Chapter 1266: Qin Mu and Thai So (Fourth Update)
Thai So inside the egg sneered coldly: "What you call Dao wounds means nothing to us. Thai So—she has form and substance but no physical body. Her abilities can heal those Dao wounds with ease."
Qin Mu's heart sank. He pressed further: "Then what about the cultivation that Heavenly Venerate Hao wasted? Heavenly Venerate Hao lost twenty-six heavenly palaces, and I worked hard to destroy them. She can't possibly restore all those heavenly palaces to Heavenly Venerate Hao in one go, can she? I think Thai So doesn't have that level of cultivation strength!"
"Indeed, Thai So does not have that level of cultivation strength."
Thai So inside the egg sighed and said: "Her current strength is far inferior to the Heavenly Venerates. Of course, you being a Heavenly Venerate are the exception."
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Although the words of the ancient god inside the egg made him uncomfortable, at least Thai So couldn't restore Heavenly Venerate Hao. A Heavenly Venerate Hao who hadn't returned to his peak state was nothing but trash—killing him wouldn't be troublesome at all.
"Celestial Emperor Thai So was incomplete when he was born, but he can be considered the most complete egg-born ancient god aside from Thai Ek."
Thai So inside the egg said: "Now, the strength of the Ten Heavenly Venerates has all approached that of Celestial Emperor Thai So back in his day. Such strength far surpasses Thai So's. Thai So's strength is a bit stronger than the Four-Colored Emperors, but a bit weaker than the Four Ancient God Emperors."
Qin Mu's heart tightened. Even so, that was no small matter.
The Four-Colored Emperors—King Yama of Darkness, White Emperor, Qi Xiayu, and Azure Emperor of the East—all possessed extraordinary strength. The Four Ancient God Emperors were existences that only Heavenly Venerates could contend with!
Thai So's strength lay between them, roughly comparable to a minor Heavenly Court expert who had cultivated over ten heavenly palaces.
"But, Thai So can restore Heavenly Venerate Hao's heavenly palaces."
Thai So inside the egg continued: "She can control the chaotic energy within Heavenly Venerate Hao's body, allowing his nine heavenly palaces to recover quickly. As for the other twenty-six heavenly palaces, it's only a matter of time for her."
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then asked: "How much time do you think it would take?"
Thai So inside the egg thought for a moment, then said: "Without affecting Thai So's own strength, it would take a hundred years."
Qin Mu said decisively: "Then within fifty years, Heavenly Venerate Hao can return to his peak state!"
Thai So inside the egg thought it over and nodded: "You're right. After Heavenly Venerate Hao's nine heavenly palaces recover, he can cultivate on his own to perfect the palaces. Combined with Thai So's restoration, fifty years should be enough for him to return to his peak."
Qin Mu paced around the Egg of Thai So. The egg sat there quietly, motionless.
"Heavenly Venerate Hao can only recover nine heavenly palaces in the short term, which means he's not a concern for now. I was originally planning to flee for my life, but it seems there's no need now. With his strength not yet restored, he'll certainly lie low and hide his edge, afraid of being discovered."
Suddenly, Qin Mu stopped and looked at the Egg of Thai So: "Thai So grants whatever is asked. What if what Heavenly Venerate Hao asks for is the thirty-sixth heavenly palace? Can Thai So give him the thirty-sixth heavenly palace?"
Thai So inside the egg pondered: "It's not impossible..."
Qin Mu shivered several times in a row.
Thai So inside the egg continued: "If that were the case, Heavenly Venerate Hao would become too deeply controlled by Thai So and could only become her puppet. Thai So's granting of wishes is not without cost—the more one asks, the more one becomes controlled by her."
Qin Mu blinked: "What do you mean?"
Thai So inside the egg said: "If Thai So gives Heavenly Venerate Hao the thirty-sixth heavenly palace, then Heavenly Venerate Hao would not be a true Heavenly Court realm cultivator, unable to reach the peak of the Heavenly Palace Heavenly Court system. His Dao path would be like that of the Great Emperor—always lacking a bit of refinement. The Heavenly Court system only emphasizes power, but Heavenly Venerate Hao shouldn't be able to reach the absolute peak in terms of power."
"Heavenly Venerate Hao is not someone who gained his reputation without merit. For Thai So to control him—that would be difficult!"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered as he probed: "Then Brother Thai So, do you think the Thirty-Six Heavens Dao Realm system is a perfect system?"
Thai So inside the egg chuckled: "How could there be a perfect system in this world? If it were perfect, how would Heavenly Venerate Mu, Grand Cult Master Qin, carry out his reforms and changes?"
Qin Mu burst into laughter, but inwardly he was alert: "This Thai So fellow is an old slick who's been rolled through the oil pot again and again, then fished out to dry overnight! His words are watertight."
"Back when Brother Thai So and Sister Thai So were communicating inside the eggs, what were you discussing?" he asked casually.
Though he appeared casual, Qin Mu was extremely concerned about this matter.
Thai So and Thai So had communicated more than once, holding secret discussions. The moment Qin Mu's divine consciousness arrived, they immediately shut their mouths.
"That matter..."
Thai So inside the egg chuckled: "Just trivial matters. I told her about how Thai So imprisoned me, and she told me about how she was nearly refined by Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu. We were discussing how to deal with Thai So and Xuan Wu, to avenge ourselves."
Qin Mu didn't believe a word of it, but since Thai So inside the egg was unwilling to say more, he didn't press further.
Thai So inside the egg suggested: "Even if Heavenly Venerate Hao recovers nine heavenly palaces, you still can't contend with him. Why don't we return to the Ancestral Court to avoid his edge for now? The Thai So mineral vein in the Ancestral Court is in the hands of Consort Yan. Consort Yan is in the Heavenly Court, so we can take the opportunity to attack the Thai So mineral vein and seize that woman's territory! Once we get the benefits, I'll split it fifty-fifty with you!"
Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Had the ancient god Thai So become too worldly? He was an existence like Celestial Emperor Thai So, and Celestial Emperor Thai So would never say such things.
"I still have a younger brother in the Great Void. I need to find him."
Qin Mu smiled: "Fifty-fifty split, I'll remember that. Don't worry, after I find my younger brother, I'll leave this place of trouble and head to the Ancestral Court."
The ancient god inside the egg was silent for a moment, then said: "The fifty-fifty split was just a joke. Don't take it seriously."
Great Void, Netherworld, Nether City.
Heavenly Venerate Hao's injuries were getting lighter and lighter. He opened his eyes, struggled to his feet, turned around, and bowed in thanks: "Thank you, Daoist friend."
He raised his head and saw the woman's face. Suddenly, his expression froze, and a hint of infatuation appeared in his eyes.
The woman standing behind him—her brows, eyes, and appearance actually bore some resemblance to Lady Yuan Mu.
"Grant whatever is asked, make wishes come true. Whoever you think of in your heart, I will look like that person to you."
The woman named Thai So smiled: "As long as you don't harbor that thought in your heart, you can see my true appearance."
Heavenly Venerate Hao closed his eyes. When he opened them again and looked at Thai So, her appearance had changed.
In his eyes, Thai So was no longer in the form of Lady Yuan Mu, but a strange woman—haughty and cold. Behind her head was a light that had form and substance but had not yet taken shape, glowing like dark blue brows, shifting between void and reality.
The laughter Heavenly Venerate Hao had heard earlier was not the woman's laughter, but the laughter from the depths of his own heart.
In truth, the Goddess Thai So had never smiled.
The form of this ancient god was already difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.
The Goddess Thai So looked at Heavenly Venerate Hao. Seeing that he had awakened from her wondrous Dao rhyme in such a short time, she couldn't help but show a look of approval and said: "Hao, son of Thai So, you indeed possess extraordinary abilities. Hao, you are severely wounded now. With my abilities, I can restore you to the state of thirty-five heavenly palaces within a hundred years, or I can give you one more heavenly palace to completely cultivate the Heavenly Court."
Heavenly Venerate Hao lowered his head and said: "So it's Aunt Su. Aunt Su only needs to restore the nine heavenly palaces in my body. As for the other heavenly palaces, I'll find a way myself."
The Goddess Thai So looked at him, her gaze flickering, but she couldn't see the expression on his lowered face.
After a moment, the Goddess Thai So smiled: "Very well. I will restore your nine heavenly palaces. You may now bow to me as your master."
Heavenly Venerate Hao took the opportunity to kneel and kowtow.
————The last four hours of 2018, suddenly feeling an inexplicable excitement. Is this year really about to pass? Thai So first wishes everyone that all your wishes come true! Wishing Mu Shen Ji lots of monthly votes!
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Mu Shen Ji 2018 Year-End Review
Thank you to all the readers for your companionship and support along the way. Now 2018 has officially passed, and 2019 has arrived.
Zhai Zhu has a lot to say to everyone, many words of gratitude to express, but I don't quite know what to say.
In the new year, Zhai Zhu wants to first review the achievements of Mu Shen Ji. The achievements of Mu Shen Ji are undoubtedly the best proof of everyone's support for Mu Shen Ji and Zhai Zhu!
Mu Shen Ji, eighteen months of updates: 4.09 million words
Total collections on Qidian Chinese: 1,787,783
Ranked seventh on the total collection leaderboard
Total clicks on Qidian web: 96.51 million
Total clicks on Qidian mobile: 190 million
Ranked third on the total click leaderboard
Total recommendations: 9.68 million
Reader rating: 9.2
Social honors received by Mu Shen Ji: Yuewen Group 2017 Super IP Ceremony Annual Most Adaptable Potential Work
Third Chinese Original Selection Most Popular Online Original Male Work
China Writers Association 2017 Most Popular Work Award
China Writers Association Key Support Work Fund Grant
Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation Grant
Featured on CCTV News
...
However, Qidian Chinese is not where Mu Shen Ji achieved its best results.
Mu Shen Ji's best results are on QQ Browser, ranking first in sales for two consecutive months, seventh in total recommendation votes: 4.251 million, with 89,000 people in the reader circle.
Mu Shen Ji's sales ranking on WeChat Book City is sixth and seventh, with 22,000 daily readers and 330,000 people reading. The results have been steadily improving, with a rating of 8.7.
On QQ Book City, Mu Shen Ji's sales ranking has consistently been in the top twenty, ranking 76th on the total sales leaderboard, with 1.86 million in hot sales. Total collections on the platform: 1.76 million+, reader rating 8.4.
Other sales platforms are unknown, but the rankings are all very high.
Baidu search index has also been fluctuating around 300,000.
Now, Mu Shen Ji's manuscript fees at Qidian are lower than the manuscript fees from other channels.
Zhai Zhu's monthly manuscript fee income at Yuewen Group—only January and February were slightly lower, December is unknown. In other months, the monthly manuscript fee has been above 600,000, fluctuating between 600,000 and 700,000.
The highest month was March, at 810,000.
Mu Shen Ji has now officially entered its later stages. To still have these results now, I cannot help but thank all the readers for their support!
In the new year, I wish everyone all your wishes come true and everything goes smoothly!
Zhai Zhu climbed up from being a struggling writer, from being so poor he sold his quilts to achieving results this year. I deeply believe that heaven rewards the diligent. Let us encourage each other!
2019, January 1st, requesting guaranteed monthly votes!