The First Marquis of Daxuan

Chapter 690 Old Man, the Secret of the Heavenly Weapon (Two chapters combined, 8,000 words, please subscribe)
Outland.

A gate, resembling ripples on water, stands in the wilderness.

The gate was over a hundred feet wide and several tens of feet long, and it was still expanding every day.

It is the passage from the outer realms to the Ruins Realm.

This passage is like a city gate. The Great Xuan Nine Armies can attack the Void Realm from here, and the Void Beasts of the Void Realm can also attack the Outer Domain from here.

The two sides faced off inside and outside the city gate.

They have fought several times, with each side experiencing victories and defeats.

The Great Xuan Nine Armies failed to strike first, and Cha Haishan's Void Beast Army also failed to achieve a decisive victory.

Ultimately, the reason why the two sides can still maintain a balance is because of this channel.

The passage is only so big now, and neither the Great Xuan Nine Armies nor the Void Beast Army can pass through too much at once.

This limited the scale of the war.

Unless one side can completely control the passage, once they enter the other side's territory, they will soon be besieged.

The current situation is that both sides are vying for control of the passage, but neither has been able to achieve it.

However, it's unclear what methods the Void Realm used, but this passage is constantly expanding.

Once it expands to a sufficiently large size, the advantage of the sheer size of the Void Beast army can be fully realized.

When a million Void Beasts enter the battlefield simultaneously, the Great Xuan Dynasty will face annihilation.

At this moment, the leaders of the Great Xuan Dynasty stood in front of the passage, their expressions solemn.

"It's conceivable that the enemy's next attack will be even stronger than the previous one."

Marquis Jin of the Taiping Division said in a deep voice, "We originally intended to strike first, to gain the upper hand before the Void Realm attacks our outer domain, but we didn't expect—"

He sighed.

When Da Xuan launched their attack, Cha Haishan's Void Beast army was already preparing for battle.

However, it's fortunate that they sent out their troops in advance; otherwise, if Cha Haishan's Void Beast army had attacked first, they would have been caught off guard, and the situation would have been even worse.

Only after the actual battle with the Ruins did they discover many problems.

The Void Beast army is completely different from the enemies they have faced before. To fight such a large army, they will need to overcome countless difficulties.

What lay before them was the environment of the Ruins Realm.

Once a martial artist from the Great Profound Realm enters the Void Realm, they will be suppressed by the Yin Qi of the Void Realm, and can only exert 70% or 80% of their strength.

Moreover, even if they repel the Void Beast army and temporarily occupy the territory of the Void Realm, it's like being in mud; they simply cannot transform the occupied area into a place suitable for human martial artists to live in.

These are all problems that they could not have imagined before.

"You said last time that extremely yang items could help us suppress yin energy. Should we send more people to infiltrate the Void Realm to search for extremely yang items?"

Marquis Mingyi looked at Su Mu and asked in a deep voice.

Everyone knew that the difficulties they faced this time were unprecedented, and even Su Mu was unable to solve them immediately.

"I have found the object of extreme yang."

Su Mu said slowly that although his true body was here, his avatar had been traveling outside and had indeed found a lot of extremely yang items.

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then their faces lit up with joy.

As expected, it has to be Su Mu.

Although they didn't know how Su Mu did it, Su Mu was Su Mu, and they believed him when he said so.

"If we can solve the problem of Yin energy suppressing our combat power, then we are confident that we can win a great victory!"

Dongfang Liuyun and the others said excitedly.

They were always victorious in battles, but this time they had been suppressed by Cha Haishan's Void Beast army for so long, and everyone was already seething with anger.

They've been wanting to stage a spectacular comeback for a long time.

Everyone looked excited, but Su Mu showed no joy at all.

After a moment of excitement, everyone noticed the serious expression on Su Mu's face.

"Su Mu, is there any other problem?"

Marquis Jin asked in a deep voice.

"Things are more complicated than we anticipated."

Su Mu did not hide anything from everyone, but said, "Although I have obtained several extremely yang items, one extremely yang item can only protect a few hundred people."

This item can only provide temporary relief; it doesn't solve the fundamental problem.

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other.

Large-scale battles often involve hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops.

Sending hundreds of men into battle wouldn't solve much of the problem.

Everyone then realized why Su Mu's expression was so serious.

If they cannot solve this problem, they will never be able to invade the Void Realm and will only be able to passively resist the attacks of the Void Realm.

You can't guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.

If we keep taking hits, the Void Realm will eventually break through our defenses and invade the outer realms.

"Could it be that the Seventy-Two Thieves failed in the end because of this reason?"

Dongfang Liuyun pondered.

They had long heard the legend of the Seventy-Two Thieves from Su Mu.

"If that's the case, shouldn't we retreat to the Taixu Sacred Realm? Only with a defensive wall constructed from seventy-two Heavenly Weapons can we possibly withstand the attack from the Void Realm."

"Dongfang Liuyun said."

The spatial barrier between the outer realm and the Void Realm has been broken, and it is now almost impossible to repair it.

With no natural defenses, the outer realms are simply no match for the Void Realm.

From a strategic perspective, the best course of action is to retreat to the Great Void Sacred Realm and rely on the defensive Great Wall left behind by the Seventy-Two Thieves to resist the invasion of the Void Realm.

This also has another advantage for Da Xuan: the environment of the Tai Xu Sacred Realm is better than that of the outer realms, making it more suitable for martial artists to cultivate.

Moreover, once the outer realm is lost, it won't just be them facing the Void Realm; the forces of the Taixu Sacred Realm will also have to confront the Void Realm directly.

Upon hearing Dongfang Liuyun's words, everyone nodded in agreement.

They seem to have forgotten that they were once ambitious, aiming to conquer the Ruins Realm and help Su Mu achieve the status of a Celestial Venerable.

"If it were just us, retreating to the Taixu Sacred Realm wouldn't be difficult."

Su Mu said slowly.

Although Ning Hongchen had taken away some of the seventy-two Heavenly Weapons, the most crucial Yin-Yang Cauldron was still in his hands, making it easy for him to cross the defensive Great Wall.

"But there are hundreds of millions of people in the outer regions. It is not an easy task to relocate so many people to the Taixu Sacred Realm."

Even if Su Mu had extraordinary abilities, it would be almost impossible for him to relocate so many people to the Taixu Sacred Realm and make them settle down there.

The expressions on everyone's faces gradually became serious. After careful consideration, they also felt that this task was almost impossible to complete.

"Then we have no choice but to fight with all our might."

Marquis Jin sighed and said, "Even for the sake of the hundreds of millions of people in this outer realm, we cannot let the Void Beasts invade."

The current situation is even more severe than when the Great Xuan faced the Demon Court.

They all feel like they have no way out.

After a moment of silence, everyone's gaze involuntarily fell on Su Mu.

"Su Mu, you tell us, whether to fight or retreat, we'll listen to you."

Dongfang Liuyun said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Wait a minute, they should be here soon."

Su Mu spoke slowly, as if talking to himself.

The others didn't understand Su Mu's meaning, but Su Mu didn't offer any explanation.

Just then, the sound of bugles suddenly rang out.

Everyone's expression changed.

Cha Haishan's army of Void Beasts is here again!

Marquis Jin, Marquis Mingyi, and Dongfang Liuyun had no time to think. They gathered their weapons and charged towards the front of the battle.

Su Mu did not rush to make a move, but instead looked in another direction.

The next moment, he moved and appeared on a mountain peak.

"You arrived faster than I expected."

Standing atop the mountain peak was a person none other than Ning Hongchen.

Su Mu looked at him and spoke calmly.

"If I hadn't come, would you really have given up on the Outer Realms?"

Ning Hongchen said.

"What do you say?"

Su Mu said calmly.

Ning Hongchen looked helpless. If it were someone else, they might not be able to make such a decision, but Ning Hongchen felt that Su Mu was really capable of doing such a thing.

how to say.

He always felt that Su Mu was a contradiction; on the one hand, he was loyal and righteous, and on the other hand, he could be ruthless and decisive.

Perhaps only Su Mu's personality could have allowed him to get this far.

Even he himself didn't expect Su Mu to get to this point so quickly.

Now, Su Mu is able to speak with him on equal terms.

No, even he wasn't confident he could defeat Su Mu in a life-or-death struggle.

"Ok."

Ning Hongchen said helplessly, "With your current strength, these things can be handed over to you."

With a wave of his hand, more than ten divine weapons of destiny clattered and fell in front of Su Mu.

Su Mu had already collected seventy-two Heavenly Weapons, but before he could find the treasure hidden among them, Ning Hongchen snatched more than ten of them away.

At the time, Su Mu was unwilling to fight Ning Hongchen to the death, so he didn't pursue the matter.

If this were today, if Ning Hongchen dared to steal his Heavenly Weapon again, Su Mu would definitely not be polite to him.

Over the years, Su Mu's strength has increased significantly.

"It's said that the Seventy-Two Sages left behind a priceless treasure. Is that true?"

Su Mu glanced at the dozen or so divine weapons of destiny and spoke.

To be honest, for him now, a mere treasure is no longer of any use.

He, Su Mu, almost became the Lord of Yang.

A small treasure is no longer enough to test him.

"It's real, and it's fake."

Ning Hongchen said.

"speak English."

Su Mu snorted coldly and said impatiently, "Do you think I have time to waste here playing games with you?"

He pointed in the direction of the front line.

Ning Hongchen's arrival was quite timely; Cha Haishan's Void Beast army had launched another attack, and the two sides were currently engaged in a fierce battle inside and outside the gate.

With almost every breath, soldiers of the Great Xuan fell.

If it weren't for the fact that there weren't any experts from the Void Realm participating in the battle yet, Su Mu would never be here wasting time talking nonsense with Ning Hongchen.

However, Da Xuan and Cha Haishan now have a tacit understanding that top experts do not easily make a move.

On Da Xuan's side, it was naturally Su Mu.

On Cha Haishan's side, there were actually several Void Beasts at the peak of the Heavenly Fate Realm.

If they were to attack, their destructive power against ordinary soldiers of the Great Xuan would be too great.

The same goes for Su Mu.

In a large-scale battle, such powerful figures cannot act arbitrarily; even Su Mu must abide by this rule.

"Young people need to be more patient."

Ning Hongchen sighed and said, "You'll understand when you reach my age. You can't rush things."

To succeed, one must have enough patience.

Seeing the impatience on Su Mu's face, Ning Hongchen quickened her pace and said, "Back when the seventy-two Heavenly Weapons were designed, a treasure was indeed sealed away."

In other words, it was actually 'supplies' prepared to deal with the Void Realm.

You have already personally experienced the power of the Void Realm, so those 'supplies' are indeed priceless.

From this perspective, the rumors about the Taixu Sacred Realm are true.

Su Mu remained silent, waiting for Ning Hongchen to utter the word "but".

If nothing unexpected happens, Ning Hongchen will definitely experience a turning point.

"but."

As expected, Ning Hongchen slowly said, "This treasure has now been completely used up."

Seeing that Su Mu's expression did not change at all, Ning Hongchen was somewhat surprised.

"Don't you find it strange at all?"

He couldn't help but ask.

When he was Su Mu's age, he couldn't have been as composed as Su Mu in keeping his emotions hidden.

That was a treasure trove that could rival the wealth of a nation, and it's just gone like that. Doesn't Su Mu feel even a little shocked?
You have to understand, Su Mu worked hard for this treasure for a very long time. How much did Su Mu sacrifice to collect all seventy-two divine weapons of destiny?
All our efforts have been in vain, and he remains completely unmoved?

Ning Hongchen sighed inwardly, realizing that he himself could not match such magnanimity.

"Is it weird?"

Su Mu glanced at Ning Hongchen and said disdainfully, "If you're still alive, it's no wonder the treasure is lost."

Ning Hongchen remained silent for a moment, neither admitting nor denying.

"If there were a real treasure, Mao Jiu wouldn't have created a fake one to fool the Martial Sect. If a mere treasure could really provoke a war between the Martial Sect and the Azure Sky Sect, then it would be worth it."

Su Mu continued, "The most valuable aspect of the seventy-two Heavenly Weapons lies not in their treasure, but in their very essence."

The seventy-two divine weapons of destiny are the seventy-two passes, the seventy-two passes that resist the invasion of the Void Realm.

With them around, even if the outer realms fall into the hands of the Void Realm, the Taixu Sacred Realm will remain safe and sound.

This is a gift from the Seventy-Two Sages to the Sacred Realm of the Great Void.

Su Mu couldn't understand why such a person was called one of the Seventy-Two Thieves by the people in the Taixu Sacred Realm.

It can only be said that the magic of this world far exceeds the imagination of ordinary people.

"Even if that treasure still exists, it won't solve the crisis in the outer realms."

Su Mu continued, "Whether the Great Xuan can withstand the army of the Void Realm is not a matter of 'supplies'. If you can't give me a way to modify the environment of the Void Realm, then this battle is better left undone."

Although the Great Xuan Dynasty is currently facing some resource shortages, no amount of resources could possibly raise all the soldiers of the Great Xuan Nine Armies to the Heavenly Fate Realm at once.

Even if we give him a treasure now, greatly increasing the strength of the Great Xuan Nine Armies, they will still be suppressed by Yin energy if they enter the Void Realm.

The biggest challenge now is how to rebuild the world on a large scale.

The Qiankun Creation Technique that Su Mu currently possesses can only recreate the universe on a small scale, and it also requires extremely yang items, so it cannot solve the problem of conquering the Void Realm.

Su Mu had previously told Mao Jiu that if Mao Jiu and Ning Hongchen could not come up with a way to deal with the Void Realm, he would lead the Outer Domain to retreat to the Taixu Sacred Realm.

It was this sentence that forced Ning Hongchen to come and see him.

The moment Ning Hongchen appeared, Su Mu knew he had guessed correctly.

The outer realms may be a protective moat, but there must be other secrets hidden here.

Otherwise, Mao Jiu and Ning Hongchen wouldn't have reacted so strongly to his statement about giving up the outer realms.

If it's just a moat, then giving it up is fine.

Even if we lose the outer realms, we still have a defensive Great Wall formed by seventy-two divine weapons of destiny.

The vast Taixu Sacred Realm could easily accommodate these people from the outer regions.

"Go on, where is the real aspect of the treasure?"

Su Mu looked at Ning Hongchen and slowly began to speak.

He wanted to see what conditions Ning Hongchen could use to persuade him to stay in the outer realms this time.

"I told you before that the secrets hidden in the seventy-two divine weapons of destiny are not yet ready to be revealed."

Ning Hongchen sighed and said in a deep voice, "I'm not deliberately keeping you in suspense. If you had the strength you have now back then, I certainly wouldn't have stopped you."

Now that you've gained the strength, you're qualified to access this secret.

Su Mu remained noncommittal.

Ning Hongchen gave a wry smile and continued, "The seventy-two Heavenly Weapons are not actually our original creations."

When Ning Hongchen uttered the word "we," there was no need for concealment or explanation anymore.

Now, he finally admitted his identity to Su Mu in person.

Ning Hongchen was one of the Seventy-Two Sages of that time!

Who would have thought that among the Seventy-Two Sages, some are still alive!
If the people of the Taixu Sacred Realm knew that Ning Hongchen was still alive, they would definitely go crazy.

Everyone said that all seventy-two sages had died in battle, but one of them survived.

Back then, the Seventy-Two Sages were already among the strongest in the world. Now, after so many years, Ning Hongchen's strength must have reached an unbelievable level.

Most importantly, even a Celestial Venerable might not live this long, so how did Ning Hongchen manage to survive until now?

Countless questions flashed through Su Mu's mind, but he did not ask them.

He knew that this was probably Ning Hongchen's secret, and if Ning Hongchen was unwilling to say it, probably no one in the world could force him to say it.

For Su Mu, obtaining a method to deal with the Void Realm is enough for now.

He wasn't particularly interested in other people's secrets.

"The seventy-two divine weapons of destiny are actually a design left behind by the Great Celestial Venerable."

Ning Hongchen spoke slowly, uttering a name that Su Mu knew.

Great Heavenly Venerable!
According to legend, he was the first Celestial Venerable in the world.

It was this person who pioneered the path of cultivation for the Celestial Venerable, and it was he who left behind the Five Elements Mountain.

The Seventy-Two Sages used the Five Elements Mountain to suppress the Lord of the Void Beast. Unexpectedly, even the Seventy-Two Heavenly Weapons are related to the Great Heavenly Venerable.

"Before the Great Celestial Venerable entered Nirvana, he left behind the design blueprints for the Heavenly Mandate Divine Weapons. He said that if someone could forge these Heavenly Mandate Divine Weapons, they could awaken him from the river of time."

He will lead our world to greater heights.

Ning Hongchen had already spoken, so he wouldn't keep them in suspense any longer. "We don't know what the higher place the Great Celestial Venerable was talking about, but we do know that the Great Celestial Venerable's cultivation is unparalleled throughout history, so he must have glimpsed something."

To understand more, we must first reach the Celestial Venerable Realm.

"Didn't you forge seventy-two divine weapons of destiny? Did you manage to awaken the Great Celestial Venerable in the end?"

Su Mu asked curiously.

What's the difference between entering Nirvana and dying?
Su Mu was very doubtful whether this Great Celestial Venerable could really be resurrected.

"It's not seventy-two divine weapons of destiny, it's three hundred and sixty divine weapons of destiny."

Ning Hongchen shook his head and said, "The blueprints left by the Great Celestial Venerable are for a total of three hundred and sixty divine weapons of destiny."

Back then, we exhausted all our strength by forging seventy-two divine weapons of destiny.

With our resources at the time, it was simply impossible for us to forge 360 ​​divine weapons of destiny.

Most importantly, in the process of forging the Heavenly Weapon, we also discovered its other uses.

"Defend the Great Wall?"

Su Mu blurted out.

Ning Hongchen nodded. "Besides that, we also discovered that the Heavenly Weapon can indeed lock our life soul."

In other words, the divine weapon of destiny might truly awaken the Great Celestial Venerable!

Su Mu frowned. He had already cultivated the Qiankun Creation Technique to perfection. If he was second to none in the world when it came to understanding the Heavenly Weapon, then probably no one could claim to be first.

However, he did not discover that the Heavenly Weapon had this function.

Does this mean that at least seventy-two divine weapons must be collected to trigger this effect?

"You're right."

Ning Hongchen seemed to see through Su Mu's thoughts and nodded, saying, "Once you gather all seventy-two Heavenly Weapons, you will discover this. This is the greatest treasure of the seventy-two Heavenly Weapons!"

"Let me guess, the reason you've survived until now is because of the effects of the seventy-two divine weapons of destiny."

Su Mu looked at Ning Hongchen and slowly said, "And the seventy-two Heavenly Weapons can only revive one person."

"You are very smart."

A deep sadness flashed across Ning Hongchen's face.

"I still don't understand. If the Heavenly Weapon can revive a person, why not revive Senior Uncle Li?"

He understands the laws of creation and can continue to forge divine weapons of destiny. If he forges enough divine weapons of destiny, wouldn't he be able to resurrect you all?

Su Mu couldn't help but ask.

"It's not that simple. The conditions for using a divine weapon to lock the soul are extremely demanding."

Ning Hongchen shook his head and said, "You yourself are a weapon forger. Let me ask you, if I asked you to forge seventy-two Heavenly Weapons, could you do it?"

His later statement, "The resources required alone are astronomical, making it simply impossible to achieve," was followed by, "..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Su Mu uttered two words: "I can."

Ning Hongchen: "..."

He suddenly realized that Su Mu had not only robbed the Martial Ancestor's birthday banquet, but had also obtained a lot of things from Mao Jiu.

No wonder this guy looked down on their treasure from back then.

This guy is much richer than they were back then!

Ning Hongchen felt somewhat helpless. Who would have thought that Su Mu's cultivation level had improved so quickly that it was beyond imagination, and that his wealth accumulation was also beyond his reach?

This guy was born to beat him up.

"To date, I have crafted dozens of Heavenly Fate-level divine weapons."

Su Mu said calmly, simply stating a fact.

"It's not a Heavenly Mandate-level divine weapon, but a Heavenly Mandate divine weapon. All 360 Heavenly Mandate divine weapons left behind by the Great Heavenly Venerable have specific requirements."

The divine weapons you forged, those of the Heavenly Mandate level, are different.

Ning Hongchen said.

"I don't understand the schemes of you big shots, and I can't control them."

Su Mu looked at Ning Hongchen and frowned, "What does all this have to do with dealing with the Void Realm?"
Even if the Heavenly Weapons could resurrect the Great Celestial Venerable, do you expect me to forge three hundred and sixty Heavenly Weapons to resurrect him and send him to fight against the Void Realm?

Who knows who that Great Celestial Venerable is?

Su Mu never liked to place his hopes on others.

"I'm not done yet."

Ning Hongchen was not offended and said calmly, "As I just said, the Heavenly Weapon has many functions that we did not know at first."

Locking in the life soul is one of them, and they also have another function: reversing yin and yang.

As long as you forge the divine weapon of destiny described in the Great Celestial Venerable's blueprint and then place it in a specific location in the Void Realm, you can transform Yin into Yang and turn the Void Realm into the Yang Realm.

Three hundred and sixty divine weapons of destiny are enough to transform the entire Void Realm into the Yang Realm. At that time, the Great Celestial Venerable will return to the Saha World.

"By the way, Great Celestial Venerable, you call our world the Saha World."

Ning Hongchen offered an explanation.

Su Mu frowned.

The Heavenly Weapon can transform Yin into Yang. When the entire Void Realm becomes the Yang Realm, the Great Heavenly Venerable will be resurrected and return.
Su Mu didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but he intuitively felt somewhat displeased.

Even setting aside the Grand Celestial Venerable, Su Mu is currently powerless to forge 360 ​​divine weapons of destiny.

"Of course, you don't need to forge all 360 divine weapons at once."

The Heavenly Weapons come in sets of seventy-two. Once all seventy-two are collected, one can create a prison within a designated area, just as we separated the outer realms from the Yang Realm. It would be no problem for us to carve out a piece of land from the Void Realm as well.

"This is the only solution I know for the problem of the Ruins Realm."

Ning Hongchen said solemnly, "Only this method can completely transform Yin into Yang. As long as you have seventy-two Heavenly Weapons, you can expand the area of ​​the outer realm by at least double."

While such a large area may not be enough to support your breakthrough to the Celestial Venerable Realm, it can provide you with more resources, allowing you to continue forging divine weapons of destiny.

After repeating this process twice, the territory you've expanded should be enough to support your ascension to the Heavenly Venerable realm.

"It doesn't need to be that complicated."

Su Mu said, "The lifespan of Bai Tianzun in the Taixu Sacred Realm is nearing its end. It would be much easier for me to seize that position than to painstakingly expand my territory like this."

"You underestimate those guys in the Taixu Sacred Realm."

Ning Hongchen sneered, "They may not be good at anything else, but they are experts at vying for power and profit."

The question of who will hold the position of Heavenly Venerable has likely already been decided by those Heavenly Venerables.

You people below are fighting and arguing, but little do you know that you've never had a chance.

Why do you think the news of Bai Tianzun's impending death was leaked?

You should know that even if Bai Tianzun had only his last breath, he would still have the ability to suppress this news.

He's still alive, yet the news of his impending death is already causing quite a stir. Why do you think that is?
Those Celestial Venerables felt that the population of the Taixu Sacred Realm was too large, crowding out their resources, so they released this news to encourage the warriors of the Taixu Sacred Realm to compete.

Their fighting will result in casualties, and the more deaths and injuries, the happier those celestial beings will be.

Su Mu's face showed a thoughtful expression.

"If the Celestial Venerables want to control the population of the Great Void Sacred Realm, why don't they simply wage war against the Void Realm?"

In a war between two worlds, wouldn't even more people die?

Su Mu pondered for a moment and asked.

"You think they don't want to? They don't dare!"

Ning Hongchen said disdainfully, "If we lose a war against the Void Realm, that's fine. But if we win and expand our territory, won't a new Heavenly Venerable be born?"
These people did not want to see a new Celestial Venerable born.

Moreover, they were also worried that if the Celestial Venerable of the Ruins Realm attacked, some of them would perish.

When waging war against the Void Realm, how can it be safer than fighting amongst ourselves?

The Void Realm truly has Void Beasts at the Heavenly Venerable Realm; they have no fear of Heavenly Venerables from the Yang Realm.

"And what about you? Don't you want to become a Celestial Venerable?"

Su Mu looked at Ning Hongchen and said.

Ning Hongchen lived a second life, and his cultivation was unfathomable.

Even now, Su Mu wouldn't dare say he's absolutely certain of victory against Ning Hongchen.

If Ning Hongchen were to vie for the position left behind by Bai Tianzun, then probably few in the Taixu Sacred Realm could rival him.

Moreover, since the Seventy-Two Sages died in battle, there have been many years since the Heavenly Venerable's lifespan was exhausted. Did Ning Hongchen never have the thought of seizing the Venerable's position?
Or is it that Ning Hongchen is actually already a Celestial Venerable?
"Don't think nonsense, I'm not a celestial being."

Ning Hongchen was an old and shrewd man. He could tell what Su Mu was thinking just by looking at him.

"And I can never become a Celestial Venerable."

Ning Hongchen said calmly, "I am still alive because the seventy-two Heavenly Weapons have locked my soul."

You can think of it this way: I'm just a living dead right now. No matter how many years I live, my strength will only remain at the level it was before I died.

Therefore, the me you see now is no different in strength from the me of ten thousand years ago.

"The living dead?"

Su Mu frowned. He had fought Ning Hongchen before and knew that Ning Hongchen's strength was unfathomable. He had thought that Ning Hongchen's high level of cultivation was because he had lived long enough.

Now Ning Hongchen is saying that he was already this strong back then?

Is this the true strength of the Seventy-Two Sages?
Su Mu didn't know Ning Hongchen's position among the Seventy-Two Sages, but he was certain that Ning Hongchen's strength was definitely no less than his, the Sect Master of the Azure Sky Sect Fu Canglan, and the Sect Master of the Martial Sect Wu Zu, and might even be stronger.

There were as many as seventy-two such powerful individuals. How did they die back then?
Was it really because those celestial beings couldn't tolerate them, so they personally took action to kill them?
How did you die?

Su Mu couldn't help but ask, "Is it because you want to expand your territory and become Heavenly Venerables that those people can't tolerate you?"
You didn't steal their resources, so why would they want to kill you?

"Let me put it this way, they think we want to resurrect the Great Celestial Venerable, but some people don't want to see the Great Celestial Venerable return."

Ning Hongchen said without hiding anything, "You have to understand that no matter what position you are in, as long as there are people, there will be conflicts."

Ultimately, we were a bit too reckless back then.

"What's past is past, Su Mu. Now I'm sending you the blueprints left by the Great Celestial Venerable, hoping you won't repeat our mistakes!"

(End of this chapter)