Chapter 1260: Chicken-Thief Wen Tiange

Qin Mu was dumbfounded, speechless for a long time. Many others, allies and enemies alike, were equally speechless, utterly shaken by the unparalleled methods used by Wen Tian Ge to break through Celestial Venerable Hao's arrangements.

Apart from the Black Tiger God, the Butcher Saint's companion, the Butcher was arguably the weakest among them, yet his wisdom was unmatched. Even Celestial Venerable Hao's powerful seals couldn't stump him.

"Old Thief Wen, what level of cultivation have you reached now?" Celestial Venerable Xi asked nervously.

The Butcher's face fell, and he replied hoarsely, "Still at the Jade Capital realm."

"So, a Heavenly God then?"

Celestial Venerable Xi let out a long sigh of relief and muttered, "That's a relief. I could just blow him to death with a single breath. Everyone, let's explore this canyon and find Celestial Venerable Hao soon so we can report back!"

The others also breathed sighs of relief. Qi Xiaoyu said, "We are all loyal and righteous subjects. Let's find Celestial Venerable Hao, treat his injuries, and wish him eternal life and boundless blessings, as vast as the heavens. There's no time to lose, let's go in quickly!"

Celestial Venerable Xi, Qi Xiaoyu, and others rushed into the canyon first, while the Butcher Saint, Creator Xiu Zhong, and others followed a step behind. Yan Yunxi's eyes flickered as she whispered, "Woodcutter, you broke Celestial Venerable Hao's seal. What if they rush in and then team up with Celestial Venerable Hao against us?"

The Butcher Saint chuckled, "Who said I broke the seal?"

Yan Yunxi looked stunned. She glanced at the stone walls on both sides of the Eighth Canyon, seeing that the divine light within the canyon had been transformed into runes by the Butcher and pinned to the walls. It clearly looked as if the Butcher had broken Celestial Venerable Hao's seal.

"It only *looks* like it's broken."

The Butcher calmly continued, "My cultivation is too low; I don't have the power to break Celestial Venerable Hao's seal. In a little while, these runes will revert into a radiant seal. Everyone, be vigilant and careful!"

Xiu Zhong and the Silkworm Girl caught up with them. The Silkworm Girl pointed at the Butcher and said, "You wretched old man, you're truly wicked!"

Xiu Zhong added, "Fortunately, during the confrontation with Wuyou Township back then, it was Heavenly Teacher Zi Xi, not the Woodcutter."

Yan Yunxi chuckled, "I was never his equal. Among all the Heavenly Teachers, perhaps only the ancient Dragon Mountain Hermit and Yue Tingge could rival him in wisdom."

The Butcher suddenly grew tense and quickly shouted, "Be careful! Celestial Venerable Hao's seal is about to reappear! Everyone, protect me! Don't let me get hurt!"

Though displeased, the others still protected him, positioning him in the center. The Black Tiger God also received protection due to his low cultivation.

On the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, countless magnificent ancient god dao runes suddenly erupted, transforming into streams of radiant light that filled the Eighth Canyon.

The power of the Celestial Venerable's seal erupted. Red Emperor Qi Xiaoyu, Xi Muhong, Celestial Venerable Xi, and others at the front immediately sensed danger. Qi Xiaoyu and Celestial Venerable Xi decisively activated their respective Imperial Throne artifacts for protection.

Qi Xiaoyu's zither rapidly spun around them, its strings instantly transforming into layers of spatial barriers.

Celestial Venerable Xi's demon-subduing pestle continuously vibrated in the air, splitting into two, then four, then eight, filling the sky with pestle shadows in an instant.

Other powerful individuals at the Jade Capital and Firmament realms also activated their divine weapons, but the divine light had already engulfed them before their weapons' power could fully unleash.

The ancient zither spun even faster, its melody becoming more urgent, like a sealing closure, blocking the restrictive dao power contained within the radiant light.

Qi Xiaoyu's expression was grim. Celestial Venerable Hao's restrictions shattered one spatial barrier after another, their force reaching right up to her.

Suddenly, a phoenix cry echoed. She revealed her true form, transforming into a nine-headed phoenix, flapping her wings to directly confront the restrictions.

At the same time, Celestial Venerable Xi's demon-subduing pestle also struggled to withstand the restrictive dao power. It felt as if ancient gods, with their unparalleled dao power, were relentlessly striking his pestle.

Left with no choice, he too revealed his true form: a Taotie, with divine light erupting from his entire body.

Working together, the two managed to block the power of the restrictions. However, they saw that among the Firmament realm experts who had been with them, only about ten remained. The other dozen had perished within the terrifying restrictions of the canyon.

Together, they broke through the radiant light, finally getting a moment to breathe. Celestial Venerable Xi, returning to his human form, angrily shouted, "Wen Ji Thief!"

They had been unprepared, while the Martial Heavenly Master, Yan Yunxi, Xiu Zhong, and others had already made preparations. Although injured, they had managed to save their lives.

The Butcher Saint heard Celestial Venerable Xi's shout but completely ignored it, accustomed to such outbursts. He continued to instruct the others, saying, "The ancient god dao runes in Yankang were sent by my good-for-nothing second disciple. If you've studied ancient god dao runes, breaking this isn't actually difficult. This radiant restriction is essentially the Grand Emperor's Grand Capital Dao, a Heavenly Seal within the Heavenly Dao. You just need to break it like this..."

At the canyon's entrance, Bai Yuqiong and Qin Mu stood outside, looking in.

Bai Yuqiong's heart pounded as she witnessed the eruption of radiant light. She tentatively asked, "As a disciple of Wen Ji, Wen Tian Ge, Heavenly Venerable Mu, you should know how to break the seals here, right? Surely Wen Tian Ge wouldn't have failed to teach you this?"

Qin Mu scoffed lightly. "He didn't pass on his knowledge to me; instead, he learned quite a bit from me. His method for breaking restrictions likely came from Yankang—either from the Dao Sect or from Xu Shenghua. Breaking this is not difficult for me."

Bai Yuqiong smiled faintly, dismissing his words as mere boasting to save face.

What she didn't know was that the ancient god dao runes in Yankang genuinely originated from Qin Mu, who had stolen them from the Heavenly Court's Archive Pavilion.

Qin Mu said gravely, "However, my magic power isn't strong enough, so it might be difficult to break through the seals and go deeper. That's why I need Heavenly Master Bai's help. You follow me, and we'll stand back-to-back, each responsible for one side."

He shook his body, manifesting three heads and six arms, allowing him to perceive the radiant seals from all directions.

Although he only had enough power for self-preservation and couldn't protect Bai Yuqiong, he could guide her.

The two cautiously walked into the canyon. Compared to Red Emperor Qi Xiaoyu's group, they appeared much more at ease.

However, Red Emperor and Celestial Venerable Xi were still at the forefront. Their combined strength was formidable, and they forcibly broke through restrictions all the way, gradually delving deeper into the Eighth Canyon.

Along the way, Qin Mu and Bai Yuqiong proceeded without major incidents, nearing the end of the canyon.

The four groups ahead had already reached the end, where a valley shrouded in dense black mist lay before them. They each sent out vanguards to scout ahead.

Suddenly, shrill cries came from ahead: "Celestial Venerable Hao's inner demon has appeared! Everyone, be careful!"

"The inner demon is very powerful!"

"Beware! That's Mu!"

Some met a tragic end, but others sharply cried out, "Watch out for Heavenly Venerable Mu!"

Celestial Venerable Xi and Red Emperor were stunned: "Heavenly Venerable Mu?"

Soon, silence fell within the darkness ahead. The many powerful cultivators who had arrived grew tense, looking at the dark valley in front of them. Then, a figure slowly emerged from the gloom.

The figure held a sword in one hand and a severed head in the other. Slowly, it raised its head, revealing Qin Mu's face.

Celestial Venerable Hao's inner demon: Qin Mu.