Chapter 761: Killing Life Cauldron, Hun Tian Luo

Outside the Jade Lock Pass of Youdu, a tattered flag fluttered, its fabric flapping and trembling as the chilling wind swept across it. The flag was ancient and appeared to have seen battle, bearing traces of divine powers and scorch marks from fire.

The flag also bore rust-like bloodstains.

Propping up this great flag was a four-armed demon god, a hundred zhang tall. Its four immensely thick arms gripped the flagpole tightly, its gaze sharp and resolute, fixed intently on the entrance of Jade Lock Pass.

With a rip, the great flag was torn open by the violent chilling wind, and a long strip of cloth tumbled backward in the wind.

Where the strip of flag cloth drifted past, majestic gods and demons stood in neat formation, clad in dilapidated armor and holding damaged divine and demon weapons, standing silently behind the great flag.

The number of gods and demons was immense, stretching as far as the eye could see.

In the center of the vast army, a magnificent canopy, with several large holes torn in its dome, covered an area of several tens of miles. Beneath the canopy were pillars as thick as tree trunks, and beside them lay a throne formed from coiled dragon bones.

The wind was too fierce. The majestic being seated on the throne adjusted his scarlet cloak to prevent it from being swept away by the chilling wind. His face was somewhat pale, and he coughed heavily several times.

"Has Emperor Chi not yet recovered from the wounds inflicted by the Youdu God-Child last time?" A female with a snake's head and a human body glided closer to him, but a man's voice came from her mouth, asking with a laugh.

That Emperor Chi's expression was displeased, and he said indifferently, "Emperor Chi? I am already dead. I am not worthy of that title. The current Emperor Chi is that little girl Qi Xiayu. You should just call me Yan Qianchong."

Lu Li chuckled, "In the late Emperor's era, Emperor Chi's battle with Qi Xiayu, though a defeat, was glorious. Although Emperor Chi died, Qi Xiayu was forced to surrender…"

Yan Qianchong was very displeased. "Get out."

"Yes." Lu Li, smiling broadly, walked towards another large camp. The seemingly endless army of gods and demons seen earlier was not the entire force gathered for this encirclement and suppression, but merely the gods and demons under Yan Qianchong's command.

Yan Qianchong was originally the Southern Heavenly Emperor Chi of the Old Heavenly Court. In the late Emperor's era, when the Old Heavenly Court sought to destroy the Emperor's Heavenly Court, Emperor Chi Yan Qianchong faced off against Qi Xiayu. The power of both imperial thrones was incredibly formidable, but Qi Xiayu proved superior, slaying Yan Qianchong.

However, Qi Xiayu was also heavily wounded in the process, captured by the Old Heavenly Court, and forced to surrender, becoming the new Southern Heavenly Emperor Chi.

What Lu Li had just mentioned was precisely this story.

Yan Qianchong, originally Emperor Chi, became a Ghost Emperor in Youdu after his death. But he was far from the vibrant world of the living; as a ghost, he lost his six senses, could taste nothing he ate, nor smell flowers. Although he held power and prestige, he was still under the command of the Old Heavenly Court, naturally feeling disgruntled.

Lu Li bringing up this matter made him even more displeased.

Lu Li arrived at a nearby camp, where he saw an incredibly majestic divine being standing, his body like solid rock. He chuckled, "Prince Jiuxi, son of Mother Earth, how are your injuries recovering?"

"Over the years, I've devoured countless souls, and at last, I've recovered."

The rock giant Yan Jiuxi grinned and said with a laugh, "In today's battle, the Youdu God-Child is sure to fall!"

The gods and demons under his command were all demigods; evidently, he was a demigod overlord from the Dragon Han Era!

Lu Li laughed, "Prince Jiuxi, this time we are not here to kill the Youdu God-Child, but to seize his destiny and his physical body."

Yan Jiuxi snorted, his voice like thunder. "Lu Li, don't think I don't know your little schemes. Last time, you widely invited the gods of Youdu to suppress the Youdu God-Child, resulting in heavy losses for your forces and your own severe injuries. Afterwards, you gathered our strength to forge the divine weapon Divine Suppressing Chaotic Heavenly Net, claiming it was to capture the Youdu God-Child and hand him over to us for disposal. But after the Divine Suppressing Chaotic Heavenly Net was forged, you were slow to act. You are ambitious; you merely wish to become another Earth Count!"

Lu Li humbly assented, saying, "I never had the opportunity in the mortal realm. And the Divine Suppressing Chaotic Heavenly Net might not even be able to eliminate him."

She then went to another large camp and chuckled, "Empress Xuanwu Ji!"

Empress Xuanwu Ji glanced at her and said calmly, "No need to say more. I bear a deep, irreconcilable hatred for the Youdu God-Child. But Lu Li, you're no good person either. If you hadn't been unable to defeat the Youdu God-Child and asked my son to help, would my son have been devoured by him?"

Lu Li said seriously, "The Youdu God-Child is guilty of monstrous crimes, the primary evil of Youdu. As His Majesty's Martial Consort, renowned for your combat prowess, you are dedicated to the Heavenly Court, fighting until your last breath. Lu Li has always respected you; how could I intentionally send His Highness to his death?"

She then arrived at another camp and bowed, saying, "Great Sun Star Lord."

That was a naturally divine spirit of three souls; ancient gods did not have seven corporeal souls, only three spiritual souls.

The Great Sun Star Lord of the Heavenly Court was a powerful figure from the Emperor's era, but this spiritual being in Youdu was the true Great Sun Star Lord.

The Great Sun Star Lord stood on three legs like a large bird, its wings neatly tucked against its body, not a single feather out of place. It said, "Rest assured, Military Commissioner. In this battle, the Youdu God-Child will not escape again."

"Great Sun Star Lord's speed is unmatched in the world; surely, he will have no way to ascend to heaven or enter the earth."

Lu Li continued forward, visiting various magnates in Youdu. Some of them had even transformed their physical bodies into Heavenly Palaces and sat upon the imperial thrones within, appearing majestic and formidable.

These magnates were all powerful figures who had died in battle over the past million years, either Imperial Thrones or those at the Numinous Sky realm. Some demigods had died even earlier, of old age, before the Divine Treasure and Heavenly Palace cultivation systems had even emerged.

Yet their combat power was frighteningly high; even without a distinct cultivation realm, their strength was not much inferior to those in the Numinous Sky or Imperial Throne realms.

Lu Li continued her visits, greeting over a hundred magnates before finally arriving at her own god and demon camp.

In this camp, there were only over a hundred Youdu demon gods and several thousand demonic beasts.

During the last attack on Fengdu, the old Yin-Messenger suddenly slipped away, forcing her to abandon her army and flee back to Youdu in a hurry, resulting in almost all of her subordinates being slaughtered.

Juhuang, Xuanming, and Hanlei came forward to greet her. These over a hundred gods and demons and several thousand demonic beasts constituted the entire military force of the Four Military Commissioners.

Xuanming frowned, looking worried. "Last time there were so many powerful figures, and yet he still defeated them utterly. Will we be able to capture him this time?"

Lu Li was full of confidence and laughed, "This time is different. Last time, those magnates were all overconfident, believing they could defeat him. Most fought him individually, rarely ganging up on him. As a result, they suffered losses. The Youdu God-Child, fighting and fleeing simultaneously, found it easier to employ his tactics."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Now, these old geezers won't care about saving face so much. We've stationed our troops here, blocking the Jade Lock Pass of Youdu, so he can't escape even if he had wings. With so many Numinous Sky and Imperial Throne realm experts besieging him, his life and death won't be his to decide! What's more…"

She looked towards the camp, where, in the center, numerous demon gods and demonic beasts guarded a colossal divine weapon.

The divine weapon resembled a large cauldron. Its four outer walls were inscribed with various runes, forming patterns of earth, water, wind, fire, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, as well as various demigod forms: dragon-headed humans, phoenix-headed humans, tiger-headed humans, and so on.

Inside the cauldron, on its four inner walls, were the sun, moon, and stars, and at the bottom of the cauldron were countless seals.

Lu Li laughed, "This cauldron is the supreme treasure for refining him. It is the Youdu Slaughter Cauldron, forged when Earth Count reincarnated. In the past, it killed countless ancient gods and demigods, becoming Youdu's most powerful demon god weapon! The Youdu Slaughter Cauldron can trap him, but the most crucial part is still this."

She took out a square lid, on which various patterns were inscribed, such as "round heaven, square earth."

The round heaven, with Xuandu at its center; the square earth, with Youdu at its center.

"We only need to seize the opportunity when the Youdu God-Child begins fighting them to get him into the Youdu Slaughter Cauldron, and then seal it with the Divine Suppressing Chaotic Heavenly Net. Then he will be at our mercy!"

Just then, the gates of Jade Lock Pass swung wide open. A resonant horn sounded, accompanied by war drums that made one's chest hum.

Countless eyes turned in unison towards the open gates, and a divine being with three heads and six arms stepped out with steady paces from beneath the fortress gates.

"The Youdu God-Child!"

The god and demon warriors in the various camps erupted in disordered murmurs. Originally, the place was filled with an oppressive aura of grim determination, but now, waves of fear spread among the countless gods and demons.

Fear.

Once, no one paid any heed to the Youdu God-Child. But twenty-two years ago, during that fierce battle which raged from the Nine Bends Corner all the way to the demon-god battlefield behind them, too many prominent figures died, devoured by the Youdu God-Child, their souls and primordial spirits completely digested!

How many powerful beings from Youdu had the Youdu God-Child completely erased from this world!

His fierce prestige, even after being exiled for twenty-two years, still made the most ferocious demon gods dare not speak his name!

Qin Mu stepped out of the city gates, one step at a time. Behind him, the heavy gates of Jade Lock Pass were slowly closing. Suddenly, his gaze caught sight of a tree-like deity in the camp within the pass.

Qin Mu paused, stunned. The gates slammed shut, and a surge of air billowed forth.

"Brother, I think I saw Father," he whispered.

"Father?"

The large-headed doll beside his neck was still sulking and grumbled, "Father prefers you more, doesn't he? When Father sees me, then sees you, he'll definitely pick you up and kiss you, never me. Hmph, Father, you play favorites…"

Qin Mu chuckled, looking at the god and demon formations ahead, which stretched as far as the eye could see, revealing only fluttering tattered flags and dilapidated battleships floating in the air.

"Brother, how do you use that 'ah-ah-ah' divine ability of yours?" he asked with a smile.

The large-headed doll crossed his arms and sneered, "What 'ah-ah-ah'?"

Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, "It should be 'hiss-hiss-hiss'. It's the divine ability where you inhale, sucking in souls and primordial spirits in one breath, and devour them. I once saw tens of thousands of gods and demons in a Heavenly Palace in Youdu with only their physical bodies remaining; their primordial spirits must have been eaten by you."

"You mean that one?"

The large-headed doll chuckled, "You're so silly, you just need to inhale directly."

Qin Mu stared blankly, exclaiming, "You just need to inhale directly? Haven't you considered the principles behind it? Which Daoist arts did you use with that single breath? Which fundamental runes did you activate?"

The large-headed doll looked utterly bewildered.

Qin Mu sighed, saying forlornly, "Brother, your innate abilities are too good; every movement you make is a divine ability. I'm not like you; all my divine abilities are something I've pondered and comprehended myself. That's why I always like to ponder the principles behind them, the Daoist arts and divine abilities used, and the fundamental runes involved. The divine abilities and Grand Dao rules of Youdu are contained within Youdu's characters; you know *what* to do, but not *why* it works."

He walked forward, his body growing taller and larger. Two of his six arms were handed over to Qin Fengqing to control, while he controlled the other four.

His four arms spread out as if embracing the heavens and the earth, and he smiled, "Brother, come see the Youdu divine abilities I've comprehended."

On the primordial continent beneath Earth Count's feet, the heaviest and darkest demonic energy surged, rushing wildly towards him, with lightning and thunder flashing within the surging darkness.

"Kill!" A thunderous roar came from the opposing formation. Immediately, countless god and demon primordial spirits swarmed out, like golden blades and iron steeds, surging forth like a great flood. Countless divine abilities instantly illuminated Jade Lock Pass, and behind the light of these abilities were countless divine weapons, though broken, still retaining their immense power!

The large-headed doll became excited and was about to make a move when Qin Mu suddenly turned around. His first face opened its mouth, and from it came the complex and profound divine language of Youdu.

Whoosh—

The countless gods and demons charging forward suddenly began to tumble like white foam. What tumbled were countless white bones. These deceased gods and demons had transported their corpses to Youdu, their primordial spirits residing within their bodies, yet at this moment, the physical bodies of countless gods and demons began to rot at an astonishing speed!

As they rushed forward, the decaying bones also tumbled and fell, forming a white wave of bones several thousand li long!

Qin Mu's other face turned, inhaling deeply, while his previous face continued to chant softly. Countless primordial spirits flew from the white bone surge; innumerable divine abilities, divine weapons, and demon god weapons spun out of control, exploding continuously in mid-air, with tattered divine and demon god weapons flying wildly in all directions.

The primordial spirits, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, surged forth in a single rush, uncontrollable!

Qin Mu turned around. "Brother, it's your turn!"

The large-headed doll was inexplicably excited, opened its mouth like a whale, and with a massive gulp, swallowed tens of thousands of god and demon primordial spirits whole!

Qin Mu turned again, raised his palm, and countless divine weapons and demon god weapons froze in the sky.

He stepped forward, and the countless divine weapons and demon god weapons in the air also moved with him, pressing forward towards the opposing side.