Chapter 1328: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes (Fourth Update)
Unity of all paths?
Everyone in the palace was deeply shaken. Heavenly Lord Xiao was the reincarnation of Heavenly Emperor Taichu. His ambitions were immense. Before his true divine body had died, he had already split his soul and reincarnated, taking the form of a young human prodigy named Xiao Weisu, who became a disciple of Heavenly Lord Yun.
Later, he inherited Heavenly Lord Yun's legacy and became the leader of the human race. That was during the late Dragon Han Era.
This meant that Heavenly Emperor Taichu had already realized in the late Dragon Han Era that the Path of the Acquired would rise, so he planned ahead, splitting off a soul early to become Xiao Weisu and begin his schemes!
The true rise of the Path of the Acquired did not begin in the subsequent Chiming Era or the Shanghuang Era. In the late Shanghuang Era, the Path of the Acquired began to sprout, but it truly developed during the Kaicang Era and the Yankang Era, flourishing into prosperity.
In this, the Woodcutter Sage Wentian Pavilion had made immense contributions.
In other words, Heavenly Emperor Taichu could see the state of things forty or fifty million years into the future, which was why he could lay his plans in advance!
"Taichu Heavenly Emperor is no pushover either. Among the Ten Heavenly Lords, there isn't a single easy one!" everyone thought silently.
With Wei Suifeng and Yun Jianli helping, the Dao patterns contained in Heavenly Lord Xiao's sword strike were quickly organized. Wei Suifeng was learned and widely read, having learned the most about the Path of the Acquired from the Woodcutter Sage. The Path of the Acquired in Heavenly Lord Xiao's techniques posed no challenge to him.
Yun Jianli, meanwhile, was the orthodox inheritor of the Zixiao Biluo Technique. The two worked together, complementing each other perfectly.
After the two finished organizing everything, they showed no intention of leaving. They stared eagerly at Qin Mu, the Physician, and Heavenly Lord Yue, waiting to see how they would treat the injuries.
Qin Mu was using his divine consciousness to examine the Dao wounds in Heavenly Lord Yue's primordial spirit. Without looking up, he said, "When we begin treating the injuries, the five Heavenly Lords who left these Dao wounds will all be alerted. I wonder which one will make a move against us here."
Wei Suifeng and Yun Jianli's faces changed drastically. Wei Suifeng bowed deeply to the ground and said loudly, "Heavenly Lord, we were brought here from the Wendaoyuan by you. There's still work left unfinished at the Wendaoyuan. We beg the Heavenly Lord to send us back!"
"Righteousness demands it! We cannot shirk our duty!"
Yun Jianli said with great righteousness: "We promised Emperor Yanxiu, so we must do a good job! We beg the Heavenly Lord to send us back to the Wendaoyuan!"
Heavenly Lord Yue said softly, "I've troubled you both. Walk out of the palace gates, follow the lights in the peach forest, and once you leave the forest, you'll be in Yankang's capital city."
The two felt as if they had received a pardon and hurriedly left the palace. Sure enough, they saw lights in the peach forest. They followed the lights forward, and when they walked out of the forest, they saw that the lights were from the lower city of Yankang's capital.
The two sighed in relief and hurried toward the lower city. Yun Jianli felt a bit reluctant and said, "Leaving Mu Heavenly Lord and Medicine King God there to die feels a bit dishonorable, doesn't it?"
Wei Suifeng laughed: "Of course it's dishonorable! But my second junior brother loves to stir up trouble. He won't die, but we might not be so lucky! Come, come, business first."
The two entered the city.
In the Peach Forest Palace, Qin Mu finally finished arranging all the Dao patterns of Langxuan God Emperor's divine consciousness path. The Physician had also prepared various spiritual medicines. Qin Mu took out the Taisu Primordial Liquid. The two exchanged glances but said nothing.
Heavenly Lord Yue waited for a long time, saying nothing, but finally couldn't help herself. She smiled and said, "Two master physicians, why so solemn when the moment has arrived?"
The Physician bowed slightly and said, "If it were treating Mu'er's injuries, even five hundred kinds of pills wouldn't be a problem—I'd refine them all and feed them to him. They couldn't poison him anyway. But treating a Heavenly Lord, I can't help but feel anxious. I must ensure there are no aftereffects whatsoever."
Heavenly Lord Yue felt sympathy for Qin Mu and laughed: "Medicine King God need not worry so much. Would taking your medicine make my condition worse than it is today? If not, then just go ahead."
The Physician acknowledged.
Heavenly Lord Yue looked at Qin Mu, waited a moment, then chuckled: "What is Mu Heavenly Lord so worried about?"
Qin Mu said seriously: "I'm thinking about which of the five Heavenly Lords will return to the Heavenly Court and which will make a move against you. These five Heavenly Lords are all half-dead..."
Heavenly Lord Yue was startled and stammered: "They're half-dead?"
Qin Mu pondered: "Heavenly Lord Hao is unlikely to make a move. He was severely wounded by the Great Emperor and doesn't dare return to the Heavenly Court now. Among the five Heavenly Lords, his injuries are the most severe. Even with Taisu's full assistance, he won't recover for one or two hundred years. Moreover, his divine artifact, the Imperial Heavenly Lord, was shattered to pieces. Heavenly Lord Huo was severely wounded by the Great Emperor, Emperor Kaicang, and Langwan. He shouldn't be able to recover during this time either, and he's stationed in the Great Void, so he's probably not in the Heavenly Court right now. His divine artifact, the Imperial Heavenly Lord, was left in the Southern Pole Heaven to suppress it."
Heavenly Lord Yue listened quietly as Qin Mu continued: "But if Heavenly Lord Huo returns to the Heavenly Court, then he might make a move. Next is Langxuan. Langxuan was severely wounded by the Great Emperor and then gravely injured by Heavenly Lord Xiao. His injuries are also extremely severe. Even if he returns to the Heavenly Court, it doesn't matter. His divine artifact, the Imperial Heavenly Lord, also can't get here in a short time..."
"Patriarch God King's divine artifact, the Imperial Heavenly Lord, is in Xuandu and cannot descend. And Patriarch God King's injuries are not light either. The battle with the Great Emperor nearly shattered his Heavenly Dao treasure completely. He can't refine it back in a short time. Even if he makes a move, he can't do anything to us."
"The only one I'm wary of is Heavenly Lord Xiao. Lady Yan cut off one of his hands, but this fellow happens to be the anomaly among the Ten Heavenly Lords—he cultivates the Path of the Acquired, and he's extremely enthusiastic about it."
Qin Mu frowned deeply and said in a low voice: "He's also turned a blind eye to the Yankang reforms, clearly having designs on them. The Creation Technique that Yankang inherited from Chiming must have been learned by him as well. By now, his injuries should be fully healed. And what's even more terrifying is that he is Heavenly Emperor Taichu. Who knows how far he's progressed in the Unity of All Paths..."
The Physician reminded him: "Heavenly Lord Xiao also has a Primordial Tree, right near the peach forest."
Qin Mu nodded and said: "His divine artifact, the Imperial Heavenly Lord, is right beside the Primordial Tree. With the Unity of All Paths Heavenly Lord Xiao, plus the Imperial Heavenly Lord and the Primordial Tree, he's likely the strongest among the Ten Heavenly Lords! If he makes a move, Heavenly Lord Yue, can you hold him off?"
Heavenly Lord Yue thought for a moment, then summoned all the palace maids and said: "Take out all the lanterns I've refined over the years and hang them in the peach forest according to this formation diagram."
She took out a formation diagram and handed it to the head maid, instructing: "After hanging them, return to the palace immediately. Do not linger in the peach forest."
The maids acknowledged and went to open the palace treasury. They took out several hundred lanterns, shook them, and the lanterns lit up. The maids carried the lanterns out of the palace and hung them on the peach trees one by one.
Qin Mu stared wide-eyed, his heart feeling like hundreds of fox spirits were scratching and clawing inside him. He wished he could snatch some of those lanterns.
Others didn't know the benefits of Heavenly Lord Yue's lanterns, but he knew their marvelous uses. Traveling with one of those lanterns was faster than even the Heavenly Lords!
But that wasn't their greatest power. Their greatest power was that they could transform into strings!
Qin Mu had seen White Jade Qiong, the Heavenly Master of the Day, use the strings formed by these lanterns to cut off Heavenly Lord Hao's fingers and even slice off his head!
Heavenly Lord Yue waved her sleeve, and an ancient zither flew over, landing on her lap. She smiled at the two and said: "All five Heavenly Lords are injured. The Great Emperor did me a great favor. But why would the Great Emperor be so kind?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly and said leisurely: "Naturally, someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes, using borrowed force to strike. If not for this mastermind behind... this puppeteer, I wouldn't have dared to come treat your injuries immediately, Yue'er."
Heavenly Lord Yue gave him a deep look and suddenly laughed: "Mu Heavenly Lord, Medicine King God, today I shall show off my skills. You two go ahead and refine medicine and treat injuries. I'll play a tune on my zither and have a little meeting with the Heavenly Lords of the Heavenly Court."
She plucked a string, and it vibrated with a crisp *dong* sound. In the night, the lights of the lanterns in the peach forest suddenly grew brighter, and beams of light shot out from each lantern!
The lanterns were connected by strings of light, crisscrossing in all directions, vibrating in harmony with Heavenly Lord Yue's zither strings, producing a beautiful melody!