Chapter 926: The Massacre at Langxuan Divine Palace
Qin Mu and the others walked through the Heavenly Street and arrived at another road. This road had long since been emptied as well, with not a single person in sight.
Yun Chuxiu praised, "The Heavenly Venerable is truly imposing. Wherever he goes, not even a blade of grass grows, and children stop crying!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "After all, I am a Heavenly Venerable as well. Naturally, my travels must be conducted with great dignity!"
From within Long Qilin's ear, Little Tuba emerged, seriously surveying the surroundings with an imposing manner. Long Qilin worried something might happen to him, so he hastily lowered his ear and blocked him back inside.
Little Tuba knocked on his ear from within, but Long Qilin endured it and refused to let him out.
Yun Chuxiu noticed this Little Tuba and revealed a surprised expression. Not knowing what she was thinking, this woman suddenly burst into laughter.
They arrived before the Langxuan Divine Palace. Although the Langxuan Divine Palace's grounds were not as vast as the Jade Pool's, it was still considered an extremely grand and expansive architectural complex within the Heavenly Court, with layer upon layer of palaces.
Here, everything was resplendent and magnificent. The palaces were suspended in mid-air, shrouded in misty clouds, with no ropeways connecting them. One had to fly across to reach them.
In fact, most of the Heavenly Court's architecture was like this. Not every place was completely connected to another. For example, the Jade Pool floated in the sky, surrounded by clouds, with only a tributary of the Heavenly River connecting to it. The Jade Terrace where the Jade Pool was located had no direct contact with any other part of the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Market was also suspended between other places. To get from other locations to the Heavenly Market, one had to fly.
The other buildings of the Heavenly Court were also often not connected to one another. This was because when the Heavenly Court was first established in the early years of the Dragon Han era, the original Heavenly Court did not have its current scale. It was composed of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces and Seventy-Two Precious Halls. The Heavenly Palaces, Precious Halls, and the Jade Capital City were each individual entities.
These buildings were pieced together to form the Heavenly Court, which resulted in the situation where the various palaces and halls were often not connected to one another.
Later, many of the palaces from the original Thirty-Six Heavenly Palaces and Seventy-Two Precious Halls were relocated to other parts of the universe to guard their respective territories.
Coupled with the fusion of the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, the Longxiao Heavenly Court, and the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, they were pieced together. Throughout history, the Heavenly Court continued to expand, which is how it reached its current scale.
However, the tradition of the various places within the Heavenly Court being independent of one another was also preserved.
The Langxuan Divine Palace had already received word that Heavenly Venerable Mu was heading their way. The disciples of Langxuan Divine Emperor within the palace did not dare to be negligent and immediately reported the matter. The one in charge of the Langxuan Divine Palace was the Divine Emperor's senior disciple, Chang Xiting. Upon hearing that Heavenly Venerable Mu was visiting, he immediately felt a massive headache coming on.
"Is Heavenly Venerable Mu really coming?" He asked repeatedly.
"Senior Brother, he has already arrived outside the palace!"
Chang Xiting sneered, "What is he doing here? Is he not afraid of death?"
The crowd exchanged glances. One person plucked up the courage and said, "Senior Brother, who would dare to kill him? A few days ago at the Jade Pool, even the Heavenly Venerables made their moves, and he still didn't die! If he were to die in our Langxuan Divine Palace, the disaster would be immense! Other forces would seize this pretext and claim that the Langxuan Divine Palace harmed Heavenly Venerable Mu. We would all be buried with him!"
Chang Xiting's head throbbed with pain. He waved his hand and said, "I naturally understand the consequences. I heard that he currently has no soul, only sustained by his indestructible divine consciousness, and doesn't have long to live. Although we cannot directly kill him, we can make him suffer setbacks and cause him to die faster."
His gaze flickered, and he smiled slightly. "What if the esteemed Heavenly Venerable Mu were to be defeated by the disciples of Heavenly Venerable Lang? And not just defeated once, but ten times, a hundred times! How much would his confidence and conviction suffer? Wouldn't he die faster?"
The crowd's eyes lit up.
Chang Xiting smiled. "We are disciples of a Heavenly Venerable. We have been guided by the Heavenly Venerable since childhood, cultivating the most superior cultivation techniques and the most superior divine powers. As for Heavenly Venerable Mu, he is nothing but a mere country bumpkin from the lower realms who used Heavenly Venerable Ling's divine power to travel back to the Dragon Han era, thereby earning the title of Heavenly Venerable. Defeating him is not difficult. As long as he doesn't die in the Langxuan Divine Palace, it has nothing to do with us."
A young man frowned and said, "Senior Brother, I heard news that Prince Yuhuang and others once went to the Jade Pool to challenge him, also harboring the intention of humiliating him, and ended up being beaten to death by him. Prince Yuhuang's ranking on the Divine Excellence List was quite high. The fact that he could kill Prince Yuhuang and the others shows that his strength is not to be underestimated!"
Chang Xiting laughed. "The Divine Excellence List and the Azure Glory List are just toys to fool children. Look at the disciples of the various Heavenly Venerables—how many of them are on those lists? The Heavenly Venerables are extremely wary of one another and don't want other Heavenly Venerables to figure out their cultivation techniques. The few Heavenly Venerable disciples who are on the lists don't use their masters' true inherited arts. They are merely small tricks used to mislead the other Heavenly Venerables! If you use the teacher's true arts, defeating him will not be difficult. I want to make him so miserable he spits blood, and make him die of depression!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, saying, "With Senior Brother's words, we can rest assured. But what if he doesn't dare to accept the challenge?"
Chang Xiting smiled. "Isn't he the rumored Overlord Body? I heard the Overlord Body is unparalleled. Seize on this point and provoke him with words. As long as he has any trace of hot blood, he will accept the challenge. This person is only in his twenties or thirties and doesn't have that deep of a scheming mind. You all go prepare. I will go see the Master!"
The crowd hurriedly went out to prepare.
In the Divine Emperor's Hall, Chang Xiting stood with his body bowed, reporting the matter. He said, "Master, is this disciple's handling of the matter appropriate? Should Master personally appear to receive him?"
Langxuan Divine Emperor had prominent horns on his head and an ancient, noble countenance. He was the first demigod in the world. Both of his parents were ancient gods who had bestowed upon him eternal life, which was why he had managed to survive to this day.
His cultivation and strength were unfathomably deep, even more ancient than Heavenly Venerable Yu and Heavenly Venerable Hao from back then. There were even rumors that he had participated in the great battle in the Blood Rust Zone, though whether that was true or false was unknown.
Who his parents were among the ancient gods had always been a mystery.
His disciples were also mostly demigods. Among the demigods, Heavenly Venerable Hao, Langxuan Divine Emperor, and Ancestral God King were the three great leaders, possessing immense influence and being among the most powerful and authoritative existences among the demigods.
"You handled it well. Just be careful not to kill him."
Langxuan Divine Emperor frowned, a puzzled expression on his face. "This fellow actually dares to come? This is a move that gives me a headache. The Heavenly Court has already been stirred up into a mess by him. The Ten Heavenly Venerables are suspicious and wary of one another, nearly coming to blows. This fellow is bold. It's one thing for him to go cause trouble at the other Heavenly Kings' and Four Emperors' places, but he actually dares to come here and pull the tiger's whiskers. This is a critical time..."
He paced back and forth, pondering, "I will not go see him. The Heavenly Alliance was founded by him. He is one of the Five Founding Elders, and his status in the Heavenly Alliance is even above that of Heavenly Venerable Ling! As for the current Five Founding Elders, Heavenly Venerable Yue is crippled, Heavenly Venerable Yun and Heavenly Venerable Ling are dead, and Heavenly Venerable Qin is hiding and doesn't dare to come out. Only he remains. He is the one with the most nominal power and the highest status in the Heavenly Alliance. If I go see him, I would still have to bow my head and address him as Senior Brother!"
Chang Xiting was secretly shocked and didn't dare to speak, thinking to himself, "If I handle this matter well, I will have rendered meritorious service in front of the teacher. The teacher will surely heavily reward me."
Langxuan Divine Emperor's gaze was deep and profound. He said slowly, "This brat has taken all the advantages. In the early years of the Dragon Han era, the Heavenly Emperor invited me to a meeting. I attended the Heavenly Court Grand Assembly, while he went to see Heavenly Venerable Yu and attended the Jade Pool Grand Assembly. As a result, the Heavenly Alliance was established, and his status actually ended up above mine... Xiting, I am going to travel the world. After you humiliate him a bit, ask him to leave. Don't let him die here. Also!"
He said in a deep voice, "Give me strict protection for Heavenly Venerable Mu. Under no circumstances can anything happen to him! If he dies in my Langxuan Divine Palace, it will be a huge shit pot stuck on my head that I can never wash off! There are already Heavenly Venerables in the Heavenly Court who look at me with displeasure and wish to get rid of me, but they just haven't had the opportunity. Now their opportunity has come. Someone might even make a move to assassinate Heavenly Venerable Mu!"
Chang Xiting's hair stood on end. He hurriedly rushed out.
Langxuan Divine Emperor drifted away, laughing. "At the Heavenly Court Grand Assembly, my status was even above some ancient gods. Who would have thought that the Heavenly Court Grand Assembly had no bearing on the rankings of later generations, and it was actually the unremarkable Jade Pool Grand Assembly that was the grand event that determined the layout of a million years? Fortunately, I also joined the Heavenly Alliance early on, otherwise I wouldn't even have had the chance to share a bowl of soup..."
Qin Mu was skinny and emaciated, with depleted qi and blood, coughing incessantly. Many disciples of the Langxuan Divine Palace were provoking him, saying things like inviting the Overlord Body Heavenly Venerable Mu to offer his guidance.
Qin Mu remained silent the entire time, not responding, but his qi and blood were fluctuating, clearly indicating that his inner thoughts were not calm.
Qi Jiuyi couldn't stand it anymore and shouted sternly, "All you senior and junior brothers of the Langxuan Divine Palace, what are you doing? Heavenly Venerable Mu has come to pay a visit to Heavenly Venerable Lang, not to engage in bickering and horseplay with you disciples! If you want to fight, come at me!"
A woman laughed and said, "Qi Jiuyi, we have heard of your reputation, but you are merely a disciple of the Four Emperors. Your skills are mediocre at best, so there's no need to make a fool of yourself. We are inviting the Yan Kang Qin Overlord Body, Heavenly Venerable Mu, to offer his guidance. You are not qualified."
Qi Jiuyi flew into a rage. "Does challenging require qualifications?"
The crowd smiled without saying a word.
Yun Jianli said with a gentle smile, "Then am I qualified? I am a descendant of Heavenly Venerable Yun. Can I accept the challenges of you senior and junior brothers on behalf of Heavenly Venerable Mu?"
Chang Xiting walked over from outside, laughing heartily. "Sick Young Master, your grandmother and great-grandmother are far too troublesome to provoke. Why must you personally step into the arena? Rest assured, Sick Young Master. My junior brothers and sisters merely wish to ask Heavenly Venerable Mu to offer some guidance on their cultivation. I heard that Heavenly Venerable Mu implemented reforms in the lower realms and was hailed as one of the Three Heroes of Yan Kang. He is also the peerless and unmatched Yan Kang Overlord Body. Having him offer some guidance to my junior brothers and sisters would be a good way to broaden their horizons."
The crowd bowed in unison. "Senior Brother!"
Qin Mu rose unsteadily to his feet and said, "Since you all wish to witness the strength of the Overlord Body and see the peerless arts of Yan Kang, then I..."
He suddenly coughed violently, his body swaying. He reached out a hand, trying to grab onto something for support.
Yun Chuxiu quickly stepped forward to support him, helping him walk outside. She whispered, "You, don't always try to be so tough. Take better care of your body. I told you we shouldn't come out, but you insisted..." As she spoke, she secretly pinched a small piece of flesh under his armpit and twisted it around.
"Am I being flirted with by Empress Dowager Niangniang?"
Qin Mu's heart stirred. He hastily pushed this young woman away and said breathlessly, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! I can still hold on! I came to see Heavenly Venerable Lang, not to be humiliated. As the Overlord Body, I must absolutely uphold the dignity of the Overlord Body! Come on!"
He straightened his body, took out the Core of Primordial Wood, and leaned on this wooden staff, displaying his pride and unyielding spirit. He said coldly, "The Yan Kang Overlord Body has never lost! And has never retreated!"
Qi Jiuyi sighed, thinking to himself, "This time when we go out, it seems many more people are going to die. First it was the Jade Pool, and now it's Heavenly Venerable Lang's Langxuan Divine Palace. Is Sect Master Qin really dead set on dismantling the Heavenly Court one piece at a time?"
Yun Chuxiu looked at that wooden staff, and her heart skipped a beat. "The Core of Primordial Wood from the Primordial Realm! That little bitch Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign really spared no expense to please this brat! Heh, that little brat Langxuan Divine Emperor just snuck away and isn't here. Heavenly Venerable Mu can't unleash the full power of the Core of Primordial Wood. If I were to lend him a small helping hand, dismantling this place seems quite simple..."
A look of excitement shone in her eyes.
Qin Mu raised the Core of Primordial Wood and said coldly, "Who wants me to offer some guidance?"
He also had his own calculations in mind: "After finding fault with Heavenly Venerable Lang, I'll go make a big scene at the other Heavenly Court bigwigs' places, and then I can go to the Heavenly Court Dao Sect to see the Dao Ancestor..."
Chang Xiting cast a glance at a young man. That young man stepped forward, a faint smile on his face, and bowed. "Shen Wanzhou, disciple of Heavenly Venerable Lang, requests the Heavenly Venerable's guidance!"
Chang Xiting coughed once and reminded him, "Junior Brother Wanzhou, don't hurt Heavenly Venerable Mu. We are the hosts, so we must fulfill the duties of hospitality."
Qin Mu said in a hard tone, "No need! Feel free to hurt me!"
Shen Wanzhou chuckled lightly and said, "Junior can let Heavenly Venerable Mu make the first move, so Junior can witness the strength of the Overlord Body."
Qin Mu flew into a rage. His primordial energy crazily surged into the Core of Primordial Wood, activating its power. He thought to himself, "Should I kill him with one strike? If I kill him, what if the others don't dare to challenge me..."
Just as he thought this, suddenly an incomparably wild and violent surge of magical power poured into the Core of Primordial Wood. This magical power was so terrifying and profound, far surpassing his own cultivation, reaching several thousand or even tens of thousands of times his own cultivation!
Qin Mu was startled. The Core of Primordial Wood in his hand transformed into a towering pillar that swept across with a boom, and Shen Wanzhou was directly ground into powder!
Not only was Shen Wanzhou ground into powder, but all the other disciples of Langxuan Divine Emperor also failed to escape their misfortune, being crushed to pieces by this Core of Primordial Wood!
Chang Xiting saw that something was wrong and raised his hand to block, but an incomparably terrifying force crushed down upon him, pressing him until he spat blood and was sent flying backward.
He watched in horror as that impossibly large pillar in Qin Mu's hand swept through the Langxuan Divine Palace. The space beneath the staff shattered, smashing the palaces one after another into pieces.
The palace halls of the Langxuan Divine Palace were swept up by the terrifying force and fell from the Heavenly Court. One shattered palace after another flew into the vast starry sky.
With this one strike from Qin Mu, nearly half of the Langxuan Divine Palace was destroyed. He was both shocked and furious. He abruptly turned his head to look at Yun Chuxiu, his hair standing on end with rage, and sneered, "You little bitch, I've been tolerating you for a long time!"
Yun Chuxiu was also angered and flew up into the air. "You ungrateful fool! Do you think I haven't been tolerating you?"
Qin Mu burst into loud laughter, his figure soaring into the sky as he struck directly at Yun Chuxiu. "Why fight the Heavenly Venerable's disciples? If we're going to fight, let's fight a Heavenly Venerable!"
Qi Jiuyi and Yun Chuxiu stared wide-eyed. Qi Jiuyi hastily kicked Long Qilin. "Second Brother, what's going on here? Explain!"
— A four-thousand-word chapter! I can't take it anymore, my brain can't handle it. Zhai Zhu needs to go to sleep. If everyone has monthly tickets, could you spare one? ~