Chapter 1085: The Fourth Acknowledgment (Third Update!)
Cloud Han Heavenly Court.
Cloud Heavenly Venerable sat down, letting out a long sigh. A young man whose face still carried a hint of childishness stepped forward, offering fragrant tea, and said: "Master, is the Heavenly Emperor dead?"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable took the tea, took a sip, let out another long sigh, and set down the teacup, saying: "Finally dead. Wei Su, the battle to slay the Heavenly Emperor was of utmost importance. I could not let the slightest hint of news leak beforehand, so I did not tell you all."
That young man laughed and said: "I naturally understand. In matters like this, the fewer people who know, the better. To accomplish great things, one must guard one's own mouth. Master, during this trip to the Heavenly Court, into whose hands did the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor's physical body fall?"
"No one can fully control the Heavenly Emperor's physical body, so the only option was mutual restraint and mutual bickering."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable picked up the teacup again and took a drink, saying: "Therefore, each of us left a strand of vital essence within the Heavenly Emperor's body, jointly controlling his physical form. But this is fine as well. Although the grudges between us and the demigods run deep, the root of everything lies with the Ancient Gods. The Ancient Gods are the source of all disasters, and the Heavenly Emperor was the chief culprit. Now that the Heavenly Emperor is dead, I have discussed with Heavenly Venerable Hao and the others, and we plan to have the Heavenly Court leave the Primordial Realm, making it difficult for the Ancient Gods to descend easily. That way, those Ancient Gods will no longer be able to harass the living beings of the Primordial Realm."
"What about Lord Tu Bo, then?"
That young man raised an eyebrow and said: "What about Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign? And Lord Tian Gong! These Ancient Gods must all die as well! Master, after you eliminated the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, you have lost much of your edge. Now you should press the advantage, join forces with Heavenly Venerable Hao, and wield the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor's body to slay Earth Mother, kill Lord Tu Bo, and eliminate Lord Tian Gong!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable frowned slightly and said: "What has brought calamity to the Primordial Realm is not Lord Tian Gong, Lord Tu Bo, or Earth Mother, but rather the various gods under the Heavenly Emperor's command. Lord Tian Gong governs the Mystic Capital, governing the sun, moon, stars, and constellations—he has committed no wrong. Lord Tu Bo governs the Nether Capital, governing the resting place of the dead—he too has committed no wrong. Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign, though proud, has also taken considerable care of the living beings of the Primordial Realm over the years—she has committed no wrong either. Why must they be killed?"
That young man wanted to speak further, but Cloud Heavenly Venerable laughed and said: "Moreover, this time we were able to slay the Heavenly Emperor precisely because we had the help of these three great existences. Otherwise, the death of the Heavenly Emperor could not have been so calm and uneventful, without stirring up waves."
That young man's face flushed red, and he said loudly: "Master, the Heavenly Emperor's death may fool the people of the world, but it cannot fool Lord Tian Gong, Earth Mother, and Lord Tu Bo! These three titans covet the Heavenly Emperor's authority and will surely rebel. If we do not eliminate them now, it will be too late to regret in the future! Master intends to unify the universe and the cosmos, to become the common lord of heaven and earth..."
"Xiao Wei Su, you have gone too far!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable slammed the table and shouted: "Enough! My purpose is merely to secure a way for humanity to survive, not for my own power and influence! Lord Tian Gong, Lord Tu Bo, and Earth Mother each perform their own duties. They have not erred but rather rendered meritorious service. How can we indiscriminately kill the innocent? Leave. Go think it over carefully yourself!"
That young man, Xiao Wei Su, lowered his head and acknowledged the order, then rose and departed.
Ling Heavenly Venerable happened to be walking over, and Xiao Wei Su quickly bowed: "Senior Uncle Ling!"
Ling Heavenly Venerable waved a hand, and Xiao Wei Su left.
Ling Heavenly Venerable watched Xiao Wei Su walk far away before entering the hall, saying: "Arguing with Xiao again?"
"This disciple is far too extreme!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable had a major headache and rubbed his temples, saying: "He actually wants to eliminate all the Ancient Gods. Lord Tian Gong, Earth Mother, and Lord Tu Bo—when have they ever done evil? On the contrary, they manage the order of the myriad heavens and worlds. If they were to die, the stars would shift, the constellations would fall into chaos, wronged spirits would fill the land, fierce ghosts would run rampant, and all living things across the heavens would perish. That would be the true catastrophe!"
"I don't like this Xiao Wei Su."
Ling Heavenly Venerable said: "His temperament is too arrogant and unruly, and he gives one a feeling of being unreliable."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable laughed and said: "But his aptitude is a genius rarely seen among humanity in hundreds of thousands of years. After all, humanity has no divine or demonic bloodline. We need strong figures from the younger generation, and Xiao Wei Su is among the best. His future achievements will not be inferior to yours or mine."
Ling Heavenly Venerable thought for a moment and said: "You are His Majesty. You can handle the considerations. I came to you for another matter. Now that the matter of the Heavenly Emperor has been resolved, the Four Imperial Lords have left the Heavenly Court for the Four Extremes Heaven. As for the other Ancient Gods, aside from Lord Tian Gong, Lord Tu Bo, and Earth Mother, none are worth worrying about. Our greatest enemy is no longer the Ancient Gods, but the demigods."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable said: "I understand."
Ling Heavenly Venerable said: "The demigods' power is greater than humanity's. Moreover, outstanding human talents like Fire Heavenly Venerable and Nether Heavenly Son have actually gone to help the demigods. If Fire Heavenly Venerable and Nether Heavenly Son could help us, along with Nether Heavenly Venerable, we could at minimum stand as equals against the demigods."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable nodded and said: "I understand that as well. But Fire Heavenly Venerable does not understand."
He sighed and said: "Fire Heavenly Venerable has his own ideas. In his heart, the reason we were able to win this time was not our own strength, but the strength of Heavenly Venerable Hao's lineage."
A trace of worry lingered on his face that he could not dispel, and he said: "Fire Heavenly Venerable believes that we relied on the power of the Empress and her sisters to eliminate the Heavenly Emperor. Moreover, the Empress and her sisters have a close relationship with Heavenly Venerable Hao. There is Void God King, Lord Tu Bo's daughter, Ancestral God King, Lord Tian Gong's son, and among the demigods there are powerful existences like Lang Xuan God Emperor—all surpassing humanity by a great margin. A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on. That he made this choice, I do not blame him."
Ling Heavenly Venerable frowned and said: "What about Nether Heavenly Venerable? Can he be persuaded?"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable shook his head and said: "There is only one person in this world who could persuade Nether Heavenly Venerable, and that person is already dead."
Ling Heavenly Venerable fell silent.
The only person in this world whom Nether Heavenly Venerable admired was Imperial Heavenly Venerable, but he had already been dead for four hundred thousand years.
"Heavenly Venerable Hao and the others have already infiltrated the Heavenly Alliance."
Ling Heavenly Venerable said: "Even someone like me, who is not very sensitive to the outside world, can now feel the undercurrents surging within the Heavenly Alliance. When we established the Heavenly Alliance back then, we never imagined it would slowly be devoured by others."
"I know."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable revealed a smile and comforted her, saying: "Don't worry. I know the road to rise is difficult, but I am here."
When Ling Heavenly Venerable heard these words, she felt at ease and said: "I have always been devoted to research and rarely care about the outside world. If you encounter difficulties, just say so. Sister Yue and I will definitely support you with all our strength."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable laughed and said: "You just focus on researching your divine abilities and don't bother with these troublesome matters. I am becoming more and more looking forward to your Immutable Divine Ability!"
He laughed heartily and said: "Once your divine ability is fully completed, I must be the first to enter it, shuttling through past and present, going to meet the heroes of every era!"
His heroic spirit soared to the clouds: "I want to go to the early years of the Dragon Han Era, to meet Imperial Heavenly Venerable! I never got to exchange ideas with him while he was alive, to discuss the Dao and divine abilities. I must make up for that opportunity!"
"I want to go to the future to meet Heavenly Venerable Qin and Heavenly Venerable Mu. Those two must have come from the future. I'll go see them and see how their circumstances are!"
"I also want to experience the divine abilities of the future and go to the past to make up for my regrets!"
He paced back and forth excitedly, clapping his hands and saying: "I feel like I have so many things I want to do!"
Ling Heavenly Venerable laughed and said: "It's still far from certain. I have only just successfully tested the Ghost Ship. Where this Ghost Ship traveled to, even I am not entirely sure."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable encouraged her, saying: "If there is a first time, there will be a second time. You will definitely succeed!"
Ling Heavenly Venerable was very happy in her heart. The first time she received acknowledgment was when Qin Mu and Qin Ye returned from the future. When everyone else did not acknowledge her, only those two supported her, even accompanying her in researching the Art of Creation and the Immutability of Matter.
The second time she received acknowledgment was when Qin Mu returned to the past and showed her hairpin to her before her eyes.
The third time she received acknowledgment was when Cloud Heavenly Venerable asked her to help Yuan Mu Madam bury the secrets of the Feather Forest Army and the Ghost Ship in the annals of history.
Now was the fourth time.
From the early years of the Dragon Han Era to the present—four hundred thousand years, four acknowledgments—made her smile like a simple little girl who had received long-awaited praise.