Chapter 805: Breaking the Ancient God's Blessing

Everyone finally completed their research and compiled a set of regulations. After this, each person would choose a research direction to specialize in.

The Demonic Dao divine treasures constituted a vast system. If one person were to comprehensively research them, they might not fully comprehend everything, even with a lifetime of effort.

Even if they chose to research just one aspect, they would need to gather a large number of talented individuals. For instance, Celestial Saint Academy, where Granny Si and the Village Chief resided; the Dao Sect, home to Dao Master Lin Xuan; and Little Jade Capital, where Wang Muran lived, could all provide many skilled people to help them deduce and elaborate on the details within the various Demonic Dao divine treasures. Their primary task would be to grasp the overarching directions.

The group then spent several more days organizing the divine blessings bestowed by the gods behind Divine Master Yu's head. The Woodcutter compiled the runes of the gods and handed them over to Emperor Yanfeng.

Emperor Yanfeng wept with joy, exclaiming, "From this day forward, the divine arts and cultivation methods of Yankang will soar!"

Everyone present shared the same sentiment.

Divine Master Yu was an immense treasure trove. Simply studying the halo behind his head was enough to make the divine arts and cultivation methods of Yankang leap forward!

"Emperor of Yankang, that statement is incorrect," the Woodcutter said.

"Emperor," the Woodcutter continued, "you only see the divine arts of the gods, but you fail to see the divine arts of us, the post-celestial beings. Do not abandon the root for the branch."

Emperor Yanfeng bowed deeply to the ground and sincerely requested, "Please, Master, enlighten me."

The Woodcutter chuckled, "I am Kaihuang's Celestial Master, not yours. I will not teach you; go ask your own Celestial Master."

Emperor Yanfeng paused, then instantly realized and sought advice from the Yankang Imperial Preceptor.

"Your Majesty," the Yankang Imperial Preceptor said solemnly, "Teacher means that although we have obtained the ancient gods' Dao runes, these runes do not inherently belong to us, the post-celestial beings."

The Yankang Imperial Preceptor continued, "Although we post-celestial beings are inherently disadvantaged, we have created our own paths in sword arts, blade arts, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, martial techniques, and divine abilities. These are not the great Dao of the ancient gods, nor are they the great Dao of heaven and earth; they are what we forged from nothing. Teacher means that these are our true foundations."

Emperor Yanfeng suddenly understood.

The Yankang Imperial Preceptor went on, "Your Majesty, in reforming and transforming, we can absorb the strengths of the ancient gods, but we must not abandon our own. Only by combining both can society progress."

Emperor Yanfeng agreed, saying, "The Imperial Preceptor's words have resolved my confusion of many years."

The Yankang Imperial Preceptor then whispered, "Teacher has another meaning. Understanding the ancient gods' Dao runes allows us to comprehend each ancient god's weaknesses."

Emperor Yanfeng's heart jolted. "Does the Imperial Preceptor mean...?"

"Your Majesty naturally understands," the Yankang Imperial Preceptor replied.

The Yankang Imperial Preceptor continued, "Now that the Primordial Realm has been unsealed and various forces are emerging, we need to prepare early. The powerhouses from the Kaihuang era are helping us, but ultimately, we must rely on ourselves. If Your Majesty depends on Kaihuang's divine beings for everything, what purpose would Yankang's reforms serve? Your Majesty must prepare now so that in the future, when facing the ancient gods, you will not be utterly powerless."

Emperor Yanfeng stood awestruck, watching the pile of books the group had compiled. He exhaled slowly and whispered, "I will certainly live up to the expectations of the Imperial Preceptor and all the esteemed predecessors and sages! Even if it means sacrificing my own life for the country, these reforms must endure!"

The three Heavenly Kings and four Celestial Masters gathered. Emperor Yi Yue's eyes flickered as she said, "I have some confidence in removing the ancient gods' blessings, but there are simply too many on Divine Master Yu, and they are incredibly far-reaching. It's hard to guarantee that the ancient gods won't sense it. Therefore..."

The Scholar chuckled, "Therefore, we need a test subject!"

The other Celestial Masters and Heavenly Kings immediately turned their gazes towards Qin Mu.

Qin Mu, still oblivious, was explaining the cultivation essentials of the Heavenly River Divine Treasure to the Human Emperors who had undergone soul possession and rebirth. He was preparing to use Human Emperor Yishan and Human Emperor Qikang as test subjects.

Although Human Emperors Qikang and Yishan were reluctant, the other Human Emperors were quite willing, and the Ancestral Human Emperor also nodded in agreement, so they had no choice.

The Scholar withdrew his gaze, looked at Emperor Yi Yue, and smiled, fanning himself with a feather fan. "The First Heavenly King was praised by Kaihuang as having the most outstanding talent. If you can remove the Earth Mother's blessing, can you also remove the Heavenly Duke's blessing?"

Emperor Yi Yue glanced at her and calmly replied, "Kaihuang's foremost expert in formations, the only one among the Four Celestial Masters whom Kaihuang took to Wuyou Township—his regard for you surpassed even that for me. So, Zi Xi, how many ancient gods' blessings can you remove?"

The Scholar smiled faintly. "Although I was the only one Kaihuang took to Wuyou Township, and I know Kaihuang didn't take anyone else, which caused some resentment among you, I have never betrayed Kaihuang. Not one of the Four Celestial Masters ever betrayed Kaihuang. Yet, two of the Four Heavenly Kings fell."

Emperor Yi Yue's expression immediately darkened.

Heavenly King Buddha Dizang's face was also displeased.

Tian Shu, carrying the Emperor's Blade, sneered, "Are the Four Celestial Masters so impressive? Don't forget, it was I who wielded my blade to cut off Earth Overlord's horn, creating Fengdu, which provided a sanctuary for Kaihuang's remaining forces and protected the land of Yankang. You Four Celestial Masters, some fled, some hid, and some lamented yourselves, turning into stones for twenty thousand years! What right do you have to mock us Four Heavenly Kings?"

The Woodcutter and Heavenly Master Fisherman remained silent; indeed, having turned into stone statues after the defeat, they had little standing to refute.

The Old Farmer also kept quiet. After the defeat, he had guarded the Dou Niu World but hadn't accomplished much.

In terms of merit, Heavenly King Mingdu, Tian Shu, had the greatest contribution.

The Scholar sneered, "Heavenly King Mingdu is indeed remarkable, but you rank lower among the Four Heavenly Kings. The First Heavenly King married the Yin Emperor before the war and was ambushed by him on their wedding night, dying for twenty thousand years! Kaihuang's strongest combat power vanished in an instant. How were we Four Celestial Masters supposed to fight? We are scholars, not fighters!"

She then looked at Heavenly King Buddha Dizang and said coldly, "Heavenly King Li Youran was also impressive! As the Third Heavenly King, he became entangled with Red Emperor Qi Xiayu of the false dynasty! Kaihuang tasked you with building Wuyou Township, yet you were caught in a love affair and ran off to become a monk! As a Heavenly King of War, you deserted us, leaving us scholars to bite the bullet and fight. It would be a miracle if we hadn't been defeated!"

"I won't speak of Qing Huang; he is elderly and a senior. But what about you, Tian Shu? In the late stages of the war, you were lured by Yan Shaoqing, the Left Imperial Censor of the false dynasty, and tricked into the Emperor's Blade. Without you, how were we scholars supposed to fight? I understand formations; I teach array techniques, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but I have never commanded an army! Who among the farmers, woodcutters, or fishermen has ever led troops?"

She sneered, "Kaihuang entrusted the military forces to you Four Heavenly Kings, yet you all collapsed one by one, leaving us four scholars to lead armies and fight a life-and-death battle against the Heavenly Court of the Outer Heavens. If we weren't defeated, who would be?"

Emperor Yi Yue, Heavenly King Buddha Dizang, and Tian Shu remained silent.

After a moment, Emperor Yi Yue sighed and bowed deeply to the ground. "My apologies, fellow Daoists. Yi Yue has failed Kaihuang's trust."

Heavenly King Buddha Dizang and Tian Shu also bowed deeply and remained in that position for a long time.

"Your apologies to me are useless," the Scholar said.

The Scholar did not help them up, stating indifferently, "You owe no apology to us four Celestial Masters. You owe it to Kaihuang, to the fallen soldiers, and to the citizens of the Kaihuang era. Heh heh, a two-hundred-thousand-year-old divine dynasty was instantly reduced to ashes, countless lives perished, leaving only the handful of people Prince Qin Wu led away. I am also guilty, and all four of us Celestial Masters are guilty. In truth, during that catastrophe, the greatest contribution was not made by the Four Heavenly Kings nor the Four Celestial Masters, but by the deserter, Prince Qin Wu. We are all sinners, you and I..."

Silence fell upon the group.

If not for Ancestral Human Emperor Qin Wu protecting the last of Kaihuang's citizens during the catastrophe, helping them migrate and find a way to survive, it is likely that even Yankang would not have existed afterward.

The Woodcutter Saint remained silent, then suddenly said, "Let's not talk about this. Is Kaihuang well?"

The Scholar did not answer, turning to look back.

In the distance, Qin Mu's ears suddenly grew a size larger. His ear canals, which normally faced forward, now rotated at a right angle, twisting behind his head to listen to their conversation.

The Scholar withdrew her gaze, said nothing, and began gesturing, communicating in sign language.

Just then, the hair on the back of Qin Mu's head suddenly receded, and another face grew, its eyes opening and staring at her hands.

The Scholar frowned deeply and whispered, "Let's communicate with our divine consciousness."

The divine consciousnesses of the seven powerhouses collided. As the Scholar was about to convey information with her divine consciousness, she suddenly counted and realized the number of divine consciousnesses was wrong; there were eight!

The Scholar's head throbbed like a drum, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Let's discuss this another time."

The Woodcutter called Qin Mu over and smiled. "Mu'er, we are now absolutely certain we can remove the divine blessings behind Divine Master Yu's head, but we need a test subject. Esteemed Celestial Masters and Heavenly Kings, are you willing to use Mu'er as a test subject?"

The other six people cast fierce glances at him, saying in unison, "Why would we be unwilling?"

Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead as he quietly backed away, forcing a simple smile. "Teacher, Senior Uncles, I didn't hear anything just now..."

Heavenly King Buddha Dizang extended a finger, and a golden rope firmly bound Qin Mu, pulling him before the group.

Qin Mu opened his mouth to shout, but the Woodcutter immediately sealed his mouth with a divine ability.

"Let's begin," they said.

The seven exchanged glances. Suddenly, the Scholar and Emperor Yi Yue each moved, circling Qin Mu, and one after another, they struck at the halo behind his head!

Boom! Boom!

A series of tremors ensued. Emperor Yi Yue was an Emperor's Throne realm expert, and although the Scholar was not of the Emperor's Throne realm, her overall power was terrifyingly high. Both applied their expertise, using various methods to decipher the Earth Mother's Great Dao runes. Soon, the halo behind Qin Mu's head became tattered and each light dimmed.

The Scholar suddenly exclaimed, "Everyone, be careful! The Earth Mother has noticed! Old Third! Heavenly King Mingdu!"

The Old Farmer crouched, then suddenly leaped into the air. Looking down, he saw the earth west of the capital churning, mountains shaking violently, and something enormous seemingly rushing underground!

The Old Farmer roared, taking a single step that instantly transported him a thousand li away. His fist slammed into the earth, and at that moment, the capital city shook violently. Everyone in the capital saw a brilliant light filling the western sky as if it were daylight.

At the same time, a blade light descended from the sky. Heavenly King Tian Shu sliced deep into the earth, and divine blood gushed forth, flowing into the Tu River, turning it crimson.