The First Marquis of Daxuan

"I'm counting to three."

Su Mu raised a finger, his killing intent undisguised.

If the Heavenly Thief still doesn't tell, Su Mu will immediately kill him; no one doubts that.

The Heavenly Thief looked helpless.

"Why are you so hot-tempered, young man?"

The Heavenly Thief said helplessly, "I'm just saying that right now."

Why do you think I know you can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha?
Since I dare to say this, I must be confident.

Su Mu had a black heart, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.

Lei Tianzun and Mao Jiu could no longer control their urge to kill Dao Tianzun.

Not to mention them, even Li Tianzun and the others are almost at their breaking point.

It's only because the Heavenly Thief is so powerful that he could survive; otherwise, someone like him would probably have been killed countless times over.

The Thief Lord realized he had angered everyone and shrank back.

"You people are just too hasty."

The Thief Celestial Venerable pursed his lips and said, "If I don't explain the cause and effect clearly, how can you understand?"
"Let me tell you directly, the reason I'm certain Su Mu can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha is because Su Mu is the world's number one weaponsmith. He might be able to forge the divine weapon the Thousand-Faced Buddha dreams of. Do you understand?"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

What's so hard to understand?
“I know the Thousand-Faced Buddha has always wanted a weapon. If Su Mu can forge it, then we can use it to lure the Thousand-Faced Buddha out, and that would be the same as finding him.”

"I am the Heavenly Thief," the Heavenly Thief continued.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

Why is it so difficult for you to explain something so simple?

That means the other party is the Thief of Heaven, otherwise countless people would already be itching to beat him up.

"I do have some knowledge of weapon forging, but I'm not entirely confident that I can successfully forge the weapon you mentioned."

Su Mu pondered for a moment, his face showing a wary expression.

He truly did not trust the Heavenly Thief.

Moreover, this whole affair is shrouded in an aura of conspiracy. Who knows if the Thief Celestial Venerable is part of a conspiracy?

"Trust me, you can do it."

Thief Celestial said, “I’m not bragging, but when it comes to judging people and things, if I, Thief Celestial, am second, then no one in the world can be called first.”

"I've made a living with these eyes since I was a child."

"Shouldn't you be earning a living with your hands?"

Cat Nine said, "You can't steal anything by relying on your eyes."

"Taking action is only the last step. First, you have to use your eyes to see where the good stuff is and what the good stuff is."

Without a keen eye, even the fastest hands will be useless.

"The Heavenly Thief said with a serious expression."

"Been taught a lesson."

Cat Nine nodded seriously.

Everyone was speechless. You two are supposed to be Celestial Venerables, yet you're discussing the art of theft in broad daylight?
Aren't you ashamed?
"Getting back to the main point, Thief Celestial Venerable, what weapon does the Thousand-Faced Buddha desire? Do you possess the weapon-forging formula?"

Su Mu interrupted their conversation and asked directly.

He originally didn't want to get involved in this mess, but since the Heavenly Thief had dragged him into it, as the Lord of Yang, he also had a responsibility to find the traitor who colluded with the Void Beast.

At this point, he could no longer back down.

“I already said that I have fought against the Thousand-Faced Buddha for a thousand years. I understand him as well as I understand myself.”

The Thief Celestial said confidently, "The divine weapon he has always wanted is a mirror, and this mirror is called the Heart-Reflecting Mirror."

"A mirror reflecting one's heart?"

Everyone looked thoughtful.

"This Heart-Reflecting Mirror can reflect one's own mind, and even the slightest changes in oneself can be clearly seen under the Heart-Reflecting Mirror."

In this way, one can be constantly aware of changes in the body during cultivation, making the process much more efficient.

"I am the Heavenly Thief," the Heavenly Thief continued.

"Isn't this the measuring rod for the sky?"

Su Mu blurted it out.

"A measuring rod for the sky? What's that? I've never heard of it before?"

The Heavenly Thief licked his lips and spoke, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"nothing."

Su Mu shook his head and said, "The Measuring Ruler is also a divine weapon that can sense one's own cultivation level at any time."

Su Mu had previously considered refining it, but he never had the time to do so.

"Give me the formula for forging weapons using this 'Heart-Reflecting Mirror'."

Su Mu said in a deep voice.

"Old Li, this is something I worked really hard to get. I gave it all up for you this time. Su Mu got a celestial sphere, but I got nothing."

As he pulled something out of his robes, Dao Tianzun spoke to Li Tianzun.

"If I can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha, I will owe you a favor."

Li Tianzun said expressionlessly.

Su Mu didn't care about any deal between the two of them. He directly took the formula from the Thief of Heaven and looked down at it.

Reading the recipe quickly, Su Mu frowned involuntarily.

"How about it?"

Li Tianzun said somewhat impatiently.

Although he deeply loathed Su Mu, he hated the Thousand-Faced Buddha even more.

"The Mirror of the Heart is truly extraordinary."

Su Mu pondered for a moment and said, "I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee whether it will work."

Moreover, I don't have the materials needed to cast this mirror.

This will have to be provided by your Azure Sky Sect.

"no problem."

Without hesitation, Li Tianzun said decisively, "As long as it exists in the world, my Cangqiong Sect can gather it all for you."

However, this Mirror of the Heart, once forged, must belong to my Azure Sky Sect.

"I have no opinion."

Su Mu shrugged and said casually.

"But shouldn't you give me this celestial globe first?"

Su Mu looked at Li Tianzun.

Li Tianzun's expression froze.

After a moment of silence, he waved his hand.

"Go and fetch the armillary sphere, and give it to him!"

Li Tianzun said this almost through gritted teeth.

A murderous intent flashed deep in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"So what if I give it to you first? I'll deal with you after I've captured the Thousand-Faced Buddha. At that time, I'll retrieve the Armillary Sphere myself!"

Li Tianzun thought to himself, "How could the treasures of my Cangqiong Sect be taken so easily?"

…………

The Great Xuan Dynasty.

Su Mu's residence is located in the most central part of the capital city of the Great Xuan Dynasty, which is also the most heavily defended place in the Great Xuan Dynasty.

After returning from the Azure Sky Sect, Su Mu immediately began seclusion in his residence to forge weapons.

Around his residence, there were at least four celestial beings guarding the four directions.

The Azure Sky Sect even dispatched hundreds of powerful individuals to protect Su Mu.

The Azure Sky Sect, which should have been the most opposed to Su Mu, the Yang Lord, is now the most steadfast in protecting him.

Before the Mirror of Reflection is completed, the Azure Sky Sect will absolutely not allow anyone to harm Su Mu.

To allow Su Mu to focus on forging weapons, Li Tianzun went to great lengths to help Su Mu secure his position as the Lord of Yang.

After Su Mu gave the order, the Azure Sky Sect dispatched disciples to the front lines to resist the invasion of the Void Realm.

Everything seems to be moving in the right direction.

However, Su Mu, who was in seclusion, showed no sign of joy on his face.

"A celestial globe and a mirror reflecting the mind—is this a coincidence?"

Two things were laid out in front of Su Mu: one was the Celestial Instrument that Thief Celestial Venerable had obtained from the Azure Sky Sect, and the other was the casting formula for the Heart-Reflecting Mirror that Thief Celestial Venerable had given him.

Both items are related to the Thief of Heaven.

Tracing back further, it was discovered that someone colluded with the Void Beasts to secretly steal the Meteor Shuttle from the Azure Sky Sect, helping the Void Beasts break through the spatial barrier to launch a sneak attack on the Yang Realm.

Then He Tianzun stepped forward to take charge and led the people to the Cangqiong Sect.

"It's all too coincidental."

Su Mu muttered to himself.

If it were just someone colluding with the Void Beasts, Su Mu wouldn't find it too strange.

After all, there are plenty of people who collude with the Void Beasts. Didn't the Martial Ancestor's eldest disciple collude with the Void Beasts back then?
But what happened next made Su Mu feel that it was too coincidental.

Moreover, the Heavenly Thief immediately sought the Celestial Instrument from the Azure Sky Sect without even asking for his opinion.

Isn't it obvious they want to hand the armillary sphere to him?

Logically speaking, Su Mu should be happy that someone offered him such a divine weapon as the Armillary Sphere.

But Su Mu always believed that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and that pie will not fall from the sky.

Therefore, after obtaining the armillary sphere, Su Mu immediately examined it carefully.

This celestial sphere is one of the treasures of the Azure Sky Sect. Its function is simple: to connect all the disciples of the Azure Sky Sect.

All disciples of the Azure Sky Sect, even those thousands of miles apart, can contact the sect through the Celestial Instrument.

When a disciple of the Azure Sky Sect falls, the Celestial Instrument will also sense it.

It was precisely because of the Celestial Instrument that the Azure Sky Sect was able to transmit messages quickly, making the sect's cohesion far surpass that of other sects.

"A celestial globe combined with a mind-reflecting mirror..."

Su Mu quickly deduced in his mind that to others, these were just two weapons.

But Su Mu was the strongest weapon forger in the world, and he noticed something was wrong as soon as he arrived.

The armillary sphere can connect hundreds or thousands of people, and the mirror of the mind can reflect one's own mind and body. When these two are combined, it means that the power of the mirror of the mind can be reflected on hundreds or thousands of people.

If the Mind-Reflecting Mirror is used for oneself, it can indeed help one understand one's own situation, thereby improving the efficiency of cultivation.

However, when the Mind-Mirror is used on others, it can reveal their secrets and even—control them!
If the armillary sphere and the mirror of the mind fall into the hands of a person with evil intentions, they can easily control hundreds or thousands of people.

Of course, even if it comes to this, it's nothing to Su Mu.

There are too many ways to control others in this world. As the Thief Celestial Venerable, if he wanted to control others, he would have at least a hundred ways.

For the Celestial Venerable, controlling hundreds or thousands of people was a piece of cake; there was no need for such a great deal of trouble.

"The armillary sphere and the mirror reflecting the mind are not everything."

Su Mu thought to himself, "This is a complete set of divine weapons, just like the divine weapons of the Great Celestial Venerable."

The Heavenly Decree Divine Weapon Chart left by the Great Celestial Venerable records 360 Heavenly Decree Divine Weapons, and these 360 ​​Heavenly Decree Divine Weapons form a whole. The same principle applies to the Armillary Sphere and the Heart-Illuminating Mirror; they are also two pieces from a set of divine weapons.

Ning Hongchen and the others had always wanted to forge a divine weapon of destiny in order to awaken the Great Celestial Venerable.

What is the purpose of the Heavenly Thief Lord's actions?

Su Mu's skill in weapon forging was unparalleled throughout history, and he had also obtained the Heavenly Mandate Divine Weapon Chart left behind by the Great Celestial Venerable, so the Celestial Instrument and the Heart-Reflecting Mirror could not hide anything from him.

"Although I don't know the complete state of the Armillary Sphere and the Heart-Illuminating Mirror, I am now certain that, like the Heavenly Mandate Divine Weapon, it is related to the Chaos Record."

Su Mu thought to himself, "I didn't expect that besides the Great Celestial Venerable, there were other people who had also gleaned something from the Chaos Record."

After thinking for a long time, Su Mu finally decided to refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror first.

The Thief Celestial said that the Heart-Reflecting Mirror was bait to lure the Thousand-Faced Buddha. But from another perspective, isn't the Heart-Reflecting Mirror also bait to lure the Thief Celestial into revealing his true face?

In short, let's first refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror.

Just as Su Mu was pondering, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Su Mu secluded himself to forge his weapons, and no one would disturb him unless something particularly important happened.

Su Mu waved his hand and opened the door, and Dongfang Liuyun walked in with a solemn expression.

"Du Rongcheng has run away."

Dongfang Liuyun approached Su Mu and got straight to the point.

"As expected."

Su Mudao.

He made a deal with Du Rongcheng. Du Rongcheng used his life-saving skills to scare away the Void Beast for Su Mu, and Su Mu agreed to let Du Rongcheng go.

However, Su Mu would not interfere in the feuds between Du Rongcheng and others.

Su Mu won the position of Yang Lord, and Du Rongcheng's betting platform collapsed immediately. He didn't know how many spirit stones he owed others.

Those creditors have been chasing Du Rongcheng for debts these past few days.

It wasn't surprising to Su Mu that Du Rongcheng was able to escape from so many creditors.

Du Rongcheng is no ordinary person. His father is the Minister of Works of the Great Qian Dynasty, and his life-saving methods can even easily kill a Void Beast at the Heavenly Venerable level.

Even if someone is a playboy, they can't be easily trapped by others.

“I had arranged for people to follow him, but we still lost track of him. We don’t know how he returned to the Great Qian Dynasty.”

"Dongfang Liuyun said, with a hint of regret on his face.

"He will definitely come back."

Su Mu asked, "Is there anything else?"

If it were just about Du Rongcheng, then Dongfang Liuyun wouldn't need to disturb his seclusion.

Dongfang Liuyun had followed him for so many years and was already very familiar with his style.

"The Martial Ancestor is dead."

Dongfang Liuyun said in a deep voice.

"Ok?"

Su Mu was taken aback. "The Martial Ancestor is dead?"

He repeated himself, then pressed on in a deep voice, "How did you die?"

On the day of the Yang Master Conference, Martial Ancestor left the stage early after his defeat.

After the Martial Ancestor left, he should have gone to the original outer realm, which is now the border between the Yang Realm and the Void Realm, and also the front line of the war between the two realms.

Even so, how could the Martial Ancestor die with his strength?
Even if he went to the battlefield between the Yang Realm and the Void Realm, with his strength, there would be very few Void Beasts that could kill him.

Even if he encountered a Void Beast of the Celestial Venerable level, the Martial Ancestor might still have a chance to escape.

Furthermore, with the Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts of the Void Realm all coming to ambush them, how could they have time to deal with the Martial Ancestor?

Although Martial Ancestor challenged Su Mu that day, there was no personal grudge between them. On the contrary, they had a very good impression of each other.

Su Mu had always wanted to recruit the Martial Ancestor to help him.

He never expected that the Martial Ancestor would die.

The Martial Ancestor is only a thousand years old. For a martial artist who has cultivated physical martial arts to the highest level, a thousand years old is the prime of life.

"do not know."

Dongfang Liuyun shook his head. "A few days ago, the body of the Martial Ancestor was nailed to the city wall of Jianmen Pass."

Even the Celestial Venerable stationed at Jianmen Pass couldn't discover who did it.

After Su Mu ascended to the position of Lord of Yang, taking advantage of the fact that the Azure Sky Sect needed his help, Su Mu directly ordered the construction of nine passes in the original outer region to resist the invasion of the Void Realm.

Jianmen Pass is one of them.

With all the power of the world, these nine passes were completed in a short period of time. Moreover, each of these nine passes was guarded by a Celestial Venerable in turn. Although they could not be said to be impregnable, they did stop the invasion of the Void Realm beasts.

This can be said to be the biggest move Su Mu has made since taking office.

Is this a protest?

Su Mu said in a deep voice.

Jianmen Pass had only been built a short time ago, and the other side nailed the corpse of the Martial Ancestor to the city wall. What is this if not a demonstration?
"After the Martial Ancestor's body was discovered, the disciples of the Martial Sect went mad and, disregarding the obstruction of the Guardian Heavenly Venerable, stormed into the Ruins Realm."

Dongfang Liuyun continued, "The latest news is that the disciples of the Martial Sect are besieged by the army of the Void Realm on Scorpion Mountain in the Void Realm. The Lord of the Void Beasts has surrounded them but has not killed them. He sent a messenger to say that he would exchange the lives of the disciples of the Martial Sect for the Five Elements Mountain."

This is why Dongfang Liuyun was in such a hurry to find Su Mu.

The Martial Ancestor had no connection with their Great Xuan Dynasty, and the life and death of the Martial Sect disciples were also none of the Great Xuan Dynasty's business.

But now, the Lord of the Void Beasts is using the lives of the Martial Sect disciples to threaten Su Mu into handing over the Five Elements Mountain, which is related to the Great Xuan Dynasty.

Su Mu is now a Yang Lord, and in terms of status, he is equivalent to the Lord of the Void Beasts.

In theory, all martial artists below the Heavenly Venerable of the Yang Realm must obey Su Mu's orders, making him incredibly powerful.

But with power come obligations.

He can command all the martial artists in the world, but he must also be responsible for them.

Now that the disciples of the Martial Sect are trapped, Su Mu, as the Lord of Yang, should be sending troops to rescue them.

If Su Mu dares to stand by and watch someone die, his prestige will surely be greatly diminished.

Without prestige, his position as the Yang ruler would be nominal.

Identity is a double-edged sword; it has both advantages and disadvantages.

The Lord of the Void Beasts saw through this, which is why he used the lives of the Martial Sect disciples to exchange for the Five Elements Mountain.

It wasn't afraid that Su Mu would refuse.

If Su Mu refuses, he will definitely be resisted by all the martial artists in the world. Can a Yang Master who refuses to help someone in distress still be considered a Yang Master?

Without the Lord of Yang, the various forces in the Yang Realm will once again become a disorganized mess, and how can they withstand the invasion of the Void Realm?
If Su Mu didn't refuse, what would be wrong with releasing the Martial Sect disciple? As long as he could obtain the Five Elements Mountain, his strength would return to its peak.

The move by the Lord of the Void Beasts is a blatant conspiracy; no matter what Su Mu chooses, it will be the winner.

"The Lord of the Void Beasts has spread the news throughout the world."

Dongfang Liuyun said with a serious expression, "Everyone is watching you now."

The Lord of the Void Beasts said that if you do not agree to the exchange, it will kill one Martial Sect disciple every day.

It also said—”

"What else can you say?"

Su Mudao.

"You even said that the deaths of the Martial Sect disciples were all caused by you."

Dongfang Liuyun sighed and said.

"This is a blatant conspiracy, and it will be a problem no matter how we deal with it."

Unless we can directly rescue the Martial Sect disciples from Scorpion Mountain.

However, the Void Beast army of the Void Realm has completely surrounded Scorpion Mountain, making it extremely difficult to rescue the Martial Sect disciples directly from the mountain.

Dongfang Liuyun and his group had already calculated this.

To rescue the Martial Sect disciples from the Void Realm, the Yang Realm only needs to mobilize a million troops.

Not to mention that a million-strong army is not so easy to mobilize, even if it were possible, the Void Realm still has a continuous army of Void Beasts.

If they were to fight in the Void Realm, their chances of winning would not exceed 30%.

"What do you mean by 'All the Celestial Venerables'?"

Su Mu asked in a deep voice.

"The Celestial Venerables have not expressed their opinions, but most of them feel that the Five Elements Mountain should be used to exchange for the Martial Sect disciples."

Dongfang Liuyun said, "More than 10,000 martial arts disciples are trapped on Scorpion Mountain, and most of them feel that their lives are more important than a Five Elements Mountain."

If you weren't in seclusion, they probably would have already come to you to ask for your help.

Even now, several sects are starting to feel uneasy.

If it weren't for the presence of the Azure Sky Sect and those Celestial Venerables, someone would probably have already rushed up to Su Mu.

“You have just secured your position as the Lord of Yang. I am afraid that if this matter is delayed for too long, it will affect your prestige. If chaos breaks out in the future, it will be disastrous.”

Dongfang Liuyun asked, "What do we do now?"

Do we even have a choice?

Su Mu said slowly.

"Are we just going to hand over the Five Elements Mountain like that?"

Dongfang Liuyun frowned and said, "Once the Lord of the Void Beasts obtains the Five Elements Mountain, it will be like a tiger with wings. I wonder how many people will die at its hands."

"That's the logic, but if we don't give it to them, all the disciples of the Martial Sect will die immediately."

Su Mudao.

"How about this, I'll lead some men out of the pass to rescue them."

Dongfang Liuyun said, "That way they can't say we stood by and watched someone die."

“If you leave the pass now, you will be walking into a trap. The Lord of the Void Beasts cannot possibly be unaware of this.”

Su Mu shook his head and said, "Didn't it want the Five Elements Mountain?"

I'll give it to you!

The mystery surrounding the armillary sphere and the mind-reflecting mirror is perplexing, and Su Mu is worried about how to break through this predicament.

If we take this opportunity to bring in the Lord of the Void Beasts and muddy the waters even further, who knows, it might just unleash those demons and monsters.

"Liu Yun, take the Five Elements Mountain to Thief Celestial Venerable and have him personally deliver the Five Elements Mountain to the Lord of the Void Beasts."

Su Mu said slowly.

"Why send the Heavenly Thief?"

Dongfang Liuyun asked doubtfully, "We have a better relationship with Lei Tianzun, and Lei Tianzun is also stronger..."

"The Heavenly Thief is more suitable than the Heavenly Thunder."

Su Mu said, without explaining too much, "If the Heavenly Thief Lord refuses, then please ask the Heavenly Lord He to take action."

"He won't refuse, will he? This kind of thing poses no danger to the Celestial Venerable, and it can also boost his prestige."

Dongfang Liuyun blurted out.

"Everything is possible."

Su Mu pondered for a moment and said, "It would be best if they were willing to go, but if they weren't—"

While Su Mu was refining the Mind-Reflecting Mirror, they might not have been willing to distance themselves from him.

What if Su Mu manages to refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror after all this back and forth?

“If they are unwilling to go, I will go myself.”

Su Mu said slowly, "It just so happens that I also wanted to investigate who killed the Martial Ancestor." (End of Chapter)