Chapter 1346: Ensuring Mutual Destruction (Third Update!)
Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu felt a sense of closeness upon seeing their son, but they forcibly restrained themselves and accepted the ancestral divine gold and divine ore that Youming Crown Prince had brought from the Ancestral Court. Emperor Wu said, "Pastoral Celestial Venerable has been thoughtful... How have you been faring in Yankang?"
Youming Crown Prince lowered his head and said, "I have been doing very well in Yankang. I have made many new friends who treat me sincerely and have never schemed against me. However, Emperor Yankang found my techniques and divine abilities outdated and ordered me to study at the Dao Inquiry Academy. There, I exchange techniques and divine abilities with my new friends, and they treat me with genuine warmth—I am very happy."
Emperor Wu relaxed and smiled. "As long as you are doing well, I am relieved."
Emperor Xuan said solemnly, "Though we have severed ties with you, you are still our junior, so I cannot help but give you one piece of advice. In your dealings with others, keep your wits about you. If someone treats you sincerely, you should repay them with sincerity in return."
Youming Crown Prince choked up, knelt, and acknowledged their words.
Emperor Wu grew impatient and waved his hand. "Go now, quickly."
Youming Crown Prince shed tears, rose, bowed, and took his leave.
Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu watched him go. "Our foolish son is still studying. I see he is much more composed than before—no longer the careless, guileless person he used to be."
"His cultivation base is much deeper than before. It seems Yankang has helped him grow."
The couple exchanged a smile. "Our son also has the potential of a Celestial Venerable, just not the wisdom of one. But with Yankang backing him, perhaps he can survive."
They examined the treasures sent by Emperor Yankang and were astonished. The sheer quantity and scale of the gifts were immense—enough to forge a divine artifact capable of suppressing the fate of the Northern Heaven.
"Pastoral Celestial Venerable has certainly struck it rich in the Ancestral Court."
Emperor Xuan murmured, "I heard that our Glazed Azure Heavenly Canopy was taken by him to suppress the Ancestral Court. That brat probably used these treasures to curry favor with us."
Emperor Wu said, "Back then, he also saved Youming and the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace. It's fine for him to borrow it."
At the same time, Heavenly Venerable Hao's deterrent arrived belatedly.
Heavenly Venerable Hao's deterrent was a head the size of a star—the head of Emperor Tai!
That head was one of the only three remaining physical parts of Emperor Tai!
Ever since Emperor Tai had escaped his imprisonment, everything had gone wrong for him. In his battle with Heavenly Venerable Hao, he had lost an arm and had one of his heads devoured. After obtaining the Primal Origin Stone from Qin Mu, he had regenerated his body, but the new head and arm were not as good as the originals.
Then, in the Ancestral Court, Emperor Tai had been besieged by the four Celestial Venerables, torn apart, and his body sacrificed on an altar hidden in the Ancestral Court, becoming nourishment for the beings of the prehistoric era.
Only one of his fists had fallen into the control of Earth Mother Yuanjun and been preserved.
The head that had fallen into Qin Mu's hands was merely created from the Primal Origin Stone—far inferior to his original head.
This head and the other arm of Emperor Tai were now in the hands of Heavenly Venerable Hao.
At this moment, Heavenly Venerable Hao had refined Emperor Tai's head into a treasure. The pressure of using Emperor Tai's head to intimidate the Yuan Realm, and to exert influence over the various Celestial Venerables, even Earth Lord, Heavenly Lord, and the three Ancient God Emperors, was immense!
Emperor Tai—a being on par with Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu—had been beheaded by Heavenly Venerable Hao. Just how powerful must Heavenly Venerable Hao be?
The moment Emperor Tai's head appeared, all other treasures in the heavens paled in comparison!
Emperor Tai's head opened its eyes, its gaze a thousand times brighter than sunlight. The twin beams hummed as they swept across the heavens and earth of the Yuan Realm, illuminating every corner of its countless heavens.
Heavenly Venerable Hao, the foremost of the ten Celestial Venerables, might be rumored to have suffered severe injuries and lost much of his former strength, but his aura and prestige remained unmatched. All other Celestial Venerables fell short by comparison.
Suddenly, Emperor Tai's gaze fixed on a dark place and did not move.
There, karmic fire blazed fiercely, turning a thousand miles of land into a crimson wasteland. Amid the raging flames, a person's primordial spirit emerged, bound by chains at its limbs, writhing and roaring in agony, ferocious and hideous.
That primordial spirit belonged to the former Crown Prince of the Heavenly Court's Eastern Palace, the Evil Emperor Xie Wuqi!
The paper boat of Nether Celestial Venerable appeared faintly, and Nether Celestial Venerable stood on the ghost ship. His deterrent had also arrived silently.
That was Xie Wuqi, the Evil Emperor—one of the most powerful beings of the Longhan Era, possessing the bloodline of both the Empress and the Heavenly Emperor, with the potential of a Celestial Venerable. Yet, lacking wisdom, he had vied for the throne with the Heavenly Emperor, been defeated, cast into the Netherworld, and suppressed within the Jade Lock Pass!
Now, beside Xie Wuqi stood another person—the current Crown Prince of the Heavenly Court's Eastern Palace, Mingya!
Controlling Emperor Tai's head was Heavenly Venerable Hao. He was indifferent to Xie Wuqi. Back then, he had incited Xie Wuqi to rebel, using the Heavenly Emperor's hand to eliminate this elder brother of his. Xie Wuqi had been dead for so many years that he was no longer a concern.
His gaze was fixed solely on Crown Prince Mingya.
Crown Prince Mingya was one of the few with the potential of a Celestial Venerable. Young as he was, he had captured Red Emperor Qi Xiayu, forcing her to submit to the Heavenly Court.
His talent was exceptional—the highest among the younger generation of the Heavenly Court. Moreover, he was Heavenly Venerable Hao's younger brother.
But in truth, Crown Prince Mingya was Heavenly Venerable Hao's son.
His son.
After the Heavenly Emperor's death, Heavenly Venerable Hao had taken over the Heavenly Emperor's body and, controlling it, had entered the harem, committing some absurd acts.
Crown Prince Mingya was the product of that absurdity. Heavenly Venerable Hao had once wanted to execute this product of his folly to avoid leaving a stain on his record, but he had held back.
He was very fond of Crown Prince Mingya. Though they were brothers in name, they were father and son in truth. Heavenly Venerable Hao had always taken care of him and placed great expectations on him.
But after the Heavenly Emperor's eggshell was stolen, Crown Prince Mingya had vanished without a trace. No one expected him to have gone to the Netherworld to meet the Evil Emperor Xie Wuqi!
Now, Xie Wuqi and Crown Prince Mingya had been brought forth by Nether Celestial Venerable as a deterrent, summoned from the Netherworld.
They were Nether Celestial Venerable's means of intimidating Heavenly Venerable Hao!
Heavenly Venerable Hao controlled Emperor Tai's head and averted his gaze. Nether Celestial Venerable's deterrent was too ruthless—it had seized upon his weakness.
"Nether, one day you will regret what you have done today!"
In the Peach Grove, Qin Mu let out a long sigh of relief. For now, the situation was stable. His plan to display power had been successfully implemented, all thanks to the support of his allies.
Of course, this also relied on Nether Celestial Venerable to notify Western Emperor and Eastern Emperor, and even more so on Western Emperor White Tiger—a little demon who feared nothing and loved chaos—being the first to leap out and descend upon the Yuan Realm in a blaze of glory.
Without Western Emperor White Tiger being the first to descend, Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon and Northern Emperor Black Tortoise, those old foxes, would never have come down!
Even more crucial was the cunning old fox, Heavenly Lord. Once the three Ancient God Emperors descended, Heavenly Lord had no choice but to descend as well.
"For now, the situation can maintain a temporary balance. As long as we ensure that we and the Heavenly Court have the power to destroy each other, the Heavenly Court won't move against the Yuan Realm for the time being, and the Taixu Realm can also remain safe for now. As long as Dawn Celestial Venerable remains trapped in chaotic space, this balance will hold—until he escapes from there."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. His next goal was to rescue Ling Celestial Venerable!
He had to rescue Ling Celestial Venerable before Dawn Celestial Venerable broke free from chaotic space!
Once Ling Celestial Venerable was rescued, even if Dawn Celestial Venerable escaped from chaotic space, it wouldn't have much impact on the overall situation.
But before that, he needed to improve his own strength, ensuring that when he rescued Ling Celestial Venerable, he would have the capital to contend with Emperor Tai, who controlled the Heavenly Emperor's body!
"Moon, would you be willing to teach me your spatial techniques?" In the palace, Qin Mu smiled at Moon Celestial Venerable.
————Exhausted! Just returned from Suzhou! The fourth update will follow shortly!