Chapter 1366: Cruel Truth

"It's best to avoid conflict with a being like Longxiao if possible." Qin Mu couldn't help but feel a little worried. Longxiao was incredibly powerful; when Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign summoned him, his nine heads blotted out the sky, a truly astonishing sight. Qin Mu had no desire to offend such a formidable entity.

He continued his journey, tracking Shu Jun's soul aura. As Shu Jun's aura grew clearer, Qin Mu felt a surge of energy. His connection with Shu Jun became increasingly defined, allowing him to precisely pinpoint Shu Jun's location. "He's still alive!" Qin Mu felt a slight sense of relief. He also sensed many individuals with Shu Jun, presumably Lan Yutian, Xu Shenghua, and the First Ancestor. As long as these people were still alive, he would find a way to get them out of the back of Ancestral Court first, then strategize further.

Whoosh—Qin Mu led the collective divine consciousness, rapidly approaching Shu Jun and the others. Once close enough, he could immediately use his divine consciousness to form a summoning divine art, sweeping Shu Jun and the others away to Great Black Mountain. At that very moment, Shu Jun's divine consciousness suddenly made contact with Qin Mu's. In an instant, Shu Jun understood Qin Mu's intention, and his consciousness filled with panic: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, leave quickly—" Qin Mu was slightly taken aback, not understanding. Just as he was about to inquire, Shu Jun's divine consciousness fluctuated violently: "Longxiao is here, and he has trapped all of us! He noticed you long ago and is waiting for you to walk into his snare!" Qin Mu was horrified and, without hesitation, withdrew his divine consciousness.

Suddenly, space vibrated violently. An incredibly terrifying divine consciousness wave instantly swept between Qin Mu and Shu Jun's divine consciousness, severing their connection! Divine consciousness is not physical; it is pure thought. Yet, this formidable divine consciousness behaved like a tangible entity, like a mountain spanning heaven and earth, barring the path of Qin Mu and the others' divine consciousness. Swish—An immensely bright light erupted. Wei Suifeng, Granny Si, Crown Prince You Ming, and the others felt their divine thoughts melting rapidly, like snow encountering a scorching sun. They perceived a scene both magnificent and utterly terrifying: nine dragon heads, filling the heavens and the earth, completely occupied their divine consciousness "vision," causing their own consciousness to continuously collapse and disintegrate! Longxiao, that ancient being of immense horror whose power was almost on par with the Grand Emperor, was unbearable for them simply through the manifestation of his divine consciousness.

"Grand Heaven Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness!" Qin Mu unleashed his Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness domain, an imitation of the Grand Emperor's. As the domain expanded, everything instantly slowed down immensely, as if time itself were congealing. Longxiao's terrifying divine consciousness was also affected; its invasion into Qin Mu's Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness domain was infinitely prolonged, preventing it from destroying their divine consciousness in one swift blow! Of course, time wasn't truly stagnant; this was merely an illusion created by the Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness domain, a form of suppression exerted by the domain on the invading consciousness. The pressure was equally reciprocal. Qin Mu's Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness domain was only a pseudo-Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness domain; his divine consciousness path had not reached the Grand Emperor's level. As he restricted Longxiao's divine consciousness invasion, his own internal pressure also escalated dramatically! His Unsurpassed Divine Consciousness domain crackled with explosive sounds, and alarming cracks appeared in the void of the domain, causing cracks to appear in his own divine consciousness due to the overwhelming pressure! Longxiao was overwhelmingly powerful, to the point of being unsuppressable. Nevertheless, Qin Mu finally seized a fleeting opportunity and immediately sent Wei Suifeng, Granny Si, and the others' divine consciousness back to Great Black Mountain.

Everyone awoke on the Great Black Mountain altar, their divine consciousness returning to their respective bodies. Granny Si, Patriarch Wen Yuan, and others immediately examined Qin Mu's physical form, noting that his primordial spirit was present, but his divine consciousness had not returned! "Oh no, could Heavenly Venerable Mu's divine consciousness be trapped by that invincible creature?" "This is terrible; that creature is too terrifying!" Panic spread among the group. Wei Suifeng, however, spoke gravely: "Don't panic, everyone! My junior brother managed to send us back, so he can certainly escape himself. The reason he hasn't returned directly is likely because he intends to confront Longxiao." Granny Si, Patriarch Wen Yuan, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Their concern had clouded their judgment, making them lose their composure. Since Qin Mu could send them back, he could undoubtedly escape himself. "This boy, his courage is simply too immense!" Granny Si gritted her teeth and exclaimed angrily, "He deserves a good spanking!" At her words, everyone's eyes brightened. Crown Prince You Ming cleared his throat and remarked, "Daoist friend Si, words must be kept. You can't make grand statements and then not follow through." Wei Suifeng, Yu Chudu, and others nodded in agreement, stating, "As beings who entered the Dao through divine arts, our words hold power; we cannot be untrustworthy." The Dragon Qilin excitedly wagged his tail, wanting to speak, but feared Qin Mu's detection. The small green bird on his forehead, however, raised its wings in approval. Granny Si, still unable to bring herself to do it, merely said, "We'll discuss it when he returns…"

Suddenly, the nine-layered altar vibrated violently. A vast and profound divine consciousness reached Great Black Mountain directly from another dimension, pulling Qin Mu's physical body from the altar. Even the nine-layered altar itself was being lifted, threatening to fly into that other space! The individuals on the altar became unstable. Crown Prince You Ming and Wei Suifeng were the first to react, each reaching out to grab one of Qin Mu's legs, preventing him from being dragged into the back of Ancestral Court! They were horrified, realizing that the source of this divine consciousness was Longxiao. This terrifying creature had actually followed their divine consciousness, tracking them to this location, attempting a reverse summoning to pull Qin Mu's physical body into the back of Ancestral Court! Even though Wei Suifeng and Crown Prince You Ming were both peak Emperor's Throne realm cultivators, they struggled against Longxiao's terrifying divine consciousness summoning. Their bodies were lifted, floating uncontrollably in the air. "Hold him!" Wei Suifeng roared, his primordial spirit erupting as his Celestial Palace floated behind him. His primordial spirit rose with a roar from the Emperor's Throne, fully mobilizing his magic power. On the other side, Crown Prince You Ming's Black Tortoise primordial spirit floated aloft, also exerting its full power, desperately trying to anchor Qin Mu's body. The others also joined the effort, finally managing to pull Qin Mu's physical body back down onto the nine-layered altar!

To their horror, however, the nine-layered altar itself also lifted off, soaring towards another dimension! The moment Qin Mu's feet touched the altar, his eyes snapped open, and his primordial spirit shot up with a whoosh, settling behind him as he roared, "Divine Treasure Domain!" His primordial spirit expanded to an immense size. The instant it landed on the altar, all the runes on the nine-layered altar immediately glowed. The summoning runes on the altar reversed, and countless runes transformed simultaneously, initiating a reverse summoning to pull his own divine consciousness back! Witnessing this, everyone exhaled in relief. Their combined strength, augmented by the nine-layered altar, was evenly matched with Longxiao's summoning. Both sides were locked in a stalemate in the air, a raw struggle of power, neither able to fully overcome the other. "Activate the Lapis Lazuli Azure Sky Canopy!" Mute roared. Blind, Crown Prince You Ming, Wei Suifeng, and the others quickly understood. The power of the Lapis Lazuli Azure Sky Canopy, once the foremost treasure, instantly erupted. With a series of whooshes, all the mighty treasures within the twenty-eight Heavens unleashed their full might, pressing down on the nine-layered altar and immediately suppressing Longxiao's summoning. The nine-layered altar crashed to the ground, and everyone finally felt at ease. The Lapis Lazuli Azure Sky Canopy truly was worthy of its title as the foremost treasure. With Blind and Mute leading Yankang's Heavenly Artisans in its continuous recasting, its power had surpassed its former capabilities many times over. Although it lacked the Grand Primordial Divine Egg as its core, making it slightly less versatile in transformations, its raw destructive power was immeasurably greater. Qin Mu's primordial spirit, however, remained hazy, clearly indicating that he had not yet recovered his divine consciousness. Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions growing serious once more.

Meanwhile, in the back of Ancestral Court, Qin Mu's divine consciousness condensed, taking on his likeness. He floated before Longxiao's divine consciousness, his robes gently swaying, and smiled faintly. "Longxiao, the mount of Divine King Boyang, I believe we can talk now?" "The mount of Divine King Boyang?" Longxiao's divine consciousness suddenly erupted in laughter, his voice filled with mockery. "Young Creator, you are mistaken. The three great Divine Kings of the Primordial Era were not Boyang, Shu Jun, and Gong Jun, but rather Longxiao, Shu Jun, and Gong Jun. Divine King Boyang is *my* mount!"