Chapter 1041: The Disappearance of Cloud Heavenly Venerable
Moon Heavenly Venerable was somewhat unconvinced: “I think it must mean that! You’re not the real Mu Heavenly Venerable, so how do you know I’m overthinking it?”
Qin Mu shook his head and didn’t explain further.
The name Mu Qing was taken from Qin Mu and Qin Fengqing. Back then, he still thought he was Qin Fengqing, but he no longer believed that now.
Moon Heavenly Venerable looked at him, her eyes flickering. She thought to herself: “He shouldn’t be Cloud Heavenly Venerable, he really shouldn’t be…”
They returned to Xiao Han Heavenly Court, and Moon Heavenly Venerable immediately instructed the human gods to go to the territory of Langxuan Divine Emperor to relocate the humans there. Moon Heavenly Venerable sought out Ling Heavenly Venerable, only to find her by the Heavenly River, still engrossed in studying the so-called Unchanging Divine Ability.
“Sister Ling, Mu Heavenly Venerable has reached an agreement with Langxuan Divine Emperor. We can relocate the humans from Langxuan Divine Emperor’s territory. I need your help… Have you found your hairpin?” Moon Heavenly Venerable looked at the hairpin on Ling Heavenly Venerable’s head in surprise.
Ling Heavenly Venerable snapped out of her trance, raised her hand to touch her head, and indeed felt her hairpin. She said in confusion, “I clearly lost it, so how did it reappear?”
She took off the hairpin, examined it over and over again, and grew even more puzzled. This peachwood hairpin had clearly vanished, impossible to find, yet now it had inexplicably appeared, leaving her somewhat bewildered.
She put the peachwood hairpin in her mouth, bit down on it, freed her hands to coil up her hair, and then inserted the hairpin back in. She said, “Yue, what did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly.”
Moon Heavenly Venerable had to repeat herself. Ling Heavenly Venerable was a bit reluctant, but since it was important business, she had no choice but to set aside her research and go with her.
The two girls walked past Qin Mu. Ling Heavenly Venerable asked, “Strange, when did my hairpin appear?”
“How would I know?”
Moon Heavenly Venerable laughed, “You don’t even know yourself, so naturally I’m even less clear. Did someone steal it and secretly return it to you?”
Qin Mu watched them walk away, also feeling puzzled. Two identical substances cannot exist in the same time and space. Ling Heavenly Venerable’s peachwood hairpin should indeed have disappeared, so why had it reappeared?
Thinking this, he took out the peachwood hairpin hidden in the Qin Continent within his brow. From afar, Ling Heavenly Venerable let out a startled cry, her hair falling loose, and she said angrily, “My hairpin has been stolen again!”
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put the peachwood hairpin back into the Qin Continent. Suddenly, another hairpin appeared on Ling Heavenly Venerable’s disheveled hair. Moon Heavenly Venerable’s voice came: “Isn’t it still stuck in your hair?”
Ling Heavenly Venerable touched the hairpin, put it in her mouth again, freed her hands to coil her hair, and said with a lisp, “It suddenly disappeared just now. I feel that the substance of this hairpin is extremely unstable. Something’s strange…”
Qin Mu, watching from afar, took out the hairpin again. The hairpin Ling Heavenly Venerable was biting suddenly vanished into thin air.
Ling Heavenly Venerable was furious: “Damn it! Who did that? Get out here and die!”
Moon Heavenly Venerable also saw the hairpin she was biting suddenly disappear and was startled, quickly looking around.
Qin Mu hastily put the hairpin back into the Qin Continent. Ling Heavenly Venerable found the hairpin still in her mouth and was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and murmured, “Substance is unchanging, substance is unchanging. Could it be that another identical substance appeared and replaced my hairpin… I can calculate the principle behind this!”
She crouched down, using the hairpin as a pen, and began writing and drawing on the ground.
Moon Heavenly Venerable was also startled and looked around. Qin Mu quickly hid behind Dragon Qilin.
Moon Heavenly Venerable didn’t find the person who stole and returned the hairpin, and Ling Heavenly Venerable had fallen into a frenzy, ignoring her completely. She had no choice but to go find someone else.
Qin Mu’s expression was strange. He thought to himself: “If two identical substances exist in the same world, substitution occurs. That means if I return to an era where I exist, the other me would disappear. After I leave that world, the other me would reappear.”
He stared blankly into space. The vertical eye on his brow was like an independent time and space, containing the Qin Continent, the Primal Origin Stone, and the Heavenly Emperor’s eggshell, forming another world.
When he put the hairpin inside, it was isolated from the world of the Dragon Han era, and Ling Heavenly Venerable’s hairpin would appear. As soon as Qin Mu took out the hairpin, Ling Heavenly Venerable’s hairpin would vanish.
“My vertical eye also contains the corpses of Cloud Heavenly Venerable and Yuanmu. If I take out Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s physical body, would the Cloud Heavenly Venerable of this era disappear?”
Qin Mu blinked and thought to himself: “Taking it out for just a moment shouldn’t matter, right? How about giving it a try?”
With this thought, he grew excited and quickly rushed to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall of Xiao Han Heavenly Court. He told Yan’er and Dragon Qilin to guard the hall doors and not let anyone in.
Qin Mu took out Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s corpse. The moment this ancient heavenly venerable’s physical body appeared in the Lingxiao Hall, in the Heavenly Court, Cloud Heavenly Venerable was talking with Fire Heavenly Venerable when suddenly his body became transparent. Under Fire Heavenly Venerable’s horrified gaze, he vanished into thin air!
Inside the Lingxiao Hall, Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s corpse slowly opened its eyes, looking around in confusion, and murmured, “This place is… Mu Heavenly Venerable?”
He saw Qin Mu, and his heart was filled with shock.
Qin Mu excitedly walked around him, his emotions stirring: “It seems this really happens. The other Cloud disappeared, and his consciousness came to this Cloud’s body. If this Cloud disappears, then the other Cloud would appear. This is the unchanging nature of substance… Cloud Heavenly Venerable, we finally meet.”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable stood up and was about to speak when suddenly Qin Mu’s vertical eye flashed with light, and with a swoosh, it sucked him away.
In the Heavenly Court, Fire Heavenly Venerable watched in horror as Cloud Heavenly Venerable suddenly reappeared, looking as if he had seen a ghost. He pointed at Cloud Heavenly Venerable, unable to speak.
Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s eyes widened, showing an expression of disbelief. He murmured, “I just now seemed to enter another time and space. I seemed to have grown much older, and I met an old acquaintance. It was like a dream…”
Fire Heavenly Venerable suppressed the shock in his heart and said, “Brother Cloud, you did disappear for a while just now. Where did you go?”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable steadied himself, pushed the bizarre experience to the back of his mind, and continued their previous conversation. He said, “Hao Heavenly Venerable is the murderer of Yu Heavenly Venerable, and the Heavenly Emperor is pulling the strings behind it all. To the Heavenly Emperor, Lan Yutian’s prestige was too high; he had to die. Hao is his son. Hao taking over from Lan Yutian to gain the support of the acquired races and demigods is very important for the Heavenly Emperor’s rule. You are a smart person; you should see this. Now, the human race is weak. You, as a human heavenly venerable, need to blaze a trail for them, yet you still follow Hao. I don’t understand.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable fell silent.
Cloud Heavenly Venerable extended his hand, speaking sincerely: “The human race has no experts, no demigod heritage, no protection or support from the ancient gods. We are born weak, with no bloodline power flowing within us. But we are intelligent, and we can use our intelligence to fight for our race’s right to survive. Come to the Primordial Realm and help me.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable shook his head: “Brother Cloud, haven’t you seen it yet?”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable raised an eyebrow. Fire Heavenly Venerable continued: “After Yu Heavenly Venerable died, I suddenly understood. For the human race to survive, we must cling to power! The Heavenly Emperor is power! Hao Heavenly Venerable is part of that power, the one with the most potential! Your struggles in the lower realm are like the moon’s reflection in water. No matter how well you do, with one command from the Heavenly Emperor, the human forces you’ve built will be wiped out! But Hao Heavenly Venerable is different…”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable was furious and said coldly, “Hao is the murderer of Yu Heavenly Venerable! He is the son of the Heavenly Emperor, not one of us!”
“He is also half human!”
Fire Heavenly Venerable said, “He has ambition and vision. Not long ago, he emerged from the shadows. He is both the most noble demigod and a human. If he gains power, the human race can survive. This is the best plan I’ve come up with over the past thousand years for the future and fate of the human race. Your so-called Human Heavenly Court in the lower realm is just you becoming another Yu Heavenly Venerable. Sooner or later, you will end up the same way!”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable stood up, and Fire Heavenly Venerable also rose. Their eyes met.
Fire Heavenly Venerable said solemnly, “I know the Heavenly Emperor has allowed you to establish a Human Heavenly Court, but what you don’t know is that the Heavenly Emperor has also allowed Hao Heavenly Venerable to establish a Demigod Heavenly Court, also in the Primordial Realm. Don’t you understand what that means?”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s body trembled slightly, and his voice was a little hoarse: “Is this why you sided with Hao Heavenly Venerable and are loyal to him?”
Fire Heavenly Venerable said, “Two paths: one has no hope of success, the other has hope. I choose the path with hope.”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable let out a long sigh and said, “The Demigod Heavenly Court and the Human Heavenly Court will both be in the Primordial Realm. Conflict is inevitable. Which side do you choose?”
“I’ve already said it. I choose the path with the most hope of success.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable said coldly, “I cling to power. If power succeeds, the human race has a chance to survive.”
“I understand.”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable nodded and rose to leave: “Farewell.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable did not see him off. Cloud Heavenly Venerable stopped at the door, looked back at his former comrade, and said hoarsely, “Fire, you are no longer the person you once were.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable’s body trembled as he looked into his eyes: “Since Yu Heavenly Venerable died, I am no longer the pure, simple Fire Heavenly Venerable I once was. I am like this, and aren’t you the same? You, You, Yue, Ling—aren’t they the same? After the Jade Pool Incident, we all changed.”
Cloud Heavenly Venerable was silent for a moment, then walked out of Fire Heavenly Venerable’s room. His voice came from outside, filled with melancholy: “We have indeed all changed.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable watched him go. From behind the screen, Hao Heavenly Venerable slowly walked out, smiling: “Fire Heavenly Venerable, you did well.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable’s body stiffened. He turned around and said calmly, “A wise man submits to circumstances. Cloud doesn’t know the times, and he will suffer for it.”
Hao Heavenly Venerable clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the resplendent Heavenly Court outside the window, and laughed: “Over a thousand years have passed, and the Jade Pool Incident still seems like yesterday. I’ve also lain on a sickbed for over a thousand years, mad and delirious, drifting through the years. Looking back on this millennium, I am filled with emotion.”
He turned his head to look at Fire Heavenly Venerable and said, “Yes, Yu Heavenly Venerable died by my hand, but even if I hadn’t acted, he would have died. It wasn’t that I wanted him dead; it was the Heavenly Emperor who wanted him dead. Do you understand?”
Fire Heavenly Venerable nodded and said, “I naturally understand.”
Hao Heavenly Venerable said, “I am a demigod, but I am also human. Both of us have received the blessings of the gods. The blessings on the backs of our heads are also the gods’ means of monitoring us. But here in Cui Ting Pavilion, you and I can speak freely without worrying about being overheard by the Heavenly Emperor or other ancient gods. You are now my trusted confidant. Let me introduce someone to you.”
As he finished speaking, a woman in palace attire walked out from behind the screen.
“This is my mother, Lady Yuanmu!”
Hao Heavenly Venerable laughed, “Cui Ting Pavilion is shrouded by my mother’s divine abilities, so even the gods’ blessings cannot monitor this place.”
Fire Heavenly Venerable bowed deeply and said, “This lowly subject pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress!”
Lady Yuanmu chuckled: “What a sensible child.”
In Xiao Han Heavenly Court, Qin Mu put away Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s corpse, stroked the stubble on his chin, and thought: “If I take out Lady Yuanmu’s corpse, would the current Lady Yuanmu also disappear…”
He shook his head, suppressing his curiosity.
Just now, when he took out Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s corpse, Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s consciousness had awakened from the corpse, even able to speak and move.
He didn’t know what terrible consequences the disappearance of Cloud Heavenly Venerable’s current body might bring, so he put away the corpse. If he took out Yuanmu’s corpse, and the Yuanmu in the Heavenly Court came to life in that body, it would be too terrifying.
“Too bad I can’t try it.” He felt regretful.
“Cult Leader!”
Dragon Qilin’s voice came from outside the hall: “That person named Luo Xiao is here again, asking if you’re still going to the Heavenly Court?”
Qin Mu walked out, laughing: “Of course I’m going!”
As he passed by Yan’er, she was still carrying her lantern, her face still full of sorrow, still not recovered from the blow of losing her mother.
Qin Mu comforted her gently: “When we get to the Heavenly Court, we’ll go to the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Palace and get one of your mother’s treasures from her. After we return, she can be resurrected.”
Yan’er’s spirits lifted greatly.
At Langxuan Divine Palace, the demigods from Langxuan Divine Emperor’s territory came to report that the heavenly venerables of Xiao Han Heavenly Court had come to relocate the humans. Langxuan Divine Emperor issued orders not to stop them.
“Divine Emperor, are we just letting this go?”
An elder among the demigods said indignantly, “Those people are our livestock! We demigods have been herding humans for who knows how many tens of thousands of years! Last time, when Cloud Heavenly Venerable came, you allowed them to preach to the humans, which was already a great kindness. Now they want to take away our livestock! Divine Emperor, can you tolerate this?”
Langxuan Divine Emperor’s face darkened: “Naturally, I cannot tolerate it. But Mu Heavenly Venerable appeared out of nowhere. He was granted the title of heavenly venerable by the Heavenly Emperor for his divine ability. His divine ability is elusive and leaves no trace. I cannot do anything to him. I can’t deal with him, but there are those who can. I will now write a memorial to the Heavenly Court, reporting to the Heavenly Emperor to arrest this villain!”
The leaders of the many demigod races were overjoyed and asked, “Divine Emperor, when the human heavenly venerables come to ask for people, should we give them to them?”
“Give! Of course, give!”
Langxuan Divine Emperor laughed, “Give them now. When that thief Mu dies, they will have to spit it all back twofold!”
— I forgot to mention, the last three chapters have all been four-thousand-word chapters. Pretty generous of me, right? So, this Moon Heavenly Venerable… is the monthly ticket. Won’t you all vote for The Chronicle of Mu?