Chapter 1703: Ten Steps Kill a God (Another Long Chapter)

"Time is short; no more drinking."

Empty wine jars were piled around Yun Tianzun and Qin Mu, with only one remaining untouched. Yun Tianzun chuckled, "Beings like us rarely get drunk. You must go and stop the Hall Master of the Spirit Officials; he has split into thirty forms, and eliminating him won't be easy. Let's leave this victory wine here. Whoever returns first, you or I, will drink it!"

"Agreed!" Qin Mu knew there was no time to delay. He stood up, laughing, "This jar is the victory wine. Whoever returns here first will have the right to drink it!" He turned and left.

The moment Qin Mu turned away, Yun Tianzun felt a subtle presence in his shadow. It was Shang Jun, who had left Qin Mu's shadow and was now lurking in his. This presence was usually undetectable, but Shang Jun had deliberately emitted a slight ripple to signal his arrival.

Yun Tianzun looked down at the various battlefields below. The battles around Unworried Village were magnificent. Yanxing's reinforcements and supplies continuously arrived through teleportation gates. The rulers of the Thirty-Three Heavens of Unworried Village had all led their troops into battle. Among the Four Heavenly Teachers, only the Woodcutter remained to command the overall situation, unleashing his wisdom to direct the battlefield. Because Moon Heavenly Venerate, Yun Tianzun, Qin Mu, and others were holding Unworried Village, even the Martial Heavenly Teacher led the warriors of the Dipper Ox Heavens into the fray, not staying to protect the Woodcutter, Wen Tiange.

Yun Tianzun's eyes gleamed. The Hall Master of the Spirit Officials' first and most dangerous battle would be Unworried Village. Unworried Village was the closest, so he would surely arrive at its battlefield first to hunt down its Four Heavenly Kings: Emperor Kai, Di Yiyue, Old Man Qinghuang, King Di Shitian, and King Tian Shu of the Netherworld. Additionally, he would also hunt the Four Heavenly Teachers in the Unworried Village battlefield: Wen Tiange, Yan Yunxi, Zhuo Cha, and Hantang. If Unworried Village fell into chaos and became leaderless, even with Yanxing's formidable weapons and countless gods and devils, it would be doomed to defeat without proper command.

The Hall Master of the Spirit Officials' ancient god avatars would arrive second at the South Sea battlefield, where the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, the two Emperors of Chishang, the Human Emperor First Ancestor, and the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu were located. Next would be the Yin World, to hunt down the Lady of Yin. And the Heavenly Duke and Earth Count, residing behind the Grand Emperor Heaven in Yanxing's heartland, would be his fourth targets. The Youdu where Little Earth Count Qin Fengqing resided would be his fifth destination. Then, the two Xuanwu Emperors who had just descended in the northern border's Kandian region, along with Wei Suifeng, who oversaw the situation there. His next targets would be the Dao Ancestor of the Dao Sect and the Great Brahma Heavenly King of the Buddhist Sect. Closest to the Dao Sect were Emperor Yanfeng of Yanxing's capital and the Earth Virtue Primordial Monarch Gongsun Yan. After that, Jiang Baigui in the East Sea and the recently resurrected Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon. After the East Sea, the Hall Master of the Spirit Officials would arrive in the Western Lands, where the Western Emperor White Tiger had descended. His goal was to eliminate the Western Emperor and Heavenly Master Yue Tingge. Following that, the Beast Realm Master Dragon Qilin, and finally Xu Shenghua beneath the Ancestral Court World Tree.

What Qin Mu needed to do was reach these locations in the shortest possible time and kill the Hall Master of the Spirit Officials' ancient god avatars. The Hall Master of the Spirit Officials was an existence who had achieved enlightenment for four generations: three generations of Dao Fruit and one generation of Dao Flower. He cultivated the Dao Realm system and the "Enlightenment through Force" system of the Miluo Palace, achieving enlightenment through four different Great Dao. His physical body was divided into thirty parts, transforming into thirty of the most powerful ancient gods, each with strength comparable to a top-tier Heavenly Venerate. The cultivation techniques he practiced were probably countless, and the Great Dao he had cultivated were diverse. It was likely that the thirty ancient god avatars would each master unique Dao arts and divine abilities. Neither Yun Tianzun nor Shang Jun could discern the Great Dao divine abilities mastered by his ancient god avatars and kill him in the shortest time.

The fastest person in this world was the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, an ancient god who controlled the Ancestral Land of Dao Fire. However, the Southern Emperor was no longer an ancient god, and the Ancestral Land of Dao Fire had fallen under Yanxing's control. Moon Heavenly Venerate's Void of Extremes wasn't fast in speed but in folding space, giving the illusion of ultimate speed. The third fastest was the Cripple, whose speed was so great it seemed to ignore space. Then there were teleportation divine abilities and psionic transfers between different worlds. Qin Mu, however, was the only one who possessed the strengths of several of these, even having developed psionic transfers with the Black Tiger God in his youth. Therefore, he was the only one who could potentially intercept and kill the Hall Master of the Spirit Officials' thirty ancient god avatars. Even so, there was a high chance of rescue failure.

Yun Tianzun looked towards the battlefields around Unworried Village. In those battlefields, there were several brief, rapid, and incredibly fierce fluctuations of divine abilities, a total of eight times. Eight brief divine ability fluctuations might not be conspicuous in the vast battlefield, but they delivered an unparalleled shock to the Heavenly Venerates. Even Emperor's Throne experts couldn't fully grasp the terrifying power contained within these eight brief fluctuations, but for Heavenly Venerates, it was utterly dreadful. Moon Heavenly Venerate, Lang Wo, You Heavenly Venerate, Grand Prime, and Lan Yu Tian all felt their hearts pound, and they eagerly looked towards the battlefield. At the same time, on the Heavenly Court's side, the two Taiji ancient gods, Ancestral God King, Void Heavenly Venerate, Madam Yuanmu, and even Emperor Vast Heaven and Grand Beginning, couldn't help but change their expressions, turning their gaze to the battlefield. Emperor Vast Heaven even directly transformed into a female form, controlled by the Second Young Master, to observe the situation on the battlefield from afar.

The eight divine abilities originated from different directions, belonging to seven battle zones and the Grand Emperor Heaven, where Wen Tiange oversaw the overall battle. The time interval between these eight abilities was extremely short, only the duration of a single breath. Eight locations, eight breaths, and then the dust settled. Yun Tianzun gazed remotely at these eight locations and saw eight ancient gods with extremely strange appearances lying dead on the battlefield. The ancient god in front of Wen Tiange had not even fallen yet; its body was merely tilting, about to collapse. Not far from Wen Tiange, there was a stream of light from activated teleportation and Void of Extremes divine abilities. Within this stream of light, there was a line of gigantic footprints, imprinted in the light and not yet vanished.

"Shepherd Heavenly Venerate." Yun Tianzun picked up the unopened jar of wine, slapped open its mouth, and tipped his head back to drink deeply. "I've drunk this victory wine first. You said whoever returns first drinks this wine. I hope when you return, you see this empty jar and mistakenly believe I returned alive." He finished the victory wine, wiped the liquid from his lips, and smiled, "You are too clever, skilled at breaking through difficult situations and overcoming calamities. I know this little trick won't fool you, but you are also human. No matter how smart you are, if there's even a glimmer of hope, you will cling to it and imagine a better outcome."

He set down the empty jar, stepped down from the Grand Purity Realm, and extended his hand. The Grand Beginning Imperial Sword flew to him, and the Grand Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness moved with him. His gaze fell upon the Heavenly Court's grand camp above. There, two Grand Luo Heavens were also moving, and beings like Taiji, Ancestral God King, and Void Heavenly Venerate had launched a general offensive. The Heavenly Court's army of gods and devils was almost entirely deployed. He even saw Madam Yuanmu's Gui Xu appearing in the sky. The Ancestral God King's Xuan Capital army began to fly over Unworried Village, advancing towards Yanxing. In Youdu of the Primordial Realm, devils and monsters from Youdu surged like a tide.

Yun Tianzun took a long breath, his eyes radiating divine light: "Second Young Master, Heavenly Venerate Vast Heaven, today, I will make you never forget me, Yun! The shadow of this battle will be eternally imprinted upon both your Dao hearts!"

In Yanxing's southern frontier, at Jade Cliff Pass.The Two Emperors of Chishang and the Southern Emperor looked at the three suddenly appearing ancient gods with solemn expressions. These three ancient gods felt extremely terrifying, like the Heavenly Duke and Earth Count at their peak. However, the Heavenly Duke and Earth Count were dead, having been reborn as acquired beings, or demigods. Were there any other ancient gods this powerful in the world besides them?

The Southern Emperor's expression drastically changed, and she immediately said, "Yan'er, Qin Wu, Red Emperor, quickly lead your troops and leave! I will hold them back!" She stepped out alone, facing the three strangely-featured ancient gods, and said without looking back, "Yan'er, if you see Bai Yuqiong when you go back, tell her she won. As a mother... I, your mother, might not be able to leave. Emperor Chihuang, Emperor Minghuang, you two also go!" Yan'er was bewildered. Emperor Chihuang and Emperor Minghuang whispered, "Zhu Yan'er, we must leave this place; it's too dangerous!" The two of them had sustained the Chishang Era for a hundred thousand years. Emperor Minghuang was a ruthless individual who almost assaulted the Heavenly Court. Had they not died, the Two Emperors of Chishang would likely have been on par with the Ten Heavenly Venerates. Their insight was extremely sharp; they immediately saw the extraordinary nature of these three ancient gods!

At this moment, another voice suddenly came, "Which one is the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu? I've searched the South Sea for a while, but I couldn't find this Red Emperor... So she's here! Fellow Daoist Qi, I, a Spirit Official of Miluo Palace, greet you." The Red Emperor Qi Xiayu turned and saw another ancient god, blood-red all over, walking from the South Sea. Her eyelids twitched, and she let out a long cry, transforming into a nine-headed phoenix body, ready for battle.

"No need to be nervous, young friend." The blood-red ancient god smiled, "The gap between us is too vast. You will die quickly and painlessly. Heavenly Venerate Vast Heaven asked me to act, not only to kill you but also to destroy your soul so that the Seventh Young Master cannot revive you. For me, it's an easy task."

Suddenly, another voice came, laughing heartily, "Is Human Emperor Qin Wu here?" The Human Emperor First Ancestor endured his pain and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw an ancient god with a green face and tusks approaching, like a Youdu ghost king. The green-faced ancient god's gaze fell upon his face, and he smiled, "You are Human Emperor Qin Wu, excellent. I've been searching all the way, and I didn't expect to meet you here, young friend. Emperor Vast Heaven asked me to kill you." The Village Chief and others silently rose, shielding the severely wounded First Ancestor.

"No need for this, gentlemen." The five ancient gods exchanged glances and said in unison, "Killing you is merely a trivial effort for us. Emperor Vast Heaven is just cautious, asking our five avatars to come and deal with one person each. In truth, one avatar would be enough. Even if fellow Daoist Southern Emperor wished to escape, she wouldn't be able to."

The Southern Emperor's despair deepened. Her body burst into roaring Dao fire, and she screamed, "Yan'er, from today onwards, Bai Yuqiong is your mother! Go!" She soared into the air, her Vermilion Bird soul emerging. Dao fire twisted space, majestic and tragic, as she lunged towards the five ancient gods! The five strangely-featured ancient gods exchanged smiles, shaking their heads. "Pitiable, like moths flying into a flame, seeking self-destruction. How could the Dao arts and divine abilities of Miluo Palace be something you can contend with?" One of the ancient gods, with the Great Dao flowing like fire around him, raised a hand to meet the Southern Emperor. An incredibly terrifying pressure emanated, immobilizing the space twisted by the Vermilion Bird soul. The Southern Emperor's magic power was also bound, fixing her in the air. The Dao charm of the Dao fire emanating from that ancient god was stronger and more profound than hers, completely suppressing her, leaving her powerless to resist. The Southern Emperor's heart was calm, with only one last worry: "Silly girl, run..." The ancient god smiled faintly, delivering the fatal blow.

At the same time, the other four ancient gods each stepped forward, advancing towards the Two Emperors of Chishang, the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu, and the Human Emperor First Ancestor! A suffocating despair permeated Jade Cliff Pass. Yan'er suddenly screamed and lunged forward.

Space suddenly exploded. A fist punched through the back of the ancient god's head that had immobilized the Southern Emperor and was about to kill her, emerging from its forehead! The five fingers of the fist splayed open, and the five congenital Great Dao—Grand Change, Grand Beginning, Grand Prime, Grand Purity, and Grand Ultimate—burst forth from them, tearing the ancient god apart! Qin Mu's body burst out of the spatial rift, slamming the ancient god's fragmented body into dust. The dust then dissipated, transforming into wisps of chaotic energy. The Southern Emperor, fixed in the air, her crimson robes fluttering wildly in the gale, Dao fire drifting behind her, watched this scene in disbelief!

Qin Mu remained silent. The vertical eye on his forehead opened, and primordial divine light shot out, piercing through the head of another ancient god. His right hand became a sword, slashing horizontally with a single stroke, "One Sword to Open Heaven!" The Heaven Capital's Creation Chapter! As this sword struck, the third ancient god's body exploded, like the creation of heaven and earth, transforming into a rising world of heavens within Jade Cliff Pass! Qin Mu raised his left hand and pointed, unleashing the Primordial Finger. The ancient god advancing towards the First Ancestor had just leaped, but its body was instantly pierced by the Primordial Finger, nailing it to Jade Cliff Pass!

The ancient god that was targeting Red Emperor Qi Xiayu looked enraged. It turned and fled into the South Sea. Qin Mu took a single stride, and Jade Cliff Pass boomed, a massive hole punched through it. The sea surface split open, revealing the deep seabed—the terrifying destructive power caused by their rapid movement! Hundreds of thousands of miles away in the South Sea, it was as if a planet had slammed into the ocean, causing the surface to explode and generating massive tsunamis that roared towards Yanxing's coastline!

"Seventh Young Master!" The Dao sound reverberated ceaselessly above the South Sea. The Southern Emperor, the Two Emperors of Chishang, and others had not yet recovered their senses when Qin Mu's figure suddenly flew back, striding rapidly towards Jade Cliff Pass! He pressed both hands down, flattening the tsunami. Then, light shimmered around him, and he suddenly vanished before colliding with Jade Cliff Pass!

Within Jade Cliff Pass, bricks and stones fell from the mighty fortress walls where Qin Mu had punched a human-shaped hole. On the inner city wall, the ancient god that Qin Mu had nailed with his Primordial Finger detached from the wall, slowly slid down, and sat on the ground, its head drooping. A soft sound was heard. The ancient god's physical body suddenly crumbled like sand, transforming into a mass of purple primordial qi, which slowly dissipated.

Yan'er flew to the Southern Emperor's side and quickly checked her injuries. The Southern Emperor was startled and uncertain. Suddenly remembering something, she hastily said, "Yan'er, Bai Yuqiong is not your mother! You are my own child! How dare you acknowledge a thief as your mother? Your old mother will beat you to death!"