Chapter 1380: Prison Locking the Dao Heart

Qin Mu arrived at the second level of the Nine Hells Platform, where the sensation of the "Hell-Locked Great Dao" was even more intense. His vital qi cultivation became incredibly sluggish and difficult to circulate. It felt as if countless pores on his body were sealed, preventing the qi within him from circulating with the outside world. Moreover, the stinging sensation grew more intense, as if countless invisible needles were piercing his body. What was even stranger was that his primordial spirit, divine sense, and vital qi all felt the pricking pain.

"If this place is also a realm, what is its function? It's a shame Senior Brother isn't here..." He was puzzled. The Heavenly Court had a Heavenly Prison, used to suppress the most heinous criminals. Back then, after Emperor Yunluo Wei Suifeng was captured, he was imprisoned there. If Wei Suifeng were present, he might be able to share his experiences in the Heavenly Prison, which could serve as a reference for Qin Mu.

"If the Nine Hells Platform is a realm, where should it be placed among the seven realms of the Heavenly Palace? Is it lower or higher than the Jade Terrace Realm?" He carefully observed, trying to find the Dao realm principles hidden within the Nine Hells Platform, but apart from the pain, he felt nothing but pain.

Upon jumping to the third level of the Nine Hells Platform, he saw many twisted skeletons. These were giants, likely Creation Spirits, who must have been in such agony that their bones deformed. Qin Mu even saw a Creation Spirit's skull that was twisted, suggesting the individual's face must have contorted in pain while they were alive. With his cultivation strength, Qin Mu would have been a dominant figure even in the Primordial Era. He could still tolerate the third level, so he paid it no mind and continued deeper.

He jumped to the fourth level of the Heavenly Prison, still not feeling any enhancement to his Dao. However, the stinging pain began to affect his primordial spirit, causing his Heavenly Palaces to start deforming.

"This is somewhat interesting..." He continued deeper, reaching the fifth level. Here, the Great Dao was locked, rendering his Dao arts and divine abilities completely unusable. "However, the Daos of Grand Beginning, Grand Primordium, Grand Pure, and Grand Ultimate are still accessible. As long as these four Daos remain functional, this place cannot trap me."

When he reached the sixth level, his primordial spirit was already locked, sealed by a powerful enchantment within its Heavenly Palace. Qin Mu's mind felt somewhat hazy, and various chaotic thoughts flooded him. "This place can disrupt one's Dao heart, much like the demonic nature of the demonic Dao in Youdu."

Upon reaching the seventh level, his divine sense also seemed to be locking down, and his thoughts appeared to cease functioning. Qin Mu quickly gathered his thoughts, concentrating them within the ancestral court of his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, using the power of the five great ore veins to protect his consciousness. By the eighth level, his vital qi had completely subsided; he could no longer sense any aura of the Great Dao within his body. It felt as if even his blood was stiffening, leaving nothing but incredibly intense pain.

The eighth level of the Heavenly Prison was littered with skeletons, so twisted that their original shapes were unrecognizable. He even saw ancient gods! Long Xiao had indeed not lied to him; many ancient gods were thrown here, but couldn't even crawl out, ultimately dying of pain in this terrifying Heavenly Prison.

Qin Mu's mind roared as if billions of inner demons were clamoring, making it difficult for him to maintain his usual Dao heart. His eyes were bloodshot, and everything he saw appeared distorted. The entire world — the sky, the earth, and even himself — was twisting into grotesque forms.

"Oh no, the Heavenly Prison is locking my Dao heart! If my Dao heart collapses, I fear I'll end up like these skeletons, reduced to mere wails, never able to leave!" He quickly closed his eyes. The "Hell-Locked Great Dao" was far more terrifying and treacherous than he had imagined! The vertical eye on his forehead opened, and when he looked around again, the sensation of the entire world twisting instantly disappeared.

"Heavenly Venerable Mu, you've come to a strange place," Grand Primordium's voice echoed from his divine treasure. Grand Primordium, who had been diligently refining the Grand Primordium primordial stone within the egg for some time and rarely emerged, was finally startled by Qin Mu's arrival here. "This place resembles an incredibly treacherous area within the ancestral court. It's not somewhere you should be. You still have time to retreat now."

Grand Primordium, observing the surroundings through Qin Mu's vertical eye, felt a jolt in his heart. He said in a deep voice, "There are a few places in the ancestral court that even I cannot probe, and this is one of them. Besides this, I've also sensed several other locations, one of which is your great black wood."

Qin Mu was slightly startled. "Then, Dao Brother," he asked, "which level did you sense?"

"The very bottom level."

Qin Mu approached the edge of the eighth level and peered down. Grand Primordium in the egg immediately cried out, "Do not look!" At that very moment, Qin Mu had already caught sight of the ninth level of the Heavenly Prison. He saw only a patch of white light, like a well reflecting moonlight. The water in the well was perfectly still, reflecting Qin Mu's face. The ninth level of the Heavenly Prison was not large, measuring only two *zhang* square.

Qin Mu smiled. "There's nothing here," he said, "what's there to be so alarmed about?"

Grand Primordium in the egg sighed. "You are already on the ninth level," he said. Qin Mu froze. It was only then that he realized he wasn't looking down at the ninth level, but rather looking up at the sky! He was currently on the ninth level of the Nine Hells Platform of the Heavenly Prison, looking up at the well-like sky! He didn't even know when he had descended.

"You're finished; your Dao heart has been locked." Grand Primordium in the egg sighed. "Heavenly Venerable Mu," he said, "your Dao heart, divine abilities, Great Dao, vital qi, and even the power of your physical body are all locked. All you have left is your divine sense, hidden within the ancestral court of your divine treasure."

Qin Mu's primordial spirit was inert, his vital qi solidified, the Great Dao runes in his Heavenly Palace ceased their transformations, and the myriad stars in his divine treasure, along with the ancient god imprints in the hundred orifices of his physical body—everything was completely locked! The two qi of Yin and Yang still circulated within the vertical eye on his forehead, but Qin Mu was utterly unable to harness its power. He was now nothing more than an ordinary mortal, stripped of all divine abilities!

"Dao Brother Grand Primordium, what do we do now?" Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Grand Primordium in the egg replied coldly, "The former you would never ask me what to do! You always had ingenious ideas to overcome difficulties, but now you've lost your way and are asking me for help. Has your Dao heart completely vanished?" Within the mining area of the divine treasure's ancestral court, enveloped by the five mines, Qin Mu's divine sense was in disarray, unable to conjure any solution. The final prison of the Heavenly Prison's Nine Hells Platform—"Hell-Locked Dao Heart"—was indeed the largest and most terrifying cage!

Grand Primordium in the egg sighed, saying, "This Nine Hells Platform is simply not a place you, at your current realm, can enter. If my guess is correct, the Heavenly Prison's Nine Hells Platform, among the seven realms of the Heavenly Palace, should be ranked after the God-Slaying Platform and before Jade Capital City. Your current strength is probably not even enough to ascend the God-Slaying Platform of the ancestral court; as for the Nine Hells Platform, you can forget about passing it."

Qin Mu's heart filled with dread, and he slumped to the ground. At that moment, he felt an incredibly intense pain emanating from every part of his body, causing his tormented form to twist and deform. Grand Primordium in the egg said, "When you passed the God-Slaying Platform, it should have had another function beyond merely severing the primordial spirit. It likely also severs Dao cultivation and the Dao heart. Only after passing that does one qualify to enter the Nine Hells Platform. Your only chance of survival now is your divine sense hidden within the five mines—this is your last hope... Heavenly Venerable Mu!"

Grand Primordium in the egg roared, "Pull yourself together! You must brace yourself and restore your Dao heart! Otherwise, you will die here, just like all the Creation Spirits and ancient gods in the Heavenly Prison!"