The First Marquis of Daxuan

The young girl, Qi Lingyun, accepted the Celestial Venerable Relic without the slightest hesitation.

She held the relic of the Heavenly Venerable and muttered incantations.

Su Mu looked at Qi Lingyun, but still couldn't detect any fluctuations in her cultivation level.

Upon listening carefully, Su Mu was both amused and exasperated.

The little girl was saying, "Little ball, be good, and I'll give you something delicious to eat later."

Just when Su Mu thought this was just the little girl being silly, suddenly, the Celestial Relic flew up.

The Celestial Relic was suspended in the air, and a beam of light shot out amidst the flickering light and shadow.

Su Mu stared wide-eyed.

He had experienced countless things in his life, and he thought that nothing, no matter how bizarre, could surprise him.

But now, Su Mu was genuinely surprised.

Although the Celestial Venerable Relic is a treasure left behind by the Celestial Venerable, it is, after all, an inanimate object.

Qi Lingyun seemed like an ordinary person, so how could she elicit such a reaction from the Celestial Venerable Relic?

The disciples of the Celestial Venerable are indeed not to be underestimated.

Su Mu thought to himself, already hearing Qi Lingyun's voice in his ears.

"Uncle Su, Xiao Qiu said there is a Chaos Chart about 800 miles away in this direction."

Qi Lingyun pointed to the direction in which the light from the Heavenly Venerable Relic had just been emitted.

How can you be sure it's eight hundred li?

Su Mu asked curiously.

"That's eight hundred li."

Qi Lingyun said matter-of-factly, "Didn't you see the light emitted by the ball? The length of the light is exactly how far away it is from us, that's for sure."

"understood."

Su Mu nodded and asked again, "Little Lingyun, how did you acquire the ability to communicate with the little ball?"

"I was born knowing how."

Qi Lingyun said, "Uncle Su, you're one of us, so I'll tell you a secret."

The ball originally belonged to me, but I later gave it to my master as a gift when I became his disciple.

The little ball has been with me since I can remember.

"Ok?"

Su Mu's expression hardened.

Qi Lingyun looked to be only seven or eight years old; she was probably only two or three when she could remember things.

How could a two- or three-year-old child, possessing a relic of a celestial being, survive?

This is a relic of the Heavenly Venerable.

Back then, the Lu family of the Taixu Sacred Realm suffered the calamity of annihilation because they obtained the Heavenly Venerable Relic. In the end, Lu Qian and her father fled to the outer realm.

Meanwhile, the Lu family's original guards secretly plotted to seize the throne of the Great Xuan Dynasty.

In truth, all the events that later occurred in the Great Xuan Dynasty stemmed from a single relic of a Heavenly Venerable.

Even the mighty Lu family couldn't withstand the consequences of obtaining the Celestial Venerable's Relic, so how did a little girl like Qi Lingyun survive?

It's almost impossible to hide something like a Celestial Relic from people.

Logically speaking, Qi Lingyun should have died before Bai Tianzun discovered her.

Su Mu thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.

I really can't figure it out.

Judging from Qi Lingyun's expression, she probably didn't know the reason either.

If you can't figure something out, just don't think about it.

The soldiers came to cover up the water and earth.

"This direction happens to be the direction to Wugong Mountain. Is this a coincidence?"

Su Mu pondered to himself.

He looked at Qi Lingyun and slowly said, "Little Lingyun, do you know that your master asked me to send you to Wugong Mountain?"

Do you know who's on Wugong Mountain?

Qi Lingyun shook her head. "Master didn't tell me. Master just told me to listen to you."

Listen to me? I don't know either.

As far as Su Mu knew, Wugong Mountain was not the headquarters of any major sect, nor had he heard of any powerful figure living in seclusion there.

Even on his deathbed, Bai Tianzun didn't explain things clearly.

Su Mu now suspects that Bai Tianzun's arrangements are all related to this Chaos Record.

"Although Ning Hongchen and Mao Jiu had plotted against me a few times before, their arrangements were all to help me improve my strength. Their goal was very clear: to transform the entire Saha World into a Pure Yang World after I became a Celestial Venerable."

In a sense, I am a successor of the Seventy-Two Sages, so it's normal for Ning Hongchen and the others to help me.

Su Mu thought to himself, "But Bai Tianzun is different. Bai Tianzun has nothing to do with me, so he has no reason to help me."

Why did he give me the Chaos Diagram?

Su Mu was completely baffled. He asked Qi Lingyun a few more questions, but Qi Lingyun seemed confused and couldn't answer.

In the end, Su Mu had no choice but to give up.

After putting away the Chaos Diagram and the Celestial Venerable Relic, Su Mu led Qi Lingyun away from the place called Golden Lotus Wonderful Sound Cave.

Qi Lingyun had no resistance to leaving her familiar place.

She quietly followed Su Mu on his journey, staying close to him the whole way. She went when Su Mu said to go and stopped when he said to stop.

Although he didn't believe Bai Tianzun, Su Mu wouldn't go so far as to torment a little girl.

He used his power to carry Qi Lingyun through the air, and in just one day they had already traveled eight hundred miles away.

Just as Su Mu was about to take out the Celestial Venerable Relic, he asked Qi Lingyun to reset the time again.

Suddenly his expression changed, his figure swayed, and he directly descended from the clouds, bringing Qi Lingyun down to the ground.

Qi Lingyun's clear black and white eyes darted around twice as she looked at Su Mu, asking with a curious expression, "Uncle Su, is there any danger?"

"you know?"

Su Mu glanced at Qi Lingyun with some surprise.

Qi Lingyun was clearly just an ordinary person, so she shouldn't have been able to sense the danger from afar.

"My guess."

Qi Lingyun said earnestly, "My master said that I have an extraordinary intuition and can foresee danger."

I sensed great danger ahead.

She pointed forward.

Su Mu nodded. The longer he spent with Qi Lingyun, the more he discovered her special qualities.

Qi Lingyun had never practiced martial arts, but there were many inexplicable things about her.

For example, she can activate the relics of the Heavenly Venerable, and she can foresee danger.

Su Mu knew there was no answer now, so he said in a deep voice, "There is indeed danger ahead. There must be some powerful figures fighting. You wait here for me, I'll go take a look."

After saying that, Su Mu pondered for a moment.

Then he changed his hand gestures and set up an array on the ground.

"Stay inside the formation and don't wander around. As long as you stay inside the formation, there is no danger that can harm you. If there is any danger, I can sense it immediately."

Su Mu said in a deep voice.

Qi Lingyun nodded obediently and said, "Uncle Su, you should also be careful. I feel you might get hurt..."

"I?"

Su Mu chuckled, "Little Lingyun, your premonition about yourself may be true, but it probably isn't accurate about me."

It's not that Su Mu is bragging, but with his current strength, there aren't many forces in the world that can injure him.

Even someone as powerful as Bai Tianzun failed when he tried to possess him.
To put it arrogantly, even if Su Mu were to encounter a Celestial Venerable now, and he were determined to escape, the Celestial Venerable might not be able to stop him.

Before Qi Lingyun could say anything more, Su Mu's figure flickered and disappeared into thin air.

…………

A moment later, Su Mu's figure appeared dozens of miles away.

He stopped and looked straight ahead.

Ahead, the light and shadows were chaotic, and a deafening roar came from afar. Even from a distance, Su Mu could still feel the strong winds blowing in all directions, making his face sting.

His expression changed slightly.

"Tianzun!"

Su Mu's heart sank slightly.

Su Mu had personally witnessed the battle between Bai Tianzun and Xuan Ying Tianzun. In a battle of this scale, one of the two sides must be a Tianzun.

As for the other party, Su Mu recognized them as well.

It was Ning Hongchen!

Yes.

Ning Hongchen is currently fighting with the Celestial Venerable, and they are evenly matched.

"Why is Ning Hongchen here? And why is he fighting with the Heavenly Venerable?"

Su Mu's heart tightened.

If Qi Lingyun is not mistaken, there must be a Chaos Record nearby.

Su Mu didn't know if Ning Hongchen's appearance here was related to the Chaos Diagram, but he knew he couldn't just stand by and watch Ning Hongchen die at the hands of the Heavenly Venerable.

"That little girl Qi Lingyun was right after all."

Su Mu smiled bitterly to himself.

If he makes a move now, he will definitely not be able to escape unscathed.

Qi Lingyun's earlier prediction that he would get injured seems to have come true.

He is very likely to get injured today.

Even getting injured is the best outcome.

Su Mu was not an indecisive person. Without much hesitation, he flew forward.

As he flew forward, he unleashed the Heaven and Earth Transformation Technique and the Three Heads and Six Arms Technique.

In an instant, it had transformed into a three-headed, six-armed giant, reaching a height of tens of feet.

When facing the Celestial Venerable, how could he dare to hold back even the slightest bit?
Rumble!
Su Mu, accompanied by the sounds of wind and thunder, powerfully descended upon the battlefield. Upon his appearance, he immediately launched a fierce attack on the Heavenly Venerable.

"How did you come?"

Ning Hongchen's expression changed when he saw Su Mu, and he couldn't help but say in a deep voice.

"What happens here is none of your business, get out!"

Ning Hongchen shouted loudly.

"Old Ning, you may be powerful, but you might not be able to defeat the Heavenly Venerable. What if you get killed if I don't come?"

As Su Mu spoke, his hands never stopped moving.

He disregarded everything and unleashed his most powerful attack.

boom!
A powerful force surged forth, and Su Mu's body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

While still in the air, a trace of blood had already appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Qi Lingyun's prediction came true; he was indeed injured.

Su Mu was already injured in just one encounter.

But the Celestial Venerable opposite him showed no joy whatsoever; instead, his face was filled with shame and anger.

It was one thing for Ning Hongchen to pester him for half a day, after all, Ning Hongchen was one of the Seventy-Two Thieves.

Now, even a random kid can jump out and survive a single blow from me. As a Celestial Venerable, how could I fail to kill a mere Heavenly Fate Realm cultivator with a single strike? If other Celestial Venerables knew this, wouldn't they laugh at me for three hundred years?

"I do not kill nameless nobodies. State your name."

The Heavenly Venerable looked at Su Mu and said coldly.

"A true man never changes his name or surname, and that is Cha Haishan."

Su Mu said in a very serious tone.

Ning Hongchen subconsciously lowered her head to avoid the other person noticing the unusual expression on her face.

Su Mu is completely different from the other seventy-two. He can say such things without batting an eye. They are no match for him.

"Zha Haishan?"

The Celestial Venerable opposite him frowned; he had never heard of this name before.

"I've already given my name, shouldn't you give yours too?"

Su Mu looked at the Celestial Venerable opposite him and spoke.

"Listen carefully, I am Li Tianzun!"

The Heavenly Venerable said coldly.

"Most Celestial Venerables use their surnames as their titles. This reflects their confidence, allowing one person to represent one surname."

Ning Hongchen said in a low voice, "Now is not the time for you to fight the Heavenly Venerable. I will keep him occupied, and you can take the opportunity to leave."

After Ning Hongchen finished speaking, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

He took a step forward, and his blood-red aura surged into the sky.

In an instant, countless crimson rays of light appeared from all directions, flying in at an incredible speed.

When the lights flew closer, Su Mu realized that they were all Ning Hongchens.

To be precise, they should all be incarnations of Ning Hongchen.

Su Mu had practiced Ning Hongchen's external avatar technique, and he knew that this kind of avatar was based on one's own body and then gradually refined.

Each time an incarnation is cultivated, one must endure extraordinary pain, and it takes countless hours to improve the cultivation level of the incarnation.

To this day, Su Mu has only cultivated two avatars, both of which have already perished in battle.

But now, Ning Hongchen has a total of twelve avatars!
The twelve avatars, plus Ning Hongchen's original body, were equivalent to thirteen Ning Hongchens, surrounding Li Tianzun in the center, and their attacks fell like a storm.

Even Li Tianzun was entangled with Ning Hongchen and found it difficult to extricate himself.

Su Mu was captivated by what he saw.

He finally understood why the Seventy-Two Sages were so renowned.

Ning Hongchen's strength was only ranked in the lower middle range among the Seventy-Two Sages. If he had such strength, one can imagine how terrifying the other Seventy-Two Sages must have been.

Speaking of which, Su Mu has cultivated the Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique and the Great Evolution Technique to the Great Perfection realm. In terms of realm alone, he is actually no less than the Seventy-Two Sages.

However, the Seventy-Two Sages' combat experience and versatile methods are still superior to Su Mu's.

Su Mu felt that if he were in Li Tianzun's position to fight Ning Hongchen, he would be flustered and confused. Although he might not lose, winning would not be easy either.

Ning Hongchen's strength is indeed among the top of the experts Su Mu has ever seen.

Unfortunately, his opponent was the Celestial Venerable!
Facing the attacks of thirteen Ning Hongchens, Li Tianzun remained completely calm. He moved slowly and gracefully, blocking all of Ning Hongchen's attacks.

Moreover, with a casual strike, he could throw Ning Hongchen into a panic.

Just a few breaths later, Li Tianzun struck one of Ning Hongchen's avatars on the head with a palm.

There was a dull thud.

Ning Hongchen's avatar exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Seeing this, Su Mu lifted his foot, wanting to join the battle.

That's when.

suddenly.

Li Tianzun's expression changed. He turned around abruptly, shouted, and threw a punch.

Even when facing attacks from thirteen Ning Hongchens, Li Tianzun remained calm and composed.

But now, a rare look of solemnity appeared on his face.

He couldn't even pay attention to Ning Hongchen's attack.

He channeled his power, neither dodging nor evading, letting Ning Hongchen's attacks land on him, while he himself charged forward with all his might.

It's too late, but it's soon.

A flash of light appeared in the air, and a claw materialized out of thin air, reaching out to grab Li Tianzun.

Actually, the claw was originally aimed at Li Tianzun's back, but as soon as it appeared, Li Tianzun noticed it and turned around and threw a punch at an incredible speed.

As a result, the claw scratched onto Li Tianzun's fist.

Amidst the clanging of metal against metal, the energy spread in all directions like boiling water.

The claw swiftly retracted into the void and vanished, as if it had never existed.

Li Tianzun's face was grim, and his power exploded. The violent shockwave forced Ning Hongchen and his remaining eleven avatars to retreat several steps at the same time.

Su Mu's foot was still suspended in mid-air.

After all this happened, he hadn't even taken a single step.

He blinked. That paw looked so familiar.
Cat Nine?

Back then, Cat Nine used to stay on his head all the time, so he was extremely familiar with Cat Nine's claws.

That paw just now definitely looked like Cat Nine's paw.

only--

Su Mu had a thought to himself: this strength doesn't seem like that of Mao Jiu.

To be honest, Su Mu was never really sure how strong Mao Jiu was.

When he first met Mao Jiu, he thought Mao Jiu was only at the Returning Void Realm, but later he discovered that Mao Jiu had the strength of the Heavenly Profound Realm.

Later, Mao Jiu was able to fight against those in the Heavenly Fate Realm.

That's fine, after all, it's reasonable that Mao Jiu, who can hang out with the Seventy-Two Sages, has the cultivation level of the Heavenly Fate Realm.

But what did he just see?
Su Mu stared wide-eyed at Li Tianzun's right hand.

On Li Tianzun's right hand was a clear wound, from which dark golden blood dripped down and landed on the ground with a dull thud.

That single drop of blood felt as heavy as a million pounds.

Li Tianzun is injured!
Ning Hongchen attacked with all his might for so long, yet he couldn't even scratch Li Tianzun.

Cat Nine made Li Tianzun bleed as soon as he made a move?
Is this really Cat Nine?
Only the Heavenly Venerable can make the Heavenly Venerable bleed.

Could it be——

An unbelievable thought flashed through Su Mu's mind.

Did Mao Jiu steal the position of Venerable One left behind by Bai Tianzun?
Thinking of this, Su Mu couldn't help but want to laugh.

In order to seize the throne, Fu Canglan of the Cangqiong Sect did not hesitate to go to the Ruins Realm to lead troops into battle.

There is also Yang Hong, the sect leader of the True Saint Sect, and Wu Zu, the sect leader of the Martial Sect.

Many powerful figures from various regions are striving for the position of Bai Tianzun.

Surprisingly, Cat Nine beat him to it first?

If Fu Canglan and the others found out, they'd probably go crazy.

Su Mu thought to himself.

He looked around but did not find any trace of Cat Nine.

Cat Nine is the Heavenly Cat, best at concealing heavenly secrets and hiding its movements. In the past, it could deceive almost everyone's eyes. Now that it has become a Heavenly Venerable, it will be even less likely to be discovered.

No wonder Li Tianzun's expression was so solemn.

If a master of the same level is lurking in the shadows, ready to launch a sneak attack at any moment, who wouldn't panic?

"Hmph, Cat Nine, now that you've escaped from the others' attack, you should find a place to hide."

"You dare show your face in front of me? Then you'll stay here!"

Li Tianzun snorted coldly.

He spread his arms and flicked his ten fingers rapidly.

As he moved, visible threads appeared in the sky.

The silk threads wove rapidly, eventually forming a large net that covered an area of ​​hundreds of miles.

Li Tianzun shouted, and the large net instantly merged into the space.

With a loud bang, Cat Nine was actually thrown out of the void by the net.

It somersaulted in mid-air, landing on all fours with its back arched high.

"Li Tianzun, why did you force me out here?"

Cat Nine said with a displeased look, "You three ganged up on me before, so you got to decide what to do."

Now it's the three of us against one of you, so it's our turn to call the shots.

"Hmph, until you reach the Heavenly Venerable level, you'll always be just an ant."

Li Tianzun said dismissively, "Those two are just extras."

Although you have achieved the status of a Celestial Venerable, you have only just broken through. Do you even deserve to be my opponent?
"Cat Nine, don't blame me for not giving you a chance. If you voluntarily relinquish your position and then join the other two in serving me as your master, I will show mercy and spare your lives."

"Li Tianzun, don't speak too confidently."

Ning Hongchen said coldly, "If it really comes down to a fight, I can't say whether I can survive, but I can guarantee that you will pay a price you can't afford."

"Li Tianzun, how about we try to see if the three of us can kill you?"
Who knows, after the Heavenly Venerable of the Day, another Heavenly Venerable might fall.

"Cat Nine said, baring his teeth."

"Just you?"

Li Tianzun sneered.

"Old Li, don't call that Cat Celestial Venerable a Celestial Venerable."

Mao Jiu said, "Don't expect those two guys to help you. I tricked them into going to a place a hundred and eight thousand miles away. They won't be back for several months."

"Stop talking nonsense, beat him up."

Su Mu said.

With a swift movement, he launched an attack on Li Tianzun.

Knowing that Mao Jiu had already become a Celestial Venerable, Su Mu had no more scruples.

Admittedly, Cat Nine has only recently broken through to the next level, and in terms of experience, he cannot compare to Li Tianzun.

But a Celestial Venerable is a Celestial Venerable. With Cat Nine in charge, and both he and Ning Hongchen being formidable opponents, why would he need to fear Li Celestial Venerable?

Now is a golden opportunity.

An opportunity to fight against the Celestial Venerable.

Seeing that Su Mu had already pounced on him, Ning Hongchen's face showed a hint of helplessness.

How could the seventy-two sages, who were cautious throughout their lives, have such a reckless successor?
Su Mu usually seems quite composed, so why is he so reckless?
That's a Celestial Venerable, you know.

Even if you cultivate the Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique to the Great Perfection, you only have the possibility of fighting against the Heavenly Venerable.

If one were to actually fight a Celestial Venerable, one could easily end up seriously injured or even dead.

Didn't you see I almost died at the hands of the Celestial Venerable?
I have been studying the Celestial Venerable as my hypothetical enemy for so many years, and I am still like this. How can you, a mere brat, fight against the Celestial Venerable?
Ning Hongchen sighed.

He couldn't just stand by and watch Su Mu die at Li Tianzun's hands.

"Cat Nine, make your move. Let's defeat Li Tianzun first."

Ning Hongchen said, and together with Mao Jiu, they pounced on Li Tianzun.

In an instant, a Celestial Venerable and two peak-level experts of the Fate Realm, whose strength was comparable to that of a Celestial Venerable, surrounded Li Celestial Venerable in the center and attacked him frantically.

"You are seeking death!"

Li Tianzun was utterly enraged. He roared, and his power as a Tianzun exploded forth. (End of Chapter)