ancient god Dao runes suddenly burst forth, transforming into streams of radiant light that flooded the Eighth Canyon!
The might of the Heavenly Venerable's seals erupted. Those walking ahead—Chi Di, Qi Xiayu, Xi Muhong, Xi Tianjun, and the others—immediately sensed something was wrong. Qi Xiayu and Xi Tianjun made a split-second decision and raised their respective Imperial Throne treasures to protect themselves.
Qi Xiayu's zither spun rapidly around the group, and the zither's sounds instantly transformed into layers of spatial barriers.
Xi Tianjun's Demon-Subduing Pestle vibrated endlessly in the air, splitting from one into two, two into four, four into eight—in an instant, the sky was filled with pestle shadows!
The other strong practitioners at the Yujing and Lingxiao realms also activated their divine weapons, but just as the power of their weapons began to emanate, the divine light had already engulfed them!
The ancient zither spun even faster, its notes more urgent, sealing off everything like a barrier, blocking the forbidden Dao might contained within the radiant light!
Qi Xiayu's expression was grave. The seals Hao Tianzun had laid down shattered the spatial barriers one after another, and the force reached her directly.
Suddenly, a phoenix cry rang out. She revealed her true form, transforming into a nine-headed phoenix, spreading her wings to forcefully resist the seals.
At the same time, Xi Tianjun's Demon-Subduing Pestle also struggled to block the forbidden Dao might. He felt as though ancient gods were using unparalleled Dao power to smash against the pestle.
Forced into a corner, he too revealed his true form—a Taowu beast, with divine light bursting from his entire body!
The two joined forces to block the might of the seals, but they saw that among the Lingxiao realm experts beside them, only a dozen or so remained. The other dozen or more had already been buried within the terrifying seals of the canyon!
The two combined their strength to shatter the radiant light and finally caught their breath. Xi Tianjun reverted to human form and roared angrily, "Wen, you sly thief—"
They had not been prepared, but Wu Dou Heavenly Master, Yan Yunxi, Xiu Zhong, and the others had been ready in advance. Though injured, they had preserved their lives.
The Woodcutter Saint heard Xi Tianjun's shout but turned a deaf ear to it. He had long grown accustomed to such things. He continued to instruct the group, saying, "Among the Yan Kang runes are ancient god Dao runes, sent by my useless second disciple. If you have any research on ancient god Dao runes, breaking them is actually not difficult. This radiant seal is actually the Xuandu Dao of the Heavenly Duke—the Heavenly Seal within the Heavenly Dao. You only need to break it like this..."
At the canyon entrance, Bai Yuqiong and Qin Mu stood outside, looking inward.
Bai Yuqiong saw the scene when the radiant light erupted and felt her heart pound with fear. She tested the waters, saying, "As a disciple of Wen Ji... Wen Tian Pavilion, Mu Heavenly Venerable, you should know how to break the seals here, right? Wen Tian Pavilion wouldn't have failed to teach you even this, would he?"
Qin Mu snorted coldly and said flatly, "He never taught me his knowledge—rather, he learned quite a bit from me. His method of breaking seals likely came from Yan Kang, either from the Dao Sect or obtained from Xu Shenghua. Breaking this is not difficult for me."
Bai Yuqiong smiled slightly, assuming he was just bragging to save face.
What she didn't know was that the ancient god Dao runes of Yan Kang indeed came from Qin Mu—he had stolen them from the Heavenly Court's Guardian Archive Pavilion.
Qin Mu said in a deep voice, "However, my cultivation isn't strong enough. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to break the seals and go deep inside alone, so I'll need your help, Heavenly Master Bai. Follow me—we'll stand back to back, each covering one side."
He shook his body and revealed his Three Heads and Six Arms form, allowing him to keep an eye on the radiant seals from all directions.
Though he only had enough power to protect himself and couldn't shield Bai Yuqiong, he could still guide her.
The two carefully walked into the canyon. Compared to Chi Di, Qi Xiayu, and their group, they appeared far more composed.
However, Chi Di and Xi Tianjun were at the very front after all, and their strength was formidable. They forcefully broke through the seals all the way, gradually going deeper into the Eighth Canyon.
Along the way, Qin Mu and Bai Yuqiong encountered dangers but escaped unscathed, and they were about to reach the end of the canyon.
The four groups ahead had already reached the end. Before them was a valley shrouded in thick black aura, and each group had sent scouts ahead to explore.
Suddenly, a shrill voice came from ahead: "Hao Tianzun's heart demon has appeared! Everyone be careful!"
"The heart demon's strength is formidable!"
"Watch out! That's Mu—ah—"
Someone fell victim and died on the spot, but another voice shouted fiercely, "Watch out for Mu Heavenly Venerable!"
Xi Tianjun and Chi Di were stunned: "Mu Heavenly Venerable?"
Soon, all sound from the darkness ahead ceased. The many strong practitioners who had come here tensed up, staring at the dark valley ahead. They saw a figure slowly walking out from the darkness.
The figure held a sword in one hand and a severed head in the other, slowly raising his head to reveal Qin Mu's face.
Hao Tianzun's heart demon—Qin Mu!