Chapter 1436: Ice Broken and Past Grievances Resolved (Third Update)
"Di Qing is a typical demigod."
Tian Shu's divine consciousness rippled as he quietly transmitted his voice to Qin Mu: "Many demigods from the past had this kind of mindset—arrogant, haughty, looking down on everything. Back in the Kaihuang era, when the Heavenly Lord ordered the demigods of Xuan Du to come and help us, we had to endure a lot of his and the other Xuan Du deities' strange temperaments."
Qin Mu understood this feeling well.
Before the Dragon Han era, demigod races had already been preying on other acquired races. By the Dragon Han era, with its strict class hierarchy, demigods—second only to the ancient gods—were even more exalted, born into a position of superiority, naturally feeling superior to those of lower classes.
Di Qing was likely a demigod born after the Ancestral God King, having developed this kind of temperament.
He studied Di Qing, able to see traces of the Heavenly Lord in him. Di Qing had few similarities with Di Yi Yue, only some resemblance in the lips and the bridge of the nose.
Di Qing's gaze swept over Qin Mu and the others. Seeing that these four were all veiled, he couldn't help but frown.
Tian Shu chuckled, "These four brothers have special identities and cannot show their faces."
"If it were normal times, entering Xuan Du with veiled faces would certainly be treated as enemies. But now, with the Heavenly Dao distinguishing friend from foe, these four should be friends," Di Qing said with a smile.
Qin Mu looked around and saw many demigod children running wildly through the city. Frowning, he said, "Di Qing, why are there still women and children in Tianfang City? You should immediately send the children to the Yuan Realm. Tianfang City simply cannot withstand an attack; leaving women and children here is just sending them to their deaths!"
"Tianfang City cannot be breached. The divine demon army of the Heavenly Court can't even reach the city gates."
Di Qing frowned and said, "The more people gathered in the city, the stronger the Heavenly Dao becomes. Leaving children, women, and the elderly in the city will only strengthen the power of the Heavenly Dao! You don't understand the direction of the Heavenly Dao, so I won't argue with you. But next time, don't talk nonsense and disrupt our army's morale, or don't blame me for being merciless with military law."
He looked at Tian Shu, his face darkening, and said, "Nether Capital Heavenly King, it's good that you've come to help, but you'd better restrain your friends and not disrupt our army's morale."
Tian Shu subtly tugged at Qin Mu's clothes and laughed heartily, "Don't worry, don't worry, we won't say anything reckless anymore. We're still waiting for you to share some of the credit with us. But does keeping the women and children in the city really work?"
The seriousness on Di Qing's face disappeared, and he smiled, "This is the subtlety of the Xuan Du Heavenly Dao. Times are different now. The Heavenly Dao protects Xuan Du. The more living beings gathered in a place, the stronger the Heavenly Dao becomes. The reason the Heavenly Dao power in our Tianfang City is so strong is precisely because many Xuan Du deities and demons have gathered here. But since the number of deities and demons is limited, the people of Xuan Du also need to gather here."
He glanced at Qin Mu and the others and said, "Those who can live in Xuan Du are all demigod races. There are divine kingdoms everywhere here. There are no acquired beings like humans."
Tian Shu said with a conciliatory smile, "Yes, we humans and other acquired beings are not worthy of living in Xuan Du. You've said that before."
Di Qing quickly said, "I didn't mean it that way. But to ensure the purity of Xuan Du's bloodline, acquired beings are forbidden from entering Xuan Du. It's not discrimination against you. Now, although there are many demigods in Tianfang City, it's still not enough. So I have ordered the Sun Lords, Moon Lords, and Star Lords from various regions to migrate more demigods from the various heavens here to jointly defend Tianfang and strengthen the power of the Heavenly Dao!"
Tian Shu was dumbfounded, and Qin Mu, the Butcher, and the others also frowned deeply.
Di Qing laughed heartily, "By then, Tianfang City will become a fortress capable of overcoming the Heavenly Lord and making him surrender his head!"
He was full of confidence, pointing and gesturing with great enthusiasm: "Back then, when the Heavenly Lord ordered us to descend to the lower realms to support you humans and other acquired races, I was actually a bit displeased. Without relying on the power of you acquired races, the strength of our Xuan Du alone would be enough to dominate the heavens and stand as equals with the Heavenly Court! Back then, I was also very happy that the Heavenly King came to help."
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "Di Qing, won't you reconsider moving these women and children away? If Tianfang City falls, these lives..."
Di Qing flew into a rage, his face changing color, and he shouted to his attendants, "Arrest this man who disrupts our army's morale and take him to the city tower to be beheaded as a warning!"
Tian Shu quickly hugged him, laughing appeasingly, "Calm down, calm down! We've come to help, after all. Where is there a rule to kill an ally as a sacrificial offering right from the start?"
Di Qing snorted, shook him off, and said indifferently, "My Xuan Du has strong soldiers and sturdy horses, and with the protection of the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao has formed a divine treasure to protect the divine city. We don't need your help. You four or five people, veiled and not daring to show your true faces, neither male nor female, neither fish nor fowl, just watch from the sidelines! Heavenly King, rest assured, if we win, I'll share a bit of the credit with you."
Suddenly, the sound of war drums came, and Di Qing led his men away in haste.
The Butcher sighed, despondently, "We came with great enthusiasm, not frightened by the enemy, but doused with cold water by the Xuan Du general."
"Heavenly Blade, don't be angry. Di Qing actually helped the Kaihuang era a lot. When Kaihuang established the positions of Sun Lords and Moon Lords in the various heavens, it was actually learning from Xuan Du's system."
Tian Shu was also helpless about Di Qing, and said, "But back when they came to help us, all the hard and dirty work was done by us. They just gave instructions and threw their weight around. Kaihuang tolerated it for a long time, but eventually couldn't bear it anymore and they fell out. Di Qing flew into a rage and led all the demigods back to Xuan Du, saying that without their help, the Kaihuang Kingdom would never develop into a powerful nation in the Yuan Realm."
He smiled faintly: "A few hundred years later, the Kaihuang Kingdom suddenly became the overlord of the Yuan Realm, and the Heavenly Lord sent him back again. But his temper still hadn't changed; he was very arrogant towards everyone in the Kaihuang Heavenly Court. Although he's arrogant, his heart isn't bad, and his strength is extremely strong. He has spent his life comprehending the Heavenly Dao, figuring out three or five different Heavenly Dao Imperial Throne techniques. With the Heavenly Dao here so flourishing, maybe he really can block the Heavenly Lord."
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "If the Heavenly Dao were really that strong, why would the Heavenly Lord go to such lengths, scheming and plotting to transform into the Hong Heavenly Lord, personally instigating this calamity aimed at the Heavenly Lord and Xuan Du?"
Tian Shu, the Butcher, and the others felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this, their hair standing on end as they looked at him in terror.
Qin Mu sighed: "The Heavenly Lord is eager to break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. The Hong Heavenly Lord is his reincarnated body. For this purpose, the Hong Heavenly Lord does not hesitate to sacrifice the Heavenly Lord, to sacrifice the Heavenly Dao, and to sacrifice everything in Xuan Du—including the demigods here, the women and children here, and even his own descendants! The one who will break Tianfang City will inevitably be the Hong Heavenly Lord."
Zhe Huali said in a hoarse voice, "So in the end, it's the Heavenly Lord fighting the Heavenly Lord himself. Heh heh. Mu Heavenly Lord, then why are we risking our lives to save the Heavenly Lord?"
His chest was filled with indignation. Clenching his teeth, the words squeezed out from between them: "The reason we came, the reason we talked and laughed all the way here after you mentioned it, is because we felt the Heavenly Lord must be saved. Saving the Heavenly Lord is saving Yan Kang! Even if we die in Xuan Du, it would be a worthy death! But it turns out it was just the Heavenly Lord playing house by himself! Let him die!"
Tian Shu and Luo Wushuang were silent, saying nothing.
The Butcher seemed about to speak but sighed instead.
"The Hong Heavenly Lord is the Heavenly Lord, but the Heavenly Lord is not the Hong Heavenly Lord."
Qin Mu said, "The Hong Heavenly Lord is merely the reincarnation of one soul of the Heavenly Lord, parasitic on Da Hong. He is already one of the Ten Heavenly Lords. But the Heavenly Lord is not the Hong Heavenly Lord. The Heavenly Lord has a Heavenly Dao heart; the Hong Heavenly Lord does not. What we want to save is the Heavenly Lord with the Heavenly Dao heart. Saving him is saving Yan Kang! Zhe Huali, we were enemies before, and you are not from Yan Kang. This journey is dangerous, and I also deceived you earlier by not telling you the identity of the Hong Heavenly Lord. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."
Zhe Huali panted heavily, glaring fiercely at him. The demon blade Dragon Fang also glared fiercely at Qin Mu.
Whoosh—
Zhe Huali turned around, his clothes rustling, kicking up a gust of wind as he walked away.
As he walked, his steps gradually slowed. After a moment, he stopped, sat down on a stone pier by the roadside, one foot on the ground and the other on the pier. He turned his head and raised his chin, saying, "Are you really not going to stop me?"
Qin Mu revealed a smile.
Zhe Huali jumped down from the stone pier and trotted back.
"I am a Yan Kang person, a half-human, half-demon, half-god, half-demon Yan Kang person."
Zhe Huali revealed a smile, chuckling, "I stopped being a person of the Heavenly Court long ago. In the Heavenly Court, in the heavens where I was born, I was a mongrel. It was only in Yan Kang that I found the dignity of being human. Qin Cult Leader, Mu Heavenly Lord, Yan Kang is not just your Yan Kang. Yan Kang also has a share belonging to me, Demon Blade Zhe Huali!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily and raised his palm.
Smack! Their palms met heavily in the air.
"It also has a share belonging to me." The Butcher extended his large hand, covering theirs, and laughed.
"Yan Kang also has a share belonging to me."
Luo Wushuang's hand covered theirs, adding, "I've offended two great Heavenly Lords and have nowhere else to go. Only Yan Kang is willing to take me in."
Tian Shu also reached out his hand, laughing, "Although I'm not one of you Yan Kang people, I can be considered half a Yan Kang person. When I was trapped in the Emperor Que Divine Blade, to the west of the Emperor Que was the Great Ruins, and to the east was Yan Kang. So I'm half."
The five of them laughed heartily, their past grievances resolved.