Chapter 1401: That Damn Great Emperor
Langxuan God Emperor held the Dao Fruit high, examining it over and over again, his heart filled with boundless joy. When he looked back at Qin Mu, the young man no longer seemed so detestable—in fact, he was almost a little endearing.
"Mu Heavenly Venerate, work hard under my command!"
He couldn't help but laugh: "I just love watching you, a treacherous minister and sycophant, forced to fawn over me!"
Qin Mu kindly reminded him: "God Emperor, this Dao Fruit contains the divine consciousness of a prehistoric powerhouse. Be careful of being possessed. If Your Majesty can truly extract the eternal and undying Great Dao from this Dao Fruit, then being your treacherous minister and sycophant is no great loss." With that, he burst into laughter.
Langxuan also laughed heartily, saying: "That prehistoric existence may have some consciousness hidden in the Dao Fruit, but as long as it hasn't anchored itself in the Ultimate Void of our universe, I can manipulate it however I please. If it can't reach the Ultimate Void, it's just a soft persimmon for me to squeeze."
Seeing him in good spirits, Qin Mu seized the opportunity: "God Emperor, look—I helped you repair the Jade Pool, restoring its ancient glory, and helped you come here to subdue this Dao Fruit, bringing you closer to the final realm. So, could Your Majesty's Jade Pool perhaps..."
"No." Langxuan God Emperor put away the Dao Fruit, his smile fading as he said flatly.
Qin Mu quickly added: "What I mean is, since I've rendered such great service, could Your Majesty permit the gods under my command to come and comprehend the Great Dao of the Jade Terrace?"
"That'll cost you."
Langxuan God Emperor said bluntly: "Calling me 'Your Majesty' won't help. You extorted two-tenths of my Hongmeng Primordial Fluid—just thinking about it makes my heart ache. If you want your people to enter the Jade Terrace for enlightenment, it'll cost you."
Qin Mu fumed: "No consideration for our friendship at all?"
Langxuan God Emperor nodded with a smile, raising two fingers: "If you want your people to come to the Jade Terrace for enlightenment, return my two-tenths of Hongmeng Primordial Fluid."
Qin Mu gritted his teeth, raising one finger.
Langxuan God Emperor thought for a moment, then laughed: "You called me 'Your Majesty' just now, and it sounded pleasant enough. Fine, I'll leave the other tenth for you."
Qin Mu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even if Langxuan demanded two-tenths, he would have given it—let alone one-tenth.
Hongmeng Primordial Fluid was a renewable resource. Precious as it was, in his eyes it was far inferior to nurturing the talents of Yankang.
Talents were the most important thing.
"I wonder if Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian have finished mapping the Four Heavenly Gates. I need to have them come here—not only to comprehend the Jade Pool and cultivate their Dao hearts, but also to survey and map the entire Jade Pool and Jade Terrace!"
He thought to himself: "Once we establish the unified system of Dao Realms and Heavenly Palace systems, we won't have to kowtow to Langxuan's whims anymore."
The two left this fragment of the Great Luo Heaven. Qin Mu immediately took his leave, and Langxuan God Emperor, eager to refine the Dao Fruit, didn't try to stop him.
"If Langxuan God Emperor refines the Dao Fruit and gains the knowledge of the previous cosmic era contained within, he might become the most powerful among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. However..."
Qin Mu left the Jade Pool, glancing back once, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "The Dao Fruit isn't so easy to refine. And even if he does refine it, so what? Doesn't he still have to cultivate step by step? If he simply takes someone else's Dao Fruit and treats it as his own, then he's no different from the Great Emperor."
His heart was calm, exuding composure.
Langxuan God Emperor's increase in power was a good thing. Originally, among the Ten Heavenly Venerables, Hao Heavenly Venerable, Qiang Heavenly Consort, and Xiao Heavenly Venerable had the best chances of claiming final victory. Now with Langxuan God Emperor added to the mix, the muddy waters of the Ten Heavenly Venerables would become even murkier.
"If the Heavenly Duke dies and Hong Heavenly Venerable gains the greatest benefit, we might have to add Hong Heavenly Venerable to that list as well."
Qin Mu looked up at the sky of the Ancestral Court. The Heavenly Duke must be watching the Ancestral Court right now, wasn't he?
But the Heavenly Duke hadn't come to see him.
He withdrew his gaze, silently thinking: "I've locked Hong Heavenly Venerable's Dao heart into the Nine Hell Platforms. If Hong Heavenly Venerable can break through my Nine Hells Heart Lock, then even though he'll still have selfish desires, he'll also be more aligned with the Heavenly Heart, more in tune with the Heavenly Dao, preserving a portion of the Heavenly Dao's heart. Even if the Heavenly Duke dies, we'll still be fellow travelers on the same path. But if Hong Heavenly Venerable fails to break through the Nine Hells Heart Lock..."
Qin Mu's eye twitched: "Then when the Heavenly Duke dies, the one who gains the greatest benefit might not be Hong Heavenly Venerable! At that point, he might not be able to contend with Ancestral God King! Then the muddy waters of the Ten Heavenly Venerables will have both Ancestral God King and Hong Heavenly Venerable added to them!"
As for the Heavenly Duke, he no longer held any hope.
The Heavenly Duke was doomed to die.
Once the declaration of war against the Heavenly Duke was issued at the Heavenly Alliance meeting, his death was sealed.
Meeting the Heavenly Duke before the Heavenly Alliance meeting might have left room for negotiation, but now there was no need.
He had locked Hong Heavenly Venerable's Dao heart precisely to prepare for the worst-case scenario. He couldn't allow Hong Heavenly Venerable, filled with ambition and desire, to gain all of the Heavenly Duke's power and steal the Heavenly Dao for personal use!
The Heavenly Dao was impartial. For Hong Heavenly Venerable to steal the Heavenly Dao for selfish purposes would be the greatest betrayal of the Heavenly Dao!
"Taiyi said the Heavenly Duke would succeed, that he would break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and achieve liberation. What does that mean?" He frowned in thought.
Suddenly, intense light shot up into the sky ahead. Qin Mu walked forward and saw that it was Qiang Heavenly Consort's territory. Another massive Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge had been constructed, and the Daoist priests of the Heavenly Court Dao Sect were hurriedly packing their belongings, heading to another location.
Numerous towering celestial ships flew out from this new Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge, laden with the gods and demons under Qiang Heavenly Consort's command and cultivators of various races, migrating through the bridge to the Ancestral Court.
These ships flew in all directions, searching for suitable settlement sites.
Qin Mu looked at the sky. There were now three Spirit Energy Transfer Bridges connecting to the Heavenly Court. Once all the bridges were built, the Heavenly Court could be pulled directly into the Ancestral Court!
The Heavenly Court had originally been situated above the Primordial Realm, then flew out of the Primordial Realm, and now was returning to the Ancestral Court. It stirred a myriad of emotions in Qin Mu.
"Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable!"
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly saw a Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable emerge from the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge. The divine artifact's towering figure cast a cold glance toward Qiang Heavenly Consort's territory, sneering.
"This should be Yuanmu Madam's Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable, right?"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. The most prominent sacred lands in the Ancestral Court had already been claimed by the various Heavenly Venerables. There wasn't much prime territory left for Yuanmu Madam.
Was Yuanmu Madam's Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable coming out now to cause trouble, to seize territory from the other Heavenly Venerables?
"Yuanmu Madam isn't eyeing the Great Emperor's territory, is she?"
However, contrary to his expectations, the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable didn't make a move on Qiang Heavenly Consort's territory. Instead, it soared into the air. The moment it rose, a Return to Ruins Abyss suddenly appeared in the sky, swallowing the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable whole!
"Sneaking around like that—that little vixen Yuanmu must be up to something!"
Qin Mu grew excited. His vertical eye on his forehead opened, gazing into the void to observe the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable's movements.
Then, he suddenly saw a figure shoot up from Qiang Heavenly Consort's territory. It caused no ripples, emitted no aura, and silently slipped into the void, tracking the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable.
"It's that little vixen Great Emperor... no wait! It's that little vixen Qiang Heavenly Consort!"
Qin Mu grew even more excited. Qiang Heavenly Consort was the Great Emperor's reincarnation. She had also noticed Yuanmu Madam's movements and was stealthily tracking her!
He looked toward Qiang Heavenly Consort's territory. That was the Ancestral Court's Divine Execution Platform, a place of extremely heavy baleful aura—arguably the most baleful place in the entire universe. Looking from afar, he could see two streams of blood-red baleful energy rising into the sky, intertwining with each other, more massive than the most colossal tornado in the world!
Those two streams of baleful energy were blood-red and razor-sharp. Qin Mu couldn't help but shiver just from looking at them from a distance.
"How did the blood baleful energy of the Divine Execution Platform form? Why is it so heavy?"
He wanted to go in and experience the Divine Execution Platform for himself, but even at the outskirts of Qiang Heavenly Consort's territory, he could feel that this blood baleful energy posed a threat even to the Great Dao of heaven and earth. Standing here, he could feel the Great Dao runes within his body shattering one by one, being cut in half!
"The Ancestral Court's Divine Execution Platform can't possibly be this powerful!" Qin Mu couldn't help but shiver several times.
His primordial spirit also felt an incredibly sharp force invading, like countless razor-sharp blades, ready to strike at any moment!
Even more terrifying, the Divine Execution Platform could sever one's Dao heart!
The Heavenly Court's Divine Execution Platform was a place for executing gods—executing the physical bodies and primordial spirits of rebellious gods, but it did not sever Dao hearts.
Luo Wushuang was called the number one divine blade of the Heavenly Court because of his exceptional saber arts and his entry into the Dao Realm. He had gone alone, one man one blade, into the Heavenly Court's Divine Execution Platform, and ultimately walked out safely by relying on his saber Dao.
But Qin Mu suspected that if Luo Wushuang had gone to the Ancestral Court's Divine Execution Platform, he might not have passed even the Dao heart trial.
Luo Wushuang's Dao heart was strong, but he hadn't yet cultivated to the height of the twenty-fourth level of the Dao Realm.
"The Divine Execution Platform's power is no small matter! It might not sever my Dao heart, but it could sever my physical body or primordial spirit."
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze. Two streaks of blood-red saber light were still dancing in his pupils, and it took a moment before he could grind them away.
"This Divine Execution Platform must have been formed by absorbing the baleful energy of the world. Its power is too great—it must have executed extraordinarily powerful beings from the ancient era, absorbing too much blood!"
He had originally planned that after cultivating the Jade Terrace, he would directly pass through the Divine Execution Platform. Once he cultivated the Divine Execution Platform, he would be a master of the Nine Hell Platform realm and could then go seek the Jade Capital City. After all, he had already passed the trial of the Heart Lock of Hell and walked out of the Nine Hell Platforms alive.
But he had underestimated the Ancestral Court's Divine Execution Platform.
The Four Heavenly Gates, Jade Terrace, Nine Hell Platforms, and other places didn't grow on their own. But the Divine Execution Platform could actually grow by itself!
In the ancient era, the leaders of the Creator races must have sent prisoners of war or traitors here, letting the Divine Execution Platform behead them. The blood fed the platform, making it stronger and stronger—so strong that although it was only the fourth realm within the Heavenly Palace realm, its power could probably chop down several Emperor Throne realm experts as easily as cutting vegetables!
This Divine Execution Platform was far more dangerous than the Nine Hell Platforms!
"That damn Great Emperor! She promised to let me enter the Divine Execution Platform for tempering—she definitely had malicious intentions!" Qin Mu cursed loudly.
His current strength could contend with Emperor Throne realm existences, but he relied on the subtlety of his divine abilities. He was proficient in various obscure Dao techniques and divine abilities, such as the Dao of Primordial Beginning, the Dao of Taiji, the Dao of Taiyi, the Dao of Taisu, and Ling Heavenly Venerable's Unchanging Divine Ability.
His physical body and magical power hadn't yet reached the level where they could rival Emperor Throne realm experts, and his primordial spirit hadn't reached that level either.
The Great Emperor allowing him to enter the Divine Execution Platform for tempering was clearly an attempt to use the platform's power to chop him down!
"That damn Great Emperor!"
Qin Mu cursed again, then suddenly executed Return to Ruins Primordial Qi Birth. However, he only executed half the technique—a Return to Ruins Abyss appeared, and he stepped into it, his figure vanishing.
"Yuanmu, Great Emperor, let me see what schemes you two are cooking up!"
After a long while, Qin Mu's vertical eye scanned around and finally tracked down Qiang Heavenly Consort's trail. Qiang Heavenly Consort was tracking Yuanmu Madam's Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable, arriving at a vast desert of black sand.
Qin Mu looked around, puzzled: "This should be the Taiji Star Domain, where the Taiji mineral veins are located. What is Yuanmu Madam doing here?"
Just then, he saw the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable.
The Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Venerable was hiding within a Return to Ruins divine ability, lurking in the void. Qin Mu was confused: "That little tramp Yuanmu seems to be tracking someone too..."
Then he saw a stunningly beautiful woman strolling through the black sand desert, heading toward the Taiji mineral veins.
Jue Wuchen!
"It's the Empress Dowager!"
Qin Mu also hid himself within a Return to Ruins divine ability, his pupils contracting slightly. Jue Wuchen was something he had given to Yan Heavenly Consort. At the time, to trade for the output of the Taishi mineral veins, he had traded the Empress Dowager's physical body along with Jue Wuchen to Yan Heavenly Consort.
Now, the Empress Dowager had taken over Jue Wuchen's body and was coming to meet the ancient god within the Taiji mineral veins!