Chapter 1706: Through Fire, One Is Reborn (Asking for Monthly Tickets!)
In the main camp of the Heavenly Court's main force, Emperor Hao Tian sat in the main hall of the detached palace, his expression gloomy.
He had been sitting here for two days without moving, the doors and windows sealed shut, never having walked out. Several divine official corpses lay on the ground, their deaths extremely tragic.
These were divine officials who had barged in to offer counsel, and upon entering, they were slain by him.
In these two days, no one dared to enter again.
The Heavenly Court had already breached Wuyou Village. The Earth Master's forces had suffered heavy losses, while the Divine Master's naval forces pursued the remnants of Wuyou Village, reaping abundant victories. The Xuandu army and the Divine Strategy Left Guard, leading the Netherworld demon gods, had invaded the Buddhist Realm, invading Yankang from the Great Thunderclap Temple, preparing to advance west to rendezvous with the Xuandu army.
But Wei Suifeng, Qi Xiayu, the Southern Emperor, and the Hermit of Longshan were each approaching from different directions. In the east, Jiang Baigui was leading the Yankang army, closely following the Divine Strategy Left Guard.
Now, the battlefield situation was changing with every passing moment. The Heavenly Court held a great advantage, seemingly smooth sailing, yet at any moment it could turn into a disadvantageous situation!
In such a critical period, only Emperor Hao Tian could control the overall situation, convey orders, allow the Heavenly Court's army to expand its gains, and prepare for contingencies.
Yet Emperor Hao Tian had hidden himself in the detached palace for two days without emerging, truly causing anxiety among the ambitious men of the Heavenly Court.
"Lost..."
On the Heavenly Emperor's throne, Emperor Hao Tian's face was sallow. Suddenly, a sweetness rose in his throat, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. His aura was listless as he murmured: "Lost. This battle, I have already lost..."
The Heavenly Court had pacified Wuyou Village, and the situation was excellent. Up to now, the victories gained by Yankang and Wuyou Village were merely minor triumphs, while what the Heavenly Court had achieved was a great victory!
In the eyes of clear-sighted observers, with Wuyou Village flattened, the road east to pacify Yankang was now a clear path. The Heavenly Court was assured of victory. Even if Yankang resisted, how could it withstand forces several times, even ten times, its size?
What Emperor Hao Tian saw, however, was his own defeat.
The Heavenly Court had not been defeated; on the contrary, it had won a great victory, yet he had already lost.
Lost at the hands of Heavenly Lord Yun.
"I have lost..."
His body trembled, and the white hair on his head trembled along with it, like snow on a branch.
In just two days, his hair had turned white from worry.
The Heavenly Court had won, but it was not Emperor Hao Tian who had won.
Even if the Heavenly Court flattened Wuyou Village and flattened Yankang, the victors would be Tai Chu, Yuan Mu, Tai Ji, Ancestral God King, Heavenly Lord Xu, and others—not Emperor Hao Tian!
Because he had been struck down from the realm of attaining the Dao by Heavenly Lord Yun!
Heavenly Lord Yun had destroyed his Dao Tree, his Dao Flower, and his Great Luo Heaven!
Not only had he been cast down from the realm of attaining the Dao, but his other body—the one possessed by the Second Young Master—had also been completely destroyed by Heavenly Lord Yun!
He could have become the unique Dao-Attainer in all of history, even across the sixteen prehistoric universes—one who combined attaining the Dao through force and attaining the Dao through Guixu. In the future, he could even have attained the Dao through the Dao Realm!
But now, all of it was destroyed!
Admittedly, he was still one of the most powerful beings in the world, but his strength was no longer a match for Tai Chu. Even if the Heavenly Court won, it would be Tai Chu who held the reins of power!
If Tai Chu were severely wounded by Lord Shang, then the one to take over power might even be the Ancient God Tai Ji. As for him, he would have no choice but to endure in obscurity!
"The battle between the Supreme Emperor and Lord Shang—he puts in effort but not his heart. Lord Shang, like Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye, cultivates only one Great Dao. His attack power is high, but his understanding of the Five Tais' Great Dao is limited. As long as the Supreme Emperor does not confront him head-on, Lord Shang cannot take his life."
"The Ancient God Tai Ji is even more of a pair of sly and cunning fellows. They only care about themselves and will not fight to the death."
"Heavenly Lord Xu, Ancestral God King—heh heh, they are all staring eagerly at my position..."
Emperor Hao Tian smiled yet seemed to cry: "Lost. I have lost. Brother Yun, you finally beat me... No! This power, I cannot hand over!"
He gnashed his teeth, rose from the Heavenly Emperor's throne, and paced back and forth before the corpses of the divine officials. His feet were covered in blood plasma, leaving blood-stained footprints across the white jade floor of the great hall.
Emperor Hao Tian's expression grew darker and darker: "Even if I have been struck down from the realm of the Dao-Attainer, I can still brand the void once more and attain the Dao again! But by then, I will no longer be the Heavenly Emperor! The Supreme Emperor will surely replace me. Then, since I am no match for him, he can make me kneel before him! However, the Supreme Emperor is no match for Heavenly Lord Mu at all! Yun, you have ruined my excellent situation!"
"But I still have a chance to turn things around!"
"That chance is the Ancestral Court's Yujing City! It is the Third Young Master and Fourth Young Master of Miluo Palace!"
He stopped in his tracks, and his expression became somewhat crazed—it was Heavenly Lord Yun who had driven him to this madness: "When I fall from the Heavenly Emperor's throne, I will become the object of everyone's ridicule. Heavenly Lord Mu will mock me, the Supreme Emperor will mock me, Ancestral God King, Heavenly Lord Xu, Ancient God Tai Ji will all mock me! All the civil and military officials will mock me too, mocking me as nothing but a delusional bastard, mocking me as a mongrel born of an Ancient God and a human! You are all pushing me, all pushing me..."
"But if I completely pledge myself to the Third and Fourth Young Masters, then I will still be the Heavenly Emperor!"
He laughed heartily, his face twisted: "With the support of the Third and Fourth Young Masters, I will still be your Heavenly Emperor, the object of your worship, high above, and you will all submit to me! None of you will dare to mock me!"
Behind his head, the phantom images of the Miluo Palace's Lingxiao Treasure Hall and Zixiao Treasure Hall materialized.
Emperor Hao Tian turned around, facing the phantoms of these two treasure halls.
He hesitated for a moment, but his greed for power shattered his pride and broke his spine, causing his legs to weaken as he knelt down.
"From today onward, I will serve you with all my heart and soul, serving the Lingxiao Hall and Zixiao Hall of Miluo Palace. From today onward, I will be the loyal hound of my masters, making arrangements for my masters' descent."
"From today onward, I will have no second thoughts!"
The phantoms of the two ancient treasure halls were filled with strange power. One after another, obscure and difficult Dao words came from within the halls, sounding very pleased, very gratified.
Finding a loyal servant in the Seventeenth Era was difficult, but they had finally managed it. Emperor Hao Tian was their best choice.
Emperor Hao Tian, like a dog being patted on the head, wagged his tail and begged for favor: "I beseech my masters to strip the Yankang rebels of all power from Yujing City and the Lingxiao Hall! Hao the Servant is willing to blood-sacrifice the Primordial Realm to welcome my masters' arrival!"
"Hao."
From the Lingxiao Hall and Zixiao Hall came the gratified laughter of the Third and Fourth Young Masters: "We have finally molded you into the shape we desired."
Emperor Hao Tian looked up, his face full of smiles.
At this moment, Heavenly Lord Yun was dead. And the Hao Heavenly Lord of that era, full of fighting spirit and unyielding resolve, was also dead.
When Qin Mu arrived at Yankang, he sensed a strange fluctuation emanating from the depths of time and space. His expression changed slightly, but then he relaxed.
This fluctuation came from the Ancestral Court's Yujing City—not just the Lingxiao Hall, but all the various treasure halls within Yujing City!
When this fluctuation spread throughout the entire Primordial Realm, any force that was not aligned with the Heavenly Court would sense that the Yujing Realm, Lingxiao Realm, and even the Imperial Throne Realm they had diligently cultivated could no longer bring them power!
In other words, these three realms were instantly crippled!
Qin Mu had long anticipated this.
The Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court imitated the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court of the Heavenly Court, while the Heavenly Court imitated the Ancestral Court's Yujing City. The source of all this stemmed from the ancient era when Emperor Tai and Tai Chu ventured to the Ancestral Court's Yujing City to explore its secrets.
The Creator race declined, and the Ancient Gods led by Tai Chu emerged victorious. Based on their impressions of the Ancestral Court's Yujing City, they established the Longhan Heavenly Court. The human Imperial Heavenly Lord Yu came to the Heavenly Court, observed its grandeur, perceived the power contained within, and pioneered the Heavenly Palace realm.
In the Longhan Era, Heavenly Lord Yun and the brilliant minds of that time perfected the Yujing, Lingxiao, and Imperial Throne realms. For the following six hundred thousand years, the Ten Heavenly Lords perfected the Heavenly Court realm.
And the source of the Yujing, Lingxiao, Imperial Throne, and Heavenly Court realms was the Ancestral Court's Yujing City!
Qin Mu had long ago anticipated that the Young Masters of the Ancestral Court's Yujing City would use this to control the gods and demons of this universe, arbitrarily stripping their power, and even borrowing their power to strengthen Yujing City and themselves!
And he had long prepared a backup plan.
That backup plan was the Dao Realm cultivation system, as well as the brand-new Ancestral Court cultivation system pioneered by Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua!
The Dao Realm cultivation system was difficult to enter, but once one entered, it could complement the Ancestral Court cultivation system, advancing hand in hand!
These two cultivation systems might even merge in the future, becoming the Ancestral Court Dao Realm cultivation system!
"In the past, neither Yankang nor Wuyou Village had the will or the courage to promote the Ancestral Court Dao Realm cultivation system. After all, the new system had only just been pioneered by Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua. As its creators, they had made the realms too profound, making them difficult to understand. But this time, the Ancestral Court's Yujing City directly chopped away four realms, which will force Emperor Yanfeng and Emperor Kaihuang Di Yiyue to make the painful decision and fully implement this backup plan!"
Qin Mu flew over Yankang. The Yankang front line was already in chaos. Both the gods and demons of Wuyou Village and those of Yankang were filled with terror, panic spreading among the people, and a feeling of utter despair arising.
Even Heavenly Lord Yue and Goddess Lang Wan, who were engaged in battle with Ancestral God King, momentarily lost their composure. The two women had lost three realms in succession, their cultivation of primordial energy nearly depleted, and they were almost slain by Ancestral God King!
Fortunately, Heavenly Lord Yue's Dao Realm cultivation remained intact. She immediately used the Extreme Void to escape with Lang Wan.
Ancestral God King pressed his advantage, leading the Xuandu army in a great slaughter, intending to flatten the Lanfeng Valley in western Yankang in one stroke, when a massive shadow flew past the Xuandu army.
"Heavenly Lord Mu!"
Ancestral God King's heart jumped with alarm. He hastily mobilized his troops to protect himself and kept a wide berth.
At the same time, the same situation occurred in the Netherworld of the Primordial Realm. Any divine being of Yankang or Wuyou Village who had cultivated to the Yujing, Lingxiao, or Imperial Throne realms felt their power rapidly fading!
The higher the realm, the greater its proportion in one's magical power. Especially the Imperial Throne realm, which accounted for as much as ninety percent of one's cultivation!
If one lost the Imperial Throne realm, it was equivalent to suddenly having only one-tenth of their cultivation left!
If an Imperial Throne powerhouse also lost the Lingxiao and Yujing realms, then their personal power would be reduced to only one-thousandth of what it was!
What kind of devastating blow would this be to the high-level combat power of Yankang and Wuyou Village?
This was also one of the reasons Emperor Yanfeng and Emperor Kaihuang Di Yiyue dared not directly implement the new cultivation system on a large scale.
The Heavenly Palace Heavenly Court system was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Rashly promoting it would inevitably cause chaos and bring about a temporary decline in the power of the upper echelons.
At that time, the battle for the Primordial Realm was imminent, and the new cultivation system was not yet complete. There was no time to promote it widely; it could only be implemented on a small scale in the Yankang Academy of Dao.
But now, they had no choice but to implement the new cultivation system.
What the Third and Fourth Young Masters of Miluo Palace would lose would be the future practitioners, who would never again cultivate the traditional Heavenly Palace Heavenly Court system, depriving them of their future source of power!
The actions of the Third and Fourth Young Masters forced the practitioners and gods of Yankang to be reborn through fire!
Qin Mu made a circuit of the western battle zone, intimidating the heroes of the Heavenly Court, forcing the various army commanders of the Heavenly Court to dare not continue fighting. They could only shrink their forces and first hold the territory they had already occupied.
Qin Mu then went deep into the Netherworld of the Primordial Realm, forcing Heavenly Lord Xu to abandon the golden opportunity to kill Heavenly Lord You and retreat into the Heavenly Court's camp.
At the same time, within the Heavenly Court's main camp, two treasure halls rose slowly, erupting with incomparably intense Dao light that even obscured the light of the countless suns in the sky!
Those were the phantoms of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and the Zixiao Treasure Hall!
Although the two treasure halls were mere phantoms, their Great Dao was highly condensed, almost forming substance, bringing everyone an unparalleled sense of power and oppression!
Qin Mu glanced into the distance and said in a low voice: "Heavenly Lord Yun, you have succeeded. Now our opponent is no longer Emperor Hao Tian. Emperor Hao Tian has become a puppet. Our opponent has finally emerged from the shadows! Now, where are you?"
He had traveled a long distance, rushing from the Ancestral Court to the Primordial Realm. His personal cultivation was mostly depleted, so he did not dare to engage in battle directly. Instead, he came to Lanfeng Valley.
His Divine Treasury Domain spread out, revealing a vast and boundless cosmic spectacle. The Chaos Hall floated within his Great Heavenly Court, facing off against the Lingxiao Hall and Zixiao Hall from afar, boosting the confidence and faith of the Yankang and Wuyou Village armies.
At the same time, various armies from the west arrived. Lan Yutian's figure appeared beside Qin Mu, spreading out his own Ancestral Court. The Ancestral Court cultivation system appeared before the world for the first time, complementing Qin Mu's cosmic spectacle as they faced off against the Heavenly Court's Lingxiao Hall and Zixiao Hall!
Heavenly Lord Yue, Lang Wan, Tai Shi, Heavenly Lord You, Lord of Heaven, Lord Earth, and others also arrived one after another, each spreading out the layers of Dao Realm heavens they had comprehended. Large and small Dao Realm heavens floated above Lanfeng Valley, their Dao sounds resonating, stabilizing the morale of the army and the hearts of the people.
"Where is Heavenly Lord Yun?" Qin Mu asked the crowd.
Lan Yutian told him what he had seen. Heavenly Lord Yue and Lang Wan also said they had seen Heavenly Lord Yun. After the battle in the Ultimate Void, many people had seen Heavenly Lord Yun, watching him walk from the western battle zone into Yankang.
"The last place Heavenly Lord Yun came to was here."
Yan Shaoqing told him: "Heavenly Lord Yun went to the Yun residence. Later, he came out with Lady Yunxiao and headed east."
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then broke into a smile. He looked around and laughed: "Heavenly Lord Yun is a divine dragon whose head and tail cannot both be seen. He eliminated the Second Young Master, severely wounded Emperor Hao Tian, and forced Emperor Hao Tian to become a dog for the Third and Fourth Young Masters of Miluo Palace. He has accomplished his merits but does not wish for fame, so he has taken Lady Yunxiao and gone into seclusion."
He raised his head, looking at the sky, and smiled: "What an enviable couple. I wonder when I will be able to be as carefree as they are?"
"Yes." Heavenly Lord Yue was deeply grieved, but she forced a smile and said.
"Yes." Lang Wan lowered her head and said.
"Yes." Heavenly Lord You turned his head to look into the distance.
They all knew the truth, but no one exposed Qin Mu's lie.
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July 1st has arrived. Brothers, you all have guaranteed monthly tickets in hand, right? Please vote for The Chronicle of the Shepherd God! I beg you!
The big chapter has been uploaded. Begging for guaranteed monthly tickets!
The new big chapter has been uploaded. July has arrived. Begging for guaranteed monthly tickets!
The Yankang war is in full swing. July has arrived, and a new chapter has begun. The Chronicle of the Shepherd God is also nearing its end. Begging for monthly tickets to climb the rankings!
The Chronicle of the Shepherd God still has about a hundred or so chapters until completion. It should be finished by the end of August, or the middle to early part of September.
Last month, June, marked the second anniversary of The Chronicle of the Shepherd God's upload. August will mark the second anniversary of its official release. Over these two years, through storms and sunshine, peaks and valleys, loss and resurgence, tears and laughter, thank you all for accompanying Zhai Zhu and watching The Chronicle of the Shepherd God grow.
The next two months are the finale, which particularly tests one's writing ability.
Writing to this point, The Chronicle of the Shepherd God is no longer simply Qin Mu's story, but the story of everyone in this era of The Chronicle of the Shepherd God. One vivid face after another often floats before my mind, urging me to write their joys and sorrows, their experiences, their struggles and spirits in this great era.
Meng Yungui, Bai Yuqiong, Heavenly Lord Yun, Heavenly Lord Ling—their stories are not necessarily inferior to Qin Mu's. Even an insignificant soldier on the battlefield has their own brilliance.
I want to write better, to present the stories of this era to everyone, to bring you emotion and thought. My limited writing ability may not accomplish this. For any unsatisfactory parts, please be generous and understanding.
Oh, and one more thing: The Chronicle of the Shepherd God is still about eight thousand points away from being a five-star work. I hope everyone can support it and strive to make The Chronicle of the Shepherd God a five-star work before it is completed!
I bow in thanks!
Qidian Chinese website, the book city—I read all the readers' comments. I basically read the chapter comments for every chapter once or several times.
The browser's chapter comments are 1.4 to 1.5 times those of Qidian. WeChat Reading also has one to two hundred chapter comments per chapter. Bitter smile. The browser and WeChat Reading chapter comments don't add points, so I still hope everyone can come to Qidian more often, post chapter comments, and add points to The Chronicle of the Shepherd God.
Voting monthly tickets can also add points!
Also, I'd like to recommend a book by reader Yan Zhigui: The Mortal World Record. Immortal cultivation. Writing books is not easy.