Chapter 1647: The Battle to Break the Deadlock

Tai Chu laughed heartily, his voice resonating and shaking the void. His power was immense; simply standing there caused layers of void to twist and lean towards him. He had regained his physical body and achieved enlightenment through sheer force, cultivating the One Primordial Qi Grand Heaven. Although Haotian Emperor had gained the upper hand over him, he remained one of the most powerful beings in this world! His laughter shook the starry sky, causing it to undulate violently. The stars that had just faded from view were rattled back into existence, flickering in and out.

Qin Mu, however, watched him quietly with a smile.

"Heavenly Venerate Mu, how many times have you been defeated?"

Tai Chu's laughter subsided, and he said slowly, "During the Yan Kang Catastrophe, your first defeat was at my hands. Things shouldn't have turned out this way, for Yan Kang's survival or destruction rested on my whim. In that battle, you cried out to the heavens without response, called to the earth without avail, and found yourself at a dead end. You had no choice but to separate yourself from Qin Fengqing; you couldn't even retain your identity as the Ghost Capital's Divine Son. Ultimately, Emperor Yanfeng and Yan Kang's Imperial Advisor became prisoners of the Celestial Heavens, Yan Kang was nearly annihilated, and you almost lost everything!"

Qin Mu smiled faintly and said, "That was also my first encounter with you, Second Brother. Your deep cunning truly harmed me."

Tai Chu chuckled, "Back then, you were just a fledgling. Although you were full of ambition and seemed deeply strategic, to me, you were merely a cricket in a jar. Every action and thought of yours seemed laughable in my eyes. Your second defeat was even more crushing; in the Battle of Xuandu, you were utterly routed. You seemingly saved Heavenly Duke, but you lost all of Xuandu and Heavenly Duke's physical body."

He showed a hint of mockery and said, "Without his physical body, Heavenly Duke is merely a mortal. Without Xuandu, Yan Kang would be exposed beneath it, vulnerable to rampant natural disasters! Humanity is such a frail race. Unlike demigods, they aren't inherently powerful, yet they possess extraordinary reproductive and survival capabilities. However, if Xuandu falls into the Celestial Heavens' hands, even humanity's greatest reproductive and survival abilities won't be able to withstand natural disasters! Your second defeat caused humanity to lose its future!"

Qin Mu, unconcerned, said calmly, "In the Battle of Xuandu, I wouldn't consider myself defeated. Second Brother, you overestimate yourself, Xuandu, and the Celestial Heavens. In the Battle of Xuandu, I revived Heavenly Duke and obtained fifty Heavenly Dao supreme treasures. With Heavenly Duke and fifty Heavenly Dao supreme treasures, it's impossible for the Celestial Heavens to inflict disasters from Xuandu."

"Fourth Brother, there's no need to embellish your achievements."

Tai Chu chuckled, "Your third defeat was in the Ghost Capital. In the Battle of the Ghost Capital, your surprise attack on Earth Duke, killing him before we could, was indeed a stroke of genius. Had Haotian Emperor not had the contingency plans of the Third and Fourth Young Masters, you probably would have won a great victory and seized the Ghost Capital! Alas, there are no 'ifs'."

He spoke with solemn respect, saying gravely, "In that battle, you were not defeated by Haotian Emperor but by the Third and Fourth Young Masters of the Miluo Palace. You lost, but with honor."

Qin Mu bowed slightly, "Second Brother, you flatter me. In the Battle of the Ghost Capital, I wasn't entirely defeated. At the very least, Qin Fengqing grew stronger, and Earth Duke was preserved. To you, it was a great defeat for me, but to me, I truly gained Earth Duke as an ally. Also."

He smiled brightly, "I also gained a huge opportunity. Haotian Venerate consolidated power, Lang Xuan died, Fire Venerate died, and the Ten Heavenly Venerates disintegrated. This is a great hope after great despair."

Tai Chu said solemnly, "Before, I could read you like lines on my palm. By the Battle of the Ghost Capital, you had already surpassed my expectations. Your growth has indeed been remarkably fast. In mere centuries, you have grown to this level, which is both admirable and formidable. However, your three major defeats in this life have completely depleted your luck."

"After the Battle of the Ghost Capital, you knew you were powerless to fight the Celestial Heavens. You feigned surrender, biding your time, and even married, intending to buy time. But you would never have guessed that Haotian Emperor is more outstanding than I am; he won't grant you this time, nor will he let you live."

He said calmly, "Once you signed Yan Kang's surrender agreement, your usefulness was over. Haotian Emperor sent me here to end your journey. He gave me two choices: first, to kill you, which I might not be able to do. Second, to sink you into the Chaos Long River in the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City. If you don't die, you can return to the past universe and resume your role as the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace. Haotian Emperor's ideas and methods truly surpass mine; I am utterly convinced, having been defeated by him."

Behind him, the One Primordial Qi Grand Heaven grew even brighter. The Dao Tree emitted an increasingly astonishing aura of the Great Dao. He said slowly, "Only after achieving the Dao does one truly understand the vast difference from before. Fourth Brother, remembering our sworn brotherhood, I offer you a way out. Voluntarily enter the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City and leap into the Chaos Long River. I will not trouble you. You will not die; after all, you are the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace, and you can live well in the past universe."

Qin Mu burst out laughing, then, with his hands behind his back, said forlornly, "Back when the four of us swore brotherhood, we vowed not to seek to be born on the same day, but to die on the same day. Third Brother Luo Xiao died early, and the three of us were all big liars, full of empty promises, none of us went to accompany him. Later, Second Brother and I together sent First Brother Tai Di on his way to join him, which I was glad to see. Today, it is time to send Second Brother to join First Brother and Third Brother."

Tai Chu's pupils constricted slightly. From the One Primordial Qi Grand Heaven behind him, an Imperial Sword slowly flew out. Imperial might permeated the air as he said calmly, "You won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. You still have that temperament."

Qin Mu slowly drew his Calamity Sword, discarding its sheath, and said calmly, "Second Brother, I also offer you a chance. The situation in Yan Kang is excellent right now. If you are willing to join me in fighting Haotian Emperor, you can still remain an enlightened one in the future and need not die. You and I, as brothers, can join forces to resist the prehistoric invasion and atone for your past misdeeds."

Tai Chu sighed, gripping the Tai Chu Imperial Sword in his hand. Although it was a replica of the true Imperial Sword, he had personally forged it.

He said wistfully, "The four of us swore brotherhood. I never imagined that only I would be left today."

Qin Mu flicked his sword, his gaze fixed on its tip, his eyes profound: "My life has seen three rises and three falls, great ups and downs, nothing more. After the tempering of these three major cycles of fortune, the only one who can defeat me in this world is myself. This sword of mine no longer needs to conceal its sharpness."

He flicked the sword with his finger. The sword hummed, and its light instantly pierced through layers of void, filling the sky. Qin Mu lightly waved it, pointing the sword tip downwards towards the Primordial Realm. Instantly, a rainbow-like sword light appeared above the Primordial Realm, stretching from the Western Land's extreme north across countless miles of sky to float above the eastern sea of the Primordial Realm.

Qin Mu's vertical eye between his brows slowly opened, and he whispered, "Sever!"

In Yan Kang, a divine being saw this sword light and quickly informed Emperor Yanfeng and Yan Kang's Imperial Advisor. Emperor Yanfeng was inexplicably excited, while Yan Kang's Imperial Advisor appeared much calmer, immediately rushing to the Wen Dao Academy and sternly shouting, "A sword light has appeared in the sky! Sever the transmigration bridges, quickly sever the transmigration bridges!"

In the Wen Dao Academy, Heavenly Master Qiao Fu Wentian Ge of Carefree Village raised his axe and swung it. Orders were dispatched. Throughout the Primordial Realm and the myriad heavens, the psionic transmigration bridges were instantly destroyed by divine beings from both the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect and Yan Kang's Dao Sect.

Chaos erupted across the myriad heavens. The divine beings tasked with severing the divine bridges immediately clashed with the Celestial Heavens' garrisons guarding the transmigration bridges, leading to fierce and tragic battles!

In Lang Cang Heavens, more than a dozen Daoists, covered in blood, fought alongside the Black Tiger God, struggling to reach the altar of the psionic transmigration bridge. The Celestial Heavens' army of gods and devils stationed there continuously surged forward. The Daoists shouted in unison, forming a sword array that transformed into the Twenty-Eight Heavens of Dao Swords, blocking the enemy.

The Black Tiger God charged forward fiercely, letting out a roar, activating the psionic transmigration bridge. The bridge's layers of structure expanded outwards, rotating in different directions. Suddenly, a Daoist was impaled through the body by a divine spear. His primordial spirit flew out of his body, only to be nailed to the altar. The Black Tiger God paid no heed, fully activating the altar to disrupt the numerical sequence.

Lang Cang Heavens was one of the Celestial Heavens' most formidable territories. The Celestial Heavens had hundreds of thousands of troops stationed here to guard the transmigration bridge, allowing for rapid response, enabling them to reach the Primordial Realm swiftly, and to deliver messages to the Celestial Heavens immediately! Therefore, the psionic transmigration bridge here had to be destroyed at all costs, or all their efforts would be in vain!

Another Daoist fell in battle. The sword array was broken, and the Celestial Heavens' army stationed there immediately pounced like wolves and tigers, overwhelming the remaining dozen or so Daoists!

The Black Tiger God gritted his teeth and roared, pulling out the core from the psionic transmigration bridge. The entire psionic transmigration bridge instantly collapsed! He turned and charged into the disorganized Celestial Heavens' army, scattered by the bridge's collapse, attempting to rescue the dozen or so Daoists.

"Go!"

A Daoist, pierced by dozens of swords, his body riddled with holes, stubbornly held off six or seven Celestial Heavens' gods and devils. He turned back and grinned, his teeth stained red with blood, "We have succeeded! Save yourselves if you can! Go!"

The Black Tiger God's tiger-like eyes filled with tears. He turned his body, and countless teleportation runes erupted, engulfing him. He teleported away. From within the scattered and collapsing psionic transmigration bridge, the Daoist's voice echoed, "Our Dao Sect observes truth through calculation and seeks the Great Dao! Do not underestimate the Daoist magic of Yan Kang's Dao Sect! Lesser Heavenly Star Dao Resolution!"

Immeasurable starlight erupted from that spot, spinning wildly and expanding outwards. It was a microscopic numerical art from Yan Kang's calculations, using numerical methods to analyze the phenomena of exploding heavenly stars. Its power was terrifying, and it quickly engulfed the area.

"All psionic transmigration bridges connecting the myriad heavens to the Celestial Heavens have been severed."

Outside the Primordial Realm, Qin Mu's vertical eye between his brows slowly opened, and he said, "Haotian Venerate's actions would be nothing more than inviting Void Heavenly Venerate to strike from the Ghost Capital to annihilate all living beings in my Yan Kang or Carefree Village. Or to strike from Xuandu, plunging the Primordial Realm into complete darkness and letting Ancestral God King unleash disasters upon it. But for all of this, I already have countermeasures."

Tai Chu's pupils suddenly constricted. His gaze fell upon the Primordial Realm behind Qin Mu. There, in Yan Kang of the Primordial Realm, the body of a young man was rapidly expanding, gradually rising higher than Yan Kang's Primordial Tree. His head towered like a cloud-piercing peak, and his two long, winding horns twisted and turned, piercing straight into the heavens beyond!

"Where my body stands, there is the Ghost Capital!"

From the mouth of the young Earth Duke came deep, demonic words of the Ghost Capital. In an instant, the space where Yan Kang lay split, forming an ethereal sight where a smaller Ghost Capital overlapped with Yan Kang!

At the same time, at the Thirty-Three Heavens of Carefree Village, Heavenly Venerate You sat on a paper boat and raised his hand to light the lantern in front of him. As the lamp lit up, his shadow instantly enveloped the land. His primordial spirit was as vast as his shadow, establishing another Ghost Capital in the west of the Primordial Realm!

The two Ghost Capitals overlapped. In the corners and edges that weren't covered, the Fengdu world emerged. The stone stele of the Realm of the Living Dead grew taller and taller, like a massive mountain standing in the Primordial Realm, protecting these areas. King Yama's cloak fluttered in the wind. He stood in the darkness, his sword shrouding Fengdu.

At the same time, Heavenly Duke arrived at the center of the Primordial Realm. He forcefully plunged the Heavenly Principle supreme treasure into the ground. He stood upright, and the other forty-nine Heavenly Dao supreme treasures soared into the sky with a whistle! Supreme treasures like Heavenly Secret, Heavenly Authority, and Heavenly Fiend floated into the sky above the Primordial Realm, instantly forming forty-nine layers of barriers! Within the Primordial Realm lay forty-nine inner heavens. Stars and constellations appeared within these forty-nine inner heavens. Suns and moons, everything imaginable, transformed into a miniature Xuandu.

Tai Chu watched this scene, his voice hoarse as he said, "Fourth Brother, you were very well prepared."

Qin Mu smiled faintly, "Second Brother, you flatter me."

Behind him, a vast Celestial Heavens suddenly appeared. Seventy-two Treasure Halls guarded the Thirty-Three Heavenly Palaces. Qin Mu's primordial spirit stood before the Hall of Chaos, his voice resonating with the Great Dao, grand and far-reaching: "Second Brother, you know I am the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace, but you don't know that I didn't become the Seventh Young Master in the past universe."

Qin Mu, standing beneath his own Celestial Heavens, appeared incredibly tiny. He looked up at the massive Tai Chu and said calmly, "I became the Seventh Young Master of the Miluo Palace here, in this universe!"