Chapter 947: You Are Very Good

Above Luo Wushuang, swords and divine arts collided. Hundreds of different divine arts fiercely engaged directly above him, unleashing their power and shattering the very sky overhead.

Terrifying waves of energy crashed down. The silver needles covering Luo Wushuang's body had already melted away from the intense heat. Fortunately, despite being unable to use his magic power, his formidable cultivation base remained. Although Qin Mu and An Qingyu possessed immense power, they were still considerably weaker than him, a grand master of the Numinous Sky Realm. The residual energy from their divine arts was thus insufficient to harm him.

He looked up to see their divine arts vying for supremacy. Some of Qin Mu's flying swords were parried, while others pierced through An Qingyu's various divine arts, streaking directly towards An Qingyu, who was dozens of miles distant. An Qingyu's divine arts resembled towering, relentless waves, each more powerful than the last, submerging the rapidly approaching sword currents while simultaneously surging towards Qin Mu.

At that moment, both fighters stabilized their positions, ceasing their retreat. They then charged towards the mountaintop, directly confronting each other's swords and divine arts. Their advance was thunderous and swift as lightning.

An Qingyu met Qin Mu's flying swords by immediately vibrating his wings, causing countless azure-gold feather-swords to spin wildly around him, clashing with the incoming blades.

"Flying Feathers Shroud the Azure Sky!"

He roared as he charged forward, confronting the flying swords head-on, neither dodging nor evading Qin Mu's techniques. Instead, he relentlessly built up his momentum, aiming to reach his peak aura the instant he reached the mountaintop, thus delivering a killing blow to Qin Mu.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Qin Mu's vital energy surged from his head, forming a celestial bell that inverted and descended, covering him.

Clang, clang, clang—

The celestial bell vibrated continuously, deflecting An Qingyu's divine arts. Though it shattered quickly, new celestial bells immediately manifested in its place. He sprinted wildly, the bells ringing ceaselessly, and his momentum steadily intensified. He clearly harbored the same objective as An Qingyu.

When two brave combatants meet, the one who triumphs is the braver. This might not have been a narrow path, but victory in this battle would undoubtedly go to the more courageous and fierce individual!

An increasing number of flying swords flew towards An Qingyu, colliding with his feather-swords in a flurry of clangs and dings. Suddenly, a flying sword pierced through the "Flying Feathers Shroud the Azure Sky" divine art, striking An Qingyu. While "Flying Feathers Shroud the Azure Sky" was a sword art he had pioneered, the Celestial Heavens had not yet undergone the reforms that allowed for the evolution of techniques. Thus, to An Qingyu, his sword art was flawless, yet to Qin Mu, it was riddled with vulnerabilities.

An Qingyu continued his frantic charge forward, a vibrating halo behind his head—a blessing from Haotian Zun—blocking the flying swords. Nevertheless, an increasing number of flying swords broke through the "Flying Feathers Shroud the Azure Sky" and struck from various angles. The sword techniques became progressively more intricate, overwhelming even Haotian Zun's blessing.

An Qingyu parried with his hands, unleashing various divine arts. His pace remained rapid, and his momentum continued to surge towards its climax. He could neither abandon building momentum nor halt his charge, which meant his divine arts could not be executed with their usual perfection or power.

*Whoosh*, a flying sword darted forth, piercing his body.

An Qingyu gritted his teeth. The primordial spirit within his Celestial Palace behind his head relentlessly attacked Qin Mu. The celestial bell clanged continuously, repeatedly shattering. In the brief moment between the bell's destruction and its reformation, An Qingyu's divine arts struck Qin Mu, inflicting heavy injuries. An Qingyu took another sword hit, followed by yet another piercing his chest.

*Whizz, whizz, whizz*, in the blink of an eye, over a dozen flying swords had embedded themselves in his chest. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he grinned, his relentless charge continuing, his aura fiercely desperate! The mountaintop was now within reach, and Qin Mu, standing opposite him, was also close by.

Yet, the swords embedded in his body unleashed their hidden divine arts, wreaking havoc on his bodily mechanisms and his divine treasures. One sword even erupted with a flash of light, aiming to sever his Divine Bridge! If that sword struck true, Qin Mu wouldn't even need to act; An Qingyu's own Celestial Palace would collapse and crush him. An Qingyu saw his impending demise!

"The Supreme One commands!"

Charging at Qin Mu, he grinned wildly, his white teeth stained crimson with blood, his aura erupting with unparalleled ferocity. "I must bring Celestial Venerable Mu's head to him! Though I cannot take his head, I can take his life! Butcher Mu Art!"

"Field of Celestial Feathers!"

His tragic momentum reached its absolute peak at this moment. Behind him, a vast expanse of flying feathers appeared. His physical body and primordial spirit underwent a feather transformation, becoming an incredibly powerful divine art that surged towards Qin Mu.

Luo Wushuang looked up to witness their instantaneous collision. The horrifying force generated soared into the air, sweeping across the cosmos and clearing every cloud from the sky. The descending force caused the majestic mountain to cleave open. The waterfall split into two, resembling two hundred-mile-long white ribbons fluttering in the wind, caught in a hurricane.

Qin Mu's muffled groan echoed. The "Field of Celestial Feathers" divine art had precisely targeted one of his few vulnerabilities. Its power coursed through his body, distorting his physical form. He heard the snapping of his finger bones, a sound that then traveled through his hand bones, arm bones, and up to his neck and skull. A sharp cracking sound emanated from his chest, akin to two strings of firecrackers exploding, reverberating from his ribcage all the way down to the soles of his feet!

Thump, thump.

Qin Mu and An Qingyu landed on opposite sides of the mountain, each on one of its two newly formed peaks. Their collision had literally split the mountain in half.

Suddenly, Qin Mu's skin ruptured with a sharp pop, revealing a bloody hole that spurted blood. A single, blood-stained feather drifted lightly out, floating aimlessly. *Pop, pop, pop, pop*, skin all over his body ruptured, and azure feathers burst forth, swirling around Qin Mu as if to entomb him in a feathery burial.

Across from him, An Qingyu managed a faint smile, his body swaying precariously. He bared his teeth in a grin and said, "Celestial Venerable Mu, you are truly worthy of your title. My self-realized divine arts proved incapable of harming you; my divine arts are defeated. But the Supreme One's divine arts are not. I have finally claimed your life..."

"An Qingyu, you performed admirably."

Qin Mu's body swayed, and instantly, flesh regenerated across all his wounds, broken bones reconnected, shattered bones reformed, and corrupted blood transformed into fresh blood. In mere moments, he appeared utterly reborn. He raised his palm, drawing water from the waterfall to wash away the bloodstains on his body and vaporize the lingering moisture. His aura remained at its peak. "You managed to injure me," he stated. "Haotian Zun must be immensely proud to have a disciple like you."

An Qingyu stared blankly at him. Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from within his body, and the Celestial Palace behind his head collapsed.

"Truly a Celestial Venerable..."

His physical body exploded, his primordial spirit dissipated, his soul vanished, and he perished instantly.

Qin Mu exhaled a long, turbid breath. "An Qingyu was quite remarkable; very strong and fought with great dignity." His face suddenly turned ashen, and his aura weakened. Although An Qingyu failed to kill him, Haotian Zun's divine art was indeed designed to exploit his weaknesses. An Qingyu's dying strike had not destroyed his physical body, but it had thoroughly cleansed his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, and even his primordial spirit sustained significant damage. His composure in front of An Qingyu was simply a display of dignity before a dying opponent.

Luo Wushuang looked around to see flying swords returning, clanging together before Qin Mu. They swiftly coalesced into a single sword pellet, a testament to a forging technique that refined divine metal to a flowing, liquid-like state—a truly extraordinary feat.

"Divine Blade Luo, you are renowned as the Celestial Heavens' foremost divine blade. You once offered to demonstrate your blade techniques to me." Qin Mu put away the sword pellet, then took out some spirit medicine to treat his injuries. "When Zhe Huali and I were still rivals," he stated calmly, "I once considered having him demonstrate my sword techniques to you. Unfortunately, he was too proud and wished to defeat me himself, so he never did. Now that you've witnessed my sword techniques, what are your thoughts?"

"Your sword techniques are exquisite, bordering on profound."

Luo Wushuang praised sincerely, "Your sword techniques are unparalleled in the world, yet I am confident I can defeat them with my blade art. Previously, I might have been defeated by your swords once more, but I have since overcome the divine barrier within my heart and now fear nothing."

Qin Mu took the spirit pill and chuckled, "Your tone is almost identical to Zhe Huali's. However, Zhe Huali broke through his inner divine barrier earlier than you, and even he proved no match for me."

Luo Wushuang snorted. Qin Mu then refined some more pills and handed them to him. "The silver needles within your body can be expelled now," he instructed, "but do not remove the Primal Wood Core from your brow for the time being. These spirit pills are for treating your Celestial Palace's injuries. First, absorb the medicinal power already present in your system, then consume these pills as we travel. The battle with An Qingyu will undoubtedly have drawn the attention of other Celestial Heaven experts. We must hurry."

He pointed east. "From the air, I just saw some magnificent structures over there, most likely built by the Creators of the Great Void. Let's go investigate them."

Luo Wushuang accepted the spirit pills, then couldn't help but ask, "Are you truly in the Spirit Embryo Realm?"

"Indeed." Qin Mu smiled. "Are you certain you wish to challenge me to a duel within the same realm?"

Luo Wushuang's expression shifted uncertainly. Changing the subject, he asked, "You just mentioned these structures were built by the Creators of the Great Void. Have you ever been here before?"

"No." Qin Mu's vertical eye between his brows opened. After a moment of contemplation, a divine dragon, over ten zhang in length, slowly materialized in the void.

Luo Wushuang was startled, mistaking it for a heart demon, and quickly gripped his blade hilt.

Qin Mu shook his head. "There are no heart demons here. Heart demons are actually beings created by the shattered divine consciousness of Creators within the Great Void, shaped by our own inner demons. This divine dragon is simply my creation; it poses no danger."

Luo Wushuang was filled with surprise and doubt. "How do you know that the masters of this place are the Creators of the Great Void? Could it be that you are also a Creator of the Great Void?"

Qin Mu surveyed the divine dragon, then leaped onto its back, smiling. "No. Fly—"

The divine dragon beneath him struggled, thrashing its limbs and roaring, but it couldn't lift off, crying out anxiously. Qin Mu scratched his head. "Am I too heavy?"

He dismounted from the dragon's back and, in a test, commanded, "Fly!"

The divine dragon leaped, soaring into the air, only to flail its limbs wildly before plummeting from the sky, plunging headfirst into the waterfall below.

Qin Mu stared, dumbfounded. Shu Jun's laughter echoed in his mind: "With your current strength, you still wish to create? You are far from ready. Your current mastery of divine consciousness is merely equivalent to a low-tier Creator, perhaps only marginally stronger than a newborn infant of our race."

With a grim expression, Qin Mu descended the mountain alongside Luo Wushuang. With the Primal Wood Core still embedded in his brow, Luo Wushuang's movements were somewhat impeded. However, as a grand master of the Numinous Sky Realm, his foundational strength allowed him to circulate vital qi within his divine treasures, maintaining a pace no slower than Qin Mu's.

"Those young Celestial Heaven experts who descended from the sky will undoubtedly notice those palaces and head there," Luo Wushuang remarked, observing Qin Mu's direction. "You are walking straight into a trap."

Qin Mu shook his head. "By the time we arrive, my injuries will be mostly healed."

Luo Wushuang cautioned, "Many wish to kill you, and a considerable number survived the ship. Those who managed to endure the perilous conditions of the Path of the Great Void are formidable individuals, most of them true gods! Their strength will be on par with, if not superior to, An Qingyu's."

Qin Mu chuckled. "Divine Blade Luo, you've always hated me to the bone, eager to see me dead. Why are you now suddenly concerned for my safety?"

Luo Wushuang snorted, then stated calmly, "I simply don't want you to die by anyone else's hand. You have yet to fall before my blade. Tyrant Qin, do not grow too complacent. The Celestial Heavens continuously produce powerful individuals and endless young talents. There might even be those who have mastered the Great Celestial Heaven technique!"

Qin Mu's heart tightened. He couldn't help but recall Ling Hua Hun. While on the ship, Ling Hua Hun had told him she had cultivated and integrated eighteen Emperor's Throne techniques, and Yun Chu Xiu had claimed Ling Hua Hun had comprehended the Great Celestial Heaven technique. Furthermore, Ling Hua Hun's strength was indeed formidable. Although Qin Mu had been healing Luo Wushuang at the time, a single strike from Ling Hua Hun was enough to shatter all four of his arms. Her prowess was truly remarkable! A woman who was merely in the Divine Bridge Realm, who had not undergone the Eternal Peace reforms, nor opened the Celestial River Divine Treasure, could, by relying on the Great Celestial Heaven technique, break all four of Qin Mu's arms with a single blow. Ling Hua Hun's Great Celestial Heaven technique was undeniably extraordinary.

"Should I encounter a true god who has cultivated the Great Celestial Heaven technique, I certainly wouldn't be able to defeat them. If only I could also comprehend my own Great Celestial Heaven technique..." Qin Mu shook his head. Emperor's Throne techniques were typically held by the Ten Celestial Venerables of the Celestial Heavens. Why would the Ten Celestial Venerables impart to him the Emperor's Throne techniques they had painstakingly gathered? More critically, his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure lacked a Celestial Palace. The primary advantage of the Great Celestial Heaven technique lay in its astonishing number of Celestial Palaces, which provided immense magic power and mastery of a greater multitude of dao techniques.

"What if I don't have a Celestial Palace?" he mused, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Not long after they departed, the pool beneath the waterfall suddenly erupted. The divine dragon Qin Mu had envisioned shook its head and tail, crawled out of the pool, sniffed around, and caught Qin Mu's scent.

"Maha!"

The divine dragon, visibly delighted, leaped and bounced. After traveling a short distance, it would lie down to sniff, relentlessly following Qin Mu's scent.