Chapter 574 — Slaying the Divine Dragon Beyond the Heavenly Gate

The divine dragon stared at the Gate of Heaven's Mandate behind him, a look of suspicion crossing its face. Jiang Miao said in a low voice, "Sect Master, can you really kill it?"

Shen Mu whispered, "I don't know."

Jiang Miao's eyes went wide. "You don't know?"

"I've never tested whether this gate can kill a god. At most, I've killed Heaven-Man realm demon experts with it before. I was bluffing just now. It's clearly fallen to such a state, yet still puts on that lofty air, so no matter what, we have to be fiercer than it..."

Having finished his explanation, Shen Mu said apologetically to the divine dragon, "Senior, if I fail to kill you in a moment, please don't laugh at me."

He was about to activate the Gate of Heaven's Mandate when the divine dragon seemed to recall something, and its expression changed drastically. "Wait!"

Shen Mu stopped, and the Gate of Heaven's Mandate halted at once. With great patience he said, "Please speak, Senior."

The divine dragon stared at his gate, its gaze carrying a shudder of dread, and rasped, "I've seen this gate! What is your relationship to the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital? He had a gate like this too!"

"This Heavenly King of the Nether Capital also had a Gate of Heaven's Mandate?"

Shen Mu was astonished. Suspiciously he said, "I once saw someone open the Gate of Heaven's Mandate in the Nether Valley. Could that person be the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital you speak of?"

The divine dragon's voice trembled. "You are a descendant of the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital? No wonder, no wonder you can open this gate as well..."

Shen Mu shook his head and smiled. "My surname is Shen, of Carefree Township. Who is this Heavenly King of the Nether Capital? Is his surname Shen too?"

The divine dragon seemed not to hear him at all, but sank into deep and terrible recollection, muttering to itself, "The Heavenly King of the Nether Capital held a gate, a gate that could connect to the Netherworld. Countless formidable foes died at his hands. The August Emperor conferred upon him the title of Heavenly King and commanded him to open the Netherworld. The August Emperor had grand ambitions; he wished to bring the Netherworld into his domain, to grasp the mysteries of life and death. But he enraged the Earth Lord, and the Earth Lord was unwilling to submit to him. So the August Emperor had the Divine Artisan race forge a divine blade. The Heavenly King of the Nether Capital wielded the blade and carved a great portion from the Netherworld. The August Emperor then commanded that Fengdu be built..."

Shen Mu was dazed. "The Heavenly King of the Nether Capital cut open the Netherworld, and part of it became Fengdu? So powerful?"

The divine dragon murmured, "Because he stole territory from the Netherworld, the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital enraged the Earth Lord. But the Nether Capital was rather clever; it turned to stone, and its primal spirit escaped into Fengdu. In those years, gods and demons beyond counting died beneath his gate, and so the August Emperor titled him Heavenly King in charge of souls... Your gate cannot possibly be the same as his!"

Shen Mu's eyes lit up. He hurriedly said, "Senior, in the Nether Valley I saw a stone statue, and behind that statue was a gate connecting to the Netherworld, though it had been sealed by gods and demons with a honeycomb seal. Could that person be the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital?"

The divine dragon was utterly distraught, muttering, "Your gate cannot be the same as his. You haven't the strength to wound me. You are merely a mud-crawling human, as weak as a crest-feathered fire pheasant dragon..."

Shen Mu's face flushed red. "Senior, that is rather insulting! This Heavenly King of the Nether Capital, I believe I have seen him. By my guess, he was merely a false Hegemon Body. He never cultivated to my level at all!"

The divine dragon came back to itself and sneered, "You call this gate the Gate of Heaven's Mandate? How absurd! In the era of the August Emperor, this gate was called the Mysterious Gate of God-Slaying. From the gods above the nine heavens to the demon gods below the nine netherworlds, none could escape its slaughter! The gate opens, the gate closes, and gods and demons return in spirit to the Netherworld. That is why it is called God-Slaying! You do not even know this, which shows your cultivation is not orthodox. Come then, slay me if you can. Let me see what you are capable of!"

Shen Mu's body spun. From the Gate of Heaven's Mandate, netherworld demonic qi spilled out, filling the great hall, thick and dense.

The gate opened and moved sideways toward the divine dragon.

"Hold!" The divine dragon's forehead broke out in cold sweat. Staring fixedly at the gate about to engulf it, it suddenly spoke.

Shen Mu halted, patient as ever. "What does Senior wish to say now?"

"What is your cultivation?" The divine dragon stared fixedly at the Gate of Heaven's Mandate, its voice hoarse.

Shen Mu said, "This junior has cultivated to the Sixth Harmony realm, but has also opened the Seven Stars Divine Treasury."

The divine dragon was stunned for a moment. "The Sixth Harmony realm, and you've opened the Seven Stars Divine Treasury? What sort of logic is that... No matter. You are at the Seven Stars realm, and you think to kill me at the Seven Stars realm? Hahahaha, truly a newborn crest-feathered fire pheasant dragon unafraid of a true dragon!"

It relaxed and said proudly, "Let me see how you slay me!"

Shen Mu continued to activate the Gate of Heaven's Mandate. Netherworld demonic qi spread everywhere. Suddenly the divine dragon shouted, "Hold!"

Shen Mu's patience vanished. He could not help urging, "Senior, if you have something to say, say it all at once."

The divine dragon sneered, "Little brat, if you slay me now, then when I break free, I will exterminate your nine clans. Have you thought this through? The cause you plant today, the extermination of your clan will be the fruit you reap tomorrow!"

Shen Mu nodded and continued to activate the Gate of Heaven's Mandate. "I've thought it through. If you do not die, then come and exterminate my nine clans."

The Gate of Heaven's Mandate moved. From Shen Mu's mouth came obscure sounds, as he chanted the cryptic demon tongue of the Netherworld.

The divine dragon said in panic, "Hold! This gate of yours is not quite the same as the one I saw. What language is that you speak..."

Whoosh—

The Gate of Heaven's Mandate grew ever more towering. It swept over its body in a flash. Within the gate all was dark and sunken, and faintly visible was a pair of incomparably immense curved horns, wreathed in flame, standing amid boundless darkness.

The gate suddenly stopped. The divine dragon's body went rigid. Then with a thunderous crash its head fell to the ground, its body relaxed, and it slumped limp as a dead snake, motionless.

Shen Mu dispersed the Gate of Heaven's Mandate. Suddenly a fierce stabbing pain came from between his brows, and a drop of black blood ran down from the center of his forehead.

Shen Mu hurriedly covered his brow. The stabbing pain grew sharper, unbearable, and suddenly with a thud he fell to both knees, clutching his head desperately!

On the other side, Jiang Miao watched the Gate of Heaven's Mandate devour the divine dragon. In the very instant the gate swallowed the dragon, a ferocious maw suddenly appeared out of nowhere, between those horns of the Earth Lord and the Gate of Heaven's Mandate, and in one bite devoured the divine dragon's primal spirit!

Jiang Miao's expression went blank. That maw was hideous and terrifying, utterly evil, and it had truly frightened him!

When he came to himself and stepped forward to examine the divine dragon, he could not help but feel horror—the divine dragon had already ceased to breathe!

Its primal spirit had indeed been devoured by that suddenly appearing great maw, and had not fallen into the Netherworld!