Chapter 1662: The First Heavenly Master
This time, Meng Yungui came to escort the supplies, leading not many troops—mostly his own personal forces, called the Yuhua Camp. He was a human deity from Yuhua Heaven. Over the years, quite a number of human deities had come to pledge themselves to him, most of them hailing from Yuhua Heaven.
He was skilled at military discipline, and most of his subordinates were utterly loyal to him. However, the Heavenly Court had also planted quite a few demigods within his Yuhua Camp to monitor his movements.
After all, he was human. The Heavenly Court was still not entirely at ease with him.
He also had other military forces in the Heavenly Court, such as the Ten Guards of the Heavenly Court, but those armies only obeyed the Heavenly Emperor's commands—he had no power to mobilize them.
Just as Meng Yungui moved to slay Yan Yazi, a great purge was also taking place within the Yuhua Camp. By the time Meng Yungui had killed the deities and demons under Yan Yazi's command, the soldiers of the Yuhua Camp were sailing through blood to reach him, and the surface of the tributary of the Heavenly River was already stained crimson.
Meng Yungui stood sword in hand among the many corpses in the Southern Heaven Heavenly Palace, watching his subordinates. Slave ships docked one by one along the riverbank, blood still dripping from the divine armor of the human deities aboard.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
"Do you regret this?"
Meng Yungui's voice no longer carried the confidence of one who had everything under control. This rebellion was more like a sudden impulsive decision than a carefully planned scheme. For a Heavenly Master like him, being controlled by emotion was absolutely a fatal mistake.
He knew deep down that this rebellion would never succeed!
The human soldiers who had followed him for so many years—they would probably all die!
"If you follow me in rebellion, perhaps we will never succeed. What awaits you is no honor, no glory—only a series of defeats, and the deaths of comrades and colleagues one after another."
Meng Yungui looked at his subordinates, his gaze sweeping across face after familiar face, and said in a deep voice: "Back then, I led you out of Yuhua Heaven. Perhaps I will not be able to lead you back alive. Perhaps what returns will only be corpses—or perhaps not even corpses will remain. If we are defeated, the history recorded by the Heavenly Court will only bear our infamy."
"If we die, there will be no tombstones. A lifetime of cultivation might only earn us corpses lying like dead dogs on the battlefield, and after death, people will still spit on us and say: Look! These are traitors!"
"Will you still follow me?" he asked in a loud voice.
On the slave ships, the soldiers of the Yuhua Camp remained silent. Suddenly, one soldier pushed open his face guard, revealing a resolute countenance.
"Heavenly Master, I am someone you brought out of Yuhua Heaven."
That middle-aged deity's voice was not loud, but it shook the heart: "All I know is that before I met the Heavenly Master, I lived worse than a dog. When the great calamity broke out back then, corpses littered the land. I followed the villagers into the city to beg. Along the way, I don't know how many starved to death. I made it alive to the city, dizzy with hunger, and searched the sewers of a demigod's mansion for the food they threw away! I dug out the human bones they had gnawed on. I was starving, and I wanted to eat them. It was you who pulled me out of that sewer. You told me we must have backbone, that we cannot eat people, that our human race must make something of ourselves, must stand tall and proud! You said that humans were not born destined to be slaves, nor destined to be food for the divine races. You said you wanted humans to live better! From that moment on, I followed you!"
Another deity pushed open his face guard, revealing a long scar on his face like the centipede mark left by a whip, and said in a hoarse voice: "I was also one of those people in that great calamity. From that time on, I followed you. Back then, you were still a divine ability user, full of vigor and ambition, giving hope to those of us who were nothing but skin and bones."
"I am also from that time."
Another deity pushed open his face guard: "We followed you through life and death. Many companions have passed, but we survived."
"And me!"
"Me too!"
"I'm not—my father was. Before he died, he told me to follow the Heavenly Master, never to leave, never to abandon!"
...
Many other deities had not followed Meng Yungui during the Yuhua Heaven calamity, but they had come this far through shared ideals and trust in him.
"You taught us reason and righteousness. You told us that where reason lies, we must advance without hesitation!"
An old general laughed and said: "Now, this is where reason lies, so we advance without hesitation! We..."
He knelt on one knee on the deck, his voice resounding: "We swear to follow the Heavenly Master unto death!"
On the slave ships, the soldiers of the Yuhua Camp knelt in unison on one knee, their voices echoing back and forth across the tributary of the Heavenly River: "We swear to follow the Heavenly Master unto death!"
Meng Yungui's blood boiled. He raised his sword and pointed it into the distance at the Heavenly Court, laughing heartily: "You have not failed me, and I will not fail you! Rise, all of you! Today, follow me in rebellion—rebel against the Heavenly Court!"
The winds of the Heavenly River grew fierce.
Gale winds whipped up great waves that crashed against the slave ships. The slaves aboard trembled in fear and terror, while on the decks, the human deities burned with fierce resolve. Under Meng Yungui's command, they swiftly departed for the other heavens of the Southern Heaven to sweep away the Heavenly Court's forces there.
They had to cut off all communication—they could not allow any of the Heavenly Court's forces in the Southern Heaven to notify the Heavenly Court.
This rebellion was improvised. They had no preparations, and neither did the Heavenly Court. As long as they could sever communications, they could delay as much time as possible and make thorough preparations.
Though they all knew that even with full preparations, they would likely still be walking into death.
Meng Yungui ordered men to rush immediately to Yuhua Heaven to relocate the families and loved ones of his soldiers. He also sent others secretly to the Heavenly Court, for they too had families there. They had to move their relatives before they were exposed—otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Wang Qing, go at once to Yankang."
Meng Yungui hesitated for a moment, then still handed the letter to his most valued disciple, saying: "Deliver this letter to the Emperor of Yankang!"
Wang Qing hesitated: "Master, Yankang is precisely the target the Heavenly Court wants to destroy. This great army of the Heavenly Court is aimed at Yankang. Yankang has no spare troops to come to our aid. Moreover, back when we attacked the Land of Ultimate Void, Master personally led the army against Wuyou Village and killed countless of their experts. I heard that Emperor Yanfeng was a general in Wuyou Village at the time and suffered defeat at your hands. Wuyou Village and Yankang are one and the same..."
Meng Yungui waved his hand and said: "Emperor Yanfeng has the bearing of a Heavenly Emperor, surpassing even Emperor Haotian. He will not hold a grudge. Go quickly!"
Wang Qing accepted the order and sped off toward the Primordial Realm.
Meng Yungui also ordered the relocation of all humans in the various heavens of the Southern Heaven, moving them far from the Heavenly River region, transporting grain and supplies, fortifying positions and clearing the land, preparing for a decisive battle.
His soldiers moved like an extension of his own arm. When orders came down, they could be executed with lightning speed. Moreover, the humans of the Southern Heaven had been domesticated like livestock, never resisting the commands of deities, meekly accepting whatever came—this also made their relocation easier.
Meng Yungui also personally led other soldiers to dismantle Fire Heavenly Master's heavenly palace completely, using the materials to build a formidable fortress along the tributary of the Heavenly River. Even so, his face still carried worry.
"We can't hold... we can't hold... All we can do is fight to the death, but even then, we can't hold!"
Months later, the Heavenly Court's great army drew closer and closer to the Primordial Realm, but the supplies still had not arrived.
The Heavenly Court issued repeated edicts, ordering deities to go to the Southern Heaven to urge the supplies along, but these envoys vanished without a trace once they reached the Southern Heaven.
The Heavenly Court plundered several other heavens, seizing slaves and supplies, but they also knew that something had likely gone wrong in the Southern Heaven.
Emperor Haotian issued an edict, ordering the First Heavenly Master, Shang Pingyin, to lead the Divine Martial Second Guard—two of the Ten Guards of the Heavenly Court—numbering one hundred thousand troops, to the Southern Heaven to investigate the situation.
The Divine Martial Second Guard was strong and well-equipped. The lowest cultivation among them was at the Yujing realm. Combined with the Heavenly Court's formation diagrams, the Divine Martial Second Guard could withstand even Heavenly Venerable-level existences. Add to that Shang Pingyin, the First Heavenly Master—this showed how much importance Emperor Haotian placed on the Southern Heaven.
The Southern Heaven was the Heavenly Court's granary. It absolutely could not be lost!
Shang Pingyin led the great army forward but did not directly enter the Southern Heaven along the tributary. Instead, he first set up camp, then sent a man to the front of the Southern Heaven Pass, who called out loudly: "Heavenly Master Meng, the Heavenly Emperor has issued an edict! Come out and speak!"
Meng Yungui came to the city wall and gazed into the distance at Shang Pingyin.
The two Heavenly Masters locked eyes. Shang Pingyin immediately issued the order: "Meng Yungui has already rebelled! Attack the city at once!"
The Left Divine Martial Commander frowned and said in a deep voice: "How does Heavenly Master Shang see that Meng Yungui has rebelled? Meng Yungui is the Second Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Court. If we attack him directly without even questioning him, and it turns out he has not rebelled, I fear Heavenly Master Shang will not be able to explain himself before His Majesty."
Shang Pingyin sneered: "Meng Yungui and I are both Heavenly Masters. Whether he has rebelled or not, I can tell at a single glance. Enough talk—attack the city immediately!"
The Left and Right Divine Martial Commanders immediately gave the order, mobilizing both armies, forming their battle formations, and crushing toward the Southern Heaven fortress!
Atop the city wall, Meng Yungui called out loudly: "Heavenly Master Shang, you and I are both Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Court. For the longest time, you were ranked first—until you were defeated by Yue Tingge. After Yue Tingge fell in the Land of Ultimate Void, you became the First Heavenly Master again. But you know that your wisdom is inferior to mine. The true First Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Court is me. That is why you abuse your power for personal gain, pinning the label of traitor on me and leading an army to kill me! You are jealous of the capable! I shall submit a memorial to His Majesty and let him decide!"
The Left and Right Divine Martial armies hesitated slightly.
Shang Pingyin sneered: "Meng the traitor is merely stalling for time. I hold His Majesty's military tally in my hand. Left and Right Divine Martial—attack now!"
He raised the military tally. When the Left and Right Divine Martial armies saw it, it was as if Emperor Haotian himself were present. They immediately activated their formations and attacked the city.
Shang Pingyin's robes fluttered in the wind. Gazing into the distance at Meng Yungui on the city wall, he said in a deep voice: "Meng Yungui, you pride yourself on your superior schemes. But the greatest wisdom in this world is the greater momentum. Before my momentum, all your schemes are utterly useless! Mastering the use of momentum—that is what makes a First Heavenly Master!"
Meng Yungui flicked his sleeve. The fortress gates swung wide open, and the deities and demons of the Yuhua Camp charged out. He sneered: "Let me see whether your momentum can match my wisdom! Form ranks!"
The number of deities and demons in the Yuhua Camp was not fewer than the Divine Martial Second Guard, but their cultivation and combat power were far inferior.
The formation diagrams of the Divine Martial Second Guard of the Heavenly Court were complete grand formation diagrams. Each diagram could accommodate fifty thousand deities and demons, fusing their essence, energy, and spirit into one, their vital energies linked as a single whole—thus the formations could unleash tremendous divine powers!
The formation diagrams of the Ten Guards of the Heavenly Court had been meticulously refined by successive generations of Heavenly Masters. Their power had long been honed to the absolute limit—one could say they were the crystallization of the wisdom of generations of Heavenly Masters.
Back when Wuyou Village fought their way out of the Land of Ultimate Void, and Lang Wan led the Creator race to hold back the Heavenly Court's pursuers, the Ten Guards of the Heavenly Court had raised their formation diagrams and driven Lang Wan and Wuyou Village back step by step—a testament to the power of those diagrams.
The Yuhua Camp's formation diagrams, however, were not complete grand diagrams but small ones—groups of ten, totaling ten thousand formation groups in all.
Ten thousand formation groups interwove as the deities and demons of the Yuhua Camp flew about, quickly forming the first battle formation. This formation alternated between inner and outer layers, its changes unfathomable.
Seeing this, Shang Pingyin sneered: "The Liuli Qingtian Banner Grand Formation! I was the one who taught you this formation!"
The two armies collided, and the power of the formation diagrams erupted!
The two armies collided, and the power of the formation diagrams erupted!
The Heavenly Court army and the Yuhua Camp's formations immediately shifted, different formations interlocking, flesh and blood flying within the diagrams!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Meng Yungui's envoy Wang Qing arrived at Yankang and was granted an audience with Emperor Yanfeng. He presented the letter. Emperor Yanfeng unfolded it and read through it, pondering for a moment, then said: "Set up an altar. Summon Long Pi to descend. Have Prince Youming bring the Liuli Qingtian Banner and go to the Southern Heaven."