Chapter 945: Heart Demon Heavenly Emperor

If Qin Mu had been on the boat, hearing this would surely have made him jump.

He had always suspected Yun Chuxiu was the Empress, and various signs indicated that the Empress was indeed the mastermind, having murdered her sister, Lady Yuanmu, and then taken over Lady Yuanmu's body to return to the Celestial Heavens. The Empress then transformed into Jue Wuchen, luring the Heavenly Emperor's reincarnation and assassinating him. After being killed by Heavenly Venerate Ling, she seized the opportunity to reincarnate again, infiltrated the Heaven Alliance, and became one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates.

He also speculated that Lian Huahun was Lady Yuanmu's reincarnation, even suspecting that Lady Yuanmu was not truly dead and had also infiltrated the Heaven Alliance, becoming one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates. The reason he made these conjectures, and believed them deeply, was that Yun Chuxiu knew he had once summoned the Empress's soul on the ghost ship.

However, Lian Huahun's phrase, "Call me sister," turned his theories upside down!

Unfortunately, Qin Mu was not on the boat. Even more regrettably, Luo Wushuang knew nothing of these two women's origins and had no interest in their sisterly dispute; he was instead looking towards the starry river above.

Above the starry river, Qin Mu and his group moved like streaks of light, with deities chasing closely behind them.

"If Qin Batian runs out of the Corpse Walkers' affected area, his inner demons will be triggered. Why is he so reckless, deliberately provoking these powerful individuals on the boat?"

Luo Wushuang looked along the starry river ahead and suddenly his heart skipped a beat. In the dark void, a vast, boundless land appeared at the end of the river.

"The Primordial Realm... So that's it, he saw the Primordial Realm!"

Two flashes of blade light shot from Luo Wushuang's eyes, crisscrossing in mid-air with a resonant clang, startling everyone on the flying boat. He shouted, "Steer the boat immediately, head for the Primordial Realm!"

The remaining twenty or thirty people on the boat hurriedly activated it, picking up speed. Yun Chuxiu and Lian Huahun also exchanged glances, then focused on propelling the boat.

The Primordial Realm was a land suspended in the void, discovered by Emperor Yun Luo, Wei Suifeng. There were no strange or unpredictable inner demons there. This time, Heavenly Venerate Huo and Heavenly Venerate Xu had led many disciples to journey through the void, intending to explore the secrets of the Primordial Realm and search for Wuyou Township and Kaihuang's traces.

The flying boat instantly accelerated, chasing Qin Mu's group. Luo Wushuang also personally channeled his vital qi, pushing the boat's speed to its limit. Soon, the boat caught up with those pursuing Qin Mu ahead. Luo Wushuang called out loudly, "We've reached the Primordial Realm! Come aboard!"

Streaks of light flowed, descending from above the starry river, landing one after another on the flying boat. Filled with killing intent, everyone looked at Qin Mu, who was running on the river ahead. They prepared their divine arts and activated their divine weapons, ready to strike him down across the Heavenly River as soon as they caught up.

Just then, cold sweat suddenly beaded on Luo Wushuang's forehead, and his voice turned hoarse: "There are no more Corpse Walkers ahead... Stop the boat! Stop the boat quickly!"

At this moment, Qin Mu leaped from the shoulder of the last Corpse Walker. The instant he jumped, countless teleportation runes lit up around his body, swirling rapidly and enveloping him, causing him to vanish suddenly!

"Heavenly Venerate Mu is truly slippery!" Yun Chuxiu clapped her hands in admiration.

The flying boat slowed down, but due to inertia, it still shot past beneath the last Corpse Walker, continuing for over a hundred miles. Fear gripped the hearts of everyone on board as various inner demons assailed them.

Luo Wushuang shook his head and shouted, "Don't stop! Propel the boat with all your might! Rush into the Primordial Realm before the inner demons materialize!"

No sooner had he spoken than a clattering sound was heard. Cold sweat broke out on Luo Wushuang's forehead. He looked back to see Qin Mu, standing on his box, appearing behind the flying boat, his gaze stern as he looked at him. The box sped at full throttle, chasing the flying boat.

At the same time, space around the flying boat distorted, and a gigantic eyeball squeezed out of the void, its gaze cruel and ferocious. It was an inner demon, though no one knew whose it was. The large eyeball suddenly split open, revealing sharp teeth lining its interior. It opened its gaping maw and lunged to bite the flying boat! Concurrently, various monstrous creatures emerged from the void! There were evil dragons longer than the flying boat, tentacled monsters lurking beneath it, gigantic spiders with countless eyes on their backs, headless brides, and ancient gods clad in blazing fire!

Moreover, not only were there monstrous creatures, but the figure of the ancient god, Heavenly Emperor, also appeared from the void. Not only the ancient god Heavenly Emperor, but also Heavenly Venerates—some disciple, unaware, had turned their own master into an inner demon!

"It's a trap."

Luo Wushuang sighed inwardly, drawing his saber with his single arm and slashing at the large eyeball. He thought, "The reason Qin Batian started fleeing before reaching the Primordial Realm was to make us chase him. He can use teleportation divine arts to reach the Primordial Realm ahead of us, while we, upon exiting the Corpse Walkers' affected area, will be attacked by inner demons. This fellow is indeed ruthless!"

A divine official on the boat screamed, "Stop channeling non-thought and non-non-thought! Exhaust all your magic power and charge towards the Primordial Realm!" Before he could finish, a winged flying dragon swooped in, seized him, and dragged him into the void. A horrifying scream echoed from the void as countless monstrous creatures that had emerged from it swarmed the divine official, quickly ending his life.

Luo Wushuang slew the large eyeball monster and immediately propelled the flying boat with all his might. Everyone on board also exerted their utmost strength, pushing the boat's speed to its limit. The flying boat flashed like a phantom. Although it was a top-tier divine weapon, at such speeds, the hull began to creak, and planks constantly burst apart with loud snaps or rivets flew off, shooting backward. The hull swayed precariously, threatening to disintegrate at any moment!

Luo Wushuang stole a glance and saw the mighty, unparalleled Heavenly Emperor in the void slowly turning his head to look at the boat. His heart turned cold. The Heavenly Emperor's body was simply too immense. Though the flying boat was incredibly fast, it seemed insignificant before this colossal being, like a minuscule insect slowly flying past the ancient god Heavenly Emperor's face, brushing his nostril.

Fortunately, even the Primordial Realm's formation of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor as an inner demon was not instantaneous; they still had a chance to escape to the Primordial Realm. However, while the ancient god Heavenly Emperor formed slowly, other inner demons materialized with astonishing speed. Inner demons proliferated among those on the boat, and monstrous creatures constantly appeared beside the flying boat, lunging at the speeding vessel.

A six-legged, two-winged monster, resembling a wolf and a tiger, leaped onto the deck, opened its massive maw, and swallowed a true god whole. Luo Wushuang leaped forward, his blade flashing as he slew the monster. However, tentacles beneath the flying boat writhed, gripping the vessel and dragging its speed down. Luo Wushuang vibrated his saber, and the blade light split into two, then four, then eight. In an instant, the light cascaded down like a waterfall, flowing along the deck and the sides of the boat. The blade light bypassed the people on board, cleansing the flying boat in the blink of an eye, dismembering the monsters beneath its hull.

After all, Luo Wushuang was a grand master of the Numinous Sky Realm, having entered the Dao through the saber, with exceptionally high power. Though many monsters assailed the boat, he was fully capable of ensuring the safety of those on board.

Just then, a colossal halo appeared ahead, its intense light dazzling, and then a head slowly rose.

"Heavenly Venerate Hong!" Luo Wushuang gasped. The rising Heavenly Venerate was precisely Heavenly Venerate Hong, one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Celestial Heavens. Although Heavenly Venerate Hong was still a phantom, the halo behind his head had already formed. His hand lifted, reaching out to grasp the flying boat.

"Strike at a Heavenly Venerate?" Luo Wushuang's face turned ashen. This Heavenly Venerate Hong was someone's inner demon, but also his own. He dared not strike at a Heavenly Venerate. That was a Heavenly Venerate. The supreme being of the Celestial Heavens! Even if it was just a phantom, even if it was just an inner demon conjured from the Primordial Realm, he dared not kill a Heavenly Venerate. A Heavenly Venerate represented supreme divine might, the highest combat power of the Celestial Heavens. Let alone striking a Heavenly Venerate, even conceiving such a thought was an enormous sin!

"However..."

Luo Wushuang, holding his saber with his single arm, soared into the air, his eyes filled with resolve. He roared indignantly, "I dared to fight Heavenly Venerate Mu! Let alone Heavenly Venerate Hong! I will break the god in my heart—"

Behind him, his Celestial Palace hummed as it flew out. His primordial spirit stood in the Numinous Sky Palace within, simultaneously drawing his saber and striking down at Heavenly Venerate Hong's phantom with a single slash! As this saber strike went forth, Luo Wushuang felt a surge of heroic spirit erupt from his chest. His saber technique had always been precise, upright, and deeply rooted in the principles of order and regularity—skillful but lacking in passion. But now, he had stepped beyond those boundaries of order!

The saber light struck Heavenly Venerate Hong's massive hand, slicing through the phantom's palm. The exceptionally bright blade light then landed on Heavenly Venerate Hong's face, deeply cutting into his head. With a sharp crack, the saber in Luo Wushuang's hand shattered. Though it was only a phantom, Heavenly Venerate Hong's power was still incredibly vast, shattering the divine saber that had accompanied him throughout his growth! Luo Wushuang was thrown back, spitting blood. The flying boat, approaching from behind, slammed into his body, sending him sliding for hundreds of yards.

The flying boat passed through the halo behind Heavenly Venerate Hong's phantom and sped away. Ahead was the Primordial Realm. Heavenly Venerate Hong's phantom slowly turned around, and behind him, the ancient god Heavenly Emperor's phantom's palm reached out to swat the flying boat.

The flying boat whooshed into the Primordial Realm. At the same moment, the ancient god Heavenly Emperor's palm also reached the Primordial Realm. Everyone's hearts were filled with terror and despair as they stared blankly at the ever-enlarging Heavenly Emperor's hand. Just as this colossal hand reached the Primordial Realm's atmosphere, it immediately began to burn, instantly turning into black ash and scattering away. This part of the Primordial Realm was clearly protected by a strange power, preventing it from being encroached upon by outside monsters.

However, the force of that palm still unleashed terrifying fluctuations. Even though it didn't directly hit the flying boat, the boat violently splintered into pieces, its divine wood exploding. Those on board were struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting blood. Some, being weaker, were directly crushed to powder, their bodies exploding in mid-air and their primordial spirits turning to ash! No one knew whose inner demon that ancient god Heavenly Emperor was. Even though it was only a phantom yet to materialize, and even though the Heavenly Emperor's palm disintegrated upon reaching the Primordial Realm, the aftershock of that single palm strike nearly annihilated them all!

Luo Wushuang fought desperately to resist this attack, bearing the brunt of the assault. Countless wounds burst open across his body, blood gushing as he fell from mid-air. He had failed to protect the disciples of the various Heavenly Venerates and Celestial Heaven powerhouses on board; at least half of the divine beings had perished in the aftermath of that strike.

Luo Wushuang's heart turned cold, and an overwhelming sadness welled up within him. Their journey had been led by Qin Mu, but he was responsible for protecting these disciples of Heavenly Venerates and powerful figures. With so many dead, he could not shirk the blame. Even if he could escape the Primordial Realm alive and return to the Celestial Heavens, he would not escape death.

All hope vanished from him as he let his body fall from the sky. Below, he saw magnificent and majestic mountains, larger and more towering than normal peaks. The rivers were wider too, and waterfalls truly seemed to descend from the heavens, plummeting hundreds of miles. White clouds drifted lazily, vast as a sea. His falling form plunged through the air. As he sliced diagonally past a high mountain, he saw a cascade of water like a silver river descending from the sky.

He saw Qin Mu standing at the top of that waterfall, looking up as a hundred or so figures from the shattered flying boat, trailing long streaks of flame and thick smoke, plummeted from the sky, falling towards various parts of the Primordial Realm's world. Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, seemed to notice him, and even gave him a faint smile.

"This devil!" Luo Wushuang exploded in fury, crashing heavily into the deep pool beneath the waterfall.

At the top of the waterfall, Qin Mu unrolled a geographical map, scrutinizing it carefully. Then he looked around, comparing it with the surrounding terrain. A moment later, the waterfall suddenly reversed course, surging skyward like an impossibly huge blade of water, slicing through the sky.

Luo Wushuang stood atop the inverted waterfall, walking towards him with murderous intent, stating each word distinctly: "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you are a hidden danger to the entire Celestial Heavens, deep in cunning, and utterly ruthless!"

Qin Mu rolled up the map and smiled, "I saved your life."

"I am not here to kill you on behalf of the Celestial Heavens, but to continue the battle from forty thousand years ago, to slay the demon in my heart." Luo Wushuang, like a drawn divine saber, a surge of heroic spirit welling in his chest, said in a deep voice, "Luo Wushuang of the Numinous Army, I challenge the Emperor's Body of the High Emperor Era! Please—"