Chapter 89 Offering myself to a blade: "I will catch you no matter what."...

He was already afraid of heights, and now that he had no support and was hanging upside down in mid-air, he screamed in fear.

Fortunately, a gust of wind from Yi Jinxiang blew the two of them up together, and Mu Jishi pulled Wen Rensheng into his arms.

Se Sha also landed steadily at their feet on the wind.

"So high!" Hearing a voice exclaim in surprise, she shrank into He Mu's arms, "I'm going to fall to my death!!"

He Mu patted his back and looked down. It was indeed very high. They were already a hundred feet above the ground. Apart from the towering, intertwined tree of Siming that reached into the clouds, the entire city of Cangzhou had become a tiny dot.

When Wen Rensheng was first granted godhood, the gates of the celestial realm had been opened for him. A little further up, he would reach the Heavenly Palace in the Ninth Heaven.

At this moment, He Mu couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

This journey to the Heavenly Palace is fraught with danger. Given the current strength of the God of Destiny, it's quite possible that the gods of Heaven might collude with him.

It was still quite strenuous for the two of them to go, so they could only hope that Wenquxing and the others in the lower realm could hold them off for as long as possible.

"elder brother!"

She called out softly from her arms, clutching the back of his clothes tightly.

"Hold me tighter, I'm so scared!"

He hugged Mu Yiyan tighter. It was no exaggeration to say that he heard human voices; his body trembled uncontrollably, and even his drooping wolf ears were shaking.

Even though he's about to ascend to immortality, he's still so timid.

What will happen if no one protects you? You even tried to show off just now, saying you'd come to the Heavenly Realm alone.

As she watched, the slight tension in Mu Xin's heart dissipated.

His brows gradually relaxed, turning into a gentle smile, and he lovingly stroked Wen Rensheng's back.

"Didn't you say you're no longer afraid of flying on swords?" He leaned down and rubbed his face against Wen Rensheng's, asking, "Why are you still trembling, Sheng Sheng?"

Feeling ashamed upon hearing the voice, he shyly moved away from He Mu and buried himself in He Mu's arms, stubbornly saying, "It's all your fault. You flew too high, and I wasn't ready!"

"Are you ready now?"

“…No!” Wen Rensheng raised her head slightly, looking at him unhappily, “Brother, keep holding me.”

He Mu didn't respond. He helplessly touched Wen Rensheng's hair and looked up at the South Heavenly Gate in front of him.

He wanted to hold her a little longer.

Hearing the voices, they turned around in the direction of his gaze and realized that they had landed at the entrance of the Heavenly Palace. A large group of bald old men were standing at the entrance, staring intently at the two people who were pressed together.

Hearing the voices and seeing the several shiny bald heads, he jumped down from He Mu's arms somewhat embarrassed, and even secretly hit He Mu with his arm.

"Why didn't you remind me!" he said in a low, reproachful voice.

He Mu smiled and said, "I was just about to remind you."

Hearing the voices, she pouted and combed her bristling wolf ear fur, then politely bowed to the old men.

"Hello everyone, I am a newly ascended demon, my name is Wenrensheng."

He Mu, holding his sword, looked around and asked, "You are all earth gods, aren't you?"

The bald men looked at each other for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

He Mu continued, "The first ascension required the selection of a celestial being. Which of you selected him?"

"This..." The local earth gods looked troubled and stammered, "Lord Cangyu, our divine power cannot bestow upon those with celestial spiritual roots..."

He Mu raised an eyebrow: "Then what are you doing here?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than several deafening ringing sounds came from beside him.

Several waves of clouds began to roll out around the South Heavenly Gate. Upon seeing this, several local earth gods retreated and bowed their heads in a respectful manner.

"Who is it?" Hearing a voice, he instinctively became alert, his hand touching the sword at his waist. "Brother, be careful."

Hearing the voices of people, they came to the Heavenly Court not with the intention of mass slaughtering them. Although they had obtained divine status and were capable of dealing with these people, this was, after all, a Heavenly Palace that had been operating in the Nine Heavens for thousands of years. If it were destroyed, the lives of the people in the mortal realm would also be affected.

If the Heavenly Emperor were an easy person to talk to, everything would be much easier...

Thinking this, the clouds in front of him gradually closed up and began to condense into a human figure. Hearing the voice, he flicked the hilt of his sword with his thumb, and Tianxin silently unsheathed a small section of its blade.

"He was chosen by the Venerable One himself."

A high-pitched voice reached my ears.

Then, a shorter person slowly emerged from the pure white clouds. This person was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, wearing a long golden silk robe that trailed all the way to the ground, making him look like a golden watermelon.

He stood barefoot on the clouds in front of Wen Rensheng and the other man, looking up at them with difficulty.

"Hey, you're the one with the Heavenly Spiritual Root, right?" he said, pointing at Wenrensheng.

Wen Rensheng frowned and said, "I have a name. I am called Wen Rensheng, not Tian Linggen."

Upon hearing this, the local earth gods immediately began whispering amongst themselves, as if they had heard someone say something astonishing.

"Isn't it just a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"

"He actually dared to speak to the Emperor..."

He clicked his tongue, and then flicked a copper coin from his sleeve. With a flick of his finger, the coin smashed into the heads of the bald men one by one, creating a dent in each of their skulls.

"Ah! My head!!"

"My head!"

A row of earth gods collapsed one after another, wailing, rolling around on the ground like gourds.

The one known as the "Emperor" also fell victim to the attack. He screamed, clutching his hair, and roared, "Who is it?! Who dares to hit me?!"

Wen Rensheng glanced at them, his brows relaxed slightly, and he hooked his finger with Mu's, whispering, "Thank you, brother."

He Mu didn't say anything, but rubbed the back of his neck.

After asking for a long time without getting an answer, the "Emperor" had no choice but to give up. He coughed lightly and changed his words according to Wenrensheng's request: "Wenrensheng, it is I who called you."

"Oh," the voice said warily, "Are you the Emperor of this place? What's your name? Why did you choose me? Do you know the God of Fate?"

The "Emperor" raised his chin and said arrogantly, "You can only ask one question at a time."

Hearing a voice, he asked suspiciously, "Why?"

“There is no reason why,” the “Emperor” said. “I have no name, but you may call me ‘Tai Wu Tian Zun’.”

Upon hearing a voice, he shouted without hesitation, "Tai—"

"Hmm!"

Before he could even utter a syllable, He Mu reached out and covered his mouth, reminding him, "Don't call him by his Buddhist name directly."

Oh right, is that so?

Hearing the voice, he nodded quickly. After Mu withdrew his hand, he puffed out his cheeks and covered his mouth.

The power of a god is bestowed according to the rank of the celestial beings. For example, among the Gods of War, whoever has the strongest cultivation has the highest godhood.

Among all the immortals, the Emperor, whose Dharma name is "Taiwu Tianzun," holds the highest position of divinity. Even if Mu Zhi calls him by his Dharma name, he will suffer the fate of bleeding from all seven orifices, let alone Wen Rensheng, a minor immortal who has just ascended.

If Mu hadn't reminded him, he would have awkwardly called out upon hearing someone's voice.

He felt increasingly ashamed and took a step back, hiding behind He Mu.

"I'm sorry, brother," he whispered, "I've just ascended to immortality, I don't understand anything..."

He Mu smiled and reassured her, "It's your first time here, no one blames you, Sheng Sheng."

After saying that, his eyes darkened, and he coldly swept his gaze towards Tai Wu.

"—Someone with ulterior motives, knowing you've just ascended and your divine status is weak, still deliberately tries to get you to call out your Dharma name...Are you courting death?"

Taiwu was startled by He Mu's gaze. He hurriedly grabbed a local earth god to block his way, pointed at He Mu, and shouted, "What do you want? I am Taiwu Tianzun. You are a deposed immortal. Do not disrespect me!"

As he said this, his body trembled violently, and he pulled a local earth god to stand in front of him, the two bald heads forming a barrier to protect him.

He Mu twitched the corners of his lips and replied, "Your Heavenly Court isn't some precious place, so naturally I can come and go as I please."

Hearing someone peek out from behind He Mu, "That's right, that's right."

Tai Wu frowned even more deeply, his gaze falling on Wen Rensheng, and his voice involuntarily rose a little.

"Cang Yu, your current Dao heart, is it related to this monster? How dare you...!!"

"How am I supposed to explain this to you?" He Mu scoffed. "Simply put, it's none of your business."

Over the centuries, there have been precedents of people ascending to immortality due to kinship, but to ascend to immortality because of one's extreme love for a demon, especially since one previously cultivated the path of ruthlessness, makes He Mu truly the first.

It's normal for Tai Wu to be shocked, but judging from his attitude towards Wen Rensheng just now, He Mu doesn't intend to give him much respect.

Hearing the voice, he also made a fierce expression at Taiwu and chimed in to support He Mu: "That's right, that's right, why do you have to interfere with what kind of Dao heart others cultivate? Are you in cahoots with Si Ming?"

His tail thrashed angrily, scattering the surrounding clouds and mist.

Hearing people's voices, I really dislike this Taiwu Tianzun!

This person has neither the boundless cultivation of Mu Hanran nor the extensive knowledge of Yi Jinxiang. He doesn't even look as healthy as Yi Fang, a half-baked immortal. How did he become the emperor?

Hearing the voice, he was very puzzled. He felt that his master was more suitable to be the emperor of the Heavenly Court than this person.

He Mu, who was standing to the side, had clearly lost his patience. He stepped forward, swatted away the two local gods who were blocking Tai Wu's way, and lifted Tai Wu up by the hair with one hand.

"Speak," he said harshly, "what exactly is Si Ming planning?!"

"Aaaaaah!!!" Tai Wu screamed as he was pulled, struggling to pry He Mu's hand away. "It hurts! I... I... let go! It hurts so much, please let go, I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!"

He Mu then abandoned the person, and upon hearing the voice, quickly followed and grabbed He Mu's hand, glaring angrily at Tai Wu.

"Are you really the Emperor?" he questioned. "You're so short, have no magical power, and are rather ugly..."

Halfway through his sentence, he heard someone's voice and realized he was being impolite, so he quickly covered his mouth.

He Mushun pulled Wen Rensheng's hand away and took his, saying, "It's okay. He's just ugly. He can only act arrogantly because he has the divine status of an emperor. The actual person in charge of the Heavenly Court has always been the God of Fate."

Tai Wu crawled on the ground to pick up his hair, complaining, "I have a say too, what nonsense are you spouting..."

"Otherwise, why would you personally appoint generals for Wenrensheng?" He Mu raised an eyebrow and said, "You didn't expect that Siming would directly break through the Heavenly Palace and send the Lianlizhi to the mortal realm, did you?"

Having been told the truth, Taiwu stammered and dared not answer.

Hearing the voice, he pondered for a moment and asked, "So... he's here to ask me for help?"

He nodded.

“Sure,” Wen Rensheng said, hands on his hips, leaning down and grinning at Tai Wu. “But there’s a condition: if you agree to this, we’ll help you get rid of Siming. How about it?”

Taiwu sat on the ground, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Wenrensheng and Hemu.

"W-what conditions?"

“You,” Wenrensheng pointed at him and said, “step down from the position of Emperor and let my master, Wenquxing, take over.”

*

When the two arrived at the Palace of Fate, they found the place in complete disarray. The golden roof had been completely torn off, and a large hole had been drilled through the place where the intertwined branches had originally grown, with the thick branches extending all the way down to the lower realm.

He Mu, holding the Earth God in one hand and Tai Wu in the other, swung them forward with force.

The two rolled twice and fell to the ground together.

"Speak," a voice said, crossing his arms, "how can we cut off the intertwined branches?"

Tai Wu was beaten black and blue. He got up and tried to yell at Wen Rensheng, but He Mu glared at him and shut him up.

“Siming has been nourishing the Lianlizhi with his own flesh and blood for a long time. Now they are one. If the Lianlizhi is severed, Siming will also die.”

Tai Wu sat on the ground, covered in dust and dirt, and said...

"So you have to let the lowly people of the lower realm... ptooey, the people of the lower realm control the God of Fate, and then cut off the thickest part of the tree heartwood in order to kill the God of Fate."

Hearing the voice, he stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "Then we need to contact Master and the others."

Mu Chong, who was standing next to the local earth god who was also beaten black and blue, raised his head.

"So I brought him along."

The local earth god was far more oblivious than Tai Wuyi. He scrambled to his knees before the two men and kowtowed three times.

"My two immortal lords, I can do anything. As long as those lords below have local earth gods by their side, I can make contact!"

"Oh!" Wen Rensheng jumped up happily and grabbed He Mu, "Yi Fang, Yi Fang is the land god!"

"Yifang... Yifang, right?" The land god quickly replied, "I know him, he's the land god of Zhongzhou, I'll contact him right away!"

Without saying a word, the Earth God sat cross-legged and formed a mudra with his hands.

A moment later, he spread his arms wide, spun around, and a disc appeared in mid-air, reflecting the scene below.

Hearing the voices, he sat down and waved in that direction.

"Yifang?"

A voice came from the other end: "Young hero? What are you doing here?"

Hearing a voice, he quickly asked, "How is Master?"

Yi Fang shifted his body, aligning the disc with the direction of the intertwined branches.

“She’s still fighting Si Ming,” Yi Fang said. “Young hero, let me tell you, Si Ming is a complete madwoman! She’s even more terrifying than before. When she sees Wen Qu Xing, she bites her like a mad dog and won’t let go. While she’s fighting, she keeps spouting a bunch of nonsense!”

Hearing the voices, He Mu and Mu looked at each other for a while.

"So...why does Si Ming hate my master so much? Is it just because she's a demon too?"

“It’s not just because Wenquxing is a demon,” Taiwu suddenly interjected, “but also because she is the only demon in the Heavenly Realm who doesn’t pay any attention to Siming.”

Hearing the voice, she tilted her head: "It turns out that only my master is ignoring her? I thought no one liked to talk to her."

Hearing this, He Mu couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, and casually pinched the tip of Wen Rensheng's tail.

Startled by the voice, she quickly covered her bottom and gave He Mu a reproachful look.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"You're quite good with words." He Mu looked at him with a smile.

Hearing a soft hum from a human voice, completely baffled by Mu's meaning, he looked at Taiwu again and asked, "Then why does Si Ming hate monsters so much?"

Taiwu said, "How would I know? There are so many gods in Heaven, I can't possibly remember them all..."

"However, it's not surprising that this kind of thing happened to Si Ming... Si Ming is the only son in his family and is very spoiled. He was taught from a young age that humans are superior to demons, so he naturally developed this kind of personality as he grew up."

Upon hearing this, Wen Rensheng's expression darkened.

“I thought the monster had hurt her, which was why she hated it so much,” he said, displeased. “To think it was just because of some so-called ‘distinction between superiors and inferiors’? How ridiculous…”

Such a deity, pampered by his family, ascended to immortality without any hindrance—what a perfect life that should have been! Why did he have to torment and destroy someone else's happiness?

Hearing voices, he couldn't help but clench his fists, his heart burning with anger.

That's too much.

Tai Wu patted his thigh and sighed, "During the massacre in Zhongzhou, Wenquxing saved a monster from Siming's hands, and ever since then she has regarded Wenquxing as her formidable rival."

"She always felt that Wenquxing was targeting her and suppressing her in every way. Over time, she developed hatred. Siming's power in the Heavenly Realm grew stronger and stronger. In the end, she kidnapped me and banished Wenquxing to the mortal realm."

"After the two separated, Si Ming did not give up. He often wrote a lot of letters that insulted Wenquxing and sent them to Cangzhou City, but they were all returned."

He Mu stood there, holding his sword, looking at the disc in front of the Earth God.

“The barbarians,” he said, “who’s in the lead now, Yi Jinxiang or Siming?”

The Yi Fang over there glanced around and said, "They were evenly matched. The Siming Bureau was initially on the winning side, but after Lady Yi Jinxiang said a few words, she started to go crazy and kept screaming. She made many mistakes and fell behind after a short while."

Upon hearing this, Wen Rensheng could no longer hold back. He stood up abruptly and gripped Tianxin tightly at his waist.

“Brother,” he said seriously, looking at He Mu, “please help me one more time.”

*

On the other side.

As Yi Fang said, Si Ming had indeed gone mad. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was swinging her sword wildly without any strategy, screaming as she wrestled with Yi Jin Xiang.

"I hate you... I hate you, I hate you so much!! Ah! Wenquxing!!!"

What exactly do you hate about me?

Yi Jinxiang caught her move, but was completely confused by what she was saying.

"I wasn't familiar with you when I was in Heaven, so what do you have to hate me for?"

"I hate it!" Si Ming's sword pressed down on the folding fan in her hand, and he gritted his teeth, "Why is it that you, a demon... are always hovering in front of me, always biting me! You're just a demon, what's wrong with you obediently dying at my feet?!"

Yi Jinxiang frowned, unsure for a moment who she was referring to.

Who's sticking to whom now?

She glanced sideways at the intertwined branches behind Si Ming and realized that the branches had completely grown together with Si Ming. Half of her body had turned into wood, and even several flower buds had grown from her bones, which sent chills down one's spine.

“You…” Yi Jinxiang’s eyes widened as she said, “Your mind has been affected by the Lianlizhi, hasn’t it?”

"What intertwined branches... what intertwined branches?!"

Si Ming grabbed Yi Jinxiang by the throat and forcefully threw her to the ground.

Suddenly, the ground shattered, revealing a spiderweb-like network of cracks. Yi Jinxiang coughed up blood, her face flushed, and she grabbed Siming's wrist, trying her best to push him away.

Si Ming abruptly slammed his sword down, mounted her, and gripped Yi Jinxiang's neck tightly with both hands.

"How disgusting...how disgusting!" she roared. "Your Cangzhou City is already ruined, why don't you just go and die already?!"

"City Lord!"

Ye Lan, who was not far away, shouted loudly and pounced over, knocking Si Ming aside.

Upon seeing this, Yi Jinxiang quickly got up, covered her throat, and coughed twice.

"Madman..." she muttered to herself, wiping the blood from the corner of her lips.

Shan Yue quickly caught Yi Jinxiang and brought a blood-nourishing pill to her lips.

“My benefactor, do not overdraw your spiritual power,” she said. “The young hero said that we should do our best to hold off Si Ming so that they can sever the bond between the two.”

"Yes, yes, yes!" Yi Fang replied. "Let's think of something to trap her!"

Yi Jinxiang swallowed the medicine, took a few breaths, and looked around.

The thing used to trap the God of Fate...

She paused for a few seconds, then suddenly formed a hand seal, and her body transformed into a giant python with a "bang".

Wow!

Yi Fang had never seen such a large snake before. He cried out in surprise and sat down on the ground with a thud.

"well……"

"Amazing!" Shan Yue exclaimed eagerly.

"…………"

"Master is so amazing!" Wenren's voice from the other end of the disc cheered. "Hold her tight, don't let her escape, just like that!"

Yi Jinxiang flicked her tongue and swam close to Si Ming's side. Ye Lan, who was originally wrestling with Si Ming, seized the opportunity to punch Si Ming in the stomach, and then quickly rolled to the side.

Si Ming vomited a mouthful of blood, and tried to get up by touching the ground, but was whipped up by Yi Jinxiang's snake tail.

"Hmm!"

Si Ming's internal organs were instantly shredded by the snake's tail. She groaned in pain, her fingers digging desperately into Yi Jin Xiang's snake scales.

She quickly tore off a piece of the sturdy snake scale. Yi Jinxiang endured the excruciating pain, and the snake coiled around Si Ming again.

"Don't move, you're really scary!"

Yi Fang shouted, holding a rope that appeared out of nowhere, and lunged forward to put it around Si Ming's neck. Then, he stepped on Yi Jinxiang's body, gritted his teeth, and pulled her backward.

Shan Yue and Ye Lan quickly pulled up the other half of the rope.

The sound of the squeak echoed as Si Ming's neck was strangled. She struggled desperately, managing to pull the three of them back using only the strength of her neck.

"My God..." Yi Fang's palms were raw from being rubbed raw, and he gasped for breath, "Quick, come help!!"

Upon hearing this, some of the awakened monsters in Cangzhou City also joined in. The group pulled on a hemp rope and worked together to control Siming backward.

"Is it ready yet?!" Wenren shouted from the other end.

"That's enough!" Yi Fang shouted through gritted teeth. "Young hero, hurry up and make your move! He's about to—can't hold on any longer!"

"Just a little longer, hang in there!"

Having said that, Wenren's voice suddenly withdrew from Tianxin and stared solemnly at the intertwined branches that were thousands of feet tall below.

“Brother,” he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Let’s go.”

It's time to put an end to this.

After three sharp sounds piercing the air, the clouds over the Heavenly Palace suddenly parted, and He Mu, carrying Wen Rensheng, plummeted downwards.

No matter how afraid he was before, at this moment, all the impulses and blood rushing to Baihui point made Wenrensheng feel hot all over.

His sword-wielding hand had never been so steady. He raised his hand and grasped Wenrensheng's hand, pouring all his sword intent into Tianxin.

"I will catch you no matter what."

Amidst the whistling wind, He Mu's voice reached his ears with unparalleled clarity.

Therefore, there is no need to hold back with this sword strike; with all your anger, hatred, and kindness, unleash it downwards with abandon.

The wind rushed into his sleeves, swirling around his face. Hearing voices, he felt the spiritual energy so powerful it was almost overflowing from his fingertips. He gritted his teeth, flipped over in mid-air, and braced his sword with his hand behind him.

He fell faster and faster, the entire conjoined tree soaring into the clouds, constantly passing through his field of vision. He squinted at the sound of voices, holding his breath as he searched for the "heart of the tree" that Tai Wu had mentioned.

He Mu had already let go of him and lagged behind; now he had to rely on himself for everything.

Don't be nervous, I can hear voices...

Hearing a voice, he exhaled a breath of cold air, and frost began to condense in the surrounding air, falling on his hair and eyelashes, turning him snow-white.

The tip of Tianxin's sword was gathering brilliant light, and all the spiritual power was about to reach its limit.

Suddenly, Wen Rensheng's eyes narrowed.

...Found it!

That single point, like a pulsating heartbeat, is the heart of the intertwined branches.

Hearing the voice, he slightly twisted his wrist and used all his strength to slash at the enemy with his sword!

The moment he swung down, Tianxin's sword intent was suddenly stretched by hundreds of meters. Hearing the voice, he felt as if the sword in his hand had the force of a thousand pounds, almost throwing him off.

The sword intent, gleaming with a cold light, landed on the huge tree trunk, piercing through it in an instant, accompanied by a dense series of "clattering" sounds.

As a perfect blade fell, the entire conjoined tree trembled violently, shaking both the heavens and the earth.

Then, it collapsed with a deafening roar!

Hearing the sound, everyone on the ground looked up. A thick fog had risen around the conjoined branches, and the huge trunk was slowly falling towards them.

"Run!"

Someone shouted first, and the monsters who had been holding Si Ming back all loosened their ropes and ran away. Yi Jinxiang was the most seriously injured, and Ye Lan picked her up without saying a word and ran wildly to one side.

Yi Fang used the Shrinking Earth Spell to move several monsters, and finally, before the tree trunk fell, everyone reached a safe place.

Yi Fang, panting heavily, momentarily disregarded his obsession with humans or demons and reached out to support the demon beside him.

"I'm really going to die, it's so terrible, you guys..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he noticed that the monsters beside him were all looking up, their faces full of worry as they gazed into the air.

Yi Fang was stunned for a moment, then looked up as well.

In an instant, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"—Young hero!!"

After hearing the voice, he used all his strength to strike with his sword and completely lost consciousness, and the Heavenly Heart in his hand fell to the ground.

The lingering spiritual energy around him transformed into wispy smoke, enveloping him and making him appear from afar like a green firefly falling from the heavens.

"quick……"

"quick!!!"

The barbarian shouted at the top of his lungs.

"—Catch him quickly!"

At the same time as that sound, a buzzing sound rang in everyone's ears, and a golden light streaked past the firefly and plummeted down, landing first before the sound of human voices could be heard.

-----------------------

Author's Note: If all goes well, the next chapter will be the ending of the main story.