Chapter 741: The Turmoil at Jade Pool
He was about to speak of the second matter when the King of Darkness suddenly called out, "Heavenly Lord Hao!"
Another young man heard the King of Darkness's call, turned around, and upon seeing the group, broke into a smile and greeted them, saying, "Heavenly Lord Yu, these friends of yours are truly remarkable in their abilities! Have you already managed to win them over?"
Heavenly Lord Yu laughed heartily and said, "It's not a matter of winning over, but rather that Brother Qin and Brother Mu are both worthy sages, and this gathering at Jade Pool cannot do without them. I intend to submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting two titles of Heavenly Lord to be bestowed, so that we may together be known as the Nine Heavenly Lords. Heavenly Lord Hao, what do you think of this?"
Qin Mu studied this Heavenly Lord Hao. Heavenly Lord Hao was the founder of the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury, and he wore ornate dark robes adorned with patterns of birds, beasts, and fish.
Behind his head was also a halo of light, within which five stars could be seen—presumably the Five Luminaries Stars. Heavenly Lord Huo's halo was elliptical in shape, while his was perfectly circular.
His temperament differed from the other Heavenly Lords Qin Mu had met. Heavenly Lord Ling was devoted to research and paid little attention to his appearance, Heavenly Lord You had the strange temperament of a child, Heavenly Lord Huo was forthright and simple in character, and Heavenly Lord Yu was diplomatic and smooth, making it difficult for anyone who came into contact with him to harbor dislike or become his enemy.
But the feeling Heavenly Lord Hao gave Qin Mu was that of a man of fierce determination—once he set his sights on a goal, he would charge forward with courage and vigor, regardless of consequences, and would achieve his objective by any means necessary.
Compared to Heavenly Lord Yu, he still lacked refinement in interpersonal dealings, but because of his abundant drive and energy, he was not to be underestimated either.
Although Heavenly Lord Yu's character had already reached a state of near-perfection, precisely because of that perfection, he tended to be overly cautious and indecisive, easily missing opportunities.
"However, from the Heavenly Lords I've encountered so far, they are all figures of extraordinary talent, and each one should not be underestimated."
Qin Mu thought to himself: "This era is truly magnificent and grand, which is why it can give birth to so many outstanding geniuses."
Heavenly Lord Hao's gaze fell upon Qin Mu's face. Qin Mu smiled and nodded in greeting, but Heavenly Lord Hao's gaze quickly shifted away. He glanced at Emperor Kai Huang and Old Ox, then said, "The title of Heavenly Lord—you two senior brothers are certainly worthy of it. I also witnessed the battle between you two senior brothers; it was truly a splendid display, and I am deeply impressed. However, whether the Heavenly Emperor will approve Heavenly Lord Yu's memorial is another matter. I still have matters to attend to." With that, he turned and departed.
Heavenly Lord Yu watched him walk away, then smiled and said, "Heavenly Lord Hao is just like this by nature. You need not take it to heart."
The King of Darkness said, "Heavenly Lord Hao is actually a half-god..."
Heavenly Lord Yu glanced at him, and the King of Darkness quickly fell silent.
Emperor Kai Huang asked curiously, "Why is Heavenly Lord Hao a half-god? And how was he able to establish the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury and become a Heavenly Lord?"
Qin Mu said, "Why are you so curious about this?"
Emperor Kai Huang looked at him: "Are you not curious yourself?"
Qin Mu snorted, then turned to wear a look of great curiosity and asked, "Indeed, Heavenly Lord Yu, why is Heavenly Lord Hao a half-god, and how was he able to establish the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury?"
Emperor Kai Huang suppressed the urge to draw his sword and cut him down, and also looked at Heavenly Lord Yu.
Heavenly Lord Yu hesitated for a moment, then explained, "There is actually another reason behind this. Heavenly Lord Hao's establishment of the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury was an experiment by the ancient gods. He is the son of an ancient god and a human."
Both of them were slightly taken aback.
Heavenly Lord Yu led them into the Empress's detached palace, where the crowds were already immense. He pushed through the throng and said, "Heavenly Lord Hao is half-human and half-god, possessing a human body and the bloodline of gods. The reason it was called an experiment was mainly because when I established the Embryonic Divine Treasury back then, it caused changes in the great Dao of heaven and earth, allowing mortals to cultivate. At that time, I had already sensed that there were other divine treasuries. Some ancient gods felt that half-gods could not cultivate, and perhaps in the future, half-gods would be suppressed by us practitioners. They then attempted to find a path to solve the problem of half-gods being unable to cultivate, and thus Heavenly Lord Hao came into being."
Qin Mu and Emperor Kai Huang followed him, their hearts shaken by these words.
The appearance of Heavenly Lord Hao might represent a competition between post-natal beings and half-gods.
Qin Mu asked, "If half-gods transformed into humans, wouldn't they be able to cultivate?"
"You actually know of this, Brother Mu?"
Heavenly Lord Yu was greatly shocked, staring at Qin Mu with a look of suspicion and uncertainty. After a moment, he said, "If half-gods transformed into humans, possessing divine treasuries like humans, they could indeed cultivate. However, half-gods are a superior race and disdain transforming into humans. Moreover, in those days, they had not discovered such a path, nor was there any cultivation method that could allow half-gods to transform into humans. It was not until recently that Heavenly Lord Hao solved this difficult problem. He created a cultivation method that allows half-gods to cultivate into human form. This matter has not yet been announced to the world, yet Brother Mu already knows of it—truly remarkable!"
Qin Mu felt a chill run through him and inwardly cursed himself for exposing another slip.
In the later ages, cultivation methods for alien races to transform into humans were commonplace, which was why he had been puzzled—but he had forgotten that such methods did not yet exist in this era.
Heavenly Lord Yu did not press the matter further, continuing, "The ancient gods see far ahead. Half-gods rely on growth—when they reach adulthood, their strength is almost comparable to ancient gods. However, their lifespans are not long, and they find it difficult to escape the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. At that time, I did not focus my efforts on establishing other divine treasuries, but rather considered how practitioners could also achieve immortality like the gods. My own longevity was not the result of the Dao of longevity, but rather a gift from Lord Tu Bo. I felt that I should seek a path to immortality for all living beings. After several decades passed, Heavenly Lord Hao established the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury, and only then did I awaken. But before I could thoroughly study the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury, Heavenly Lord Ling had already established the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury."
He looked at Heavenly Lord Ling and smiled, saying, "Heavenly Lord Ling and I were simultaneously comprehending the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury, yet she established the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury before I did. Thus, Heavenly Lord Ling's intelligence and wisdom surpass even mine."
Heavenly Lord Ling urged, "Hurry and find us a place to settle down. There are too many people here, and I still need to study divine abilities together with Brother Mu and Brother Qin!"
Heavenly Lord Yu led them through the detached palace to the rear courtyard, walking toward a building, and said, "Later, divine treasury after divine treasury was established. When Heavenly Lord Yun established the Divine Bridge Divine Treasury, I suddenly saw everything clearly and finally found a path that would allow all living beings to live long and see far, equal to the gods."
He exuded powerful confidence and smiled, saying, "You two senior brothers, please stay at Fenghua Tower for now. I still need to entertain others. This time, Heavenly Lord Hao will announce the method for half-gods to cultivate, and I will also announce the method for humans to become gods!"
His gaze was fervent, and he declared with a laugh, "This time, I will enable post-natal beings to stand alongside half-gods, and even alongside ancient gods! This is a magnificent age of prosperity. The arrival of you two senior brothers, and the evolution of Dao techniques and divine abilities, has shown me an even more magnificent age to come! Brother Yin, let us go!"
He rose and departed. Qin Mu and Emperor Kai Huang saw him off. Qin Mu smiled and said, "Heavenly Lord Yu, you still haven't signed your name in my little notebook."
Heavenly Lord Yu laughed heartily, picked up a brush, and wrote a few seal characters in Qin Mu's little notebook. He returned the brush to Qin Mu and said, "I hope you two senior brothers will not be stingy—please also contribute your own divine abilities and Dao techniques to help this age of prosperity arrive sooner!" With that, he departed together with the King of Darkness.
Qin Mu stood at the entrance of Fenghua Tower, looking at the name in his little notebook. Although it was written in ancient characters, he could recognize it.
Lan Yutian.
That should be Heavenly Lord Yu's true name.
He stared blankly as they walked away, then suddenly said, "Qin Kai, what do you think of this Heavenly Lord Yu?"
Emperor Kai Huang's expression was grave, and he said in a deep voice, "If I were born in the same era as him, I would not dare to contend with him for the world. I would serve him as a vassal."
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then said, "You have so little confidence in yourself?"
Emperor Kai Huang said solemnly, "In breadth of mind, in bearing, in talent, in dealing with people, in handling affairs—Heavenly Lord Yu surpasses me in every way. To serve as a minister under his command, I would do so willingly."
Qin Mu pondered for a moment and had to admit that Heavenly Lord Yu's personal charisma was indeed rare throughout the ages.
Among the people he had encountered, many possessed astonishing talents, some possessed great breadth of mind and bearing, and others were skilled in handling affairs and dealing with people. But there was not a single one as perfect as Heavenly Lord Yu.
"Then what about Heavenly Lord Hao?" he continued to ask.
Emperor Kai Huang's expression brightened, and he smiled, saying, "I only met Heavenly Lord Hao once, but I could tell that this man is stubborn and self-opinionated. If I were to encounter Heavenly Lord Hao, I would contend with him as an equal, seize the momentum of the world, gather the hearts of the people—and it would still be uncertain who would emerge victorious."
Qin Mu suddenly smiled and said, "Then what if you encountered me?"
Emperor Kai Huang glared at him and remained silent for a long time.
Qin Mu wore an expectant expression, staring at him without blinking.
Emperor Kai Huang coughed and said, "You... you have too many character flaws. It seems like your entire body is full of openings, leaking wind from every direction..."
Qin Mu's face darkened like charcoal, and his expression turned gloomy.
Emperor Kai Huang laughed and said, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. If we were in the same era, I think we would not be rivals, but friends. Your temperament is indeed strange, always targeting me, but I feel that you bear no true malice toward me. Rather, there is a kind of, a kind of..."
His expression turned odd as he said, "A feeling of being disappointed that I don't do better."
Qin Mu was speechless.
Emperor Kai Huang continued, "Your natural talent and abilities are not inferior to mine, but you have not yet settled down, have not yet internalized them into true wisdom. This is where you fall short of me. Perhaps in the future you will do better than I have, but for now, you have not yet achieved it."
Qin Mu nodded gently, looking at him with a complex expression, and thought silently to himself: "Actually, you have always been the one I learn from. I want to be like you, but I don't want to be completely like you."
"Let us enter the tower."
Emperor Kai Huang said, "Heavenly Lord Ling is waiting for us."
Qin Mu composed himself and walked into the tower together with him.
Heavenly Lord Ling was extremely excited and laughed, saying, "Finally, I can set aside those troublesome matters and focus on research in peace. What I hate most is this kind of socializing. If it weren't for Heavenly Lord Yu's invitation, I wouldn't have bothered to come! Let's begin right away!"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Sister Ling, this time you take the lead. The two of us can only assist you from the sidelines. Where you don't understand, where you can't deduce, we'll solve it. I won't boast about anything else, but in creation divine abilities and miscellaneous studies, the two of us are very strong—at the very least, stronger than everyone in this world!"
Emperor Kai Huang hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind and said, "Mu Qing's tone is a bit arrogant, but it is indeed as he says—across the universe, for a hundred thousand years before and after, or even longer, there are no two people more learned than us. Heavenly Lord Ling, you sort out your thoughts, and we will help you perfect them."
Heavenly Lord Ling was overjoyed.
The three immediately began their work. What Heavenly Lord Ling wanted to establish was a divine ability that would cause matter to remain eternally static. She had already opened the direction and made initial progress, but the knowledge involved was too vast and complex, and creation divine abilities were merely one aspect.
Fortunately, both Qin Mu and Emperor Kai Huang had extremely broad learning, and their mathematical skills were also rare in the world. One by one, Heavenly Lord Ling's difficult problems were solved by them.
This research continued without regard for the passage of days and months. Unknowingly, half a month passed. Old Ox was patient by nature and could stay put. He sat in front of the tower, drinking tea and smoking his water pipe, only occasionally feeling a bit bored. He thought to himself: "This Empress's detached palace is truly shabby. Why are there no rice paddies? After a few days without plowing the fields, my body feels a bit lazy..."
More and more practitioners came to attend the gathering. In the past two days, even near Fenghua Tower, many practitioners sat on the ground, and those who were tired would sleep soundly under the trees.
Old Ox blew a few smoke rings and leisurely watched the practitioners discussing divine abilities and Dao techniques. Meanwhile, many half-gods had arrived at Jade Pool, some still flying in the sky without landing.
Just then, a great commotion arose. Countless people were spreading the news, shouting, "The Seven Heavenly Lords are about to begin their lecture!"
"I heard that Heavenly Lord Yu will speak on the method of becoming a god this time! Hurry to the main hall of the detached palace!"
"Go early to grab a good seat! If you're late, you'll only be able to drink the northwest wind outside the hall!"
All around, there was an uproar as crowds surged toward the front hall. Old Ox hurriedly rose to his feet, thinking: "This grand gathering—I need to notify Emperor Kai Huang and Qin Mu. They've been talking about it for a long time..."
Just as he thought this, another earth-shattering commotion erupted, with countless people screaming at the top of their lungs.
The noise was too loud, and Old Ox couldn't make out what they were shouting.
"These fellows are far too noisy. Ancient people are also a bunch of uncultured sorts."
Old Ox shook his head and continued walking toward the tower, but gradually the shouting became clearer.
Outside, someone was wailing loudly.
"Heavenly Lord Yu is dead!"
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