Chapter 1328: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes (Fourth Update)
The Unity of Ten Thousand Daos?
Everyone in the palace was deeply shaken. Heavenly Lord Xiao was the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu. His ambitions were immense. Before his true Heavenly Emperor body had perished, he had already split his soul into a reincarnation, transforming into a young human prodigy named Xiao Weisu, who became a disciple of Heavenly Lord Yun. Later, he inherited Heavenly Lord Yun's legacy and became the leader of humanity, which was during the late Long Han Era.
This meant that Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu had already realized during the late Long Han Era that the acquired Dao would rise. Thus, he planned ahead, splitting off a soul early to become Xiao Weisu and begin his schemes!
The true rise of the acquired Dao did not occur during the subsequent Chi Ming Era or Shang Huang Era. It began to sprout at the end of the Shang Huang Era, and its real development took place during the Kai Huang Era and the Yan Kang Era, where it flourished.
In this, the woodcutter sage Wen Tiange had made an immeasurable contribution.
In other words, Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu had foreseen events four to five hundred thousand years into the future, allowing him to lay his groundwork in advance!
"Tai Chu the Heavenly Emperor is no pushover either. Among the Ten Heavenly Lords, not a single one is an easy mark!" everyone thought silently.
With Wei Suifeng and Yun Jianli's help, the Dao patterns hidden within Heavenly Lord Xiao's sword strike were quickly sorted out. Wei Suifeng was erudite and widely read, having learned the most about the acquired Dao from the woodcutter sage. The acquired Dao within Heavenly Lord Xiao's techniques was no challenge for him. Yun Jianli, on the other hand, was the orthodox successor of the Zi Xiao Bi Luo Gong. The two complemented each other perfectly.
After finishing their work, the two showed no intention of leaving. They stared eagerly at Qin Mu, the Medicine King, and Heavenly Lord Yue, waiting to see how they would treat her injuries.
Qin Mu was using his divine consciousness to examine the Dao wounds in Heavenly Lord Yue's primordial spirit. Without looking up, he said, "When we begin treatment, the five Heavenly Lords who left these Dao wounds will all be alerted. I wonder who will make a move against us here."
Wei Suifeng and Yun Jianli's faces changed drastically. Wei Suifeng bowed deeply and said loudly, "Heavenly Lord, we were kidnapped from the Wen Dao Academy by you. There are still some tasks left unfinished there. We beg you to send us back!"
"Righteousness demands it! There is no shirking duty!"
Yun Jianli said with great moral conviction, "We promised Emperor Yan Xiu, and we must do a good job! We beg you to send us back to the Wen Dao Academy!"
Heavenly Lord Yue said gently, "I appreciate your hard work. Walk out of the palace gate and follow the lights in the peach grove. Once you leave the grove, you will be in Yan Kang's capital city."
The two felt as if they had received a pardon. They hurried out of the palace and, sure enough, saw lights in the peach grove. They followed the lights until they emerged from the grove, finding themselves in the lower city of Yan Kang's capital.
They breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked toward the lower city. Yun Jianli felt a pang of guilt and said, "Leaving Mu Heavenly Lord and the Medicine King God here to die is a bit dishonorable, isn't it?"
Wei Suifeng laughed. "Of course it's dishonorable! But my second junior brother loves to stir up trouble; he won't die. We, on the other hand, might not be so lucky! Come on, the important work awaits."
The two entered the city.
Back in the Peach Grove Palace, Qin Mu had finally finished cataloging all the Dao patterns of Lang Xuan Shen Huang's divine consciousness Dao. The Medicine King had also prepared various medicinal herbs. Qin Mu took out some Tai Su primal fluid, and the two exchanged glances without speaking.
Heavenly Lord Yue waited for a long time, remaining silent, but finally couldn't help herself. She smiled and said, "Two master physicians, why so solemn when the moment is upon us?"
The Medicine King bowed slightly and said, "If it were treating Mu'er's injuries, I wouldn't hesitate to refine five hundred kinds of medicine and feed them to him, since they wouldn't poison him anyway. But treating a Heavenly Lord, I can't help but be cautious, striving for no aftereffects."
Heavenly Lord Yue felt a surge of sympathy for Qin Mu and laughed. "Medicine King God, you needn't worry. Could taking your medicine make my condition worse than it is now? If not, then go ahead."
The Medicine King acknowledged her words.
Heavenly Lord Yue looked at Qin Mu, waited a moment, and then chuckled. "Mu Heavenly Lord, what else is troubling you?"
Qin Mu said seriously, "I'm thinking about which of the five Heavenly Lords will return to the Heavenly Court and which will make a move against you. All five of these Heavenly Lords are half-dead..."
Heavenly Lord Yue was startled and stammered, "They're half-dead?"
Qin Mu pondered. "Heavenly Lord Hao is unlikely to make a move. He was severely wounded by the Imperial Emperor and doesn't dare return to the Heavenly Court now. Among the five, his injuries are the worst. Even with Tai Su's full help, he won't recover for a hundred or two hundred years. Besides, his divine artifact, Imperial Lord Yu, has been shattered. Heavenly Lord Huo was gravely wounded by the Imperial Emperor, the Kai Huang, and Lang Wan. He probably can't recover during this time either. He's stationed in the Tai Xu, so he's likely not in the Heavenly Court now. His divine artifact, Imperial Lord Yu, is left in the Nan Ji Heaven to suppress it."
Heavenly Lord Yue listened quietly as Qin Mu continued. "But if Heavenly Lord Huo returns to the Heavenly Court, then he might make a move. Next is Lang Xuan. He was severely wounded by the Imperial Emperor and then again by Heavenly Lord Xiao. His injuries are also very serious. Even if he returns to the Heavenly Court, it's fine. His divine artifact, Imperial Lord Yu, can't get here in time..."
"Imperial Lord Zu's divine artifact, Imperial Lord Yu, is in the Xuan Du and can't descend. And Imperial Lord Zu's injuries are not light either. The battle with the Imperial Emperor nearly shattered his Heavenly Dao treasure. He can't refine it back in a short time. Even if he makes a move, he can't do anything to us."
"The only one I'm wary of is Heavenly Lord Xiao. He had a hand severed by Yan Tian Fei, but that bastard is an anomaly among the Ten Heavenly Lords. He cultivates the acquired Dao and is extremely eager for it."
Qin Mu frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "He's also turned a blind eye to the Yan Kang reforms, clearly having designs on them. He must have also learned the Zao Hua Gong inherited from the Chi Ming Era. By now, he should have fully recovered. And what's more terrifying is that he is the Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu. I don't know how far he has progressed in the Unity of Ten Thousand Daos..."
The Medicine King reminded him, "Heavenly Lord Xiao also has a Yuan Mu tree, not far from the peach grove."
Qin Mu nodded. "His divine artifact, Imperial Lord Yu, is right next to the Yuan Mu tree. With the Unity of Ten Thousand Daos, plus the Imperial Lord Yu and the Yuan Mu tree, he is likely the strongest among the Ten Heavenly Lords! If he makes a move, Heavenly Lord Yue, can you stop him?"
Heavenly Lord Yue thought for a moment, then summoned all the palace maids. "Take out all the lanterns I've refined over the years and hang them in the peach grove according to this formation diagram."
She took out a diagram and handed it to the head maid, instructing, "Once you've hung them, return to the palace immediately. Do not linger in the grove."
The maids acknowledged the order, went to open the palace treasury, and took out several hundred lanterns. They shook them, and the lanterns lit up. The maids carried them out of the palace and hung them on the peach trees.
Qin Mu stared wide-eyed, his heart itching with curiosity, wishing he could snatch a few of the lanterns.
Others might not know the benefits of Heavenly Lord Yue's lanterns, but he did. Carrying one of these lanterns while traveling was faster than the Heavenly Lords themselves!
But that wasn't their greatest use. Their true power lay in their ability to transform into strings!
Qin Mu had seen Bai Yu Qiong, the Day Master, use a lantern's transformed string to sever Heavenly Lord Hao's fingers and even cut off his head!
Heavenly Lord Yue flicked her sleeve, and a zither flew over, landing on her lap. She smiled at the two men. "All five Heavenly Lords are injured. The Imperial Emperor has done me a great favor. Why would the Imperial Emperor be so kind?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly and said leisurely, "Naturally, there is a mastermind behind the scenes, using leverage to counter leverage. Without this mastermind... this pusher, I wouldn't dare come to heal you, Yue'er, right away."
Heavenly Lord Yue gave him a deep look and suddenly laughed. "Mu Heavenly Lord, Medicine King God, today I will show my skills. You two go ahead with the medicine and treatment. I will play a tune on the zither and greet the Heavenly Lords of the Heavenly Court."
She plucked a string, and it vibrated with a crisp *dong* sound. In the night, the lights of the lanterns in the peach grove suddenly blazed brighter. Beams of light shot out from these lanterns!
The lanterns were connected by these light strings, crisscrossing in a web, vibrating in harmony with Heavenly Lord Yue's zither strings, producing a beautiful melody!