Chapter 1288: The Empress and Imperial Heaven’s Past (Second Update)
Yan Tianfei furrowed her brow slightly but watched him quietly, saying nothing.
Qin Mu laughed for a while, but Yan Tianfei remained silent. He could no longer keep laughing and had to stop, asking, “Heavenly Consort, why don’t you ask me why I’m laughing?”
“To save your life, you’ll speak on your own. Why should I need to ask?” Yan Tianfei said calmly.
Qin Mu praised, “Heavenly Consort, you are truly remarkable. If I were the Primordial Heavenly Emperor, I would marry you and make you the Empress.”
Yan Tianfei furrowed her brow slightly.
Qin Mu continued, “Heavenly Consort, as a sacred being born from the Abyss, you naturally have the power to destroy everything, even souls can be easily obliterated, and the black sand of spirits would cease to exist. However, wouldn’t a living me be more useful to you?”
Yan Tianfei raised an eyebrow.
Qin Mu said, “Although you have shed your identity as an ancient god, you are still an ancient god at heart. At least in the eyes of Hao Heavenly Venerable, Langxuan Divine Sovereign, and the others, you will always be an ancient god. They will never be of one mind with you. Killing me would mean killing one of their opponents. Heavenly Consort, you can actually place bets on both sides.”
Yan Tianfei’s eyes flickered. “Place bets on both sides?”
Qin Mu nodded. “Among the Ten Heavenly Venerables, only seven want me dead, but three protect me. That means the seven are one side. The remaining three, along with the ancient gods, form the other side. If you only bet on the seven, and in the end, it’s not the seven who win, but the ancient gods, how will you handle that?”
Yan Tianfei shook her head. “You’re wrong. The ancient gods cannot win. The era of the ancient gods has completely passed. The only possible victors are the Ten Heavenly Venerables.”
“Can you really be certain that the victors will be the seven?”
Qin Mu said, “Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord—how powerful are they? Add the three Heavenly Venerables among the Ten, and that’s five! Beyond these five Heavenly Venerable-level beings, there are also the Kai Emperor and Langhuan, also at the Heavenly Venerable level—that’s seven! But it doesn’t stop there. There’s also Moon Heavenly Venerable and Ling Heavenly Venerable—that’s nine! Beyond these nine, there are the Four Ancient God Emperors! On the other side, there are only seven. Won’t it be extremely difficult for them to win?”
Yan Tianfei gently furrowed her brow.
Qin Mu pressed on, “If Heavenly Consort only bets on one side, what if you lose in the end? Will the ancient gods tolerate you? And if you kill me, will these nine Heavenly Venerable-level beings tolerate you?”
Yan Tianfei laughed. “Moon Heavenly Venerable is crippled, Ling Heavenly Venerable is dead, Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord are trapped by their own great paths, and the Kai Emperor and Langhuan cannot match the Ten Heavenly Venerables in strength. Mu Heavenly Venerable, you don’t know the true power of the Ten Heavenly Venerables. You have no chance of winning.”
Qin Mu said, “Oh? And what if we add Imperial Heavenly Venerable?”
Yan Tianfei’s mind shook violently. Her beautiful eyes blinked as her gaze fell on his face, as if trying to see through all his thoughts.
After a moment, Yan Tianfei said calmly, “Imperial Heavenly Venerable is dead. He died a million years ago and was buried by the Heavenly River.”
“But his coffin is empty, isn’t it?”
Qin Mu smiled faintly. “I took his body and hid it in the Netherworld for a million years. Don’t forget, Heavenly Consort, my title among the ancient gods is the Indestructible Great Mage.”
Yan Tianfei’s delicate body trembled slightly, and she fell silent.
Qin Mu said nothing more.
After a long while, Yan Tianfei lifted her brows lightly and said softly, “In my heart, Primordial was not fit to be the Heavenly Emperor. He was arrogant and power-hungry, needing to hold all authority in his own hands to feel secure. At that time, about a thousand years before the Dragon Han Era, I was returning to my homeland. On the road, I encountered a youth, a charming human youth. He was sitting under a tree, comprehending the Dao.”
Qin Mu listened quietly.
“How noble was my status? How magnificent was my phoenix carriage? How grand was my procession? Wherever I passed, celestial flowers rained down, gods surrounded me in praise, and all manner of great gods, minor gods, and petty gods knelt in worship. But when I saw him, I couldn’t help but stop my carriage.”
Yan Tianfei recalled the past, her expression calm. “He was entering the Dao and didn’t even notice my arrival. He just sat quietly under the tree. From within him emanated a Dao resonance that brought me peace, and I unconsciously stood by his side, listening for a long time. I knew that humans were so humble, yet they were about to rise.”
A look of melancholy crossed her face. “I seemed to see the future, the decline of the ancient gods, the rise of humans, demigods, and other races. At that moment, I felt the urge to kill him.”
Yan Tianfei paused for a moment. “Then, he woke from his Dao contemplation, staring at me with clear eyes, and my killing intent vanished. I invited him into my carriage, treated him as an honored guest, and traveled with him across the four seas, all the way to the Abyss. Later, he comprehended the Embryo Divine Treasury, ushering in an era. I saw his breadth of vision and spirit and felt he was more worthy of being the Heavenly Emperor.”
Qin Mu sensed admiration, affection, and love in her tone, and his mood grew somewhat strange.
He hadn’t expected Imperial Heavenly Venerable to have such a past.
Yan Tianfei continued, “Later, he died. I once wanted to retrieve his body and bury it forever in the lotus of the Abyss, so he would never decay. But his coffin was empty.”
“I took it,” Qin Mu said with a smile.
Yan Tianfei fell silent again. Soon, she regained the composure befitting a Heavenly Venerable, no longer bound by emotion. “Use Hao’er’s blood in exchange for fifty percent of the mine’s output?”
Qin Mu nodded.
Yan Tianfei said calmly, “I also want my own body and that little wretch’s body back.”
Qin Mu flatly refused, shaking his head. “Heavenly Consort, you’re too greedy. The Empress’s body and Yuanmu’s body are incredibly precious. I treasure them greatly. You want to trade them for just fifty percent? Dream on! I can throw in Jue Wuchen’s body as a bonus!”
Yan Tianfei shook her head. “What use do you have for my body and that little wretch’s body? Return them to me, and I’ll grant you fifty percent of this mine. That’s already immense grace. The Creators dominated the universe for billions of years with just the Primordial Mine. With half a mine, you can make humanity the lords of the world, the foremost of all races!”
Qin Mu laughed heartily. After a moment, Yan Tianfei still didn’t respond.
Qin Mu had to stop laughing and said seriously, “Heavenly Consort, if the Empress’s body and Yuanmu’s body were combined, how powerful would they be? You know better than I do. These two ancient god bodies are the key to obtaining the twin lotuses in the Great Abyss!”
Yan Tianfei’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
Qin Mu’s eyelids twitched violently, and he inwardly regretted speaking too much.
Yan Tianfei restrained her killing intent and said calmly, “I can forgo that little wretch’s body, but I must have my own body back. The thought of my body in the hands of a hideous, repulsive man like you gives me goosebumps.”
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth. “Then, besides the fifty percent output, I also want the raw stones from this mine! If you agree, I’ll return your body and throw in Jue Wuchen’s body!”
Yan Tianfei paced back and forth, then suddenly stopped, a faint smile on her face. “I agree. But the raw stones are in the mine. You’ll have to dig them out yourself. If you have the skill, go ahead and take them. If not, you’ll die in the mining area. Mu Heavenly Venerable, do you dare?”
Qin Mu clenched his fists, paced around, and then stomped his foot. “Deal!”
—Recommend a book, Returning to the Ming Dynasty as a Tyrant Emperor. The dog emperor writes well, but the author is a bit ugly…