Chapter 1242: The Same Old Path (Fourth Update)
Upon hearing these words, Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh's eyes widened, filled with confusion and fear, while a trace of bitterness welled up in her heart.
What confused her was that she had never imagined that among the lofty Ten Heavenly Venerables, so many ancient and primeval overlords were hidden.
What frightened her was that she now knew so many secrets. Although Tần Mục had not yet revealed the true identities of these people, based on her understanding of him, Tần Mục loved to toy with people's hearts, driving them to despair and forcing them to make choices favorable to him, to throw in their lot with his camp.
As for the bitterness in her heart, it came from the realization that generation after generation had struggled, believing they had finally overthrown the Ancient Gods and the old era—only to find that the old rulers had merely changed their faces, still sitting upon the throne of rulers!
"Heh heh..." The girl laughed and lowered her head.
For the first time, she felt that the world she saw was so false, so unsightly.
There was a fire in her heart, wanting to burn, but it could not ignite.
"Is Fire Heavenly Venerable also one of the old rulers reborn?" she asked.
Tần Mục shook his head. "No. Fire Heavenly Venerable is still Fire Heavenly Venerable. He has not been possessed, nor has anyone borrowed his life. Fire Heavenly Venerable merely..."
He paused for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice: "He merely chose to become one of the old rulers, yet he himself has not realized this."
Hope flickered in Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh's eyes again. Tần Mục noticed this and said: "Do not place too much hope in Fire Heavenly Venerable. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Cloud Heavenly Venerable, Minh Emperor, Ling Heavenly Venerable, Moon Heavenly Venerable, and even Khai Hoàng—all of them have already been disappointed."
Long ago, in the Heavenly Court's Archive Pavilion, Fire Heavenly Venerable had rushed to the top floor of the pavilion. Tần Mục had escaped into the Netherworld, and Fire Heavenly Venerable had prepared to capture him, but it was Nether Heavenly Venerable who blocked his path.
At that time, Nether Heavenly Venerable had told him that Fire Heavenly Venerable had changed, that he was no longer the Fire Heavenly Venerable of old, and could not be trusted.
To trust him would mean death.
But at that time, Tần Mục still held great expectations for Fire Heavenly Venerable, thinking it was merely Nether Heavenly Venerable's prejudice.
It was only later that Tần Mục realized Nether Heavenly Venerable's words had reason behind them. After returning from the Southern Heaven, his heart toward Fire Heavenly Venerable had turned to ashes.
He did not want Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh to repeat his own mistakes.
From full of hope to utter despair, he deeply understood the impact and torment this chênh lệch brought to one's Dao heart.
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh silently watched the battle outside, changing the subject with a worried expression: "Hạo Thiên Tôn is probably going to lose. Thái Đế is too strong."
Tần Mục also did not want to continue that topic, and smiled: "Then you would be wrong. Thái Đế is going to lose. Hạo Thiên Tôn is too strong."
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh was greatly puzzled.
"Actually, Thái Đế came at my invitation to intercept Hạo Thiên Tôn."
Tần Mục smiled slightly: "You know, although I am the Mục Thiên Tôn of the Heavenly Alliance, one of its founding elders, I am also a rebel against the Heavenly Alliance. As long as something is useful, I will definitely use it. So I used the Thái Sơ Primeval Stone to make use of Thái Đế, inviting him to intercept Hạo Thiên Tôn. However, my true purpose was to have them both suffer heavy losses—and if they could destroy each other, even better. But although I believe Thái Đế is very strong, Hạo Thiên Tôn's true strength has never been fully revealed."
His gaze was far-reaching as he watched that breathtaking battle, speaking unhurriedly: "Another purpose I had in sending Thái Đế was to probe just how far Hạo Thiên Tôn's upper limit of strength had reached. Haven't you noticed? Hạo Thiên Tôn has always remained composed. Up to now, he still has not revealed his true power."
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh looked toward Hạo Thiên Tôn and saw that although he was completely on the losing side, indeed, as Tần Mục had said, he remained calm and unhurried.
And his Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn had already been severely wounded by Thái Đế's suppression. Thái Đế's power was too great—the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn had even been beaten until its physical body was tattered!
Even the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn's Heavenly Palaces were in ruins under Thái Đế's powerful attacks!
Tần Mục said: "Hạo Thiên Tôn's Heavenly Palaces and the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn's Heavenly Palaces both number twenty-eight. However, although their numbers of Heavenly Palaces are the same, the types of their Heavenly Palaces are not entirely identical. If you carefully distinguish each Heavenly Palace, you will find that the types of Hạo Thiên Tôn's and the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn's Heavenly Palaces, when combined, number as many as thirty-five!"
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh's heart skipped a beat as she carefully observed the types of Hạo Thiên Tôn's and the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn's Heavenly Palaces.
The types of Heavenly Palaces could not be classified according to Imperial Throne cultivation methods. Some Imperial Throne cultivation methods were actually of the same type—for example, flame-type Imperial Throne methods. Besides Fire Heavenly Venerable's method, there were also Xích Đế Tề Hà Dư's method, the former Xích Đế's method, and even heavenly flame-type methods.
But these methods were all of one category. To cultivate the Great Heavenly Court, one could only choose one of them.
However, the Imperial Throne methods of Hạo Thiên Tôn and the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn had few overlapping types. Classified by type, there were indeed thirty-five!
"That is to say, Hạo Thiên Tôn has most likely fused thirty-five types of Imperial Throne methods. He is actually only one step away from the Heavenly Court realm."
Tần Mục continued: "The reason he remains composed is that he possesses the combat power to contend with Thái Đế. He is not far from the true Heavenly Court realm. The reason he has not used his full strength now is merely to lure out Thái Đế's identity among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. He knows that Tường Thiên Phi is nearby. His goal is to lure out Tường Thiên Phi."
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh's voice was somewhat hoarse: "Tường Thiên Phi plus Thái Đế—Hạo Thiên Tôn has no chance of winning at all! And Tường Thiên Tôn also possesses the Divine Artifact Ngự Thiên Tôn..."
"You are wrong."
Tần Mục said unhurriedly: "Ngự Thiên Tôn opened up the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court realms a million years ago. Hạo Thiên Tôn is the true culmination of all this. He occupies the orthodox position of the Heavenly Court, and all the techniques of the world converge in his hands. If he wanted Fire Heavenly Venerable's method, would Fire Heavenly Venerable dare not to give it? If he wanted Lang Hiên Thần Hoàng's method, would Lang Hiên Thần Hoàng dare not to give it? Therefore, Hạo Thiên Tôn is the one among the Ten Heavenly Venerables closest to the Heavenly Court."
He glanced at Lam Ngự Điền and continued: "And this realm of the Heavenly Court—Ngự Thiên Tôn deduced that such a realm existed, but he only spoke of this realm to Hạo Thiên Tôn, telling no one else. Hạo Thiên Tôn is the only one who knows Ngự Thiên Tôn's thoughts, and even the only one who knows the details of the Heavenly Court realm. Even if he is only one Heavenly Palace short, Hạo Thiên Tôn's strength will not be weaker than Thái Đế's—it may even be stronger!"
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh shook her head, somewhat unable to believe it: "I have also heard of that Ngự Thiên Tôn. Before his death, he had at most cultivated to the realm of a Revered God. How could he have completely deduced the Heavenly Court realm?"
Tần Mục again looked at Lam Ngự Điền, who was entering the Dao, and said: "At that time, he may have only been at the Revered God realm, but he deduced from nothing the seven realms within the Heavenly Palace—Revered God, True God, Dao Terrace, God-Beheading Terrace, Jade Capital, Heavenly Ascension, and Imperial Throne. And on the basis of these seven realms, he also deduced the Heavenly Court realm."
Bạch Ngọc Quỳnh shook her head: "How could such a person exist?"
"Such a person is right by your side." These words Tần Mục did not speak aloud.
The current Lam Ngự Điền was also independently accomplishing an even more astonishing feat, one whose impact on future generations would even surpass the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace system!
He looked toward the battlefield and said in a deep voice: "Hạo Thiên Tôn is about to gradually reveal his strength, step by step forcing Tường Thiên Phi to show herself!"