Chapter 1460: The Strongest Primordial Spirit

Heavenly Venerable Gong's celestial palace showed no signs of damage; her aura revealed no decline; she had no physical injuries, and her primordial spirit was completely intact.

Kai Huang's attempt to kill Heavenly Venerable Gong was carried out under Qin Mu's instruction.

If Heavenly Venerable Gong had been severely wounded by Kai Huang, she could not have recovered so quickly without the medical expertise of a Physician.

Qin Mu opened the vertical eye on his forehead to examine Heavenly Venerable Gong, immediately discerning the hidden truth.

Heavenly Venerable Gong's body concealed various underlying issues, such as sword injuries, which were likely scars left by Kai Huang's sword dao. However, someone had used a peculiar power to erase these Dao wounds, restoring her body to its original state.

Nevertheless, Heavenly Venerable Gong's physical body was immensely powerful, having been honed through millions of years of diligent cultivation. While someone had repaired her body and erased Kai Huang's sword dao marks, they could not restore it to its peak state of strength.

Furthermore, Heavenly Venerable Gong's thirty-five celestial palaces bore signs of repair; these mended areas were not as robust as the unblemished parts.

The same applied to Heavenly Venerable Gong's primordial spirit.

Kai Huang had struck with extreme ruthlessness, almost burying Heavenly Venerable Gong with his sword dao.

Qin Mu's vertical eye on his forehead was the most potent divine eye in existence. Its iris was fashioned from the horn of Earth Duke, its anterior chamber filled with Celestial Venerable's heavenly dao crystal, its pupil made of Taiji primordial stone, and its retina composed of Taiyi's chaotic eggshell.

Celestial Venerable and Earth Duke had personally imbued his divine eye with the essence of the Heavenly Dao and Youdu Great Dao, refining and empowering it. With dew from the Taiyi Dao Tree also placed into his eyes, he could easily perceive the intricate workings of both the Heavenly Dao and the Youdu Great Dao, even if Celestial Venerable and Earth Duke themselves stood before him, let alone merely discerning Heavenly Venerable Gong.

For him, discerning the secrets of Heavenly Venerable Gong's primordial spirit, physical body, and celestial palace was merely a simple exercise.

"In this world, only Apothecary Grandpa, myself, and Tai Su are capable of such a feat."

Qin Mu understood completely. "Apothecary relies solely on the medical dao. My medical skills are lesser, so I would need to combine the medical dao, the Dao of Creation, and the Immutable Divine Abilities, along with the Daos of Tai Su and Tai Shi, to heal the sword wounds left by Kai Huang. If Apothecary Grandpa and I treated her together, it would leave no hidden repercussions. However, Tai Su Goddess would require Heavenly Venerable Gong to seek her help and prostrate herself, which would carry significant risks."

He saw plainly that while Heavenly Venerable Gong appeared to have recovered perfectly, there is always a cost for receiving aid. Tai Su could re-inflict those sword wounds upon her at any moment.

Heavenly Venerable Gong's very life and death were, in essence, entirely in Tai Su's hands.

"Heavenly Venerable Hao must be in a similar situation, considering his past injuries were even more severe than Heavenly Venerable Gong's."

What worried him even more was that the mineral vein controlled by Heavenly Venerable Gong was none other than the Tai Su vein.

If Tai Su had obtained Heavenly Venerable Gong, it was tantamount to gaining control of the Tai Su mineral vein, which in turn meant acquiring both Tai Su divine stones and Tai Su primordial stones.

"Tai Su's power was not strong initially, but now she might make rapid advancements."

The instant he was distracted, Heavenly Venerable Gong, Divine King Lang Wo, and Heavenly Venerable Yue exchanged hundreds of blows. Heavenly Venerable You stepped forward, declaring gravely, "Yue, Lang Wo, fall back. I will hold her off. Go and support Celestial Venerable; he is faltering!"

Heavenly Venerable Yue and Divine King Lang Wo immediately disengaged and flew towards Celestial Venerable.

Heavenly Venerable You blocked Heavenly Venerable Gong's path, saying, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, you should go as well."

Qin Mu hesitated. While it was certainly beneficial for Heavenly Venerable You to personally obstruct Heavenly Venerable Gong, preventing her contact with Divine King Lang Wo, Heavenly Venerable You would be exposed in Xuandu without Lang Wo's visualization of Youdu. This would likely significantly reduce his power and divine abilities.

"You, survive!"

Qin Mu gritted his teeth and hastened towards Celestial Venerable.

Heavenly Venerable You's face was devoid of expression, his skin appearing like old tree bark around his features. He stated indifferently, "Among the Heavenly Venerables, you are the weakest; you should be more cautious for yourself."

Heavenly Venerable Gong exhaled slowly. With Heavenly Venerable Yue and Divine King Lang Wo gone, the pressure on her instantly lifted. She looked at Heavenly Venerable You, a rare smile gracing her lips. "You, a figure who ushered in an era, you created the divine treasures system alongside the other Long Han Heavenly Venerables. Your most crucial contribution was the establishment of the Life and Death Divine Treasure."

She seldom admired others, yet at this moment, she was full of praise for Heavenly Venerable You. "The world is unaware of the true significance of the Life and Death Divine Treasure, often overlooking your accomplishments. Once the Life and Death Divine Treasure is opened, one comprehends life and death, which then allows for a leap from the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure into the Celestial Palace, thereby granting a lifespan equal to heaven. Without the Life and Death Divine Treasure, even if others could cultivate to the realm of a deity, they could never achieve endless longevity."

She suddenly launched an attack, her thirty-five celestial palaces spreading out. The heavenly court they formed was unlike the true Long Han Heavenly Court; instead, the thirty-five celestial palaces arranged themselves into the shape of a horn.

The lower part of her heavenly court was broad, tapering upwards in successive layers. At the horn's apex stood the High Heavens Hall of her main celestial palace, where her primordial spirit resided.

It was a horn made of countless buildings, a truly magnificent and astonishing sight.

"Yet, the world will never appreciate what you have done. Earth Duke himself restrained you for a million years precisely because you opened the Life and Death Divine Treasure, offering humanity a chance to transcend life and death. You, the world will only resent and fear you because you serve as an underworld emissary."

Heavenly Venerable Gong no longer concealed her cultivation or her true strength.

Her weapon was a whip.

In the Primordial Era, the Nü Xin Creation Master clan was a female tribe famed for its prowess in combat. This race of Creation Masters tamed colossal beasts, riding them into battle across the land. The women possessed exceptional fighting capabilities and a fierce enthusiasm for warfare.

The ancient god they worshipped was the White Tiger, Western Emperor.

The White Tiger, Western Emperor, was revered as the ancient god of combat, an entity created through their contemplation and worship.

The White Tiger, Western Emperor's appearance bore a strong resemblance to that of Divine King Gong Jun in earlier times, and the Western Emperor's weapons were also a whip and a horn.

Since the Nü Xin clan tamed primordial giant beasts, and whips and horns were used to control them, Heavenly Venerable Gong also adopted these two items as her personal Heavenly Venerable treasures.

Heavenly Venerable Gong's battle intent surged. As her cultivation technique activated, horn blasts resonated from her thirty-five celestial palaces, causing her blood to boil and her combat prowess to skyrocket.

The whip in her hand was incredibly versatile, changing at will from long to short, thick to thin, soft to hard, straight to curved. This divine whip was forged from the dragon veins of the ancestral court, a colossal divine metal mountain range refined into a whip before it could transform into a divine dragon.

If Qin Mu had been present, he would surely have recognized this whip as one once wielded by Grand Emperor, possessing immense power, and having previously clashed with the Emperor Sword of Primordial Dawn, which was a manifestation of the Heavenly Emperor.

This divine whip was forged by Grand Emperor and presented to the Nü Xin clan as a betrothal gift. Later, Grand Emperor destroyed the Nü Xin clan and recovered the whip.

After Gong Jun captured Da Hong, the parasite of Grand Emperor, the whip fell into her hands. She then used it to relentlessly lash Da Hong, who was bound to a pillar in front of her palace, day and night to vent her fury.

"For all these years, trapped by Earth Duke, transformed into an underworld emissary, and secluded from the world, you have become outdated."

Heavenly Venerable Gong's long whip transformed, and simultaneously, her divine consciousness erupted, conjuring layers of illusions. Her words aimed to break the mind, and her divine consciousness illusions were even more terrifying; any slight flaw in Heavenly Venerable You's Dao heart would lead him into her illusion, leaving him utterly at her mercy.

Heavenly Venerable You's figure seemed ethereal as he repeatedly retreated, avoiding direct confrontation.

He had to evade Heavenly Venerable Gong's illusions.

However, Xuandu imposed severe restrictions on his power. The Heavenly Dao suppressed his cultivation and magic, and since his original cultivation was already inferior to Heavenly Venerable Gong's, this situation was a compounding disadvantage.

Unable to evade in time, he was ensnared by the long whip. Its head, transformed into a dragon, bit viciously into his body, flinging him back and forth.

Simultaneously, Heavenly Venerable Gong's divine consciousness manifested as layers of illusions, drawing him into their depths.

Within the illusion, Heavenly Venerable You saw his mother once more. She was washing clothes, then turned and offered him a loving smile as the early spring sunlight streamed down, creating a scene of tranquility and beauty.

Despite being ensnared by the dragon vein whip, with the dragon's head biting into his body, he felt no pain within the illusion.

His heart was utterly serene, even touched with a sense of bliss.

Although he had found his mother's soul in Youdu and lived with her for a million years, he had never been able to feel her touch.

His mother could not touch his face, nor his body, nor could she see the sunlight.

His mother tasted nothing she ate. In her soul state, she experienced no sensations. Though she often cooked for him, preparing dishes and meals that were merely spirit money ingots and candles, she herself consumed only these symbolic offerings.

His mother had long been deceased, devoid of any warmth.

He had always dreamed of resurrecting his mother, but he had never succeeded.

Yet, within Heavenly Venerable Gong's illusion, he felt as though his mother had returned to life, bringing him back to their sweet and warm past years.

He could feel the warmth of his mother's hand.

In that moment, he was profoundly happy.

The dragon vein divine whip bit into his body, swinging and smashing him, tearing through Xuandu's planets one after another.

Heavenly Venerable Gong flew over, a long blare resounding from the horn. Her primordial spirit stood at the apex of the horn-shaped Heavenly Court, unleashing a barrage of powerful divine abilities upon Heavenly Venerable You's body.

Under her assault, Heavenly Venerable You's flesh and blood were torn, his physical body severely damaged, yet a smile appeared on his face.

Historically, every individual who perished at Heavenly Venerable Gong's hands, without exception, met their end with a smile.

Heavenly Venerable Gong let out a piercing cry, striking his physical body until it was nearly annihilated. Heavenly Venerable You's flesh exploded, exposing his bones and his heart.

Meanwhile, within the illusion, Heavenly Venerable You seemed to regress to his youth, a boy of about ten, nestled in his mother's embrace, savoring a moment of tranquility.

Heavenly Venerable Gong flicked the divine whip, sending him flying. Immediately, the dragon head of the long whip clamped down with a snap onto his exposed heart.

Within the illusion, Heavenly Venerable You looked up at his mother's indelible face—weak yet serene—as two streams of tears coursed down his cheeks.

"Mother, I remember this moment, I remember this morning."

Heavenly Venerable You, of course, remembered that day. On that morning, his mother, as was her custom, washed his worn clothes, then sat in the sun in front of their thatched hut, mending them, while a cooked meal simmered in the pot.

She always did this, and on that particular day, after completing these tasks as usual, she collapsed.

On her deathbed, she stroked the boy's face and said to him, "I am leaving. What will you do now?"

Yet, she still let go and departed.

Heavenly Venerable You would never forget the sunlight of that morning, nor the words his mother spoke to him before she departed.

He became Heavenly Venerable You, bridging the gap between mortals and Youdu, solely for the purpose of seeing his mother again.

In his mother's embrace, the youthful Heavenly Venerable You quietly gazed at her face, then raised his hand to place the grotesque mask from the back of his head onto his own.

He donned it slowly. The moment the mask settled on his face, his dilapidated, aged body erupted with astonishing divine light, which began to repair him.

Heavenly Venerable Gong was startled and swiftly intensified her assault. However, boundless divine power surged from this body, which had transformed from an old man's to a youth's.

She beheld an incomparably majestic primordial spirit, the most powerful she had ever witnessed throughout history.

Within the illusion, the youthful Heavenly Venerable You, wearing the grotesque mask his mother had bought for him, embraced her body.

"Mother, I must go and do what I need to do."

He released his mother's body, looked up, and the illusion began to shatter.

"Mother, you no longer need to worry about me. I have friends now."

He spoke to his gradually fading mother, "I must fulfill the trust placed in me by my friends."