Chapter 1343: Showing Strength (Fourth Update!)
The mass of karmic fire suddenly split apart. Its structure resembled a cocoon, with layer upon layer of construction. Each layer of the karmic fire cocoon was branded full of the great Dao runes of the Netherworld, extremely resplendent.
The karmic fire egg had a total of thirty-six layers of cocoon. The further inward one went, the stronger the karmic fire burned, and the greater its power.
When the final layer of the karmic fire cocoon was peeled away, Qin Mu and Moon Heavenly Venerable saw Ugly Earth Lord.
Ugly, who was suppressed within Jade Lock Pass, enduring the tempering of boundless karmic fire.
Ugly was not inside this karmic fire egg, but rather within Jade Lock Pass. Yet the energy within this karmic fire egg was continuously flowing into Ugly's body!
Ugly had committed a heinous crime. His body was wrapped in chains manifested by the great Dao of the Netherworld, yet he had forcibly dragged the Netherworld toward the Heavenly Court, bathing it in blood to avenge his family and fight for his daughter's life.
He had destroyed nearly half of the Heavenly Court, sending countless ancient gods and demigods to their graves at his hands, even slaughtering princes and imperial grandsons.
His sins were monstrous. Even though he was the reincarnation of Earth Lord, he still had to atone, forever sinking in the karmic fire, enduring its torment.
Ugly was Earth Lord, but Earth Lord was not Ugly. Earth Lord had to act impartially and could not show favoritism, so Earth Lord had suppressed Ugly.
But Earth Lord simply could not show favoritism—he still had selfish desires. He envied Ugly, wanted to become Ugly, and so he used the karmic fire of all living beings to forge a true body for Ugly.
"The sins of all living beings, let them fall upon me."
Earth Lord said calmly, "When the day I die comes, that will be the moment I break free from my bonds."
Qin Mu frowned but said nothing more.
Moon Heavenly Venerable's brow furrowed slightly as well, and she too fell silent.
They had hoped Earth Lord would become their ally and fight alongside them. Now was the time when the Ten Heavenly Venerables were at their weakest.
Heavenly Venerable Hao had been severely wounded, Heavenly Venerable Xiao had been exiled, Grand Emperor was left with only a head, and even if Imperial Concubine Qiang recovered fully from her injuries, her threat level would not be great. Ancestral God King, Langxuan Divine Emperor, and Imperial Concubine Yan were each wounded, while Heavenly Venerable Fire and Heavenly Venerable Void had yet to fully recover from their injuries.
Heavenly Venerable Hong was the reincarnation of Heaven Duke, and Heavenly Venerable Gong would most likely choose to remain neutral. The only one maintaining peak combat power was Lady Yuanmu.
Now was the optimal time to strike against the Ten Heavenly Venerables. If Heaven Duke and Earth Lord were to raise the call to arms, with Moon Heavenly Venerable, Heavenly Venerable Hong, and Heavenly Venerable You assisting, with East Emperor Azure Dragon, West Emperor White Tiger, and North Emperor Dark Warrior rising up, and with Kaihuang Qin Ye and Langwan Divine King charging out from the Great Void, the tide of victory could be said to be tipping in their favor.
However, Earth Lord harbored a desire for death, wanting to shed his current body of the great Dao.
This was something neither Qin Mu nor Moon Heavenly Venerable had anticipated.
"Earth Lord is nurturing Ugly, and Heaven Duke is nurturing Heavenly Venerable Hong. They must both be weary of their own bodies of the great Dao, wanting to use a great calamity to shed their current identities and gain freedom."
Qin Mu and Moon Heavenly Venerable left Earth Lord's body, and Moon Heavenly Venerable said to Qin Mu, "Or perhaps, Earth Lord and Heaven Duke are actually indulging the Ten Heavenly Venerables in killing them."
Qin Mu nodded and said softly, "Now is indeed not the time to go to war. If we do, Earth Lord and Heaven Duke—one cannot leave the Netherworld, the other cannot leave the Mystic Capital. They can only fight on their own territories. Leaving those places, their combat power would be greatly diminished. Moreover, although we have no shortage of high-end combat power on our side, your combat power, along with Heavenly Venerable You's, Kaihuang's, and Langwan's, is actually inferior to that of the Ten Heavenly Venerables."
Moon Heavenly Venerable nodded in agreement.
She had been crippled for over forty thousand years, Heavenly Venerable You had sealed himself away for a million years, Kaihuang had hidden in the Land of No Worries for over twenty thousand years. As for Langwan, though she had never met her, her strength probably would not be much higher either.
Dark Warrior, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon were very powerful on their own territories, but once they left those territories, their strength would decline.
Not to mention whether Earth Lord and Heaven Duke wanted to fight—even if they did, this battle would be extremely difficult, and might very well result in total annihilation!
Just Heavenly Venerable Xiao alone had required Moon Heavenly Venerable, Heavenly Venerable You, and Earth Lord to join forces, and even then they could not contend with him. If not for Qin Mu using the eggshell of Grand Emperor Taichu against him, those three existences would have suffered a great loss!
As for the three ancient god emperors Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Dark Warrior, they were all blocked in their respective lairs, unable to leave!
Kaihuang and Langwan were also blocked in the Great Void by Heavenly Venerable Fire and Heavenly Venerable Void.
"I've realized that not many of our allies are truly of one mind with us."
Qin Mu felt somewhat dispirited and said in a low voice, "Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Dark Warrior allied with us for the sake of their own positions as ancient gods, to restore their rule. Heaven Duke and Earth Lord allied with us to use our power to protect their reincarnated bodies, giving them a chance to break free from the shackles of the great Dao."
He said with a bitter tone, "Langwan is for the future of the Creator race. If she were asked to risk the annihilation of the Creators, or if the Ten Heavenly Venerables offered her favorable terms, she would defect without hesitation. Heavenly Venerable Hong won't help us. Heavenly Venerable Gong's relationship with me is merely one of mutual benefit—when I can't give her benefits, she'll stand on the side with greater benefits. Lady Yuanmu goes without saying. What they pursue is not the same as what we pursue."
Moon Heavenly Venerable stopped walking and smiled, "However, we now have the power to wrestle with the Ten Heavenly Venerables, don't we?"
Qin Mu revealed a smile and also stopped: "Yes. Compared to the Yan Kang Calamity back then, with that deep sense of despair and helplessness, things are already far better now."
The two resumed walking and left Earth Lord's palace. Qin Mu said, "Among our allies, the ancient gods cannot be relied upon much. They might drag us down at any moment, so we must have our own strength! Moon, you and You should go to Yan Kang and study the fruits of the Yan Kang reforms. Even if you can't abolish the Divine Bridge, you can at least gain more divine powers."
Moon Heavenly Venerable hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, saying, "The Primordial Realm currently has no master. The other Heavenly Venerables will certainly take advantage of the void, which will likely be very unfavorable for Yan Kang."
Qin Mu said coolly, "Since we now have the power to wrestle with the Ten Heavenly Venerables, why not use it? The Primordial Realm has no master—so it's time for us to show our strength!"
Moon Heavenly Venerable's heart shook violently, and she probed, "You mean?"
"Power must be used!"
Qin Mu's spirit was invigorated, his eyes shining: "Heaven Duke, Earth Lord, Dark Warrior, White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Heavenly Venerable You, and you too, Moon—all of you must go to the Primordial Realm and carve out territories as kings!"
"If we don't dare to completely break with the Ten Heavenly Venerables, do they dare to completely break with us?"
His palm clenched tightly, his eyes bright: "The era of feudal lords contending for supremacy in the Primordial Realm has arrived!"
In the Primordial Realm, the Heavenly Court's Constabulary, even with the Hound of Heaven, Great Sun Star Lord releasing the Golden Crow Army, and the Heavenly Eye race and Heavenly Ear race, were all searching everywhere throughout the Primordial Realm, turning over nearly every heaven upside down.
Even the Netherworld Emperor, hearing that the Primordial Realm had undergone changes, had come from the Great Void under orders from Heavenly Venerable Hao. Suddenly, many ghosts and spirits appeared in the sky, flying across it holding the Book of Life and Death.
The golden light of the Book of Life and Death shone as they searched the entire world.
The various heavens of the Primordial Realm were greatly disturbed but dared not show anger or speak out. The Heavenly Court hadn't caught the culprits, but the wealth they had plundered was considerable.
Undercurrents surged through the Primordial Realm. Rumors and legends spread everywhere, saying that the disappearance of the World Tree and the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable was because Heavenly Venerable Xiao had met with misfortune. Now that the Primordial Realm had no master, so many deities had come from the Heavenly Court precisely to search for Heavenly Venerable Xiao's whereabouts.
There were also rumors that the Heavenly Venerables were eyeing the Primordial Realm covetously, all wanting to take a share of the spoils while Heavenly Venerable Xiao was missing.
Though these were rumors, their authenticity was quite high.
One day, suddenly the western part of the Primordial Realm became incomparably bright. Beams of pure white light descended from the sky like comets striking the earth, crashing down upon the Western Lands with a roar.
Where the light landed, palaces rapidly grew beneath the glow!
It was divine gold and divine iron growing on their own!