Chapter 1511 — Nine Honored Lords Save the Youth

The Blind Elder could not help but grow frantic with worry. Then Tai Yi set down his water pipe and went on: "The nine Heavenly Lords have already entered the city. I can no longer see them." The Blind Elder clenched his fists. The Silent Artisan was still urging him on, and the Blind Elder said angrily, "Wait a while longer!" Just then, from the direction of the Jade Capital of the Ancestral Court came wave upon wave of terrifying throbbing. The Blind Elder's heart leaped with joy, and he stared at Tai Yi with eager eyes. Tai Yi said, "You need not look at me. I cannot see what goes on inside the Jade Capital either." The Blind Elder, still refusing to give up hope, kept his gaze fixed on him, waiting for him to speak of the battle. In the Jade Capital of the Ancestral Court, seven Heavenly Lords arrived together and joined Lord Huo and Lord Xu outside the city. Lord Huo and Lord Xu had come somewhat earlier. They had no intention of entering the city first — after all, the appearance of the Jade Capital had stirred up far too great a commotion, and the sight of it filled even them with a certain dread. It was dread of the unknown. Faced with the unknown, even Heavenly Lords felt a measure of fear. And so Lord Huo and Lord Xu had kept watch outside the city all this while, quietly awaiting the other Heavenly Lords. "Lord Mu has never come out of there." Lord Huo said to Lord Hao and the others, "He broke the seal of the Pixiang Hall, and has remained in this city ever since." "The seal of the Pixiang Hall is the seal of nearly every mighty one from ancient times to the present, and it includes the seals of us ten Heavenly Lords. With his abilities alone, he could not have broken it." Lord Hao said unhurriedly, "He must have borrowed outside power to break it." He surveyed this ancient, weathered divine city and said mildly, "In other words, there is something in this city of terrible power, something that can break the seals of us ten Heavenly Lords — something that could even break the seals of the Heavenly Emperor and the Grand Emperor!" Consort Yan, Consort Qiang, Shi Qiluo, and Lord Gong felt their hearts turn cold. If it could break their seals, then the power Shen Mu had borrowed was likely no weaker than their own — perhaps even stronger! The other Heavenly Lords did not know the horrors of this place, but Consort Yan, Consort Qiang, Shi Qiluo, and Lord Gong had been here before, and their memories of it were fresh. Lord Hao said, "The Pixiang Hall must not be lost! Whatever is imprisoned in that hall must never be allowed to escape." Lord Huo thought of Lord Yu and Emperor Ming, and nodded hurriedly: "They must never be allowed to escape!" Consort Yan, Consort Qiang, Shi Qiluo, and Lord Gong also recalled the painting in the hall and the figure within it, and their hearts shook violently. They said in low voices, "He must not be released!" The Ancestral God King and Lord Gong followed Lord Hao's lead in all things; Lord Xu and the Divine Emperor Langxuan had no choice but to follow as well. The nine Heavenly Lords, together with the Ancient God Taiji, walked toward the city. The eyes of the two ancient gods rested all the while on what lay behind Lord Hao. Others could not see Tai Su behind Lord Hao, but they could see Tai Su's true form. "This place is indeed somewhat uncanny. That Lord Mu could find such a place — his abilities are truly extraordinary." The Dao Fruit at the back of the Divine Emperor Langxuan's head revolved, and he could not help but exclaim in admiration. When Lord Hao heard him mention Shen Mu, he felt rather displeased, and at once quickened his pace. The nine Heavenly Lords entered the city. The sights they met along the way were much the same as those Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun had seen, but they were far mightier than Wei Suifeng and Shu Jun; even when they encountered the wind of heat-death, they did not deign to avoid it — and at once each of the nine Heavenly Lords suffered a heavy loss! Having dodged the wind of heat-death, the nine Heavenly Lords next came upon a withered Dao Tree. They did not know that the tree must not be touched. The Ancestral God King had barely touched the Dao Tree when he sensed a profound thought-force invading his mind, and he hurried to resist it. "A demon tree dares to harm me?" This God King flew into a rage. He uprooted the withered Dao Tree and blasted it with one great heavenly-dao divine ability after another, shattering countless dead branches. Yet the uncanny great Dao hidden within that tree struck back, and the Ancestral God King was wounded for his trouble. The other Heavenly Lords were aghast. "Ancestral God King, this is a Dao Tree — it cannot be fought head-on!" Consort Qiang summoned the two divine blades from the God-Slaying Platform of the Ancestral Court. The blades wove and crossed in a slashing arc, and with a thunderous roar the Dao Tree was cut in two. She said, "In all this world, the only one who ever forged a Dao Tree was the Grand Emperor, that invincible being — undying and indestructible, long-lived and eternally youthful, coexisting with heaven and earth. And the only one who can slay a Dao Tree is I!" Then, from the place where the Dao Tree had been severed, crimson blood came flowing out of the trunk. The blood was suffused with a rosy radiance, and the radiance flew up to cut down the assembled lords! Each of the nine Heavenly Lords struck out to resist, wiping the radiance away, and inwardly they were startled. Even they found the radiance somewhat taxing to face. "How did Lord Mu ever find such an uncanny place?" They wiped out the radiance and were about to collect the withered Dao Tree when they saw its trunk and branches dissolve at incredible speed, vanishing without a trace in moments, leaving nothing behind. Only countless Dao patterns flew out in all directions, merging into heaven and earth, making the spiritual qi here so dense it pressed upon them, as though this were a holy land. "How bizarre!" The nine Heavenly Lords pressed on. As for Consort Qiang's two God-Slaying Mystic Blades, they too were secretly on their guard; those two divine blades could cut even a Dao Tree with ease, and could well be called the most vicious weapons under heaven — slaying them would likely be no trouble at all. The others kept their guard up against Consort Qiang. Before long, they came upon uncanny ghosts rising from the chaos qi, spitting out the wind of cold stillness. Fortunately they were prepared; the group dodged the wind of cold stillness, and the Divine Emperor Langxuan pointed a finger and slew the uncanny ghosts outright! With the nine Heavenly Lords joining hands, they were all but invincible, and they forged their way through. Before long they came upon the strange forest formed by the withered Dao Trees, and at the sight of it, even they, Heavenly Lords though they were, could not help but draw a sharp breath. "That Lord Mu actually found such a bizarre place — he cannot be allowed to live!" the Heavenly Lords said with one voice. Then their gazes fell upon the Pixiang Hall. This majestic hall now stood in utter ruin; the various seals around it were tattered and broken, seven or eight parts undone. The hall had now been pierced through by a Dao Tree, and upon that Dao Tree hung a Dao Fruit. The Dao Fruit was ruined, hanging before the gate, riddled with holes from the seals. And within the Dao Fruit was a woman, naked, already dead inside it. "A pity, a pity." The Divine Emperor Langxuan shook his head and sighed. "That fellow Lord Mu knows nothing of cherishing the fair; he only knows how to destroy the flower with a ruthless hand. This time he must not be indulged any longer — he must be done away with." The other Heavenly Lords nodded in agreement. The Ancestral God King frowned. "The seal has already been broken. That wily Lord Mu has most likely fled with the prisoners here long ago." "He will not." Lord Gong said calmly, "Even if he broke t