Chapter 915: Meeting at the Moonlit Jade Terrace
"The one from a million years ago has returned."
The Heavenly Court was resplendent and magnificent, with countless deities and immortals dwelling in this incomparably luxurious world. Originally, the Heavenly Court had been peaceful and harmonious—at least on the surface. Even when the Heavenly Court's armies descended to the mortal realm to eliminate Mother Earth Primordial Sovereign and level the Primordial Realm, it had stirred no ripples within the Heavenly Court.
Yet now, the previously calm Heavenly Court seemed like a tranquil lake into which a pebble had been cast, sending ripples spreading outward.
Various rumors circulated in all directions, spreading not only into the palace chambers but also reaching the ears of the Heavenly Venerables, becoming a topic that swept through the Heavenly Court.
That person had returned.
A million years ago, in the early years of the Dragon Han Era, that person had been appointed Heavenly Venerable by the Heavenly Emperor, becoming one of the Nine Heavenly Venerables, captivating an entire era with his unparalleled Dao arts and divine powers.
He had spread the teachings on behalf of Imperial Heavenly Venerable, establishing the Heavenly Palace cultivation system for the world, and had gravely wounded Heavenly Venerable Hao, leaving him bedridden for many years without recovering.
Now the Heavenly Emperor paid no heed to worldly affairs, and Heavenly Venerable Hao had become the supreme sovereign wielding the authority of the Heavenly Court, exalted above all.
Yet the one who had gravely wounded him had vanished without a trace, disappearing from the world for a million years.
Other news arrived as well—when Heavenly Venerable Hao had manipulated the most powerful weapon to descend to the mortal realm to suppress rebellion, that person had used Mother Earth's hands to gravely wound Heavenly Venerable Hao's primordial spirit.
There were also rumors that this person was the Divine Son of the Netherworld, and upon encountering the interception of the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court, had suffered severe injuries.
Still other rumors claimed that this person had gouged out his own soul, becoming a soulless man, and now lacked even the strength to truss a chicken.
Yet more news arrived—that this person had slain many young powerhouses of the Heavenly Court in the Primordial Realm, with countless disciples of the ancient gods and the Four Emperors dying at his hands.
And deities and demons who had returned to the Heavenly Court from the mortal realm said that this person's aura was faint and weak, that his days were numbered.
Countless people discussed the arrival of that person, talking about him endlessly. A strange atmosphere pervaded the Heavenly Court—beneath the calm surface, undercurrents surged.
"Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's ship arrived at the Heavenly Court today—could it be related to that person?"
"I heard that the Eastern Emperor has left the Eastern Pole, and the Western Emperor has also left the Western Pole."
"The waters of the Heavenly River have shifted abnormally—recently the tide has risen. Some suspect that Northern Emperor Black Tortoise has already secretly arrived at the Heavenly Court!"
"I also heard that the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Emperor, saying they would return to the Heavenly Court soon. Rumor has it that the Black Emperor arrived long ago!"
"I heard that many ancient gods from the Great Wilderness have come to the Heavenly Court to report their duties—Great Sun Star Lord and others have also arrived! I also heard that the Dao Ancestor, who had vanished for many years, has returned to the Heavenly Court's Dao Gate. The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, who had slept for who knows how many years, has awakened and come to the Heavenly Court, going to see the Dao Ancestor at the very first opportunity!"
"The situation in the Heavenly Court is somewhat strange."
"I heard that person has arrived at the Jade Pool, saying he wishes to pay respects to Empress Consort! What audacity! A million years ago, it was at the Jade Pool that he gravely wounded Heavenly Venerable Hao!"
"Empress Consort has permitted him to stay at the Winding Corridor Pavilion—the very place where Imperial Heavenly Venerable was assassinated!"
"I personally ran to the Jade Pool and saw that person. His aura was withered and failing, thin as a bundle of sticks, his complexion very poor, his primordial energy leaking away at every moment. I suspect he has come to mourn old friends and seize the opportunity to seek death—waiting to see who can't resist killing him, then bearing the infamy of ten thousand ages!"
"Who would dare kill him? Aren't they afraid of being attacked by political enemies?"
"There are plenty who want to kill him, and plenty of ways to do it. After the deed, just find a few scapegoats."
"The Heavenly Court of today is no longer the Heavenly Court he once knew."
...
Jade Pool Sacred Realm, Winding Corridor Pavilion.
Qin Mu came to the window of the Winding Corridor Pavilion, gazing at the enormous lotus flowers in the jade sea, and the divine turtles carrying divine mountains on their backs as they swam through the jade waters—just as before.
His body was somewhat gaunt, and his complexion was indeed not very good. Returning to this familiar place stirred countless emotions within him.
Although the Heavenly Court of today had not changed in its main structure from the Heavenly Court of the early Dragon Han Era, it was vastly different.
In those days, the Heavenly Court had been surrounded by the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces and Seventy-Two Precious Halls. Now, most of those palaces and halls had relocated far away, distributed across the universe to suppress heaven and earth, with only a few of the heavenly palaces remaining.
Even so, the scale of the Heavenly Court was far grander than before—thousands of towers and ten thousand halls, incomparably luxurious.
The Jade Pool had also been rebuilt. The Jade Pool of those days had already been extremely vast, but after a million years, this Jade Pool more closely resembled a jade sea, its sacred scenery breathtakingly beautiful.
It was here that he had attended the Jade Pool Grand Assembly and experienced a great upheaval—an upheaval that had affected the course of a million years of history.
Back then, he and Emperor Kai had both taken a shortcut, using knowledge and insight a million years ahead of the early Dragon Han Era to dazzle an entire age. Had he and Emperor Kai been born in that era, perhaps they would have been merely two unremarkable figures in that magnificent time.
This was also the reason many of the younger generation in the Heavenly Court looked down on him—these young people believed that had they been the ones to travel back to the early Dragon Han Era, they would have done only better, never worse.
Yan'er came to his side, holding a plate of fruits, and said: "Young Master, the palace maids picked some fruits. I just had Fatty Long and Young Master Qi taste them first. Fatty Long and Young Master Qi haven't died yet, so they should be free of poison."
Qi Jiuyi and Dragon Qilin, following behind her, heard this and their faces darkened, their hearts aching with a dull throb.
The Phoenix Ship had delivered them to the Southern Heaven Gate and immediately returned to the Primordial Realm. Only Qi Jiuyi had stayed behind out of concern for Dragon Qilin's safety.
After Qin Mu arrived at the Heavenly Court, news of his arrival spread throughout it. He had requested an audience with Empress Consort, but she had not appeared in person. Instead, she had ordered people to invite him to stay at the Jade Pool, in this Winding Corridor Pavilion where Imperial Heavenly Venerable had been assassinated.
The palace maids here all served Empress Consort, each one a deity, beautifully adorned and stunningly attractive.
But Yan'er worried that someone might try to poison Qin Mu, so she had every kind of food tasted first by Qi Jiuyi and Dragon Qilin. Only when they were unharmed did she dare give it to Qin Mu.
"Sister Yan'er need not be so cautious. I am also skilled in medicine—using poison in food to deal with me should not be so easy."
Qin Mu smiled and said: "Besides, the Heavenly Court has no need to resort to poisoning to eliminate me. They have all sorts of methods at their disposal."
Qi Jiuyi's eyes flickered as he surveyed their surroundings, saying: "So Lord Qin knows. This is the place where Imperial Heavenly Venerable, the foremost of the Nine Heavenly Venerables, was murdered?"
Qin Mu nodded gently: "This is also the place of origin for the successive calamities from the Dragon Han Era to the Yan Kang Era."
Qi Jiuyi said: "I heard that the Heavenly Alliance originated here—Heavenly Venerable Ling, Heavenly Venerable Yun, and Heavenly Venerable Yue founded the Heavenly Alliance here, and together with Shepherd Heavenly Venerable and Lord Qin, they became the Five Founding Elders of the Heavenly Alliance."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow and said: "I had already left by then."
Qi Jiuyi glanced at him and said: "I heard that later, when the Heavenly Alliance succeeded, its leaders would often come here to discuss matters. This place counts as one of the Heavenly Alliance's headquarters."
Qin Mu became interested and asked: "Who are the leaders of the Heavenly Alliance?"
"The current Heavenly Alliance has Ten Leaders, all of whom were granted the title of Heavenly Venerable by His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor. However, some ancient gods do not recognize these Ten Heavenly Venerables, recognizing only the original Nine."
Qi Jiuyi said: "The first is Heavenly Venerable Hao, the second is Heavenly Venerable Fire, the third is Heavenly Venerable Xiao, the fourth is Ancestral God King, known as Ancestral Heavenly Venerable. The fifth is Langxuan Divine Emperor, Heavenly Venerable Lang. The sixth is Qiang Heavenly Consort, enfeoffed as Heavenly Venerable Qiang. The seventh is Yan Heavenly Consort, enfeoffed as Heavenly Venerable Yan. The eighth is Heavenly Venerable Hong, the ninth is Heavenly Venerable Void, and the tenth is Heavenly Venerable Palace."
Qin Mu frowned. Of these ten new Heavenly Venerables, he only recognized Hao and Fire, as well as Ancestral God King—though he had only crossed blows with Ancestral God King's Imperial Heavenly Venerable weapon, never meeting the man himself.
As for Heavenly Venerable Xiao, he had never even seen him.
"What about Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Nether? Why are they not among the Ten Heavenly Venerables?" Qin Mu asked.
Qi Jiuyi shook his head: "I heard that Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable Nether had long since gone into seclusion, their reputations fading. When His Majesty re-established the ranking of Heavenly Venerables, they were not included. The new Ten Heavenly Venerables all hold tremendous power in the Heavenly Court. However, the new ranking of Heavenly Venerables does not truly command universal acceptance."
He glanced around, lowered his voice, and said: "Some say that of the original Nine Heavenly Venerables, aside from Heavenly Venerable Qin, all had tremendous merits—establishing the Divine Treasury cultivation system and the Heavenly Palace cultivation system, achievements so great they blessed ten thousand generations. Even Heavenly Venerable Qin, through his battle at the Jade Pool back then, influenced countless people in later generations with his divine powers, barely counting as having great merit. But the current Heavenly Venerables rely solely on personal strength and military achievements. As for great merit that influences later generations—they have none. Therefore, many in the Heavenly Court do not accept them. Few speak of the Ten Heavenly Venerables; most still say the Nine Heavenly Venerables."
Qin Mu smiled and said: "Then does Brother Qi also believe I have great merit and am worthy of the name Shepherd Heavenly Venerable?"
Qi Jiuyi was first furious, then suddenly burst out laughing, saying: "Although I find you quite irritating, ever since I learned that you are the Shepherd Heavenly Venerable who transmitted the method of becoming a god, I have felt deep respect for you. It's just that every time I see you, I still can't help but feel disgust."
Qin Mu laughed heartily and was about to ask him about the origins of Heavenly Venerable Xiao, Ancestral Heavenly Venerable, and others, when suddenly a palace maid ascended the Winding Corridor Pavilion, presenting a visiting card, and said: "Heavenly Venerable, a guest has come to call."
Qin Mu had no choice but to set aside his questions. He took the visiting card and smiled: "I knew someone would come seeking me on their own initiative, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. Please, show them in."
The palace maid withdrew.
Qin Mu opened the visiting card and saw that the person presenting it was named Yun Jianli. Qin Mu handed the card to Qi Jiuyi and asked: "This Yun Jianli—who is he?"
Qi Jiuyi's expression shifted slightly, turning somewhat unpleasant. He said: "Yun Jianli is a member of the Yun family."
Qin Mu asked in confusion: "The Yun family? Which Yun family?"
"The descendants of Heavenly Venerable Yun."
Qi Jiuyi said: "It is said that after Heavenly Venerable Yun died, the Yun family survived, but their numbers are few—each generation has only a single heir, barely maintaining the bloodline without interruption. However, every generation of the Yun family produces exceptionally brilliant geniuses, outstanding in every way. But the strange thing is that every generation of the Yun family, upon reaching the Divine Bridge realm, often dies suddenly before they can even step onto the Heavenly Palace. Therefore, the Yun family usually has only one male heir, with the rest being widows. Yun Jianli is the son of this generation of the Yun family, a rising star of the Heavenly Court, known as the Sick Young Master. As for his talent..."
His eye twitched, and he said: "Before I was ordered to descend to the mortal realm to eliminate you, I came here and crossed blows with the young experts of the Heavenly Court. He is very formidable."
Qin Mu smiled slightly and said: "Back then, you studied under both the Crimson Emperor and the Black Emperor, cultivating the supreme arts of two Imperial Thrones simultaneously. When I first fought you, your astonishing strength earned the admiration of both myself and Zhe Huali. But you entered the Dao through the Crimson Emperor's techniques, so your reaction speed with divine powers was not quite as fast as mine or Zhe Huali's. How do you compare to this Sick Young Master, Yun Jianli?"
"I lost quite decisively."
Qi Jiuyi did not deny it, saying: "To this day, I have never been convinced by you, believing I might still defeat you. But I am completely convinced by him, acknowledging that I am far inferior. However, having undergone the baptism of the Yan Kang reforms, if we were to fight again today, the outcome would be uncertain."
Qin Mu was deeply moved.
Qi Jiuyi had already been extremely formidable, and having remained in the mortal realm all this time, helping Xu Shenghua establish the Supreme Firmament Academy, his vision and insight had long since surpassed what they once were.
Xu Shenghua was also a master of the Yan Kang reforms, with peerless talent. Qi Jiuyi's current strength was definitely far greater than before. Yet Qi Jiuyi only dared to say that if they fought again today, the outcome would be uncertain—one could imagine how badly Qi Jiuyi had lost back then!
Just then, the palace maid led a man and a woman up to the Winding Corridor Pavilion. The young man at the front was tall and lean, dressed in elegant cloud-white robes. His complexion was somewhat pale, but he was handsome.
Though he was refined and graceful, there was a wisp of black qi at the center of his brow that would not disperse, as if he were mortally ill.
The Sick Young Master, Yun Jianli, bowed deeply to Qin Mu and said with utmost respect: "A son of the Yun family, paying respects to Shepherd Heavenly Venerable."
Qin Mu was about to help him rise when he saw the woman behind Yun Jianli also bow gracefully, saying: "Yun Chuxiu, paying respects to Shepherd Heavenly Venerable."
When Qin Mu saw the face of the woman named Yun Chuxiu, his heart shook violently.
Yan'er, following behind him, immediately saw dense goosebumps rise on the back of Qin Mu's neck—clearly, Qin Mu was sensing danger, extremely tense!
"Why is the Young Master so nervous about this girl named Yun Chuxiu?"
Yan'er looked at the girl and felt somewhat entranced herself, thinking in admiration: "Clouds yearn for her garments, flowers yearn for her countenance. Such a beautiful girl is rarely seen in this world—she rivals even the Young Master's grandmother, Si Youyou."
The woman's features were clear and ethereal, like the most beautiful goddess in the world stepping out of legend, out of a painting. Every smile, every frown, every movement was perfectly natural, without a single flaw to be found.
Yet Qin Mu felt an incomparable coldness, a bone-piercing chill.
He had seen this woman before.
The cold air in Qin Mu's heart surged upward ceaselessly: "Shouldn't she be buried together with Empress Consort, both in the coffins aboard the ghost ship? Jue Wuchen, how did you get out..."