Chapter 817 — The Heavenly Lord Bestows Blessings

The heaving earth abruptly fell still, and then the Imperial Gate Divine Blade, planted in the ground, split the soil open and traveled westward without pause. Tian Shu, the Heavenly King, seized the hilt and tried to steady the divine blade, but the power beneath the earth was so immense that even he was dragged along by the weapon, pulled toward the west.

The Imperial Gate Divine Blade was incomparably sharp. It passed through a great mountain, and the mountain was instantly sliced clean through, cleaved into two halves!

Seeing this, the Old Farmer let out a thunderous shout and smashed his fist into the ground. A series of cracking booms echoed up from below, as though something were being shattered joint by joint.

Tian Shu was at last able to draw the Imperial Gate Divine Blade. He pulled it free and rose, his body shifting in a flicker into a ram-headed god with a pair of curving horns, and brought the blade down in a slash!

In that one strike he unleashed every ounce of his skill. Though he cut only a single time, countless blades of light burrowed deep into the earth.

His blade art was exquisite; he was the highest achiever of blade cultivation in the Kaihuang era. Otherwise, when Kaihuang planned to open up Fengdu, he would never have had him wield the blade to hack at Tubo.

As the strike fell, the ground kept splitting apart. Deep below, blade light could be faintly seen darting wildly, and enormous root-tendrils writhed amid the flashing steel. The bulging earth raced westward at flying speed, and soon the distant mountain ridges shuddered like waves, retreating far away with astonishing swiftness.

On the surface, lakes of blood merged one into another, forming a swamp, and a radiant haze hung over the waters.

Tian Shu withdrew his blade and shouldered the great saber. Puzzled, he said, "I clearly struck her. Why can the Imperial Gate Divine Blade not take her soul?"

"If you cut Tubo once, can you take Tubo's soul?"

From behind him came the Old Farmer's voice: "Let's go. Back to the capital."

Tian Shu turned and returned to the capital with him.

In a residence in the capital, Di Yiyue and the Scholar joined forces to break the Earth Mother's blessing on the back of Shen Mu's head. Breaking the Earth Mother's blessing sent a shock through Shen Mu's spirit as well, leaving him dazed and reeling. He leaned against the wall and retched dryly for a while before he recovered slightly, though his face remained somewhat pale.

The Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Kings exchanged glances. "We only broke the Earth Mother's blessing, and Shen'er is already in this state. The Heavenly Venerable Yu has hundreds of halos on the back of his head, and he is only at the Spirit Fetus realm. Can he withstand it?"

Shen Mu shook his head, still dizzy.

When the Woodcutter Sage had removed the Earth Origin Dao Fruit, he had scarcely felt a thing, because the Earth Origin Dao Fruit was bound to his soul. The Woodcutter Sage had directly driven his soul into the Dark Capital, severing the connection between the Dao Fruit and himself, and it had fallen away on its own.

But the Earth Mother's blessing was different. This kind of blessing was far more complex; it could draw upon the power of the earth and endlessly revive, and it was linked to both his fleshly body and his primal spirit. Even if Shen Mu perished, the halo would remain.

Di Yiyue and the Scholar had employed the crudest method: forcibly dismantling, one by one, the runes that constituted the Earth Mother's blessing.

Over these days they had thoroughly comprehended these runes and each devised their own method of dismantling them. During the dismantling, the resulting tremors also battered Shen Mu's fleshly body and primal spirit, which was why he felt so wretched.

"The Heavenly Venerable Yu cannot withstand it."

The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "If we wish to remove these blessings, we must have a powerhouse at the Imperial Throne realm to protect his primal spirit and fleshly body, and we must also guard against the power of the living ancient gods invading. The Heavenly Venerable Yu is of immense consequence. His resurrection certainly cannot be hidden from the ancient gods who once bestowed blessings upon him. If we break the ancient gods' blessings, the ancient gods drawn here will likely be more than just the Earth Mother Yuanjun. We must strike swiftly and decisively, erasing these blessings before those ancient gods can react!"

The Scholar shook his head. "My wisdom is insufficient. I cannot fully dismantle the blessings on the back of his head."

Di Yiyue also shook her head. "These blessings have vast ramifications. The blessings of the Four Emperors and the Heavenly Duke I could easily resolve, but some blessings I cannot even comprehend."

The Heavenly King Di Shi, the Old Farmer, the Fisherman, and the others also shook their heads.

The Woodcutter Sage said, "Then let my little disciple and I dismantle them together. You shall guard the dharma and watch for the ancient gods' invasion. Bai Gui, come!"

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping came over upon hearing this and said, "Master."

The Woodcutter Sage said, "You and I together will break the blessings of the gods on the back of the Heavenly Venerable Yu's head. Are you confident?"

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping pondered for a moment, then said, "The Heavenly Emperor's blessing will be somewhat difficult. Its structure is complex and encompasses an extremely broad range of great Daos. Dismantling it will take a great deal of time. This is the first time I have seen such a strange great Dao. But if I join hands with you, Master, I am eight or nine parts confident."

The Woodcutter said, "I will join hands with Bai Gui. The First Heavenly King shall stabilize the Heavenly Venerable Yu's fleshly body and primal spirit, and the rest of you shall guard against a lone assault."

The others all voiced their agreement.

Di Yiyue summoned the Heavenly Venerable Yu and used her own dharma power to shield his soul and fleshly body, then gave a slight nod.

The Woodcutter said, "Bai Gui, which ancient god's blessing do you think we should break first?"

"First the Earth Mother, then the Heavenly Duke and Tubo, and after that the Heavenly Emperor."

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping said, "The Earth Mother is already dead, and she has just been routed and fled. Breaking her blessing is the simplest. Then the Heavenly Duke and Tubo; those two ancient gods have ties with my second senior brother, so they will not obstruct us, nor will they alarm the other ancient gods. Then the Heavenly Emperor. My second senior brother told me the Heavenly Emperor is already dead. Though breaking his blessing is difficult, he dare not show himself. Next the Emperor's Consort and her sister, then the Four Emperors, and finally the gods of the stars and constellations."

The Woodcutter asked, "Will any ancient gods interfere and stop us?"

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping shook his head. "The key lies with the Emperor's Consort and her sister and the Four Emperors. If we break those six ancient gods' blessings fast enough, the outer heavenly court will be unable to react in time. As for the remaining ancient gods, they are mediocre and insignificant, easily broken at a whim, not worth fearing. Speed is the essence of war. Striking when the enemy is unprepared, no ancient god will be able to pinpoint our location and descend to stop us."

The Woodcutter's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He laughed. "I have three disciples. Only you have truly received my transmission."

Shen Mu gave a cold snort, clearly displeased. "What true transmission? Master, when you taught my junior brother, you never once let me sit in. You have never transmitted anything to me. Where does this 'true transmission' come from?"

The Woodcutter Sage ignored him, and the two immediately set to work, circling ceaselessly around the Heavenly Venerable Yu.