Chapter 1393: Turning One's Hand to Produce Clouds, Turning It Over to Produce Rain
To the relief of the assembled Heavenly Lords, Qin Mu did not stir up any more trouble. He directly read out the proclamation drafted by Ancestral God King for the punitive expedition against the Heavenly Duke during the assembly.
Qin Mu was also afraid that if he pulled another stunt like Qin and Yue, the two Heavenly Lords, causing a scene at the Heavenly Alliance, Heavenly Lord Hao and the others would be unable to suppress their inner fury and would strike him down on the spot as the instigator!
The Ten Heavenly Lords were all intelligent people. They could all see that the joint arrival of Kaicheng Qin Ye and Yue Heavenly Lord was done at Qin Mu's behest. Otherwise, even if the Heavenly Alliance Assembly had shaken the myriad realms, it could not have reached the Carefree Village in the Other Shore void and disturbed Kaicheng Qin Ye.
Moreover, the timing of Kaicheng and Yue Heavenly Lord's arrival was too perfect. Their words and actions closely coordinated with Qin Mu's, cutting down the prestige of the Ten Heavenly Lords while winning the hearts of the Heavenly Alliance members. Every move and every word had a clear target.
Clearly, only an "insider" of the Heavenly Alliance could grasp the internal situation of the Ten Heavenly Lords and the direction of public sentiment within the Heavenly Alliance so precisely.
And this "insider" of the Heavenly Alliance could only be the Alliance Leader himself.
If Qin Mu knew when to stop, that would be fine. But if he didn't, then the Ten Heavenly Lords would have to stop him themselves. Of course, what they would harvest would be his life.
The punitive expedition against the Heavenly Duke was naturally a major event, causing an uproar.
However, this matter had already been decided internally by the Ten Heavenly Lords. Even if there were objections, other members of the Heavenly Alliance, including the Dao Ancestor and the Great Brahma Heaven, had no say in the matter. They could only listen.
Once the Ten Heavenly Lords gave the order, they could only obey. If they harbored any disloyalty, the consequences for them were predictable.
Qin Mu then announced the second matter: the addition of a new Heavenly Lord.
Zaofu Heavenly Palace's Shi Qiluo was highly respected, his Dao profound and unfathomable, his merits complete. He would enter the Heavenly Alliance as the Eleventh Heavenly Lord.
As soon as these words were spoken, another uproar arose. When Shi Qiluo, that burly and imposing man, stepped onto the stage and came to the Second Heavenly Court to pay respects to Qin Mu, Heavenly Lord Hao, and other "seniors," it drew even more criticism.
Many in the Heavenly Court knew the name of Shi Qiluo, the Palace Master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace. He was a rogue who loved to flatter superiors and be harsh to subordinates. His cultivation and strength were unknown, but he kowtowed to those above him like pounding garlic, while being stern and severe to those below. He was also fond of embezzlement and soliciting bribes, earning him a notorious and vile reputation.
If it weren't for the fact that he had some real skill—being able to control the Creation Divine Artifacts that others couldn't fully understand—no one would have given him a good face.
The Ten Heavenly Lords had always been the Ten Heavenly Lords; there had never been a new Heavenly Lord. Even if there were to be one, in everyone's minds, it should have been the Dao Ancestor or the Great Brahma Heaven. It should never have fallen to a crude and boorish man like Shi Qiluo.
Yet Shi Qiluo had gained the recognition of the Ten Heavenly Lords and become the Eleventh Heavenly Lord. It made people sigh, "In the art of bootlicking, Shi Qiluo has already cultivated a Great Heavenly Court."
The Heavenly Emperor's edict of appointment was also delivered to the Heavenly Alliance Assembly at the right time, appointing Shi Qiluo as the Eleventh Heavenly Lord, to everyone's delight.
Qin Mu invited Shi Qiluo to take his seat, and then announced the opening of the Ancestral Court and the reverse side of the Ancestral Court, causing a sensation across the myriad realms.
This matter concerned the interests of the rulers of the myriad realms. The benefits of the Ancestral Court and its reverse side were enormous. Originally, they had been firmly controlled by the Ten Heavenly Lords and Qin Mu, leaving no room for others to share.
Now, Qin Mu's announcement of opening the Ancestral Court and its reverse side naturally gathered people's hearts and brought joy to all.
"Opening the Ancestral Court and its reverse side is the same matter as establishing the Beast Realm, but Mu Heavenly Lord split it into two matters to win people's hearts. This kid is no longer someone to be easily manipulated." The various Heavenly Lords exchanged glances, silently thinking to themselves.
When Qin Mu announced this matter, the hearts of the people naturally turned to him. This was the privilege of the Alliance Leader.
However, although Qin Mu could win some hearts, power and status were built on strength and influence. Without strength and influence, everything was empty talk.
The rulers of the myriad realms were not fools. They wouldn't just defect to Qin Mu because of this.
A little bit of popular support wasn't worth much.
Qin Mu then announced the establishment of the Beast Realm, inviting Long Xiao to explain the operation of the Beast Realm and the relationship between summoners and the ancient giant beasts.
This, of course, was another earth-shattering event, exciting the rulers of the various realms. The enhancement to the strength of cultivators and gods from summoning ancient giant beasts to fight was unimaginable!
After these two major events were announced, they finally dispelled some of the shock brought by the punitive expedition against the Heavenly Duke.
Then, Qin Mu publicly announced that Crown Prince Mingya had defected to Xie Wuqi, betraying the Heavenly Court. Since the Heavenly Court currently had no legitimate crown prince, the Heavenly Emperor had appointed Heavenly Lord Hao as the Crown Prince.
This matter left everyone exchanging bewildered glances.
The Crown Prince was naturally inferior to a Heavenly Lord. How noble was a Heavenly Lord? They held the reins of the Heavenly Court's government, divided the world, commanded the allegiance of the myriad realms, and had countless divine beings under their command.
The Crown Prince, on the other hand, had a title but no power. His status was lower than that of a Heavenly Lord. When meeting a Heavenly Lord, he had to bow and pay respects, as if meeting the Heavenly Emperor himself.
The fact that Heavenly Lord Hao was the son of the Heavenly Emperor was no secret in the myriad realms. However, that Heavenly Lord Hao was willing to be the Crown Prince made people ponder the reason behind it.
"After getting rid of the Heavenly Duke, it probably won't be long before the Ten Heavenly Lords make a move against the Heavenly Emperor."
Someone saw the situation and thought to themselves, "The Ten Heavenly Lords want to solve all the ancient gods once and for all and seize power! But what's puzzling is, can't the Heavenly Emperor see this? Why would he still appoint Heavenly Lord Hao as the Crown Prince? Could what Mu Heavenly Lord said be true?"
Last time, when Kaicheng split the Heavenly Court with a single sword strike, he had challenged the Heavenly Emperor and mocked him, saying that the current Heavenly Emperor was a puppet and that the real Heavenly Emperor had long been killed by the Ten Heavenly Lords.
The information revealed in this was hair-raising!
But the Ten Heavenly Lords' power was overwhelming, and they quickly suppressed the matter.
Now, from Crown Prince Mingya's defection to Heavenly Lord Hao becoming Crown Prince Hao, it seemed that where there was smoke, there might be fire.
Qin Mu announced these four major events in a very deliberate order. The punitive expedition against the Heavenly Duke was placed first, causing shock and implying that the killing of the Heavenly Duke had nothing to do with him.
The opening of the Ancestral Court and the establishment of the Beast Realm were placed in the middle, to win people's hearts.
The appointment of the Crown Prince was placed last, to provoke thought among the rulers of the myriad realms.
After the Heavenly Alliance meeting ended, the fourth matter would spark discussion among the rulers of the various realms for a long time, subtly diminishing Heavenly Lord Hao's status in people's minds and lowering the prestige of the Ten Heavenly Lords.
Furthermore, the news that the Heavenly Emperor was dead would spread rapidly along with various rumors, greatly tarnishing the image of the Ten Heavenly Lords.
This was a battle for hearts and minds. If the order of announcing these four major events had been slightly different, this effect would not have been achieved.
It was precisely because Qin Mu had undergone the baptism of the Nine Prisons Platform, purifying his Dao heart and opening his wisdom, that he could effortlessly turn the tide, transforming the Ten Heavenly Lords' favorable situation into a disadvantage with just a few words.
Dao heart and Dao realm had never been valued by cultivators and gods throughout history, but from now on, more people would pay attention to them.
Some people looked further ahead, silently thinking: "Since the Heavenly Emperor is a puppet and not the real one, and the Ten Heavenly Lords have victory in their grasp, then when the overall situation is settled, who will become the Heavenly Emperor? After all, there are eleven of the Ten Heavenly Lords... In the future, we will not only have to choose sides between the Heavenly Emperor and the Ten Heavenly Lords, but also among the Ten Heavenly Lords themselves!"
"One wrong step, and we'll be doomed forever!"
"Even if the Ten Heavenly Lords wipe out the ancient gods in the future, it won't be peace. On the contrary, the struggle will become even more intense, even more brutal! We must also prepare early!"
At the Heavenly Court gathering, the faces of the Ten Heavenly Lords were as warm as a spring breeze, but their hearts were not calm.
Unknowingly, Qin Mu had become a troublesome opponent, and this opponent had infiltrated their ranks, calling them brothers while carving up their interests!
"But back then, even Yun Heavenly Lord, who was harder to deal with than him, died at our hands. The current Mu Heavenly Lord is still no match for Yun Heavenly Lord. Trying to overturn the world with one hand is nothing but wishful thinking!"
The Ten Heavenly Lords each had their own calculations, weighing gains and losses.
After this grand meeting, the myriad realms would see the potential of the Yan Kang Reform and the Kaicheng Reform. It was likely that more people would yearn for these reforms and try to absorb their results.
The situation was gradually slipping out of control. They had to strictly forbid other realms from following the Yan Kang and Kaicheng reforms, while simultaneously stepping up their infiltration into Yan Kang, allowing their avatars to absorb more reform achievements to prepare for the future and seize the initiative!
In the future, even if the tide of reform was unstoppable, they would still stand at the pinnacle of the world, the apex of power, because they had seized the initiative!
Yan Kang, a tiny speck of a place, had imperceptibly become a place that would influence their future!
"But no matter how things change in the future, it won't affect our status! We will remain the top predators of this world!"
The Heavenly Alliance Assembly ended, and undercurrents surged. Establishing the Beast Realm was a major undertaking, not easily accomplished.
The Beast Realm required unifying the reverse sides of the various worlds and relocating the giant beasts from the reverse side of the Ancestral Court into it.
Besides needing the Ten Heavenly Lords and Long Xiao to break the seals on the reverse side of the Ancestral Court, they also needed to open the seals on the reverse sides of the various worlds.
For the current Heavenly Court, doing these things was not difficult.
The reverse sides of the Ancestral Court and the various worlds had been sealed by Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu, together with the ancient gods of the primordial era. But the current Heavenly Court's strength far exceeded that of those times.
However, to achieve this step—unifying the reverse sides of the various worlds into the Beast Realm and preventing other races from entering, only allowing the ancient giant beasts to live there—they still needed to develop new sealing techniques.
This was not difficult for the Ten Heavenly Lords and the deities of the Heavenly Court. The Ten Heavenly Lords entrusted this task to the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect.
Qin Mu, on the other hand, had some leisure time. He sat in his Mu Heavenly Lord Mansion, cultivating and comprehending more uses of the Nine Prisons Platform realm.
Occasionally, rulers of the various realms would come to visit, but he had his people turn them all away, presenting an image of being aloof from worldly affairs and devoted to quiet cultivation.
The Ten Heavenly Lords established the Beast Realm, excluding him from the process. Qin Mu didn't take it to heart. As long as he mastered the summoning technique, not participating in the construction of the Beast Realm was no big deal.
Half a year later, the Ten Heavenly Lords established the Beast Realm. Long Xiao led the ancient giant beasts into it. The first deity successfully summoned the first ancient giant beast, and when the giant beast returned to the Beast Realm, it caused another sensation across the myriad realms.
Only then did Qin Mu walk out of the Mu Heavenly Lord Mansion.
He looked around and saw some deities in the Heavenly Court who had summoned ancient giant beasts, riding them joyfully as they traveled.
The talk in the streets and alleys was all about summoning ancient giant beasts and the richness of the Ancestral Court. Many people from the various realms had already moved to the Ancestral Court, preparing to settle there and mine its wealth.
There were even rumors that the Heavenly Emperor had summoned the Ten Heavenly Lords for a discussion, preparing to move the Heavenly Court to the Ancestral Court.
Qin Mu walked towards Langxuan Divine Sovereign's Langxuan Divine Palace. Another giant beast descended from the sky, and a young deity cheered with joy, presumably having summoned an ancient giant beast.
"Long Xiao, don't disappoint me. Otherwise, when you meet my brother in the future, it will truly be your death day."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. He arrived at the Langxuan Divine Palace, and Langxuan Divine Sovereign came out to welcome him. The two took their seats in the Lingxiao Hall within the palace. Qin Mu stated his purpose: "I would like to borrow your Ancestral Court's Jade Pool and Jade Terrace."
Langxuan Divine Sovereign's eyes flickered. He held his teacup, glancing at the expression on Qin Mu's face, not missing any change, while taking a sip of tea. He laughed and said, "Mu Heavenly Lord, you are someone who seizes every opportunity, who rushes straight for any whiff of profit. If you want to borrow my Jade Pool, there must be a reason. What benefit do I get?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly and said, "I'll let you spend a few days comprehending in my Great Black Mountain. How about that benefit?"
Langxuan Divine Sovereign laughed heartily, put down his teacup, and said leisurely, "That barren mountain of yours, inhabited by unruly people, what would I do there? Mu Heavenly Lord, I won't bully you. I have been studying the reforms in your Yan Kang, and there are many difficulties in Dao techniques and divine abilities that I cannot solve. Unfortunately, I cannot find Jiang Baigui or Yan Fengdi to explain them to me. You are Mu Heavenly Lord, the last of the Three Heroes of the Yan Kang Reform. You will personally explain them to me!"
Qin Mu showed a troubled expression and said, "Although I am one of the Three Heroes of Yan Kang, I have been outdated for many years. If you want to learn the best, I recommend a teacher named Xu Shenghua. He can teach you. Xu Shenghua is at the Great Black Tree in the Ancestral Court..."
Langxuan Divine Sovereign sneered and said, "Don't fob me off with some nobody! You teach me personally, or else you won't set foot in my Jade Pool!"
— First day of the Lunar New Year, Year of the Pig! Zhai Zhu wishes everyone a happy New Year! May the new year bring you great luck in the Year of the Pig, all the best, a golden pig welcoming the spring, and abundant wealth rolling in! Yesterday, the Tale of the Demon God gained another Silver Alliance Leader. Thank you for the generous tip from Qia Qia Hao Hao!