Chapter 1268: Eighteen Heavenly Palaces

Lv Zheng fled swiftly, carrying the Woodcutter Saint and Yan Yunxi. The Black Tiger God, transformed into a black cat, lay perched on his shoulder. Behind them, Niu Sanduo rushed forward, carrying the Battle Heavenly Master, who had sustained severe injuries after directly confronting Hao Tianzun for two moves.

Not far away, Xi Tianjun stumbled, half of his body still flesh and blood, the other half reduced to bone.

Qi Xiayu's body was in tatters, her Heavenly Palace almost completely destroyed. A peach branch was lodged in her chest, beginning to root and sprout, its thick roots piercing through and spreading throughout her Heavenly Palace structures.

Xiu Chong and the Silkworm Maiden were even more miserable; one had lost his physical body and the other her head, forcing them to merge and flee frantically.

In the sky, the Heavenly Court's Third Heavenly Master, Bai Yuqiong, bled as she fled into the distance.

Following the adage, "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Bai Yuqiong, the most powerful of the Four Heavenly Masters, had remained hidden. She had used spatial arrays to nearly flay Hao Tianzun and then severed his head with the Moon Heavenly Master's zither strings, achieving astonishing results.

However, her injuries were also among the most severe; in his rage, Hao Tianzun had nearly shattered her.

Everyone fled frantically, certain that after such a heavy loss, Hao Tianzun would pursue them relentlessly, allowing no one to escape.

To their surprise, however, Hao Tianzun did not pursue them.

The Woodcutter Saint shouted loudly, "Hao Tianzun must be too severely injured to suppress his wounds! Follow me back and kill him!"

No one responded to him.

The Woodcutter Saint struggled for a moment, unable to free himself from Lv Zheng's grasp under his arm. He angrily exclaimed, "Donkey, put me down!"

This time, Lv Zheng didn't mock him as before, but continued to run headlong. The Black Tiger God couldn't help but interject, "My Lord, look around. Besides yourself, who else is capable of fighting now?"

The Woodcutter Saint was startled and looked at the others. He saw Xi Tianjun losing flesh and blood with each step as he fled for his life, while Qi Xiayu stumbled precariously, on the verge of death at any moment.

The Silkworm Maiden and Xiu Chong were in an even worse state; the Dao injuries left by Hao Tianzun were wantonly destroying their divine consciousness and physical bodies.

Yan Yunxi's bones and internal organs were completely shattered; she was now barely clinging to life with a single breath, and if that breath faded, she would perish.

The Battle Heavenly Master had directly endured two heavy blows from Hao Tianzun. Although he appeared to have the lightest injuries, they were in fact extremely severe; he was left with only one broken arm, and his martial arts skills were now limited to his legs.

As for Lv Zheng the donkey, Old Niu Sanduo, and the Black Tiger God, Hao Tianzun's silken threads had drained their entire magical power. They no longer possessed the ability to fly through clouds or mist and could only rely on their physical bodies to run frantically.

In this battle, even though they were in their peak state and confronted Hao Tianzun, who was already at his last gasp, and with a full seven Emperor-level beings present, this was still their outcome.

This situation should not have occurred. The Woodcutter Saint's calculations were correct: Hao Tianzun dared not prolong the battle. There was no need to directly confront him; they only needed to stall for a while, and the pressure of his own cultivation would crush his physical body.

However, "man proposes, God disposes." Hao Tianzun's oppressive aura was too strong, leaving everyone no opportunity to unite. Under the threat of their Dao hearts collapsing, everyone attacked Hao Tianzun individually, like a scattered pile of sand, leading to such a swift defeat.

"Oh, that's right, there's also Mu'er!"

The Woodcutter Saint suddenly perked up, remembering Qin Mu. He urgently said, "Donkey, put me down! Mu'er is still back there!"

Lv Zheng gritted his teeth and said nothing, running desperately. The Black Tiger God interjected, "My Lord, how shrewd is your second disciple? Seeing the danger, he must have fled long ago. How could he still be there now? My Lord, the most crucial thing is how we escape with our lives."

The Woodcutter Saint gritted his teeth and retorted angrily, "From what I know of him, he would absolutely not run away! He would definitely seize this opportunity, and try to eliminate Hao Tianzun, his mortal enemy, no matter what! This isn't a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity, but a once-in-ten-thousand, even a million-year opportunity! Put me down! With the combined wisdom of master and disciple, we might just be able to eliminate Hao Tianzun!"

Lv Zheng ignored him, speeding away.

At that moment, in the dark valley behind them, a divine consciousness domain erupted. Thousands of Heart Demon Heavenly Venerates had now transformed into a part of the Divine Treasure Domain, becoming deities within it.

All the energy within the Divine Treasure Domain converged, and under Qin Mu's guidance, it transformed into an earth-shattering blow.

The light emanating from this strike dispelled all darkness in the valley, shining so brightly that it illuminated the shadows of everyone fleeing in panic.

Their shadows were stretched long, and the pulsating light made their shadows dance on the ground, menacingly, like demons.

The Woodcutter Saint looked back and sighed inwardly.

It was indeed Qin Mu clashing with Hao Tianzun, attempting to slay him, but the power was simply too immense. Even if he wanted to go back now, he couldn't.

The energy unleashed by Qin Mu and Hao Tianzun's battle was too strong. With his current strength, he wouldn't even be able to get close; he would be shattered by the residual shockwaves of the combat.

"Mu'er must be using the power of the Heart Demon Heavenly Venerates. He is the true Heavenly Venerate Mu, coordinating and commanding all of them, which gives him the power to contend with Hao Tianzun. He might even be able to wear Hao Tianzun down to death."

The Woodcutter Saint smiled, whispering, "You've grown up, you're a seasoned veteran now. This battle has shown me that you possess the wisdom to contend with a Heavenly Venerate."

The dark valley.

Qin Mu stood at the center of the Divine Treasure Domain. Around him, four of the five innate great ore veins erupted with misty Dao energy, surging towards the long sword in his hand.

At the same time, all the Great Daos from the Ancestral Court, Xuandu, Youdu, the Four Extremes, Yuandu, Tianyin, and the myriad heavens and worlds within the domain burst forth, surging towards the long sword in his hand.

The Heart Demon Heavenly Venerates stationed in the various great heavens simultaneously activated all their Dao arts and divine abilities.

His eighteen Heavenly Palaces simultaneously lit up, and vast magical power surged forth in unison.

This was Qin Mu's first time activating his Great Heavenly Court cultivation method.

By observing Hao Tianzun's battle with the Grand Emperor, he had comprehended his eighteenth Heavenly Palace, the Innate Heavenly Palace, and finally gained insight into his Great Heavenly Court cultivation method.

Now, it was his first battle.

As the Great Heavenly Court cultivation method circulated, and the magical power of thousands of Heart Demon Heavenly Venerates converged and surged into his divine sword, Qin Mu let out a long cry, filled with fervent determination, and swung his sword to meet the charging Hao Tianzun.

At that moment, the sword light became an immense vortex, swirling, surging, and soaring in the dark valley. It transformed into a dazzling pillar of light that astonished the entire Grand Empty, reaching the clouds and piercing straight beyond the heavens.

The raging sword currents swirled and overflowed, tearing through the dark valley, shattering mountains, and leveling the corpse-walkers who ran on all fours, pulverizing them amidst the surging sword light.

Finally, the sword light subsided. In the sky, bodies rained down—the corpses of the Heart Demon Heavenly Venerates, lying haphazardly across the ground.

Collapsed Heavenly Palaces were everywhere, along with destroyed Xuandu, Youdu, and other myriad heavens and worlds. Qin Mu had been defeated.

Hao Tianzun lay sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily. He sneered, "I finally defeated you, *cough, cough*."

He coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, then shakily stood up, his expression a mix of smiles and tears. "I finally defeated you, Heavenly Venerate Mu! For millions of years, I've lived in your shadow. But today, I have finally slain you and stepped out of your shadow!"

He burst into laughter, his voice filled with delight. "You are no longer my heart demon!"

Just then, his pupils contracted sharply.

In the dark valley, which had been reduced to dust, matter was flowing back, regenerating.

The shattered Qin Mu recovered at an astonishing speed. His Heavenly Palaces rebuilt, Xuandu floated, Youdu sank, and the Ancestral Court, Yuan Realm, Four Extreme Heavens, and myriad heavens and worlds reappeared, as if flying back into existence.

"Hao Tianzun."

Qin Mu brandished his sword, gathering all his power and the torrent of the Great Dao. He charged forward with his sword, full of heroic spirit. "Even if you achieve a true Heavenly Court, I, your heart demon, will forever be imprinted in your heart, indelible!"