Chapter 1390: I Kill This Thief for the World!
Moon Venerable smiled as he looked at him and said softly, “That’s enough. Rein it in a little.”
Qin Mu’s heart tightened, and he quickly restrained himself.
Moon Venerable sat down, swept his gaze around, taking in the expressions of all the venerables, and said clearly, “Fellow Daoists, the Heavenly Alliance was founded by the three of us along with Cloud Venerable and Ling Venerable. You may oppose Qin Venerable, but do you also oppose me? You may oppose me, but do you also oppose Cloud Venerable and Ling Venerable? Among us five founding elders, is there anyone you do not oppose?”
Langxuan Divine Sovereign sneered, “Moon Venerable, we do not oppose Mu Venerable! You and Ling Venerable conspired to kill Mother Earth, who was of high virtue and prestige, yet she fell to your vicious hands! Mu Venerable is pure and innocent, having never committed such evil deeds! Why can’t we oppose you?”
Qin Mu kindly reminded him, “Langxuan Divine Sovereign, we were just discussing Mother Earth’s rampage and the slaughter of a million heavenly soldiers and generals from the Heavenly Court. Ancestral God King was almost in tears. Everyone agrees that Mother Earth was guilty of heinous crimes, just like Qin Venerable, an accomplice of the Heavenly Duke. How is it that the Divine Sovereign is now speaking for this criminal? Could it be that you are a member of the Heavenly Duke’s faction? I don’t believe you are such a person.”
“You!” Langxuan Divine Sovereign was left speechless, his mouth agape.
If he forcibly blamed the murder of Mother Earth on Moon Venerable, then Opening Emperor would be exonerated and become innocent.
If he did not blame Moon Venerable, then Moon Venerable had too few stains to seize upon, leaving them without leverage, and Qin Mu would smoothly install Moon Venerable into the Heavenly Alliance.
Moon Venerable dividing their interests was a minor matter; the key was dividing their hearts.
Qin Mu and Opening Emperor were skilled at swaying hearts. Their earlier exchange had already left them flustered. If Opening Emperor and Moon Venerable were allowed into the leadership of the Heavenly Alliance, it wouldn’t be long before many worlds in the myriad realms no longer belonged to the Ten Venerables, but to them!
He looked down and saw that below, the divine beings of the Second Heavenly Court and the First Heavenly Court were whispering among themselves, discussing animatedly. Now that three of the Heavenly Alliance’s founding elders had arrived, the alliance’s morale was wavering.
Of the five founding elders of the Heavenly Alliance, three were now present. Qin Mu was easy to handle, given his low cultivation, weak strength, and incomparable influence.
But Qin Venerable possessed the great power of Carefree Realm, allied with the prehistoric creators, and had secret dealings with beings like the Heavenly Duke and Earth Lord.
If he also gained the support of certain forces in the myriad realms, backed by many venerable-level existences, he could stand against the Ten Venerables!
Qin Mu’s face showed difficulty. He hesitated for a moment, then said generously, “Moreover, Langxuan Divine Sovereign, you may not know that Mother Earth, that heinous criminal, has already been killed by me.”
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar arose, and the rulers of the myriad realms buzzed with discussion.
Qin Mu declared loudly, “That’s right! Mother Earth did not die at the hands of Moon Venerable or Ling Venerable, but was killed by me. If Moon Venerable and Ling Venerable had killed Mother Earth, how could she have gone to the Heavenly Capital to rebel? It was out of remembrance for the heavenly soldiers who died at Mother Earth’s hands, and indignation for their lives, that I disregarded life and death and took the initiative to challenge Mother Earth!”
A glint of tears seemed to shimmer in his eyes. He spoke with passionate fervor, his voice rising: “A million heavenly soldiers and generals, their bodies not yet cold, cannot be allowed to die in vain! Blood debts must be repaid with blood! Ancestral God King could not avenge them; the Heavenly Court could not avenge them. But I, Qin Mu, leader of the Heavenly Alliance, am willing to bear the infamy of killing Mother Earth! Mother Earth was slain by me in the back of the Ancestral Realm. Palace Venerable can testify, Qiang Heavenly Concubine can also testify! Langxuan Divine Sovereign, you too can testify for me!”
He said indignantly, “The blood of our heavenly soldiers cannot be shed in vain! Langxuan Divine Sovereign, if you want to hold Moon Venerable accountable for killing Mother Earth, you don’t need to look for her! Come to me instead! I, Qin Mu, will bear all the blame!”
Langxuan Divine Sovereign’s face flushed red. He was tongue-tied and couldn’t speak for a long time.
Palace Venerable coughed lightly and said calmly, “Mu Venerable’s words are true. I can testify.”
Qiang Heavenly Concubine hesitated for a moment, then smiled, “I can also testify. Divine Sovereign, we were all in the back of the Ancestral Realm at the time and witnessed the case of Mu Venerable killing Mother Earth.”
Langxuan Divine Sovereign was completely speechless. He silently retreated to his seat and sat down.
Fire Venerable said coldly, “Even if Mother Earth has nothing to do with Moon Venerable and Ling Venerable, in the era of the Upper Emperor, the people lived in misery. The Southern and Northern Upper Emperors fought each other, causing countless deaths! Both the Southern and Northern Upper Emperors had immense lust for power, intending to overthrow the heavens and rebel. Their crimes were worthy of death!”
Qin Mu suddenly interjected, “I heard that the first Southern Upper Emperor was Dawn Venerable. Fire Venerable, as for whether the Southern Upper Emperor’s Heavenly Court was rebelling against the Heavenly Court, why don’t you ask Dawn Venerable?”
“You!”
Fire Venerable suddenly turned to look at him, his eyes blazing with fire, a murderous aura surging!
“Enough.”
Hao Venerable raised his hand, and instantly silence fell all around. Everyone’s gaze involuntarily focused on him.
Hao Venerable sat expressionless, like a withered tree, and said flatly, “Enough. If we only rely on sharp tongues, even if we argue for three days and three nights, or three years or five years, we might still argue on without ever reaching a conclusion… This world does not rely on lip service, but on strength.”
He slowly stood up and said indifferently, “History is written by the victor. No matter who is right or wrong, a thousand years from now, it will be hard to escape the historian’s brush. We Ten Venerables control the power of the world, control the divine artifacts of the Heavenly Court, and control the strongest military force!”
His gaze was murderously cold as he slowly moved his eyes, sweeping over the faces of Qin Mu, Opening Emperor, Moon Venerable, and the other venerables.
“The armies we Ten Venerables command are more than a million!”
His gaze shifted to Dao Ancestor and Great Brahma Heaven, to Shao Wei, Shang Fu, Shao Fu, the Seven Dukes, the Three Masters, the Four Emperors, the Four Heavenly Masters, and others, and to the rulers of the myriad realms.
“The worlds we Ten Venerables control, the subjects we rule, the wealth we possess, are incalculable! We Ten Venerables control everything in this universe! Where our armies point, the stars of the myriad realms go dark! Where our armies cast their whips, the Heavenly River can be cut off! The strongmen under our command can lift the Primordial Realm!”
“Where our fingers point, the Heavenly Emperor must retreat! The Heavenly Duke must submit! The Earth Lord must hide his head and tail!”
“And the combat power of us Ten Venerables is enough to destroy everything!”
Hao Venerable clenched his fist heavily, his voice like a great bell, shaking people’s hearts: “With such power, strength, armies, and divine artifacts, who cares about mere reputation? History is written according to our will! Right and wrong, black and white, are for us to decide!”
His gaze suddenly fell on Opening Emperor and Moon Venerable, and he said coldly, “You two want to take away the power that belongs to us Ten Venerables, want to have a status equal to ours, want to gain the support of the myriad realms, want to win the hearts of the world? Don’t use your lips! Risk your lives to fight for it!”
His words were domineering and overbearing, stirring people’s spirits and making their blood boil!
At the same time, these words also served as a wake-up call to the rulers of the myriad realms.
In this world, reason sometimes has no effect. What truly matters is power and force. These rulers, though they govern their own worlds, if they follow reason and justice, they will lose their own lives!
It is easy to say one would sacrifice one’s life for righteousness, but when the moment truly comes, not many can do it.
“Well said!”
Qin Mu clapped enthusiastically, his face flushed with excitement, and praised endlessly, his voice rising: “Well said! Hao Venerable’s words make me want to strip off my clothes and fight bare-chested! Well said! I’m clumsy with words and don’t know how to praise you…”
Hao Venerable’s face turned iron-blue. His gaze fell on him, and he said coldly, “If you can’t speak, shut up!”
Qin Mu quickly shut his mouth, but after a moment, he couldn’t help praising again, “Well said.”
Veins bulged on Hao Venerable’s forehead, throbbing.
Qin Mu quickly shut up.
The veins on Hao Venerable’s forehead disappeared. He snorted, slowly sat down, and said calmly, “Today is the Heavenly Alliance’s grand gathering. Clear out the irrelevant people.”
Opening Emperor laughed heartily. With a clang, Carefree Sword left its sheath. He pointed his sword at Hao Venerable and laughed, “Since reason is useless, then we must settle this with our hands. Hao Venerable, I respect Imperial Venerable for pioneering the path of cultivation, creating the method of becoming a god, and having the bearing to become the Heavenly Emperor. But I do not respect you. You are nothing but a man of empty reputation. You killed Imperial Venerable, stole his method of becoming a god, and usurped his fame and honor. Your crime is worthy of death!”
Hao Venerable raised an eyebrow.
Opening Emperor’s sword aura filled the sky, his sword intent ready to burst forth, his battle intent overwhelming: “Come! I will use your life to sacrifice to my sword path!”
“You are not worthy.”
Hao Venerable said indifferently, “Gentlemen, deal with this beast.”
Opening Emperor laughed loudly. His sword intent suddenly erupted. Carefree Sword sang, and all the divine weapons in the Heavenly Court trembled. Countless divine weapons instantly lost control and floated into the air!
The sword is the gentleman, the king of a hundred weapons. Opening Emperor’s sword was the sword of an emperor.
The emperor’s sword uses the divine city as its tip, the divine mountain as its hilt, the myriad realms as its spine, the people as its strength, the world as its battlefield, and the hearts of men as its virtue!
The one who wields the sword is a peerless great emperor. When such a person draws his sword, his sword path reveals mountains and rivers, sun, moon, and stars, and the breadth of his mind and spirit!
If there are ravines in the heart, they appear in the sword path. If there is heaven and earth in the heart, they appear in the sword path. If there are the people of the world in the heart, they appear in the sword path.
Opening Emperor’s first sword was the Supreme Emperor’s Heaven-Leveling Sword, thrusting out Supreme Emperor Heaven.
This was his first sword upon entering the path. With this sword alone, his mind and spirit were unmatched!
Village Chief, known as the Sword God, had his first sword path as Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers.
Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers—what god could stand against it?
Yet mountains and rivers could not form Supreme Emperor Heaven. In terms of mind and spirit, Village Chief was far inferior to Opening Emperor.
Thus, when Village Chief saw Opening Emperor’s sword, he revered him like a god, calling him an insurmountable peak of the sword path!
Hao Venerable sat motionless, allowing Opening Emperor’s sword to come straight at him. Just as it seemed he would be obliterated by the Heaven-Leveling Sword, a tall figure suddenly appeared, blocking the Supreme Emperor Heaven-Leveling Sword.
Fire Venerable’s flame wheel behind his head spun wildly. He raised his hand, and the immensely powerful fire path burst forth, clashing head-on with Opening Emperor’s sword!
“Throughout history, whenever the human race’s uprisings were suppressed, Fire Venerable was always the first to charge to the front!”
Opening Emperor sneered. The Supreme Emperor Heaven-Leveling Sword directly transformed into the Jade Purity Realm Sword Domain!
His combat power instantly soared to its peak, erupting with the thirty-fifth level of the Heavenly Dao Realm!
Fire Venerable roared. Behind him, one heavenly palace after another leaped out, followed by the manifestation of the Southern Extreme Heaven’s Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird’s Dao Fire Ancestral Land. He shouted fiercely, “I kill this thief for the world!”