Chapter 1418: Five Old Hands (First Update)
Last time Qin Mu came here, his understanding of the Dao of the Blade was not deep, and he did not dare to examine the Ancestral Court's Divine Execution Platform closely. But now, having reached a deeper level of enlightenment in the Dao of the Blade, when he looked at the Execution Platform again, he discovered many things he had never noticed before.
They were two blades like twin swimming dragons, gliding through the killing aura. These two divine blades possessed supreme murderous might, absorbing the killing aura that had gathered over countless eons, and over time they had become sentient!
Not only that, the two blades naturally contained the Great Dao of the Execution Platform itself. Logically speaking, they should have formed into living beings similar to the Ancient Gods, but for some unknown reason, they had instead formed into two divine blades.
The blade qi they had sensed came from these two divine blades!
However, these two blades were still in the process of formation—they had form but not yet substance. If one were to divide them according to the five stages of cosmic formation, among the Five Primordials, these two blades belonged to the stage of Primordial Beginning.
The Butcher's understanding of the Dao of the Blade surpassed everyone else's, which was why he could be the first to sense the two blades within the Execution Platform, while the others could not detect them.
Qin Mu's divine eyes were unparalleled, so he could also see them.
The five of them walked toward the Execution Platform. Heavenly King Tian Shu was shivering while gulping down fine wine. He was timid by nature, and only alcohol could suppress the cowardice in his heart.
The other Heavenly Kings of the Kaihuang Era often mocked Tian Shu, saying that before he drank, Tian Shu would massage the shoulders and beat the back of Emperor Kaihuang, but after drinking, he would squint and order Emperor Kaihuang to massage his shoulders instead.
Among the five of them, Tian Shu had originally been at the very back, but as he drank, he gradually moved to the front of the group. He reached up and tore open his robes, baring his chest, and laughed heartily: "That Consort Qiang is a pretty little thing, pity I never got to get close to her... eh, this woman's been left alone in her chambers, why doesn't she come out and give this old master a show..."
Consort Qiang's disciple was an existence at the Imperial Throne realm, named Fang Ziyan. Hearing this, she frowned deeply but forced herself to endure, thinking to herself: "This shifty-eyed fellow seems to be the rebel Tian Shu, the one who dared to contend with the King of Darkness. Lord Mu Thien Ton looks so refined and cultured—how did he end up associating with a rebel like this?"
Her cultivation realm was extremely high, and she was leading the way ahead. The blade qi from the Execution Platform posed a tremendous threat to her as well. The closer she got to the platform, the harder it became to endure.
The blade qi emanating from the Execution Platform not only invaded her body but also penetrated her Dao heart, causing great disturbance to it.
Even more terrifying was the fact that countless strands of blade qi invaded her primordial spirit, making it feel as though ten thousand blades were pressed against her, with sharp pains coming from time to time.
Moreover, the killing aura within the blade qi made her lose her composure. The killing aura harassed her, causing her temples to throb violently, blood rushing upward, and she wished she could chop the drunkard beside her into pieces!
But hateful Tian Shu, that drunkard, kept pressing closer to her, asking when Consort Qiang would come out to entertain Lord Tian.
"If it weren't for Lord Mu Thien Ton's sake, I would mince you into fine pieces, chop you into filling for noodles..." Fang Ziyan smiled, her teeth grinding audibly.
Her Dao heart was still no match for Qin Mu, the Butcher, and the others. Even Tian Shu was far stronger than her by an unknown margin.
A sober Tian Shu was timid as a mouse, but a drunk Tian Shu had an unimpeded Dao heart, his demonic nature fully unleashed, fearless, his Dao heart reaching the twenty-fifth heaven.
When they arrived at a place ten li from the Execution Platform, Fang Ziyan could no longer bear it. She hastily took out the protective talisman Consort Qiang had given her and hung it around her neck.
This jade talisman emitted a wondrous Dao resonance, pushing back the blade might of the Execution Platform, preventing the power of those two fierce blades from invading her body.
When they reached the foot of that colossal Execution Platform, even the jade talisman Consort Qiang had bestowed upon her seemed unable to withstand it, emitting fine cracking sounds.
Fang Ziyan was terrified and hastily said: "We have arrived at the Execution Platform, Lord Mu Thien Ton. This humble woman can only escort you this far! This Execution Platform is extremely perilous—please be careful, Heavenly Lord."
She was about to leave when Tian Shu squinted and noticed that there was actually a palace nearby. The area around the Execution Platform was completely barren—even the fertile soil of the Ancestral Court had been chopped into fine dust by the blade qi, with no plants and no mountains. The fact that this palace could survive in such a dangerous place was remarkable. He clicked his tongue in wonder and immediately charged toward it.
"This must be Consort Qiang's bedchamber—warm jade and fragrant silk!"
The drunken Heavenly King dragged his Imperial Gate Divine Blade and burst through the palace gates, shouting: "Consort Qiang is a rare beauty, come out quickly and let Lord Tian have some fun! Heh heh, if the Heavenly Emperor can bed her, why can't I?"
Fang Ziyan could no longer hold back. Her fury exploded, and she rushed forward, crying out sharply: "This is my lady's bedchamber! How dare you, a beggar, break in?"
Suddenly, a thunderous boom came from within the palace. Tian Shu flew backward, clearly thrown out by some extremely powerful seal within the palace, and he tumbled toward Fang Ziyan.
Fang Ziyan felt slightly relieved. She raised her hand and pressed it toward Tian Shu's back, using eighty to ninety percent of her strength, thinking to herself: "This fellow is a rebel. I'll spare his life for Lord Mu Thien Ton's sake, but I'll still teach him a lesson. As long as he suffers a single wound, the Execution Platform will drain all his blood and qi. Even if Lord Mu Thien Ton blames me, it won't fall on my head..."
Just as her palm was about to land on Tian Shu's back, suddenly the hilt of Tian Shu's Imperial Gate Divine Blade twisted around. Moving before her, striking first after being launched later, it gently tapped Fang Ziyan's chest.
The jade talisman on Fang Ziyan's chest let out a soft *ding* sound, then suddenly shattered with a crack!
Fang Ziyan's heart jolted. In an instant, the killing aura reached her body, and fine blade marks appeared on her skin—the blade qi of the Execution Platform had wounded her flesh!
The moment the blade qi wounded her skin, the killing aura had already invaded her body, injuring her primordial spirit and damaging her Dao heart!
The moment her Dao heart was damaged, the blood and qi within her body immediately went out of control, gushing out from the wounds on her body, drawn by the killing aura of the Execution Platform, surging toward it with a howl!
"I've been ambushed!"
Fang Ziyan immediately knew something was wrong. She quickly glanced at Qin Mu and the others, only to see Qin Mu, the Butcher, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang all watching coldly from the sidelines. When she had tried to ambush Tian Shu, none of the four had made a move to help.
Not only that, even the drunken Tian Shu seemed to have sobered up seventy or eighty percent, staring at her without blinking.
"They wanted to shatter my jade talisman to use the opportunity to observe the power of the Execution Platform!"
Fang Ziyan's wounds multiplied, and her blood and qi drained even faster. She let out a furious shout, and her Heavenly Palace materialized behind her.
Her primordial spirit was seated upon the throne of the Lingxiao Hall in the Jade Capital City of her Heavenly Palace. But now, her Heavenly Palace was filled with blade light everywhere, especially within the Lingxiao Hall, where the blade light surged like tides, leaving her primordial spirit covered in wounds!
Fang Ziyan mobilized all the power of her Heavenly Palace, forcibly resisting the blade might of the Execution Platform, and retreated at high speed, fleeing into the distance!
From her body, the blood and qi gushed out like a long rainbow, dragged by the Execution Platform. Even after Fang Ziyan had fled a hundred li, she still could not sever the platform's devouring.
She fled a thousand li before the Execution Platform could no longer devour her blood and qi. She breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly her vision went black, and she nearly fainted to the ground.
Qin Mu and the others' gazes followed her figure closely. Only when the Execution Platform stopped devouring her blood and qi did they each withdraw their gazes.
Tian Shu was utterly calm—where was the slightest trace of the drunken, rambling man from before?
"The blade might of the Execution Platform first breaks through the target's skin, then corrupts their Dao heart. Once the Dao heart collapses, blood and qi go out of control, and cultivation and strength rapidly decline, with blood and qi being devoured by the Execution Platform."
He said in a deep voice: "When entering the Execution Platform, one absolutely must not sustain any injury!"