Chapter 1068: Three Heavenly Sovereigns Stealing Treasures at Zhaoyang Hall

Ahead, Hao Tianzun held a small white banner, slaying gods and demons mercilessly as he advanced.

His power was already immense. Though he hadn't yet reached the Emperor's Throne realm, he was the son of the Heavenly Emperor and Yuan Mu, possessing formidable bloodline power and astonishing combat prowess.

The rear palace was in disarray. All the powerful deities had already departed for Jade Capital City to defend against A-Chou's invasion, leaving behind gods and demons who were no match for him. Often, they perished by his hand before even catching a glimpse of his face, their souls absorbed into the small white banner crafted by Yin Tianzi.

Hao Tianzun forged ahead, with Yun Tianzun following closely behind.

Not long after, Qin Mu, who was trailing the two, suddenly froze. He had spotted a grand hall.

It was the Pi Xiang Hall.

His heart pounded a few times. Almost simultaneously, the two ahead sensed this pulsation. Yun Tianzun immediately concealed himself, while Qin Mu, as if melting, transformed into a shadow that clung to the ground.

Hao Tianzun saw nothing amiss and continued his advance.

A moment later, Yun Tianzun reappeared. After a quick glance around and finding nothing, he immediately resumed tracking Hao Tianzun.

Qin Mu emerged from the shadow and gazed at the Pi Xiang Hall, his expression complex.

Within this Pi Xiang Hall, the remnant soul of Yu Tianzun was suppressed. However, this particular hall was the Heavenly Emperor's most highly valued, riddled with so many intricate seals and restrictions that even Cripple couldn't breach them. Qin Mu felt powerless.

Qin Mu took a long breath and continued to pursue Yun Tianzun and Hao Tianzun.

Before long, he encountered the second of the seventy-two treasure halls: the Zhaoyang Hall.

Hao Tianzun arrived before the Zhaoyang Hall. Two ancient Qilin gods, their faces stern and fierce, guarded its exterior. As Hao Tianzun stepped forward, the two Qilins raised their claws and boomed, "This is a place of great importance, Tianzun, halt!"

Hao Tianzun, with a full smile, replied, "I am here to inspect the Zhaoyang Hall by order of my Imperial Father. I ask for your understanding, esteemed seniors."

"By imperial order? Do you possess His Majesty's personal decree?"

Hao Tianzun produced a decree, stepped closer, and said with a smile, "Please see for yourselves."

The two ancient Qilin gods, born from ancient divine mountains, looked at the decree in his hand. At that very moment, Hao Tianzun suddenly flipped the decree, revealing a mirror on its reverse side. A burst of light erupted from the mirror, engulfing the primordial spirits of the two Qilin gods.

The two ancient Qilin gods were instantly paralyzed. Hao Tianzun surged forward, swiftly slaying them both, then absorbed their primordial spirits. Only then did he exhale, approaching the Zhaoyang Hall with quick steps. He murmured, "Mother said those two treasures are definitely in here. A-Chou’s assault on the Celestial Heavens is the perfect chance to steal them. With those two treasures, I can dominate that ancient race..."

Countless seals and restrictions guarded the entrance to Zhaoyang Hall. Hao Tianzun, evidently guided by Lady Yuan Mu, knew precisely how to break them. He stepped back two paces, his hands moving rapidly, vital qi transforming into intertwining dragons and phoenixes as he pressed them forward.

Immediately, countless chains materialized around the Zhaoyang Hall, completely sealing it off.

Hao Tianzun’s eyes flickered with tension as he relentlessly broke through various seal formations. After a moment, he finally succeeded in unsealing the hall.

The instant the seal broke, his body transformed into a streak of light, surging into the hall.

The seal closed immediately behind him.

No sooner had he entered the hall than Yun Tianzun stepped forward. After a brief moment of contemplation, his hands moved deftly, vital qi transforming into various unsealing techniques. He precisely replicated the very same sealing methods Hao Tianzun had just performed!

Breaking the seals and restrictions of the Zhaoyang Hall was incredibly intricate. Even a prodigy would find it impossible to learn so many unsealing techniques in such a short span of time.

Yet he had learned it perfectly, just by observing it once!

He was the first being in the world to achieve the Emperor's Throne realm. His Purple Cloud Azure Fall Art was inherently adept at absorbing and imitating other supreme techniques. Generations later, Yun Jianli, a descendant of the Yun family, would continue to evolve the Purple Cloud Azure Fall Art, incorporating the essence of various reforms to ensure the technique never became obsolete.

Once Yun Tianzun finished breaking the seals, the Zhaoyang Hall's restrictions opened, and he instantly darted inside.

The moment he entered the hall, the seals closed once more.

Qin Mu arrived at the hall's entrance. Reflecting on the two's methods for breaking the seals, he shook his head. "I didn't commit it all to memory, but thankfully, the mirror I refined through the Art of Painting helped me recall it."

He flipped his hand, producing a mirror. Light streamed from its surface, projecting the exact methods the two had used to break the seals and restrictions.

As the mirror's light illuminated the area, the Zhaoyang Hall's seals and restrictions continuously opened, allowing Qin Mu to step inside.

Inside the Zhaoyang Hall, Qin Mu suddenly stepped into nothingness. To his surprise, the hall had no floor; it was a vast, open space.

He hastily took flight to prevent himself from plummeting.

It was then that he noticed a myriad of treasures suspended in the air within the Zhaoyang Hall, each radiating a dazzling, distinct brilliance.

However, apart from the treasures, numerous palace lanterns also floated in the space.

The palace lanterns drifted within the hall, each taller than a person, their glow overpowering the treasures' light. Strangely, fine rays of light emanated from around the lanterns, arranged in a remarkably regular pattern.

Qin Mu’s heart tightened. "These palace lanterns are the restrictions guarding the treasures within this vault!"

The treasures floating within the Zhaoyang Hall were all enormous and covered with talismans. Nearby, Qin Mu spotted a colossal sphere, approximately six zhang tall, incredibly smooth and utterly flawless.

"What is this sphere?"

As he approached to inspect it more closely, he heard a peculiar heartbeat emanating from within the sphere. Qin Mu’s heart jolted. "This isn't a sphere at all; it's an egg, and there’s a creature inside!"

Before he could reach it, a palace lantern, taller than a man, suddenly flared brightly, thousands of luminous rays converging and shooting towards him.

Qin Mu’s form flickered continuously, dodging the myriad rays. His movement technique, ever-changing and unpredictable, showcased the brilliance of the skills Cripple had imparted to him.

Qin Mu maneuvered himself next to the sphere and pressed his palm against it. Instantly, he felt the heartbeat within transform into a grand Dao sound, as if someone inside was chanting the profound mysteries of the Great Dao.

"Could it be an ancient god?"

Qin Mu was puzzled. Hadn't ancient gods already been born in the primordial era? Why was there still an ancient god not yet emerged, sealed here of all places?

At that very moment, the lights ahead blazed forth. Countless dazzling rays shot out chaotically, and in an instant, all the palace lanterns within the Zhaoyang Hall were activated. Billions of light beams illuminated the space, leaving almost no room to evade!

It was unclear whether Hao Tianzun or Yun Tianzun had triggered the palace lanterns that sealed these treasures, initiating a chain reaction that instantly endangered all three individuals inside the hall!

Qin Mu’s body rapidly shrank, transforming into a minuscule speck, darting back and forth across the sphere to evade the light attacks. Then, a screen of light shot from his glabella, illuminating a nearby lantern and drawing it into the Qin-character continent.

Light blazed from Qin Mu’s glabella, continuously illuminating the area. The nearby palace lanterns were swept away, creating a safe zone.

In the distance, ripples of exploding divine abilities could be felt, and one palace lantern after another flickered out.

Qin Mu’s thoughts stirred. "Yun Tianzun of this era is already at the Emperor's Throne realm, and Hao Tianzun is at the Lingxiao realm. Their power surpasses mine; these palace lanterns pose no threat to them."

Soon, all the palace lanterns within the hall extinguished, leaving only the radiant glow emanating from the myriad treasures inside the Zhaoyang Hall.

Light blazed from Qin Mu’s glabella as he absorbed the colossal egg, suspected to be that of an ancient god, into his third eye. He then flew towards another treasure.

It was a treasure mountain. Light flickered from Qin Mu’s glabella, and even before he reached it, the mountain was collected.

The treasure mountain appeared entirely jade-like, yet its material was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Still, for it to be housed within the Heavenly Emperor's personal treasury, it had to be of immense significance.

"Could this be a treasure plundered by the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor from the ancestral court?"

He then collected a winding, twisting river. Though it had been refined to a mere five or six zhang in length, it was incredibly heavy. Even after he absorbed it into the Qin-character continent, Qin Mu felt a sudden, significant pull at his glabella.

"What kind of river is this?"

Qin Mu felt the pupil of his vertical eye, located at his glabella, being constantly pressed downwards, a profound shock rippling through him.

However, he had no time to ponder; the Heavenly Emperor would soon cast A-Chou into Youdu. He had to seize this precious window to plunder as many treasures as possible.

Yun Tianzun and Hao Tianzun harbored the same intentions, and the number of treasures within the Zhaoyang Hall rapidly diminished. Qin Mu hastily observed Hao Tianzun pulling out a snakeskin pouch, stuffing treasures into it. Clearly, that snakeskin pouch was also an extraordinary artifact.

Yun Tianzun, too, possessed a burlap sack, though it was no ordinary one. Qin Mu detected the aura of a Taotie, indicating it was likely a treasure crafted from Taotie hide.

Within the hall, the shimmering treasure light steadily faded, and the space gradually grew dim.

Qin Mu intensified his search. Suddenly, he spotted an incredibly dazzling jade pillar in the distance, which made him pause, almost crying out in surprise.

That jade pillar was none other than the very one from Dao Ancestor's Scripture Repository, capable of imprinting various ancient god marks and even conjuring the form of Yu Tianzun!

"Could that jade pillar also be an extraordinary treasure?"

He charged forward, only to see Hao Tianzun appear before the jade pillar a step ahead of him, promptly placing it into his snakeskin pouch.

Their gazes met. Qin Mu flipped his palm, and Hao Tianzun began to ascend, his body expanding rapidly. This was Qin Mu's Dao-entering divine ability, "Daluo Heaven Gathering Circle!"

Concurrently, Hao Tianzun shook the white banner in his hand. Qin Mu’s body merely swayed slightly; the white banner proved utterly ineffective.

Hao Tianzun’s vital qi burst forth, and a celestial palace materialized with a rumble, forcibly shattering Qin Mu’s divine ability.

Qin Mu inwardly lamented the missed opportunity. While Hao Tianzun's divine abilities at this point were still far inferior to his own, his cultivation depth far surpassed Qin Mu’s, and his physical body was exceptionally robust, likely nearing adulthood.

The two parted ways, one heading east and the other west, abandoning their confrontation to continue their fervent search for treasures.

Time was short. Hao Tianzun recognized that subduing Qin Mu wouldn't be easy, and Qin Mu, in turn, realized he couldn't defeat the current Hao Tianzun. They opted not to engage further.

The Zhaoyang Hall grew progressively darker, with only a few scattered lights remaining.

Just then, Qin Mu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he was almost overcome with joy.

He had spotted several fragments of the Grand Beginning Primordial Stone!

The Grand Beginning Primordial Stone!

The Grand Emperor’s treasure! He hadn't expected it to be stored here by the Heavenly Emperor!

Qin Mu immediately dashed forward at full speed, his form transforming into a streak of divine light. Concurrently, he noticed two other streaks of divine light heading directly towards the same spot: Hao Tianzun and Yun Tianzun!

However, Qin Mu quickly realized that Yun Tianzun and Hao Tianzun had different targets than his own.

He followed their trajectories, his heart slightly shaken. Yun Tianzun was heading for a seemingly small altar, while Hao Tianzun’s target was a large seal!

"The Grand Emperor Seal and the Grand Emperor Altar!"

Qin Mu’s divine consciousness shot out, coiling around the fragments of the Grand Beginning Primordial Stone. As soon as he secured them, his divine consciousness split in two, reaching for the Grand Emperor Seal and the Grand Emperor Altar respectively.

Simultaneously, both Yun Tianzun’s and Hao Tianzun’s divine abilities assaulted him almost at the same instant.

Qin Mu’s scalp prickled. Without hesitation, he pulled out the spherical egg, suspected to be that of an ancient god, and held it in front of him. The combined eruption of their divine abilities blasted Qin Mu, along with the egg, backward.

At that moment, Yun Tianzun noticed Qin Mu’s face, and his mind was suddenly thrown into utter disarray. "Luoxiao! Haven't you already died?"

His heart was profoundly shaken, and in a moment of distraction, he was blasted away by Hao Tianzun's attack. Hao Tianzun laughed heartily, reaching out to grab the Grand Emperor Seal. Once it was in his grasp, he immediately dashed towards the Grand Emperor Altar.

Yun Tianzun quickly arrived. Although he was a step slower, his speed was greater, and their hands simultaneously grasped the Grand Emperor Altar.

Suddenly, the Grand Emperor Altar vanished!

Both were profoundly startled. Then, Hao Tianzun cried out in alarm; the Grand Emperor Seal he had just seized also vanished without a trace!

"Is it haunted?" This thought simultaneously crossed both their minds.

Just then, terrifying tremors emanated from outside the Zhaoyang Hall; the Heavenly Emperor had made his move against A-Chou.

Yun Tianzun and Hao Tianzun made an immediate decision, swiftly retreating and rushing towards the hall's exit.

If they didn't leave now, it would be too late. A-Chou, the reincarnated form of Tu Bo, stood no chance against the Heavenly Emperor and would surely be subdued in a single move. If they were trapped inside the Zhaoyang Hall then, they would undoubtedly meet a gruesome end.

Both possessed grand ambitions and could not afford to be trapped there.

The very instant they surged towards the exit, Qin Mu steadied himself and swiftly darted toward the spot where the Grand Emperor Seal and Grand Emperor Altar had vanished. In his hands, he was indeed clutching a Grand Emperor Seal and a Grand Emperor Altar.

Once he had absorbed the Grand Emperor Seal and altar from his hands into his glabella, the Grand Emperor Seal and altar within the Zhaoyang Hall suddenly reappeared.

Qin Mu snatched these two treasures and immediately turned to rush out of the hall.