The First Marquis of Daxuan

"Brother Li is mistaken. With your strength, who in the world could take your life?"

He Tianzun said with a serious expression.

Li Tianzun just sneered.

When it comes to fighting alone, there really isn't anyone in the world who can take his life.

But now that you're deep in the Void Realm, who's going to fight you one-on-one?

If one Celestial Venerable-level Void Beast can't kill him, what about two? If two can't kill him, what about three?
Ten or eight Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts swarmed forward; even if Li Tianzun had three heads and six arms, he couldn't withstand it.

He certainly wanted to clear the Cangqiong Sect of suspicion, but risking his life for such a purpose was not in the style of Li Tianzun.

To be honest, if Su Mu had died in the Void Realm, it's hard to say whether it would have been more beneficial or detrimental to the Azure Sky Sect.

Seeing that Li Tianzun had no reaction at all, He Tianzun felt quite helpless.

In fact, He Tianzun himself knew that, from a rational point of view, taking the risk of entering the Void Realm was not the right choice.

Su Mu insisted on going to the Ruins Realm to rescue the Martial Sect disciples, and they had tried to stop him at the time.

Since Su Mu insists on doing so, he should bear the consequences himself.

Putting the Celestial Venerable in danger for the sake of one person is hardly a worthwhile deal.

But He Tianzun couldn't just stand by and watch Su Mu die.

If Su Mu dies, who knows when another weapon-forging master with Su Mu's level of skill will emerge.

He couldn't wait any longer.

"Su Mu is the Lord of Yang in the Yang Realm. If he dies in the Void Realm, what will become of the Yang Realm's reputation?"

Suddenly, the Heavenly Thief spoke up, “Heavenly Thief Li, if you are unwilling to go, then I will go.”

But I need your help with something.

Why should I help you?

Li Tianzun frowned.

“As the Lord of Yang, Su Mu’s life or death is directly related to the future of Yang Realm. If you are unwilling to risk your life to save him, then I will go.”

Everyone is doing this for the sake of the living world. Some people contribute manpower, some people contribute money. Isn't that what we should do?

"Don't you, Li Tianzun, breathe the air of the mortal realm?"

"I am a thief," said the Heavenly Thief with a straight face.

Li Tianzun was speechless.

If someone else were to argue with him like that, he would absolutely ignore them.

But the opponent was the Heavenly Thief.

The Thief Lord has no bottom line or morals, and the key is that he is powerful enough.

Even though they are both Celestial Venerables, Li Tianzun cannot ignore the existence of Dao Tianzun.

Ultimately, strength is the foundation of everything.

"Just tell me, what do you want this time?"

Li Tianzun said irritably.

The last time the Heavenly Thief spoke, it directly caused the Azure Sky Sect to lose the Celestial Instrument.

Who knows how much the Thief Lord will demand this time?

The Thief Lord is the ancestor of all thieves; his standards are frighteningly high.

"It's nothing."

Thief Celestial Venerable chuckled, "Doesn't your Azure Sky Sect have a sect-protecting treasure, the Primordial Cloak?"

"Just let me borrow it for a moment."

Li Tianzun snorted coldly.

Can I borrow it for a moment?
I'm afraid it'll be like throwing good money after bad, never to be returned.

"Lord Thief, my Azure Sky Sect isn't a charity. If you want spirit stones, even the highest grade ones, I can give you several thousand."

But this Mixed Yuan Cloak won't do.

Li Tianzun said.

Their Azure Sky Sect does indeed possess more than one treasure, but each of these treasures is indispensable to the Azure Sky Sect.

The loss of the Celestial Instrument has already greatly reduced the strength of the Azure Sky Sect. If they also lose the Primordial Cloak, what difference will there be between the Azure Sky Sect and an ordinary first-class sect?
"Do you think I need your few thousand spirit stones?"

Thief Celestial Venerable said irritably, "Celestial Venerable Li, we are all doing this for the sake of the Yang Realm, not because I, Thief Celestial Venerable, covet those few treasures of your Azure Sky Sect."

If you want to rescue Su Mu from the Void Realm, this Primordial Cloak is the most suitable thing. If you are unwilling to help, just say so.

I know you never wanted to see Su Mu return alive. Without Su Mu, your Azure Sky Sect can push your own people to the position of Yang Lord, and then you can do whatever you want..."

"Stop!"

Li Tianzun said with a headache.

That bastard Thief Celestial is so outrageous, he's talking way too far!
As the number one sect in the Yang Realm, isn't it normal for the Yang Lord to come from the Cangqiong Sect?
Can't their Azure Sky Sect give it a shot?

That's right, Li Tianzun dislikes that bastard Su Mu, but there's no need for him to kick him while he's down.

He could simply stand by and watch Su Mu die; why bother getting his hands dirty?

Su Mu had previously agreed to help the Azure Sky Sect refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, and this attitude of forgiving past transgressions earned him a lot of goodwill.

Li Tianzun is a man who cares about his reputation; how could he possibly bear the infamy of being ungrateful?
“Lord Thief, it’s not that I’m unwilling to lend you the Hunyuan Cloak, but the Hunyuan Cloak is different from the Hunyuan Instrument. Even if I lend you the Hunyuan Cloak, you won’t be able to use it.”

Li Tianzun's gaze swept over the crowd, only to find that they were all staring intently at him, and even those ants had a hint of disdain in their eyes.

He patiently began to explain.

How do you know I can't use it?

The Heavenly Thief asked in return, "In the end, you just can't bear to part with it."

Do you think I, the Heavenly Thief, would covet your Azure Sky Sect's most prized treasure?

Li Tianzun, you may not believe me, but you can at least believe He Tianzun.

How about you lend him the Hunyuan Cloak?
Isn't he also going to the Ruins Realm to rescue people?

It's not that I don't trust you.

Li Tianzun said in a deep voice, "Whether it's you or Brother He, I trust them both."

I wasn't lying. The Primordial Cloak isn't something just anyone can use. Even within my Sky Dome Sect, there are only two or three people who can use it.

The Hunyuan Cloak is a treasure left behind by the founding ancestor of my Cangqiong Sect. It is inherently spiritual, and without its approval, even if you obtain the Hunyuan Cloak, it is nothing more than a tattered piece of cloth.

The only way to gain the approval of the Primordial Cloak is to cultivate the Azure Sky Technique of my Azure Sky Sect.

As you all know, cultivating the Azure Sky Technique is extremely difficult. Even I haven't been able to cultivate it to perfection.

"Just lend me the Hunyuan Cloak, whether I can use it or not is my business."

Thief Celestial Sage stubbornly said, "As long as you lend me the Primordial Cloak, that will count as you contributing something. Even if I can't use it, that's my business, not because you, Celestial Sage Li, didn't contribute."

Li Tianzun: "..."

That bastard Thief Lord is really impervious to reason.

He's already made himself so clear, don't you understand my refusal?

When it comes to rescuing Su Mu, isn't it enough for everyone to just go through the motions?
Why did you take this opportunity to stab my Sky Sect in the back?

I could tolerate the celestial globe, but now you're eyeing the Primordial Cloak?

If you have the chance in the future, will you still try to take other treasures of my Sky Dome Sect?

My Cangqiong Sect only has about ten treasures. If you keep asking for them, how will my Cangqiong Sect survive?
“Li Tianzun, if you are really worried, how about I act as your guarantor?”

We are only borrowing this Primordial Chaos Cloak. Once we return from the Void Realm, it will be returned to its rightful owner. Any damage will be the sole responsibility of Mr. He!

He Tianzun said in a deep voice, "I guarantee with my honor that I will absolutely not allow the treasures of the Azure Sky Sect to be damaged in any way."

"Brother He, you know that's not what I meant."

Li Tianzun sighed. He Tianzun had already gone to such lengths. If he still insisted on refusing to lend the Hunyuan Cloak, then the people of the world would really think that he, Li Tianzun, was an ungrateful person who would kick someone when they were down.

Public opinion can be devastating; even a celestial being cannot ignore the opinions of the world.

After all, he was neither a lone wolf like Lei Tianzun, nor a shameless villain like Dao Tianzun.

"In that case——"

Li Tianzun said coldly, "Then I will lend you the Hunyuan Cloak and wish you a safe journey!"

…………

call!
call!
The wind howled as several powerful figures of Void Beasts descended from the sky.

"Let him run away again."

A Void Beast sniffed the air, then looked at the desolate wilderness, and snorted coldly.

"I've heard that Su Mu was born a refugee among humans, and then rose to the position of Lord of Yang in just a hundred years. Such a feat is even more difficult than Zhu Tongtian's back then. How could such a person be captured so easily?"

Another Void Beast spoke.

These Void Beasts were all Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts.

Normally, Void Beasts of this level are rarely seen even in the Void Realm, and for several of them to gather together is an event that happens only once every hundred years.

The fact that so many Void Beasts could be deployed at the same time is something Su Mu should be proud of.

If it weren't for Su Mu, no one else would have been able to alert so many Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts.

"This person is indeed difficult to deal with."

Another Celestial Venerable-level Void Beast slowly said, "He follows the path of physical martial arts, and he cultivates the Eight-Nine Mysterious Techniques, the most advanced physical martial art among humans."

If he conceals his presence, even we would have a hard time detecting him.

Fortunately, this is the Void Realm, where humans have difficulty hiding. If this were the Yang Realm, he would truly be like a fish in the ocean, almost impossible to be found.

One of the most distinctive characteristics of creatures from the Yang Realm in the Ruins Realm is their color.

Creatures in the Void Realm are only black and white, while creatures in the Yang Realm are colorful.

This means that Su Mu can only hide in the desolate wilderness, and no matter how he conceals his aura, the Void Beasts will recognize him immediately once they see him.

Although the Void Realm is vast, it is also home to a great many Void Beasts, making it difficult to find a place completely free of them.

Therefore, Su Mu's whereabouts were discovered by the Void Beasts several times.

However, because Su Mu was fast enough, he managed to escape before the Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts arrived each time.

"Although he runs very fast, our encirclement is getting smaller and smaller, and there are fewer and fewer places for him to hide."

A Celestial Venerable-level Void Beast coldly said, "It won't be long before he falls into our hands."

"If he dares to enter the Void Realm alone and manages to escape back to the Yang Realm alive, where will we put our faces?"

Several Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts nodded, and the next moment, they soared into the sky and pressed forward.

…………

Su Mu's figure appeared out of thin air and landed on a small hill.

He looked around and, finding no Void Beast, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"These Void Beasts are truly persistent."

Su Mu thought to himself, "Judging by the time, Dao Tianzun and He Tianzun should have already arrived in the Void Realm."

Did I guess wrong?
Are they both really okay?

Su Mu frowned. In his guess, the mastermind behind stealing the Meteor Shuttle from the Azure Sky Sect and luring the Void Beasts to attack the Yang Lord Assembly was none other than Thief Celestial Venerable and He Celestial Venerable.

Their goal was to force themselves to create the Heart-Reflecting Mirror.

If that were really the case, neither of them would have stood by and watched themselves die in the Ruins Realm.

After all, in this world, apart from Su Mu, there is no one else who can refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror.

If Su Mu dies, it won't be easy for them to find someone else who can refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror.

It's not that Su Mu is boasting, but with his skill in weapon forging, probably no one could surpass him in the past five hundred years or the next five hundred years.

But now, the Heavenly Thief and the Heavenly Congratulations have been nowhere to be found.

However, the Void Beasts of the Void Realm relentlessly pursued them.

Several times, Su Mu almost fell into the siege of Heavenly Venerable-level Void Beasts.

Moreover, because these Void Beasts were biting so tightly, Su Mu didn't even have time to properly heal his wounds.

The injuries he sustained during his battle with Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, have not yet fully healed.

This situation made Su Mu's predicament increasingly precarious.

He was still recovering from serious injuries, pursued from behind, and faced a formidable enemy ahead.

Now that he's on the territory of the Void Beast, how long can he hold out?
"Perhaps I can use the Five Elements Mountain as bait. As long as Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, obtains the Five Elements Mountain, his first priority will be to restore his strength, rather than continue to hunt me down. In that case, I should be able to relax a bit."

Su Mu pondered to himself.

However, he quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea.

Throwing the Five Elements Mountain away is easy, but getting it back is difficult.

The Five Elements Mountain is no ordinary divine weapon; it was once used by the Great Celestial Venerable.

Putting aside the significance, just considering the mystery of the Great Celestial Venerable, the Five Elements Mountain absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Void Beast so easily.

Moreover, once Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, obtains the Five Elements Mountain, his strength will return to its peak, making him even more difficult to deal with.

Su Mu didn't want to create another formidable enemy for himself.

“The real Five Elements Mountain must not be given to the Lord of the Void Beasts, but I can give him a fake one.”

Su Mu's face showed a thoughtful expression.

There are only two reasons why Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, keeps pursuing him: one is his identity, and the other is the Five Elements Mountain.

His identity as the Lord of Yang destined him to be a mortal enemy of Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts.

But for Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, the Five Elements Mountain is definitely more important.

As long as the Five Elements Mountain exists, Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, can recover to his peak condition. Given Zhu Tongtian's arrogance, he would surely believe that as long as he recovers to his peak, killing Su Mu would be a piece of cake.

Therefore, Su Mu was at least 70% confident that as long as he threw out the Five Elements Mountain as bait, Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, would definitely give up chasing him temporarily.

"Moreover, the Void Beasts of the Void Realm are not necessarily a monolithic group; there are certainly some Void Beasts that do not want to see their Void Beast Lord, Zhu Tongtian, return to his peak condition..."

Su Mu continued to ponder.

As long as there are Void Beasts that do not want their Lord Zhu Tongtian to obtain the Five Elements Mountain, that will be Su Mu's opportunity.

A single Five Elements Mountain can plunge the Void Beasts into internal strife...

The more Su Mu thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed.

"For others, the biggest problem with this plan is the fake Five Elements Mountain."

The Five Elements Mountain is the personal weapon of the Great Celestial Venerable; ordinary weapon-smiths don't have the ability to create a fake.

Su Mu thought to himself, "What a coincidence, I am the best weapon blacksmith in the world."

"Forging a fake Five Elements Mountain wouldn't be difficult for me."

This shows the benefits of mastering an additional skill.

If Su Mu weren't a weaponsmith, he would probably be in dire straits right now.

Because he was both a martial artist and a weapon forger, he had an additional path to take.

Having made up his mind, Su Mu looked up at the distance.

Several auras of Void Beasts appeared in that direction, searching towards him.

Not daring to waste any more time, Su Mu's figure disappeared silently.

In the days that followed, Su Mu went into hiding while continuously refining counterfeit Five Elements Mountains.

With Su Mu's current skill in weapon forging, he no longer needs to deliberately go into seclusion to forge ordinary weapons. Even while traveling, he can continue to forge divine weapons.

Moreover, he had no shortage of materials for forging weapons.

Therefore, the refining process of this fake Five Elements Mountain went very smoothly.

On one hand, things went smoothly, but on the other hand, things weren't so lucky.

The Void Beast was getting closer and closer.

Within just one month, Su Mu had encountered the Void Beast five times in a row.

These five encounters further aggravated his injuries.

If it weren't for the delay caused by these five fierce battles, the counterfeit Five Elements Mountain would have been forged long ago.

The only saving grace was that none of the five encounters with the Void Beasts were at the Celestial Venerable level.

However, this kind of luck obviously cannot last forever.

Because Su Mu could already sense that at least four Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts were getting closer and closer to him.

He could clearly feel the oppressive aura emanating from that powerful presence.

For several days in a row, he was unable to shake off these auras.

Clearly, these four Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts have completely set their sights on him.

If things continue like this, in three to five days at most, those four Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts will definitely catch up with him.

At that point, there will truly be no way to escape to heaven or hell.

Given Su Mu's current situation, he would have a hard time facing even one Celestial Venerable-level Void Beast, let alone four of them.
Even when he was uninjured, he would have absolutely no chance of survival against four Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts.

"We can't delay any longer. The counterfeit Five Elements Mountain must be forged immediately, or I will completely lose my chance to escape!"

Su Mu's face showed a resolute expression.

He made up his mind and decided to stop running for his life instead.

He decided to take a risk and, before the Celestial Venerable-level Void Beast caught up, to refine the Five Elements Mountain with all his might.

As Su Mu sat cross-legged, layers of formations unfolded around his body.

At the same time, the Yin-Yang Cauldron also floated in front of him.

Although Su Mu could forge divine weapons while traveling, that would ultimately affect his efficiency in forging them.

Now he has given up traveling and devoted himself entirely to forging divine weapons, and his efficiency has skyrocketed.

The fake Five Elements Mountain inside the Yin-Yang Cauldron began to take shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.

There are gains and losses in everything.

The price Su Mu paid for doing this was also extremely high.

Just as he was concentrating on refining the counterfeit Five Elements Mountain, one after another, Void Beasts appeared around him.

They immediately spotted the colors on Su Mu's body and gathered around him.

Now, the entire Void Realm has received orders from Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, and almost all the Void Beasts are searching for Su Mu's whereabouts.

Anyone who discovers Su Mu's whereabouts will be richly rewarded.

If a Void Beast could capture Su Mu alive, it could ascend to the heavens in one step.

Of course, Void Beasts with that kind of strength are rare even in the Void Realm.

The Void Beasts weren't fools; they were well aware of Su Mu's strength.

Therefore, the Void Beasts sent a message to Zhu Tongtian, the Void Beast Lord, the moment they discovered Su Mu.

While waiting for reinforcements, they quietly approached the formation set up by Su Mu.

boom!
One of the Void Beasts made a tentative attack.

Seeing Su Mu sitting cross-legged within the formation, motionless.

The beasts of the Ruins exchanged glances.

"He's recovering from his injuries; now's a good opportunity."

One of the Void Beasts exclaimed excitedly, "We can take this opportunity to capture him!"

The lord has said that whoever defeats Su Mu will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with 100,000 top-grade spirit stones!

All the Void Beasts licked their lips.

Money moves people's hearts.

This statement also applies to the Void Realm.

The Void Beasts were excited at the thought of the generous reward promised by Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts.

In particular, Su Mu's current condition seems a bit off.

"rush!"

It's unclear which of the Void Beasts let out a loud cry, but then all the Void Beasts pounced on it.

Rumble!
The formation set up by Su Mu only lasted for a short while before being broken by the Void Beasts.

A Void Beast whose strength had reached the Heavenly Fate Realm pounced directly on Su Mu's head, opened its huge mouth, and fiercely bit down on Su Mu, trying to bite off Su Mu's head in one bite.

The gaping maw was already above Su Mu's head.

Just then, Su Mu suddenly opened his eyes.

next moment.

Su Mu raised his hand and flicked his sword upwards.

There was a loud bang.

A massive mountain shot into the sky from the Yin-Yang Cauldron, instantly plunging into the gaping maw of the Void Beast.

Click click click.

The sharp teeth of the Void Beast were instantly broken by the mountain, and then the mountain blocked the Void Beast's mouth.

The powerful impact propelled the Void Beast skyward.

All the Void Beasts' attention was instantly drawn to that Void Beast.

They watched helplessly as the Void Beast bit into a mountain, then was carried into the sky by the mountain. It lay on the mountain, its expression contorted with pain from the powerful impact.

The whistling wind echoed in the ears of the beasts.

Their gazes rose with the mountains into the sky, and then began to fall again.

It took several dozen breaths before the beasts of the Ruins finally reacted.

"Five Elements Mountain, that's the Five Elements Mountain that our lord wants!"

One of the Void Beasts shouted loudly, turning around in horror to find that Su Mu had disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, the Five Elements Mountain was still falling from the sky.

All the Void Beasts went mad, roaring as they lunged upwards.

Even if we can't defeat Su Mu, capturing the Five Elements Mountain would still be a great achievement! (End of Chapter)