Chapter 972 — Catching the Turtle in the Jar

In a single flash, the Tai Emperor's phantom was engulfed by the phantoms of the ancient gods—Heaven Emperor, Earth Lord, and the others.

Boom!

The Tai Emperor's phantom was blasted to pieces by countless attacks, then surged upward as a torrent of divine consciousness, re-forming into the Tai Emperor's phantom. With a flick of his cape, he veiled the heavens.

He activated his supreme Daluo divine consciousness, and countless phantoms of ancient gods were about to step forth from beneath his cape.

The Heaven Emperor Shen Mu raised his hand, made a heavy grasping motion, and roared, "Come down!

" A heavenly rope, huge as a bushel, descended from the sky and lassoed him tight.

As the Tai Emperor's phantom was about to break free of the rope, suddenly the host of star deities of the firmament drove the stars of the heavens, weaving them into a heavenly net that descended, catching him, locking him, and dragging him onto the Taiji Diagram. The twin horns of Earth Lord Shen Mu turned into two fiery Yellow Springs, coiling around his body so he could not flee.

Earth Mother Shen Mu grabbed the Primal Wood and struck him with a single blow, shattering him once more. The Tai Emperor's divine consciousness churned, darting in every direction along the surface of the Taiji Diagram.

Yet all around him appeared the figures of ancient-god Shen Mus—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise—sealing him in, trapping him at the center. At the same time, Shen Mu's primordial spirit, the Heavenly Emperor, soared aloft.

Raising his hand and striking down—a myriad of Daos converging into his palm—he slammed a devastating blow into the seals of the Four Emperors. In the violent shock, the Tai Emperor's divine consciousness exploded again.

"Tai Emperor, you don't understand me at all.

" Shen Mu landed, stepping into the shattered divine consciousness of the Tai Emperor.

He looked around and saw countless fragments of consciousness glinting like colored glass. The Tai Emperor's divine consciousness was so powerful that it could become physical substance even without visualization—truly admirable. "My greatest strength is not my cultivation realm, nor my vitality that rivals the true gods in depth, but my divine consciousness.

" Shen Mu examined the soul fragments, observing their mysteries, and continued, "Years ago, I could live without a soul or spirit, relying on my indestructible consciousness. Since I met Shu Jun and cultivated the Supreme Consciousness of the Three Enclosures with the help of the Primal Stone, my divine consciousness has advanced by leaps and bounds.

You entered my divine treasury, thinking you broke through the Three Battles of Heaven's Origin I laid down—but how do you know it wasn't all my design? What if I deliberately let you in, to refine you, to devour your divine consciousness? " "You want to devour my divine consciousness? " The fragments of consciousness, like shards of glass, swirled and flowed, forming a great vortex around Shen Mu. The Tai Emperor's voice came, sneering, "Do you think that after cultivating the Three Enclosures Supreme Consciousness for a few days, you can stand against me? " "Of course, these alone are not enough to counter the Tai Emperor's consciousness.

" Shen Mu picked up a piece of consciousness and examined it carefully.

"After all, you are the Heavenly Emperor of the ancient era, the original owner of the Primal Stone. And you obtained the complete Primal Stone; the Primal Stone I got is merely a fragment of yours. " The Heaven Emperor Shen Mu rose, spreading across the sky, surrounded by the star deities of the firmament.

The sun and moon sank into the Taiji Diagram—the great sun radiant, containing a Sun Star Lord Shen Mu; the moon serene, containing a Moon Star Lord Shen Mu.

Beneath the Taiji Diagram, Earth Lord Shen Mu stood with a long whip in hand, ready. Beyond the heavens, Yue Tingge, Luo Wushuang, Shu Jun, and the others were still fighting desperately. Now the Tai Emperor's phantom had no path of escape. "The reason for your strength is not only this.

You also gathered countless ancient creators to contemplate you, strengthening your body and your divine consciousness. You are truly the strongest being of the ancient age. Shu Jun praised you, saying you possess the strongest body in history.

" Shen Mu continued, "In my view, the strongest body may not be yours, but the strongest consciousness is certainly yours!

However, times have changed. .

. " Suddenly, the Tai Emperor's consciousness fragments coalesced, restoring his body. His consciousness burst forth, demons dancing wildly.

The next moment, he broke through the blockade of the four ancient-god Shen Mus and shot into the sky. ".

. .

Times have changed—you are dead, ambushed by many creators, dying in this strange place called the Great Void. " Shen Mu looked up, watching him rush into the heavenly net laid by the Heaven Emperor, and said, "You perished together with those creators.

Your consciousnesses formed the Supreme Consciousness Domain. Most of your consciousness has become part of that domain, and now you can only mobilize a pitiful amount. " Boom! The Tai Emperor's phantom shattered again, blasted apart by the combined force of Heaven Emperor and Earth Mother.

His consciousness fragments turned into a surging torrent that plunged into the Taiji Diagram, trying to escape beneath it.

But the next moment he encountered Earth Lord Shen Mu. Shen Mu's voice came from above the Diagram. Looking through the Taiji Diagram at the Nether Capital world beneath, he said, "When you broke through the Three Battles of Heaven's Origin I set up, each seal you destroyed cost you a portion of your consciousness.

By the time you reached my Primal Embryo Divine Treasury, you were no longer at full strength. Add to that the obstruction of the primordial spirits of two great masters, Yue Tingge and Luo Wushuang—and Yue Tingge is a being at the Great Perfection of the Imperial Throne—you had to expend even more consciousness dealing with them. " He did not finish, but the Tai Emperor understood his meaning. With Shu Jun, one of the Three Ancient Kings, blocking the way, the Tai Emperor had to split off half his consciousness to deal with him. In truth, only a small fraction of his consciousness could reach Shen Mu. Shen Mu seized this moment, intending to capture and refine the Tai Emperor's consciousness.

The Tai Emperor had come to borrow life, intending to seize Shen Mu's body and erase Shen Mu's consciousness.

But Shen Mu's goal was to lure him in, refine his consciousness, and obtain his memories and techniques.

While you watch your prey, your prey watches you. Shen Mu was greatly tempted by the Tai Emperor's supreme Daluo consciousness.

Especially now, in the Supreme Consciousness Domain, he saw another path of cultivation. Shu Jun's Three Enclosures Supreme Consciousness was excellent, but even Shen Mu could see its shortcomings.

Thus he desperately wanted the Tai Emperor's supreme Daluo consciousness.

The four ancient-god Shen Mus sank into the Nether Capital and joined Earth Lord Shen Mu. The Tai Emperor's phantom was forced out of the Nether Capital.

Just as he emerged onto the Diagram, he met Shen Mu's full-force strike, which shattered him once more. "Quite strong, Lord Mu.

. .

" The Tai Emperor's consciousness fragments shot into the sky, and from among them came his laughter: "I underestimated you.

You seized the initiative and tricked me. Pity you don't know what the supreme Daluo consciousness truly is! " Heaven Emperor Shen Mu immediately led the others to intercept, but unexpectedly those shattered consciousness surges swirled and, the instant they touched Heaven Emperor Shen Mu, wildly flooded into his body!