Chapter 1537: The First Battle
At the source of the Yong River, the Heavenly River had already changed its course, following the Heavenly Court's migration to the Ancestral Court, and had returned to its original position. At this moment, the river channel of the Yong River no longer held the magnificent, surging waters it once did.
The river channel remained, but the Heavenly River had drifted into the sky.
There was still water in the river, but it was shallow and murky, containing only some fish, shrimp, and aquatic creatures. The dragon race that originally lived here had migrated into the sky along with the Heavenly River, establishing magnificent palaces in the aerial Heavenly River.
However, many gods and demons were stationed around the river channel, standing in strict formation.
When the Seven Heavenly Venerables visited the Black Mountain Sacred Land, Fire Heavenly Venerable, Palace Heavenly Venerable, and Taiyin Empress heard that Qin Mu had come to rescue Ling Heavenly Venerable, so they rushed over in a flurry—only to find nothing.
Their status was extraordinary, and since they had waited for Qin Mu in vain for so long, they naturally couldn't stay here forever. The gods and demons stationed here were precisely their subordinates.
Qin Mu glanced around and saw that those gods and demons had already set up camp here, building small divine cities one after another. When they saw him, they acted as if they were facing a great enemy.
From those camps and divine cities, messenger gods and demons sped away one after another, presumably to notify Fire Heavenly Venerable and the others.
Qin Mu paid them no mind and walked straight to the edge of a divine city, smiling: "Who will go notify Xiao Heavenly Venerable for me?"
The defending general in the city trembled with fear, shouting loudly: "Mu Heavenly Venerable, don't be so arrogant! This is not a place where you can run wild..."
Qin Mu swept his gaze over, and a Guixu Great Abyss appeared above that divine city.
The defending general's face turned pale, and none of the gods and demons in the city dared to make any move.
The Guixu Great Abyss rotated, its immense gravitational tides locking onto all of them. If the abyss's power erupted, it could swallow every single one of them without leaving a trace!
Qin Mu's expression was kind, and he smiled gently: "No need to be afraid. I am, after all, a Heavenly Venerable, not some bloodthirsty demon who kills without blinking. Who will go notify Xiao Heavenly Venerable?"
"Your servant will go at once!"
The defending general hastily transformed into a beam of divine light and fled into the distance, heading straight for the nearest Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge.
Qin Mu dispersed his Guixu divine ability and walked into the divine city, going straight to the city tower to take a seat. The gods and demons in the city held their breath, not daring to speak. A few clever divine soldiers and generals quickly presented fine tea, fine wine, and dried fruit, and also ordered singing girls to come forward, playing silk and bamboo instruments, singing and dancing to entertain the Heavenly Venerable.
Qin Mu opened his mouth, and the divine maiden beside him hastily fed him a peeled purple-jade grape—the seeds had even been picked out.
Qin Mu ate the grape and licked his lips, and immediately a divine maiden brought fine tea to his lips.
Qin Mu drank the tea, watching the dancing girls' graceful figures, their beautiful and moving dance postures, and their soul-stirring singing. He couldn't help but raise both hands.
The divine maidens on both sides hastily grabbed this Heavenly Venerable's hands to help him clap.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Qin Mu clapped, praising: "Wonderful. This piece is a eulogy to the soldiers who died heroically for the Heavenly Court in the Battle of Yang Valley, isn't it? A song of praise, extolling the loyalty and filial piety of the Heavenly Court's soldiers—loyal hearts, righteous courage, unbending and unyielding, preferring death to surrender. Wonderful! Beautifully sung! I almost shed tears!"
The Heavenly Court divine generals in the city tower laughed awkwardly. One general said: "The singer is my daughter. Should I send her to your room tonight?"
Qin Mu turned sideways and said: "Your daughter has a beautiful voice. Then her mother must be no less talented..."
The general hastily said: "If the Heavenly Venerable likes them, I'll send them both to your room..."
Qin Mu burst into loud laughter, and the divine generals in the city tower also joined in with laughter. Suddenly, Qin Mu's face turned cold, and the smiles on the soldiers' faces vanished simultaneously. The city tower fell into dead silence—even the sound of silk and bamboo stopped.
Qin Mu slowly opened his mouth, and the divine maiden beside him hastily placed a peeled grape into his hand. Only then did the Heavenly Court generals breathe a sigh of relief, and the silk and bamboo music resumed.
Suddenly, Qin Mu rose to his full height and laughed heartily: "Tai Emperor, you've finally arrived!"
The silk and bamboo music ceased. Everyone in the city tower turned to look at Qin Mu in unison, speaking with one voice: "Mu Heavenly Venerable, you are seeking your own death!"
"I warned you long ago—don't entertain vain hopes!"
"Don't try to rescue Ling Heavenly Venerable!"
Qin Mu laughed loudly and walked out of the city tower. All the Heavenly Court gods and demons in the city turned to look at him—a thousand people, a thousand faces, yet all of them were Tai Emperor alone.
"And yet you insist on going your own way, courting death in every possible way!"
The tens of thousands of gods and demons in the city erupted in earth-shaking shouts: "I don't even need to act personally—the other Heavenly Venerables will cut you down!"
Qin Mu looked toward the camps of the armies under the other Heavenly Venerables in the distance. In those camps and divine cities, gods and demons one after another turned their necks to look in his direction—an extremely eerie scene.
On both banks of the Yong River, all the Heavenly Court armies spoke with one voice: "In the past, I could tolerate you. But now, I cannot tolerate you!"
Qin Mu raised his hand, and the Divine Execution Platform flew out from his Spiritual Embryo Divine Treasury, spinning. The two Divine Execution Mystic Blades coiled around the platform like two evil dragons, exuding overwhelming killing intent.
"Tai Emperor, do you see the Divine Execution Platform and the Divine Execution Mystic Blades?"
A smile curled at the corner of Qin Mu's mouth, and he said leisurely: "Your Qiang Heavenly Consort's reincarnated body has already been killed by me, and the Divine Execution Platform and Divine Execution Mystic Blades have fallen into my hands. Seeing this, don't you understand yet?"
Around them, the gazes of countless gods and demons from the camps and divine cities all fell upon the Divine Execution Platform and the Divine Execution Mystic Blades, revealing shock and fury.
"I sank Qiang Heavenly Consort bit by bit into the Chaotic Long River of the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City, watching her slowly annihilate, turning into ashes of calamity."
Qin Mu smiled: "Tai Emperor, you are old and useless. Even if you entrust your divine consciousness in the Great Luo Heaven, undying and indestructible, so what? You can only cower there, only wait silently, waiting for someone to grow to a level surpassing yours, then ascend to the Great Luo Heaven and erase you completely!"
Tens of thousands of Heavenly Court soldiers all snorted in anger.
"You're outdated, you know? Right now, there are no fewer than four people capable of ascending to the Great Luo Heaven and killing you!"
Qin Mu smiled faintly: "Abandon your thoughts of resisting me. Return Cloud Heavenly Venerable to me, let me rescue Ling Heavenly Venerable, and I won't make things difficult for your primordial spirit, Ming Fangyu. The Heavenly Emperor's physical body, you may take as you wish. Otherwise, this calamity—you will not escape it. You will surely turn to ashes of calamity just like Yan Heavenly Consort!"
The moment he finished speaking, the sky suddenly twisted. In the south, rolling flames surged as a Vermilion Bird flew over in haste. Its overwhelming divine might caused the water of the Yong River to boil instantly. The fish, shrimp, and aquatic creatures in the water were scorched red and died on the spot!
"Fire Heavenly Venerable hasn't arrived yet, but Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's physical body has come first."
Qin Mu revealed a mocking expression: "When it comes to killing his own kind, Fire Heavenly Venerable is indeed always the fastest."
"A mere gift-bearing boy!"
The tens of thousands of Heavenly Court soldiers shouted in unison. An incredibly terrifying divine consciousness descended from the heavens, surging from the Great Luo Heaven of Ultimate Void, howling as it rushed toward the Southern Emperor's physical body that was flying over with spread wings!
That Southern Emperor's physical body had been refined by Fire Heavenly Venerable. When Fire Heavenly Venerable learned that Qin Mu had arrived at the source of the Yong River, he knew it would still take some time to get there, so he hurried along while directly activating the Southern Emperor's physical body.
The Southern Emperor's physical body was the body of Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, born of Dao Fire. Wherever it passed, the sky melted, space collapsed, and distant space twisted, forming layers of spatial halos around the Vermilion Bird—extremely scorching and blinding.
The power of this physical body was too great—it could rival a Heavenly Venerable.
Yet in the next moment, Tai Emperor's divine consciousness forcibly invaded the Southern Emperor's physical body, directly erasing Fire Heavenly Venerable's imprint and seizing control of it!
The Vermilion Bird spread its wings, its flames growing ever more intense, its speed increasing until the next moment it arrived at the Yong River. Its twin claws tore through the air, striking at Qin Mu on the city tower!
Fire Heavenly Venerable, who was still rushing over, flew into a rage: "Tai Emperor, you destitute wretch—you dare contend with me?"
He was truly furious. At that moment, suddenly a brilliant sword light rose from the Taixu Land. That sword light pierced through the terrifying space formed by the destruction of thirty-five layers of void at the Void Bridge, piercing through the Heavenly Court's great camp stationed there. Wherever the sword light passed, Heavenly Court soldiers turned to dust.
Fire Heavenly Venerable saw this sword light from afar, and his heart skipped a beat.
That sword light was Emperor Kaihuang's sword path. Clearly, Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye had suddenly made his move at this critical moment!
The Heavenly Court's great army was stationed before the Void Bridge in Taixu, with Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Kings garrisoning the defense, and further reinforced by the weapons of the Four Ancient God Emperors. They had been at peace all along.
Now Emperor Kaihuang had killed his way out of the Other Shore Void to Taixu—was he planning to take advantage of the Heavenly Venerables' absence from Taixu to slaughter the Heavenly Court's divine demon army?
Just as he thought this, he witnessed another spectacular scene.
In the Other Shore Void, a magnificent great ship carrying the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Worry-Free Land crossed the Void Bridge, arriving opposite the Heavenly Court's great army!
Fire Heavenly Venerable's heart shook violently: "Qin Ye has gone mad! How dare he leave the Other Shore Void? Is he trying to commit suicide?"
Now he hesitated, uncertain whether he should go to the source of the Yong River or head to the Void Bridge.
Emperor Kaihuang and Qin Mu were both humans. These two had repeatedly opposed the Heavenly Court and opposed the demigods, making it difficult for him to hold his head high in the Heavenly Court. Therefore, he wanted to eliminate both of them.
But now that both were making major moves simultaneously, it was hard for him to decide who to kill first.
"Qin Mu's threat is greater! If he succeeds, we might have another Ling Heavenly Venerable on our hands!"
Fire Heavenly Venerable's eyes flickered, but he flew toward the Taixu Land instead, thinking: "However, Mu Heavenly Venerable is being held back by Tai Emperor, so he can't succeed. Therefore, the greatest threat is still Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye!"
Meanwhile, Hao Heavenly Venerable frowned deeply. He was also on his way to the Yong River, traveling alongside Heavenly Venerables Gong, Xu, Zu, Lang, and others, but the upheaval in the Taixu Land left him in a dilemma as well.
"The Heavenly Court's great army cannot be slaughtered by Emperor Kaihuang and the Worry-Free Land, or the Heavenly Court's control over the myriad worlds will be severely damaged."
Hao Heavenly Venerable quickly made up his mind and continued toward the Yong River: "But compared to Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye, Mu Heavenly Venerable is the one who truly matters. Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor's physical body absolutely cannot fall into Xiao Heavenly Venerable's hands before me! That naturally born, incomparably powerful body is the strongest weapon in the world!"
Others didn't know how terrifying the Heavenly Emperor's physical body was, but he knew it all too well.
Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu's physical body had never been injured!
Even beings like Heaven Duke and Earth Mother could not injure the Heavenly Emperor's physical body.
If Xiao Heavenly Venerable seized the body, then his Heavenly Palace would be complete, and he could directly ascend to the Ultimate Void, imprinting his power into the Great Luo Heaven of the Ultimate Void.
Other people's bodies could not enter the Ultimate Void—they would be assimilated by it. But Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu's physical body would not.
"If Xiao Heavenly Venerable takes the throne before me, he will certainly strike mercilessly and dismantle us all!"
Just as the Southern Emperor's physical body flew over with spread wings, Qin Mu had already taken out his hairpin and drew it across the air. A Heavenly River reappeared in the world from the past, over forty thousand years ago!