Chapter 1166: Honest Confrontation (Fourth Update)
Shi Qiluo led the gods of Zaofu Heavenly Palace in tallying various divine weapons, his voice booming as it came from afar: "Yanxiu Emperor, these divine weapons of yours aren't high-grade. For this batch of goods, I'm going to knock down a point!"
Ling Yuxiu's voice replied, "Your Excellency, the goods from our Yankang are already the cheapest among all the heavens! No other heavenly realm can offer you this price! If you knock down another point, Yankang will have no profit left, and we won't even be able to cover wages! Eh, the cowherd... Mu Tianzun!"
Her eyes lit up as she saw Qin Mu approaching, nearly blurting out the words "the cowherd" before catching herself and changing her address.
Shi Qiluo glanced at the approaching Qin Mu and sneered, "It's no use even if the cowherd Mu Tianzun comes! I'm a man who sticks to his principles. Even if all ten Heavenly Sovereigns arrived together, I wouldn't give you half a point..."
Just as he said this, his expression suddenly changed drastically as Hao Tianzun and Langxuan Divine Emperor walked into Zaofu Heavenly Palace together.
Shi Qiluo's face and bushy beard trembled violently, his legs shaking as he prepared to kneel.
Hao Tianzun said calmly, "No need for that. Brother Mu is quick on his feet."
Qin Mu replied politely, "It's merely borrowing the power of treasures, nothing impressive. You two are the ones with true skill."
Hao Tianzun's gaze shifted to Yun Chuxiu, and he sneered, turning his head to say, "Shi Qiluo, you oversee the Creation Divine Artifact. I ask you, exactly how many Divine Artifact Yu Tianzuns have you created?"
Shi Qiluo fell to his knees with a thud, trembling as he fumbled for the account books.
Hao Tianzun snorted, "I didn't tell you to kneel. Why are you kneeling?"
Shi Qiluo looked up with a fawning smile, "My two legs are always disobedient. As soon as I see a Heavenly Sovereign, they feel kneeling is more comfortable. Please wait a moment, Your Excellency, while I find the records..."
Langxuan Divine Emperor said gently from the side, "Palace Master Shi need not worry. Brother Hao isn't here to audit your secret funds. Those matters of you taking kickbacks, embezzling, falsifying prices, and knocking down points in the past—none of that is a problem."
Cold sweat poured from Shi Qiluo's forehead, and he became even more flustered. After a long while, he finally found the usage records for the Creation Divine Artifact and hurriedly handed them to Hao Tianzun.
Hao Tianzun opened the ledger and browsed through it carefully, his expression growing darker by the moment.
Shi Qiluo's face turned ashen, and he fidgeted nervously.
Hao Tianzun handed the ledger to Langxuan Divine Emperor beside him. Langxuan Divine Emperor flipped through it, and when Qin Mu leaned in to look, Langxuan Divine Emperor quickly closed the ledger, saying with a half-smile, "Does Mu Tianzun also want to create a Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun? This ledger, you cannot see."
"Stingy."
Qin Mu laughed, "Fine, I won't look then. I'd like to get one of those Divine Artifact Yu Tianzuns created by the Creation Divine Artifact..."
Hao Tianzun's expression softened, and he said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to give you one, Brother, but the materials needed to create a Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun are extraordinary. Even the Heavenly Court doesn't have much of them, and there's no surplus to make another now."
Qin Mu smiled slightly, knowing he naturally couldn't be telling the truth.
Langxuan Divine Emperor raised an eyebrow and said, "Palace Master Shi, you have created eleven Divine Artifact Yu Tianzuns."
Hao Tianzun stared at Shi Qiluo and said flatly, "This eleventh divine artifact—who ordered you to make it?"
Shi Qiluo hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "In reply, Your Excellency, it was His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor who ordered me to make it. I even have His Majesty's handwritten decree here..."
Still kneeling, he fumbled around again, searching for a while before finally finding the Heavenly Emperor's decree and carefully presenting it.
Hao Tianzun opened the decree, his expression growing even darker. He glanced at Yun Chuxiu not far away.
Yun Chuxiu was cheerfully running around, helping the gods and demons of Yankang move divine weapons, completely ignoring him.
The corners of Hao Tianzun's eyes twitched. This lively and adorable young girl was indeed eye-catching, yet he had to call her mother.
Langxuan Divine Emperor, meanwhile, studied Hao Tianzun's expression, knowing what was on his mind.
The ten Heavenly Sovereigns jointly controlled the Heavenly Emperor's physical body, which seemed stable but actually left openings for exploitation.
Madam Yuanmu was not among the ten Heavenly Sovereigns, but she had seized this opportunity. While the ten Heavenly Sovereigns were off guard, she controlled the Heavenly Emperor's body and used it to issue a decree, creating a Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun for herself!
"If Mu Tianzun seizes this opportunity, heh, that scoundrel will probably make a Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun for himself too!"
Langxuan Divine Emperor looked at Qin Mu and felt a chill. Sure enough, he saw Qin Mu's eyes gleaming with cunning, clearly also thinking of using the Heavenly Emperor's body to create a Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun for himself!
He coughed to alert Hao Tianzun, who immediately understood and said flatly, "Shi Qilou, I'll spare your worthless head for now since you're still useful. I won't pursue this matter. From now on, without the joint decree of all Heavenly Sovereigns, even if the Heavenly Emperor himself comes in person, you are not to create any Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun!"
Shi Qiluo quickly pledged his loyalty, saying, "Your humble servant will follow the lead of all Heavenly Sovereigns!"
Hao Tianzun turned and left, with Langxuan Divine Emperor following, laughing, "Brother, you handled that well. This time, Mu Tianzun won't be able to cause any more trouble."
Only after they had gone far did Shi Qiluo get up and brush the dust off his knees.
Qin Mu laughed, "The mighty master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace, the foremost craftsman of the Heavenly Court, yet so base as to kneel to others. Palace Master Shi, your Imperial Seat realm is quite watery, isn't it?"
Shi Qiluo put on a haughty expression and sneered, "Mu Tianzun, you're from Yankang too, aren't you? I won't give you a single point off, but out of respect for your status as a Heavenly Sovereign, I'll let you have half a point."
Qin Mu was about to say more when Ling Yuxiu quietly tugged at his clothes, and he fell silent.
Ling Yuxiu waved her hand and said, "Unload the cargo!"
The gods and demons of Yankang on the ship immediately began working. Ling Yuxiu said to Qin Mu, "Half a point is enough. We can still make some profit. In recent years, the Heavenly Court has been attacking the Great Void and printing many Heavenly Coins, causing prices to soar in many heavenly realms. Where have you come from?"
Qin Mu watched Yun Chuxiu hopping and skipping toward them. The girl's two ponytails swung from behind her to the left, then from the left to the right. He laughed, "I came from the Ancestral Court with the eight Heavenly Sovereigns. I was almost killed by your sister there."
Yun Chuxiu rushed up to them, lively and restless, laughing, "Brother-in-law is here too? I just love seducing brothers-in-law!" With that, she linked her arm through Qin Mu's and pressed close to him.
She, Ling Yuxiu, Gongsun Yan, Langhuan Divine King, and Lian Huahua had sworn sisterhood. By age, Ling Yuxiu was the youngest, so she had to call her elder sister.
With Ling Yuxiu right there, Qin Mu quickly tried to pull his arm free but couldn't. He had to say, "I have serious business. Don't mess around. Madam Yuanmu set me up and nearly trapped me in the Ancestral Court. This time, I'm going to retrieve Madam Yuanmu's physical body and summon her soul to find out exactly where she's hiding!"
Yun Chuxiu shivered, hugging his arm and swaying left and right, giggling, "Brother-in-law, I was just joking with you! Don't be angry, okay! Dear sister, quickly talk some sense into your husband!"
Ling Yuxiu just smiled silently from the side.
Qin Mu sneered coldly, "I treated Madam Yuanmu with sincerity, but she has harmed me time and again. This time, she tried to kill me. I must expose her true identity!"
Yun Chuxiu looked pitiful, gazing up at him with a sorrowful expression, "Brother-in-law..."
"Shut up!"
Qin Mu was furious, "We're allies, yet you keep deceiving and harming me! Do you really think I don't know who you are? I have plenty of ways to find out! You once said you went with Yue Tingge to explore the Great Void to find Carefree Village, but Yue Tingge only said the ten Heavenly Sovereigns ordered him to lead an army into the Great Void to search for Carefree Village—he never mentioned any Heavenly Sovereign accompanying him!"
He laughed in anger, "You did enter the Great Void with Yue Tingge, but you never expected he didn't die—he's still hiding in the Great Void! All I need to do is find him, and exposing your identity will be easy! What's more, I have Madam Yuanmu's true body. Seeing through your true form will be even simpler!"
He sighed, speaking with utmost sincerity, "Since we're allies, we should be honest with each other. But you treat me like this—it truly breaks my heart."
Yun Chuxiu also sighed, saying resentfully, "I already told you who I was, but you just didn't think it through."
Qin Mu was about to speak when Yun Chuxiu said with a sweet smile, "I once told you that the spiritual energy transfer bridge in Yankang connects to my palace. Don't you still know who I am?"
Qin Mu was stunned, stammering, "That spiritual energy transfer bridge..."
Yun Chuxiu let out a long sigh, "That spiritual energy transfer bridge was made by Zaofu Heavenly Palace. Zaofu Heavenly Palace charged me a hundred times the price they charged Yankang, so I gave the job of forging the bridge to Yankang to make a profit on the difference. Brother-in-law, still haven't figured it out?"
Just then, a rough voice came from the side, "Then let me give you another hint. Where does Yankang's spiritual energy transfer bridge lead?"
Qin Mu turned his head with difficulty, staring dumbfounded at the burly, bearded, and mighty master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace, Shi Qiluo, his mouth agape, "You... you..."
Shi Qiluo looked at him with pity and said gruffly, "Yankang's spiritual energy transfer bridge connects to Zaofu Heavenly Palace. And the greedy Palace Master Shi of Zaofu Heavenly Palace gave the task of forging the bridge to Yankang, then resold it to other Heavenly Sovereigns at a hundred times the price."
Yun Chuxiu said sweetly with a smile, "And since I control Zaofu Heavenly Palace, it's only natural that I made a Divine Artifact Yu Tianzun for myself."
Shi Qiluo's rough face actually took on a hint of charm as he winked at Qin Mu and chuckled, "Ling Tianzun assassinated me during the Imperial Era, but she didn't expect me to take the opportunity to escape and attach myself to a stone."
Yun Chuxiu leaned sweetly against Qin Mu's shoulder, her voice full of affection, "I admired Ling Tianzun's skills, so I learned her art of creation, eventually becoming a master and taking control of Zaofu Heavenly Palace. When the ten Heavenly Sovereigns wanted to create some special weapons, they had to go through me, which made it easy for me to tamper with them."
Shi Qiluo also leaned in, giggling, "After the Kaicheng Era ended, I was conscripted by the two Grand Strategists to use me to replicate the Ark of the Other Shore to cross the Great Void and find Carefree Village. In the end, the two Grand Strategists fell, and only I came back alive."
Qin Mu was bombarded by these revelations, his mind in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.
Shi Qiluo leaned on his shoulder, drawing circles on his chest with a finger, while on the other side, Yun Chuxiu drew circles on his right chest.
Suddenly, Qin Mu shook his head, grinding his teeth, "So that means, among the three Heavenly Sovereigns who saved me at the Jade Pool that day, you weren't one of them!"
"Mu Lang—"
Yun Chuxiu and Shi Qiluo, one on the left and one on the right, shook his right and left arms respectively, saying in unison, "Don't be angry."
Qin Mu smiled woodenly, "No wonder Village Chief said I was naive..."
—Well, this chapter is three thousand words (I'd like to say it's a big chapter, but that seems a bit shameless). Please vote for monthly tickets~