Chapter 1692: The Lonely Sovereign
"The body of the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall is too ancient—every part of his body has been cultivated into an ancient god. If someone like that, at the critical moment when your battle lines are locked in stalemate, suddenly transformed into thirty of the most supreme ancient gods to assassinate your generals, how would you respond?"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable picked up white stones one by one, continuously placing them, dropping thirty white stones into Qin Mu's formation on the board. He said, "Thirty beings, with strength nearly comparable to existences like Heaven Duke and Earth Count, suddenly appearing across various battlefields would be enough to overturn the entire war situation. Among the commanders of each army, who could withstand that?"
Qin Mu furrowed his brow slightly, looking at the board.
The Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall's cultivation method was extremely peculiar—he had also noticed this. When he and Lord Shang killed the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall, every part of that Hall Master's body was like a living ancient god. Even after being chopped into dozens of pieces by Lord Shang, each piece could still act independently on its own.
Lord Shang and he had joined forces, but in the end, they had only managed to destroy his Dao Tree, preventing him from attaining the Dao in this universe.
In the end, it was Qin Mu who devised a plan, using supreme sword Dao and Dao arts to break one of his Dao Fruits and destroy his head.
These past days, he didn't know whether the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall had managed to break through the residual Dao wounds left by Qin Mu's sword and recover his head. Presumably, even if he could break the Dao wounds, he wouldn't be able to refine a new head to the same level of strength as before.
"The Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall still has two Dao Fruits and one Dao Flower left—equivalent to three Dao Achievers. The strength of three Dao Achievers is comparable to thirty of the most supreme ancient gods."
Qin Mu stared at Cloud Heavenly Venerable's board. The game they played had no crisscrossing straight lines—they placed stones directly in the air. What was even more peculiar was that this game seemed to have no rules; you could place as many stones as you wanted wherever you wanted.
For example, when Cloud Heavenly Venerable said the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall could transform into thirty Heavenly Venerables, he placed thirty stones, spreading them across both sides of the dragon heads of each great dragon in Qin Mu's formation, preparing to sever the dragon heads.
"The Four Ancient God Emperors—none will escape. The Four Great Heavenly Masters of Carefree Village, the Four Great Heavenly Kings—all will lose their heads! The new master of the Beast Realm, Dragon Pi; the State Preceptor of Yankang, Jiang Baigui; the old Heavenly Saint Cult Leader, Wei Suifeng; Emperor Yanfeng; Gongsun Yan; the First Ancestor Human Sovereign; the two Emperors of Chiming; Lady Tianyin; Qin Fengqing; Heaven Duke and Ugly—all these forces will be destroyed one by one as the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall joins the battle!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable placed another stone, saying, "And on Heavenly Venerable Hao's side, he still has spare strength. He can spare one more stone to place beside the World Tree in the Ancestral Court to kill Xu Shenghua! Once Xu Shenghua is broken, the prehistoric strong ones will invade, endless and without limit."
Qin Mu shook his head. "Heavenly Emperor Hao won't do that."
"But the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall will."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable said, "The Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall is the Hall Master of the Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court. He helps Heavenly Emperor Hao for the sake of the Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court, to facilitate the descent of Dao Achievers from the Jade Capital City. In a situation where Dao Achievers cannot descend, opening the passage of the World Tree in the Great Black Mountain to let prehistoric stowaways descend would help him accomplish his goals."
Qin Mu said, "Those people who stow away through the roots of the World Tree are not from the same faction as those from the Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court. There are even grudges between the two."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable said, "But for the Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court, these stowaways can be used. The appearance of these people can accelerate the descent of Dao Achievers from the Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court. And Heavenly Emperor Hao is waiting for you to spread out the battlefield, to expose all his enemies, and then wipe out all the strong ones on your side in one fell swoop! Therefore, this move of the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall—he will definitely use it! If he uses it, it will be a thunderbolt strike, catching you completely off guard!"
Qin Mu looked at the board. In the Carefree Village section he had set up, the dragon heads of each great dragon—the Southern Sea, the Western Lands, the Northern Frontier, the Beast Realm, and Yankang—were all tightly clamped down, with no path to survival.
Lord Shang was strong, but he could hardly transform into thirty Heavenly Venerable-level existences to protect the generals of each army.
Qin Mu likewise didn't have such means.
If Heavenly Emperor Hao laid out his plans as Cloud Heavenly Venerable said, then in the end, Yankang would only have Qin Mu, Cloud Heavenly Venerable, Nether Heavenly Venerable, Moon Heavenly Venerable, Lang Wan, and others left—no longer having the strength for a final decisive battle against the Heavenly Court!
How to break the situation had become his greatest problem right now.
"My battle lines are spread too far—the Western Lands, the Northern Frontier, the Southern Sea, the Southern Heaven, Carefree Village, plus the World Tree in the Ancestral Court. These battle lines are too long. If I could draw these battle lines in, destroy the enemies there, then contract them, focusing only on the single point of Carefree Village..."
Qin Mu moved the pieces on the board, saying, "If the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall transforms into ancient gods one by one to assassinate the leaders of each army, we can support them at any time, or even set up an ambush to kill the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall. In this way, can this situation be resolved?"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable shook his head. "At this point, the Four Ancient God Emperors have all already mobilized—Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, Northern Emperor Black Tortoise, Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, Western Emperor White Tiger—all appearing simultaneously. And Dragon Xiao of the Beast Realm was also killed by Little Earth Count, with Dragon Pi ascending to power. For Heavenly Emperor Hao, all enemies have already surfaced. This is the best time for him to close the net."
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead, and the back of his neck was also covered in cold sweat. Suddenly he laughed. "Heavenly Emperor Hao shouldn't have that much wisdom, right?"
"Prepare for the worst when assessing the enemy."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable's expression was calm. "Back then, I also thought Heavenly Emperor Hao didn't have that much wisdom. Later, I lost. I underestimated his Crown Prince, Evil Wu Qi, and died miserably. I underestimated his Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, and died miserably. I underestimated him, and died miserably too."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, but the sweat kept increasing.
"I have a plan that can break Heavenly Emperor Hao's game on this board."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable looked at him, saying, "I can help you block Second Young Master. Nether Heavenly Venerable blocks Void Heavenly Venerable. Moon Heavenly Venerable goes to hold off Ancestor God King. Tai Shi blocks Tai Ji Ancient God. Lang Wan goes to hold off Tai Chu. Lord Shang goes to kill Lady Yuanmu. In this way, Heavenly Emperor Hao will have no Dao Achievers by his side, no more obstacles. You go kill Heavenly Emperor Hao, and the overall situation is settled!"
Qin Mu stared straight at him, his voice hoarse: "At that time, Heavenly Emperor Hao would indeed be dead. But the Four Ancient God Emperors, Di Yiyue, Tian Shu, Emperor Shitian, Qing Emperor, Woodcutter, Farmer, Scholar, Fisherman, Dragon Pi, Jiang Baigui, Wei Suifeng, Emperor Yanfeng, Gongsun Yan, the First Ancestor, Emperor Chi and Emperor Ming, Lady Tianyin, Qin Fengqing, Heaven Duke, Ugly—all of them would be dead!"
He spoke faster and faster, finally saying coldly: "Lang Wan going to kill Tai Chu is actually going to her death! Lang Wan possesses the strongest divine consciousness besides yours. If Tai Chu kills her and obtains her divine consciousness, he might very well be able to achieve Tai Chu's attainment of the Dao. So he will definitely go, and Lang Wan will definitely die! And you—you will also die! What use is this victory?"
"It has use!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable stood up: "Once Heavenly Emperor Hao dies, the dragon has no head! Void Heavenly Venerable and Ancestor God King simply don't have the ability to control the vast power of the Heavenly Court, and the Heavenly Court won't submit to the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall! At that time, you'll still have Nether Heavenly Venerable and Moon Heavenly Venerable to assist you. You'll still have Lan Yutian, Imperial Heavenly Venerable, by your side. You'll still have Lord Shang by your side. You'll have the immense prestige of having killed Heavenly Emperor Hao! At that time, the Heavenly Court will fall into your hands!"
He swept the pieces into chaos and stepped forward: "Pastoral Heavenly Venerable is the Heavenly Venerable of Dharma Transmission—your prestige even surpasses that of Lan Yutian, Imperial Heavenly Venerable! A Pastoral Heavenly Venerable freed from all restraints will be an invincible existence—killing the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall, killing Void Heavenly Venerable and Ancestor God King, looking across the universe, you will have no rival! Upon the ruins, you can rebuild Yankang and shape this world into the image you imagine!"
Qin Mu slumped down in his seat, shaking his head. "At that time, I would be a lonely sovereign..."
Cloud Heavenly Venerable revealed a smile: "That's right. You might not be able to resurrect us. You might become a lonely sovereign. But these sacrifices are worth it. For a million years, we have been longing for a true revolution, a true reformation—longing to fulfill our wishes, to realize our ambitions!"
He couldn't help but grow excited, pacing around Qin Mu, laughing loudly: "And you—you will help us realize all of this! So these sacrifices are worth it! Pastoral Heavenly Venerable, this game can be won! As long as you treat us as sacrifices for the Yankang reformation, it can be won!"
"Hesitation will lead to defeat! Heavenly Emperor Hao won't give you the chance to hesitate!"
His hands rested on Qin Mu's shoulders, while Qin Mu sat there motionless and wooden, listening to his impassioned voice echoing in his ears: "A dream of a million years—right before our eyes! Pastoral Heavenly Venerable, don't hesitate or delay any longer! In this battle, we are willing to become the sacrifices for your victory!"
Qin Mu remained silent.
"Western Emperor White Tiger and Northern Emperor Black Tortoise descending together with their ancestral lands—that will be the moment Heavenly Emperor Hao makes his move!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable shook his shoulders forcefully, saying in a low voice: "Brother Mu, I know Heavenly Emperor Hao too well—he will definitely make his move! If you hesitate, the entire game will be lost! Don't hesitate any longer—give the order to act!"
Qin Mu clenched his fists, looking up at his excited face. Unconsciously, tears slid down his cheeks, wetting his graying temples. His voice was hoarse: "Cloud Heavenly Venerable, you're forcing me to become another you—another Cloud Heavenly Venerable, Cloud Heavenly Emperor! This isn't me, isn't me..."
"But we can win!"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable's eyes were bright: "Do you have a better way to break the situation? Do you have any other way to stop the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall? Make up your mind, Pastoral Heavenly Venerable! Time waits for no one!"
Qin Mu gazed at the scattered pieces on the ground.
If good people want to defeat bad people, they can only become even more unscrupulous than the bad people. But at that time, are the good people still good people?
He defeated the Ten Heavenly Venerables, defeated Heavenly Emperor Hao. At that time, would he be a lonely man sitting on the throne of the Heavenly Emperor—another Ten Heavenly Venerables?
He clenched his fists. What meaning would the Yankang reformation still have?
The Longhan Revolution, the Chiming Revolution, the Shanghuang Reformation, the Kaihuang Reformation—what meaning would they still have?
He looked at the pieces, and in a daze, he saw dragon scales growing all over his body, sharp claws and fangs sprouting, his face ferocious and twisted.
Qin Mu stood up and walked to the edge of the Taiqing Realm heavens. There, the armies of the Heavenly Court were mobilizing—the Heavenly Court had already prepared to launch the decisive battle against Carefree Village!
Behind Qin Mu, Cloud Heavenly Venerable walked over, saying in a low voice: "Pastoral Heavenly Venerable, have you decided? The Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall should be about to make his move!"
Qin Mu said in a low voice: "Cloud, do you think Heavenly Venerable Hao will separate from Second Young Master?"
Cloud Heavenly Venerable was stunned.
In the great camp of the Heavenly Court, Heavenly Emperor Hao looked up, watching the celestial phenomena formed by the descent of Western Emperor White Tiger and Northern Emperor Black Tortoise, and smiled slightly.
Behind him, the Hall Master of the Spirit Official Hall let out a low shout. His physical body suddenly split apart, and as it landed, it transformed into ancient gods of various forms, their auras incomparably powerful!
"Hall Master, I'll leave it to you." Heavenly Emperor Hao smiled.
Those ancient gods suddenly transformed into streaks of light, flying off in all directions!
At the place where Yankang's border met the surface of the Southern Sea, there was a mountain range called Jade Cliff. The people of Yankang had built Jade Cliff Pass here.
Jade Cliff Pass was extremely steep, like a flat and smooth cliff face, blocking the surging waves of the sea.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign, Qin Wu, led the Yankang army commanded by successive Human Sovereigns, stationed at Jade Cliff Pass.
On the sea surface before Jade Cliff Pass, suddenly meteors fell one after another, crashing into the sea, stirring up towering waves. The waves connected to the sky, howling and surging as they rushed toward Jade Cliff Pass!
And behind the waves were the remnants of the thirty-nine Southern Heaven army corps commanders of the Heavenly Court, following behind the waves like wildfire spread across the sea surface, rolling fiercely toward Jade Cliff Pass!
In the sky, flames surged as well—countless fire meteors fell like raindrops, dragging long tails of fire and thick smoke, smashing toward Jade Cliff Pass!
"Heaven and earth spin, the heart does not change."
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign stood atop Jade Cliff Pass, his hands crossed, slowly moving. His divine ability erupted—instantly, the sky full of fire meteors and the towering waves spun in distorted space, moving backward, rushing toward the remnants of the Southern Heaven army corps!
Although the routed troops of the Southern Heaven had been defeated by Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, Emperor Chi, Qi Xiayu, and others, their formations were not in chaos. The main generals of each army had high cultivation, and their formations were strict. Immediately, each gave the order—the formations activated, splitting the great waves apart, extinguishing the sky full of fire meteors!
The generals of the thirty-nine army corps led their men charging out from between the split waves, shouting loudly: "Who comes?"
"Kaihuang Qin clan, Yuming Heavenly Human Sovereign Qin Wu!"