Chapter 493 Part 1

Chapter 493 Part 1: Meeting the Heavenly Emperor (1)

"The so-called Martial Arts Ancestor, the title of Martial Ancestor, does not only refer to Qiao Xin alone but also includes Qiao Shuangtu and Qiao Yao, generally referring to all the elders of the Qiao family who have discussed martial arts at Peach Blossom Villa."

This also includes the ancestors of the Qiao family—reportedly, many of the Qiao family’s remarkable skills were created by their ancestors and have been passed down to later generations…

In the Jiu Province martial arts, there has always been a tradition of honoring ancestors.

The Shaolin martial arts respect Bodhidharma as their ancestor; Daoist martial arts often honor Zhang Zhenren from Wudang as their ancestor.

"Many other martial arts also honor famous generals from past dynasties as their ancestors."

"But who could have predicted that when the Qiao family members disappeared from the world, and there were no more Qiao family members, they would be revered by martial artists as the ‘Martial Ancestor of the Human World’…"

In the Secret Realm of Kuafu Mountain in the Western Province.

Qiao Yuan looked up at the towering ten-meter Blood Flesh Divine Being and spoke to himself.

The Blood Flesh Divine Being still did not respond, remaining silent.

Since the battle at Kuafu Mountain Peak, Wu Qizheng has been visiting the Blood Flesh Divine Being for three or four years without a word.

When Qiao Mu was still around, he often came to check on things and sometimes used the Blood Flesh Divine Being as a hollow tree to talk about matters in Jiu Province.

After Qiao Mu and the flesh clone guarding Kuafu Mountain left, the one who whispered changed to Qiao Yuan.

At this moment.

The news of Qiao Xin’s death in Peach Blossom Villa of Nan Province had already reached Kuafu Mountain in Western Province.

The Immortal Gate has not taken any action yet.

They originally expected that the Qiao family member would have disappeared long ago, instead of having a Qiao Xin still present.

Qiao Xin’s existence startled the Changsheng Taoist Lord who was spying, but it also made the Immortal Gate suspicious—could it be that the Qiao family member is playing tricks again?

Qiao Yuan, not caring about the silent Blood Flesh Divine Being, continued to speak to himself:

"Although Master Qiao Xin said before he died, the Qiao family did not turn the tide… but there might actually be a way."

Saying this, Qiao Yuan looked at the Blood Flesh Divine Being in front of him.

"Wu Qizheng Senior, are you still not awake? It’s been three or four years… this world is in need of a ‘Saint of Martial Arts.’"

"You are in the Kuafu Mountain Secret Realm, your existence is unknown to the world and the Immortal Gate, you are truly a variable that can change everything…"

During the peak battle of martial arts at Kuafu Mountain, many were injured or killed, and many details are unknown to the outside world, but Qiao Yuan was one of the lucky survivors.

The Blood Flesh Divine Being was the incomplete secret method that Martial Saint used in the face of the endlessly coming Qiao family members; its existence represented Martial Saint’s complete loss of control.

When the Blood Flesh Divine Being was at its largest, it towered like a mountain, strong enough to level the entire Blood Lotus Sect Immortal Gate by itself, beyond even Martial Saint’s control.

Now, its body is only about ten meters of the purest essence, but it is still an entity that even Martial Saint cannot control.

What Wu Qizheng has to do in these past few years is something that Martial Saint could not do before.

Three or four years have passed, and although he has not yet succeeded, the originally faceless Blood Flesh Divine Being has slowly begun to show Wu Qizheng’s face, becoming clearer as time goes by.

Qiao Yuan said a lot, but no matter how much he said, it all seemed to vanish without a trace, and the Blood Flesh Divine Being did not respond at all.

He let out a slight sigh.

"Now, the Qiao family member is also gone…" Qiao Yuan recalled what happened in the Kuafu Mountain Secret Realm years ago.

After Qiao Yao "shattered the void."

The Qiao family member guarding this place, when their life comes to an end, would walk step by step toward the ten-meter-high Blood Flesh Divine Being, just like Wu Qizheng did back then.

Beneath the Blood Flesh Divine Being, there is not solid ground, but a shallow pool of blood and flesh, with a crunching sound as he steps into it.

When Qiao Mu’s flesh clone reaches its end, it can only leave behind a strong body.

Stepping into the muddy pool of flesh and blood, it’s just making use of everything.

"Brother Qiao…" While he was deep in thought, a figure quickly rushed toward him from behind, out of breath and saying:

"On Kuafu Mountain, another Immortal Gate cultivator has appeared, most likely here to test us."

"After all, this place is the old site of the Blood Lotus Sect, and it has transformed into a special Secret Realm after its collapse, so it’s only natural that inhuman beings are drawn to it."

"I understand." Qiao Yuan stood up.

Over the past few years, he had been searching for more and more blood and bones in the various Secret Realms of Kuafu Mountain, and his connection to Kuafu Mountain grew stronger.

Outside of Kuafu Mountain, he felt powerless, but within its territory, his abilities were increasing, allowing him to drive away or even kill ordinary Immortal Gate cultivators.

"As for the future of Jiu Province… will the martial artists of Jiu Province grow rapidly in adversity, or will the Immortal Gate rekindle its power and the nine Soul Changing Taoist Lords return, even greater beings beyond Soul Changing…"

Qiao Yuan spoke on and on, his expression calm. He did not expect any response from the long-silent Blood Flesh Divine Being.

He raised the bone piece and moved it in front of him, and a portal to the Secret Realm appeared in the air. He stepped inside, and his figure vanished.

The Blood Flesh Divine Being remained quiet and still, but Wu Qizheng’s face became clearer.

……………………..

Return to the Ruins.

At the collapsed South Heavenly Gate.

Qiao Mu walked deeper into the ruins of the heavenly realm and casually tossed Ancestor Tianshu’s Nascent Soul to the Sky Piercing Water Spirit.

"Qiao Chonggui Senior, this…"

The Sky Piercing Water Spirit held the Mahayana Stage Nascent Soul in his hands, filled with unexpected amazement.

Ancestor Tianshu was gravely injured and near death; even this Nascent Soul had lost its brightness.

Let alone Qiao Mu.

Even if it fell into his hands, he had no strength left to resist.

Qiao Mu certainly could not spare the life of Ancestor Tianshu; giving it to the Sky Piercing Water Spirit was simply like gifting the Nascent Soul to someone else.

A Nascent Soul on the verge of death, especially from a Mahayana cultivator, is a rare treasure even in the ancient cultivation world.

Creatures like the Sky Piercing Riverwater spirit are born with the instinct to devour outside things… The Nascent Soul from the celestial realm would indeed be a great supplement for the Sky Piercing Water Spirit.

After spending several days together, Qiao Mu had gained some understanding of the nature of this Sky Piercing Riverwater spirit, which is why he simply decided to give it away.

This water spirit was nearly the river god of the Sky Piercing River; when it was born many years ago, it was driven by a Yunxiao Sect cultivator, but later it was frightened away by "Qiao Xin," leaving it with a shadow for life…

While in Jiu Province, Qiao Mu indeed did not hear any news about the Sky Piercing River having trouble caused by any water spirit…

"Let me help you regain your strength," Qiao Mu said.

"Otherwise, am I supposed to eat?"

"Oh, thank you for the gift, elder." The Sky Piercing Water Spirit finally realized and quickly expressed gratitude.

After saying goodbye to the Sky Piercing River Water Spirit, Qiao Mu continued deeper into the ruins of this heavenly place.

The Nascent Soul of a Mahayana cultivator is very precious… and deeper in this heavenly place, there are still three Mahayana cultivators, which are strong foes for Qiao Mu now.

Qiao Mu thought about whether to try Martial Saint’s Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill.

But he soon gave up that idea: he was very cautious of the things left by Martial Saint, like the Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill.

The Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill is an extraordinary power, praised even by the well-informed young ancestor, but this skill has a major flaw: the mind.

So far, no one who practiced the Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill has been fortunate enough to succeed.

Wu Qizheng’s fate is unknown, and the founder Martial Saint has likely gone mad long ago.

For Qiao Mu, reason is more important than life itself.

A life can be revived, but if reason collapses and he loses his sanity, he could become a second Martial Saint…

With his power of immortality, he might turn into the greatest disaster across all worlds…

"The Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill cannot be used; this is a dead end."

"So, how should I deal with the three Mahayana cultivators? The enemy is many, and I am few; they are strong, and I am weak…"

Qiao Mu did not want to just kill one or two of the three Mahayana cultivators; he wanted to defeat them all, leaving none behind.

If he could only kill one or two, he would only clear the way for the last survivor.

"So, how can I use my few numbers to defeat the many and take them all down…?" Qiao Mu fell into deep thought, pondering a strategy.

He stretched out his finger and pressed hard against his temple, blood quickly splattering.

Before returning to the Ruins, his number of revivals had refreshed back to five times. After several days of exploration, he had only died once at the hands of Patriarch Changsheng.

So at this moment, Qiao Mu still has four revivals left, making a total of five lives.

But it is clear he does not plan to die repeatedly, as that would mean delivering food to Patriarch Changsheng, helping him improve his martial arts.

"Next, I have four hundred years to think about strategies and tactics…" Qiao Mu said with no expression, his finger moving back and forth on his temple.

"Ancestor Tianshu said that the heavenly realm has not been in the Return Ruins for long, and the spiritual energy is still very rich…"

"But unfortunately, martial artists cannot absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as cultivators and demons can… So the longer it takes, the worse it is for me; it is best to settle this quickly."

Blood and brain matter dripped onto the floating clouds at his feet, staining them with a hint of blood.

……………….

Eyes open, back in the dream.

In his dream, Qiao Mu found himself in the ruins of a heavenly palace that looked just like the real world.

But as he thought about it, two figures appeared before him.

On the left was the young ancestor of Long Life Gate, and on the right was Patriarch Qingmu.

The young ancestor had fought against Qiao Mu in the Return Ruins, while Patriarch Qingmu had killed one of Qiao Mu’s thousand-year-old clones on Tongtian Mountain in the Northwest Prefecture.

Now, Qiao Mu was over eighteen thousand years old, stronger than before, and had experience fighting with both of them…

As Qiao Mu focused, the two Immortal Gate ancestors charged at him, and in an instant, lightning lit up the sky.

In the battlefield of his mind, he needed to battle these two for four hundred years, treating them as imaginary enemies until he defeated them.

……………………..

After a while of entering the South Heavenly Gate, Qiao Mu.

A rainbow light fell from the sky, landing before the collapsed South Heavenly Gate.

"Can’t you fly? After all, this is a true heavenly realm…"

The Ancestor of the Sword Sect frowned slightly.

One advantage of cultivators over martial artists is their ability to move quickly and change directions easily.

A martial artist like Qiao Mu, with great martial skills, can also fly in various ways, but fighting in the air makes it hard to use strength, so it is still better to be on solid ground.

If forced to stay on the ground and fight a grounded martial artist, it would indeed be using their weakness against their strength.

"Someone is coming…."