Chapter 1754: Qin Yue Ensemble

The scene at the altar was chaotic. Emperor Haotian was suspended in the air. The Blissful Palace Lord attacked Celestial Venerable Yue, who plucked the zither strings to interfere with the Four Young Masters during the Calamity of Annihilation of the Sixteenth Epoch. Qin Mu acted upon the Four Young Masters' zither strings, while the Four Elders mercilessly attacked everyone.

As the altar shattered, Emperor Haotian was immediately freed from his sacrificial state. Before he could even land, he encountered Cangyan Cui, one of the Three Elders, who slammed him face down onto the ground with a palm strike.

At the same time, Qin Mu's fingers landed on a zither string. With two fingers, he forcefully swept along it!

Heavenly Capital's Genesis Chapter!

A ray of light whistled along the string, vanishing into past time and space.

The history of the Seventeenth Epoch universe spanned six billion years. Qin Mu's divine art, following this string connected to past time and space, instantly rewound six billion years of history.

In a mere instant, Qin Mu, using this divine art and the Four Young Masters' zither string, saw his divine art travel back along the string from the present moment to the very beginning of the Ancestral Court's sealing. It passed through the battleground of the Creators and ancient gods, reversing time to show him the era when giant beasts roamed the Ancestral Court, and witnessing the rise of the Creators and the birth of the ancient gods.

The next instant, his divine art carried his vision to an even more ancient era, when the Five Tais were just forming, Taiyi was felling the World Tree, and wildfires raged across the land.

His divine art then carried his vision through the Calamity of Creation and into the Calamity of Annihilation!

During the Calamity of Annihilation, chaos stretched limitlessly. The magnificent Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court stood amidst the chaos, enduring the baptism of the great calamity, remaining ever-new and unbroken.

Qin Mu's divine art rapidly traversed the zither string, surging into Jade Capital City along it.

Within Jade Capital City, beneath a Dao tree, the Four Young Masters, Zixiao, in brocade robes, sat playing a zither beneath his Dao tree, his index finger pressed against a string.

The power of Heavenly Capital's Genesis Chapter emanated from the zither string. With a soft snap, a small section of Zixiao's index finger broke off. He couldn't help but show surprise!

Losing this finger was not a serious injury to him; he was proficient in the art of creation and could recover quickly. However, it was incredible that this divine art could invade along his zither string, and he only detected it when it was right upon him!

“Seventh Brother, you have some skill!” Zixiao's severed finger regenerated. He praised, then gently strummed the ancient zither, plucking and sweeping leisurely.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu, having just unleashed Heavenly Capital's Genesis Chapter to ambush the Four Young Masters, immediately had two of his fingers explode.

The Four Young Masters' divine art, following the zither's sound, instantly transferred to his fingers. Even his Primordial physical body could not contend with this divine art.

Qin Mu's exploded fingers immediately transformed into primordial chaos, then reformed into two fingers. His Grand Simplification Dao vibrated, transforming into the Grand Simplification Divine Axe.

Emperor Haotian had just scrambled to his feet when he saw Qin Mu swing an enormous axe towards the back of his head. The divine axe's art was incredibly profound; even he couldn't comprehend Qin Mu's axe technique and didn't know how to dodge it.

“Celestial Venerable Mu hates me to the bone; he's surely going to kill me! My life is over!”

As he thought this, he saw Qin Mu's axe strike with terrible accuracy, hitting empty air.

Emperor Haotian was stunned. He saw Qin Mu's axe, though it had clearly missed, seem as if it had struck something. The Grand Simplification Divine Axe, formed from his Grand Simplification Dao, exploded from the impact, and Qin Mu's palm was also severely lacerated.

The Grand Simplification Divine Axe shattered, but new Grand Simplification Dao immediately formed, again transforming into the Grand Simplification Divine Axe. Qin Mu rapidly circled Emperor Haotian, striking towards the back of Emperor Haotian's head with successive powerful divine arts of Grand Simplification Tree Felling.

Emperor Haotian dared not move, standing there, sweating profusely. “He's confronting the Four Young Masters across space!” he realized.

Before, the Spirit Official Palace Lord had told him that he wouldn't last ten moves against Qin Mu before being defeated and killed. However, that was over a decade ago.

Now, he felt that if Qin Mu wanted to kill him, he probably wouldn't last even one move; he would die the moment Qin Mu struck!

Fortunately, Qin Mu was currently focused on dealing with the divine arts sent by the Four Young Masters through the zither strings. The two were clashing across six billion years, with the present as their battlefield. The Four Young Masters, Zixiao, suffered from the disadvantage of not being able to see Qin Mu's divine arts, and coupled with the influence of the Calamity of Annihilation, this led to him being inferior to Qin Mu in adaptability and response.

His previous strike had torn through the Heavenly Court, slaughtering countless heavy artifacts and prehistoric powerhouses. Even older Dao attainment cultivators like Feng Hualian had died under his zither strings.

However, that strike was one he had prepared for a long time. In a confrontation with Qin Mu, Qin Mu wouldn't give him time to prepare.

Qin Mu's Grand Simplification Divine Axe struck the zither string, intending to sever it and prevent him from interfering with the Seventeenth Epoch.

He also had to protect the string, using his divine art to shield it from being severed by Qin Mu.

If Qin Mu severed the string, breaking his connection with the Seventeenth Epoch, then the next moment Qin Mu could use an axe to kill Emperor Haotian, causing his cultivated proxy to perish and his Dao to vanish!

The descent of the Grand Luo Palace would then be indefinitely delayed.

Furthermore, he also had to stop Qin Mu's divine art from being transmitted to Jade Capital City through the zither string. Qin Mu's previous strike had injured his finger, which was unexpected and had already caused him to lose face. If Qin Mu succeeded again, he would lose even more face.

The two fought at high speed. Emperor Haotian stood there, his hair standing on end. Qin Mu's axe, breaking and reforming at will, flew up and down around his head, leaving him unable to move.

“If I launch a sneak attack on Celestial Venerable Mu now, could I heavily injure him and allow the Four Young Masters to succeed?”

A bold idea suddenly arose in Emperor Haotian's mind, stirring, and he could barely suppress it.

Just then, Yan Xiuge, one of the Four Elders, arrived and launched a merciless attack on Qin Mu!

Qin Mu frowned; all his strength was focused on dealing with the divine arts emanating from the Four Young Masters, Zixiao, via the zither string. He had no time to respond to Yan Xiuge's divine arts and Dao attainment treasures.

Yan Xiuge's cultivation was profound; though her Dao arts and divine powers were inferior to his, her cultivation realm was far above his.

If they were to directly confront each other, Qin Mu could defeat her with his Dao arts and divine powers, though defeating her would not be easy.

Now, Qin Mu had no spare strength to deal with Yan Xiuge's attack.

Suddenly, zither music resonated. Celestial Venerable Yue's 'Zixiao Dao Attainment Melody' played again. Instantly, no divine arts were transmitted from the Four Young Masters' zither strings. Qin Mu let out a long breath. The Grand Simplification Divine Axe in his hand changed direction, slashing towards Yan Xiuge!

Emperor Haotian saw his chance and immediately activated the Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel Seal. Primordial qi erupted from his hands, forming two Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheels, which he slammed fiercely into Qin Mu's back!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Within his Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheels, the Dao realm reached the thirty-second heaven. Sixty-four tremendous explosions consecutively erupted, unleashing the full power of the Myriad Dao Heavenly Wheel Seal.

Qin Mu's back suddenly bulged high, his back muscles rippling like great dragons writhing under his skin. After sixty-four consecutive impacts, Emperor Haotian stumbled backward.

At the same time, Qin Mu's tree-felling axe struck down, colliding with Yan Xiuge's Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion.

The Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion was Yan Xiuge's Dao attainment treasure. Within the pavilion was a hall of swallows; a swallow flew out, rushing towards Qin Mu. Its two sharp talons aimed for Qin Mu's eyes, and its beak pecked at the vertical eye on Qin Mu's glabella.

This swallow was one of the 'three fragrances' of the Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion, a divine swallow she had raised since childhood, which had accompanied her through numerous Calamities of Annihilation. However, as this divine swallow lunged towards Qin Mu's face, Qin Mu's three eyes blazed with light, instantly refining the divine swallow into ash!

Qin Mu's great axe descended, cleaving open the Three Fragrance Elegant Pavilion. The second 'fragrance' within the pavilion was a mirror. As the pavilion split, the mirror faced Qin Mu squarely, and with a swoosh, it drew Qin Mu into itself.

Yan Xiuge held up the third 'fragrance,' which was a compact powder. She blew it towards the mirror, and as dust filled the air, she sharply declared, “Die!”

Qin Mu, now trapped in the mirror, immediately collapsed, his physical body shattering into countless specks of dust, like the powder from the compact.

Yan Xiuge, having succeeded with one strike, was about to kill Emperor Haotian, when suddenly, primordial chaos swirled within the mirror. With a crack, the bright mirror shattered.

Yan Xiuge turned around to see Qin Mu emerging from the chaos. He swung an axe down, and Yan Xiuge hastily activated her Dao tree to block, but the Dao tree snapped under the axe!

Yan Xiuge was startled and sharply called out, “Second Brother!”

Huang Tang was in the midst of mercilessly attacking the Blissful Palace Lord. Hearing the call, he immediately abandoned the Blissful Palace Lord and strode over to attack. His precious banner was powerful; he swung it directly at Qin Mu, the banner rotating as various Dao arts and divine powers whistled out, swirling with it.

The Grand Simplification Divine Axe in Qin Mu's hand dispersed. Using his hand as a sword, he flatly slashed. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh; a chaotic shower of fragments flew, and Huang Tang's precious banner was reduced to a bare pole.

Huang Tang's bare banner pole struck. With a thud, it hit Qin Mu's chest, sending him flying backward, crashing from the center of the Heavenly Court all the way to the South Heavenly Gate, shattering the remaining half of the gate!

Zheng! Zheng! Zheng! The zither music swelled, and the Heavenly Court's space suddenly folded and twisted. Amidst Celestial Venerable Yue's zither music, the South Heavenly Gate, having just fallen, reappeared next to the altar, and Qin Mu was sent back by her divine art.

“Watch out!” Qin Mu had just landed when his expression suddenly changed drastically. He moved to block Celestial Venerable Yue. Celestial Venerable Yue's zither music had become chaotic in her effort to save Qin Mu, allowing the Four Young Masters to regain his senses. Across time and space, a divine art was sent through the zither string to attack her!

Qin Mu, also heavily injured and not yet recovered, could only roar and erect the Grand Simplification Coffin, blocking it in front of them.

Whoosh— An invisible force sliced through. A large section of the Grand Simplification Coffin's lid instantly became much thinner!

Qin Mu and Celestial Venerable Yue lowered their heads. This invisible divine art flew past their heads, and even after being blocked by the Grand Simplification Coffin, it still shaved off a lock of their hair.

The Blissful Palace Lord attacked, her figures appearing everywhere. This woman was incredibly formidable; she actually managed to block Li Shu while simultaneously attacking them mercilessly.

Celestial Venerable Yue immediately sat down with her zither. She looked up at Qin Mu; Qin Mu understood, stood beside her, and pointed a finger.

The power of Primordial One Finger erupted. It was like a strange phenomenon at the dawn of creation, with the initial appearance of the Five Tais; the universe at his fingertip expanded outwards in a bell shape!

A great bell chimed, vibrating endlessly, suppressing Celestial Venerable Yue's zither music.

Celestial Venerable Yue entered a state, entering the Dao realm of the 'Killing Dao Melody.' The 'Shang Jun Killing Dao Melody' immediately flowed from her fingertips: First Kill, Second Kill, Third Kill—instantly escalating to the Thirty-seventh Kill!

Before the Blissful Palace Lord could reach them, her Dao injuries suddenly flared, and blood gushed from below her waist!

She shrieked, then was immediately covered by Li Shu's 'One Mu Yellow Field' on her face, pinned down on the shattered altar.

A warmth spread through Celestial Venerable Yue's heart. Hearing the reverberating bell sounds, she thought, “If I could play a duet with his bell, it would be worth it.”

At the same time, Huang Tang and Yan Xiuge battled around Emperor Haotian. The Four Young Masters' zither music vibrated ceaselessly, blocking the divine arts of the two Dao attainment cultivators and leaving their hands bloody from the tremors. Yet, like mad demons, they fought to the death without retreating.

Suddenly, a zither string passed through Huang Tang's skull, slicing through his Dao tree.

His skull split open, and his Dao tree collapsed.

Qin Mu frowned, then his eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted a box. He whispered, “Yue, the person we were looking for has been found. Retreat quickly!”