Chapter 1743: The Might of a Single String
"Seventh Young Master, the Five Elders of Phong Thu are known as the Undying Freaks beneath the World Tree. The eldest is Phong Hoa Liên, the second is Hoàng Đường, the third is Thương Nham Thúy, the fourth is Yến Tú Các, and the youngest is called Lê Thứ—the one before you."
The voice of the Joyful Hall Master came through, saying: "These five freaks have always been entrenched beneath the World Tree, guarding it stubbornly, afraid that when the universe is destroyed they won't have a place to claim. They rarely take the initiative to leave the World Tree. In past cosmic epochs, no matter when you went to the edge of the World Tree, you could see this remarkable sight."
Lê Thứ of the Five Elders of Phong Thu smiled and said: "The Hall Master is joking. Our abilities are meager—we certainly can't outfight others, so we can only go stake out our spots early. When the great calamity of cosmic destruction arrives, we'll have an easier time sneaking across to the next epoch."
Tần Mục was puzzled and asked: "Then why have the five of you, in this epoch, left the World Tree and taken up residence in the Heavenly Court?"
He glanced around at his surroundings and said leisurely: "This Heavenly Court imitates the Ancestral Court's Ngọc Kinh City, symbolizing supreme authority. Just now I heard the Joyful Hall Master say that the five of you should be reclusive masters indifferent to fame and fortune—so why has this epoch stirred a desire for power in you?"
Lê Thứ hastily said: "Seventh Young Master misunderstands! We Five Elders of Phong Thu are just five cowards as timid as mice—how would we dare harbor desires for power? Unworthy, unworthy! We only saw that this place was empty, so we're temporarily residing here. We wouldn't dare have any thoughts of occupying it. When the true master of this place arrives, we'll simply yield it."
Although he put on the air of a good-natured old man, everyone present was someone who had walked through fire and wind—how could they not know what the Five Elders of Phong Thu were really thinking?
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo laughed and said: "The Five Elders merely saw that the Di La Palace hasn't descended into this universe, and the master of the Di La Palace has gone into seclusion, so they felt they had seized the advantage. Add to that the fact that this universe doesn't have many powerful beings, so the Five Elders were stirred by ambition, believing they could grasp the entire cosmos and fulfill their life's aspirations. This kind of mindset is common to all—why not just admit it?"
Lê Thứ laughed heartily and shook his head: "We five mice only know how to dig holes and hide beneath the World Tree. We wouldn't dare harbor such treasonous thoughts. We're only seeking a place to shelter ourselves. If someone could spare us a bite to eat, we'd be grateful beyond measure."
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo's eyes flickered: "I can give you that place of shelter!"
Lê Thứ glanced at him and chuckled: "Young man, you're joking. You don't have the authority to make such decisions."
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo's expression darkened slightly, and he let out a cold snort.
Lê Thứ led them to the Linh Tiêu Hall of the Heavenly Court. By now, the Linh Tiêu Hall had already been razed to the ground, leaving only a massive altar. On the altar sat four elderly figures, surrounded by prehistoric powerhouses who had sneaked across from beneath the World Tree.
Lê Thứ laughed: "Gentlemen, we Five Elders of Phong Thu don't even have a proper palace—you can see we're only temporarily residing here, with no thoughts of fame or profit."
Tần Mục looked at the heavy divine artifacts scattered all around, all aimed at them at all times—wherever they walked, these heavy weapons would turn to face them—and praised insincerely: "All of you are truly noble and upright, poor as church mice. I admire that deeply."
His gaze then fell upon the altar. This altar was extremely peculiar, its patterns and construction unusual, different from the Di La Palace's traditions, carrying a hint of mystery.
The divine materials and divine metals used for this altar were all of the finest quality harvested from the Ancestral Court. In a short time, Tần Mục couldn't discern the altar's purpose.
Tần Mục praised: "The five of you truly have bones of pure integrity, treating gold like dung, sitting right on top of it."
The leader, Phong Hoa Liên, coughed and said: "Seventh Young Master is joking. Young Master, Hall Master, Envoy—please come up onto the altar for a discussion."
The altar clearly had something suspicious about it, but the Heavenly Emperor Hạo showed no fear whatsoever. He puffed out his chest, stepped onto the altar first, walked to its center, and greeted the Five Elders: "I have come on the orders of the Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master to pay respects to the five fellow cultivators."
Phong Hoa Liên nodded and said: "So you are the Heavenly Emperor of this cosmic epoch. Please, have a seat."
The Joyful Hall Master's Dao Tree drifted over, also entering the altar, and greeted the Five Elders. The Five Elders rose to return the greeting, saying: "The Hall Master's reputation is immense. We are but wild recluses from the mountains—though we have some small fame in the jianghu, compared to someone of orthodox origins like the Hall Master, we're just children playing house. The Hall Master, though physically disabled, has a strong will and has managed to win such a great reputation—even we five old bones are deeply impressed."
The Joyful Hall Master's expression shifted slightly, knowing that these five old bastards were mocking him for having his legs severed after descending into the Seventeenth Epoch.
Tần Mục stepped forward and mounted the altar. The Five Elders hastily greeted him. Phong Hoa Liên said: "The Seventh Young Master has come from afar. We five old bones are afraid you might come to confiscate our property, so we didn't dare rise to welcome you. We hope you'll forgive us."
"Easily said, easily said."
Tần Mục's face was full of smiles as he raised his hand: "The five of you are all venerable seniors of high virtue. No need to stand—please, sit."
The Five Elders of Phong Thu hastily thanked him and each took their seats.
Tần Mục also sat down and made small talk: "Though I shared mutual respect with you five elders in past universes, for you that is a matter of the past, but for me it is a matter of the future—something that hasn't happened yet. Our encounters are so extraordinary and bizarre that I can't help but sigh with emotion." With that, he burst into laughter.
The Five Elders of Phong Thu exchanged glances but couldn't bring themselves to laugh.
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo coughed and declared in a clear voice: "The five seniors are all accomplished cultivators who have attained the Dao. The Di La Palace is about to descend. The Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master have ordered me to come and join forces with the five of you to carry out the great plan of the Di La Palace's descent. What say you?"
He cut straight to the chase, stating the purpose of his visit directly, giving the impression of bearing the momentum of the Di La Palace—using that momentum to pressure others, forcing the stowaways to submit and pledge allegiance to the Di La Palace.
Thương Nham Thúy was an old woman. Upon hearing this, she snickered: "The Di La Palace certainly puts on airs. A mere lackey running errands for them dares to order us around—do you really think we Five Elders of Phong Thu are made of mud?"
"Third Sister, don't lose your manners."
Hoàng Đường laughed: "This young friend has just won his master's favor, so naturally he wags his tail and barks a couple of times to curry favor. Third Sister need not take offense."
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo's expression turned cold, and he was about to flare up when the Joyful Hall Master laughed: "The Heavenly Emperor Hạo is a fellow cultivator that our Di La Palace has been supporting in this epoch—he will enter the Di La Palace in the future. The Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master even address him as a fellow Daoist. For the Five Elders of Phong Thu to humiliate him like this—isn't that humiliating our Di La Palace, and humiliating the teacher of our Di La Palace?"
Yến Tú Các's expression turned serious, and she said solemnly: "We wouldn't dare. The master of the Di La Palace is indeed an unparalleled master—we five old bones admire him deeply. However, the master of the Di La Palace no longer manages the Di La Palace; power has fallen into other hands. As for the young masters of the Di La Palace..."
She sneered: "They are nothing but petty schemers, not necessarily more brilliant than us!"
"Fourth Sister! Don't be presumptuous!"
Phong Hoa Liên's expression darkened as he scolded her, then said apologetically: "The Joyful Hall Master need not take offense. The five of us have eccentric temperaments, as you well know—our words may sometimes go too far. Seventh Young Master, we have already understood the purposes of the Envoy and the Hall Master. May I ask what purpose brings the Seventh Young Master here?"
Tần Mục smiled slightly and said leisurely: "I ask that you all return to the World Tree. However you came to this world, that is how you should go back."
The faces of the Five Elders of Phong Thu changed simultaneously.
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo had brought the decrees of the Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master, and his demands were already excessive. Who would have thought Tần Mục's demands would be even more excessive—telling them to go back to where they came from!
Yến Tú Các sneered: "Seventh Young Master, in the past your abilities were unfathomable, and we respected you for it. But now your abilities are nothing more than this! Perhaps we five elders should send you back to the past, making you the Seventh Young Master instead!"
Tần Mục smiled without saying a word.
Phong Hoa Liên chuckled: "The Seventh Young Master is the host here—Fourth Sister, don't be presumptuous. Seventh Young Master, your request is too excessive. Aren't you afraid we might choose to side with the Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master?"
"Would the five of you?" Tần Mục asked.
"Hahahaha!"
Phong Hoa Liên stood up, his massive frame like a mountain, his white hair like snow on a snowy peak, his voice rumbling like thunder that shook the Heavenly Court: "Of course not! We Five Elders of Phong Thu are also figures of great renown between heaven and earth—beings who have attained the Dao, who have lived through countless eons, who have witnessed the changes and destructions of universes. In the past, when the Di La Palace was present, we were willing to lie low. But now that the Di La Palace is trapped by the calamity of destruction, we naturally have no need to remain timid any longer!"
Though he appeared elderly, his spirit was soaring, his voice carrying throughout the Heavenly Court: "The Di La Palace has suppressed one cosmic epoch after another, preventing countless geniuses from realizing their ambitions! How many heroes have had their soaring spirits turned to smoke and clouds? How many brave men have been forced to bend their knees and submit against their will? Now, the opportunity has come!"
Tần Mục listened quietly with a smile on his face.
In the Heavenly Court, the prehistoric stowaways erupted in thunderous cheers that shook the heavens.
Phong Hoa Liên was in high spirits, declaring loudly: "Under the oppressive might of the Di La Palace, one universe after another has withered and perished, causing fewer and fewer cultivators in the world to attain the Dao. If we let the Di La Palace continue its tyrannical ways, no one will be able to attain the Dao! When the calamity of destruction comes to the Seventeenth Epoch, we will all die! Making us submit to the Di La Palace—absolutely impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!" The thunderous cries of the prehistoric stowaways echoed through the Heavenly Court.
Phong Hoa Liên stepped forward, looking down from above at the Heavenly Emperor Hạo and the Joyful Hall Master, and said coldly: "The two of you, please return. Tell the Third Young Master and the Fourth Young Master that as long as the Five Elders of Phong Thu are here, the Di La Palace can forget about desc—"
Suddenly, a faint, ethereal sound of a zither string rang out.
Tần Mục held the hand of the Moon Heavenly Venerable beside him, signaling her not to move.
The sound of the zither came, and the vast, boundless Heavenly Court trembled slightly—so subtle as to be almost imperceptible. The Moon Heavenly Venerable cultivated the Art of Carrying the Extreme Void, making her extremely sensitive to changes in space, and she immediately detected that tremor.
The Joyful Hall Master also noticed the vibration, but the others didn't have such profound cultivation.
Phong Hoa Liên's final word came out: "...end!"
The moment the word "end" left his lips, the Southern Heavenly Gate suddenly began to tilt slowly. A diagonal crack appeared silently, and the upper half of the Southern Heavenly Gate seemed to rest on an incredibly smooth slide, sliding downward without making a sound.
After Phong Hoa Liên finished his impassioned speech, he also noticed the anomaly at the Southern Heavenly Gate and quickly turned to look, a confused expression on his face.
It wasn't just the Southern Heavenly Gate that was splitting—other palaces too. One hall after another, one divine palace after another in the Heavenly Court were all being cleanly sliced in half by something unknown.
The upper halves of a thousand palaces and ten thousand halls were all silently sliding downward at this very moment!
He looked toward the other heavenly gates—the Western Heavenly Gate, the Northern Heavenly Gate, and the Eastern Heavenly Gate were all being cleanly sliced through as well, sliding down!
Rumble.
Suddenly, the upper part of a heavy artifact beside the altar slid off and crashed to the ground. Then came more rumbling sounds—the heavy artifacts that the prehistoric stowaways had painstakingly forged were all being split in half!
Beside him, a prehistoric stowaway raised his hand to touch his neck, and a line of blood appeared there.
He blinked, his gaze dazed, and then he saw the heads of his fellow cultivators around him—one by one, they were falling from their necks, the cross-sections perfectly smooth. Even their primordial spirits had been severed with perfect neatness.
"My head..." He saw his own vision tilting as his head slowly slid off his neck.
Phong Hoa Liên's body went rigid. He stood on the altar, not daring to move a single muscle, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo blew a breath of air, and a line of blood appeared across Phong Hoa Liên's chest. His upper body flew backward flat and level, dying on the spot!
"Who else?"
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo glanced around and suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice fierce: "Who else dares to defy me? You? You? Or you?"
His finger pointed at Hoàng Đường, at Thương Nham Thúy, at Yến Tú Các, at Lê Thứ. The other four elders were terrified to the bone, not daring to meet his gaze.
The Heavenly Emperor Hạo's finger was about to point at Tần Mục when the Joyful Hall Master coughed. The Heavenly Emperor Hạo immediately withdrew his finger, brimming with pride and confidence, sneering: "Go on, keep talking! Why have you stopped? Calling me a dog—do you even deserve to?"