Chapter 1233: The Second Heavenly Master (Third Update)
The Four Heavenly Masters and Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Court had all led their armies to the Land of Tai Xu, each stationed in their own camps, each commanding a separate force.
In addition, the Four-Colored Emperors also had their own armies.
Among the Four Heavenly Masters, the First Heavenly Master was the Northern Heavenly Master Shang Pingyin, the Second Heavenly Master was the Eastern Heavenly Master Meng Yungui, the Third Heavenly Master was the Western Heavenly Master Bai Yuqiong, and the Fourth Heavenly Master was the Southern Heavenly Master Zhu Shaoping.
Among the Four Heavenly Kings, Qin Mu had already met Shang Pingyin and Bai Yuqiong. As for this Second Heavenly Master, Meng Yungui, although Qin Mu had never seen him before, he had long heard of his reputation.
Meng Yungui hailed from the Yuhua Heaven and was most fond of plundering treasures and wealth, which gave him a rather poor reputation.
Cripple had taken Lan Yutian through rigorous training, and one extremely important test was to steal from Meng Yungui's treasury in the Yuhua Heaven.
Horse, the former Divine Constable and former Tathagata, also followed along, responsible for keeping watch, detecting divine ability traps, and erasing their traces to avoid leaving any clues.
Of course, Horse wasn't greedy for wealth; he was merely there to guide and supervise Lan Yutian, this "junior," to prevent him from going astray—even though Cripple and Lan Yutian did share a portion of the "spoils" with him.
Qin Mu arrived at the divine city where Meng Yungui's Eastern Camp was stationed. He observed that Meng Yungui maintained strict military discipline. Although his reputation was poor, he was indeed a capable commander in leading troops.
"The Four Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Court are all military commanders, while the Four Heavenly Masters of the Kai Emperor's era were not military experts but capable ministers for governing the world."
Qin Mu pondered, lost in thought.
Woodcutter, Scholar, Old Farmer, and Old Fisherman—Woodcutter Wen Tiange oversaw the overall situation of the Kai Emperor's reforms, grasping the main direction; Scholar Yanyunxi managed the military and political reforms; Old Farmer handled changes to the people's livelihoods; and Old Fisherman oversaw reforms in divine abilities and techniques.
The Four Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Court, on the other hand, focused on combat power, with no need for reforms.
"The Four Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Court are merely four individuals skilled in training troops and waging war, bearing the empty title of Heavenly Master. They have little achievement in overall strategy or the affairs of the heavens."
Just as Qin Mu thought this, a loud laugh rang out: "The Mu Heavenly Master has come from afar. Yun Gui failed to welcome you properly; please forgive my negligence!"
Qin Mu looked toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man striding quickly toward him, his face full of smiles. His upper lip had long mustaches that hung down from both sides of his mouth, forming a fork shape with his lower lip's beard.
This man was precisely the Eastern Heavenly Master, Meng Yungui.
Meng Yungui stepped forward briskly, bowed in greeting, and said with a smile, "The Mu Heavenly Master has come on an inspection tour, and I am deeply honored. I just returned from the Nether Emperor, the Yin Emperor, who spoke highly of you, Heavenly Master. He said that you are righteous and loyal to your own, offering aid in times of need, and that you are like a raging storm and thunderbolt to your enemies—truly a model for us all."
Qin Mu smiled warmly and asked, "What else did the Yin Emperor say?"
Meng Yungui replied, "The Yin Emperor also said that upon hearing of the Heavenly Master being ambushed, he was deeply uneasy and wished he could fly over immediately to offer a humble apology. However, burdened with heavy responsibilities, he dared not abandon his post. He asked that the Heavenly Master not hold it against him."
Qin Mu waved his hand dismissively. "These are trivial matters. Tell the Yin Emperor that I do not blame him. All the enemies who came to attack me have been killed. Let him not worry about it."
Meng Yungui sighed with emotion, "The Heavenly Master is magnanimous. If the Yin Emperor hears this, he will surely be moved to tears and choked with sobs."
Qin Mu laughed heartily.
Meng Yungui joined in the laughter, then shifted the topic, speaking seriously, "Heavenly Master, I have heard that the enemy has received reinforcements—the old loyalists of the rebel Qin Ye, the army of Fengdu, with several bandit leaders hiding among them. In recent days, the two Heavenly Masters have consulted us, saying that with the Fengdu rebels arriving, it will be difficult for the Yin Emperor to conquer the Netherworld of Tai Xu in a short time. Does the Mu Heavenly Master have a strategy to deal with this?"
Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, "I have also received news that the Grand Emperor has been reborn and escaped from the Supreme Divine Consciousness Realm. Compared to the rebel Qin Ye, the Grand Emperor is the greater threat to our hearts."
Meng Yungui's brows lifted as he mused, "The Heavenly Master is right. The Grand Emperor is indeed a grave threat! However, what should be done about Fengdu and the Netherworld of Tai Xu? I ask the Heavenly Master to instruct me."
"This is simple."
Qin Mu said amiably, "My niece, the Void Heavenly Master, is the daughter of the Earth Lord. If she takes action, not only could she deal with mere Fengdu, but breaking the Netherworld of Tai Xu would also be effortless."
Meng Yungui lowered his voice and chuckled, "If the Void Heavenly Master goes to attack the Netherworld of Tai Xu, then the Kai Emperor and the Creator God King will have an opportunity to join forces and attack the Fire Heavenly Master. The Fire Heavenly Master alone cannot hold out."
"Then we shall transfer another Heavenly Master from the Heavenly Court."
Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, "Three Heavenly Masters should be enough to handle the current situation."
Meng Yungui clapped his hands and laughed, "An excellent idea! Which Heavenly Master does the Mu Heavenly Master think should be summoned?"
Qin Mu said solemnly, "I believe it should be the Dawn Heavenly Master. The Dawn Heavenly Master is of the same race as the Fire Heavenly Master, both being humans, and they are close friends. If he takes the field, the Qin rebels can be defeated."
Meng Yungui mused, "The Heavenly Master speaks very wisely, very wisely... Does the Heavenly Master think that after the Dawn Heavenly Master leaves, the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Lord of Yuan Mu and the Dawn Heavenly Master might be snatched away by some sudden bandits?"
Qin Mu clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
Meng Yungui also burst into laughter.
Qin Mu praised, "Meng Heavenly Master is a clever man. So, which Heavenly Master do you think should be mobilized?"
Meng Yungui smiled and said, "How would I dare to mobilize a Heavenly Master? However, if the Hao Heavenly Master could come to Tai Xu, that would be excellent. The Hao Heavenly Master has not been assigned any territory, so he need not worry about bandits sneaking in and stealing the Divine Artifact Imperial Heavenly Lord while he is away. Moreover, the Hao Heavenly Master is powerful in combat. With his arrival, the chaos in Tai Xu can surely be settled."
Qin Mu sighed. "You rank second among the Four Heavenly Masters?"
"Yes," Meng Yungui bowed.
Qin Mu looked at him with deep, probing eyes. "You are very greedy for wealth?"
Meng Yungui chuckled softly. "A person cannot be without weaknesses. Greed for wealth can save one from death."
Qin Mu nodded lightly, turned, and walked away, saying leisurely, "Not to be underestimated."
Meng Yungui watched him go. After a long while, he suddenly waved his sleeve, and the walls of a courtyard behind him collapsed, revealing a courtyard full of gods and demons.
These gods and demons were all painters, holding brushes, with ink and paper beside them, painting on easels.
On their canvases, they had all painted Qin Mu!
These Heavenly Court painters varied in skill, but all their works were vivid and lifelike. The Qin Mu in the paintings could even move within the frames and speak!
Not only that, but the painters had also inscribed notes on the paintings, recording analyses of Qin Mu's personality, his tone, gestures, strategies, expressions, clothing, subtle facial changes, the flow of his blood and energy during speech, his heartbeat, and the minute muscle movements at the corners of his eyes—all meticulously documented.
Meng Yungui gathered these paintings and dismissed the Heavenly Court painters with a wave. He then held the albums and flipped through them one by one, offering no comments.
Suddenly, a voice came: "Meng Heavenly Master, how is your psychological analysis of the Mu Heavenly Master progressing?"
Meng Yungui turned around, bowed, and said, "Void Heavenly Master, I believe the Mu Heavenly Master must be killed as soon as possible, or he will become a great calamity!"