Chapter 1554 — The Duel of the Dao-Achievers

"But to kill me with one move, even with power as great as a Dao-achiever's, you cannot do it! " Shen Mu thrust his sword forward, and within the Myriad-Dao Heaven Wheel his image collapsed of a sudden; it meant that Hao Tianzun's wheel had parsed every secret of his, that this blow could utterly dissolve him!

Boom— At the center of the fourteenth Chaos River, a dreadful throb burst out, whipping up a wave of chaos qi that shrieked as it spun, like a chaos tornado. The tornado scattered, becoming a hurricane that lashed out in every direction; after a time the wind reached the ruins of Jade Capital City where Hao Tianzun and the others stood, howling across the Dao Tree, plucking at the robes of Hao Tianzun and Xiao Tianzun.

Xiao Tianzun turned, a smile on his face, and said unhurriedly, "Hao'er, have you beaten your heart-demon to death?

" On the Dao Tree across from him, Hao Tianzun's expression shifted slightly; he said with a cold laugh, "He fled. He is not dead, but he has not long to live.

" Xiao Tianzun smiled. "There are five daos within him that you could not read, is that not so?

Of those five, the first is Taiyi, the second Taichu, the third Taishi, the fourth Taisu, the fifth Taiji.

It is because you could not read them that you could not kill him. And I, I am Taichu.

" His aura surged madly; behind his head heavenly palaces leapt forth one after another, combining into a Great Heavenly Court of thirty-six heavenly palaces and forty-seven treasured halls! "What you cannot see through is your father.

" Xiao Tianzun smiled faintly. "As my child, you are the most outstanding of them all.

I admit it: in the past I underestimated you. " Hao Tianzun smiled, and the smile on his face deepened, deepened until it could deepen no further; behind him, the companion supreme treasure of Goddess Taisu began to change, transforming toward a Myriad-Dao Heaven Wheel.

"You did not merely underestimate me in the past, you underestimate me now as well!

" Hao Tianzun's earlier strike had been a divine ability; now the companion supreme treasure of Taisu transmuted into a Myriad-Dao Heaven Wheel, a supreme treasure born from the egg of Taisu! "Father, your supreme treasure was sent by the Great Emperor into the ultimate void to be suppressed.

With no supreme treasure and no allies, you can only await death! " Hao Tianzun raised a hand, seized the Myriad-Dao Heaven Wheel, and soared into the air!

On the third Chaos River, Shen Mu stood on the little boat the Taiyi staff had become, one hand resting on his World Tree, his body battered, gasping for breath in great ragged gulps. The breath he exhaled was mixed with froth of blood. Hao Tianzun's thirtieth-heaven Dao-entering divine ability was indeed incomparably formidable; yet in the mirror light of that final wheel, Shen Mu had seen that the Myriad-Dao Heaven Wheel had not parsed the five great ore veins of his Ancestral Court, and so he knew where his chance of life lay.

In his last blow he had roused the five great ore veins of the Ancestral Court, forcibly drawing out the power stored within them; at the most critical moment he had even roused the power of the Taiyi vein, and so at last he held the strike off and was not cut down by Hao Tianzun.

"Having attained the Dao, he is indeed invincible.

I cannot match him.

. .

" He collapsed with a splash and let the boat drift where it would.

How long passed he did not know; then some strength returned to him. Suddenly monstrous waves rose in the river: the ripples thrown off by Hao Tianzun and Xiao Tianzun fighting had reached this place, and the boat might capsize at any moment!

Shen Mu struggled to his feet and steered the boat toward the opposite shore. The chaos lay vast and dim; he opened the vertical eye at his brow and watched the evolution of the cosmos beneath the third Chaos River, searching for a road.

More than ten days later he found the far shore, and looking up saw another Chaos River before him.

"Only two rivers left.

. . " He rested a while; his wounds had healed considerably; then he boarded the boat and pressed on.

The outcome between Hao Tianzun and Xiao Tianzun no longer concerned him much.

He had only one thought now: to find Miluo Palace, to meet the master of Miluo Palace, and ask him about everything concerning Jade Capital City.

If he could return alive, then he must still linger a while on the Chaos River transformed from the fourth cosmos, and track down where Taiyi had gone.

Day by day the time flowed on. Shen Mu poled the boat onward alone; his wounds were nearly healed.

He possessed a complete Jade Pool realm, and the Jade Pool could produce the primeval liquid of Hongmeng, most beneficial for mending injuries to flesh and primordial spirit.

He came to the last Chaos River and took his boat into it. "Once I cross this river, Miluo Palace should be there.

.

.

" A Dao Tree stump came gently to rest, and at last reached the far bank of the final Chaos River. Down from the stump stepped an old woman, her body so bent and bowed that her face nearly touched the ground.

She was Consort Qiang, who after countless hardships had finally come to this place.

Trembling, she climbed down from the stump, shuffling and stumbling, dragging her feet with difficulty toward Miluo Palace. "Great Emperor. " Suddenly a voice came from behind her.

Consort Qiang strained to turn her head, and of a sudden her body went light: a hand had lifted her up. With effort she raised her head, her old eyes dim, and dimly glimpsed Shen Mu's face. "Mu Tianzun.

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.

" Consort Qiang struggled, trying to swing the two God-Slaying Mystic Blades and cut Shen Mu down, but now she could scarcely lift those two divine blades. The blades too had lost all their divine power, and hung limp.

Shen Mu pried open her withered claw of a hand and took the two blades from her, then carried Consort Qiang by the collar to the riverbank.

She struggled with all her might, clawing at his collar, her voice hoarse: "Let me go!

I must see the master of Miluo Palace.

You cannot kill me, Mu Tianzun, I am the master of Miluo Palace's guest.

.

. " "Forgive me, Great Emperor.

" Shen Mu pressed her down into the Chaos River and let her two hands tear at his collar and his face, watching her turn to powder in the Calamity of Destruction, and murmured, "I must kill you, I must. If I do not kill you now, I will have no certainty when the time comes to rescue Ling Tianzun.

. . Hao Tianzun and Xiao Tianzun are close to attaining the Dao.

I can wait no longer; I must go save Ling Tianzun.

.

. Do not struggle.

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" Little by little, he sank Consort Qiang into the river.