Chapter 1319: Same Year, Same Month, Same Day, Die Together (Third Update)
Tần Mục paced back and forth, forcibly suppressing the curiosity in his heart, deciding not to think about this matter of Tổ Đình Ngọc Kinh.
Thái Đế smiled, knowing that the more one suppressed it, the heavier the curiosity would grow. Sooner or later, Tần Mục would be unable to restrain himself and would definitely rush off to Tổ Đình Ngọc Kinh to deliver himself to his death!
In history, those who achieved great accomplishments all shared a common trait — they possessed an insatiable curiosity, filled with wonder toward the unknown, and would instead overlook whether they might encounter danger when facing that unknown.
Those who survived achieved fame and glory, but countless numbers had also died because of it!
Thái Đế chuckled: "Mục Thiên Tôn, I've told you the geographical map of Ngọc Kinh Thánh Thành. You can now go to my territory and pass the trial of Trảm Thần Đài!"
Tần Mục shook his head: "My cultivation realm hasn't reached the required level yet. I cannot ascend the Trảm Thần Đài."
Thái Đế was stunned: "What realm are you at now?"
Tần Mục said somewhat guiltily: "Linh Thai..."
"Pah!"
The head of Thái Đế at the center of the great seal spat out a burst of divine consciousness, enraged: "You're at Linh Thai realm? Why don't you just say you're at Võ Giả realm? Speak like a normal person!"
Tần Mục hesitated for a moment, then said honestly: "It's the Thiên Cung realm within the Linh Thai realm. Thiên Cung is a minor realm within my Linh Thai realm, and within Thiên Cung there are seven tiny realms: Tôn Thần, Chân Thần, Dao Đài, Trảm Thần Đài, Ngọc Kinh, Lăng Tiêu, and Đế Tọa. Currently I'm at the peak of Chân Thần, about to step into the Dao Đài realm..."
Thái Đế was silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the information contained in his words. After a long while, he shook his head and probed: "Divided by Đạo Cảnh, what level of Thiên are you at?"
"Đạo Cảnh twenty-four trọng thiên."
Tần Mục said: "However, my Đạo Cảnh seems to be a bit different from others'. My Đạo Cảnh appears to be somewhat stronger..."
Thái Đế's brow twitched. Đạo Cảnh twenty-four trọng thiên — his strength should be equivalent to the Ngọc Kinh realm within the Thiên Cung realm. But in this battle with Tần Mục, although he had no Nguyên Thần, his realm had reached the Đế Tọa level!
With his combat power, even without a Nguyên Thần, his actual fighting strength wouldn't be much inferior to beings at the Đế Tọa realm. Yet in his battle with Tần Mục, he had been thoroughly defeated, stripped of armor and weapons, and even his most powerful divine ability had been broken by Tần Mục!
One must know, from the ancient times to the present, no one had ever been able to break his Thần Thức Đại La Thiên divine ability!
This divine ability was one that contained the Đạo Quả and Đạo Hoa, and Tần Mục was the first person to break his divine ability!
Even Hạo Thiên Tôn had failed to break his divine ability!
"Your realm is a bit strange... strange..."
Thái Đế thought carefully but still couldn't figure out where Tần Mục's strength lay, so he could only attribute Tần Mục's power to his simultaneous cultivation of both the Thiên Cung Thiên Đình system and the Đạo Cảnh.
"Since we've already come to an agreement, then Mục Thiên Tôn, you can now undo the seal and release me."
Thái Đế smiled: "Rest assured, as an emperor of the ancient era, I wouldn't break my word over such a trivial matter."
Tần Mục hesitated.
Thái Đế grew suspicious and sneered: "Are you going to break your word? Don't forget, Mục Thiên Tôn, I have another identity — that of Tường Thiên Phi! Moreover, I can also mobilize the Thần Thức Đại La Thiên imprint in the Ultimate Void to blast you to death! Don't force me to fight to the death."
Tần Mục quickly smiled: "Đạo huynh overthink this! Đạo huynh, have you forgotten? We're sworn brothers! Back then we agreed to die in the same year, same month, same day! How could I go back on my word?"
Thái Đế's face darkened like iron. Mentioning this matter filled him with pent-up frustration. He sneered: "Back then I made that pact with you under the identity of Đại Hồng. It doesn't count."
"Right, big brother, did you know? Third brother La Tiêu has already died. Little brother has been pondering how to send big brother and second brother to accompany him."
Tần Mục wrung his hands in exaggerated grief, his face flushing with excitement as he choked up: "Sending both elder brothers to accompany third brother has always been little brother's long-cherished wish! Third brother has been gone for eight hundred thousand years..."
"Stop your nonsense!"
Thái Đế roared in fury: "Are you releasing me or not?"
Tần Mục said solemnly: "Elder brother, calm your anger. You say you won't break your word, and I say I won't break my word, and Thiên Đế Thái Sơ also says he won't break his word. But all three of us are people who break their word. The four of us swore to die in the same year, same month, same day, yet third brother has been gone for eight hundred thousand years while the three of us are still alive and well — not one of us went to die with him. So, I cannot trust big brother."
Thái Đế was about to flare up when Tần Mục quickly said: "What I mean is, when I go to the Trảm Thần Đài, that's when I'll release you. We're sworn brothers, so let's settle accounts clearly..."
"Don't call me big brother!" Thái Đế said viciously.
Tần Mục changed his address and smiled: "Elder brother..."
"Pah!"
Tần Mục was sprayed with divine consciousness all over his face but didn't mind. The divine consciousness dried on his face on its own. He said: "Đạo huynh, calm your anger. Neither of us are people who keep their word, so how do I know you won't go back on your word? If I release you and you suddenly change your mind, wouldn't I be left with nothing but an empty basket after drawing water?"
Thái Đế's expression darkened. After a moment, he sneered: "I can wait until you go to the Trảm Thần Đài, but during this time, you cannot activate me as a treasure to fight others. The face of Thái Đế absolutely cannot be lost!"
Tần Mục nodded repeatedly and smiled: "I understand your thoughts, elder brother..."
"Another thing — don't call me elder brother, and don't call me big brother either!"
Tần Mục smiled: "We did swear brotherhood after all. Not asking to be born in the same year, same month, same day..."
"Don't bring that up again either!"
...
Tần Mục thought for a moment, then sent the various collections stored in his Tần Tự Đại Lục into his Linh Thai Thần Tàng before storing the precious seal into his brow. After all, his Tần Tự Đại Lục still contained many treasures, some of which couldn't be seen in the light — such as the divine bow of a powerful being from the previous era, as well as the physical body of Nguyên Mẫu Phu Nhân.
The Linh Thai Thần Tàng was also located at the brow, but it didn't intersect with the Tần Tự Đại Lục. On ordinary days, the Thái Thủy Chi Noãn was placed in the Thái Thủy mineral vein within the Linh Thai Thần Tàng.
Inside the precious seal, the head of Thái Đế looked around and suddenly caught sight of the pupil of Tần Mục's vertical eye — the Thái Cực Nguyên Thạch embedded at the center of the Tần Tự Đại Lục. He quickly mustered his divine consciousness, barely managing to lift the seal and fly, panting as he flew toward the Thái Cực Nguyên Thạch.
He had just flown up to it and was about to examine the nguyên thạch closely when Tần Mục sensed something was wrong. He immediately grabbed him out of the Tần Tự Đại Lục and said amiably: "Thái Đế đạo huynh, I have a few little secrets here that I'd rather not have you know. I'll have to trouble you — I'll carry you on my back instead." With that, he took out a golden rope and tied the great seal to his own back.
Thái Đế's head faced outward, face down, able to see only Tần Mục's heels. He sneered: "Mục Thiên Tôn, you acted quickly, but I still caught the key detail. That stone is a divine stone of the same grade as the Thái Sơ Nguyên Thạch — both are nguyên thạch excavated from ancient mineral veins!"
Tần Mục headed toward Đại Hắc Mộc, saying with an ambiguous smile: "Thái Đế's insight is indeed astonishing. However, my nguyên thạch is different from your Thái Sơ Nguyên Thạch. Mine was given to me willingly by the owner of the mining area, while you seized yours by robbing Thái Sơ. You've forged a deep enmity with Thái Sơ, but the owner of the mining area and I are kindred spirits!"
Thái Đế laughed heartily: "How important is an nguyên thạch to the ancient god in that mining area? How could they possibly give it to you? It must be that you extorted them, forcing them to hand it over. Mục Thiên Tôn, I'm afraid you have a misunderstanding about the word 'friendship.' That ancient god has no friendship toward you whatsoever — rather, they're scheming against you."
Tần Mục hesitated, then shook his head and said sincerely: "I still believe that human nature is inherently good."
Thái Đế laughed in anger: "Words like that coming from your mouth — a person with a kind face but a black heart — are truly an irony against the goodness of human nature! Setting that aside, I detected the aura of Thái Sơ from your eye pupil. So it was you who stole the eggshell of Thái Sơ, wasn't it?"
"Don't you slander me with blood on your mouth!"
Tần Mục's face flushed red as he stammered: "Slandering with blood on one's mouth... A gentleman stays firm in poverty, a villain becomes reckless in poverty. How could I possibly do such a thing? It would be a disgrace to scholarship! Slandering with blood on one's..."
Thái Đế sneered continuously. At that moment, a root quietly emerged from the ground behind them. Thái Đế's heart stirred: "Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân?"
The root of Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân extended longer and longer, gently touching the precious seal carried on Tần Mục's back, attempting to undo the seal's binding.
The head of Thái Đế's eyes flickered, thinking to himself: "Those who share misfortune are bound together. Perhaps Địa Mẫu Nguyên Quân will be the one to untie my bonds. Địa Mẫu has been severely wounded and is surrounded by enemies on all sides, with no friends. She wants to join forces with me... Although she and I have had our grudges in the past, joining forces isn't out of the question..."