The First Marquis of Daxuan

Chapter 720 Heavenly Net Umbrella

Du Rongcheng appeared to be insane, his eyes bloodshot, and he was emitting low growls like a wild beast.

He ran wildly up the Heavenly Ladder of Nanheng Mountain.

The martial artists watching were dumbfounded.

This is the third miracle they have witnessed today.

The first miracle was that Su Mu climbed the nine thousand steps.

The second miracle was that Du Rongcheng broke through to the peak of the Heavenly Fate Realm in an instant.

Now comes the third miracle.

Du Rongcheng raced along the Heavenly Ladder of Nanheng Mountain, even faster than Su Mu had been.

Everyone got excited.

Some people even waved their fists and cheered for Du Rongcheng.

The scene was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums.

Du Rongcheng charged up seven thousand steps in one go, breaking his previous record.

Just then, he suddenly stumbled and knelt down on one knee on the steps.

With a muffled thud, the sound was heard even from a great distance by the martial artists.

Their eyelids twitched, and their faces showed an expression of unbearable disapproval.

That sound was so loud, it must have hurt to hear.

"Young Master Du has broken his own record, but he is still two thousand steps away from catching up with Su Mu."

A martial artist whispered.

"I reckon that Young Master Du is still a bit inferior to Su Mu. Have you heard? Several Celestial Venerables have joined forces to recommend Su Mu to be the Lord of Yang in the Yang Realm. Soon, Su Mu will publicly accept challenges from all under heaven. As long as he can pass the test, he will become the Lord of Yang."

"The title of Lord Yang was initially proposed by Fu Canglan, the sect leader of the Cangqiong Sect, Wu Zu, the sect leader of the Wu Sect, and Yang Hong, the sect leader of the Zhensheng Sect. Now that Fu Canglan, the sect leader of the Cangqiong Sect, is dead, the other two have also given up. They have essentially done the work for others, and Su Mu has benefited from it all."

"How can you say that Su Mu got off easy? Su Mu truly has the ability; otherwise, why wouldn't the Heavenly Venerables recommend you?"

"That makes sense. Even someone as strong as Young Master Du pales in comparison to Su Mu."

The crowd began to discuss the matter, and the topic kept shifting until it eventually turned into a discussion about whether Su Mu had any children.

Neither Su Mu nor Du Rongcheng paid attention to the audience.

Su Mu remained seated on the nine thousand steps, the nine thousand times gravity constantly weighing on him.

He slowly circulated the Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique, feeling the subtle changes in his body.

This pressure was something he couldn't ignore either.

His cells were constantly being torn apart, and then repaired under the influence of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique.

Through repeated cycles of damage and repair, his body gradually became stronger.

This improvement isn't the kind that's visible to the naked eye; it's very subtle.

However, Su Mu's strength had already reached the limit of the Heavenly Fate Realm. At this moment, even the slightest improvement would be enough to bring about earth-shattering changes in him.

To put it dramatically, with Su Mu's current strength, even a single strand of his hair is equivalent to the full power of a Heavenly Profound Realm expert.

Su Mu was in no hurry to reach the top. Firstly, he wanted to wait for Du Rongcheng, and secondly, he wanted to make the most of the pressure from the Heavenly Ladder.

Since we're already here, wouldn't it be a waste of our trip if we didn't make the most of this Heavenly Ladder of Nanheng Mountain?

Seeing Du Rongcheng kneeling on one knee on the steps, panting heavily, Su Mu began to have doubts.

Du Rongcheng seems to have reached his limit. Should we provoke him a little more?

How will we know where his limits are if we don't push him a little?

Su Mu now wants to do something helpful.

Just as he was about to provoke Du Rongcheng again.

suddenly.

Du Rongcheng suddenly raised his head, a fierce look appearing on his face.

The next moment, Du Rongcheng's brow lit up, and a beam of white light shot out, landing directly in his hand.

boom!
An invisible aura emanated from the Heavenly Ladder of Nanheng Mountain.

The point of white light transformed into an umbrella in Du Rongcheng's hand.

The umbrella was opened, covering Du Rongcheng underneath.

The golden umbrella is covered with paintings of rare birds and animals, all vividly depicted.

The moment the umbrella opened, a force enveloped Du Rongcheng.

Du Rongcheng immediately stood up.

With the help of this umbrella, Du Rongcheng's pressure was greatly reduced.

He looked up at Su Mu and took another step.

…………

Su Mu frowned slightly.

Can one climb the Heavenly Ladder of Nanheng Mountain with the help of external forces?
Lei Tianzun and Qi Lingyun did not tell him this.

However, after a moment's thought, Su Mu understood.

The reason why Lei Tianzun and Qi Lingyun didn't remind him was because they felt it was unnecessary.

With Su Mu's strength, he doesn't need to rely on external forces at all.

When Lei Tianzun and Qi Lingyun ascended Nanheng Mountain, they did not rely on the power of weapons.

So they didn't even think to tell Su Mu about such a trivial matter.

In fact, using weapons is normal for most martial artists.

Du Rongcheng also used a weapon when he climbed the seven thousand steps.

"This umbrella..."

Su Mu examined the umbrella in Du Rongcheng's hand.

He is an expert in weapon forging, and now he has even comprehended the Chaos Void Heavenly Law.

In terms of weapon forging alone, Su Mu's expertise is unparalleled.

To others, the umbrella in Du Rongcheng's hand might just be a powerful weapon.

But Su Mu could tell at a glance that this umbrella was unusual.

The strange and exotic animals on the umbrella were all alive.

This means that someone used extraordinary means to seal these rare and exotic beasts onto the umbrella surface.

A warrior wielding this umbrella can unleash wondrous beasts depicted on its surface to attack enemies.

The presence of these rare and exotic beasts on the umbrella surface further enhances its defensive capabilities.

It can be used both offensively and defensively; it is ingeniously crafted.

Most importantly, those rare and exotic beasts were all extraordinary species of nature, and even Su Mu had only heard of them but had never seen them with his own eyes.

Who on earth has such great power to collect so many rare and exotic beasts and seal them inside the umbrella?

Su Mu pondered to himself.

He counted carefully and found that the number of strange and exotic animals on the umbrella matched the number of the Heavenly Dipper.

Thirty-six in total.

Even though these rare and exotic beasts were not released at this moment, Su Mu could sense that their strength was no less than that of the peak of the Heavenly Fate Realm.

This means that whoever controls this umbrella will have thirty-six guards at the peak of the Heavenly Fate Realm.

This Du Rongcheng is no ordinary person.

Such a precious treasure was actually in his hands.

Even the Heavenly Venerable's own son might not receive such treatment, let alone an illegitimate child.

Su Mu had seen the sons of Heavenly Venerables before, but he had never seen any Heavenly Venerable with such a grand gesture.

"Such a treasure is not easy to forge. Even I might not be able to forge such a weapon now. Where did Du Rongcheng get it?"

Su Mu thought to himself, "Du Rongcheng is really revealing more and more secrets."

Such a foundation is something that no ordinary force can possess.

While Su Mu was pondering, Du Rongcheng, with the help of the umbrella, sped up again.

After taking a few steps, he muttered something to himself.

Suddenly, a strange and exotic beast flew out from the umbrella.

With a deafening roar, the four-legged beast landed on the steps, roaring to the sky with a thunderous sound.

Du Rongcheng grabbed the beast's horn and climbed onto its back.

The strange beast took off running and galloped wildly up the steps.

The beast charged up three hundred steps in one go, then, exhausted, it transformed into a beam of light and returned to the umbrella surface.

Then another strange beast flew out from the umbrella, protecting Du Rongcheng as he climbed upwards.

Today, the Heavenly Ladder on Nanheng Mountain is truly a spectacular sight.

Who would have thought that Du Rongcheng had such abilities?
One after another, mythical beasts that existed only in legends appeared before their eyes.

Putting everything else aside, this scene alone is enough for them to brag about for centuries.

"I was wrong to say that Young Master Du was not qualified to compete with Su Mu."

One of the martial artists who was watching the commotion said seriously, "I want to apologize to Young Master Du. I underestimated you and looked down on you."

"I also want to apologize to Young Master Du."

"Me too."

"Who do you think will win this contest between Young Master Du and Su Mu?"

Someone interjected.

Everyone fell silent.

Just a moment ago, they would have said Su Mu would win.

But now, none of them can say for sure.

"The Supreme Celestial! They've even alarmed the Supreme Celestial!"

Suddenly someone pointed to the mountaintop and exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing the sound, everyone looked over and saw that the clouds and mist on the summit of Nanheng Mountain had quietly dissipated at some point.

A tall, slender figure stood at the end of the steps, hands behind his back, looking ethereal and otherworldly.

No explanation or proof is needed.

The moment they saw the person, everyone immediately recognized their identity.

Supreme Celestial!
It's like a self-evident truth.

No one doubted it.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the mountain peak with fervent expressions.

That's the Supreme Celestial!

The legendary number one person in the world!
Unexpectedly, the conflict between Su Mu and Du Rongcheng even alarmed him.

As soon as the Celestial Venerable appeared, the clouds and mist that had been shrouding the summit of Nanheng Mountain for many years dissipated, and everyone saw the true face of the summit of Nanheng Mountain for the first time.

Even though they were separated by those thousand-foot-long steps, everyone could still see clearly.

The summit of Nanheng Mountain was deserted, with only a thatched hut and a stone tablet.

Who would have thought that the residence of the most powerful person in the world would be so simple?

Some of the more astute individuals had already focused their attention on the stone tablet.

Unfortunately, even with exceptional eyesight, a martial artist could only make out an outline from this distance and couldn't make out the contents of the stone tablet at all.

These Heavenly Profound Realm warriors were completely unaware of the legends surrounding the Chaos Diagram, and naturally wouldn't even consider it.

Su Mu had already sensed something before everyone discovered Jue Tianzun.

He slowly stood up, turned his head, and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Jue Tianzun nodded slightly, then his gaze passed over Su Mu and landed on Du Rongcheng. To be precise, it landed on the umbrella that Du Rongcheng was holding.

"Heavenly Net Umbrella".

Three words were uttered from the mouth of the Supreme Celestial.

His voice was very soft, and it was blown away by the mountain wind as soon as he spoke.

If Su Mu hadn't been close enough, even he wouldn't have been able to hear the sound.

Those watching the commotion halfway up the mountain naturally didn't hear Jue Tianzun's voice.

However, Su Mu also knew that Jue Tianzun was doing this on purpose so that he could hear it; otherwise, a dignified Tianzun would have a thousand ways to prevent him from hearing those words.

"The Heavenly Net Umbrella?"

Su Mu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly searched through his memories, but he couldn't find those three words.

As the world's top weaponsmith, Su Mu has a thorough understanding of all the divine weapons and powerful artifacts in the world.

He was certain that the Heavenly Net Umbrella was not a divine weapon in this world.

Of course, the names of weapons can often be chosen arbitrarily; just because Su Mu hasn't heard of them doesn't mean they don't exist.

But the Heavenly Net Umbrella in Du Rongcheng's hand was clearly not some obscure divine weapon.

Even Su Mu would find it difficult to forge such a divine weapon.

Having considered all the weapon-making masters in the world, Su Mu couldn't think of anyone with such ability.

Moreover, judging from the tone of Jue Tianzun's voice, he seemed to know the origin of this Heavenly Net Umbrella.

Unfortunately, Lei Tianzun, Qi Lingyun, and Ning Hongchen were not around, otherwise we could have asked them if they knew about the Heavenly Net Umbrella.

As for asking the Heavenly Venerable of Absolute Despair, Su Mu knew he didn't have that kind of face.

This was his first meeting with Jue Tianzun, and they weren't familiar with each other.

Du Rongcheng was focused on climbing, and with the Heavenly Net Umbrella blocking his view, he didn't notice Jue Tianzun's appearance at all.

A moment later, Du Rongcheng had reached the 8,500th step and was not far from the 9,000th step where Su Mu was.

Only then did he slightly raise the umbrella, wanting to see where Su Mu was.

Upon seeing this, he nearly fell off the beast's back.

Even the strange beast paused for a moment.

The next moment, he noticed that Jue Tianzun was not making any movement, so he gritted his teeth and continued upward.

Although the appearance of Jue Tianzun was somewhat unexpected, he had already made preparations to meet Jue Tianzun before coming to Nanheng Mountain.

In fact, half of his purpose in coming here was to see Jue Tianzun.

It was only because he was provoked by Su Mu that his behavior became somewhat out of control.

Thinking of this, Du Rongcheng glared fiercely at Su Mu.

He originally wanted to appear before Jue Tianzun in a calm and collected manner, but it was all Su Mu's fault that made his first meeting with Jue Tianzun so hasty and embarrassing!

Su Mu felt somewhat bewildered.

Why are you glaring at me?

You're the one who wanted to compete with me, aren't you?

I've been giving you the time of day for several hours now.

"Du Rongcheng, your speed is still not good enough."

Su Mu was annoyed, but said aloud, "At your speed, you'll probably never catch up with me."

Before he finished speaking, Su Mu turned and walked towards the summit of Nanheng Mountain.

Du Rongcheng was so angry he was practically fuming.

He angrily channeled his power, urging the beast beneath him to increase its speed.

No matter how fast he went, Su Mu always maintained the same distance from him.

There are a hundred steps between the two.

This distance continued until Su Mu reached the summit and stood shoulder to shoulder with Jue Tianzun before it began to shrink.

Anyone could see that Du Rongcheng had completely lost; he had been thoroughly humiliated by Su Mu.

As Su Mu said, if the steps didn't have an end, Du Rongcheng would probably never have caught up with Su Mu.

The Heavenly Ladder of Nanheng Mountain has an end, but the path of martial arts cultivation has no end.

Du Rongcheng might be able to catch up with Su Mu here, but on another road with no end, he probably will never catch up with Su Mu.

The onlookers halfway up the mountain thought to themselves.

Since the appearance of the Celestial Venerable, they haven't dared to utter a sound, let alone discuss it.

If it weren't for the desire to see the final result, some people would have already succumbed to the pressure and left.

Everyone is now clinging to life by the fire of gossip, and even when facing the Supreme Celestial, they are unwilling to leave.

call!
call!
Du Rongcheng finally reached the summit of Nanheng Mountain. He closed the Heavenly Net Umbrella, and without even bothering to pay his respects to Jue Tianzun, he began to pant heavily.

Although he reached the summit with the help of a powerful treasure, he genuinely withstood thousands of times the force of gravity along the way.

Suddenly relaxing, he felt utterly exhausted.

After catching his breath, Du Rongcheng straightened up and bowed to Jue Tianzun.

"I am Du Rongcheng, greetings to Venerable Jue Tianzun."

Du Rongcheng spoke up.

Jue Tianzun looked at Du Rongcheng and slowly asked, "What is your relationship with Du Bao?"

“Du Bao is my father.”

Du Rongcheng puffed out his chest and said proudly.

"No wonder the Heavenly Net Umbrella is in your hands."

Jue Tianzun said expressionlessly, "Did he pass the Heavenly Net Umbrella to you because he died?"

The words of the Supreme Celestial were extremely rude.

A flash of anger crossed Du Rongcheng's face, but he dared not show it in front of Jue Tianzun.

He lowered his head, concealing the anger in his eyes.

“My father is in good health. In fact, his cultivation has improved, and he no longer needs the Heavenly Net Umbrella. That’s why he bestowed it upon me.”

Du Rongcheng spoke up.

"Another step forward?"

A dark glint flashed across the face of the icy-faced Jue Tianzun.

Su Mu's gaze remained fixed on the two of them.

From their conversation, Su Mu deduced that Jue Tianzun and Du Rongcheng's father knew each other.

Su Mu also noticed the change in Jue Tianzun's expression.

Upon hearing that his old acquaintance had made further progress in his cultivation, Jue Tianzun did not show joy, but rather a hint of jealousy.
How could a dignified Celestial Venerable, the foremost being in this world, be jealous of others?
This discovery stirred up a wave of emotions in Su Mu's heart.

Just who exactly is this Du Bao?
Among the celestial beings of the mortal realm, there seems to be no one with the surname Du.

But if it weren't for the Celestial Venerable, it shouldn't have aroused the jealousy of the Celestial Venerable Jue.

If Du Bao is only at the Heavenly Fate Realm, then even if he advances further, he will only be a Heavenly Venerable. Ordinary Heavenly Venerables cannot compare to Absolute Heavenly Venerables.

Su Mu was filled with doubt, feeling as if he had discovered some secret.

The fact that Jue Tianzun and Du Rongcheng made no attempt to hide anything from him, what did they mean by that?
Do they think this isn't a secret, or do they think it's okay for me to hear it?

Upon realizing this, Su Mu became more vigilant.

If you're not afraid of him hearing any secrets, does that mean you're not afraid of him leaking those secrets?
What kind of person will not leak secrets?
dead!

Although Lei Tianzun and Qi Lingyun were certain that Jue Tianzun never killed those weaker than himself, who knows?
What if the Celestial Venerable Jue changes his nature?
“Lord Jue Tianzun, I have come here on my father’s orders to invite you to come out of seclusion.”

Du Rongcheng said, "My father said that as long as you, Jue Tianzun, are willing to assist me, he will help you achieve your wish."

"His purpose in sending you here wasn't just to recruit me, was it?"

Jue Tianzun said noncommittally.

“That’s right, my father even told me to take it back with me.”

Du Rongcheng casually pointed to the stone tablet on the mountaintop.

In fact, Su Mu had also noticed the stone tablet.

He suspected it was the Chaos Record, but strangely, this Chaos Record was completely different from the other three Chaos Records in his possession.

The three Chaos Diagrams in his hand were only a foot square, but the stone tablet on the summit of Nanheng Mountain was ten feet high and two feet wide.

Su Mu wasn't sure if such a large stone tablet was indeed the Chaos Record.

Logically speaking, the nine pieces of the Chaos Chart should be the same size, as they are fragments of a single complete chart.

Su Mu also suspected that the Chaos Diagram itself might have the ability to change, which is why it could be large or small.

Now, after hearing what Du Rongcheng said, Su Mu was certain.

This stone tablet is indeed the Chaos Record.

It's just that no one knows what method Jue Tianzun used to make it so big.

Du Rongcheng's recruitment of Jue Tianzun was none of his business, but Du Rongcheng's desire to take away the Chaos Record was something that concerned him.

"The Supreme Celestial said that whoever can comprehend the profound meaning of the Chaos Diagram will be able to take this Chaos Diagram."

Du Rongcheng, do you want Jue Tianzun to go back on his word and profit from it?

Su Mu spoke up.

A glint of light flashed in the eyes of the Supreme Celestial, and he slowly said, "Now that you two have come before me, you are qualified to comprehend the Chaos Diagram."

"I'm giving you a chance. Whoever can decipher the mysteries of this Chaos Diagram can take it."

"Lord Jue Tian, ​​are you rejecting me?"

Du Rongcheng's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Others may not know, but don't you know my father's identity?"

"Humph."

Jue Tianzun snorted coldly, and an invisible pressure slammed down on Du Rongcheng.

There was a click.

Du Rongcheng knelt on both knees, his whole body drenched in sweat.

“Even if your father, Du Baoqin, came, he wouldn’t dare to speak to me like that.”

The Supreme Celestial said coldly, "Don't let it happen a second time, or I won't hesitate to make an exception and ensure that your Du family line ends."

The moment the imposing presence of the world's number one figure was revealed, Du Rongcheng turned deathly pale.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Venerable Jue had no intention of killing anyone; he only briefly displayed his aura before withdrawing it.

Du Rongcheng then realized the enormous gap between himself and Jue Tianzun.

If people don't take his father seriously, his level of cultivation is nothing in their eyes.

He didn't even have a chance to open the Heavenly Net Umbrella.

“Lord Jue Tianzun, that’s not what I meant.”

Du Rongcheng got up and said to Jue Tianzun, "Before I came here, my father asked me to give this Heavenly Net Umbrella to Jue Tianzun. This is our sincerity."

The Heavenly Net Umbrella is the glory of my Du family. As long as you, Absolute Celestial Venerable, are willing to join my Du family, it will be yours.

With a look of reluctance on his face, Du Rongcheng handed the Heavenly Net Umbrella to Jue Tianzun.

A flicker of interest flashed in the eyes of the Supreme Celestial, but he did not reach out. Instead, he said calmly, "Go and study the Chaos Diagram."

"If you can glean anything from this chaotic diagram, it means you have potential, so why not give you a chance?"

But if you can't figure it out, I don't have the habit of dealing with useless people.

"It's a cold statement from the Supreme Celestial," said the Heavenly Venerable.

Being able to climb to the summit of Nanheng Mountain is merely qualifying one to undergo the test; the real test has yet to begin.

A genius is merely the threshold to meeting the Supreme Celestial.

(End of this chapter)