Chapter 1244: The Strongest of the Ancient Times

Soon after, soldiers from the various divine cities of the Heavenly Court were preparing for battle. A palpable sense of dread filled the air, and Qin Mu felt a chill down his spine, knowing that the Heavenly Court was about to dispatch its vast army to attack Carefree Village and the Creators.

"This war probably won't be enough to capture Emperor Kai and Lang Wo. Why are Heavenly Venerable Huo and Heavenly Venerable Xu so eager to act?"

A thought stirred in his mind: "Heavenly Venerable Hao is probably on his way!"

He felt a creeping unease. Had Heavenly Venerable Hao brought the divine artifact, Heavenly Venerable Yu? If he has the divine artifact Heavenly Venerable Yu, and considering Heavenly Venerable Hao's unfathomable combat power, can the Grand Emperor truly stop him?

"Heavenly Venerable Mu."

Suddenly, a Heavenly Court divine being passing by turned and smiled at him: "Heavenly Venerable Hao has already set off for the Grand Void. I will go and intercept him now! Don't forget your promise; prepare the Primordial Stone! Otherwise, I will ensure that everyone in Eternal Peace dies, even the livestock and the ants in the ground will not be spared!"

After saying this, the divine being shook his head, looked around in confusion, and then continued with his work as if nothing had happened.

"Heavenly Venerable Hao has arrived?"

Qin Mu could barely suppress the excitement in his heart: "The Grand Emperor and Heavenly Venerable Hao – one the strongest from prehistoric times, the other the strongest of the current era! This battle is one I absolutely cannot miss!"

His blood was boiling, and he eagerly wanted to witness the battle between Heavenly Venerable Hao and the Grand Emperor. Just then, Heavenly Venerable Huo approached, saying solemnly, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, in a few days, I will lead the army to attack the rebels. I ask that you, Heavenly Venerable Mu, lead a contingent to attack the enemy camp. What do you think?"

Qin Mu was slightly taken aback. "Heavenly Venerable Huo is a shrewd individual," he thought. "The day he chose is likely the exact day Heavenly Venerable Hao arrives here. By then, with Heavenly Venerable Hao suddenly striking with the divine artifact Heavenly Venerable Yu, he will surely be able to kill Emperor Kai and Divine King Lang Wo. What a truly brilliant plan!"

He broke into a smile. "But fortunately, the Grand Emperor has been resurrected. He won't anticipate that I have an agreement with the Grand Emperor!"

Heavenly Venerable Huo saw that he didn't answer and asked again.

Qin Mu looked pale and spoke weakly: "Forgive me, Heavenly Venerable Huo, but I haven't been feeling well these past few days and fear I cannot fight on the battlefield. Though I wish to repay the Heavenly Court, my spirit is willing, but my body is weak."

Heavenly Venerable Huo frowned, completely unprepared for such a reply. Just moments ago, this brat was brimming with vigor, so excited he looked like he wanted to smash the Heavenly Court's grand camp. Now, he suddenly looked feeble and claimed he couldn't go to battle. If he refuses to go, it's not like I can drag him there.

Heavenly Venerable Huo frowned and left. He found Meng Yungui, Bai Yuqiong, and Zhu Shaoping, and related the matter, asking, "What should we do now?"

Bai Yuqiong and Zhu Shaoping remained silent, looking at Meng Yungui.

Meng Yungui pondered for a moment, then smiled. "While it's difficult to discern Heavenly Venerable Mu's character from his words, actions, or expressions, we can deduce it from his past deeds."

Heavenly Venerable Huo's gaze settled on him. Meng Yungui continued, "Heavenly Venerable Mu reminds me of a terrestrial animal, a roe deer – a silly deer with an insatiable curiosity that often leads to its demise. In the past, if Heavenly Venerable Huo had invited him to battle, even knowing it was a trap, he would still succumb to his strong curiosity and agree, wanting to see what schemes we had. His refusal now can only mean one thing."

Zhu Shaoping's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "This means there's something else that has piqued his curiosity even more, surpassing his curiosity about us!"

Meng Yungui clapped his hands and laughed. "Precisely! In fact, there's a very simple way to kill Heavenly Venerable Mu: pique his curiosity and lure him into a trap. Even if he knows it's an ambush, he'll still jump right in."

The others exchanged glances, recalling how shrewd and slippery Qin Mu usually was, and found it somewhat unbelievable.

Heavenly Venerable Huo, meanwhile, looked at Bai Yuqiong, feeling perplexed. Bai Yuqiong always had ideas, but she was unusually quiet now.

Meng Yungui continued, "However, what this current matter is that has sparked his immense curiosity, we do not know."

Everyone frowned, each wondering what this matter could be.

Heavenly Venerable Huo took a deep breath and said gravely, "First, monitor his movements. If an opportunity arises, eliminate him, then report to the Heavenly Court that Heavenly Venerable Mu sacrificed himself for the realm."

The three Heavenly Masters affirmed. Just then, someone reported, "Heavenly Venerable, Heavenly Venerable Mu is nowhere to be found!"

Heavenly Venerable Huo's heart stirred. He immediately said in a deep voice, "He must have gone to Youdu in the Grand Void! Quickly, find the Heavenly Son of Yin!"

Soon, news came from Heavenly Son of Yin that Qin Mu had not gone to Youdu in the Grand Void. Heavenly Venerable Huo immediately ordered the Celestial Eye Tribe to search for Qin Mu's whereabouts.

However, the Celestial Eyes searched for a long time, but could not find any trace of Qin Mu in the Grand Void.

"I should still be able to make it in time for the battle between the Grand Emperor and Heavenly Venerable Hao!"

Qin Mu was currently in the Collapsed Void, traveling rapidly with Heavenly Venerable Yue's lantern. The Collapsed Void had already been opened by the Heavenly Court, and every so often, divine artifacts of the Four Emperors – Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon – suppressed it, preventing unowned divine consciousness from approaching within the void.

In addition, the Four Emperors' divine artifacts were guarded by powerful gods and devils, making the defenses impregnable. They had built divine cities around these artifacts, and powerful beings within them exuded overwhelming auras. From a distance, the divine cities resembled torches in the darkness.

Heavenly Venerable Yue's lantern distorted space, allowing Qin Mu to travel quickly. He had also used this lantern to evade the Heavenly Court's surveillance and leave the Grand Void to reach this place.

Of course, once he arrived here, he no longer needed to hide his tracks, and could walk along the path built by the Heavenly Court.

"Heavenly Venerable Hao must also pass through this road," he thought. "Therefore, the best place for the Grand Emperor to intercept Heavenly Venerable Hao is actually the center of this road."

He walked for several days, carrying the lantern, until he reached the center of the Collapsed Void and stopped. The Grand Emperor's chosen location for intercepting Heavenly Venerable Hao would surely be some distance from the entrance to the Grand Void, to prevent Heavenly Venerable Hao's escape, and also some distance from the Grand Void itself, to prevent Heavenly Venerable Huo and Heavenly Venerable Xu from coming to his aid.

Thus, the center of the Collapsed Void was the optimal position. With Heavenly Venerable Yue's lantern, Qin Mu's speed was extremely fast, no less than that of a Heavenly Venerable traveling, perhaps even slightly faster. Even if Heavenly Venerable Huo and Heavenly Venerable Xu rushed here, it would take them at least four days. If Heavenly Venerable Hao were defeated and wanted to escape the Grand Void, it would also take him four days to flee. The Grand Emperor would only need to pursue him closely; four days would be enough to leisurely eliminate him!

"The Grand Emperor should already be here!"

Qin Mu hovered high above the road, his eyes shining brightly as he gazed downwards. There was a pass here, a stone city built by the Heavenly Court's soldiers at the midpoint of the road. The city was large, garrisoned by tens of thousands of god-devil soldiers. It contained flying chariots, towering ships, and artillery towers. Most of the soldiers within the city were equipped with bows and arrows. The stone city's walls were stained with blood, likely from scattered inner demons roaming the Collapsed Void that had wandered here to attack the road and the stone city.

"If I were the Grand Emperor, I would choose to hide within the city."

Qin Mu opened his vertical eye between his brows and scrutinized the area carefully. However, to his puzzlement, he scanned everyone in the city but found no trace of the Grand Emperor.

"Has he not arrived yet?" he wondered. "I wonder if he has broken through the Lotus Continent; if not, his power won't be at its peak. However, judging by how easily he controlled Shang Pingyin, his divine consciousness should have recovered to its peak..."

Just as he thought this, his vertical eye suddenly spotted two figures walking along the void road, causing him to freeze. One was Bai Yuqiong, and the other was a chubby boy dressed in blue.

"Lan Yutian, Heavenly Venerable Yu!"

Qin Mu nearly cried out in surprise. At that moment, an incredibly dazzling divine light emanated from behind the two figures. Qin Mu squinted to look, only to see an extraordinarily magnificent divine carriage approaching, radiating boundless divine light that illuminated the void!

"Oh no! Heavenly Venerable Hao has arrived!"

A roar erupted in Qin Mu's mind. His divine consciousness surged out with a whistle, rushing towards Bai Yuqiong and Lan Yutian: "Quickly, leave this place!"