The First Marquis of Daxuan

Su Mu followed behind Cha Haishan and the Void Beast, passing through several palaces until they arrived at the depths of the Divine Palace.

He was also somewhat curious.

Wutian Staff.

What kind of divine weapon is that? It makes Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, so confident.

He was actually confident that he could use this Wutian Staff to deal with He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun.

Su Mu had fought against Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, and was well aware of Zhu Tongtian's strength.

Although Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, was powerful, he was not much weaker than even the weakest Heavenly Venerable.

However, He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun are among the stronger Heavenly Venerables in the Yang Realm, and are by no means pushovers.

The difference in strength between Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, and them is definitely not something that a single divine weapon can bridge.

Su Mu himself is the world's number one weapon blacksmith, and no one in the world can match his understanding of divine weapons.

Su Mu couldn't imagine what kind of divine weapon could enable Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, to defeat both He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun at the same time.

With this question in mind, Su Mu did not rush to take action, but followed Cha Haishan and the Void Beast into a palace.

Upon entering the palace, Su Mu's eyes lit up.

The palace was a hundred feet wide and long, and the huge palace was very empty. Apart from a Zen staff stuck in the center of the main hall, there was nothing else.

The staff was over ten feet long, radiating a captivating, ethereal light. Many golden rings hung from the top of the staff, trembling gently and making a crisp sound.

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

Amidst the crisp sound, waves of power surged within the hall.

"This is the Staff of No Heaven?"

Cha Haishan said excitedly, his voice trembling slightly.

“That’s right, General Cha, this is the Wutian Staff.”

The Void Beast replied, its face full of admiration.

"This Wutian Staff is the most precious treasure that protects the Divine Palace. If a powerful enemy attacks the Divine Palace, the Wutian Staff will automatically attack the enemy."

"Without the lord's permission, anyone who dares to approach the Staff of No Heaven will be attacked by it."

The Void Beast reminded Cha Haishan, "General Cha, you must be careful."

The Void Beast was clearly warning Cha Haishan that he could not obtain the Wutian Staff without the permission of Zhu Tongtian, the Void Beast Lord.

Su Mu's heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, he did not act rashly, otherwise the Wutian Staff might have already attacked him.

He wasn't afraid of the Wutian Staff's attacks, but once attacked by it, he would be unable to hide his presence.

Exposing his whereabouts would not only lead to an attack by the beasts of the Divine Palace, but more importantly, once exposed, his plan to steal from the Divine Palace would be completely ruined.

Su Mu stopped outside the main hall, not daring to go in, and instead watched Cha Haishan and the others from a distance.

Cha Haishan looked confident.

"Don't worry, my lord has told me how to get the Wutian Staff."

Cha Haishan said.

Cha Haishan made a hand seal, muttered some incantations, and then stepped forward.

hum!
With a soft sound, the power emanating from the Wutian Staff struck Cha Haishan.

A faint light also shone from Cha Haishan's body, but the two lights vanished silently upon contact.

At this moment, the golden rings on Wutian's staff suddenly trembled violently, as if they were about to detach from the staff and fly off.

The beast that had led Cha Haishan into the main hall was startled and fled out of the hall in a few quick steps, standing outside the threshold and shouting at Cha Haishan.

"General Cha, don't go astray! If you try to steal the Lord's Wutian Staff, that's like an old man hanging himself – you're just asking for death."

"Steal? Why would I steal? I told you, I was ordered to come!"

Cha Haishan said, he continued forward, and suddenly reached out and grabbed the Wutian Staff.

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

The golden rings on the Zen staff clinked together, producing a crisp sound.

Cha Haishan actually pulled out the staff.

Only then did the Void Beast breathe a sigh of relief.

The Wutian Staff did not launch an attack, which suggests that Cha Haishan truly had the lord's permission; otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to wield the Wutian Staff.

"General Cha is so highly regarded by the lord that even the Wutian Staff is entrusted to you. This is truly a cause for celebration."

The Void Beast bowed to Cha Haishan from afar, its face full of envy.

“I already said it, it was my lord who sent me.”

Cha Haishan stroked the Wutian Staff with obvious affection and said, "Keep a close eye on the Divine Palace. Our lord will return in triumph soon!"

With the Staff of No Heaven in hand, my lord will surely be able to sweep away all enemies.

"He Tianzun, Dao Tianzun, Su Mu—they all have to die!"

"Yes."

The Void Beast said respectfully.

Enjoying this feeling of being high above, Cha Haishan soared into the sky with the Wutian Staff.

What he didn't see was a figure following him like a ghost, leaving with him the divine palace of Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts.

…………

"Damn it, what's the meaning of these Void Beasts?"

Thief Celestial spat out a mouthful of blood, looking displeased.

He and He Tianzun are currently staying on a mountain.

Not far away, more than ten Void Beast Celestial Venerables lingered.

Every time they tried to break through, the Void Beast Celestials would surround them and attack.

Once they retreat, the Void Beast Celestials will stop.

They adopted a posture of surrounding without killing.

Despite several attempts by Dao Tianzun and He Tianzun, they were unable to break through the encirclement.

If they really fought tooth and nail, they might actually be able to break through.

However, the Void Beast Celestial Venerables adopted a posture of surrounding them without killing them, and did not fight them to the death. This gave them a glimmer of hope, and for a moment they did not have the determination to fight to the death.

"They surrounded us but didn't kill us; they clearly wanted to wear us down."

He Tianzun said.

"Use us to your advantage?"

Thief Celestial Sneered, "That's right, in the Void Realm, our power will indeed be gradually suppressed, but with our combined cultivation, we can hold out for ten or eight years without any problem."

"Trying to take us down this way is wishful thinking."

"Perhaps they want to trap us here and then take the opportunity to deal with Su Mu."

He Tianzun pondered.

"Then it's even more impossible."

Dao Tianzun shook his head and said, "Su Mu has the Hunyuan Cloak in his hand. That kid is smarter than a monkey. With the Hunyuan Cloak, these Void Beasts will definitely not be able to find him."

You mean, if that kid couldn't wait for us, didn't he know to come back and meet us?
"If we hadn't given him the Hunyuan Cloak, we could still have used it to slip away—"

"He couldn't have escaped without the Hunyuan Cloak. Now that he's escaped, we've achieved our goal."

He Tianzun said, "As for you and me, we will eventually be able to escape."

"Aren't you being too optimistic?"

Thief Celestial rolled his eyes and said, "We're trapped like turtles in a jar now. It's obvious they want to play with us slowly."

They might even have reinforcements.

Even if we were celestial beings, we couldn't withstand this kind of torment.

"If you ask me, let's not hesitate anymore. So what if we're injured? Let's just fight our way out. Otherwise, the number of Void Beast Celestials will only increase, and then we'll truly be fish on a chopping board."

They hesitated to break through because they didn't want to get hurt.

Even a Celestial Venerable would find recovery very difficult if he were seriously injured.

Moreover, it is currently the time of the great war between the Yang Realm and the Void Realm. If someone is seriously injured, who knows what might happen?
Even the world of the Celestial Venerable is not so safe.

I wonder how many martial artists would like to take his place.

Their injury presents an opportunity for many martial artists.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no Celestial Venerable would willingly allow himself to be injured.

"hold on."

He Tianzun said with a serious expression.

"Still waiting? You really aren't worried at all?"

The Heavenly Thief said helplessly, "This is the Void Realm. A dozen or so Void Beast Heavenly Venerables are not the limit. If this drags on any longer, all the Void Beast Heavenly Venerables in the Void Realm might come to join the fun."

You don't really think the two of us can handle dozens of Void Beast Celestial Venerables, do you?

"They can't come."

He Tianzun shook his head and said seriously, "The Void Realm is stirring up war on one hand, and on the other hand, it wants to withdraw its troops to surround and intercept Su Mu and us. Is there such a good thing in the world?"

They can't have all the good things, can they?

"The Void Realm is withdrawing its forces; do you think our Nine Gates of the Yang Realm won't see that?"

"You mean-"

The Heavenly Thief also showed a thoughtful expression, "The Nine Gates of our Yang Realm will send troops to counterattack?"
But Su Mu, the Lord of Yang, is not in the mortal realm. Who will oversee these matters?

“Su Mu is gone, but don’t forget, before he came out of seclusion, he put several young people from the Great Xuan Dynasty into the Nine Gates: Dongfang Liuyun, Zhuge Jingang, Mo Xuesong…”

He Tianzun said, "I suspect that Su Mu had already made arrangements before leaving the pass. If I am not mistaken, the Nine Passes have probably already launched a counterattack."

They won't be able to care about us for long."

"No way? That kid Su Mu can scheme this much?"

"I don't believe it," said the Heavenly Thief.

He himself came from a humble background and spent most of his life in the shadows, so he was not familiar with such power struggles.

"Don't underestimate him."

He Tianzun said, "He was able to bring a small Great Xuan Dynasty to its current state and even become the Lord of Yang in the Yang Realm. I have never seen anyone stronger than him in terms of strategic planning."

Moreover, although his subordinates are not particularly strong, each one of them is a talented individual, and given time, they will all become formidable figures in their respective regions.

“That’s right. If this kid didn’t have this skill, we wouldn’t have treated him differently, and we wouldn’t have put ourselves in this situation to save him. I haven’t been surrounded by people in years.”

The Thief Celestial said, "Since that's the case, then I'll listen to you and wait a little longer."

Hopefully, Su Mu won't let us down.

…………

"Zhu Tongtian, why won't you let us kill these two Heavenly Venerables of the Yang Realm?"

In the distance, a Void Beast Celestial Venerable looked at Zhu Tongtian, the Void Beast Lord, and said, "We can't find the Yang Lord of the Yang Realm, but these two Yang Realm Celestial Venerables are right before our eyes—"

"I intend to use the two of them to lure Su Mu out."

Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, said in a deep voice, "Tell me, if it were you to take action, how confident would you be in capturing these two Heavenly Venerables of the Yang Realm alive?"

"Capture alive? That's impossible."

One of the Void Beast Celestial Venerables said, "Since ancient times, there has never been a precedent of a Celestial Venerable being captured alive, whether it is a Celestial Venerable from the Yang Realm or a Celestial Venerable from the Void Realm."

"It's impossible for the Celestial Venerable to be captured alive." "It's not that it's impossible, it's just that you don't know it."

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said calmly, "You can't do it simply because you're not strong enough."

"Are we not strong enough?"

Those Void Beast Celestial Venerables were so angry they laughed.

As Celestial Venerable-level Void Beasts, they are among the strongest beings in both the Void Realm and the Yang Realm.

If they are not strong enough, then who in the world is strong enough?
Although there are varying degrees of strength among the Celestial Venerables, there is no doubt that anyone who is a Celestial Venerable has already entered the ranks of the strongest beings in the world, and no one dares to say that a Celestial Venerable is not strong enough.

"You think saying we're not strong enough is enough?"

A Void Beast Celestial Venerable snorted coldly.

"You don't need to be angry, I'm just stating a fact."

My current strength is certainly insufficient, which is why I need to rely on external forces.

Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, said calmly, "I have already sent someone to fetch my Wutian Staff. At that time, I will be able to capture these two Yang Realm Heavenly Venerables alive."

"If we can capture them both alive, we can not only use them to force Su Mu out, but also intimidate the Yang Realm."

"Zhu Tongtian, don't go too far. During this time, we withdrew our main force from the front lines in order to capture Su Mu. The Yang Realm has taken the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and now everyone is very resentful towards you."

"A Void Beast Celestial Venerable said, his tone carrying a hint of threat."

Although Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, enjoys a high reputation in the Void Realm, he can still face resistance from the Void Beasts if he makes the wrong decisions.

Some Void Beast Celestials have already expressed their dissatisfaction with this.

"These are minor issues. Once the Wutian Staff arrives, I will capture the two of them alive and force Su Mu to hand over the Five Elements Mountain. Then I will be able to recover my peak strength. At that time, the mere Yang Realm will be easily defeated."

"Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, said, his tone revealing a strong sense of confidence."

"With just a Wutian Staff, you can capture two Heavenly Venerables of the Yang Realm alive?"

All the Void Beast Celestial Venerables frowned, looking incredulous.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, smiled and said.

You may have doubts now, but that's because you've never witnessed the power of the Wutian Staff.

Once you've witnessed the power of the Wutian Staff, you'll understand why I, Zhu Tongtian, am the Lord of the Void Beasts!
…………

boom!
Cha Haishan's body slammed heavily to the ground like a cannonball.

One foot was placed on his chest, as heavy as a mountain.

Cha Haishan kept vomiting blood, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared intently at the owner of the foot.

"Su Mu!"

Cha Haishan gritted his teeth.

If looks could kill, he would have killed Su Mu countless times over.

Su Mu placed one foot on Cha Haishan, while holding the Wutian Staff in his hand.

The Wutian Staff trembled violently, and the golden rings on it jingled as if trying to break free from Su Mu's grasp.

Su Mu muttered incantations, and a force landed on the Wutian Staff, finally calming it down.

"How do you know how to pick up the Staff of No Heaven?"

Cha Haishan couldn't help but ask.

Su Mu raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile that you can guess.

He followed Cha Haishan closely all the way, just to secretly learn how to wield the Wutian Staff.

Then he suddenly launched a sneak attack and snatched the Wutian Staff from Cha Haishan.

It has to be said that Su Mu was already very careful, but he still almost made a mistake when he finally made his move.

The Wutian Staff almost flew away, but fortunately, Su Mu was ultimately more skilled.

As for Cha Haishan.

Cha Haishan's strength was already inferior to Su Mu's, and Su Mu even launched a sneak attack from behind him using the Hunyuan Cloak.

Cha Haishan was severely injured by Su Mu before he could even react.

It's not that Cha Haishan is too weak, it's that Su Mu is too strong.

How could he possibly dodge an attack from someone stronger than him who also shamelessly launched a sneak attack?

"Cha Haishan, you originally had a bright future, but you betrayed the Yang Realm and willingly became the lackey of the Void Beast."

Looking at Cha Haishan's fiery gaze, Su Mu shook his head and said calmly, "You've driven yourself to your own doom, so you can't blame me for what has happened."

"Su Mu, put away your arrogant attitude! I did nothing wrong, and it's not your place to criticize me!"

Today I've fallen into your hands; kill me if you want, torture me if you want!
Even if I die, my lord will avenge me!

Cha Haishan shouted loudly.

"Now you're trying to act like a hero?"

Su Mu sneered, "A true hero would never commit the act of murdering his master."

"Say whatever you want, but the death of the Martial Ancestor has nothing to do with me."

Cha Haishan said, "Although I also really want to defeat him myself."

"Ok?"

Su Mu looked at Cha Haishan, a hint of doubt flashing through his mind.

Now that Cha Haishan has fallen into his hands, it's safe to say he's doomed.

Given this situation, Cha Haishan really had no reason to lie.

Moreover, Cha Haishan had once tried to kill Wu Zu when he was in the Wu Zong sect. The crime of murdering his master was not a big deal to him, and he had no reason to hide it.

Could it be that the death of the Martial Ancestor really had nothing to do with Cha Haishan?
Didn't Tian Cangchen swear that Wu Zu was killed by Cha Haishan?
The reason Su Mu is currently in the Ruins Realm is because the Martial Ancestor was killed and his body was nailed to the Sword Gate Pass.

Because the Martial Ancestor was killed, the disciples of the Martial Sect came out of seclusion to seek revenge, and were then besieged by the Void Beast army at Scorpion Mountain.

Then, the incident occurred where Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, threatened Su Mu with the lives of the Martial Sect disciples to force him to hand over the Five Elements Mountain.

Su Mu had always been very curious about who had killed the Martial Ancestor.

"Cha Haishan, tell me, who killed the Martial Ancestor?"

Su Mu looked at Cha Haishan and said slowly, "Tell me, and I'll give you a quick death."

"Humph!"

Cha Haishan snorted, "Don't even mention that I don't know. Even if I did know, I would never tell you!"

"You don't know? It wasn't Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, who did it?"

Su Mudao.

"Hmph, there's nothing to hide. If we did it, do you think we would have any reason to conceal it?"

Cha Haishan said coldly.

Killing the Martial Ancestor was an honor for them, not a disgrace.

Cha Haishan's words made Su Mu even more puzzled.

Judging from Cha Haishan's tone, the death of the Martial Ancestor had nothing to do with him, nor with Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts.

Could it be the work of some Void Beast Celestial Venerable?
That's not right either. According to Cha Haishan, even he doesn't know who killed Wu Zu.

Logically speaking, Cha Haishan was Zhu Tongtian's right-hand man, and Zhu Tongtian's position in the Void Realm was extraordinary. It was impossible for Zhu Tongtian not to know about such an important matter, and if he knew, Cha Haishan would certainly know as well.

Could it be that there's more to the story than meets the eye regarding the death of the Martial Ancestor?

I forgot to ask Tian Cangchen why the Martial Ancestor suddenly ventured deep into the Void Realm.

The Martial Ancestor suddenly left the Nine Passes alone and went to the Ruins Realm, and then he died.

Something might happen in the meantime.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Cha Haishan roar.

"Su Mu, I'll be waiting for you on the road to the Yellow Springs!"

boom! boom! boom!
Several muffled thuds suddenly rang out from inside Cha Haishan's body.

Then, Cha Haishan bled from all seven orifices and slowly lost his breath.

Even in death, his eyes remained wide open, filled with hatred and resentment.

Su Mu shook his head, somewhat speechless.

Cha Haishan's extreme personality had already sealed his fate.

As the eldest disciple of the Martial Sect, even if he cannot become the sect master, he will still be a powerful figure.

Unfortunately, he was too extreme and felt that the Martial Ancestor had wronged him.

Therefore, he betrayed the Martial Sect, betrayed the Yang Realm, and betrayed the human race.

"If you can't become the sect leader, you have to kill your master. If everyone were like you, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

Su Mu shook his head and muttered to himself, "If there's a next life, I'd rather accept being an ordinary person sooner."

Su Mu's feet trembled slightly, and a burst of flames suddenly ignited, instantly turning Cha Haishan's corpse into ashes.

…………

At the very moment Cha Haishan died, Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, who was thousands of miles away, had a slight change in expression.

The Celestial Venerables of the Ruins noticed his expression and all turned to look at him.

"what happened?"

"A Void Beast Celestial Venerable asked."

"Zha Haishan is dead."

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said coldly with a gloomy expression, "It must be Su Mu!"

He killed Cha Haishan, and the Wutian Staff has likely fallen into his hands as well.

"Ok?"

The expressions of all the Void Beast Celestial Venerables changed. Previously, the Void Beast Lord Zhu Tongtian had described the Wutian Staff as so powerful, but it was snatched away by Su Mu.
Does that mean the more powerful the Wutian Staff is, the stronger Su Mu will become?
"Hmph, you want to steal my Wutian Staff?"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, sneered, "Su Mu, you overestimate yourself and underestimate me."

You cannot touch my Heavenless Staff!

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, exploded with power. He formed a hand seal and shouted.

"Here comes the stick!"

…………

Just as Su Mu had turned Cha Haishan's corpse into ashes, the Wutian Staff in his hand suddenly began to tremble violently.

Su Mu was stunned and hadn't even realized what was happening when the Wutian Staff shot into the sky.

With the Wutian Staff in one hand, Su Mu was lifted into the air by a violent force, and then flew rapidly in one direction at an incredible speed.

Despite Su Mu's repeated attempts to exert force, he was unable to stop his momentum.

With his current strength, he couldn't even stop the Wutian Staff.

If he lets go now, the Wutian Staff will fly away, but he won't be affected.

But Su Mu was unwilling to give up.

How can a cooked duck be allowed to fly away?

How could something that was already in his hands be returned to Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts?
Su Mu refused to believe this nonsense!
The power within his body surged, and Su Mu gripped the Wutian Staff tightly, refusing to let go, thus engaging in a prolonged battle with it. (End of Chapter)