Chapter 1311: Langxuan Ambushes the Void Beast

They finally entered the range covered by the Lapis Lazuli Azure Sky Canopy. Qin Mu let out a long breath and said, "There's no need to underestimate yourselves. These old hands were simply born before us and have experienced more of the world; it doesn't necessarily mean they are smarter than us. If living longer made one smarter, then turtles would have long since ruled the world."

The Dragon Qilin couldn't help but laugh. "Cult Master, turtles aren't the longest-living species."

Qin Mu chuckled. "The longest-lived are the ancient gods, yet haven't I killed many of them? This shows that simply living a long time doesn't make you smarter. In fact, what's terrifying is that a long life makes you increasingly rely on experience to get things done, rather than your own intellect. When you're trapped by experience, that's when it becomes dangerous."

The Dragon Qilin felt this was a valuable piece of advice and carefully noted it down: "Perhaps I can use this in my Human Herding Sutra..."

"If the Grand Emperor is severely wounded this time, can I reclaim the Primordial Stone?"

Qin Mu blinked, stroking the stubborn stubble on his chin—no matter how much he plucked it, it always grew back. "If I retrieve the Primordial Stone, wouldn't the one I gave to Revered God Xiaoyao be wasted? Still, the Primordial Stone is indeed very tempting..."

Meanwhile, Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, and others had passed through the Heavenly Rift and finally arrived at the Ancestral Court.

"What a treasure trove!" The group looked around in astonishment. This place resembled the Heavenly Court even more than the Heavenly Court itself. Divine mountains were composed of divine metals everywhere, rivers were formed from Gui Water, floating white clouds were condensed spiritual energy, and drizzling rain was transformed spiritual power.

The soil on the ground was self-growing *xirang*, capable of expanding into an entire landmass from a single piece. The undulating mountain ranges resembled divine dragons in various poses; a genius like the Dragon Herder could slightly alter the topography to form true dragons. The vegetation in the mountains and fields was lush, with rare spiritual flowers, exotic grasses, and precious plants unseen in the outside world.

Even more incredible were the colossal beasts moving through the mountains and flying within the clouds.

"No wonder the Cult Master kept urging me to come here," Xu Shenghua murmured in admiration. "The treasures here are simply too abundant. The natural patterns on those gigantic beasts contain profound principles; if mastered, one's achievements would undoubtedly be extraordinary. The landscape's contours, the natural resources – this is clearly a place where emperors rise!"

Lan Yutian sensed the Grand Dao here and murmured, "This will be the place of my enlightenment..."

Xu Shenghua also nodded. "I've sensed it too. This will be the place of my enlightenment."

The two exchanged glances. Lan Yutian, leading five thousand gods, descended from the sky and followed his intuition. He said, "I've sensed five peculiar Grand Daos here, exceptionally strong, and connected to my own Dao arts and divine powers."

Xu Shenghua carefully sensed them and praised, "Brother Lan, your talent still surpasses mine. My senses aren't as clear as yours; I can only barely perceive the aura of those five Grand Daos."

The group followed them, meandering through mountains and rivers. Along the way, they saw countless natural treasures, a dazzling sight. Some of the gods, their Dao hearts swayed by the treasures, stopped to search for them. By the time they found what they were looking for, Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and the others had already vanished.

As they continued, the number of gods behind them dwindled, leaving only three thousand who still persevered in following them. Strangely enough, some colossal beasts they encountered also joined the ranks of their followers.

When Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua stopped to discuss Dao arts and divine powers, these ancient beasts surprisingly sat down and listened attentively. Some gods intended to drive the beasts away, but Xu Shenghua stopped them, saying, "All things have spirits, and all things have Dao; all can cultivate."

Lan Yutian's senses were more acute, making Xu Shenghua admit his inferiority. After traveling for dozens of days, they finally arrived beside a Sea of Chaos.

This Sea of Chaos was filled with incredibly ancient and heavy chaotic energy, capable of dissolving anything. It was extremely dangerous, so much so that even the colossal beasts of the Ancestral Court dared not venture there.

Xu Shenghua looked around and shook his head. "The Grand Dao here has dissipated, leaving only its aura behind."

Lan Yutian shook his head. "It hasn't dissipated. The Grand Dao has always been here; it's just that someone achieved enlightenment by utilizing the Grand Dao of this place. After their enlightenment, their realm became too profound to require this location, so they departed."

Just then, the sky suddenly grew dark. Everyone looked up to see countless six-legged colossal beasts gliding through the sky, their two pairs of fleshy wings spread wide. These beasts were larger than other colossal beasts, and their bodies bore extremely peculiar patterns. They flew in massive swarms, filling the entire sky.

No one had ever witnessed such a spectacular sight, and they all gazed upwards.

Xu Shenghua murmured, "Cult Master Qin once taught me several Void patterns, saying they contained a type of Void Grand Dao. Those patterns resemble the ones on these beasts... Yes, these are Void Beasts!"

No sooner had he spoken than the colossal beasts near the Sea of Chaos suddenly scattered in alarm, fleeing in all directions. Even the few beasts that had been following Lan Yutian now trembled, prostrating themselves on the ground as if trying to hide.

Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, and the others didn't know much about Void Beasts, but the other colossal beasts were well aware of their terror. Void Beasts were, in essence, the natural predators of all other colossal beasts, and such a massive migration of them could truly purge everything!

Strangely, however, the Void Beasts in the sky ignored the fleeing beasts below, instead rushing towards a single direction: another opening in the Ancestral Court's sky!

There were two openings in the sky: one was the Heavenly Rift, caused by Emperor Kai's sword splitting the Heavenly Court, and the other was a large circular hole blasted open when Qin Mu triggered the Tai Shi ore vein riot, unsealing the gods. The Void Beasts were heading directly for this circular hole.

Just as countless Void Beasts surged towards the enormous opening, the sky suddenly trembled violently. A colossal, round eye emerged from the void, its immense presence causing the sky to continuously fracture. The other Void Beasts scattered, clearing a space.

Then, the giant eye peered downwards, slowly revealing an even larger Void Beast head. *Boom*—

The sky vibrated as a claw, several times thicker than a mountain, emerged from the void. It rubbed against the air, causing lightning flashes, thunder, and chaotic bursts of fire in the sky. *Boom, boom, boom*—

The colossal beast's six claws extended from the void, and its complete body descended. It was the Void Mother Beast! This was the same Mother Beast that the Dragon Qilin had previously controlled, but it had now returned to the Grand Emperor's control.

Countless Void Beasts circled around the Mother Beast, guiding it towards the large opening in the Ancestral Court. It appeared they intended to escape the Ancestral Court!

"Why are the Void Beasts fleeing? Is there a creature here even more terrifying than them?" Xu Shenghua wondered, recalling the many legends about Void Beasts he had heard from Qin Mu.

Just then, a gigantic divine light wheel slowly rose, obscuring half the sky. The light wheel whirred as it spun, and before it was the smiling face of Divine Emperor Lang Xuan.

"The Void Mother Beast belongs to me!" Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's divine consciousness erupted, and he burst into laughter. "The Void Beast race shall also fall under my control!"

Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, and the others stared in stunned silence. Xu Shenghua's expression changed drastically, and he urgently said, "Let's go quickly! Even a single wisp of a Celestial Venerable's power is enough to shatter us!"

As they were about to leave the Sea of Chaos, a figure suddenly rose from within it. It was a white-haired old man, leaning on a staff with one hand and carrying a water bucket in the other. He chuckled, "Fellow Daoists, you cannot escape a Celestial Venerable's battle. It would be better to take temporary refuge with me."