Chapter 767: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Yin Tianzi
Qin Mu watched the entire battle of the Heavenly Court from Tu Bo's perspective, from Tu Bo slaughtering his way to the Southern Heavenly Gate, to killing his way to the Jade Pool, to shattering the Divine Execution Platform, and destroying one heavenly palace after another.
He arrived at Yujing City, the place where the Heavenly Emperor resided, but by this time the chains on his body had bound him tightly. Those chains were the great Dao rules of the Netherworld. He was tied up securely, yet he still continued to charge forward madly.
He was being bound tighter and tighter. These chains came not only from the Netherworld but also from his own being.
Since he was the incarnation of Dao, every action he took had to conform to the Dao. The more powerful an ancient god, the more restricted they were by their own rules.
Such was Tu Bo.
Even if he reincarnated, he was still the incarnation of Dao. Even when he reincarnated into the human race, he still had ox horns and a tiger head.
The rules of the Netherworld would restrict his power in the mortal world. Even if he awakened the power of the Netherworld, his own power would restrict him.
The harder he fought, the more he killed, the deeper his own suffering became.
The Heavenly Court was in chaos. The gods of the Heavenly Court were terrified by the slaughter. To the gods of the Heavenly Court, they could not understand Tu Bo's anger.
Ancient gods lived as long as heaven and coexisted with the world. They would never understand the life, death, love, and hate of mortals, nor would they understand grudges and grievances.
A mortal's life was but a hundred years. A hundred years was merely a fleeting moment to an ancient god. Before they even noticed these insignificant little insects, the insects had already died of old age.
Tu Bo reincarnated. Because his reincarnated wife and children had died, he went on a killing spree and attacked the Heavenly Court. This was simply too much.
What was even more excessive was that he actually slaughtered the gods of the Heavenly Court, beating them until some died and others fled.
Mortals were just insects that bred and multiplied in various worlds. An ancient god reincarnated to experience the life of insects, and then because the insects died, he went on a killing spree against the gods of the Heavenly Court. This was incomprehensible to them.
Using great ancient gods and half-gods with ancient god bloodlines to be buried with a few mere mortals—this showed that Tu Bo had gone mad.
However, even Yujing City, with its most formidable defenses, could not stop the furious Tu Bo. The city gates of Yujing City were smashed through. The gods wailed to the heavens and scattered in all directions.
Tu Bo paid no attention to the scattering gods and continued walking deeper into Yujing City. Behind him, half of the Heavenly Court was already shrouded in the dark demonic energy of the Netherworld.
Within the demonic energy, chains pierced through his physical body.
The chains were pulled taut. Blood continuously flowed from his body, and where it landed, it turned into Netherworld demonic fire.
Yet he still stubbornly advanced, heading toward the Qianlong Hall of the Chonghua Palace within Yujing City.
Chonghua Palace, Qianlong Hall, was one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces and Seventy-Two Treasure Halls. It was where the princes resided.
The sons and daughters of the Heavenly Emperor lived there.
Tu Bo's goal was clear—to go there and destroy it.
The power of the Life-Slaying Cauldron was too formidable. This cauldron was born from the Heavenly Court's Divine Execution Mystic Blade. The Divine Execution Mystic Blade was originally the number one fierce weapon of the Heavenly Court. Now Tu Bo had reforged it into the Life-Slaying Cauldron. When the great cauldron slaughtered, any deity it encountered—whether a peak half-god or an ancient god—could not escape death.
This great cauldron devoured the power of the gods, and its might grew stronger and stronger.
Ahead was the Qianlong Hall of Chonghua Palace, but Tu Bo's power had also reached its limit.
He roared in fury, struggling with all his might to advance, but he could never break through the imprisonment of the Netherworld's great Dao.
Tu Bo roared in grief and hurled the Life-Slaying Cauldron toward the Qianlong Hall of Chonghua Palace. The great cauldron radiated power that could almost crush the Heavenly Court, spinning as it pressed down!
It was a strike filled with rage, carrying the desire of Achou's revenge, determined to destroy all life there—whether they were sons of the Heavenly Emperor, whether their sins towered to the heavens!
However, a palm caught the Life-Slaying Cauldron that could overwhelm the world, holding it steady so that the power of this number one fierce weapon could not erupt.
"Daoist friend, you have killed your way here. Your anger should be vented by now, right?"
The Heavenly Emperor stood before the towering Lingxiao Treasure Hall, one hand gripping the Life-Slaying Cauldron, his gaze falling on Tu Bo, his voice carrying from afar: "I did not stop you earlier because I knew they had done wrong, so I allowed you to fight your way here. Now that you have vented your anger, why must you cut off my descendants?"
Behind him, many ancient gods appeared, each one an incredibly powerful existence.
Tu Bo panted heavily. His blood flowed along the chains on his body, demonic fire blazing fiercely.
The Heavenly Emperor sighed: "Those deities deserved to die. But you are now controlled by anger, and with your reincarnated body, you have lost your reason and Dao heart. You think you are right, but once you return to the Netherworld and your Dao heart recovers, you will realize how terribly wrong your actions today were. You and I are Daoist friends. I will not make things difficult for you. Go back."
Tu Bo struggled against the chains with all his might, panting heavily. Anger spewed from his nostrils like dragons, and blood and fire flowed from his three eyes.
The Heavenly Emperor sighed and said softly: "Reincarnating as a human is merely a spiritual trial. You have fallen too deep. Let me help you return to the Netherworld."
He flicked his sleeve, and Tu Bo could no longer stand firm in the Heavenly Court. He was dragged into the darkness by those chains. The Netherworld continent behind him carried him as it sank madly, falling into the dark Netherworld.
In the Netherworld, Tu Bo's immensely vast true body finally awakened at this moment. His three eyes opened one after another, gazing up at the Heavenly Court from the darkness.
And the reincarnated body of Tu Bo, who had once been Achou, was wrapped in countless chains, carried by the Netherworld continent as it continuously fell, plunging into the deepest part of the darkness, landing at the feet of Tu Bo's true body, becoming a dark continent.
Chains wrapped around him, locking him there.
Before long, a great black city would be built on this continent, forged from black jade, named Yusuo Pass, used to suppress those whose sins towered to the heavens.
And Tu Bo's reincarnated body was the first prisoner here.
"Daoist friend."
On the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor's gaze looked toward the Netherworld, meeting the awakened Tu Bo's eyes. The Heavenly Emperor's voice came from beyond the Nine Heavens: "Are you awake? Do you think my words earlier were correct? You have now returned to the Netherworld, awakened your Dao heart, and returned to your true self. You should know how absurd your actions earlier were."
The majestic Tu Bo looked down, his gaze falling on Achou's shoulder.
Achou's shoulder was empty.
He raised his gaze again, looking toward the Heavenly Court.
When he was knocked back to the Netherworld, the infant girl on his shoulder had fallen, caught in the Heavenly Emperor's hand.
"I was blinded by mortal emotions and lost my Dao heart. Thank you, Your Majesty, for awakening me." Tu Bo said.
The Heavenly Emperor smiled and said: "Now that you have awakened, I am relieved. No need to call me Your Majesty. You and I have been Daoist friends for many years. Although you were born a few years later than I, we have always addressed each other as Daoist friends. There is no need to become distant just because I have ascended to the throne."
"I would not dare."
Tu Bo lowered his head: "In the past, I was ignorant. Now I understand. There is a distinction between ruler and subject. Your Majesty sits in the highest position; I cannot be presumptuous."
The Heavenly Emperor sighed: "You are being distant again. Here, I return this cauldron to you."
He threw the Life-Slaying Cauldron down, and it fell into the Netherworld.
Tu Bo did not receive it, letting it fall onto the continent at his feet, saying: "This cauldron has killed too many. I dare not accept it."
"When the ruler bestows upon the subject, how dare the subject not accept?"
The Heavenly Emperor laughed: "However, this cauldron is indeed useless to you. How about I send some deities to station in the Netherworld and have them temporarily keep this cauldron for you?"
Tu Bo acknowledged, saying: "I will follow Your Majesty's command."
His gaze still lingered on the Heavenly Emperor's hand. The Heavenly Emperor handed the infant girl to a nearby ancient god to hold, laughing: "You are being distant again."
Tu Bo closed his eyes, and Qin Mu felt his vision gradually sink into darkness, no longer able to see the breathtaking scene from before.
"The memories of the Life-Slaying Cauldron have finally ended."
Qin Mu was lost in thought. Inside the Life-Slaying Cauldron, Netherworld demonic energy had surged into his body. He felt he would be burst apart, but suddenly he became Achou Tu Bo, watching his half-life's experiences from Achou's perspective.
"Actually, when Tu Bo awakened in his rage, Achou was already dead."
He touched his face—it was wet.
Achou had already died at that moment, leaving only the vengeful Tu Bo.
Achou's child, the infant girl, became a hostage in the Heavenly Court, a handle that Tu Bo held.
"She will live well. The Heavenly Court will not harm her. Tu Bo's bloodline can continue."
Qin Mu thought to himself: "I wonder if Tu Bo ever saw her again? The Heavenly Emperor's methods are truly formidable. Yun Tianzun could not defeat him, and Hao Tianzun probably cannot either. Then, is the Heavenly Emperor of the Outer Domain Heavenly Court him?"
He felt somewhat confused.
The demonic energy in the Life-Slaying Cauldron had stopped surging and had become very quiet. Around Qin Mu, one enormous face after another floated in the darkness. These faces were watching him, slowly rotating around him, eerie and terrifying.
"Achou——"
Suddenly, a face flew before him, opened its mouth, and let out a strange cry.
The other faces suddenly also let out piercing cries in unison: "Achou——"
Qin Mu snorted: "I am not Achou. Achou Tu Bo could only awaken the power of the Netherworld after death, but I don't need to. He had too many restrictions, too many shackles. I don't!"
"Achou!" The faces of those who died in the Life-Slaying Cauldron cried out.
"I am much more handsome than Achou."
Qin Mu's face flushed red as he explained to these faces: "Look, I don't have ox horns, and I don't have patterns on my face."
"Little brother, what nonsense are you muttering about?"
Qin Fengqing woke up and saw Qin Mu talking to those strange faces, and couldn't help being surprised: "Have you gone mad?"
Then he became happy again: "If you've gone mad, let me eat you!"
Qin Mu snorted: "These faces are calling me Achou. They mistake me for the suffering Tu Bo. I was just arguing with them a bit. The Life-Slaying Cauldron didn't kill us, probably because the cauldron's spirit thinks we are Achou. Perhaps we can use the Life-Slaying Cauldron to get out..."
He flew upward, and more and more faces in the darkness looked at them.
"Achou." They said.
Qin Mu's face was as dark as a black pot, while Qin Fengqing curiously examined those faces. Suddenly he couldn't resist grabbing one and stuffing it into his mouth. He chewed a couple of times then spat it out with disgust: "Can't eat it! It has no taste at all! Might as well eat dirt!"
Qin Mu asked curiously: "Brother, have you eaten dirt?"
"Tried it. Not good." The big-headed doll said.
"Strange, why is the Life-Slaying Cauldron so quiet now?"
Qin Mu looked up at the river of stars in the sky. Hun Tian Luo was also extremely quiet, without any power.
Outside the cauldron, Lu Li and the others stopped their attacks, looking at this great cauldron. Seeing that it was completely quiet inside, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Netherworld God Son actually managed to resist for this long before being refined to death. Worthy of the title of God Son."
Yan Qianchong laughed: "He hasn't made any movement for a while now. Can we open the Life-Slaying Cauldron now?"
Gao Tianwang's eyes flickered: "I think we should first discuss who the Netherworld God Son belongs to!"
Lu Li, Xuan Ming, and the other four Jiedushi felt a chill in their hearts. Suddenly, Lu Li's killing intent stirred: "These old ghosts have always wanted to compete with me. Why not take the opportunity when opening this cauldron to use the Life-Slaying Cauldron to refine them to death! Refining them to death is much simpler than refining the Netherworld God Son!"
At that moment, the earth bulged, and a gate appeared. The gate opened, and a light laugh came from within: "The Netherworld God Son should be handed over to me!"
Boom——
The Nether Sea inverted, crashing down upon the Netherworld overlords!
Within the Nether Sea, a beam of dark light shuttled back and forth, killing Gao Tianwang, Yan Qianchong, and the other overlords in one stroke!
Lu Li and the others were crushed beneath the Nether Sea, bones broken and tendons snapped, their hearts ice-cold. They watched as that beam of dark light killed dozens of Netherworld overlords in succession, extinguishing their primordial spirits. Those overlords' primordial spirits disintegrated, shattering into countless tiny soul particles, making the Nether Sea even more vast and unfathomable.
Whoosh——
The Nether Sea surged into that gate and quickly disappeared.
And that beam of dark light spun around Lu Li and the others but did not kill them.
"You are the Jiedushi appointed by His Majesty in the Netherworld. If I killed you, wouldn't I be rebelling?"
From within the gate, an extraordinarily handsome man walked toward them with his hands behind his back. Lu Li and the others' faces changed drastically: "Yin Tianzi!"
Yin Tianzi walked toward the Life-Slaying Cauldron, his heart burning with excitement, laughing: "Netherworld God Son, finally you will be mine! Tu Bo's power, my power..."
His palm landed on Hun Tian Luo, trembling slightly as he slowly lifted it.
——Roar roar roar, Yin Tianzi has arrived, holding up a sign begging for monthly tickets!