Chapter 1533: Coming and Going with a Single Finger Breaks the Sky

Standing on the ship's bow, Qin Mu's excitement was beyond words. The golden vessel was continuously repairing itself: broken bricks and tiles floated in the air, reassembling; collapsed halls seemed to rewind in time, fallen pillars rose, and palace walls rebuilt, quickly recovering from their ruined state to become good as new.

The ship seemed like a giant beast waking from a deep slumber, possessing its own wisdom and thoughts. It often felt its abilities were unutilized, but now was its moment to shine.

As it entered the long river of chaos, it cleaved through the winds and waves like a colossal beast, forcing the chaotic energies to part before it.

"Everything about this ship is excellent, it just doesn't seem to accelerate quickly..." Qin Mu felt a pang of anxiety. The Golden Ship of Deliverance was still leisurely gaining speed, perfecting itself as it did so. Yet, its current pace was no match for that of the Celestial Venerables.

He hurried to the stern and looked back at the shore. Even Divine Emperor Lang Xuan, the slowest among them, had reached the bank. Meanwhile, Celestial Venerable Huo and the others swiftly returned to their positions, lifted the Dao Tree, placed it into the long river of chaos, and began to pursue the golden ship.

At this very moment, the golden ship continued its unhurried acceleration. The Dao Tree drew closer to the golden ship. The five Celestial Venerables stood atop it, with Celestial Venerable Gong leading the charge, her divine consciousness exploding forth to strike at Qin Mu on the ship!

Qin Mu's divine consciousness erupted, transforming into the Grand Overarching Heaven of Divine Consciousness to withstand Celestial Venerable Gong's assault. Their divine consciousnesses shifted in myriad ways, adept in both attack and defense. Though Celestial Venerable Gong's divine consciousness was vastly more profound than Qin Mu's, she could not, for a time, breach the Grand Overarching Heaven of Divine Consciousness he had learned from the Grand Emperor.

Nevertheless, the Dao Tree was steadily closing the distance to the Golden Ship of Deliverance. It wouldn't be long before they could board the vessel.

"Celestial Venerable Mu, aren't you incredibly formidable?" Suddenly, Ancestral God King soared into the air, leaping towards the golden ship. Behind him, multiple heavenly palaces converged into a magnificent Heavenly Court, radiating divine light that pierced the sky. His primordial spirit rested within this grand Heavenly Court, his form colossal, and his every move unleashed overwhelming heavenly might!

With a thunderous roar, his colossal primordial spirit hand shattered Qin Mu's Grand Overarching Heaven of Divine Consciousness. He pressed closer to Qin Mu on the golden ship, laughing, "Didn't you single-handedly contend against seven Celestial Venerables? A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs. You took advantage of our aging to humiliate us; did you ever consider that this day would come?"

Qin Mu smiled faintly and pointed a finger. Ancestral God King's face changed drastically as he instantly felt an unrivaled power in that single gesture. In haste, he quickly moved to block it! "Myriad Worlds Heavenly Seal!" Though he deployed this divine ability in a rush, the boundless and mighty Heavenly Dao immediately vibrated and resonated before him, converging to form a vast seal: the Myriad Worlds Heavenly Seal! This divine ability was his masterpiece after becoming the Celestial Master, hailed as the strongest defense.

A terrifying wave blasted him, his primordial spirit, and his Heavenly Court backward. Ancestral God King's body shuddered violently as the Myriad Worlds Heavenly Seal instantly crumbled and shattered. The incredibly powerful impact caused excruciating pain throughout his entire being; his skin burst open, evaporating into wisps of chaotic energy.

Behind him, his Heavenly Court rumbled and vibrated, astonishingly splitting apart from a single entity into thirty-five heavenly palaces and twenty-nine treasure halls!

From behind, Celestial Venerable Huo reached out, caught the reeling Ancestral God King, and helped him land on the Dao Tree.

Ancestral God King let out a muffled groan, trembling as he raised his arms. The skin on them had been completely obliterated, revealing raw flesh and bone. His heart was filled with profound shock.

What truly horrified him was not that he had sustained an injury, but the sheer power of Qin Mu's attack!

For a long time, Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's Divine Origin Finger had been considered the most potent divine ability among the Ten Celestial Venerables, a renowned Grand Primeval art. Even though the Divine Origin Finger was no longer Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's ultimate technique, its power still left a profound sense of awe.

Yet, the power of Qin Mu's strike far surpassed even that of Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's finger!

Although both were single-finger techniques, and Qin Mu's cultivation was far inferior to Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's, the profound mystical insights contained within Qin Mu's finger far surpassed those of a Grand Primeval divine ability like the Divine Origin Finger.

Meanwhile, Celestial Venerable Gong blew a horn, invigorating everyone's vital energy. The sound of the horn, however, suppressed Qin Mu's vital energy, causing it to rapidly dwindle.

Everyone ascended into the air. Even the frail and aging Divine Emperor Lang Xuan experienced a surge in vital energy, letting out an ancient roar as he leaped toward the golden ship!

Qin Mu's eyes flashed fiercely as he pointed from a distance. Celestial Venerable Gong's horn instantly flew from her grasp.

Qin Mu pointed his fingers repeatedly. Celestial Venerable Huo dodged frantically, Celestial Venerable Xu's mouth bled, and Ancestral God King rolled and tumbled to escape. Only Divine Emperor Lang Xuan managed to jump onto the golden ship, but he was immediately kicked off by Qin Mu.

Celestial Venerable Gong hastily unleashed her divine consciousness to catch Divine Emperor Lang Xuan. The others landed on the Dao Tree, still shaken by the encounter.

"What a powerful finger!" Celestial Venerable Xu exclaimed in admiration, then suddenly wondered, "However, it seems this fellow only has one finger technique, which he uses repeatedly. And this technique doesn't seem to vary at all..."

Celestial Venerable Huo, Celestial Venerable Gong, and Ancestral God King also wore peculiar expressions, each glancing at Divine Emperor Lang Xuan. In the past, Divine Emperor Lang Xuan himself had relied solely on one finger technique, the Divine Origin Finger, which sustained him among the Celestial Venerables for many years until he acquired a Dao fruit and subsequently comprehended other Primeval divine abilities.

Qin Mu's current predicament was remarkably similar to Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's back then.

Divine Emperor Lang Xuan, whose teeth had been knocked out by Qin Mu's kick to his face, panted, "If that's the only move he knows, then we have nothing to fear from him..."

Qin Mu stood at the stern with his hands on his hips, laughing heartily, "Who says I only know one finger technique? That was my index finger, called the Shang Yang Finger. I also have the Guan Chong Finger, the Shao Ze Finger, the Shao Chong Finger, and the Shao Shang Finger! If you don't believe me, come and try!"

However, the others already knew his true nature. Divine Emperor Lang Xuan sneered, muttering gruffly, "He sounds intimidating, but he's merely performing the same technique with different fingers."

Celestial Venerable Huo stated grimly, "If he only possesses that one technique, then boarding the ship will be straightforward!" The Dao Tree surged forward once more.

Qin Mu, too, had a major headache. He indeed possessed only one finger technique, known as the Grand Creation Finger. It was easily seen through; regardless of which finger he used, it remained the same Grand Creation Finger divine ability.

He had comprehended this divine ability from the Dao patterns on the walls of the Mi Luo Palace. It was undeniably potent, brimming with power and myriad mysteries. However, the main issue was that he had never fully grasped the profound secrets of the Grand Creation Qi runes themselves, merely managing to imitate their outward appearance.

Furthermore, his Grand Creation Finger was an imitation of the Mi Luo Palace Master's Grand Creation Dao patterns. However, it only mimicked their static structure, a rough copy lacking any dynamic variations.

This limitation meant he possessed only one finger technique, making him unable to adapt his attacks.

The greatest advantage of divine abilities, compared to treasures, is their versatility. For instance, a dragon-shaped divine ability allows the dragon, under the wielder's control, to fly, maneuver, transform in size, and move with complete freedom.

Qin Mu's Grand Creation Finger, however, was straightforward. Once launched, its trajectory could not be altered. Its success depended entirely on whether the opponent would, or could, dodge it in time.

"The Golden Ship of Deliverance is still accelerating; there's no way to evade these five Celestial Venerables..." Celestial Venerable Huo and the others adjusted their strategy and pressed their attack once more. Qin Mu grimly continued to unleash his Grand Creation Finger. This time, however, the five Celestial Venerables found it much easier and more relaxed to counter his straightforward technique, simply needing to use their momentum in the air to evade the strike.

Qin Mu secretly grumbled to himself, "This ship is too large. If it were smaller, its speed could pick up much more quickly..."

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the immeasurably vast Golden Ship of Deliverance suddenly began to shrink rapidly, quickly transforming from an immense behemoth into a large vessel approximately a hundred zhang in length!

Qin Mu was both startled and delighted, realizing that the Golden Ship of Deliverance was accelerating far more rapidly than before.

Seeing this, Celestial Venerable Huo and the others hastily channeled their full power into the Dao Tree, propelling it toward the golden ship.

A secret anxiety gnawed at them; judging by the golden ship's acceleration, it would soon surpass their speed and leave them far behind!

Qin Mu laughed, "The golden ship, forged by the Mi Luo Palace Master to traverse the great tribulation of annihilation, is truly extraordinary! But as the Golden Ship of Deliverance, how could it lack means to defend against the encroaching tribulation? If it can withstand the great tribulation itself, how could it not withstand a mere few Celestial Venerables?"

No sooner had he spoken than the runes on the grand ship suddenly illuminated. Layers of primordial golden light flowed like water, enveloping the entire vessel, then radiating outward to form layer upon layer of golden heavens, resembling a golden firmament imprinted with primordial runes.

Celestial Venerable Huo and the others arrived, unleashing a barrage of divine abilities against the primordial golden light. Their attacks caused ripples to spread, but they couldn't even breach the outermost layer of golden illumination.

The Golden Ship of Deliverance accelerated further, leaving the Dao Tree and the five Celestial Venerables far behind as it sped away.

The five Celestial Venerables pursued for a short while, but the Dao Tree gradually slowed and eventually came to a halt.

Perched on the Dao Tree's branches, the five Celestial Venerables exchanged glances, uncertain if they should continue the chase.

"Let's go back," Divine Emperor Lang Xuan said tremulously. "It's impossible to catch up to him now. I'm practically dying of old age and can't last much longer. I need to wait for Celestial Venerable Hao to save me..."

The others turned back, each with a worried expression.

Qin Mu's escape from their grasp this time left them with a sense of unease. The current Qin Mu could no longer be dismissed.

Aboard the Golden Ship of Deliverance, Qin Mu stood on the mast. The chaotic qi rushed towards him, flapping his clothes. The wind, stirred by the tribulation of annihilation, felt surprisingly refreshing.

"The Celestial Venerables monopolize power throughout the world, their influence reaching the heavens, while the young masters of Mi Luo Palace openly contend and secretly scheme for future generations!" Qin Mu grasped the golden cable of the mast, spread his arms wide against the wind, and burst into laughter, "They are all contemptible wretches!"

The Golden Ship of Deliverance thundered past the ruins of Jade Capital City, situated between two vast rivers of chaos, and plunged onto the surface of the second chaotic river, speeding away.

He laughed aloud as waves of chaos churned on the river's surface, as if immensely furious demonic creatures were stirring up a tempest. Suddenly, a gigantic whirlpool formed ahead, from which numerous arms reached out, all grasping towards the golden ship!

The Golden Ship of Deliverance accelerated even more, weaving through colossal, sky-obscuring hands as it rode the wind and cleaved through the waves!

"This long ship has cleaved waves for billions of years, slow and perilous on arrival, swift on departure! Once I've overthrown the Celestial Venerables and cleansed the demonic miasma, I shall return to the past, and as Young Master Mu, I will contend with you all to my heart's content!"