Chapter 991: Entering the Heavenly Court's Imperial Harem Again
Qin Mu felt deeply ashamed of himself, believing he had fallen from grace, unable to resist temptation.
"If Long Pang were here, he would surely tell me a few fables to wake me up, so I wouldn't be so intoxicated by beauty."
Lang Wan, the Divine King, had no such thoughts. She merely visualized a mirror to examine the willow leaf on her brow, checking whether Qin Mu had affixed it properly. The willow leaf was indeed beautiful, and it made her very happy.
After all, this willow leaf was refined jointly by the elders of the Crippled Elder Village. Although the elders of the village couldn't compare to a Divine King like herself, they were unmatched masters in forging, painting, and other arts. Naturally, the willow leaf was crafted with exceptional aesthetic appeal.
Moreover, the willow leaf had been further refined by Earth Lord and Heaven Duke, making it quite extraordinary. Wearing it on her brow gave her a unique charm.
Qin Mu glanced at the phoenix crown on her head and hesitated. The phoenix crown was extremely ornate—a symbol of her status as Divine King—and the treasures embedded within it were priceless. If she wore this crown, it would surely draw attention.
"However, a woman this beautiful would draw attention no matter where she goes."
He abandoned the idea of having Lang Wan remove the phoenix crown. "It looks nice on her anyway. As long as she doesn't appear to be a Creator, it should be fine. There's a deep enmity between Creators and the Ancient Gods. I need to be careful, since many powerful beings among the Ancient Gods are secretly supporting me. If Lang Wan's identity were exposed, it could bring unnecessary trouble."
Lang Wan, the Divine King, summoned the clan leaders and gave them instructions. Qin Mu sought out Shu Jun, the Divine King, and said, "Divine King, I plan to return to the Heavenly Court. Will you come with me?"
Shu Jun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Returning is fine too."
Qin Mu was somewhat displeased: "Divine King, didn't you say you wanted to find your people? Now that you've found them, why do you still want to return to the Heavenly Court? It's very dangerous there. You should stay here. You can go to the Land of No Worries to study the knowledge of Emperor Kai Huang's reforms, train diligently, and open your Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace as soon as possible."
"You! You come asking if I want to go with you, but then you want me to stay! Two-faced!"
Shu Jun said angrily: "The Land of No Worries has nothing worth learning. It's not as good as your cultivation methods—only some divine powers and techniques. I won't stay here. Don't forget, you still owe me a Creator hidden in the Heavenly Court!"
Qin Mu stammered: "I'm doing this for your own good. After all, when I entered the Great Void, I brought many people with me, but you weren't among them. If you follow me back, people will see your big head and definitely start guessing your origins..."
Shu Jun laughed in fury: "And what about Lang Wan, the Divine King? You're bringing her back—won't people ask about her? Our agreement isn't finished yet. Don't think you can shake me off!"
Qin Mu couldn't find words to respond. Suddenly, he became alert: "Deep down, I want Shu Jun to come along, so I won't be tempted by Lang Wan. That's why I asked if he wanted to come. But part of me doesn't want him to come, which is why I told him to stay. It's over, it's over—I need Long Pang!"
They set out immediately.
After several days, they arrived at the continent where the three rooms were located. Climbing to the mountaintop, they stood before the three houses.
"I wonder if Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable managed to escape from these three rooms," Qin Mu thought to himself.
Lang Wan, the Divine King, opened the middle door and said, "Opening the door this way skips the outer steps. Walk straight in and you'll reach the Void Bridge."
Qin Mu and Shu Jun walked in. As they stepped through the doorway, instead of a room, they found themselves at the end of the Void Bridge!
They were standing right in front of the middle door!
The Void Bridge was fragmented, its light rippling. Qin Mu frowned slightly—crossing this bridge wouldn't be easy. Last time, he'd needed to join forces with Void Heavenly Venerable and Fire Heavenly Venerable, plus the Ark of the Other Shore, to safely reach this place.
If they tried to cross from the Void Bridge outward, even with Lang Wan, the Divine King, joining them, they wouldn't have the strength.
Just then, terrifying fluctuations erupted from the central room. Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable flew out from the paintings on the walls!
These two Heavenly Venerables had actually broken free from the cycle of life and death in the painting world, escaping their imprisonment!
Without a second thought, Qin Mu slammed the door shut before the two Heavenly Venerables could land, then opened it again. The space beyond the door was no longer Void Heavenly Venerable and Fire Heavenly Venerable, but a vast expanse of palaces.
In his haste, Qin Mu couldn't tell where the world beyond the door was. He urgently shouted: "Quick, let's go in!"
Lang Wan, the Divine King, hastily said: "Different opening methods lead to different places. I know a safe location..."
"No time!"
Without waiting for her to finish, Qin Mu grabbed her hand and charged through the door. Shu Jun also rushed inside.
The door slammed open behind them. Void Heavenly Venerable stood with twin horns rising like flames into the sky, twisting in nine curves and eighteen bends, like two rivers of demonic flame from the Netherworld.
She was covered in wounds. Looking around, she saw the Void Bridge's light streams fragmented, with collapsing void currents everywhere—but Qin Mu and the others were nowhere to be seen. She snorted coldly and spun around.
Fire Heavenly Venerable also emerged from the room, facing her directly.
He too was covered in wounds, seriously injured, and would take time to recover.
The two of them stared at each other—five eyes meeting, since Void Heavenly Venerable had an extra eye on her brow, like Earth Lord's third eye. They each averted their gaze.
Their wounds had been inflicted by each other. When they had crossed the Void Bridge earlier, they'd rushed into the central room before Qin Mu, only to fall into the cycle of reincarnation left by the Creator.
The two had fallen into reincarnation. Void Heavenly Venerable was reborn as a Divine King commanding a million divine demons, while Fire Heavenly Venerable was also reborn as a Divine King. The two divine nations harbored deep enmity, each leading armies to attack the other in brutal warfare.
The most terrifying aspect of the reincarnation world was that when one fell into it, the Creator's powerful divine consciousness altered the memories of those who entered. Even Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable, caught off guard, had their memories rewritten by the reincarnation world.
The two Heavenly Venerables' altered memories were filled with hatred for their enemy, so they fought with everything they had, turning the world upside down.
When Emperor Kai Huang first came here, he too had fallen into the reincarnation world and had to force his way through relying on his own Dao heart.
Fire Heavenly Venerable and Void Heavenly Venerable were luckier than Emperor Kai Huang—after all, two Heavenly Venerables descending together meant that when they fought, the power they unleashed exceeded what the reincarnation world could withstand. In their bloodlust, they quickly noticed that the million-strong divine demon armies fighting alongside them had frozen in place!
Not only were the million divine demons frozen, but even the common people in their respective divine nations were frozen in place. Birds and beasts were all immobilized as well.
What was most bizarre was that birds hung frozen in the sky mid-flight, their wings spread as if soaring. Leopards sprinting were suspended in mid-air, not falling. Even the droplets of a frozen waterfall floated in place!
Even stranger, when they stopped fighting, the world began to move again with a crackling sound—but the movement was still somewhat sluggish.
The divine demons who had been fighting alongside them on the battlefield flickered left and right, drifting unpredictably. Some divine demons had their upper and lower bodies separated, yet still charged ferociously at their opponents—utterly horrifying!
They also witnessed an even stranger sight: birds flying through the sky had their wings fly off mid-flight, leaving their bodies behind in place. It was both terrifying and absurd!
Only at this point did they realize the world wasn't real. However, the Creator had altered their memories, and the two still couldn't remember who they were. So they worked together to find a way to break through this world.
After searching fruitlessly, they finally decided to fight a great battle to completely crush this bizarre world.
It was that battle that left both Heavenly Venerables severely wounded—but they finally escaped the reincarnation world.
The moment they leaped out of the cycle of reincarnation, both regained their memories. But before they could rush out of the room, they saw Qin Mu outside the door slam it shut, sending chills down their spines!
Fortunately, when they opened the door again, they could finally step out of that bizarre room. However, Qin Mu and the two people with him were nowhere to be seen.
"Could Heavenly Venerable Mu have already entered the Land of No Worries while we were trapped?"
Void Heavenly Venerable said coldly: "He had a man and a woman with him. But before we entered the room, he only had Luo Wushuang by his side. Where did these two come from?"
Fire Heavenly Venerable shook his head: "That I don't know. Only he can answer that. He must have walked through the door."
Both their gazes fell upon the three rooms at the end of the Void Bridge, and the corners of their eyes twitched. These three rooms truly made their hearts tremble—they had no desire to step inside again.
The Creator's actual power might not exceed theirs, but this method of divine consciousness attack was something they couldn't defend against!
Void Heavenly Venerable frowned: "With our strength, it seems we won't be able to explore the Land of No Worries. Since Fire Heavenly Venerable once encountered Emperor Kai Huang here, the Land of No Worries must be hidden somewhere in this area. Now, the question is how we get back."
Suddenly, Fire Heavenly Venerable's heart stirred. He closed the door and opened it again—beyond it lay another world: a world of darkness, filled with chaotic demonic nature.
A massive demonic eye appeared in the depths of the darkness, enormous in size. It rolled around and swept its gaze toward them!
Fire Heavenly Venerable's eye twitched. He was about to close the door when Void Heavenly Venerable pushed his hand aside and walked through, saying calmly: "Void Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court pays respects to Earth Lord."
Fire Heavenly Venerable hesitated, then gritted his teeth and followed her in. The door closed behind them.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Qin Mu had barely taken a few steps on solid ground when he saw before him lush grass, flying orioles, and rows of green willows. A crystalline lake appeared before his eyes.
Qin Mu's eye twitched. Sensing trouble, he quickly turned around to return to the end of the Void Bridge—but the door had already closed on its own without him noticing.
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. Just then, a pleasant voice rang out, speaking with a smile: "I heard some days ago that Heavenly Venerable Mu was peeping at the imperial consorts bathing in His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor's harem—utterly shameless! I didn't believe it then, but I never expected to actually run into Heavenly Venerable Mu!"
Qin Mu turned around and saw a noble consort approaching, dressed in robes of bright red with white accents, her shoulders bare. Her hair was piled high in a cloud bun, her bosom half-exposed. Her boots were cloud-treading boots with soles about four inches thick, making a clacking sound as she walked.
Qin Mu's heart stirred. This woman was Qiang Tianfei of the palace—also Qiang Heavenly Venerable among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. He had once suspected this consort was either the Empress or Yuan Mu, the Lady.
Behind Qiang Tianfei, ribbons of silk slowly turned and drifted. Her eyes were bright and sharp. Her gaze first landed on Qin Mu, then was drawn to Lang Wan, the Divine King. She stared at her intently, unable to look away.
Lang Wan, the Divine King, felt puzzled by her stare. She took out a mirror to check herself but couldn't see any difference from usual.
"Jue—Jue Wuchen!"
Qiang Tianfei seemed to lose her soul, crying out in shock: "Jue Wuchen, how dare you show yourself again?!"
"Qiang Heavenly Venerable isn't Yuan Mu, the Lady, nor is she the Empress. Yuan Mu, the Lady, is Jue Wuchen, and the Empress knows this too. If Qiang Tianfei were either of them, she wouldn't have said such a thing."
Qin Mu suddenly froze: "Then who is Qiang Tianfei? Could she be..."
A ridiculous thought formed in his mind.