Chapter 1696: Loyal and Honest Mu Tianzun

Qin Mu paused slightly. He was familiar with the animosity between the Eastern Azure Emperor and the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon.

After the Yankang calamity, Martial God Sovereign met Qin Mu and told him about the Azure Emperor's past.

Before the Celestial Heavens were established, Heavenly Venerable Yu attained enlightenment under a withered tree, deciphering the method for opening the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. The withered tree, benefiting from this profound opportunity, came back to life, blooming anew.

This old tree later became the Eastern Azure Emperor, though its journey was fraught with twists and turns. As a divine wood, it was cut down and refined into a treasure. It eventually found its way to the Jade Pool Grand Assembly in the early years of the Dragon Han era, where it heard Qin Mu and Heavenly Venerable Hao teach the method of becoming a god.

Afterward, the divine wood's owner was killed, and the wood fell into the Primordial Realm, where it took root, absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and its cultivation grew progressively stronger. However, during the Chixiu era, it was again cut down by humans and refined into a treasure. It then fell into the hands of Emperor Ming, who forged it into a powerful Imperial Throne divine weapon.

By the time of the Sovereign Emperor era, the Azure Emperor had become the most potent divine weapon, having given birth to a spirit. Yet, it was severely damaged by the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, almost to the point of complete annihilation.

The Azure Emperor was consequently discarded as refuse. However, driven by sheer conviction, it survived, shed its form as a mere treasure, and cultivated itself into an Imperial Seat. It was then put to significant use by Heavenly Venerable Xiao at the time, becoming known as the Eastern Azure Emperor, used to restrain the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon.

Their feud with the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon originated from this point. As the Eastern Emperor was the ruler of the Eastern Extremity Heavens and the Azure Emperor was the Great Emperor of the Eastern Heavens, they were naturally at odds, and their resentment deepened and grew over time.

In Martial God Sovereign's palace, a mural depicted the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon groveling at the Azure Emperor's feet, barely clinging to life, and fawning for survival. This illustrated the profound hatred the Azure Emperor harbored for the Eastern Emperor.

Heavenly Venerable Yun remarked, "The Yankang Imperial Preceptor's request for the Eastern Emperor's dragon scales is likely to resurrect the Eastern Emperor, using him to draw out the Azure Emperor. This would force the Azure Emperor into an all-out war, providing an opportunity to decisively defeat the Eastern Heavens' army and eliminate their gods and devils in one swift stroke. Only then can he free up his hands to assist Carefree Village."

Qin Mu glanced at Ling Yuxiu, who immediately rose to search for the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's scales.

"The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon was defiant and arrogant, holding himself in high regard, yet his methods were despicable and contemptible. He was the first to surrender to the Celestial Heavens, becoming Heavenly Venerable Azure Dragon, believing it would save his life. But how could Emperor Hao Tian ever let him off?"

Qin Mu chuckled, "Emperor Hao Tian sacrificed him to kill Heavenly Venerable Huo. When my wife and I married, Grand Emperor sent the Eastern Emperor's dragon scales to test if I was truly disheartened, so I didn't resurrect him. When Yan'er and Southern Emperor came to see me, they also didn't mention resurrecting him, so I simply forgot about it. Now, resurrecting the Eastern Emperor can be considered repaying the favor he did me when he helped me forge swords back then."

Heavenly Venerable Yun said, "I once heard it said that one should never accept a favor from Heavenly Venerable Mu, and absolutely never accept an IOU for a favor, or one's life might be in danger."

"Those are all slanders!" Before Qin Mu could speak, Ling Yuxiu approached, carrying the Eastern Emperor's dragon scales, and scoffed, "These are all rumors spread by the Ten Heavenly Venerables to tarnish my husband's reputation! So many voices fabricating accusations can destroy a person's name and legacy, and they've ruined my husband's reputation to the point where even Heavenly Venerable Yun believes them!"

Heavenly Venerable Yun quickly interjected, "Actually, I don't believe them!"

Qin Mu remarked with emotion, "My wife truly knows me best."

He took the Eastern Emperor's dragon scales and cast a soul-summoning spell. Suddenly, Qin Mu's expression shifted to surprise: "The Eastern Emperor's soul is neither in Youdu nor in the Heavenly Yin World!"

Heavenly Venerable Yun and the others were slightly taken aback. If the Azure Dragon had been killed, and its soul remained intact, it should have gone to Youdu. If its soul had been shattered into black sand, it would surely have ended up in the Heavenly Yin World.

Yet, Qin Mu stated that the Azure Dragon's soul was in neither of these places, which was peculiar.

"Right," Qin Mu said with a smile. "If Grand Emperor killed the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, then the Azure Dragon's soul must be in Grand Emperor's possession. His soul must have been hidden by Grand Emperor."

Heavenly Venerable Yun's heart stirred slightly: "The Ultimate Void, One Qi Grand Heavens!"

"It could also be the Ancestral Court treasure halls that Grand Emperor obtained. Both of those places can block my divine sense."

Qin Mu pondered, "If it's in Grand Emperor's One Qi Grand Heavens, that's manageable. Grand Emperor's Grand Heavens has now descended upon the Primordial Realm to intimidate Yankang. It wouldn't be difficult for me to forcefully cast a spell and reclaim the Azure Dragon's soul. However, if it's suppressed within the Ancestral Court treasure halls, then it's going to be troublesome."

He took a deep breath and strode out, excitement barely concealed in his voice: "Grand Emperor sent the dragon scales, yet hid the Eastern Emperor's soul. It seems he intends to scheme against me while I perform the ritual! In that case, I shall grant him his wish!"

Ling Yuxiu hurriedly walked out of the hall, followed by Heavenly Venerable Yun. They saw Qin Mu standing in an open space, his divine sense surging, and instantly he visualized a vast altar.

The altar slowly rose from beneath his feet. His vital qi transformed into various Great Dao runes, imprinting themselves upon it. These runes formed Dao patterns, which then coalesced into Dao chains, creating a foundational domain.

Behind Qin Mu, the Grand Celestial Heavens drifted into view, and the Jade Capital City appeared. In the center of the Jade Capital City, before the Hall of Chaos, his primordial spirit stood. With a stomp of his foot, an altar also materialized before the Hall of Chaos, though it was a reversed version of the altar beneath Qin Mu's physical body.

Heavenly Venerable Yun watched for a moment, failing to understand, and asked, "Sister-in-law, what is the purpose of Heavenly Venerable Mu's other altar?"

Ling Yuxiu also didn't understand, but replied, "It has its own wonderful purpose."

Heavenly Venerable Yun nodded, "Indeed, what you say is very true."

Qin Mu's physical body performed the ritual on the altar, while simultaneously, his primordial spirit conducted a ritual before the Hall of Chaos. However, while Qin Mu's physical body was activating the Soul-Guiding spell to draw out the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's soul, the purpose of his primordial spirit's ritual was incomprehensible to onlookers.

An inexplicable power spread out, delving deep into the void, giving an elusive sensation—soft, ethereal, hidden, and invisible.

As this power permeated and infiltrated the myriad heavens and myriad worlds, Qin Mu finally sensed the location of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's soul.

The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's soul was indeed hidden within Grand Emperor's One Qi Grand Heavens. Presently, Grand Emperor's One Qi Grand Heavens hovered above the Celestial Heavens' main camp, directly across from Carefree Village's Thirty-Three Heavens.

Just as Qin Mu's power penetrated the One Qi Grand Heavens, Grand Emperor rose from beneath the Dao tree within the One Qi Grand Heavens, a smile on his face: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, you've come after all! You couldn't bear to lose a formidable force like the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon; you need him to fight for you across the world! But you don't know, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Beneath the Dao tree, beside its roots, stood a bronze jar taller than a person, its mouth tightly sealed.

At this moment, the bronze jar continuously vibrated, as if a force was shaking it, intending to break it open and release whatever was inside!

"By the time your power reaches my Grand Heavens, it will be weakened. At that point, I can counter-injure your primordial spirit and your physical body!"

Grand Emperor roared, and his physical body instantly became incredibly massive!

For countless ages, his physical body had always been considered paramount, capable of directly withstanding attacks from Dao achievers. It was only in recent years that Qin Mu surpassed him, having refined the Primordial Chaos physical body, which was unparalleled in its might, even superior to his Ancient God Celestial Emperor body!

Equally powerful to his Ancient God Celestial Emperor body was his vital qi, the Innate One Qi!

The Innate One Qi was both vital qi and a Great Dao, capable of transforming into any Great Dao in the world!

Although his Innate One Qi had not yet reached the level of Dao achievement, it was still exceptionally formidable. He pursued Dao achievement through power, leveraging the might of the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City, making his magical power far superior in sheer volume to those who achieved Dao through Dao Realm.

"What you also didn't anticipate is that my treasure halls are now complete!"

Grand Emperor activated his Innate One Qi, and behind him, the Grand Celestial Heavens emerged, with seventy-two treasure halls encircling the thirty-six Heavenly Palaces!

Ever since Emperor Hao Tian had to retreat after his battle with Qin Mu in the Ultimate Void, he and Grand Emperor reached a consensus. The father and son began exchanging their respective great halls, no longer holding back.

Both Emperor Hao Tian and Grand Emperor had now cultivated the seventy-two treasure halls, achieving perfection in their path of Dao achievement through power!

Grand Emperor's magical power surpassed his previous capabilities. His Ancient God Celestial Emperor body began to stride, moving ceaselessly around the bronze jar. His arms flew, and his Innate One Qi transformed into divine abilities, moving in reverse to Qin Mu's soul-guiding power!

His divine abilities were subtle and pervasive, silently tracking Qin Mu's power, following the Soul-Guiding spell to counter-injure Qin Mu's physical body and primordial spirit!

This was a deliberate scheme against an unsuspecting opponent. Qin Mu was fully focused on pulling the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's soul, leaving both his physical body and primordial spirit undefended. This was the optimal moment to strike back and kill Qin Mu!

Grand Emperor's spirits soared. He let out continuous roars, unleashing one divine ability after another, tracing the path of Qin Mu's power to attack him.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu's power continued to flow steadily, attempting to shake the bronze jar. However, this bronze jar was situated within the One Qi Grand Heavens. Although the One Qi Grand Heavens had now left the Ultimate Void and arrived in the Primordial Realm, it was still a Great Dao achievement. Qin Mu's power, upon reaching it, was weakened layer by layer, no longer at its peak.

Furthermore, since the bronze jar was suppressed by the One Qi Grand Heavens, for Qin Mu to shake it would mean contending with the entire Grand Heavens and challenging Grand Emperor's Dao cultivation!

The favorable timing and geographical advantage were entirely on Grand Emperor's side; he was confident of victory!

In an instant, he unleashed an unknown number of powerful divine abilities, displaying the full might of a Dao achiever!

Just then, a flicker appeared in Grand Emperor's eye. He saw dense markings suddenly emerge beneath the bronze jar!

These markings spread out in rings, layer upon layer, expanding outwards. By the time he noticed these circular patterns, they had already extended from the bottom of the jar to cover half of the Grand Heavens!

The circular markings were extremely peculiar, resembling the growth rings of a tree. In a short span of time, hundreds of millions of such rings had already formed.

"This is... the World Tree!" Grand Emperor suddenly realized, "Damn it! He's scheming against me too!"

The rings spun, and the markings within them transformed into beams of light that shot skyward. A deafening crash resounded. Above the Celestial Heavens' main camp, within Grand Emperor's One Qi Grand Heavens, a colossal tree, half the size of the Grand Heavens itself, suddenly appeared. Its branches whipped through the air, and its roots plunged deep into Grand Emperor's One Qi Grand Heavens!

The roots were unimaginably thick, like immense mountain ranges, tearing apart the ground of the One Qi Grand Heavens. Mountains toppled. Grand Emperor was caught off guard and was sent flying by the colossal tree trunk, plummeting from the One Qi Grand Heavens!

His Dao tree was also crushed and toppled over. The entire Grand Heavens suddenly let out a massive cracking sound, splitting into two halves!

Simultaneously, the bronze jar exploded with a pop. The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's three souls soared upwards, summoned away by an inexplicable force!

As for the World Tree, after tearing apart the One Qi Grand Heavens, it immediately dissolved into countless specks of light, vanishing into the air. Only the One Qi Grand Heavens, now split into two halves, remained, falling from the sky.