Chapter 1377: Getting a Piece of the Pie (Fourth Update)
Qin Mu's robes fluttered, and his own cultivation base surged dramatically. Within his nineteen celestial palaces, one primordial spirit after another walked toward the Jade Terrace, their aura growing stronger and stronger!
The Jade Terrace realm no longer posed any obstacle for him!
Not only that, he could even sense that his various primordial spirits could cross the Jade Terrace, enter the Jade Sea, sail across it, and reach the Execution Platform on the opposite shore!
If he endured the Execution Platform and survived, he could even effortlessly pass through the Nine Prisons Platform within each of his celestial palaces!
By then, he would be only one step away from the Jade Capital realm!
In just a short moment, Qin Mu's various primordial spirits had already arrived at the Jade Terrace. His cultivation and strength increased at a terrifying rate—this was the power boost brought about by entering the Jade Pool realm!
Within each celestial palace, his primordial spirits walked across the sea, the Jade Pool churning with high winds and rough waves, his cultivation base rising in a straight line.
Although the celestial palace system had various shortcomings, the progress it brought in terms of power was undeniable!
However, Qin Mu soon stopped in the middle of the sea, not advancing further.
"The celestial palaces of the deities all imitate the Heavenly Court, while the Heavenly Court's Jade Terrace and Jade Pool imitate the Ancestral Court's Jade Pool and Jade Terrace. Since I'm in the Ancestral Court, I must visit the Jade Pool and Jade Terrace no matter what, striving to perfect this realm."
He suppressed the urge to directly break through the Jade Pool realm.
The various realms of the celestial palaces, created in imitation of the Heavenly Court, only focused on power without any improvement in the Dao realm, making them incomplete.
But in the Ancestral Court, he could unlock the Dao realm hidden within these realms. This would undoubtedly be an unparalleled enhancement, leaving no flaws in any realm!
Not only the Jade Pool, but also the other three Heavenly Gates, the Execution Platform, and the Jade Capital City—he needed to visit them all.
If his strength became too great, to the point where he could no longer sense the Dao realm contained within the three Heavenly Gates, the Jade Pool, and the Jade Terrace, then the loss would outweigh the gain.
He swept his gaze around but did not find Long Xiao or Long Qilin, and he immediately understood the reason.
"Several Heavenly Sovereigns from the Heavenly Court have probably already arrived in the Ancestral Court. Although Long Xiao appears stubborn and self-willed, knowing that the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns have descended, he will surely seek them out and kill him at the first opportunity."
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then restrained all his extraordinary phenomena and descended before Long Xiao's throne.
He quietly began constructing his own Ancestral Court Nine Prisons Platform. This platform of his was also built on the reverse side of the Ancestral Court, and besides this Nine Prisons Platform, there was also the Southern Heavenly Gate.
"Mu Tianzun!"
Suddenly, one Heavenly Sovereign after another descended, arriving at the Nine Prisons Platform. They were Hao, Fire, Void, Palace, Hong, Ancestor, Lang, Qiang, and Yan—nine Heavenly Sovereigns in total. Each looked around and frowned slightly.
"This place is strange."
Void Heavenly Sovereign soared into the air, carefully examining the Nine Prisons Platform, her expression growing even more solemn.
She descended and headed straight for the second level platform, soon arriving at the third and fourth levels.
"What is Mu Tianzun doing here?" Hong Heavenly Sovereign asked, frowning.
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Naturally, I came here to break through. Let me inform you all: I have already reached the Jade Pool realm!"
Ancestor Divine King said coldly, "I am about to cultivate a true Heavenly Court! Is reaching the Jade Pool realm something to be proud of?"
Langxuan Divine Emperor said amiably, "Mu Tianzun achieving the Jade Pool is indeed something to be proud of. Mu Tianzun is fifty years old this year, right? To reach the Jade Pool realm and become a Celestial Deity at fifty is already a rare speed."
Qin Mu kindly reminded them, "I just turned seventeen."
Ancestor Divine King chuckled. "Fifty years old is already a long life for ordinary people. Apart from the Yan'kang and the Southern Lands, few humans live to fifty. Even Yan'kang people, ordinary ones, only live to eighty. Mu Tianzun is already an old man, with only thirty years left to strive."
Qiang Tianfei laughed. "Did Mu Tianzun encounter Long Xiao?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "I haven't seen him. I originally wanted to pick up the scraps—wait for the Empress and the other Heavenly Sovereigns to severely wound him, then take the opportunity to kill him. But when I arrived here, I suddenly felt a resonance of qi and broke through my realm, achieving the Jade Pool. I achieved the Jade Pool at seventeen..."
When Hao Tianzun and Qiang Tianfei heard the words "pick up the scraps," they felt quite displeased.
They were people whom Qin Mu had taken advantage of by picking up scraps—one was chased for six hundred thousand miles by Qin Mu and had to rely on Tai Su Niangniang to save his life, and the other had his head captured and refined into a seal.
Clearly, Qin Mu had also wanted to pick up scraps from Long Xiao, but because he needed to break through his realm, he failed to do so.
Ancestor Divine King coughed, reminding, "Mu Tianzun is fifty years old, entering old age."
Qin Mu's face darkened.
Just then, Void Heavenly Sovereign flew up from the Nine Prisons Platform, her expression strange, and said, "There's something eerie inside. My Dao heart was suppressed, but fortunately, my cultivation base is deep, so I got through it safely."
The other Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances and walked into the Nine Prisons Platform together.
Void Heavenly Sovereign looked at Qin Mu and said softly, "Why did Mu Tianzun choose to break through here?"
"The feng shui here is excellent, a naturally blessed land. When I arrived here, I felt a connection with this place..."
Void Heavenly Sovereign had long known that he liked to speak carelessly and never told the truth, so she paid it no mind.
Soon after, the other eight Heavenly Sovereigns rose from the Nine Prisons Platform and said in unison, "It is indeed eerie. Unfortunately, it can't suppress a Heavenly Sovereign, or else this place could even imprison one!"
Hao Tianzun suddenly spoke up. "Regarding the reverse side of the Ancestral Court, what does Mu Tianzun think about how it should be divided?"
Qin Mu smiled. "Naturally, I want a piece of the pie too."
The other Heavenly Sovereigns raised their brows. At that moment, the sky suddenly shook violently, and a divine artifact, Imperial Heavenly Venerable, descended from the heavens, crashing down onto the reverse side of the Ancestral Court!
The nine Heavenly Sovereigns stared in astonishment, exchanging glances, all filled with shock and uncertainty.
"Who dispatched a divine artifact to this place?" Hao Tianzun asked in a deep voice.
Hong Heavenly Sovereign shook his head. "This divine artifact did not come from us, nor from Xiao Tianzun. Could it be the divine artifact in the hands of Tu Bo?"
Qin Mu looked at the divine artifact, Imperial Heavenly Venerable, also filled with shock and doubt, and suddenly said, "It could also be from the eleventh Heavenly Sovereign among the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns!"
The nine Heavenly Sovereigns' hearts tightened upon hearing this, and they quickly sped away, disappearing in an instant. Gong Tianzun's voice came from afar: "Mu Tianzun, the Heavenly Alliance meeting will discuss the ownership of the reverse side of the Ancestral Court and decide other major matters. Don't miss it!"
"Heavenly Alliance meeting? Besides the reverse side of the Ancestral Court, are there other major matters?"
Qin Mu's gaze flickered. "Could it be to completely lift the seal on the Ancestral Court? Something's off... Is Tu Bo controlling the divine artifact, Imperial Heavenly Venerable, to descend, or is Yuan Mu Furen manipulating it?"
After some time, two giant beasts, one large and one small, arrived here. Qin Mu opened his eyes and examined them but saw nothing unusual. Yet, in his heart, he felt that one of these two giant beasts was Long Xiao, and the other was Long Qilin.
Puzzled, he opened his vertical brow eye. This eye of his could see through all transformations, but it could not see through these two giant beasts.
"Long Xiao indeed has some skill. No wonder he survived the Blood Rust Campaign."
Qin Mu smiled. "Back then, you used this method to evade the investigations of the Celestial Emperor Tai Chu and the other ancient deities, didn't you? And you also used this method to fool the Heavenly Sovereigns?"
"Mu Tianzun is indeed a Heavenly Sovereign with extraordinary abilities."
The older of the two giant beasts spoke. "Even Celestial Emperor Tai Chu could not see through me, and the nine Heavenly Sovereigns could not find my true origins. Yet you recognized me. This shows that your being honored as Mu Tianzun is not without reason."
Qin Mu smiled. "I didn't see through your transformation either; it was just my Dao heart that sensed it was you. Long Xiao, you should know by now that what I said was not false, right?"
Long Xiao said in a deep voice, "The Ten Heavenly Sovereigns want to kill me. I indeed need an ally. Mu Tianzun, I have come this time as an ally to seek your advice: how can I save my life and ensure the safety of my people?"
"Very simple. Go to the Tai Xu," Qin Mu said decisively.
"While writing, I kept drifting between sleep and wakefulness. My body can't take it; I need to rest early."