Chapter 1780: Elbow Bends Outward

“Ladies and gentlemen, you now have only one path to survival.”

Qin Mu raised a finger, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Hehuan, Phoenix, Huang Tang, and others. He smiled faintly. “This path to survival is for me to send you back to the past. However, before that, I need you to hand over the blood sacrifice array formations you know. I will then set up the formations to send you back. Once you return, the energy you absorbed through the blood sacrifices will return to the Seventeenth Epoch, restoring what was taken. What are your thoughts on this?”

“Dream on!”

The Phoenix Hall Master looked up at him, her voice filled with murderous intent. “Seventh Young Master, you are a Young Master of Mi Luo Palace. Why are you siding with outsiders? It would be one thing if you didn't help Mi Luo Palace, but you are actively attacking it. If Master knew…”

Qin Mu pointed with his Primordial Finger. The Phoenix Hall Master was startled and was about to defend herself, but she saw Qin Mu’s finger strike towards the World-Crossing Golden Ship behind her.

On the World-Crossing Golden Ship, the Zengcheng Hall Master, leading two Mi Luo Palace enlightened beings, was locked in battle with Kai Huang and others. Suddenly, the Zengcheng Hall Master sensed impending danger and quickly shifted his form. Zengcheng Hall transformed into a divine city, and he moved swiftly to take refuge within it. Zengcheng Treasure Hall was incredibly intricate, with an exceptionally complex internal structure. He assumed Qin Mu's attack wouldn't be able to harm him. As he dodged into Zengcheng, an enlightened being who had been fighting alongside him against Kai Huang was caught off guard and pierced through the forehead by the Primordial Finger!

That finger was incredibly powerful. The Primordial Qi, as it passed through the person's forehead, instantly transformed into Grand Easiness Qi, then Grand Beginning Qi, cycling through the Five Grand Stages. By the time it became Grand Ultimate Qi, the full force of the attack erupted from his forehead. The Primordial Finger was only fingertip-sized as it passed through the back of his head, but it emerged from his forehead as large as a bowl. As the Grand Ultimate Qi rotated, the two polar energies instantly manifested countless primordial grand paths. With a clang, the myriad primordial paths burst forth from his shattered forehead, resembling a rapidly expanding cosmic bell unfurling forward.

Although all seven Young Masters of Mi Luo Palace had received teachings from the Mi Luo Palace Master and cultivated Primordial Qi and Primordial Runes, each person's comprehension of the same divine ability differed. Most of the other Mi Luo Palace Young Masters had also cultivated the Primordial Finger divine ability. However, when Qin Mu's Primordial Finger unleashed its power, it formed a bell-shaped dao pattern domain, manifesting the birth of a universe, making its power extraordinary. This was a result of his cultivation technique and the grand path he practiced.

Qin Mu withdrew his finger and his gaze fell back on the Phoenix Hall Master. “I've long experienced the Phoenix Hall Master's abilities. When I escaped the Jade Capital trap, you and the other Hall Masters besieged me. How audacious of you to attack a Young Master of Mi Luo Palace, yet now you stand before me, lecturing me about siding with outsiders. What a joke.”

On the World-Crossing Golden Ship, the Mi Luo Palace enlightened being who had been struck was exceptionally decisive. He immediately severed his own head, attempting to regenerate and grow a new one. However, to his horror, his new head grew, but it still bore the dao injury inflicted by Qin Mu's finger on both his forehead and the back of his head! He felt that wherever the power of Qin Mu's finger had passed, the grand path he had cultivated was directly destroyed, leaving an indelible imprint. Furthermore, the dao injury continued to wreak havoc on his physical body and primordial spirit, steadily diminishing his cultivation and strength. Moreover, with the passage of time, his dao injury showed signs of worsening. His dao fruit flew towards him, about to settle in his forehead to suppress the injury, when suddenly it split with a sharp clang, breaking into hundreds of pieces. Moon Heavenly Venerate, seeing an opportunity, had immediately struck to cleave his dao fruit. Lan Yu Tian flew over, and in a few swift moves, pushed the enlightened being into the Sea of Chaos, where he met his demise.

“Seventh Young Master, you cannot keep us here!”

Seeing this, the Hehuan Hall Master shouted, “You are acting against the natural order, harming your fellow disciples! Once we leave this place, we will inform the other Young Masters of Mi Luo Palace and rid Mi Luo Palace of this scourge!”

Qin Mu pointed again, still with the Primordial Finger. On the golden ship, the Zengcheng Hall Master had just left Zengcheng Treasure Hall when the power of that finger suddenly struck. He quickly dodged, and another enlightened being immediately suffered, having his dao tree and dao fruit pierced by the Primordial Finger. His strength plummeted instantly, and he was immediately killed by You Heavenly Venerate, Lang Wo, and others. You Heavenly Venerate and the others, now free, flew forward, attacking the Zengcheng Hall Master's dao tree, attempting to destroy it and weaken his strength first. Xu Sheng Hua did not advance but remained focused on calculating the arithmetical mysteries of Zengcheng Treasure Hall.

Qin Mu’s gaze fell on Huang Tang, and he proposed, “I have no grievances with the Five Elders of Feng Shu. After you leave this small World Tree, Dao Brother Huang Tang, I will send you back to your era. What do you think?”

Huang Tang's white eyebrows fluttered as he sneered, “Seventh Young Master, what do we, who have attained enlightenment, strive for through arduous cultivation? We seek eternal life, boundless longevity. We strive to be immortal even if heaven and earth perish, and remain strong even if the universe declines! If you send me back to my era, aren't you sending me to my death? Besides, with the World Tree present, I am not my own master.”

Qin Mu smiled faintly, his gaze falling on the small World Tree. “Old Man Wu Ya cannot reach the Great Void of Returning to Ruin either…”

“Not necessarily.”

Old Man Wu Ya’s voice emerged from the small World Tree, sneering, “Mi Luo Palace’s Seventh, you are too arrogant. Mi Luo Palace’s Third has hidden his divine ability in the girl’s forehead, specifically to counter you. You may not escape this calamity. This time, there's no Grand Easiness to help you.”

Qin Mu's smile froze. His gaze landed on the Hehuan Hall Master’s forehead as he said, “How could I not know that Third has hidden a divine ability in the Hehuan Hall Master’s forehead? She has two divine abilities there. One was used when she confronted you, and it was quite formidable! However, when she unleashed that divine ability, I saw through her forehead and knew there was another one.” He parted his steps, turning his head to say, “Wife, please take shelter on the golden ship for now.”

Ling Yu Xiu straightened his clothes for him and said, “Be careful. Don't be reckless if you can't win.”

Qin Mu nodded and smiled, “I understand.”

Ling Yu Xiu flew out of the Chaos Hall and landed on the World-Crossing Golden Ship. Qin Mu suddenly let out a low cry. The Chaos Hall rumbled, chaotic qi permeated the air, and the grand hall vanished from sight. Behind Qin Mu, streaks of chaotic long rivers suddenly appeared, spreading out in a line, immeasurably long. The chaotic long rivers surged tempestuously, and faintly visible beneath them were myriad worlds, vast universes—each an ancient, prehistoric cosmos!

In the Sea of Chaos, Second Young Master Wu Ji, who had been suppressed by the Red Rope Knot and dragged into the depths of the chaotic sea, had just managed to break free. He had remained silent, seeking an opportunity to ambush Qin Mu. Now, seeing these sixteen chaotic long rivers, he couldn't help but praise, “Seventh, you are close to attaining enlightenment! You only need to cross these sixteen long rivers to become the enlightened Seventh Young Master! At that point, even I might not be your match!” Qin Mu ignored him.

Second Young Master Wu Ji sneered, chuckling, “Phoenix, Hehuan, listen closely, you two little girls. You don't need to kill him. Just force him into the chaotic long rivers, and he'll naturally roll back into the past as the Seventh Young Master. That's the simplest way to deal with him…” Qin Mu snorted coldly and flicked his five fingers. The power of the Red Rope Knot, left by the Mi Luo Palace Master, was immediately triggered by him. Second Young Master Wu Ji was heavily bound and dragged into the depths of the Sea of Chaos. Her laughter still echoed, “Seventh, your most fatal weakness is your own cultivation technique. You cannot take even half a step into the chaotic long rivers…”

The eyes of Hehuan, Phoenix, and Huang Tang instantly brightened. The moment Qin Mu activated the Red Rope Knot, the three of them moved almost simultaneously! The Phoenix Hall Master activated the Phoenix Treasure Hall. The hall clanged, and the grand paths within it transformed into a phoenix that soared into the sky, its wings unfurling into forty layers of Heavenly Dao fire! The Phoenix Hall Master flew closer, extended a finger, and as her phoenix wings folded back, she surged towards Qin Mu’s forehead, delivering an unparalleled strike! At the same time, Huang Tang pulled up the World Tree. The World Tree transformed into a long wooden staff, which he thrust forward. The tip of the staff shifted and changed infinitely, attacking Qin Mu at his waist! The Hehuan Hall Master, meanwhile, followed closely behind the two, biding her time and seeking the optimal moment to activate Third Young Master's divine ability! Light flickered incessantly in her forehead; Third Young Master's divine ability could erupt at any moment!

Just then, Qin Mu reached out and drew his sword. Sword light flared, and with one strike, he severed the phoenix's head. The sword light swept past, cutting off the Phoenix Hall Master’s unparalleled strike! That sword light sliced through the Phoenix Hall, instantly splitting the grand hall in two! The Phoenix Hall Master was startled. She shot into the air, transforming into a fiery phoenix soaring over the Sea of Chaos, and sped towards Qin Mu! She skimmed the surface of the sea with extreme speed, cutting through the chaotic qi on the water. Just as she was about to reach him, a lotus leaf suddenly unfurled from the sea and enveloped her! Caught off guard, the Phoenix Hall Master struggled fiercely to break free from the lotus leaf, flapping her wings to rise, but inadvertently passed through a wheel of chaos. As the wheel of chaos rotated, her body twisted, and crackling sounds erupted from within her. Knowing something was wrong, the Phoenix Hall Master suddenly flapped her wings, and a parasol tree shot up from the ground, growing larger and larger within the wheel of chaos, propping it open and preventing its power from fully erupting. Her pressure immediately eased, and she landed on a parasol tree branch to catch her breath. Just then, five more wheels of chaos flew in. The six wheels of chaos stacked together, and the parasol tree instantly snapped and shattered into countless pieces! The Phoenix Hall Master flapped her wings to rise. The instant she did, her wings exploded, falling as clumps of chaotic qi. She tried to rush out, but before she could escape the wheel of chaos, she transformed into a mass of chaotic qi and plunged into the sea.

Meanwhile, the wooden staff transformed from the World Tree in Huang Tang's hand reached Qin Mu. The moment Qin Mu's sword light vanished, the staff struck Qin Mu’s chest with a 'ding'. The terrifying power contained within this strike erupted, sending Qin Mu flying backward.

Whoosh—

Huang Tang spun the staff forcefully. It rotated rapidly in his hands, and a tree crown quickly grew from its tip, becoming larger and larger until it transformed back into a World Tree, which then violently slammed into Qin Mu again! On that World Tree, countless branches were like swords, and countless leaves like palms, striking Qin Mu with a 'bang, bang, bang' like a torrential rain falling on pear blossoms, delivering an unknown number of heavy blows continuously! This was no longer Huang Tang's doing, but Old Man Wu Ya attacking Qin Mu through Huang Tang's hands! Qin Mu staggered backward, retreating towards the chaotic long rivers behind him.

“He's falling into the chaotic long rivers!”

Huang Tang's eyes widened, revealing delight, as he watched Qin Mu's feet descend towards the chaotic long rivers! Just then, a Return to Ruin Lotus Pedestal rose from the chaotic long rivers, supporting Qin Mu's body. The lotus pedestal floated on the surface of the river, ensuring Qin Mu’s feet did not touch the river in the slightest.