Chapter 280: The Day of Divine Descent

Tianzang, its body half shattered, lay prostrate on the ground, wailing. Fragments of its metal-forged armor were scattered everywhere like piles of sand, and blood flowed from its body, resembling molten gold.

Three thousand years ago, from the moment the star symbolizing gold shattered, Tianzang lost contact with its home planet, destined never to return to its peak.

Now, having already been killed once, even with an immortal divine heart, without the support and supply from its home planet, Tianzang was like a vast river destined to slowly dry up.

Its scales were shattered, its blades broken. The final Sword of Judgment, devouring fire, was now approaching.

Yet, the sword was not aimed at it.

Tianzang slightly raised its head, and in an instant, brilliant fireworks exploded above it.

The ninth Immortal-Suppressing Sword was the most powerful one.

Its explosion principle was more complex and less controllable than the previous eight.

Orange-red light instantly filled the entire Divine Rift Valley. In the brightest central part, two rings of smoke and dust rapidly spread, then pillars of flame shot skyward. The previously accumulated dust was instantly dispersed, and a larger shockwave erupted. It was a world-destroying force, no less powerful than a self-destructive attack from a Five Paths cultivator. Almost nothing in the area could survive, except for the Luoshu Pavilion.

Tianzang was also caught in the blast, pinned firmly to the ground. All the blade-like scales on its back were destroyed, its metallic body exploded inch by inch, and its divine blood evaporated in the high temperature.

The explosion lasted for a long time.

After the explosion, the sky was clear for miles, and the stars and moon shone with unprecedented clarity.

Under the watery starlight, the brilliant explosion gradually faded in color.

In the explosion that annihilated the mountains and rocks, the "Dragon Mother" was the sole observer.

The Immortal-Binding Chains on her body had all shattered, losing their luster and becoming worthless scrap metal scattered on the ground.

The restrictions that had imprisoned her were also broken one by one.

She walked to the railing on the ninth floor, extended her hand, slightly altered the direction of the Immortal-Suppressing Sword, and then ignited it with divine fire.

Under the starlight, her layered, overlapping dress regained its luster. Trailing on the ground, it looked like a flowing sea, with coral reefs beneath its surface and stars and moon shimmering within.

The Immortal-Suppressing Sword transformed into a streaking fire and flew away.

She withdrew her finger, and the faint red flame burning on it faded away.

She had witnessed the world's most magnificent fireworks, and a smile, impossible to erase and possessing a beauty that could topple cities, curled at the corners of her mouth.

After the explosion ended, a tiny figure fell from it.

Luo Cangsu was still alive.

His robes were completely destroyed at the epicenter of the explosion. Yet, his Half-Scale Body, a divine bestowed form, largely retained its integrity amidst such immense power. However, upon closer inspection, his golden body was tragically riddled with cracks.

The Ninth Pavilion Master of Luoshu Pavilion, who had previously been high-spirited and in control of everything, now swayed weakly in the air, like a flickering candle in the wind, almost extinguished.

The damage to his body was devastating, and his Dao heart was equally shattered.

He looked at the woman standing in the distance atop the Luoshu Pavilion, as if transported back many years.

"Jiyu... you... you were faking it, you've been acting to deceive me?!" Luo Cangsu said, incredulously.

She looked at him and smiled faintly, "What do you think?"

Luo Cangsu stared at her, his shimmering scaled body gradually losing its luster. He spoke incoherently, "Impossible! How can you be so strong? I suspected you were fake, but I investigated you countless times... you haven't changed at all, you clearly haven't changed... how... how is this possible..."

The woman smiled. She descended from the ninth floor of Luoshu Pavilion, purple qi streaming from the east to form a path beneath her feet.

She chuckled, "Do you want to take a closer look at me?"

Luo Cangsu looked at her familiar face, unchanged for a hundred years.

"Who... who exactly are you?" His Half-Scale Body trembled uneasily. "You're not Jiyu, who are you really?"

The woman smiled faintly, "Why wouldn't I be Jiyu?"

Luo Cangsu's mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't understand. "How could you possibly evade my detection? I'm almost at the peak of the Five Paths... unless you possess the power of the legendary Three Realms, it would be impossible to escape my scrutiny!"

The woman's laughter, like silver bells, echoed through the valley, sounding as cheerful as a young girl's.

"Because I am the Jiyu you knew," the woman laughed. "I was me a hundred years ago, and I am still me now."

Luo Cangsu stared at her blankly, not understanding. "What do you mean? You are Jiyu... If you are the Dragon Mother, how can you be so strong? You were clearly only half a step into the Five Paths, and what's more, you had already left the Caijuan Immortal Palace!"

The woman's sea-like skirt swayed in the night wind. She chuckled, "Luo Cangsu, as the Pavilion Master of Luoshu Pavilion, are you truly foolish, or are you just pretending with me?"

While secretly repairing his Half-Scale Body, Luo Cangsu stared at her as if she were an unsolvable mystery. "I don't understand what you mean."

The woman said, "When I met you, I was already myself."

Under the clear night sky, these words were like a bolt from the blue.

Of course, he wasn't a fool; he immediately understood the meaning.

Luo Cangsu's figure froze in the air. He once again asked the question that puzzled him: "Then who exactly are you?"

"Since you're not the Dragon Mother, and haven't been for hundreds of years... then who exactly are you?" Luo Cangsu's voice was almost a roar.

The woman strolled through the void, starlight adorning her brows. Yet, it didn't appear illusory or beautiful; instead, it was like water dripping into a dark pool.

"I am far from as renowned as Pavilion Master Luo is in the Central Plains; you might not even have heard my name," the woman said with a faint smile. "My name is Mu Lingtong."

"Mu Lingtong?" Luo Cangsu had a vague impression of the name but couldn't recall who she was. He stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

Mu Lingtong chuckled faintly, "Then allow me to introduce myself.

"I am Mu Lingtong, the second-generation Sect Master of the Netherworld Dao Spirit Sect, and one of the survivors of the great catastrophe over five hundred years ago.

"My cultivation level wasn't high at the time; I survived purely by chance. A man took me in then; he later became my Dao companion, named Xuan Chi. He and I settled in the Central Plains, working with other surviving cultivators to reconstruct this broken world. At that time, the Netherworld Lord's ruins were destroyed, and the scattered netherworld qi obliterated several ancient cities. We jointly established the Netherworld Dao Spirit Sect, moving mountains to suppress the overflowing netherworld qi and using it as the foundation for our cultivation."

"After the catastrophe, everything was reborn. Those were the happiest years of my life..."

Mu Lingtong's gaze slowly returned from her memories.

"But the gravest mistake was also made then," she sighed, continuing, "At that time, my foundation was still shallow, and I forcefully cultivated the Netherworld Dao Spirit Sect's techniques. I was tempted by the Netherworld Lord's authority, opened the prison within the Netherworld ruins, and released the imprisoned feathered serpents."

"Xuan Chi and I were besieged in the center of the sect for an entire month. During that month, we fought countless life-and-death battles with the feathered serpents, and in that struggle, we jointly developed a sword technique—the Sword of Calamity's Restraint. With this sword technique, we carved a bloody path and escaped to safety. From then on, we also began our retaliation against the feathered serpents..."

Mu Lingtong seemed reluctant to elaborate on these matters. She looked in the direction of the Ancient Spirit Sect and said, "Xuan Chi was the first-generation Sect Master of the Netherworld Dao Spirit Sect, while I was merely a cultivator at the seventh level of the Purple Court Realm. Years later, I rapidly ascended to the peak of the Purple Court with the aid of netherworld power. However, due to my eagerness for quick success, my Dao heart faltered when entering the Five Paths, and I was once again tempted by the Netherworld Lord's authority."

"The Netherworld Lord had died, but its authority still possessed sentience. The authority sought a new master to lead them out of the deep, dark prison."

"I was tempted and went to the Netherworld alone... The Netherworld's seal was set by Xuan Chi and me working together, and only we could open it."

"I entered the Netherworld, barely escaping with my life..." Mu Lingtong rubbed her brows and eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall that period. "In short, I survived in the end, neither fully human nor ghost, but I ultimately gained part of the netherworld's authority, making the Netherworld Generals bow to me. So, you may also call me... the Nether Emperor."

"Nether Emperor..." Luo Cangsu listened to her story, his heart gradually turning cold.

Mu Lingtong continued, "I overcame countless difficulties and dangers to crawl out of the Netherworld, only to learn that Xuan Chi had guarded me there for an entire sixty-year cycle, ultimately becoming disheartened and retreating to seclusion in Nanzhou. As for me... I never went to find him. Divinity had taken over my body, erasing my emotions... and of course, the Netherworld Lord's authority was the most significant factor.

"This damned, broken authority.

"It was inside my body, trying to devour me, to seize my consciousness. I wanted to extract it, yet I was reluctant to give up its power... But the erosion never stopped. If this continued, I would eventually become a puppet of the Netherworld Lord's authority.

"So, I thought of a method: to first place the authority beyond what my body could bear into a container, and retrieve it once I became powerful enough. Thus, I began searching for that container.

"Coincidentally, at that time, I inadvertently learned of the Dragon Maiden's secret—she had placed the Caijuan Immortal Palace by the shores of the Sea of No Fortune, intending to resurrect herself and establish a kingdom there under the name of the Dragon Mother.

"I set a trap and killed her. I refined her body."

Mu Lingtong's words were concise.

"Only the Sect Master of the Ancient Spirit Sect from that generation knew about this.

"From then on, it was I who resided in the Caijuan Immortal Palace, not the Dragon Mother. The Dragon Mother's body was already stored in the Netherworld; she was my vessel. She would slowly gain the Netherworld's authority, and then I would combine Tianzang's divine heart with the Dragon Mother's body, allowing these two deities to merge once again after three thousand years."

Mu Lingtong laughed when she reached this point: "By the way, let me tell you another secret: the Netherworld Lord and Tianzang were not sworn enemies. On the contrary, they once loved each other. Heh, divine companions, truly unimaginable... This is the most interesting rumor I heard during that chaotic era. Hmm... Am I right, Lord Tianzang?"

Mu Lingtong looked at the dying Tianzang.

Tianzang's consciousness was already fragmented and couldn't understand her words.

Mu Lingtong felt a sense of loneliness.

She looked at Luo Cangsu again.

"When I first met you, I was already Mu Lingtong. That's why you couldn't see through me, because in your eyes, I never changed. Afterward, I secretly guided and assisted your cultivation path, using countless resources and powers for you behind the scenes. Fortunately, you didn't disappoint me and ascended faster than I imagined."

This was a conspiracy planned for hundreds of years.

Today, it was finally going to properly conclude.

Luo Cangsu finished listening to her words, his heart ashen. He laughed bitterly:

"The Dragon Maiden's body, the Netherworld Lord's authority, Tianzang's heart... what kind of deity are you trying to stitch together..."

Mu Lingtong said, "That's not important. Whether it's a god or a monster, it will ultimately be my puppet."

She walked in front of Luo Cangsu and said calmly, "Tianzang's heart is already mine. When I return to the sect, that will be the day the deity descends."