Chapter 1076: The Northern Emperor Xuanwu Steals Fame Under False Pretenses (Second Update!)
Yan'er let out another soft cheer, trembling with excitement. "We will become legends of the Dragon Han Era! The greatest thieves revered for all eternity, our tales still told even after six hundred thousand years!"
Long Qilin shot her a glance. "Look at your lack of ambition. If you keep talking like that, we'll be thrown into the Heavenly Prison before we even reach the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace. The most important thing in this kind of work is to stay calm."
Yan'er nudged his shoulder with hers, giggling. "I've never done anything this thrilling while following the Moon Celestial. Long Fatty, you really know a lot—even this stuff."
"Of course!"
Long Qilin wanted to puff up his tail, only to remember he had taken human form and had no tail to puff. He felt quite annoyed.
"Every time the Sect Leader returns to the village, he brings me along. There's a Crippled Elder in the village, the world's greatest thief. When he taught the Sect Leader..."
His gaze grew distant as he spoke unhurriedly, "I managed to pick up a few things too."
Yan'er was utterly impressed, stars shining in her eyes as she looked at him.
Long Qilin felt immensely satisfied, though a bit displeased: "Too bad I don't have a tail—otherwise, I'd puff it up and wag it a couple of times. That would be truly impressive."
In the Heavenly Court, countless Howling Celestial Dogs were sniffing everywhere, searching for Palace Lord Gong Yun and her accomplices. The voice of the Great Sun Star Lord rang out from time to time, shouting, "That female thief is a prehistoric Divine King, skilled in divine consciousness! As long as her divine consciousness isn't destroyed, she won't die! We must find her!"
Yan'er and Long Qilin moved forward with the palace maid. Palace Lord Gong Yun had been reborn into the maid's body, but her divine consciousness was severely injured, forcing her to rely on the two of them.
Still, looking at Long Qilin and Yan'er, she couldn't help feeling they were somewhat unreliable.
Fortunately, Long Qilin and Yan'er had six Heavenly Dragons with them. These six dragons carried the bloodline of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon within them, and their scent of the Eastern Emperor's presence kept the Howling Celestial Dogs from approaching.
Though the Howling Celestial Dogs were a rare breed, they were far inferior to the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon. The six dragons had taken on dragon-headed human forms, and walking together, their powerful aura was enough to intimidate the dogs.
Their group slipped through most of the Heavenly Court amidst the chaos, finally arriving at the Northern Emperor Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace. Long Qilin stepped forward and woke the Xuan Turtle Divine Beings at the palace gate.
The pair of Xuan Turtle Divine Beings had turned to stone from laziness and were displeased at being disturbed. They asked lazily, "What business do you have?"
"We are descendants of the Eastern Emperor and the Southern Emperor, here to visit the Nether Abyss Prince," Long Qilin said.
The Xuan Turtle Divine Beings saw that each of them had extraordinary features—some were Heavenly Dragons, some were Vermilion Birds, and one was a Dragon Qilin—truly resembling the Eastern Emperor's descendants. They dared not be negligent and quickly replied, "So you are descendants of the two Imperial Emperors! Wait a moment; let us go report this."
With that, one of the Xuan Turtle Divine Beings turned and entered the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace.
Upon hearing the news, the Nether Abyss Prince was surprised. "The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon is dissolute and has countless offspring—even the chicken-dragons are rumored to carry his bloodline, though I wonder which chicken he mated with. I need not see his descendants. However, the Southern Emperor is pure and self-disciplined, with no known offspring. Since a princess has come, I must meet her."
The Xuan Turtle Divine Being said, "Your Highness, in recent years, those who come to befriend you are all trying to fool you and steal our family's treasures. This group is likely the same, using friendship as a pretext to plot for our valuables."
The Nether Abyss Prince laughed. "Nonsense! There are indeed those who try to steal my family's treasures—namely the Heavenly Venerable Hao, the Divine Emperor Langxuan, and the Netherworld Emperor—but I have heeded my parents' advice and no longer associate closely with them. However, the Southern Emperor's princess could never be so base."
The Xuan Turtle Divine Being hesitated. "Should we inform the two lords first?"
"I'm not a child. Why would I need to tell them just to make a friend?"
The Nether Abyss Prince said carelessly, "Besides, the Northern Emperor is not home—he has gone to visit the Western Emperor, the Southern Emperor, and the Eastern Emperor. Who knows when he'll return? Are we supposed to keep honored guests waiting outside? Wouldn't that make me seem ignorant of etiquette? Go and invite them in."
The Xuan Turtle Divine Being had no choice but to return outside the palace and said to Long Qilin and Yan'er, "The Prince invites you in."
Long Qilin, Yan'er, and the others entered the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace. It was indeed resplendent with pearls and treasures, luxuriously grand, with every kind of treasure imaginable.
"The Northern Emperor's household is truly extravagant," Long Qilin couldn't help praising.
The Xuan Turtle led the way, smiling. "Our lord was a divine being born from the Heavenly River, receiving worship and offerings from countless people. The entire Heavenly River belongs to him, and all the treasures within it are his as well. Naturally, he is quite wealthy."
Palace Lord Gong Yun sneered coldly. "Stealing fame under false pretenses!"
The Xuan Turtle glanced at her, noticing the palace maid seemed a bit dull, but paid it no mind, assuming she was just a maid from the Southern Emperor's palace.
The world believed that the Four Imperial Emperors of the Ancient Gods were born from heaven and earth, and the Four Imperial Emperors themselves propagated this claim. However, Palace Lord Gong Yun knew their true origins inside out.
The Western Emperor White Tiger was a divine being born from the worship of Palace Lord Gong Yun's own Nü Xin clan, gathering the collective power of all clan members.
The other three Imperial Emperors each had their own origins. Among them, the Northern Emperor Xuanwu was a divine being born from the worship of the Ju Yu clan—a married couple. The Martial Emperor among them even had a slight connection to Palace Lord Gong Yun.
The "Yu" in Ju Yu meant the waters of the north, so Ju Yu meant the creator race dwelling by the northern waters.
The north referred to the northern direction.
The Ju Yu clan originally lived beside the northern Heavenly River, where they worshipped the Xuanwu Ancient God.
And the Xuanwu Ancient God split into two—one being the Xuan Emperor and the other the Martial Emperor—because Palace Lord Gong Yun was the wife of the Grand Emperor and the chieftain of the Nü Xin clan.
The Nü Xin clan revered women as supreme. After Palace Lord Gong Yun married the Grand Emperor, she held a high position in the Ju Yu clan, equal to the Grand Emperor. Thus, the Ju Yu clan worshipped two ancient gods, giving rise to the Xuan Emperor and the Martial Emperor.
The Ju Yu clan's worship of Xuanwu also carried a beautiful wish—that the Grand Emperor and Palace Lord Gong Yun would be as harmonious and loving as the ancient gods they imagined, united as one.
But alas, though the wish was good, reality was cruel.
As for why the Northern Emperor was so wealthy—wasn't it because when the great calamity of the creators arrived, the Northern Emperor plundered the Ju Yu clan?
Suddenly, loud laughter rang out. A burly man strode toward them—it was the Nether Abyss Prince.
At this time, the Nether Abyss Prince was not yet as destitute as he would later become. He was tall and mighty, with dragon whiskers growing horizontally across his face, exuding a powerful presence. However, his attire was excessively luxurious—a dark black robe embroidered with gold thread patterns and coiled serpents winding around it.
What drew the most attention were the various treasures hanging from his body. First, twenty-four luminous pearls were strung around his waist, each one representing twenty-four heavens!
On his wrists were bracelets made of finger-sized pearls, four or five on each wrist. At his waist hung three or four jade pendants, and around his neck was a thumb-thick chain, adorned with who knew what treasures.
Even his boots were inlaid with clusters of cloud energy, some on the shoes and some beneath them. As he walked, the clouds lifted his form, keeping his feet off the ground.
Long Qilin exclaimed in admiration, "This Nether Abyss Prince would make an excellent peddler, hawking goods through the streets!"
Yan'er greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Elder Brother."
Long Qilin and the six Heavenly Dragons also bowed in greeting. "Elder Brother!"
The Nether Abyss Prince hurriedly returned the courtesy, smiling. "Our three families rarely interact, so I've grown distant from you, younger siblings and cousins. Forgive me."
Palace Lord Gong Yun used her divine consciousness to cloud his perception, preventing him from seeing Qin Mu in the halo behind Yan'er's head. Thus, he did not notice that there was a Mu Celestial beneath the Dragon Blood Treasure Tree.
Long Qilin dropped a bombshell. "Elder Brother, do you know that the Heavenly Court is about to split apart?"
The Nether Abyss Prince was startled and quickly covered his mouth, looking around before whispering, "Speaking such words is a capital offense! Don't say nonsense!"
Just then, a divine being arrived to report, "His Majesty has returned."
The Nether Abyss Prince hurriedly went to greet them, saying, "You all stay here for now. I'll be back shortly."
The Xuan Emperor and the Martial Emperor took their seats. The Nether Abyss Prince paid his respects, and the two emperors exchanged glances before saying, "My son, do not leave the palace these days. The Heavenly Court is about to split apart."
The Nether Abyss Prince had a sudden realization, recalling Long Qilin's words, and said, "I already knew."
The Xuan Emperor and the Martial Emperor were quite pleased. "It seems this foolish son has finally wised up and seen the situation in the Heavenly Court."
— — Updating four chapters daily, totaling over 8,500 words. Compared to the old format of two chapters at 3,000 words each, that's an extra 2,500 words. What do you all think of this update schedule?