Chapter 1075: The Mystery of the Nine Heavens
On the Heavenly Terrace, the rows of palaces remained as before, with faint, ethereal clouds drifting about, seemingly imbued with immortal qi.
Mu Chen walked at the forefront of the crowd. In the past, the Stone Emperor and Yu Emperor had a total of nine personal disciples. Now, they had recruited another one hundred and sixty-two as the first batch of Martial Emperor's Disciples, totaling three hundred and sixty Martial Emperor's Disciples. From now on, these people would be his junior brothers, and he would set the example.
"Everyone, there are no forbidden areas on the Heavenly Terrace. You may go anywhere you wish. However, some palaces contain dangers. You should be cautious and not risk your lives."
Looking at the numerous palaces standing in rows, Mu Chen spoke slowly: "The master is an Emperor and generally will not appear. Although you are now disciples, whether you can gain an audience with the master depends on your own fortune. In short, even if you have entered the Heavenly Terrace, do not think it is a one-time solution. The path of martial arts ultimately relies on yourself. Others can only offer a little guidance. Moreover, the master and the Heavenly Terrace will not interfere in any of your affairs, whether concerning your family or yourselves, not even matters of life and death. For example, even if we were to go to war with the Martial Emperor's Disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Fortress outside, the Emperor would not appear, unless the Heavenly Dragon Emperor himself intervenes."
The crowd listened quietly. In the Eight Wastelands Realm, Martial Emperors were figures dwelling in the clouds, possessing transcendent status. They did not interfere in worldly affairs. Some Martial Emperors had millions of disciples and lacked the energy to intervene, unless you truly caught the Emperor's attention. Therefore, the next goal for these Martial Emperor's Disciples was to become personal disciples, truly entering the Emperor's line of sight. That was the aim for many of them!
The Heavenly Terrace was vast and boundless. As Mu Chen had said, they could go anywhere. Presumably, the endless palaces contained many cultivation resources, provided they could enter them and withstand the dangers within.
The group walked along the boundless main road. Mu Chen pointed to the palaces and courtyards on both sides and said, "On both sides of this road, there are a total of eighteen thousand palaces and courtyards. You three hundred and sixty disciples may each choose one to reside in. Of course, the palaces closer to the front have richer primal qi. When you choose your courtyards, there may inevitably be some conflicts. But I warn you: no matter what conflicts arise among you disciples, not a single drop of blood may be shed on this Heavenly Terrace. Otherwise, you will be deemed a traitor and executed!"
"Yes, Senior Brother!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Although Mu Chen's tone was relaxed, he carried an aura of authority without anger. Hou Qinglin had single-handedly stepped into the Heavenly Dragon Divine Fortress to kill their Venerables, how dashing and carefree! And Mu Chen had subsequently gone to bring Hou Qinglin back, treating the many experts of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Fortress as if they were nothing. What a bearing that was, making them feel their hearts sway.
Moreover, even Hou Qinglin himself showed great respect to Mu Chen. Therefore, everyone took every plain word from Mu Chen to heart.
"This old guy is up to no good!" Yuan Fei said bluntly, muttering beside Lin Feng. Lin Feng rolled his eyes. Only this guy was so uninhibited, daring to say anything. Mu Chen had deliberately revealed that the palaces had different levels of primal qi abundance, then said no blood could be shed. The implication was profound—encouraging competition, but not to the point of excess, knowing when to stop.
Everyone understood that a force without internal competition would ultimately have limited growth. Even the Heavenly Lake of the past had been divided into seven main peaks, to foster a spirit of rivalry among them.
Mu Chen paid no attention to Yuan Fei and continued leading the crowd forward. This open, boundless road seemed to have no end, with many forks branching off. No one knew how many palaces lay within.
But Mu Chen only led them straight ahead, once again arriving at the place where Lin Feng and the others had seen the eighty-one palaces before. This was where their residences would be.
These palaces floated in the void, arranged in different tiers, exuding an ethereal feeling.
"From now on, one of these palaces will be mine!" The crowd's hearts trembled. They were looking forward to what surprises awaited them inside.
"Third Junior Brother!" At this moment, Mu Chen called out. The crowd then saw the ascetic monk step forward. His body trembled, and he stepped into the void.
He waved his hand, and light flashed. Then, the crowd once again saw the Heavenly Stairway—eighty-one steps, one step per stair, nine steps per heaven. Each stair was one zhang high.
"This is... the final Nine Heavens!" The crowd's expressions tightened. The eighty-one steps did indeed seem to be the final Nine Heavens.
"You are not mistaken. This is indeed the Nine Heavens. But now, look carefully!"
Mu Chen said with a faint smile. Each of the Nine Heavens had nine steps. Now, light flickered, and the nine and nine merged. The eighty-one steps gradually transformed into the true Nine Heavens, with only nine great stairways, each nine zhang high.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on the Nine Heavens in the void, their expressions filled with immense shock.
As the light flickered, behind the nine-zhang-high Nine Heavens, great paths began to emerge. Each heaven was like this, revealing a hidden realm. Behind the Nine Heavens, there was another mystery.
Behind the First Heaven, there was its own world; behind the Second Heaven, its own world as well. Every heaven was like this!
Moreover, the eighty-one palaces where they would reside were situated on the Second Heaven.
"Only by stepping onto the Second Heaven can one become a Martial Emperor's Disciple and possess a palace!" A thought suddenly struck the crowd. So that was it. The Nine Heavens there were the same as the Nine Heavens here. It was just that the Nine Heavens concealed deeper mysteries.
"You once stepped onto different levels of the Nine Heavens and obtained different keys to the Nine Heavens. With the keys in your hands, you can easily reach the heaven you have stepped onto. Enter that heaven to cultivate in its blessed land and enjoy all the resources within. Different heavens have different resources."
Looking at the crowd's shocked expressions, Mu Chen spoke calmly. The crowd's hearts pounded. Behind each heaven lay a cultivation holy land with different resources.
"Senior Brother, if I only stepped onto the Second Heaven, will I ever have a chance to step onto the Third Heaven to cultivate?" At this moment, someone in the crowd asked.
"Yes, and at any time. As long as you can steadily step onto the Third Heaven, you can cultivate there. You can even move your palace up to the Third Heaven. The palace you possess is a living palace. For example, Lin Feng once stepped onto the Ninth Heaven, so he can enjoy the cultivation resources of any of the Nine Heavens. He can also move his palace up to the Ninth Heaven!"
Mu Chen explained. The crowd's eyes flickered. They had to step onto higher levels of the Nine Heavens to enjoy better cultivation resources!
That guy Lin Feng had gained the upper hand again, able to go straight to the Ninth Heaven to cultivate.
"Old man, can I go up and play around?" Yuan Fei grinned.
Mu Chen looked at Yuan Fei and shook his head with a smile. "You crazy ape. Your grandfather gave you the Battle Holy Land to cultivate, and you had to run out. Although this place is not bad, how can it compare to the cultivation holy land your grandfather specially prepared for you? If you can go up, feel free!"
"Damn Battle Holy Land! You have to shed a layer of skin just to come out alive!" Yuan Fei seemed to recall something very frustrating and scratched his head irritably, looking very displeased.
"You don't know how lucky you are. How many people dream of the Battle Holy Land, and you call it damn? I wonder what expression the Great Ape Emperor would have if he heard that!" Mu Chen said helplessly.
"Forget it. Old man, I see that there is still a hidden realm above the Nine Heavens. Is that where you live?" Yuan Fei's eyes seemed to turn golden as he gazed into the void, trying to see through everything.
"Your eyes are quite sharp!" Mu Chen said with a faint smile. Then he flicked his sleeve, and a holy, immortal light poured down, making everyone feel as if immortal radiance was above. Above the Nine Heavens, there was indeed another hidden realm.
"The Tenth Heaven, the Heaven Beyond Heavens—that is where we personal disciples cultivate. The master also resides in the palaces of the Heaven Beyond Heavens. If you can step up there, you will be promoted to personal disciples!"
Mu Chen said something that made the crowd extremely excited. As long as they stepped onto the Tenth Heaven, the Heaven Beyond Heavens, they could become personal disciples!
The Martial Emperor also lived in the palaces of the Heaven Beyond Heavens!