Whoosh... whoosh whoosh whoosh!
About half an hour later, Chen Mu and Gu Ningbi arrived at the deepest part of the Primordial Beginning Mountain Range, within the area of Jianmu Hill.
"Something has indeed happened inside. Let's go in."
Di Yun once said that Jianmu Hill contains a domain left behind by the God-Slaying God, which will attack any living being that enters it.
However, Chen Mu and Gu Ningbi did not feel any suppression of the domain at this time, and they could even observe from afar that there were creatures fighting in the deepest part of Jianmu Hill.
As they ventured deeper into Jianmu Hill, they soon realized what was happening: the Heavenly Emperor hadn't left; he had even entered Jianmu Hill.
However, at this moment, the Heavenly Emperor was besieged by countless blood-red swords and was already at his last gasp, about to dissipate.
" Heavenly Emperor Haoyu, I really underestimated your courage."
"To hasten the collapse of the Kunlun Heaven Realm, you were actually willing to have one of your avatars destroyed."
Chen Haoran sat upright on the dragon's head, holding a large red seal in his hand, clearly controlling the blood swords to attack the Heavenly Emperor.
"Haha... How could you possibly fathom my thoughts?"
Rest assured, the Heart of Pan Emperor will soon be re-formed in my hands, and none of you stubborn Battle Soul will escape then.
After the Heavenly Emperor finished speaking, dozens of blood swords pierced his body, and he completely dissipated into the world.
The once bustling Jianmu Hill gradually returned to tranquility.
"Come here!"
Despite successfully killing the Heavenly Emperor's avatar, Chen Haoran showed no joy in his eyes.
He beckoned to Chen Mu and the other man, signaling them to come over.
Just like its name suggests, Jianmu Hill is an incredibly vast hilly area with soft grass and occasional wildflowers, full of vibrant life.
At the highest point of the hill stood a colossal divine tree hundreds of feet tall; even the bone dragon sitting cross-legged was not half the height of this giant tree.
"Could this divine tree be the very essence of the World Tree?"
Chen Mu subconsciously followed the trunk of the divine tree and looked up at the canopy above. In just one glance, he was captivated by its beauty.
" Mutou, your level of understanding is not high enough; you shouldn't look at this too much!"
Chen Haoran's voice exploded in Chen Mu's mind, finally pulling him back to reality.
Gu Ningbi was clearly self-aware and didn't dare to look at the divine tree seriously. When she saw Chen Mu wake up, she quickly pulled him to Chen Haoran's side.
"Senior, may I ask how I should address you?"
Although cultivators cannot be identified by their appearance, the natural aura of age emanating from them is undeniable. While Chen Haoran could not determine Gu Ningbi's exact age, he could at least ascertain that she had cultivated for over a thousand years.
"My name is Gu Ningbi, and I am a disciple of the Divine Venerable Moyu."
My deceased husband was once a member of your God-Slaying God Clan.
Gu Ningbi succinctly explained her background.
"Oh... so you're a disciple of the Soul Clan's Lord."
Chen Haoran smiled, his expression slightly unnatural. If things were to be taken seriously, he seemed to have to address Gu Ningbi as "great-grandmother."
"We are all practitioners, so there is no need for formalities."
You can just call me by my name, just like Chen Mu did.
Gu Ningbi could naturally see Chen Haoran's embarrassment, and waved her hand with a smile.
"Okay, Ningbi, Mutou, let me introduce you!"
The divine tree you see now is the World Tree, which our ancestors, the God-Slaying God Clan, have protected for generations.
In some ancient books, it is also referred to as ' Jianmu '.
Chen Haoran pointed to the giant tree behind him, looking very proud.
"The reason I didn't let you see the tree canopy just now is because the Heart of Pan Emperor is located inside the tree canopy."
The Heart of Pan Emperor governs the operation of the entire Pan Emperor Great World, and the mysteries it contains are extremely terrifying. Even True God Realm experts cannot recklessly observe the Heart of Pan Emperor, otherwise, it might damage their pursuit of the Dao.
After Chen Haoran explained it to him, Chen Mu suddenly realized why he had seemed to see the birth of a universe in the tree canopy. It turned out that the core of a universe was indeed hidden inside the tree canopy.
"Father, now that the Heavenly Emperor's avatar has been destroyed, I wish to travel to the Nine Nether Netherworld as soon as possible. Please escort me on my journey."
If it were the old Chen Mu, having the opportunity to closely observe the operation of the Pan Emperor Heavenly Dao, he would definitely have devoted himself to studying it diligently, neglecting his meals and sleep.
But now, his only concern is how to revive Mingye; everything else seems less important.
" Mutou, I have some bad news to tell you."
Because the Heavenly Emperor has just damaged the Divine Tree again, the Kunlun Heaven Realm will collapse within a year.
Moreover, during this period, you must not leave the Kunlun Heaven Realm, otherwise you will surely be killed by the true form of the Heavenly Emperor waiting outside the boundary membrane.
Chen Haoran shook his head, his expression solemn.
"Why?
" The Kunlun Heaven Realm is so vast, can the Heavenly Emperor really guard every possible escape route?"
Chen Mu frowned and pressed for an answer.
"You don't understand, the Heavenly Emperor once devoured a fragment of the Heart of Pan Emperor."
Moreover, he was born from the Pan Emperor Continent, so he has an unparalleled advantage in the Pan Emperor Great World.
He has now locked onto the spacetime coordinates of the Kunlun Heaven Realm. If you try to break through the boundary membrane and leave now, there's at least a 90% chance you'll be found and killed by the Heavenly Emperor.
Chen Haoran warned Chen Mu with a serious expression, fearing that Chen Mu might act impulsively and do something irrational.
Chen Mu kept his mouth shut, took a deep breath, and after a long while, he finally spoke.
If there's really no other way, then this is the only option!
I will wait here for a year, until things are resolved here, before setting off for the Nine Nether Netherworld.
He wasn't impulsive by nature, and besides, Mingye's True Spirit was protected by the Netherworld Pearl, so delaying his resurrection by a year or two wouldn't make much difference.
On the contrary, if he were to die at the hands of the Heavenly Emperor, Mingye's hope of resurrection would be even more remote.
"Haha, it's great that you've figured it out."
This year we can also make some preparations. After the collapse of the Kunlun Heaven Realm, Pan Emperor Continent will be completely exposed to the eyes of extraterrestrial races, and the Heavenly Court will not let us off the hook then.
If we cannot withstand them, then we will only have the path of wandering the stars.
Chen Haoran walked over to Chen Mu, patted him on the shoulder, and encouraged him.
"Yes, don't worry, Father, I know what to do."
Having made his decision, Chen Mu regained his usual calm and rationality.
However, in addition to rationality, he now has some clear goals: to defeat the Heavenly Emperor and resurrect Mingye.
"Father, could you introduce me to those people?"
Chen Mu pointed to the area around the divine tree, where rows of tall, straight figures stood in perfect unison.
Although their bodies were somewhat translucent, the military might they exuded surpassed that of any soldiers he had ever seen before.
"These are all powerful warriors who died in battle over the past tens of thousands of years in order to protect the Heart of Pan Emperor."
Their lingering attachments after death, coupled with the influence of the environment of Jianmu Hill, ultimately transformed them into this immortal and indestructible existence.
In the outside world, they are known as the Undying Battle Soul.
Chen Haoran looked at these tall figures, a hint of respect appearing in his eyes.