Chapter 1029: The Grand Emperor, the Western Emperor, the Divine King
"If the ancient gods are destroyed, the Creator clan will have no chance of making a comeback."
Qin Mu's gaze was profound. "There is still a chance to turn things around now. Once the ancient gods are all dead, then no one will have any possibility of resisting the Heavenly Court."
Lang Wan Divine King stood inside the carriage, her divine consciousness rippling. The countless White Tiger Heavenly Palace divine demons charging toward Tianlei City immediately fell from the sky like rain.
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot drove straight in. Wherever it passed, the divine demons of the Western Extreme Heaven plummeted, though those snake demons that fell were not injured—only their formations were thrown into chaos.
At the Southern Heavenly Gate of the White Tiger Heavenly Palace, a giant divine warrior beat the drum three times. Two golden-armored deities came to the gate, covered the mouth of the golden bell hanging at the Southern Heavenly Gate, and shook the large bell. The soldiers before the gate lowered their banners.
The divine demon army of the White Tiger Heavenly Palace immediately halted their advance.
The giant divine warrior before the Southern Heavenly Gate beat the drum five more times, and all the divine demons of the White Tiger Heavenly Palace immediately reorganized their formations.
The giant divine warrior beat the drum once, and all the divine demon soldiers and generals stood at attention, their equipment in perfect order.
When the drumming ceased, what greeted the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot was an endless army of divine demons from the Western Extreme Heaven. These divine demons stood in the air, motionless, not looking sideways. The heavens and earth were filled with a murderous aura.
Seeing this, the six heavenly dragons involuntarily stopped, not daring to continue forward.
The Dragon Qilin scolded them, and only then did these heavenly dragons muster the courage to advance, though their speed slowed considerably.
Qin Mu looked ahead and couldn't help but admire. The White Tiger Heavenly Palace's army moved as if they were extensions of their commander's limbs, which was rare among military forces. Of course, if it were the Yancheng army, with divine consciousness and techniques like the Three Primordial Spirit Convergence Art to command, they would only do better than the Western Extreme Heaven.
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot finally arrived before the Southern Heavenly Gate and stopped. Qin Mu stood on the chariot, waiting quietly. After a moment, a female general approached, bowed, and said, "Heavenly Venerable, His Majesty invites you."
Qin Mu gave a faint, sardonic smile. "I have visited the Northern Extreme Heaven and the Eastern Extreme Heaven. The Northern Emperor Black Tortoise and the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon both came out to welcome me. Yet the Western Emperor sits leisurely in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and expects me to go pay homage to her?"
The female general's expression was stern. "His Majesty is wearing armor and personally leading the campaign. It is inconvenient for her to come and welcome you personally."
Qin Mu let out a scoffing laugh. "Then, farewell. After the Western Emperor has died once, I will come again to offer my condolences and collect her corpse. Fatty Dragon, turn the chariot around. We're leaving." With that, he turned and returned to the chariot, sitting down.
The Dragon Qilin hesitated for a moment, then ordered the six heavenly dragons to turn around. Just then, a woman's voice came, laughing, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, please stay."
The Dragon Qilin reined in the reins and looked toward Qin Mu inside the chariot. Through the pearl curtain, he couldn't tell whether Qin Mu was pleased or angered.
Qin Mu's voice came from inside the chariot, indifferent. "Is that the Western Emperor?"
A woman clad in armor walked out from the White Tiger Heavenly Palace. Behind her emerged the head of a white tiger, crouching low with its claws poised to pounce, ferocious beyond measure. The tiger head alone covered half the palace.
The woman was fully armed, heroic and spirited, and she laughed. "Indeed it is. Would the Heavenly Venerable be willing to step out for a meeting?"
"No."
Qin Mu's voice came from behind the pearl curtain, flat and unimpressed. "I am a Heavenly Venerable, here to pay a visit. For you to have me go to your Lingxiao Hall to pay respects to you is a breach of etiquette. Today, I will not step down from the chariot, lest I disgrace your Western Extreme Heaven. You come up here."
The Western Emperor frowned slightly, glanced left and right, suppressed her anger, and said, "Heavenly Venerable, do not push your luck."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, leisurely. "I have heard that in the Western Extreme lands, there is a fierce tiger, unruly and hard to tame, cunning and suspicious. Yet when it sees prey, it becomes delighted, focuses intently, and neglects its surroundings. Thus, hunters capture tigers by placing a sheep before them. The fierce tiger pounces on the sheep, the hunter kills the tiger, and the tiger meets its end."
The Western Emperor flew into a rage, strode forward, mounted the chariot, pushed aside the pearl curtain, and walked inside. "Heavenly Venerable, what instruction do you have? Speak plainly!"
It was then that she noticed there were others in the chariot. Her gaze fell on Lang Wan Divine King, and she wondered to herself, "Empress?"
Her heart tightened, and her armor clinked as she said coldly, "Heavenly Venerable Mu and the Empress have come together—do you intend to kill me?"
Qin Mu raised his hand. "Western Emperor, please sit."
The Western Emperor snorted and sat down, her gaze still fixed on Lang Wan Divine King. Suddenly, she said, "You are not the Empress. You don't have that scent."
Lang Wan Divine King's expression was indifferent, and she said softly, "Then who does the Western Emperor think I am?"
The Western Emperor continued to stare at her, as if scrutinizing her origins.
"Western Emperor, do you know that your death is imminent?"
Qin Mu smiled. "If you raise your army now and attack Tianlei City opposite you, the moment your forces clash, that will be your death. Heavenly Venerable Hong has been plotting for a long time, waiting for you to enter the trap. Once your Western Extreme divine demon army reaches the city walls, Heavenly Venerable Hong's primordial spirit will take over the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven. In just a few rounds, you will fall on the spot!"
The Western Emperor shifted her gaze from Lang Wan Divine King's face, opened the window, and looked into the distance at the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven behind Tianlei City. "Your meaning is that Heavenly Venerable Hong has already arrived? That is a gross error. I have received intelligence that the Ten Heavenly Venerables are all in the Heavenly Court, mutually restraining each other. Under their mutual threats, none can break free from the Heavenly Court! As for you, bringing this fellow Daoist here with ill intentions, you likely plan to use her to eliminate me!"
She sneered. "I can feel the killing intent on her!"
Qin Mu laughed dismissively. "Why would I eliminate you? You and I have no grievances. You want to borrow my power to secure a retreat for yourself, and I want to borrow your power to resist the Heavenly Court. We benefit from cooperation and lose from division. I came to visit to advise you not to seek your own death. In truth, it wasn't I who saw this as a trap for the ancient gods, but the Northern Emperor Black Tortoise, who recognized it as a scheme to lure you in and asked me to come inform you."
Hearing that the Northern Emperor Black Tortoise had sent him to warn her, the Western Emperor finally set aside her doubts and probed, "Is it really the Northern Emperor Black Tortoise who sent you?"
Qin Mu nodded, smiling. "If the Western Emperor does not believe me, then send someone to the Northern Extreme Heaven to inquire."
The Western Emperor, half-convinced, opened the window and summoned a female divine general, giving her instructions.
The female divine general quickly bowed and hurried off.
Qin Mu said leisurely, "Your subordinate's round trip will take several days. How about this: you withdraw your troops first. When Heavenly Venerable Hong sees that killing you is hopeless, he will know you have seen through his scheme and have no reason to continue hiding. I will call him out, and he will surely appear for a meeting."
The Western Emperor's eyelids twitched. She opened the window again and gave another order.
Outside, the sound of beating gongs to signal retreat rang out. The divine demon army of the Western Extreme Heaven began to withdraw, maintaining perfect order even in retreat.
Qin Mu stood up, walked over to Lang Wan Divine King, opened another window, and looked out, unable to stop admiring.
"Heavenly Venerable Mu, how do you find my troops?" the Western Emperor asked with a smile.
Qin Mu said sincerely, "Truly a strong army, rare in the world. Only slightly inferior to Yancheng, but not weak at all."
The Western Emperor was displeased. "Yancheng, that tiny place, also has a strong army?"
"Your Majesty, Yancheng inherits from the Opening Emperor, surpassing the master in excellence. In terms of individual combat power, naturally it cannot compare to the Western Extreme Heaven, but in terms of battle formations, the Western Extreme Heaven cannot catch up even on horseback."
Qin Mu stepped out of the chariot and said loudly, "Heavenly Venerable Hong, since you are here, why not show yourself for a meeting?"
He used his divine consciousness, and his voice reached Tianlei City, turning into rolling thunder.
The Western Emperor looked through the window at the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven. The Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven remained motionless. The Western Emperor looked at Qin Mu outside the chariot, her pupils contracting.
Lang Wan Divine King coughed lightly, and the Western Emperor's pupils dilated again. She laughed. "This fellow Daoist, you give me a very familiar feeling. Have we met before?"
Lang Wan Divine King said, "Perhaps we have met, and perhaps we haven't."
The Western Emperor's gaze flickered. "You are very strange. You make me feel more and more like you are..."
Suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply. She quickly turned her head, only to see the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven's eyes open, a white curtain of light shooting out, brighter than a thousand or ten thousand suns, like a bridge of light.
This bridge of light was resting on the Southern Heavenly Gate of the White Tiger Heavenly Palace, pressing down on the top of the gate!
The Western Emperor clenched her fists, sneering coldly.
On that bridge of light, an old man in a white robe, with white eyebrows and a white beard, walked toward them, stepping on the light bridge.
His wide sleeves fluttered, as if he might ride the wind and depart, indescribably free and easy. Yet his body seemed extremely heavy. Halfway along the path, the light bridge pressed the Southern Heavenly Gate of the White Tiger Heavenly Palace down with a creaking groan, sinking it. Even the entire White Tiger Heavenly Palace tilted and sank continuously!
By the time the white-robed old man reached the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot, the entire White Tiger Heavenly Palace had been crushed to the ground, and the Southern Heavenly Gate had sunk into the earth!
The Western Emperor stared blankly at this old man drawing closer, her body trembling slightly.
Qin Mu bowed to welcome him, smiling. "Heavenly Venerable Hong, I feel sorry for disturbing your peaceful rest and waking you."
Heavenly Venerable Hong quickly returned the bow, laughing heartily. "Daoist brother, you are the only surviving founding elder of the Heavenly Alliance. With your call, I have no choice but to wake up."
Qin Mu raised his hand. "Friend Hong, please enter the chariot and speak. The Western Emperor is also waiting for you inside."
Heavenly Venerable Hong bowed. "Daoist brother, after you."
Qin Mu walked into the chariot, and Heavenly Venerable Hong followed, stepping inside.
Qin Mu invited him to sit, and Heavenly Venerable Hong bowed again in invitation. Qin Mu returned to the main seat, and only then did Heavenly Venerable Hong sit down. He first cupped his hands to the Western Emperor, then to Lang Wan Divine King, and chuckled. "In this little chariot of Daoist brother's, we have gathered giants from the ancient, the primordial, and the present day—a rare occurrence. The Western Emperor comes from the ancient era, this Divine King also comes from the ancient era, Daoist brother comes from the present, and I come from the primordial era."
Crack!
The armrest of the Western Emperor's seat was crushed to pieces by her hand. She shot to her feet, staring at Lang Wan Divine King opposite her, her voice hoarse. "Ancient Divine King?"
"Sit down!" Qin Mu roared, slamming his hand heavily on the armrest.
The Western Emperor looked at Lang Wan Divine King, then at Heavenly Venerable Hong. Knowing that she was likely doomed today, she let out an angry snort and sat down heavily.
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot shook violently. The six heavenly dragons outside let out mournful cries. Qin Mu winced inwardly. "One of the seats in my chariot has been crushed by her, one axle is broken, and the wheels are probably flattened too. This woman's backside is hard as iron!"
He pulled himself together, his gaze falling on Heavenly Venerable Hong, and he smiled. "Grand Emperor, your eyes are sharp as torches. You actually recognize this Divine King?"
Hearing this, the Western Emperor's tiger fur stood on end, piercing her armor until it was full of holes.
Even her hair stood up, bristling straight in all directions!