Chapter 1656: The Strongest in the World

Heaven Emperor's gaze shifted from Heavenly Venerate Ling back to Qin Mu. He looked at Qin Mu's short legs, then chuckled. "It seems the Grand Emperor wasn't without gains after all. I thought he was utterly defeated, but it turns out he still left you with a profound lesson."

Qin Mu burst into laughter and stood up. He took a few steps with his short legs, walking over to Heaven Emperor, and looked up at him.

Heaven Emperor lowered his head, and their eyes met.

Originally, Qin Mu was slightly taller than Heaven Emperor, but now he only reached Heaven Emperor's chest.

Heaven Emperor suppressed a smile and said, "Mu..."

Qin Mu smiled and punched Heaven Emperor's chest. Heaven Emperor was sent flying backward, a series of booming sounds echoing as layer after layer of void was shattered by his retreating figure!

Lady Yuanmmu turned around, staring blankly at the cracks in the thirty-six voids, speechless.

The power of Qin Mu's blow was truly terrifying, and he struck without any warning. How powerful was Heaven Emperor? Yet he was punched into the ultimate void!

Qin Mu walked over to her with his short legs, looking up and smiling, "Lady Yuanmmu, under my Path of Reincarnation, you wouldn't last a single move against me."

Lady Yuanmmu chuckled and stepped back. The Return to the Ruins opened behind her, and her figure suddenly vanished.

Qin Mu tilted his head and said, "Ling, Lady Yuanmmu is the kind of person who won't shed tears until she sees the coffin. I'll go meet Heaven Emperor; you be careful."

Heavenly Venerate Ling walked out of the High Heavens Treasure Hall and calmly said, "Go ahead."

Qin Mu took a deep breath. A large door panel flew out of the hall with a whoosh. Qin Mu leaped onto the door panel, and it carried him rushing into the void!

The layers of void shattered by Heaven Emperor were rapidly closing. However, the door panel was extremely fast; it plunged into the ultimate void before the thirty-six voids could fully close.

The door panel stopped. Qin Mu looked around; the void was silent, and Heaven Emperor's figure was nowhere to be seen.

In the distance, two Great Luo Heavens suddenly appeared and collided. The two Great Luo Heavens almost overlapped. Beneath two Dao trees, Grand Beginning and Heavenly Venerate Yun clashed. Their Dao flowers and fruits, formed from Primordial Qi and supreme divine consciousness, showed a tendency to merge!

Both wanted to devour and refine the other's accomplishments to forge them into a Grand Beginning Dao Fruit. Thus, their attacks were extremely ruthless, making this clash incredibly perilous!

Qin Mu glanced at them and suddenly felt a warning in his heart. The next moment, a Dao tree swept towards him, striking him with a loud boom and sending him flying with great force!

Qin Mu and the door panel flew backward together. He saw the Dao tree sway, its branches swirling like a giant octopus with countless tentacles, following closely.

Heaven Emperor stood on a protruding treetop. A Dao flower flew out, arriving before Qin Mu. Before Qin Mu could react, the Dao flower rotated and bloomed.

The internal structure of that Dao flower was unique. Inside, there were layers of darkness; each layer of darkness was accompanied by a layer of light, constantly rotating.

Whoosh—

Qin Mu was swallowed by the Dao flower. Heaven Emperor raised his hand; the Dao flower flew to him and was held in his hand.

"Ambushing me, my beloved subject Mu, you've gone too far."

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. The Dao flower split open. Qin Mu swung the giant door panel, cutting through the Dao flower. Heaven Emperor's fingers bled, and he hastily let go. Qin Mu escaped.

Heaven Emperor let out a cold laugh. Behind his head, seventy-two Heavenly Palaces suddenly appeared. One was the Great Heavenly Court of Primordial Qi, and another was the Path of Destruction of the Return to the Ruins. They merged, spinning like a wheel, becoming one!

His magic power instantly soared. The two Heavenly Courts rotated, meeting the door panel Qin Mu chopped down.

Both their magic powers reached their peak. Heaven Emperor immediately sensed Qin Mu's weakness in magic power and rejoiced inwardly. But then he perceived the horror of Qin Mu's physical body. When Qin Mu swung the door panel, it actually cut through the cold, silent wind of the ultimate void!

Qin Mu possessed invincible physical strength, and Heaven Emperor's magic power was unparalleled in the world!

Qin Mu used the door panel as a blade, employing only the Way of the Blade from his combat techniques. Heaven Emperor, meanwhile, pushed the power of his Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel to its extreme!

The moment they collided, Heaven Emperor shattered Qin Mu's magic power. However, the door panel cut through the Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel, severing the two layers of Heavenly Courts, and came down towards his head.

Heaven Emperor roared. The Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel spun, and the power of Dao Realm Thirty-One Heavens erupted. Waves of terrifying power slammed into Qin Mu's body. At the same time, a surge of Primordial Qi shot up from his head, blossoming like a Dao tree in mid-air!

Another Heaven Emperor stood atop the Dao tree formed from Primordial Qi. He obliquely pointed a finger, striking Qin Mu's glabella, and Primordial Qi burst forth!

From the main Heaven Emperor's head, another Path of Return to the Ruins shot up, transforming into yet another Heaven Emperor. With a clasp of his hands, a lotus flower appeared. Its petals whirled, rapidly coiling around Qin Mu.

The door panel chopped down, striking Heaven Emperor's head. Meanwhile, Heaven Emperor's attack, containing the power of Dao Realm Thirty-One Heavens, also slammed into Qin Mu without reservation.

Their figures separated. Qin Mu's muscles twitched as he shattered the lotus petals wrapped around him. A large hole split open in his glabella, completely transparent.

Immediately, this large hole slowly healed.

Heaven Emperor's head was almost sliced in half by the door panel. However, the other two Heaven Emperors' bodies transformed into Primordial Qi and the Path of Return to the Ruins, flying back. Heaven Emperor's two halves of a head then slowly healed, returning to normal.

Qin Mu shook the door panel and turned around.

The Primordial Qi Great Luo Heaven spun, and Heaven Emperor faced him directly.

Their eyes met, and they spoke in unison, "You're not bad at all!"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, looking at Heaven Emperor's healed head. He asked curiously, "Is this your Primordial Qi and Path of Return to the Ruins, forming zero and one? The Path of Return to the Ruins is the Way of destruction, bringing everything to zero, while Primordial Qi is the 'one' from 'Dao gives birth to one.' This way, you can fight ceaselessly and recover quickly even if injured. Did you comprehend this during your battle with Grand Emperor in the Supreme Void?"

Heaven Emperor nodded in approval. "I also owe much to my beloved subject Mu. At that time, I was already comprehending how to achieve this; my injuries were extremely severe, and I intended to undergo nirvana and rebirth. However, you found me and pursued me for six hundred thousand miles, leading Grand Prime to appear and save me. I comprehended the principle of unifying my cultivation from Grand Prime."

Qin Mu pondered, then said, "Grand Prime is the transformation of substance. Grand Prime tried to control you, but she was still too naive, ending up being controlled by you, with all her cultivation and Dao Realm becoming your spoils. Achieving the seamless conversion between zero and one was difficult for you, but comprehending the Way of Grand Prime and devouring the Grand Prime Goddess gave you the foundation for the grand unification of your cultivation arts."

Heaven Emperor smiled slightly, and a surge of Grand Prime Qi emerged, constantly transforming into various exotic treasures. He leisurely said, "My beloved subject Mu, you are also extraordinary. Your abilities have also achieved the grand unification of cultivation arts, making you the most difficult person to kill. I have never worried about Founding Emperor; Founding Emperor has enough fortitude but lacks strategy and understanding of change. You, however, know how to endure, how to assess the situation – lurking when you should, rising when you should – making you far more troublesome than him. However, after I refined Grand Prime, my power was consolidated, and I had no more opponents. Do you know why?"

Qin Mu's gaze fell on the wisp of Grand Prime Qi. He said, "With the Way of Grand Prime, you can fulfill every request, manifesting all treasures and cultivation arts in the world. Whether it's Founding Emperor's Sword Dao, Void Heavenly Venerate's Way of Youdu, or the Heavenly Dao, even the Way of Taiji, you can manifest them."

Heaven Emperor praised, "To have such an adversary, my heart is greatly comforted. My beloved subject Mu, since achieving the Dao, I have never fully unleashed my power. Even when facing Founding Emperor in the Battle of Youdu, I held back. Because I have already reached the pinnacle of the world, no one else was worthy of me using my full strength."

He spread his palm, and the Grand Prime Qi settled there, ever-changing and unpredictable. He calmly said, "I can target anyone's weakness, transforming into a divine weapon to restrain them. Even Heavenly Venerate Ling, I can find her flaws and capture her alive. Even Grand Emperor Grand Beginning, I can use Grand Prime Qi to target his vital points. Even Founding Emperor, I can calmly kill him if I unleash my full power."

Qin Mu asked curiously, "Then how will you deal with me?"

"I plan to transform Grand Prime Qi into the Way of Divine Consciousness, completing the missing link in my Way of Grand Beginning."

Heaven Emperor smiled faintly, "I'm prepared to unleash the Grand Beginning Dao Realm and Grand Beginning Dao Tree, which the Grand Emperor always dreamed of, to send you on your way."

He said unhurriedly with a smile, "If I can't kill you, I have another path: transforming the Way of Grand Prime into the Way of Life of the Return to the Ruins, completing my Path of Return to the Ruins. I will gain two supreme accomplishments. With that, can I bury you?"

Behind Qin Mu, the World Tree rose from the ground. He said solemnly, "Your Majesty's accomplishments are extraordinary. Please, Your Majesty, make your move and send me on my way!"

The Grand Prime Qi in Heaven Emperor's hand changed abruptly!

Qin Mu's heart leaped, and his pupils contracted sharply. Heaven Emperor's Grand Prime Qi transformed into a Grand Changes Divine Axe!

At the same time, Heavenly Venerate Ling stood quietly waiting in front of the High Heavens Palace of Yongjiang Heavenly Palace. Just then, the Return to the Ruins surged forth, devouring the entire Yongjiang Heavenly Palace!

Yongjiang Heavenly Palace was a Heavenly Palace visualized by Qin Mu, covering an immense area. But facing the Return to the Ruins, it was utterly unable to resist, being directly torn to shreds by its terrifying power!

Countless fragments, along with Heavenly Venerate Ling, plunged into the Return to the Ruins!

Heavenly Venerate Ling remained standing there, motionless, allowing the power of the Return to the Ruins to drag her into the Great Abyss.

She had not achieved much in combat and could not contend with the power of the Return to the Ruins. Once pulled into the Return to the Ruins, there was no hope of escaping the terrifying gravity of the Great Abyss of Return to the Ruins.

Suddenly, a twin lotus flower slammed down. Lady Yuanmmu leaped up, gaining the high ground, and swung the twin lotus, fiercely smashing it towards Heavenly Venerate Ling's forehead!

"Ling, no one can kill you, but that doesn't mean the Return to the Ruins can't!"

Lady Yuanmmu snarled, "Return to the Ruins, transforming everything!"

The twin lotus unleashed infinite power, smashing downwards. Heavenly Venerate Ling raised a finger, meeting the twin lotus, and tapped the lotus hammer.

Boom.

The Great Abyss of Return to the Ruins shook violently. The twin lotus in Lady Yuanmmu's hand suddenly exploded into dust!

Lady Yuanmmu's heart jolted. Only a bare stem remained of the lotus in her hand.

The Great Abyss of Return to the Ruins continued pulling Heavenly Venerate Ling downwards. Lady Yuanmmu gritted her teeth, not pursuing. She thought to herself, "She's fallen into the Return to the Ruins; she's definitely going to die. Even if she doesn't, she won't be able to climb out..."

Just as she thought this, Heavenly Venerate Ling suddenly pointed a finger at the stone wall of the Great Abyss. The holy land of Return to the Ruins rumbled, almost exploding!

Lady Yuanmmu's heart was startled. This holy land was her birthplace; if it were destroyed, her strength would significantly wane.

She gritted her teeth and rushed downwards with a roar. Streaks of divine arts remotely struck Heavenly Venerate Ling!

The two women, one after another, plunged into the deepest part of the Great Abyss.