The demon lid hovered in the air, slowly revolving like a black hole that devoured every last thing in existence.
Duan De made up his mind, gritted his teeth, and forced a few drops of emperor blood out of his body. His formerly ruddy face immediately turned pale.
"Damn it, this Daoist barely had a few drops of emperor blood in his whole body to begin with. Now look-all of it's going into this."
The sight of those few scarlet drops made Duan De's heart ache. This was his precious, scarce Heavenly Venerable treasure blood!
The blood was exceptionally red-not a red brimming with killing intent, but one filled with noble vitality. It was the red of "life" born from death, brought into being across death's divide, teeming with vigor, as though the vitality driving the universe's cycles coursed within it.
Rumble!
In an instant, it dyed the originally seven-colored Fire Domain red. The aura of a Heavenly Venerable surged forth uncontrollably, shaking the cosmic universe, overturning the sun, moon, and stars. The myriad Daos wailed and trembled.
They offered their blessings to this unrivaled Great Dao-the foremost Dao of the Mythological Era!
"All or nothing!" Swallowing his pain, Duan De dripped the Heavenly Venerable blood onto the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid.
Drip, drip!
Stimulated by the Heavenly Venerable blood, the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar began to awaken. It rose and fell, breathing in and out the stars of the universe. Its interior was unfathomably deep, like a starfield, as though an entire starry universe lay within it. It swallowed the sun and moon, then transformed into a black hole that devoured all things.
Rumble!
Wisps of black light streamed from the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid, as though it were ascending to immortality. Enormous pillars of light shot into the heavens, each as massive as a mountain. Supreme pressure radiated from it, making one want to fall to one's knees in worship.
This was neither sword energy nor sword light, merely the faint fluctuations of energy that naturally flowed from its awakening. Even so, it was enough to make the entire Eastern Wasteland, and even all of the Big Dipper, tremble.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Venerable treasure blood also awakened, revealing its true nature. Endless Great Dao Symbols emerged in dense profusion, all indistinct, like blood-red agate.
Those supreme runes and Dao characters pieced themselves together into an Immortal Divine Formation, confining all the power erupting from the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid within it.
Otherwise, even a wisp of that aura leaking out would have been enough to strike down stars and shake the Eastern Wasteland, or even the entire Big Dipper.
After all, this was half an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, enough to drive every faction mad.
Rumble!
The Heavenly Venerable blood blazed and shone, burning as it ignited the bloodline imprints lodged within the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid.
Yet it could not gain a swift victory. A fierce struggle erupted, for several imprints within the demon lid glittered with nine-colored radiance. A faint aura of a Supreme surged from them, snuffing out the surrounding flames.
Those were the imprints left by the Heaven-Swallowing Holy Land's Near-Dao Accomplishers of old.
Qin Tian held Shi Hao's wooden plaque in his arms, feeling as though he were basking in a spring breeze. The extreme Dao imperial might could not touch him at all.
"What's he doing? Is he removing the imprints left by Ruthless's lineage back then?" Qin Tian watched curiously.
Worshiped day and night by the Heaven-Swallowing Holy Land, the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar had long since entered into an undying pact with it. More than one Saint and Quasi-Emperor had placed imprints of their own blood essence within the jar, forging pacts solely to make it easier for their descendants to wield the Emperor Weapon.
The other extreme Dao factions used similar methods.
Once an Emperor Weapon went missing, reciting an incantation could awaken it and make it return of its own accord.
As for the jar portion of the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar, there was no such concern. The imprints of the All Saints were concentrated mainly on the lid. Compared to the body of the jar, the lid was its true soul, the place where its deity resided.
Qin Tian silently marveled. In the Big Dipper today, Duan De is probably the only person who could pull this off.
Others could not erase the imprints left by Saints or even Quasi-Emperors, not even when those imprints had gradually deteriorated after hundreds of thousands of years without nourishment.
Only Duan De could do it, using Heavenly Venerable blood to forcibly destroy the undying imprints left by Sages and Worthies and Quasi-Emperors.
Then another thought occurred to Qin Tian. Hmm, perhaps Gai Jiuyou could do it too, but he'd have to regain the fighting strength of his former peak. With only his Great Sage cultivation, he'd probably struggle.
But come to think of it, why didn't Ruthless's lineage summon the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar back then?
Was something wrong with the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar itself, leaving it unable to answer the summons?
Or did someone target it and seal the Emperor Weapon?
Leaving imprints was merely a safeguard, but... any method could potentially be countered and broken.
The Human Emperor Seal and the Sun God Tower, for example, had once lost contact with their owners, vanishing into the boundless universe and becoming impossible to recall.
As a result, the descendants of the two Human Emperors, Taiyin and Taiyang, gradually declined, and had even suffered the extermination of their clans.
In the end, the Heavenly Venerable treasure blood overcame the nine-colored imprints. The Devouring Heaven Demon Lid slowly descended, every imprint erased, but the Heavenly Venerable blood had also been exhausted.
Duan De caught the demon lid, humming as he bounced about. He was clearly in an excellent mood. After all, this was half an Emperor Weapon.
Qin Tian was even happier at the prospect of getting it.
Qin Tian pondered. Should I rob him or not?
After a moment's thought, Qin Tian smiled and said, "What a stupid question. Of course I'm robbing him!"
"With an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon right in front of me, why bother talking to him about the code of the martial world?"
"A man shouldn't be too much like Duan De, and a dog shouldn't be too much like Black Emperor. It's not every day I get a chance to screw Duan De over. If I pull this off, I'll be the first in history."
"Achievement unlocked: screwed Duan De over without getting screwed over by Duan De."
"You're a damn Heavenly Venerable who's attained the Dao more than once. What do you need an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon for? Why ask for a bicycle on top of everything else?"
"Just give it to me!"
"Consider it a gift for accepting me as your disciple!" At that thought, Qin Tian's eyes lit up. He was studying Cao Yusheng's methods, so taking Duan De as his master was perfectly fitting.
As for the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid, it was unquestionably a lethal weapon. As a disciple, how could he allow his master to risk himself?
Now was the time for Qin Tian to show his filial devotion. He had to take the initiative and shoulder this burden for his master.
Holding the wooden plaque in his arms, Qin Tian's eyes emanated a peculiar Dao resonance. He concealed himself within the void, dampening the fluctuations of the time sequence and gradually rendering his existence insubstantial.
Qin Tian slowly approached, drawing a Broad Sword from his bitter sea.
Suddenly, he stopped and silently exchanged the Broad Sword for the Phoenix-Winged Gilt Trident.
"Your disciple pays his respects, Master!!!"
Without the slightest courtesy, Qin Tian swung the Big Club, aimed at the back of Duan De's head, and struck. Although this was his first time doing such a thing, his movements were remarkably practiced. With a black heart and quick hands, backstabbing and clubbing someone from behind came as naturally to him as eating and drinking.
Had Black Emperor seen him, he would probably have remarked that the brat was born for this line of work.
Qin Tian mustered every ounce of strength he had and swung the gleaming Phoenix-Winged Gilt Trident. Bang, bang! Two blows landed squarely on the back of Duan De's head. The pain made Fatty Duan's eyes bulge almost out of their sockets, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
But Duan De was, after all, a reincarnated Heavenly Venerable. Though his body went weak, stars swam before his eyes, and his steps staggered, he stubbornly remained conscious. Swaying, he tried to turn around and see just who had dared mess with this Daoist.
Just then, Qin Tian brought the half-foot-tall wooden plaque down head-on, stamping it onto his skull and instantly leaving him with a magnificent crop of horns.
Before you continue