Chapter 767: Yellow Oriole and the Dark Sky Sovereign

Qin Mu watched the entire Heavenly Court battle unfold from Tubo's perspective, witnessing Tubo's rampage from the Southern Heavenly Gate to the Jade Pool, then smashing the God-Slaying Platform and destroying numerous Heavenly Palaces.

He arrived at Jade Capital City, the Heavenly Emperor's residence. By now, he was heavily bound by chains, which represented the grand dao rules of Youdu. Though tightly shackled, he continued his furious advance, fighting relentlessly.

He became increasingly entangled; these chains originated not only from Youdu but also from within himself. As an embodiment of the Dao, his every action had to conform to it. The more powerful an ancient god, the more restricted they were by their own rules.

Tubo was no exception. Even in reincarnation, he remained an embodiment of the Dao. When he reincarnated as a human, he still bore the appearance of a bull's horns and a tiger's head. Youdu's rules restricted his power in the mortal realm. Even if he awakened Youdu's strength, his own inherent power would also constrain him. The more intensely he fought and the more he killed, the deeper his own suffering became.

Chaos erupted in the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Gods were terrified by the slaughter and could not comprehend Tubo's rage. Ancient gods, coeval with heaven and earth, did not understand the life and death, love and hatred, or grievances and enmities of mortals. A mortal's life span was barely a hundred years—a mere fleeting moment for an ancient god. Before they could even notice these humble "tiny insects," the insects would have already aged and died.

Tubo reincarnated, and then unleashed a massacre, storming the Heavenly Court, all because of the death of his reincarnated self's wife and children. This was simply outrageous. Even more preposterous, he had actually slaughtered the gods of the Heavenly Court, leaving many dead and others fleeing for their lives. Mortals were merely "insects" that propagated across various worlds. For an ancient god to reincarnate to experience the life of an insect, only to then unleash a massacre on the Heavenly Court gods because of the insects' deaths—this baffled them. Sacrificing great ancient gods and demigods of ancient god lineage to avenge a few mere mortals proved that Tubo had gone mad.

Yet, even the most heavily fortified Jade Capital City could not withstand the enraged Tubo. Its city gates were breached, and the gods cried out in terror, scattering in all directions. Tubo ignored the scattering gods and continued deeper into Jade Capital City. Behind him, half of the Heavenly Court was already engulfed by the dark demonic energy of Youdu.

Within the demonic energy, chains pierced through his flesh. The chains were pulled taut, and blood constantly flowed from his body, turning into Youdu demonic flames as it hit the ground. Yet, he stubbornly pressed on, heading towards the Chonghua Palace and Qianlong Hall within Jade Capital City.

Chonghua Palace and Qianlong Hall were among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces and Seventy-Two Precious Halls, serving as residences for imperial princes. The Heavenly Emperor's children lived there. Tubo's target was clear: to go there and destroy it.

The Slaughtering Cauldron's power was immense. This cauldron was forged from the Heavenly Court's God-Slaying Profound Blade, which was originally the Heavenly Court's foremost ferocious weapon. Now reforged by Tubo into the Slaughtering Cauldron, it was a tool of immense carnage. Any deity, be it a peak demigod or an ancient god, who encountered it could not escape death. As this great cauldron devoured the gods' powers, its might grew even stronger.

Qianlong Hall and Chonghua Palace were just ahead, but Tubo's strength had also reached its limit. He roared in fury, straining to move forward, but was unable to break through the restraints of the Youdu Grand Dao. Tubo let out a sorrowful roar and hurled the Slaughtering Cauldron towards Chonghua Palace and Qianlong Hall. The massive cauldron, imbued with power that could almost crush the Heavenly Court, spun as it descended upon the residences! It was a strike born of deep resentment, carrying A-Chou's vengeance, determined to obliterate all life there, regardless of whether they were the Heavenly Emperor's children or whether their sins reached to the heavens!

However, a hand caught the world-shattering Slaughtering Cauldron, gripping it firmly and preventing the full might of this foremost ferocious weapon from erupting.

"Fellow Daoist, you've killed your way here; surely your anger has subsided now?" The Heavenly Emperor stood before the towering Hall of Divine Mists, holding the Slaughtering Cauldron in one hand. His gaze fell upon Tubo, and his voice echoed from afar: "I didn't stop you earlier because I knew they were in the wrong, which is why I allowed you to reach this point. Now that you've vented your anger, why seek to destroy my descendants?"

Behind him, numerous incredibly ancient gods appeared, each an immensely powerful being.

Tubo gasped for breath, his blood flowing from the numerous chains wrapped around his body, and demonic flames burned fiercely.

The Heavenly Emperor sighed, "Those deities deserved their deaths. However, you are now controlled by rage, and as a reincarnated body, you have lost your reason and Dao heart. You might think you are right, but once you return to Youdu and your Dao heart recovers, you will realize how absurd your actions today were. We are fellow Daoists; I won't make things difficult for you. Go back."

Tubo struggled against the chains, gasping heavily. Fiery rage surged from his nostrils like dragons, and blood and fire flowed from his three eyes.

The Heavenly Emperor sighed softly, "Reincarnating as a human is merely a spiritual trial; you've become too deeply entangled. Allow me to lend a hand and help you return to Youdu."

With a flick of his sleeve, Tubo could no longer stand firm in the Heavenly Court. He was dragged into darkness by the chains, and the Youdu continent behind him began to wildly descend, pulling him down into the dark abyss of Youdu.

In Youdu, Tubo's immense true form finally awoke. His three eyes opened one after another, gazing up at the Heavenly Court from the darkness. Meanwhile, the reincarnated Tubo, who was once A-Chou, was continuously dragged down by the Youdu continent, entangled by countless chains. He plunged into the deepest part of the darkness, landing at the feet of Tubo's true form, transforming into a dark continent. The chains coiled around him, locking him in place. Soon, a great dark city, built of black jade and named Jade Lock Pass, would be constructed on this continent to suppress those with monstrous sins. The reincarnated Tubo would be its first prisoner.

"Fellow Daoist." In the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor's gaze swept towards Youdu, meeting the eyes of the awakened Tubo. The Heavenly Emperor's voice resonated from beyond the nine heavens: "You've awakened, haven't you? Do you now agree with what I said earlier? Having returned to Youdu, your Dao heart awakened, and your true self restored, you should understand how absurd your recent actions were."

The immense and majestic Tubo looked down, his gaze falling upon A-Chou's shoulder. A-Chou's shoulder was empty. He then lifted his gaze again, looking towards the Heavenly Court. When he was sent back to Youdu, the infant girl on his shoulder had fallen off and was caught by the Heavenly Emperor.

"My Dao heart was clouded by mortal emotions. Thank you, Your Majesty, for enlightening me," Tubo said.

The Heavenly Emperor smiled and said, "I'm relieved that you've come to your senses. There's no need to call me 'Your Majesty.' We have been fellow Daoists for many years; although you were born a few years after me, we've always addressed each other as Daoists. There's no need for formality just because I've ascended to the throne."

"I wouldn't dare," Tubo replied. Tubo lowered his head: "In the past, I was ignorant, but now I understand. There is a distinction between sovereign and subject. Your Majesty holds such a high position; I cannot be presumptuous."

The Heavenly Emperor sighed, "You're being distant. Here, I'll return this cauldron to you." He cast the Slaughtering Cauldron down, and it plummeted into Youdu.

Tubo did not catch it, letting it fall onto the continent at his feet. "This cauldron has taken too many lives," he said, "I dare not accept it."

"When a sovereign bestows a gift upon a subject, how can the subject refuse?" the Heavenly Emperor chuckled. The Heavenly Emperor smiled, "However, this cauldron truly wouldn't be useful for you to keep. Why don't I send some deities to Youdu to temporarily guard it on your behalf?"

Tubo acknowledged, "As Your Majesty commands." His gaze remained fixed on the Heavenly Emperor's hand. The Heavenly Emperor handed the infant girl to an ancient god nearby to hold, then chuckled, "You're being distant again."

Tubo closed his eyes, and Qin Mu felt the scene before him gradually fade into darkness, no longer able to witness the thrilling spectacle.

"The Slaughtering Cauldron's memory has finally ended." Qin Mu was lost in thought. Inside the Slaughtering Cauldron, he felt Youdu's demonic energy surge into his body, threatening to burst him. Then, he suddenly became A-Chou Tubo, witnessing A-Chou's half-life experience from his perspective.

"In truth, A-Chou died when Tubo awakened in anger." He touched his face; it was wet. A-Chou had died at that moment, leaving only the vengeful Tubo. A-Chou's child, the infant girl, had become a hostage of the Heavenly Court, a leverage point against Tubo. "She will live well; the Heavenly Court won't harm her. Tubo's bloodline can continue."

Qin Mu wondered, "I wonder if Tubo ever saw her again? The Heavenly Emperor's tactics are truly formidable. Even Celestial Venerable Yun couldn't outmaneuver him, and Celestial Venerable Hao probably can't either. So, is he the Heavenly Emperor of the outer heavenly court?" He felt a bit confused.

The demonic energy within the Slaughtering Cauldron had ceased to surge, becoming very quiet. Around Qin Mu, huge faces floated in the darkness, watching him, revolving eerily, silent and terrifying.

"A-Chou—" Suddenly, a face floated before him, opening its mouth to emit a strange cry. All the other faces then simultaneously let out a shrill cry: "A-Chou—"

Qin Mu scoffed, "I am not A-Chou. A-Chou Tubo could only awaken Youdu's power after death, but I don't need to. He had too many restrictions, too many bonds; I have none!"

"A-Chou!" cried the faces of those who had died inside the Slaughtering Cauldron.

"I'm much more handsome than A-Chou," Qin Mu retorted. Qin Mu's face flushed as he tried to explain to these faces, "Look, I don't have bull horns, nor do I have patterns on my face."

"Brother, what gibberish are you spouting?" Qin Fengqing woke up to see Qin Mu talking to those strange faces and was surprised, "Are you mad?" He then cheered up, "If you're mad, let me eat you!"

Qin Mu snorted, "These faces are calling me A-Chou. They've mistaken me for the suffering Tubo; I'm just correcting them. The Slaughtering Cauldron hasn't killed us, probably because its spirit thinks we're A-Chou. Perhaps we can use the Slaughtering Cauldron to get out..."

He flew upwards, and more and more faces in the darkness turned to look at them. "A-Chou," they said.

Qin Mu's face darkened, while Qin Fengqing curiously examined the faces. Suddenly, he couldn't resist grabbing one, stuffing it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he spat it out with a "呸呸" sound: "Can't eat it! It has no taste at all! Eating dirt would be better!"

Qin Mu asked curiously, "Brother, have you eaten dirt?"

"I've tried it, it's not good," the big-headed doll replied.

"Strange, why is the Slaughtering Cauldron so quiet now?" Qin Mu looked up at the stellar river in the sky; the Primal Chaos Net was also incredibly quiet, devoid of any power.

Outside the cauldron, Lu Li and the others stopped fighting, gazing at the great cauldron. Seeing the silence within, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Youdu God Son managed to resist for so long before being refined to death; he truly lives up to his name," Yan Qianchong commented with a smile. Yan Qianchong smiled, "He hasn't moved for a while now. Can we open the Slaughtering Cauldron?"

Gao Tianwang's eyes glinted, "I think we should discuss who the Youdu God Son belongs to first!"

Lu Li, Xuang Ming, and the other Four Regional Commanders felt a chill. Suddenly, a murderous intent stirred within Lu Li: "These old devils have always wanted to contend with me. Why not just take advantage of opening this cauldron to refine them to death with the Slaughtering Cauldron? Refining them would be far simpler than refining the Youdu God Son!"

Just then, the earth swelled, and a portal appeared. The portal opened, and a light laugh echoed from within: "The Youdu God Son should still be handed over to me!"

Boom— The Nether Sea inverted, crashing down upon the Youdu giants! A series of ghostly lights streaked through the Nether Sea, striking down all the giants, including Gao Tianwang and Yan Qianchong! Lu Li and the others were crushed beneath the Nether Sea, their bones fractured and muscles torn, their hearts turning cold. The ghostly light continued to strike down dozens of Youdu giants, obliterating their primordial spirits. As these primordial spirits disintegrated into countless tiny soul particles, the Nether Sea grew even larger and more unfathomable.

Whoosh— The Nether Sea surged into the portal and quickly vanished. The ghostly light, however, spun around Lu Li and the others without killing them. "You are His Majesty's Regional Commanders in Youdu. If I were to kill you, wouldn't that be an act of rebellion?"

From the portal, an extraordinarily handsome man walked towards them with his hands clasped behind his back. Lu Li and the others' expressions changed drastically: "Yin Tianzi!"

Yin Tianzi approached the Slaughtering Cauldron, his heart ablaze with excitement. He chuckled, "The Youdu God Son is finally mine! Tubo's power, my power..." His hand landed on the Primal Chaos Net, trembling slightly, as he slowly lifted it.