The First Marquis of Daxuan

"I knew you would come to me."

In a world of ink-wash colors, Tian Cangchen looked at Su Mu and said in a deep voice.

This was originally the site of the Ruins Realm. After Tian Cangchen brought the Martial Sect disciples here, they began to transform the Ruins Realm step by step according to Su Mu's plan, adding more color to this ink-wash world.

But the time was ultimately too short, and now this place still resembles the Ruins Realm more than the Yang Realm.

For the disciples of the Martial Sect, staying in this environment for a long time is a challenge, and transforming this place into a Yang Realm is also a challenge.

But not a single disciple of the Martial Sect retreated.

When Su Mu arrived, they were still working hard to transform the surrounding environment.

"Ever since I received the news that Zhu Tianzun had been killed, I knew you would come."

Tian Cangchen said slowly.

Before Su Mu could ask, he explained.

"The way Zhu Tianzun died was too similar to that of my master."

My master's body was nailed to the city wall, and Zhu Tianzun was forced to kneel. The humiliation outweighed the harm.

Logically speaking, once a person dies, all things are empty, and there is no need to humiliate the opponent's corpse, but the murderer did just that.

Therefore, I believe that the person who killed Zhu Tianzun might be the same person who killed my master.

Do you have anyone you suspect?

Su Mu asked.

"No."

Tian Cangchen shook his head and said.

"You told me before that your master suddenly left the Yang Realm for the Void Realm before he died. Did he leave any words before he left? Did he say what he was going to do?"

Su Mu asked in a deep voice.

This is the real reason why Su Mu came here to find Tian Cangchen.

Tian Cangchen had mentioned this to Su Mu back then, but due to some delays, they didn't delve deeper into the topic.

It wasn't until Zhu Tianzun was killed and his body was placed in a kneeling position that Su Mu remembered what Tian Cangchen had said before.

“After my master died, I kept thinking back to what happened before he left the mortal world.”

With a serious expression, Tian Cangchen said earnestly, "He didn't actually tell me anything, but he met someone before he left."

"Who?"

Su Mu's spirits lifted, and he pressed for an answer.

"I do not know."

Tian Cangchen shook his head and said, "A few days before my master left, one night I passed by my master's room and saw two figures in the window. One was my master, and I don't know who the other one was."

I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but then that incident happened.

Afterwards, I repeatedly asked my fellow disciples and everyone who was at Jianmen Pass at the time, and they said that the person who had a long talk with my master by candlelight that night was not them.

I suspect that my master's sudden departure from the mortal realm is related to that person.

As he spoke, Tian Cangchen took out a portrait from behind his back.

The portrait clearly shows the profile of a person.

However, Tian Cangchen only saw the other person's silhouette reflected in the window by candlelight; he didn't see the other person's face at all.

Trying to find someone based on just one portrait is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"After what happened before, I've figured it out."

The reason my master didn't tell me anything was because he didn't want me to avenge him. He probably hoped I would carry forward the Martial Sect's legacy.

Tian Cangchen handed the portrait to Su Mu and said in a deep voice, "I no longer think about avenging my master. I will protect the Martial Sect for my master."

"If you can avenge my master, I will thank your ancestors for eighteen generations."

Su Mu: "..."

Su Mu's face darkened. Tian Cangchen was still as tactless as ever.

However, he understood what Tian Cangchen meant; Tian Cangchen wasn't really cursing.

"If you can think this way, then even if the Martial Ancestor has a spirit in the afterlife, he can rest in peace."

Su Mu asked, "Do you have any other clues?"

"Have."

Tian Cangchen nodded, then flipped his wrist, and another object appeared in his hand.

It was a small wooden box.

“I found this on my master’s body, and I hadn’t told anyone before.”

Tian Cangchen opened the wooden box, revealing a needle about the length of a finger inside.

“My master held it in his hand before he died. I think it must have been left by the murderer.”

Tian Cangchen said, handing the needle to Su Mu.

Su Mu reached out and picked up the needle. A beam of light emanated from his fingertips, instantly enveloping the needle.

hum!
With a soft sound, the needle flew up.

Tian Cangchen couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

He had had this needle for some time and had studied it repeatedly. No matter what he did, the needle had never reacted before.

Now that it's in Su Mu's hands, it got excited after only a few breaths.
Is the difference between people really that big?
Tian Cangchen was filled with emotion.

He knew that the gap between him and Su Mu was widening, but every time he clearly perceived this gap, he was filled with a deep sense of despair.

Fortunately, Tian Cangchen no longer has any intention of competing with Su Mu.

Seeing Su Mu getting stronger and stronger, he felt even more motivated to catch up.

At least, my efforts have a direction.

Su Mu is his direction.

Tian Cangchen thought to himself.

The needle hovered in the air, trembling slightly, as if it were about to spread its wings and take flight.

Su Mu raised his hand, grabbed the needle, and looked thoughtful.

"Did you find anything?"

Tian Cangchen asked curiously.

Although he said he had given up on avenging Wu Zu, deep down he still wanted to know who the murderer was.

He, Tian Cangchen, may not have the power to take revenge, but he still needs to know who his enemy is.

"It's hard to say right now."

Su Mu had a thoughtful expression on his face. "You continue to guard this place. I'll be leaving now."

"Don't worry, if I really find the murderer who killed the Martial Ancestor, I will send someone to let you know."

As Su Mu spoke, his figure soared into the sky.

"Your clues are very useful."

His body had disappeared, but his voice could still be heard from afar.

A smile involuntarily appeared on Tian Cangchen's face, and he felt a sense of being flattered.

"Damn it."

Tian Cangchen muttered something, his smile fading, and then he urged the other Martial Sect disciples to continue modifying the environment.

…………

Yanmen Pass.

This is one of the nine newly built passes in the mortal realm.

A magnificent city stands at the border between the Yang Realm and the Ruins Realm, a place where the barrier between the two realms is one of the weakest.

This is also one of the necessary routes for the Void Beasts to enter the Yang Realm.

When Su Mu arrived at Yanmen Pass, a figure was kneeling several hundred feet outside the city, his head slightly bowed, and a powerful aura emanating from him.

The aura belonging to the Celestial Venerable was exceptionally powerful; even ordinary martial artists who got close would not be able to withstand its immense pressure.

Although Zhu Tianzun is dead, his aura still lingers, and his corpse is not something ordinary martial artists can touch.

So even after so many days, his body still kneels outside Yanmen Pass.

Su Mu arrived at Yanmen Pass almost simultaneously with Dao Tianzun, Lei Tianzun, and Gu Tianzun.

Upon seeing Zhu Tianzun's kneeling corpse outside the city, Lei Tianzun, Gu Tianzun, and the others also turned extremely ugly.

Although they didn't have a deep relationship with Zhu Tianzun, they still felt a sense of shared sorrow for each other.

As fellow celestial beings of the mortal realm, they all felt a deep sense of empathy for Zhu Tianzun, who was murdered and then humiliated in such a way after death.

"Damn it!
This is absolutely provocation!

Thunder God Venerable, surrounded by lightning, said angrily.

"Killing him wasn't enough; they even went so far as to desecrate Zhu Tianzun's remains!"

Ancient Celestial Venerable also said with a gloomy expression, "This is not just about Celestial Venerable Zhu; it's clearly aimed at all the Celestial Venerables of the Yang Realm!"

"No matter who he is, we must find him and tear him to pieces!"

Zeng Tianzun spoke with a cold face and a murderous aura.

"Haven't you noticed something very strange?"

Qi Lingyun was more composed than them. "The other party is humiliating Zhu Tianzun in this way, which is a provocation against us Yang Realm Heavenly Venerables. But the other party is acting so furtively that they don't even dare to show their face."

Isn't that somewhat contradictory?

"He dares not show himself because he knows he is no match for us!"

Lei Tianzun said coldly.

"Lord Lei, if it were you to make a move, how confident are you that you could kill Lord Zhu?"

Qi Lingyun shook her head and said, "Zhu Tianzun's body is intact. It is clear that he did not fight a fierce battle before he died."

This means he died very quickly, without even having time to be injured.

Can you do it?

Although Lei Tianzun is known as the Second Heavenly Venerable of the World, even Lei Tianzun himself wouldn't dare to say that he could easily kill Zhu Tianzun.

Qi Lingyun's words made Lei Tianzun's expression somewhat unpleasant.

But no matter how confident he was, Lei Tianzun would never do something like boasting.

"I can defeat him, but I can't kill him."

Lei Tianzun said in a deep voice.

"Therefore, the person who killed Zhu Tianzun must either be far stronger than Zhu Tianzun or have ambushed him."

Qi Lingyun analyzed the situation calmly.

"A sneak attack? A sneak attack is useless against people like us."

Lei Tianzun frowned.

How could the Celestial Venerable be so easily ambushed?

"Ordinary people can't be ambushed, but what if it's someone you know, or even a family member?"

If someone we're not on guard against suddenly attacks from close range, we could easily fall victim.

Qi Lingyun said.

"What relatives does Zhu Tianzun have?"

Lei Tianzun and the others were all pondering the Dao.

"Although Zhu Tianzun is not a lonely person, he does not have any particularly close relatives either."

Su Mu shook his head and said, "So it shouldn't be an attack by someone you know."

"So you mean the murderer's strength far surpasses that of Zhu Tianzun?"
How could this be? Even the Supreme Celestial Venerable could not possibly kill the Celestial Venerable Zhu so easily.

Lei Tianzun said, "You are not a Tianzun, so you don't know that although there are differences between Tianzun, the differences are not as big as you imagine."

A martial artist at the Heavenly Fate Realm might easily kill another at the Heavenly Fate Realm, but a Heavenly Venerable cannot.

“I don’t know much about the Celestial Venerable, but I do know that there is a kind of spiritual treasure in the world that can easily crush the Celestial Venerable.”

Su Mu slowly said, "If we use a spiritual treasure to suppress Zhu Tianzun first, then even a martial artist at the Heavenly Fate Realm can easily kill Zhu Tianzun."

"Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, said that this matter has nothing to do with them. He has been in seclusion to heal his injuries and has no time to take action."

He Tianzun, who had rushed back from the Void Realm, spoke up, knowing that the spiritual treasure Su Mu mentioned was the Wutian Staff.

"I don't think Zhu Tongtian is lying." "Besides Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, who else possesses a spiritual treasure?"

"I am a thief," said the Heavenly Thief, his eyes gleaming with a hint of eagerness.

As the ancestor of all thieves, the Celestial Thief believed that a life without having stolen spiritual treasures was incomplete.

Lei Tianzun, Gu Tianzun, Zeng Tianzun, Qi Lingyun and the others exchanged glances.

Lingbao?

what is that?
They knew that there were divine weapons of destiny in the world, and there were chaotic divine weapons created by Su Mu.

But even they had never heard of Lingbao.

"Su Mu, you said that spiritual treasures can restrain Heavenly Venerables, and that Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts, also possesses a spiritual treasure?"

Qi Lingyun pondered for a moment before asking, "Who created the magical treasure?"

"Are you sure there really is a weapon that can subdue the Celestial Venerable?"

Lei Tianzun also asked in a deep voice.

"can."

The answer came from He Tianzun: "I once personally fought against Zhu Tongtian, the Lord of the Void Beasts. He wielded the Spirit Treasure Wutian Staff, and I was no match for him."

Apart from the Heavenly Thief Lord who already knew the news, all the other Heavenly Lords showed expressions of shock.

He Tianzun is no ordinary person, yet he couldn't defeat a Heavenly Fate Realm cultivator wielding a spiritual treasure?
Even if Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, is strong, he is only at the Heavenly Fate Realm.

"A spiritual treasure is stronger than your Chaos Divine Weapon?"

Lei Tianzun said in a deep voice.

"They can't be compared."

Su Mu shook his head and slowly said, "My Chaos Divine Weapon has other uses and I did not pursue the ultimate killing power."

Lingbao's path is different from mine, the Chaos Divine Weapon.

The essence of a spiritual treasure lies in its world-destroying power; purely from this perspective, my Chaos Divine Weapon is far inferior to a spiritual treasure.

The Chaos Divine Weapon was designed by Su Mu to help the Celestial Venerables deceive the heavens and the sea. In a sense, the Chaos Divine Weapon is more like an auxiliary weapon.

Lingbao, on the other hand, is a weapon created by sacrificing all living beings in the world.

This weapon was designed to kill from the moment it was created.

"Can you refine magical artifacts?"

Qi Lingyun pressed for an answer.

"No."

Su Mu replied crisply and decisively.

All the celestial beings fell silent.

Su Mu was already the strongest weapon forger they had ever seen. If even Su Mu couldn't forge a spiritual treasure, then who else could?
"Therefore, no one in the Saha world can refine spiritual treasures. If Zhu Tianzun really died from a spiritual treasure, then the person who killed him was very likely from outside the heavens."

Was it done by people from the Great Qian Dynasty?

Qi Lingyun was quick-witted, and she said in a deep voice.

"It's hard to say right now."

Su Mu said, "However, I am more inclined to believe that it was not the work of the Great Qian Dynasty."

If the Great Qian Dynasty had this strength, then Du Rongcheng, the son of Du Bao, the Minister of Works of the Great Qian Dynasty, would not have been in such a sorry state.

I suspect even more strongly that the killer was a thousand-faced deity.

As he spoke, Su Mu glanced at He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun.

"The Thousand-Faced Buddha?"

Both He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun were taken aback. They exchanged a glance and saw the confusion and shock in each other's eyes.

"You've never seen the Thousand-Faced Buddha, so why are you saying it's him?"

The Heavenly Thief couldn't help but ask.

"I already said it's just suspicion. If I have evidence, then it's not just suspicion."

Su Mu calmly said, "Whether it is him or not, I still need to examine Zhu Tianzun's body."

"The Thousand-Faced Buddha?"

Qi Lingyun, Lei Tianzun, Gu Tianzun and the others all showed expressions of doubt.

They were familiar with the Thousand-Faced Buddha. Back in the Azure Sky Sect, Thief Celestial Venerable had claimed that the Thousand-Faced Buddha had stolen the Azure Sky Sect's Meteor Shuttle.

But if I'm not mistaken, the Thousand-Faced Buddha is not the Celestial Venerable.

Does he really have the ability to kill Zhu Tianzun?
As the Celestial Venerables were puzzled, they saw Su Mu leave Yanmen Pass and walk towards the corpse of Celestial Venerable Zhu.

The celestial beings suppressed their doubts and followed suit.

The soldiers on Yanmen Pass craned their necks, watching the movements of these important figures from afar.

Su Mu walked until he was several feet in front of Zhu Tianzun.

At this moment, Zhu Tianzun's aura was almost reaching the limit that Su Mu could withstand.

If it were any other Heavenly Fate Realm expert, they would probably have been forced to their knees by this aura.

Even a dead Celestial Venerable is still terrifyingly powerful.

Su Mu, with a solemn expression, bowed respectfully to Zhu Tianzun's corpse.

“Zhu Tianzun, I, Su Mu, have no intention of offending you. However, in order to find the murderer who killed you, I must examine your body. Please forgive me.”

Su Mu said in a deep voice.

call!call!
The wind howled.

It was as if Zhu Tianzun was responding.

Su Mu continued to stride forward.

The once all-pervasive aura had noticeably weakened compared to before.

A few steps later, Su Mu had already arrived in front of Zhu Tianzun.

This former supreme ruler knelt there quietly, his head bowed.

Even a celestial being, once dead, is simply dead.

Looking at this scene alone, who would have thought that he was once a supreme celestial being who had reached the pinnacle of enlightenment?

Su Mu sighed inwardly. Even a Celestial Venerable could perish if he was not careful. His current strength was not as great as that of Zhu Celestial Venerable. If he was not careful, Zhu Celestial Venerable's fate would serve as a warning.

"excuse me."

Su Mu cupped his hands and said in a deep voice.

He stretched out his palm and began to examine Zhu Tianzun's body.

The Heavenly Venerables Lei Tianzun, Gu Tianzun, Qi Lingyun, He Tianzun, Dao Tianzun, and others have also arrived.

Without any prior discussion, they tacitly occupied the four sides, surrounding the corpses of Su Mu and Zhu Tianzun in the center, while simultaneously keeping watch over their surroundings.

No one knows who killed Zhu Tianzun, let alone whether the killer is hiding nearby.

A powerful being capable of killing Zhu Tianzun is someone that even the other Heavenly Venerables would not dare to underestimate.

They weren't afraid of a sneak attack at this moment, but Su Mu was not a Celestial Venerable after all. If he were injured by the other party, they would lose all face.

While remaining on guard, the celestial beings also spared some attention to observe the corpse of Celestial Venerable Zhu.

On the surface, Zhu Tianzun's body was intact, and it was impossible to tell where the fatal wound was.

But as Su Mu moved, a thick black mist suddenly rose from Zhu Tianzun's body.

The black mist spewed out from the pores of Zhu Tianzun's body, carrying a foul stench.

"Everyone, be careful!"

Just then, Su Mu suddenly shouted.

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

With a series of whooshing sounds as the wind broke through, beams of starlight shot out from Zhu Tianzun's body, mingling with the foul-smelling black mist and shooting in all directions.

The Celestial Venerables were already on guard around, and upon hearing Su Mu's reminder, they reacted immediately.

boom!
Auras surged into the sky.

The momentum was visibly surging.

The soldiers on Yanmen Pass in the distance all changed their expressions drastically as they were blown away by the gust of wind.

Even the tall city walls shook violently.

A beam of light emanated directly from the city wall.

That was the defensive formation of Yanmen Pass.

The mere aura released by the Celestial Venerable activated the protective array of Yanmen Pass.

At that moment, a loud bang rang in everyone's ears.

A streak of dark light passed over the assembled celestial beings and struck the city wall directly.

With a loud bang, the city's protective formation was broken, and a section of the city wall collapsed.

Countless martial artists were affected and buried by the collapsed city walls.

outside the city.

The light around the Celestial Venerables flickered, and their expressions turned extremely grim.

Despite their extreme caution, they still managed to capsize in a ditch.

If word got out that the Yanmen Pass wall collapsed right in front of them, how would they save face?
Most importantly, the other party didn't even show their face!

All the celestial beings turned their gaze to the corpse of Celestial Venerable Zhu.

Zhu Tianzun remained kneeling there, while Su Mu stood not far away.

A tiny red dot, like a pinhole, appeared between Zhu Tianzun's eyebrows.

"Su Mu, are you alright?"

Qi Lingyun raised her voice.

That attack just now startled even these Celestial Venerables.

The fact that the attack was able to break through the defensive formation of Yanmen Pass after being blocked by them shows just how powerful that attack was.

Su Mu's strength is inferior to theirs; they were able to block that attack, but Su Mu might not be.

"I am fine."

Su Mu shook his head and said calmly.

"What exactly happened just now? Did they tamper with Zhu Tianzun's corpse?"

Lei Tianzun took two steps forward, arriving in front of Zhu Tianzun's corpse, and also shielded Su Mu behind him.

"Don't be nervous. That power has already been released. Zhu Tianzun's body should be fine."

Su Mu calmly said, "I guessed right. The person who killed Zhu Tianzun is the same person who killed Wu Zu back then."

"Is it the same person who killed the Martial Ancestor?"

The faces of all the celestial beings showed expressions of doubt.

Who killed the Martial Ancestor?

The Celestial Thief spoke up, "Wasn't it said that he was betrayed and killed by his wicked disciple?"

"I don't know who it is either."

Su Mu said calmly, "I found this needle on the corpse of the Martial Ancestor."

Just now, there was also a similar needle in Zhu Tianzun's corpse.

It should be in these ruins now.

The same needle, crafted using the same method as the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, Thief Celestial Venerable, He Celestial Venerable, do you think this is related to the Thousand-Faced Buddha?

Both He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun were taken aback.

"you sure?"

"I am a thief," the Celestial Thief asked instinctively.

"With my weapon-forging skills, I shouldn't be mistaken."

Su Mu said, “To you, all weapons may be the same, but to us weapon makers, every weapon has its own unique path.”

Even weapons forged by different weapon-making masters have very distinct characteristics.

The method for crafting the Heart-Reflecting Mirror is the same as that for these two needles, which is enough to show that they come from the same source. (End of Chapter)