Chapter 1431: Ironclad Friendship

Qin Mu could feel his God Execution Stage growing stronger and stronger. Especially after he refined the power of the two Blood Fiend God Execution Blades, the power of the two blades on his God Execution Stage also rose commensurately, becoming increasingly terrifying!

Butcher, Tian Shu, Luo Wushuang, and Zhe Huali also seized this opportunity to reshape the God Execution Stages in their Celestial Palaces, though the benefits they gained were not as significant as Qin Mu's.

Of the baleful qi from the Ancestral Court's God Execution Stage that the five of them refined, four-fifths were refined by Qin Mu, with the remaining one-fifth divided among Butcher and the other three.

Even so, the gains were extraordinary.

Their divine treasures did not contain an Ancestral Court, only a God Execution Stage within their Celestial Palaces. For the four of them to share one-fifth of the baleful qi was already a remarkable achievement.

It's important to note that the Ancestral Court's God Execution Stage had accumulated baleful qi from the Primordial Era until now. They had already refined half of this qi, and it was enough to bring about a qualitative leap for the God Execution Stages in their Celestial Palaces!

Zhe Huali, in particular, was at the Jade Pool realm before entering the God Execution Stage. Now, he had leaped directly to the God Execution Stage realm, and the benefits he reaped were immeasurable!

At the God Execution Stage realm, he had few rivals.

In the God Execution Stage realm, as long as a Celestial Venerable did not appear, no one could contend with him!

While Butcher, Luo Wushuang, and Tian Shu's realms did not advance, their God Execution Stage realms became incredibly stable, and their Dao Hearts improved by leaps and bounds. The magnitude of these benefits was unimaginable!

The baleful qi contained within their God Execution Stages enhanced their blade prowess and significantly influenced their divine arts and Dao methods. Furthermore, for Tian Shu and Butcher, who frequently entered battlefields, the God Execution Stage's absorption of baleful qi also resolved the hidden danger of their Dao Hearts being affected by baleful qi surrounding their bodies.

The stronger their cultivation, the faster they could refine the two baleful qi God Execution Blades, and the greater the benefits they would receive.

Given just three to five more months, they could completely refine the baleful qi from the Ancestral Court's God Execution Stage and claim it for themselves. They might even be able to merge their five combat techniques, elevating them to the 31st or even 32nd Heaven!

By then, the five of them, working together, would likely possess Celestial Venerable-level combat strength, or at the very least, be considered Minor Celestial Venerables!

Of course, this level of Dao realm advancement in the way of the blade required all five of them working together. If separated, even Qin Mu would be unable to reach the 30th Heaven of the Dao realm.

Suddenly, Qin Mu felt the power of the two baleful qi God Execution Blades on the God Execution Stage increase significantly. His expression changed drastically as he sternly commanded, "Retreat!"

He moved swiftly, his divine treasure realm unfolding in layers, sweeping the other four along as they rapidly retreated!

At that moment, the power of the two baleful qi God Execution Blades surged wildly, painting their vision blood-red and filling their ears with deafening, endless sounds of battle. Their ears buzzed as if they had been transported to a cataclysmic battlefield from the Primordial Era!

The two sinister dragons intertwined, one from the left and one from the right, and then swiftly scissor-cut towards them!

*Crack!* The space in the Ancestral Court vibrated violently. Qin Mu and the others' eyes turned bloodshot, and they even saw the 35th Heaven of Void sliced open by these two God Execution Blades!

This level of power was not something the two God Execution Blades could generate on their own. Instead, it was the result of an incredibly powerful entity pushing their might to the absolute limit!

The power of the two God Execution Blades was terrifying. Had Qin Mu and the other four not absorbed a small portion of the baleful qi, preventing the blades from materializing into a solid, peak state, even a Celestial Venerable would likely struggle to withstand their might!

If the divine blades had fully materialized, their power would likely have been capable of slaying a Celestial Venerable!

"Consort Qiang!" Qin Mu flipped his hand, pulled out Celestial Venerable Ling's hairpin, and unleashed his divine sense, which erupted into an earth-shattering roar. He cried out, "You promised us entry to the God Execution Stage. Are you going back on your word now?"

Wielding the hairpin, he swung it forcefully, unleashing the power of the Unchanging Divine Art, adopting a posture of all-out desperation.

Previously, when he activated the Unchanging Divine Art in his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, he only used fragments of its power, not its full might. If he were to unleash the art's complete power, it could halt time and space, cease all material changes, and even reverse them!

However, if he did that, even Qin Mu himself would transform into unchanging matter and become trapped within the divine art.

He could save Celestial Venerable Ling, but to save himself, he would need to use the power of Grand Beginning, which would come at a great cost to him.

As he activated the Unchanging Divine Art, Heavenly King Tian Shu raised his Imperial Blade and forcefully swung it down, cutting open a Heaven-Bearing Gate. "To Youdu first!" he shouted.

Now that the Ancestral Court was open, Youdu had also arrived within it, so entering Youdu for refuge was an excellent strategy.

Heavenly King Tian Shu was one of the few who could cultivate the Heaven-Bearing Gate and open Youdu, which was why he was revered as the Heavenly King of the Underworld, a title bestowed upon him personally by Earth Count.

Qin Mu retreated, shielding Butcher and the other four as they entered Youdu. Just as Butcher, Tian Shu, and the others arrived, two long, blood-red fiend dragons suddenly slashed out from the void, *crack*, slicing Youdu open!

The four were startled; these two long blood-fiend dragons had cut right over their heads, making their scalps tingle and cold sweat pour down their brows!

"Mu'er is still over there!" Butcher was about to rush back, but saw that the Heaven-Bearing Gate had already been sliced to pieces by the two blood-fiend dragons, cutting off his path.

"Heavenly Blade, there's no need to worry," Heavenly King Tian Shu hurriedly embraced him to prevent him from recklessly charging back. "How cunning is Celestial Venerable Mu? He's also the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Alliance and has the reputation of being a 'Celestial Venerable of Undying Law.' Consort Qiang wouldn't go so far as to kill him."

Butcher still struggled, but Luo Wushuang also said, "Celestial Venerable Mu has his ways of self-preservation. He hasn't died in the Heavenly Court for so many years; he won't die now. Heavenly King Tian Shu's identity is problematic. If Consort Qiang catches him, he'll surely be offered to the blades. Zhe Huali and I are also rebellious generals of the Heavenly Court; we cannot be captured by Consort Qiang."

Butcher stopped struggling and looked around, seeing only darkness in Youdu, with monstrous creatures swimming within it.

This place was unlike others. In other heavens, there were at least underworld envoys to guide departed souls, but here, there were neither envoys nor ghost ships.

"How are we supposed to leave?" Zhe Huali worried.

Tian Shu pounded his chest and laughed, "I am the Heavenly King of the Underworld, bestowed by Earth Count himself! Earth Count and I have a great relationship, practically sworn brothers. Rest assured following me; I'll take you to meet Earth Count for a good time!"

Zhe Huali, believing him, cheered and was about to follow.

Luo Wushuang quickly grabbed him, subtly shook his head, and whispered, "That was in the past. Ever since he got drunk years ago and used the Imperial Blade to chop off Earth Count's horn, Earth Count hasn't been fond of him."

Butcher nodded repeatedly and whispered, "I heard Mu'er say that this fellow was on the run and barely escaped to the Great Ruins of the Yang Realm when Earth Count caught him and held him in his hand. Because it was the Yang Realm, Earth Count was restricted by Youdu's rules and didn't crush him to death, but he did hold him for over twenty thousand years."

Zhe Huali's face turned ashen, and he whispered, "Are there any other ways for us to leave this place?"

"Unless we return to the Ancestral Court," Tian Shu turned back and chuckled. "But if we return to the Ancestral Court, Consort Qiang will crush us to death. Or send us to the God Execution Stage for execution. Don't worry, don't worry, Celestial Venerable Mu has already resolved the grievances between Earth Count and me. Now, Earth Count and I only have a deep, ironclad friendship!"

Over a dozen days later, Tian Shu, Butcher, Luo Wushuang, and Zhe Huali were locked in cages. Tian Shu gripped the iron bars, gazing mournfully at the elderly underworld envoy. The elderly underworld envoy's face was devoid of expression as his paper boat, carrying four large cages, slowly drifted towards Earth Count.