Chapter 493 Part 3

Chapter 493 Part 3: Meeting the Heavenly Emperor (3)

Patriarch Qingmu scoffed, remaining unfazed:

"What does this have to do with you? My Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates are tightly connected, while you are just a troublemaker."

Qiao Mu slightly curled his lips, almost laughing out loud.

If he was a troublemaker, then the ancestors of the Immortal Gate, who were in the center, were also in a life-and-death relationship, weren’t they?

He knew that if he had arrived at the Return Ruins a little earlier, he would have already seen the ancestors of Liangyi Sect and Patriarch Tianshu die and be eliminated one after the other.

If he comes a few days later, maybe only one of the Immortal Gate masters will be left.

Qiao Mu said seriously, "If this heaven is a chance to become an immortal, then Elder Lingxu surely has the greatest chance to seize it."

"How about you and I join forces to eliminate this most dangerous person first? After that, whoever wins is up to each of our abilities, what do you think?"

Patriarch Qingmu said nothing, his gaze fixed on Qiao Mu’s palm.

Earlier, he used his hand like a knife to strike the Green Immortal Sword, causing his own palm to crack, but after just a few words, the bleeding stopped, and the wound was almost gone.

He looked expressionless, meeting Qiao Mu’s gaze, his mood shifting unpredictably.

……………..

"Elder Lao, you arrived a step later to the heavenly realm. You may not know the dangers in this ruined heaven, so let me lead the way."

Patriarch Qingmu smiled and took a few steps ahead of Qiao Mu, leading the way.

"Elder Lao, it is said that in the fairy realm’s heavenly court, there are thirty-six heavenly palaces and seventy-two treasure halls, arranged according to the number of celestial formations and earthly spirits, but this heavenly court’s ruins do not seem quite whole."

Patriarch Qingmu gazed into the distance, looking at the deeper part of the sea of clouds, where groups of palaces were hidden within the misty clouds, and said:

"As long as the Daoist of the Great Dao Sect hides and practices secretly in one of these over a hundred palaces, he hopes to ascend; how can we stand by and do nothing?"

"To be honest, for a while now, I and my friend Changsheng have been working together to hunt the Daoist of the Lingxu so that he doesn’t secretly become an immortal."

As Patriarch Qingmu led the way, he spoke about the ruins of the heavenly court, and his words seemed very sincere.

However, the distance between the two remained a decided five or six steps, and as they walked, this distance did not increase or decrease.

The two walked past more than ten palace ruins, among which lay several scattered remnants of armor.

But as Qiao Mu had seen before, there were only swords and armor, with not a single corpse remaining.

"Since you entered the heavenly court first, dear Brother Qingmu, have you seen any living creatures? On this journey, we haven’t even encountered a corpse, which is quite strange," Qiao Mu probed.

Patriarch Qingmu, hearing this, meaningfully turned to look at Qiao Mu but did not say much more.

"This heavenly ruin is said to have fallen from the fairy world. We few are merely ordinary Mahayana cultivators of the mortal realm, and how much can we understand about the secrets of the fairy world? We only know a little from ancient books."

"I, Qiao, am quite ignorant. Compared to Qingxuan Road, one of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates, which has deep roots and a long history, could you please tell me something?"

The one responsible for the destruction of Qingxuan Road, Qiao Mu, questioned calmly without flushing or panting.

Patriarch Qingmu replied with a blank expression:

"What I know is not much."

"It is said that this heavenly court is not an ordinary place in the fairy world. The lord of the heavenly court also serves as the lord of the fairy world, the emperor of all fairies."

"The Heavenly Emperor has achieved enlightenment many years ago; under his rule, the heavenly court is filled with countless fairies, commanding all realms; moreover, the Heavenly Emperor himself has been the most powerful fairy since the dawn of creation."

At this point, Patriarch Qingmu stopped talking, pointing to a magnificent palace appearing in the clouds ahead, and said:

"In front of us is the Lingxiao Treasure Hall."

"If the Heavenly Court is as usual, those who ascend will enter the South Heavenly Gate, pass through Jie Yin Hall, and then meet the Heavenly Emperor in this Lingxiao Treasure Hall…"

"However, Elder Lao, please pay extra attention to your surroundings and be careful of hidden dangers."

Qiao Mu nodded and thought to himself, weren’t you just hiding in Jie Yin Hall plotting against me…?

After receiving Qiao Mu’s response, Patriarch Qingmu stepped forward and entered the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, with Qiao Mu following closely behind.

In mythology, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall is the most important palace in the Heavenly Court and the place where the Heavenly Emperor meets the celestial beings.

It is naturally magnificent, and even though it has become ruins, it still has an extraordinary presence, with golden lights shining everywhere and auspicious energy swirling around.

Since Qiao Mu was warned in advance by Patriarch Qingmu, his first reaction was not to admire the beautiful scenery, but to quickly check if there were any hidden threats inside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall…

A glance.

He suddenly ignored the broken walls around him and looked towards a faint figure in the center of the palace…

There truly was someone in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall!

But when Qiao Mu focused his gaze, he saw that the figure was clearly sitting on the throne in the center of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

It was a figure wearing a crown and a royal robe, not very tall in size, yet it seemed as imposing as a mountain at first glance, evoking an instinctive urge to bow down in worship.

Even though he had never seen the true face of the Heavenly Emperor or a portrait of him, Qiao Mu instinctively realized that this was the Heavenly Emperor!

Yet this Heavenly Emperor, high on the throne in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, did not move at all.

The Heavenly Emperor’s face was as pale as paper, and his body showed no sign of wounds, but he remained as motionless as a stone statue nailed to the throne, devoid of any life.

This was actually the corpse of the Heavenly Emperor!

His lifeless body sat in the empty and chaotic Lingxiao Treasure Hall, shrouded in mist and ethereal aura, which made it even more eerie.

Qiao Mu’s pupils trembled instinctively.

The Heavenly Emperor is dead?!

This is the only body he found in the ruins of the heavenly palace.

Even though the heavenly palace had turned to ruins and was in chaos, no one would have expected to see the body of the Heavenly Emperor in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall!

The Lord of the Immortal Realm, the Emperor of all Immortals, the most powerful immortal since the beginning of time… has become a corpse?

At the same moment that Qiao Mu’s pupils trembled.

Patriarch Qingmu has moved; his gaze suddenly turned cold, and his hand formed a sword seal.

The Green Immortal Sword shot out from in front of Qiao Mu, its tip revealing half the blade, and a sharp light appeared!

Team up? What a joke!

Let’s not talk about the revenge between Qiao Mu and Qingxuan Road for now…

What Qiao Mu just said makes sense; Patriarch Lingxu, at the peak of the Mahayana Stage, is indeed the most likely person to become an immortal.

The idea of joining forces is both reasonable and beneficial for both sides.

However, the one who said this was a member of the Qiao family.

Patriarch Qingmu can team up with any strong person to confront Patriarch Lingxu, but not with Qiao Mu!

This is not because the Qiao family member destroyed the Qingxuan Road sect, which brought about a deep hatred of blood and vengeance.

Rather, it is because, even from Patriarch Qingmu’s perspective as a Mahayana cultivator who has survived since the great change of the world, the Qiao family member is far too strange and mysterious.

In just two or three years, they suddenly appeared, bringing forth countless strong beings, sweeping through the Nine Immortal Gates.

Even he cannot grasp what exactly the Qiao family member is all about…

Anyone can do it, but Qiao Mu cannot!

It’s fine if the Qiao family does not appear.

From the moment they appeared at the ruins of Heaven, they became the biggest uncertainty on the path to becoming an immortal!

"Today, I vow to kill you!" The Green Immortal Sword turned into a sharp blue light, pointing directly at Qiao Mu’s throat!

However, in that split second, Qiao Mu came back to his senses from his earlier shock.

The vast True strength gathered in his hands, and Qiao Mu brought his two palms together with sudden force.

Catching the white blade with empty hands!

With a loud bang, the immense force of the impact caused the milky white mist surrounding the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to scatter in all directions.

Qiao Mu’s palms gripped the violently trembling Green Immortal Sword, his True strength surged like a tidal wave, swirling the surrounding mist like it was boiling.

"You…" Patriarch Qingmu was not very surprised that Qiao Mu could catch this sword.

What astonished him was:

"You actually remained calm after seeing the body of the Heavenly Emperor with your own eyes? How did you recover so quickly?"

The Lingxiao Treasure Hall is the first hall of the Heavenly Court, and this important place in the Heavenly Court had long been explored by Patriarch Qingmu and the other four Mahayana cultivators.

Without exception, every Mahayana cultivator was greatly shaken when they first saw the body of the Heavenly Emperor.

They waited for thousands of years in the mortal world, hoping for the moment of opportunity to become immortal, just to one day ascend to the realm of immortals and enjoy everlasting life.

But upon entering this world through the Sky Piercing River, they saw the ruins of the Heavenly Court and the body of the Heavenly Emperor!

Such a huge contrast and the disappointment of expectations would shock even the most dedicated Mahayana cultivator!

And Patriarch Tianshu was the one who suffered the most among them.

As the master of the Soul Predicting Path, skilled in divination, he deduced much from the ruins of the Heavenly Court and the body of the Heavenly Emperor, causing his heart to shatter completely.

He entered the ruins of the Heavenly Court later, and when he arrived at the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Patriarch Qingmu was already quietly waiting in the palace.

Therefore, Patriarch Qingmu found it hard to accept… why could Qiao Mu quickly regain his composure when even Patriarch Tianshu was nearly shattered?

"Another old fool who thinks he knows me. Did I ever say I wanted to ascend to the immortal world? The Heavenly Emperor is dead, but that doesn’t concern you, does it?"

As Qiao Mu spoke with anger, he struggled to hold the shaking Green Immortal Sword tightly with both hands.

In the next moment, the Green Immortal Sword burst forth with countless sharp sword lights as it trembled violently in his hands.

Instantly, blood flowed from his palms, wounds piercing through his hands, almost cutting flesh and bone completely.

Patriarch Qingmu was clearly very angry.

With all his strength, the Green Immortal Sword shook rapidly between Qiao Mu’s hands, slowly moving forward and pointing at his throat.

The Mahayana cultivator, placed in the vibrant ancient cultivation world, is the best in the human realm.

If one wishes to confront the Mahayana cultivator directly, they will quickly find themselves at a disadvantage.

Not only that, but at the moment when the tip of the Green Immortal Sword slowly pierced towards Qiao Mu’s throat.

Behind Patriarch Qingmu, countless golden lights gathered, and a large and magnificent incense spirit slowly emerged.

In the small world of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates, the Supreme Elders, due to the weak energy cycle of the small world, could not maintain their dharma bodies for ten thousand years.

Patriarch Qingmu, however, is the only Mahayana cultivator who has perfected the incense spirit.

It was a golden, ethereal divine body, towering over ten meters in height. Shining with golden light, it had three heads and six arms, appearing like a deity in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.