Chapter 1061: An Unprecedented Turn of Events
"Since I left Yankang for the Heavenly Court, five years have passed without any progress in the reforms."
Qin Mu sighed and said, "And when I return to the past, this trend becomes even more apparent."
Ever since he left the Primordial Realm and came to the Heavenly Court, his innovations in Dao techniques and divine abilities had become few and far between. Every time he returned to Yankang, he always learned something new.
This was the effect of the soil.
The Yankang reforms were still ongoing, but he had been separated from that soil of reform. Each return was merely to replenish his nutrients.
If it was like this even in the Heavenly Court, then staying in the past would be even worse. This era was still ignorant and unenlightened for him, with Dao techniques and divine abilities still in their formative stages. Any divine ability from later generations would be earth-shattering in this era. How could Qin Mu grow?
His goal was to surpass the ancients, not to become one of them.
The Heavenly Court was getting closer and closer.
Meanwhile, the twenty-seven Mansions ancient gods were carrying the Execution Platform and the Execution Divine Blade to the cosmos where Ugly was located. Kui Wood Wolf said, "We can't show ourselves directly this time. You take this divine blade and behead him. We'll hide in the shadows to guard against unforeseen events. If you do well, Crown Prince Qi will reward you handsomely!"
In that cosmos, Ugly had reached the end of his rope. Many demigods stood on a high cliff, holding Ugly's child, and shouted to Ugly below, "Kneel!"
At this moment, in the Imperial Garden of the Heavenly Court, Cloud Sovereign followed cautiously behind the ancient god Heavenly Emperor. On this visit to the Heavenly Court, he had formally impeached Hao Heavenly Sovereign in court. After the court session ended, the Heavenly Emperor kept him behind to stroll through the Imperial Garden and have a heart-to-heart talk.
"Cloud, you manage the human race, so you should know that being an emperor is not easy. But I manage the entire universe and all the cosmos and myriad realms."
The Heavenly Emperor had a headache and rubbed his temples, sighing, "The human race is just one of countless races in the myriad realms, yet it's already in such chaos. Just now, you were arguing fiercely with Hao in the court. I'm truly in a difficult position. I have to take care of the feelings of my old brothers, maintain the loyalty of the demigods, and also share your worries and solve your problems for you post-natal beings. This position of Heavenly Emperor is not easy to hold."
Cloud Sovereign smiled and said, "Your servant knows that Your Majesty has a difficult task. After all, Hao Heavenly Sovereign is..."
The Heavenly Emperor glanced at him, and Cloud Sovereign understood and stopped speaking.
Suddenly, the Great Sun Star Lord hurried over, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
The Heavenly Emperor frowned and scolded, "What terrible thing? The world today is thriving, the realm is at peace, and all living beings live in contentment. Where is there anything terrible?"
The Great Sun Star Lord said hastily, "The twenty-eight Mansions ancient gods have arrived! They came to the Heavenly Court and borrowed the Execution Platform. I'm afraid they're about to cause a major incident! Your servant, following Your Majesty's orders, has been monitoring the cosmos and has discovered unusual movements among the demigods, seemingly connected to the twenty-eight Mansions. This matter, this matter..."
He gritted his teeth and boldly said, "This matter might even involve Crown Prince Qi!"
The Heavenly Emperor's face darkened, and the Great Sun Star Lord couldn't help but shiver, sensing a murderous intent emanating from the Heavenly Emperor.
"Your Majesty trusts your servant and entrusts me with heavy responsibilities. I have no choice but to speak. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
The Great Sun Star Lord continued, "The Earth Lord has already reincarnated. I suspect that Crown Prince Qi has colluded with the twenty-eight Mansions and allied with a group of ancient demigods, planning to harm the Earth Lord and seize control of the Netherworld! Crown Prince Qi stops at nothing. If he succeeds, his ambition will inevitably burst forth, and one day he will contend for the throne, threatening Your Majesty!"
"How dare you!"
The Heavenly Emperor roared coldly, "Great Sun Star Lord, you are too presumptuous to sow discord between father and son!"
The Great Sun Star Lord trembled with fear but still spoke out, "Your servant is thinking of Your Majesty's empire! The Earth Lord is Your Majesty's meritorious minister. Half of the credit for Your Majesty's empire belongs to him! Crown Prince Qi's attempt to eliminate the Earth Lord is to clip Your Majesty's wings!"
"Get out!"
The Heavenly Emperor pointed a finger and said coldly, "Get out of my sight! Cloud, you leave too!"
Cloud Sovereign bowed and withdrew together with the Great Sun Star Lord.
The Great Sun Star Lord was still indignant and said, "Your Majesty doesn't believe me. In the future, a great disaster will surely arise from within the harem!"
Cloud Sovereign glanced at him and smiled, "How could His Majesty not believe you? Star Lord, the reason His Majesty is angry is that you know too much."
The Great Sun Star Lord was puzzled and humbly asked for guidance, "I beg Cloud Sovereign to enlighten me."
Cloud Sovereign said, "Star Lord, you are responsible for monitoring the cosmos and reporting all major matters to the Heavenly Emperor. But some things, you just need to report them. There's no need to offer your own speculations. If you just observe without making wild guesses, you can live. If you make wild guesses, I'm afraid you'll die inexplicably one day."
He walked forward and said, "In this Heavenly Court, the more you know, the more dangerous it is. You are in the most dangerous position. Take care of yourself."
The Great Sun Star Lord was stunned, lifted his bird leg, scratched his chin, and laughed, "This Cloud Sovereign is also a fool, talking nonsense. I am utterly loyal to His Majesty. Who would dare to plot against me?"
The Heavenly Dragon Carriage finally arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate. At that moment, an earth-shattering fluctuation came, and in an instant, darkness covered the sky of the Primordial Realm.
Qin Mu's heart trembled. He quickly turned around and saw a cosmos splitting open. A giant with the head of an ox, the body of a man, and the face of a tiger roared to the sky in boundless fury.
On this day, the Dao of the Netherworld invaded the Primordial Realm, turning into countless chains that bound the ox-headed giant, along with the destroyed cosmos.
At the same time, the Great Green Bird flew up, carrying the palace toward the Netherworld.
The man tied to the pillar grinned and said, "That's right, just like that. Let's go to the Netherworld and try to seize the Earth Lord's physical body! Once we control the Earth Lord, we can control the lives of all post-natal beings and all demigods!"
"Shut up! If you say another word, I'll tear you apart!"
At the same time, the Heavenly Dragon Carriage charged toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. The Heavenly Court army guarding the gate had no time to stop it, because even more gods and demons were surging toward the Heavenly Court. Chaos reigned everywhere, filled with cries and wailing.
The Heavenly Court army stared blankly at the Primordial Realm.
Their gazes slowly rose from the low ground, staring dumbfounded as the Earth Lord's body, stepping on a massive cosmos, rose slowly, his form growing larger and larger.
A huge cauldron spun beneath his feet—a cauldron forged from the Execution Platform of the Heavenly Court and countless lives.
The cauldron had a name: Life-Taking.
Countless demigods fled in panic, crying out to the heavens, rushing toward the Heavenly Court.
The twenty-seven Mansions ancient gods finally couldn't hold back and appeared, facing the Earth Lord. Kui Wood Wolf said, "Earth Lord, they were just joking with you. Why take it so seriously?"
He turned to the fleeing demigods and laughed, "Why don't you come and apologize?"
On this day, the twenty-eight Mansions ancient gods, who guarded the Four Extremities Heavens, fell and became faces within the Life-Taking Cauldron.
Ugly, carrying boundless rage, arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court's army of gods and demons was ordered to charge out and attack this increasingly massive but sorrowful demon god. At the same time, Qin Mu's Heavenly Dragon Carriage took advantage of the chaos to rush into the Heavenly Court, heading straight for the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's celestial palace.
He looked back and saw countless gods and demons of the Heavenly Court army turning into corpses before they even reached Ugly.
This day was like the doomsday of the gods. Even ancient gods of unimaginable power and demigods with boundless strength, upon the slightest contact with Ugly's power, had their souls scattered!
The Heavenly Court's strength suffered a nearly fatal blow.
That ugly man, wrapped in Dao chains, dragged a cosmos turned into darkness into the Heavenly Court. The cosmos beneath his feet was interwoven with magma and demonic energy, with floating molten rock everywhere.
Qin Mu caught a glimpse of Ugly's massive fist smashing toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. Where the fist passed, the gate collapsed.
Ahead, countless gods and demons of the Heavenly Court army surged toward the Southern Heavenly Gate, making it difficult for the Heavenly Dragon Carriage to advance. But the next moment, the spatial storm stirred up by the Earth Lord's punch sent everyone, along with countless palaces, flying into the air!
Countless people were torn apart in the spatial storm, their primordial spirits disintegrating, their souls falling into that number one fierce weapon in the world!
The power of the Life-Taking Cauldron grew even more terrifying!
The Heavenly Dragon Carriage was also sent flying, passing over the Vermilion Bird Celestial Palace and heading toward Jade Capital City.
Yan'er shouted, channeling her divine abilities to protect the Heavenly Dragon Carriage. The six heavenly dragons also unleashed their power, fighting desperately. The lantern hanging on the carriage flickered, on the verge of going out.
Qin Mu quickly reached out to protect the lantern.
Endless darkness surged into the Heavenly Court, like a great tide of darkness drowning everything in its path. Even the lanterns forged from the sun and the pearls forged from the moon in the Heavenly Court were extinguished upon encountering this dark demonic energy.
The demonic energy and nature were so ferocious that everyone engulfed by the darkness was instantly corrupted by the demonic energy, assimilated by the demonic nature, and then devoured by the Life-Taking Cauldron, becoming faces within it.
Qin Mu's ears also rang with a roar filled with boundless fury—Ugly's roar.
The Heavenly Dragon Carriage fell, crashing into Jade Capital City, plowing through dozens of miles before stopping.
Qin Mu was about to turn the carriage around and return to the Vermilion Bird Celestial Palace when he saw that darkness had already engulfed it, chilling his heart. If he charged into the darkness now, the lantern refined by Wei Suifeng would surely be unable to resist Ugly's demonic nature and would go out.
By then, he wouldn't be able to see the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird at all!
The darkness, like an angry ocean, swept in, devouring everything, and crashed against the walls of Jade Capital City.
This imperial city of the Heavenly Court erupted with dazzling light, so bright that it blocked the Netherworld demonic energy.
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and fled with the gods of Jade Capital City toward the Heavenly Emperor's harem.
Because the Life-Taking Cauldron was spinning wildly, smashing fiercely from Ugly's hand, collapsing the city gate of Jade Capital!
Countless faces flew out of the cauldron, letting out piercing screams, swirling in the air, and charging at the fleeing people.
Qin Mu rode the Heavenly Dragon Carriage, charging recklessly. Some princes tried to jump onto the carriage, asking him to help them escape. Qin Mu raised his sword and cut down several princes in a single stroke.
Behind him, another terrifying spatial storm came—Ugly's next strike!
The Heavenly Dragon Carriage was once again swept up by the storm, and countless palaces behind them shattered in the chaos.
When the Heavenly Dragon Carriage finally landed, everything suddenly calmed down. Qin Mu looked back and saw the Lingxiao Hall behind them. There, towering ancient gods stood, blocking the storm stirred up by Ugly.
Qin Mu's pupils contracted. He saw the figure of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor.
The ancient god Heavenly Emperor radiated dazzling light all around, so bright that Ugly's Netherworld demonic energy couldn't invade this place.
"Great. Soon, Ugly will be driven into the Netherworld, and I can take the opportunity to sneak into the Vermilion Bird Celestial Palace to see the Southern Emperor."
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, "But this carriage is probably unusable now—too conspicuous. The face of Mu Qing won't work either. I need to change my face."
He jumped off the carriage, took down the lantern, and said in a low voice, "Yan'er, Fatty Dragon, this is the Heavenly Court. Too many people will make it hard to move. I'll put you into my brow!"
Without waiting for a reply, the eye on his brow opened, shooting a beam of light that swept over the Heavenly Dragon Carriage.
Dragon Qilin, Yan'er, and the six heavenly dragons, along with the carriage, vanished without a trace, absorbed into the Qin Continent.
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, activated the Creation Divine Art, and his appearance gradually changed, taking on the form of Luo Xiao. He thought to himself, "Third Brother, you won't mind me borrowing your face, will you?"
Just then, he suddenly saw Hao Heavenly Sovereign.
Qin Mu was stunned. He saw Hao Heavenly Sovereign sneaking furtively toward the harem.
"This is his own home. Why is he sneaking around like this?"
Qin Mu was puzzled. Then, he saw Cloud Sovereign.
Qin Mu's heart leaped with joy. Cloud Sovereign was also sneaking furtively, following Hao Heavenly Sovereign. The two of them, one after the other, slipped into the Heavenly Emperor's harem.
Qin Mu's heart stirred. He tiptoed after the two, also sneaking furtively.
Ahead, Hao Heavenly Sovereign encountered some palace maids guarding the harem. He suddenly burst into action, smashing the two maids to pieces. Then he took out a white banner, waved it in the wind, and absorbed the maids' souls into the banner.
"A treasure of the Nether Emperor!" Qin Mu saw this from afar and thought to himself.
As for Cloud Sovereign, who was following Hao Heavenly Sovereign, he took out a yellow talisman paper, stuck it on himself, and his appearance changed drastically.
Qin Mu blinked. "A treasure of the Nether Sovereign! These two were both prepared for Ugly's rampage in the Heavenly Court. They came with a plan. It seems they're after some treasure in the Heavenly Court! What exactly are they trying to steal?"