Chapter 1649: Old Seven and Old Three

There are only twenty-four sacred halls, each representing an enlightened being from a past universe. These beings, similar to Yuansheng, constitute the core strength of the Miluo Palace.

For instance, Yuansheng, having lived through three cosmic epochs, possesses power that far exceeds that of Emperor Haotian, Taichu, and Kaihuang in the present era.

Although he died at the hands of the Ten Celestial Masters, it was because he could not fully manifest in this universe. Only his Dao fruit and Dao tree had descended. Furthermore, he was ambushed by Wei Suifeng and Shujun, forcing him into a devastating confrontation with Nanyang Yuankun. Severely wounded, he was then killed by the Ten Celestial Masters.

Despite Yuansheng's demise, the other inhabitants of the Seventy-Two Halls are still alive.

Emperor Haotian and Taichu claimed a total of fifty-six sacred halls. Sixteen halls remain in the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City, among them the Pixiang Hall belonging to Yuansheng of the Miluo Palace.

While Qin Mu outwardly mocked these twenty-four prehistoric enlightened beings, inwardly he held them in no contempt.

Those who achieved enlightenment in prehistoric times and have survived until now possess extraordinary accomplishments. Even if they cannot descend in their true forms, their power is immense.

The strength of these twenty-four enlightened beings has not merely increased slightly; it has grown immensely.

When they last attempted to prevent Qin Mu's enlightenment, their power originated from the halls Qin Mu had comprehended as the Seventy-Two Halls, not from the genuine Seventy-Two Halls.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, they descended, but their strength was limited to projecting their physical bodies, Dao trees, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits.

Qin Mu, leveraging the cycles of creation and destruction within the divine treasure universe, fully refined and absorbed the projected power, giving him the advantage of familiar territory and the unified nature of his cultivation methods.

Now, however, the sacred halls of these twenty-four enlightened beings have truly manifested within Taichu's Grand Luo Heaven of One Qi, a domain entirely distinct from Qin Mu's Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure.

He had no certainty of victory against these twenty-four enlightened beings.

Even more critically, Taichu was still nearby.

Qin Mu stood motionless, a smile on his face, leaning on his Calamity Sword.

The twenty-four enlightened beings also stood unmoving.

This time, they did not project their Dao trees, Dao flowers, or Dao fruits. Instead, each sacred hall seemed to come alive, its runes, Dao patterns, and Dao chains reviving and radiating the unique Dao rhythm of enlightened beings.

Their physical bodies grew increasingly potent, and their power surged dramatically. The halls' runes, Dao patterns, and Dao chains soared, integrating into their bodies and augmenting their strength.

Taichu sensed overwhelming power, secretly startled. These twenty-four beings were already immortal and indestructible. Although they could not descend in their true forms, merely a drop of his blood allowed them to elevate their strength to this degree, akin to twenty-four Celestial Masters—a truly terrifying sight.

"Taichu, you understand now, don't you?"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, saying leisurely, "Both you and Emperor Haotian have chosen the wrong path."

Taichu paused, "Celestial Master Mu, why do you say that?"

"The culmination of these twenty-four prehistoric Daoists' cultivation is not the Lingxiao Palace or the Zixiao Palace. Rather, their respective Dao methods, upon achieving enlightenment, transformed into their own unique great halls."

Qin Mu's gaze slowly swept over the various halls—Chaohui Hall, Lingxu Hall, Baoguang Hall, and Tongming Hall, among others—and he said unhurriedly, "In their eyes, you and Emperor Haotian are not truly 'their own.' They have not imparted the genuine Jade Capital method of enlightenment to you. If it were the true method, you would not cultivate the Lingxiao Palace or the Zixiao Palace; instead, you would cultivate your own sacred halls, your own imperial seats, and achieve your own Dao."

Taichu's heart grew cold, and he remained silent.

Indeed, as Qin Mu stated, the Great Dao of these twenty-four prehistoric enlightened beings ultimately manifested as their individual sacred halls, not as Lingxiao or Zixiao enlightenment.

Clearly, the Lingxiao and Zixiao enlightenment paths that he and Emperor Haotian were following were mere traps.

Qin Mu was absolutely correct; he and Emperor Haotian were merely pawns of the Miluo Palace's Third and Fourth Young Masters, not considered their inner circle.

"However, it has come to this," Taichu thought to himself, "there is no turning back."

Suddenly, the twenty-four prehistoric enlightened beings moved in unison, launching an attack on Qin Mu from all sides.

Prehistoric Great Dao divine abilities manifested in this universe for the first time. In their own eras, these beings were peerless, towering geniuses. Although their divine abilities and Dao methods differed from those of this universe, their power was in no way inferior.

Furthermore, their divine abilities and Dao methods, having undergone countless refinements as practiced by followers of the Miluo Palace Master, far surpassed those of the current Heavenly Court in both intricacy and practical application.

One of them clearly followed the path of enlightenment through sheer force, cultivating his physical body until his primordial spirit and flesh became one. The strength of his physical body was truly unparalleled.

His combat techniques resembled martial arts, grand and sweeping, akin to a giant who split heaven and earth, tearing apart the sun and moon with his hands and encompassing the universe with his palms.

Another pursued the path of innate sacred fire. His flames, refined into a scorching wind that surpassed even Fire Celestial Master, twisted space itself. With a single strike, his fierce flames incinerated everything.

Another still followed the path of the Heavenly Dao. His cultivation realm was comparable to that of Ancestral God King, yet his Dao methods were even more exquisite and miraculous.

The prehistoric enlightened beings, one after another, unleashed their combined power, lunging towards Qin Mu.

Taichu, stepping back, suppressed the injury on his brow and quietly awaited his opportunity.

His injuries were severe. His physical body was arguably the most powerful in the world; Emperor Tai, using this very body, had been invincible, sweeping aside all opponents, only perishing after being ambushed by Celestial Master Ling.

Yet, by this point, Qin Mu had grown powerful enough to damage this invincible body. In their recent confrontation, Qin Mu had nearly slain him.

Not only was his physical body injured, but his primordial spirit was also wounded. Qin Mu's Calamity-Breaking Sword, adept at disrupting the Great Dao, had inflicted a severe Dao injury when it pierced his glabella.

The moment he retreated, Qin Mu's domain erupted, swirling and colliding with Taichu's Grand Luo Heaven of One Qi.

Taichu, losing his footing, retreated another step as his Grand Luo Heaven of One Qi spun backward and was repelled by the collision.

When a domain is cultivated to its peak, it can become a Grand Luo Heaven imprinted in the ultimate void, such as Emperor Tai's Divine Sense Grand Luo Heaven or Kaihuang's Sword Dao Grand Luo Heaven. All are domains.

Now, Qin Mu's divine treasure domain collided with Taichu's Grand Luo Heaven of One Qi, proving to be no weaker, which utterly astonished Taichu.

"His growth rate is simply astonishing," Taichu thought. "To achieve this much at only the thirty-second heaven of the Dao Realm... fortunately, he hasn't cultivated a Dao tree yet..."

As Taichu pondered this, a World Tree suddenly erupted from behind Qin Mu, radiating the unique Dao rhythm of an enlightened being.

Taichu's eyes twitched, and he inwardly cursed.

The World Tree's appearance caused Qin Mu's aura to surge dramatically, imbuing him with the bearing of an enlightened being.

A violent tremor followed as Qin Mu, muscles straining, collided with the prehistoric being who had achieved enlightenment through strength. In that instant, the enlightened being's physical body exploded, sending flesh and blood spraying.

Qin Mu's power had clearly surpassed his; with a single punch, he slammed the being against his own sacred hall, splattering blood across its walls.

Taichu immediately felt that the physical body, formed from his own blood, had been completely stripped of all spiritual essence and power.

With just one punch, Qin Mu utterly annihilated this being, who was comparable to a Celestial Master.

Simultaneously, the divine abilities and Dao methods of the other twenty-three enlightened beings struck Qin Mu in unison, and terrifying fluctuations engulfed him.

At that very moment, a phantom of the Lingxiao Palace appeared behind Taichu's head. He involuntarily leaped forward, charging into the divine abilities unleashed by the twenty-three enlightened beings.

He was horrified to realize this power was not his own, but rather that of the Lingxiao Palace.

The phantom of the Lingxiao Palace behind his head had been bestowed upon him by the Third Young Master for protection. He had once used this power to fight Emperor Tai and preserve himself.

Later, upon obtaining his own physical body, he also utilized this power to imprint the ultimate void and achieve Grand Luo Heaven.

While previously borrowing this power, he had never sensed anything amiss. Now, however, being controlled by it and propelled into peril, he felt a chilling dread.

The deeper his reliance on the Third Young Master's power, the more he found himself controlled by it, leaving him with the chilling sensation of being trapped in a spiderweb.

He watched himself activate a divine ability: an extraordinarily terrifying one, ancient and boundless. It was the ultimate power of the Dao of Taichu, a divine ability born from the culmination of the Dao Realm of Taichu, integrating the thirty-six heavens of divine sense and the thirty-six heavens of One Qi.

As he plunged into the erupting divine abilities, he saw Qin Mu's tattered form. Twenty-three enlightened beings, each possessing power comparable to a Celestial Master, had combined their attacks, yet had failed to kill Qin Mu.

Not only was Qin Mu still alive, but he was also actively channeling the Easy Changes divine ability and the Profound Creation Art, striving to restore his physical body and primordial spirit.

Taichu watched his palm push forward, the ultimate power of the Dao of Taichu surging forth from his palm. It was so domineering, so brilliant—the very power he had always yearned for, yet it now sent a shiver down his spine.

"What exactly does the Third Young Master intend by controlling my physical body?"

Terror filled his heart: "He could control me to commit great slaughter, transform me into his clone, and thereby hasten his arrival!"

The moment he reached out, Qin Mu turned and raised his hand to meet his palm.

Five red ropes shot from Qin Mu's palm, piercing through Taichu's divine ability, then swiftly through Taichu's brain. The red ropes knotted, locking down the Lingxiao Palace behind his head.

"Second Brother, I am saving your life!"

Qin Mu smiled, then was torn apart by the attack, reduced to a mass of Taichu Qi.

Taichu's heart was filled with a mix of shock and uncertainty. He immediately felt the power of Qin Mu's red rope knot erupt, forcing the energy surging from the Lingxiao Palace behind his head back into the hall and sealing it away.

"Seventh Brother, you remain as elusive as ever..." A strange voice echoed from within the Lingxiao Palace.

Taichu's hair bristled. He then felt the foreign power within him rapidly recede, allowing him to regain control of his physical body.

"They are both wounded," Taichu thought, "I can seize this opportunity to absorb Celestial Master Mu!"

Taichu's eyes lit up. He took a deep breath, intending to swallow and refine the Taichu Qi into which Qin Mu had transformed.

At that very moment, Qin Mu's World Tree swayed, the Return to Nothingness erupted, devouring all things. His divine treasure domain reformed heaven and earth, instantly undergoing the universe's Five Grand transformations.

The Taichu Qi before Taichu's eyes vanished. He immediately heard the sound of colliding divine abilities behind him. Turning, he saw Qin Mu, sword in hand, slaying a clone of a prehistoric enlightened being.

"Third Brother, this is our first true confrontation!"

Qin Mu pierced the glabella of one prehistoric enlightened being with his sword. Then, reversing his grip, he pushed the hilt forward, causing another enlightened being to explode into chaos. He smiled faintly, "When I return to the past, I will personally learn from you!"

The sword flew from his hand, piercing the Lingxiao Palace behind Taichu's head. The phantom of that Lingxiao Palace exploded with a thunderous roar.

"I will wait for you!" a muffled groan echoed from within the Lingxiao Palace.

The college entrance examination is approaching. To my readers in their final year of high school, please go back and focus on your studies and prepare for the exam! You can return to read after you've achieved success. Go, go! You concentrate on your exams, and I will focus on writing. I'll be right here; I am not going anywhere!