Chapter 1517: A Lifetime of Wounds

Qin Mu also feared a complete rupture with her. Both were on a small boat, too cramped for movement. If Consort Yan decided to drag him into the water, he wouldn't be able to avoid it and would certainly fall in.

At that point, no one could save him.

"Your Majesty is right to admonish me; I was indeed reckless."

Qin Mu readily admitted his error, stating earnestly, "In this time of crisis, we must unite against the Nine Celestial Venerables. As for future matters, we can address them later!"

He thrust his sword forward, meeting the divine senses of the three Celestial Venerables. The sword light flashed, severing the psychic assaults from Celestial Venerable Xiao, God Emperor Lang Xuan, and Celestial Venerable Gong!

Although divine senses are difficult to sever, his swordplay was incredibly refined. Where the sword light passed, chaos opened, revealing layers of lotus-shaped voids. This created gaps in the three Celestial Venerables' divine senses, preventing them from reconnecting with the thoughts they had projected into Consort Yan's mind.

Sword blossoms unfurled in the void, resembling flower buds with petals rotating outward, layer upon layer. This caused the three Celestial Venerables' divine senses to circle around the petals, making it difficult for them to breach his sword light, even momentarily.

This was the embodiment of the supreme divine ability, "Primordial Chaos Blossom," manifested in swordsmanship.

Consort Yan seized the opportunity, immediately using her Grand Luo Heaven divine sense to grind down and refine the three Celestial Venerables' divine senses. Simultaneously, Qin Mu stamped his foot, and the small boat shot forward.

By the time the three Celestial Venerables burst forth from the void created by his sword light, the small boat was already gone.

The three Celestial Venerables' divine senses scanned their surroundings, detected the boat's ripples on the river, and gave chase.

"Celestial Venerable Mu, that scoundrel, apologizes so swiftly and admits his mistakes with such ease, it's hard to truly resent him," Consort Yan thought.

Freed from her predicament, Consort Yan couldn't help but muse, "That rascal must have practiced apologizing many times. If apologies could lead to enlightenment, then he'd be close to achieving it!"

As the small boat sped on, fire suddenly surged. Consort Yan’s heart leaped as she saw roaring flames distorting the chaotic energy on the river, twisting it into a massive, oval wheel.

Celestial Venerable Huo’s form appeared to the right of the boat. He stood atop a Dao tree within the fiery wheel. As the three met, both Celestial Venerable Huo and Consort Yan displayed expressions of surprise.

Only Qin Mu remained composed, his Calamity Sword fiercely unsheathed as he charged towards Celestial Venerable Huo.

"Of course," Consort Yan realized, "Celestial Venerable Mu's eyes must be able to pierce through the chaos and see that Celestial Venerable Huo is here."

Consort Yan instantly deduced that Qin Mu could see through the chaos and had deliberately guided the boat close to Celestial Venerable Huo. Celestial Venerable Huo and Celestial Venerable Mu had always been bitter rivals, utterly incompatible. Celestial Venerable Huo had constantly sought opportunities to eliminate Qin Mu, and now, Qin Mu's chance to strike back had arrived.

"This fellow is rotten to the core, brimming with sinister plans," Consort Yan thought, "He intends to use my strength to eliminate Celestial Venerable Huo!"

Nevertheless, for Consort Yan, this was also a rare opportunity to severely injure Celestial Venerable Huo.

Opportunities are fleeting; those who achieve great things must seize every transient chance!

As Qin Mu drew his sword, Consort Yan's divine sense erupted, surging towards Celestial Venerable Huo!

Her divine sense, though launched later, reached its target first, forcefully striking Celestial Venerable Huo’s glabella just before Qin Mu’s sword light could connect.

Celestial Venerable Huo's reaction was incredibly swift. The layers of fiery wheels surrounding him immediately spun forward, with heavens unfolding within them, slightly impeding Consort Yan's divine sense and delaying its impact on his brain.

His fiery wheels collapsed one after another under the onslaught of Consort Yan’s divine sense.

Simultaneously, Celestial Venerable Huo retreated, new fiery wheels constantly spinning and expanding behind his head, surging forward from around his body.

Yet, Qin Mu's sword light pierced through Consort Yan's divine sense, its incredibly sharp radiance penetrating through the layers of fiery wheels!

Celestial Venerable Huo scoffed. His Dao fire cultivation had reached the twenty-fourth heaven of the Dao Realm, capable of dissolving and incinerating anything. Even without the Dao Fire Ancestral Land, he remained the supreme master of Dao fire.

Even if Qin Mu wielded a Dao weapon from a Progenitor, Celestial Venerable Huo was confident he could melt it.

Qin Mu’s Calamity Sword instantaneously pierced through twenty layers of fiery wheels. The divine sword glowed crimson from the Dao fire, then continued to penetrate the Dao fire within the twenty-first, twenty-second, and twenty-third Dao wheels.

Celestial Venerable Huo’s surprise was evident. When the tip of the divine sword, ablaze with brilliant light, pierced through the twenty-fourth fiery wheel and reached his glabella, the astonishment on his face remained.

"Can a Dao weapon actually withstand my World-Burning Sacred Fire?"

He raised his hand, two fingers clamping the sword tip, attempting to snap the divine weapon.

However, when he tried to snap it, he discovered the divine sword’s hardness was beyond imagination; even scorched, it showed no sign of softening.

Under intense heat, any divine weapon, even if it didn't melt, would soften. Yet, Qin Mu's sword exhibited no such weakening.

What he didn’t know was that this sword wasn’t a Dao weapon from a Progenitor, but rather a supreme treasure from a prehistoric Celestial Venerable, which Qin Mu had melted down and reforged.

And the great furnace that forged this sword was none other than the Dao Fire Ancestral Land itself!

This sword was forged within the ninth heaven of the Dao Fire Ancestral Land. By the later stages of its creation, even the Ancestral Land's own Dao fire could neither melt nor soften it.

Qin Mu spun his sword, and two fingers from Celestial Venerable Huo’s right hand flew off, disintegrating into dust amidst the sizzling sword light.

Celestial Venerable Huo cried out in pain. The sword tip moved again, and the dual forces of Yin and Yang, like dragons, merged with the sword light, drawing a large circle around him.

Celestial Venerable Huo’s heart skipped a beat. He saw countless sword lights streaming within the large circle, clashing and gathering inward from the periphery. They quickly covered most of the circle and continued to spread towards him at its center.

Furthermore, a peculiar transformation occurred within this forming Taiji diagram: the sword light itself divided into Yin and Yang. A pure white sphere of sword light appeared within the black sword light, and a pure black sphere of sword light appeared within the pure white.

The two sword spheres, as if bound by a miraculous gravitational force, pulled each other and spun around him within the Taiji diagram.

As these two sword spheres rotated, the dragon-patterned line of the Taiji diagram materialized.

This was a supreme sword qi, combining the paths of Yin and Yang to form the path of Taiji. Unstoppable, it cleanly severed the Dao tree beneath his feet with a hiss.

Celestial Venerable Huo’s heart jolted. He ascended rapidly, climbing to the top of the Dao tree to evade the astonishing Taiji sword art.

He couldn't immediately discern the profundity of this technique, so he chose to evade. However, his fiery eyes intently studied the sword's mysteries, seeking a means to counter it.

Despite having two fingers severed and his Dao tree cut, he remained remarkably calm. Even with the formidable power of Qin Mu's swordsmanship, he showed no trace of panic.

On the small boat, Qin Mu stomped his foot, and the vessel immediately accelerated, hurtling into the layers of fiery wheels. Consort Yan shrieked, exclaiming furiously, "Celestial Venerable Mu, are you mad?"

Those layers of fiery wheels constituted Celestial Venerable Huo’s grand Dao Realm divine ability. While traversing them was the shortest path to attack him up close, it was also the most perilous.

Celestial Venerable Huo was not only the supreme master of Dao fire across the land but also one of the most powerful beings in terms of magical energy.

He had absorbed and refined nearly all of the Southern Emperor’s cultivation and Great Dao. His magical energy was overwhelmingly potent, and as one of the Dragon Han Seven Celestial Venerables, his foundational power was unfathomable.

Qin Mu was actually attempting to traverse his twenty-four Dao Realm divine abilities, essentially staking his own life!

This might be the greatest distinction between the Grand Emperor and Qin Mu.

In primordial times, though the Grand Emperor was unrivaled, he rarely risked his life.

This was certainly due to his elevated status and scarcity of opponents, but it was also intrinsic to his character.

When the primordial era ended and the Creators declined, during the brutal war between the ancient gods and Creators in the Blood Rust Zone, the Grand Emperor never fought to the death. Perceiving a disadvantage, he would gracefully withdraw, leaving the Creator races to perish.

Throughout the million years since the Dragon Han era, he rarely fought with all his might. This is why Celestial Venerables Yun, Yue, and Ling managed to destroy his true body, trapping him to his demise within the supreme divine consciousness domain of the Grand Void. It’s also why Celestial Venerable Ling was able to seal his primordial spirit within the Inherent Divine Ability.

He had never truly fought for his life.

Now, however, Consort Yan found herself on the same boat as Qin Mu, leaving her no option but to fight with all her might.

Consort Yan activated two malevolent divine blades, slashing at the layers of fiery wheels, cleaving through Celestial Venerable Huo’s twenty-fourth heaven of the Dao Realm. The roaring flames caused the blood-red God-Slaying Profound Blades to emit a scorching odor.

Celestial Venerable Huo’s magical energy was so immense that it rendered the Dao fire terrifyingly potent.

By the time the twenty-fourth fiery wheel was cleaved, Consort Yan’s arms were numb from the shock, and her hands were charred black by the intense heat radiating from the God-Slaying Profound Blades.

"Celestial Venerable Mu, that boy, is far too fond of risking his life..."

Before Consort Yan could catch her breath, she heard the resounding rumble of the Dao. Celestial Venerable Huo stood at the pinnacle of his Dao tree, with Heavenly Palaces manifesting behind his head, and within those palaces, treasure halls glowed resplendently!

Consort Yan sighed, an involuntary pang of jealousy stirring within her.

They had been in Jade Capital City for over two years, with the Ten Celestial Venerables diligently studying its treasure halls, seeking profound principles to stabilize their Heavenly Court realms.

However, Consort Yan’s progress had been modest; in two years, she had comprehended only twenty and a half treasure halls. In contrast, Celestial Venerable Huo now displayed as many as thirty-four!

He had essentially aligned one treasure hall with each Heavenly Palace, leading to another astounding surge in his cultivation!

The current Celestial Venerable Huo was remarkably close to achieving the supreme Heavenly Court realm.

Should he advance further, even the Grand Emperor at his peak might prove slightly inferior to him.

"Celestial Venerable Huo's talent is too immense; no matter what, we must severely wound him!"

As Consort Yan pondered this, Celestial Venerable Huo boldly struck. With his supreme magical energy, he instantly froze the spinning Taiji diagram, shattering the continuously rotating Taiji sword formation!

He didn't rely solely on brute force; instead, he recognized that Qin Mu's Taiji Dao hadn't reached perfection. He struck directly at its strongest point, initiating the breakdown from the dragon-patterned line.

This alone demonstrated his seasoned discernment, which was truly impressive.

The Taiji transformation collapsed, and the Calamity Sword whistled as it flew out. In the next instant, Qin Mu, having passed through twenty-four layers of Dao fire, seized it and thrust it forward.

This sword met Celestial Venerable Huo’s palm, which had just shattered the Taiji formation. Celestial Venerable Huo’s strike unleashed his full power; the Dao of Fire surged forth, and between his five fingers, Dao fire spun like roaring wheels, showcasing the flourishing Great Dao!

His fingerprints resembled individual worlds, and his palm lines, vast, ancient mountains.

This was his most powerful strike, and even after shattering the Taiji transformation, its might remained overwhelming.

However, as Qin Mu's sword pierced his palm, the swordsmanship became incredibly precise. The sword light within Celestial Venerable Huo's palm thinned dramatically, severing Dao chains, breaking Dao patterns, and dismantling runes. In an instant, Celestial Venerable Huo’s palm turned to bone!

Celestial Venerable Huo was greatly alarmed. He quickly withdrew his palm, only to see the sword light wrapping around his wrist.

Sizzling sounds filled the air.

The sword light spiraled around his arm, rapidly ascending. By the time it reached his shoulder, his entire arm was stripped of all flesh and blood.

Even more horrifying, his Great Dao was directly severed, converting into pure energy and ceasing to exist.

Dao Realm, Thirtieth Heaven: Calamity Break!

Sensing the dire situation, Celestial Venerable Huo’s eyes blazed, and two fiery dragons burst forth, crossing each other as they struck.

Qin Mu swung his sword to intercept the fiery dragons, while Consort Yan’s two God-Slaying Profound Blades struck Celestial Venerable Huo’s remaining arm. That arm instantly withered, its vital energy rapidly drained by the blades.

Without a word, Celestial Venerable Huo raised his now-skeletal left arm and, using his hand as a blade, swiftly severed his own right arm to prevent the God-Slaying Profound Blades from completely draining his vital energy.

Behind him, his primordial spirit surged from his Heavenly Court, unleashing a punch that scorched even the chaotic energy on the river surface to a fiery red, threatening to assimilate it completely into the Dao of Fire!

Qin Mu shifted his foot, turning the boat around. Consort Yan, positioned at the stern, found herself directly facing Celestial Venerable Huo's attack.

Consort Yan cursed inwardly, but she had no choice but to unleash all her magical energy. Her primordial spirit soared behind her, and her Heavenly Palaces arrayed themselves into a Heavenly Court, confronting Celestial Venerable Huo’s formidable strike.

Boom!

Consort Yan was blasted off the small boat, sent flying backward, but her divine sense shot from her glabella, forming long ropes that wrapped around Qin Mu.

Qin Mu held his sword hilt reversed and bowed. Celestial Venerable Huo's face exploded, his flesh and blood transforming into chaotic energy that streamed outward. He was involuntarily lifted from the Dao tree.

Qin Mu, pulled by the retreating Consort Yan, found the small boat involuntarily speeding backward. Gritting his teeth, he stood firm on the rapidly receding boat and, holding the divine sword reversed once more, pushed his hand towards Celestial Venerable Huo.

Celestial Venerable Huo’s face exploded again. His scalp remained, but his face was utterly devoid of flesh and blood, revealing stark white bone.

His form uncontrollably flew into the chaotic mist, on the verge of vanishing.

Qin Mu executed another "Primordial Unity Dao Companion Travel." Celestial Venerable Huo’s facial bones cracked and shattered, and his body plummeted toward the Chaotic Long River. Just then, a large hand emerged from the chaotic mist, seizing Celestial Venerable Huo’s falling form.

Qin Mu, with his vertical eye, stared at the owner of the large hand. Celestial Venerable Hao stood atop a Dao tree, his gaze fixed on Qin Mu.

"Celestial Venerable Huo, the wound I’ve inflicted on you is a lifelong one," Qin Mu declared. "No one can heal it, not even Grand Primordium."

With a clang, Qin Mu sheathed his Calamity Sword in its wooden scabbard, relaxing his body. He, along with the boat, was pulled backward by Consort Yan. Under Celestial Venerable Hao's watchful eye, Qin Mu’s face vanished into the chaotic mist.

Ancestral God King arrived, sweeping away the mist with his Heavenly Dao supreme treasure, but found no trace of Qin Mu, a fact that secretly alarmed him.

"Ancestral God King, you are next," Qin Mu's voice echoed from an unseen location.