Chapter 468: Heavenly Court Feast
Qin Mu felt a chill run down his spine. If the True Heaven Mother was still hiding within the True Heaven Palace, then they were in the dark while she was in the light. If she ambushed them, who could withstand it?
He didn't know whether the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor could block her, but he was certain that he himself absolutely could not!
Even if the True Heaven Mother couldn't kill the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, she could definitely kill him.
"Is the True Heaven Mother's target the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, or me?"
Qin Mu blinked. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor posed a greater threat. The Imperial Preceptor had cultivated the Divine Bridge and eliminated Ba Gou and her false body. Logically, her target should be the Imperial Preceptor.
However, in the Flame Desert, the True Heaven Mother's divine statue had repeatedly made moves against Qin Mu. Moreover, Qin Mu had played a crucial role in conquering the True Heaven Palace this time. Compared to the Imperial Preceptor, the True Heaven Mother's hatred for Qin Mu was surely deeper!
"Regardless, I must stay by the Imperial Preceptor's side, never leaving even an inch!" He made up his mind.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor reached out and brushed aside the many women on the wall, causing them to slide to the side, revealing the fourth mural.
The fourth mural depicted a battle—the True Heaven Mother's fight against the Sun Ship and the Moon Ship.
This war was initiated by the True Heaven Mother herself. She charged into the Great Ruins, luring the Moon Ships and Sun Ships there, and retreated all the way to the Flame Desert. Finally, in the Flame Desert, she destroyed many of the Moon Ships and Sun Ships one after another.
The battle scenes in the mural were grand and spectacular. The giant land-going ships released suns or moons. The Sun Guardians and Moon Guardians stood on the massive ships, their figures imposing, but their appearances were shabby, clearly looking like vicious and ruthless individuals.
However, not only the True Heaven Mother participated in the battle, but also some heavenly deities. In the mural, these deities were depicted as very small, while the True Heaven Mother was heroic and divine, radiating boundless light, with a towering and indomitable spirit. Before her, the other deities were like mere infants!
"Was the True Heaven Mother this strong?" Qin Mu was puzzled.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said, "Let me tell you a story, and you'll know whether the True Heaven Mother is strong or not. One day, the Emperor took me and the ministers on a hunting trip. When we were dividing the spoils, the Emperor ordered the court painter to create a painting. The painter depicted the Emperor this big."
He spread his hands apart to gesture, then separated two fingers to indicate the size of himself in the painting, and said, "And me, this small. The Emperor stood towering, while I and the ministers were all very tiny, with me being the smallest. Moreover, when painting me, the painter depicted me as shabby and vicious, showing a cunning and treacherous expression. The Emperor was dissatisfied and ordered the painter to redo it, but no matter how many times the painter tried, it was the same. So the Emperor dismissed him from his post and sent him home."
Qin Mu understood his meaning and laughed, "The person who painted this mural was flattering the True Heaven Mother. The True Heaven Mother might not necessarily be stronger than you; otherwise, she wouldn't have used a false body to ambush you."
"The True Heaven Mother's strength should be considerable, but her combat power has a major flaw. Her magical power is immense, but her techniques also follow the path of 'all things have spirits, all things have gods.' If she doesn't show herself, I can't do anything to her. If she shows herself, she dies."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor had strong confidence. Suddenly changing the subject, as if warning Qin Mu, he said, "There are such flatterers around the Emperor. Around other powerful people, how could there not be such people? But having them isn't scary; what's scary is when such people harbor other intentions. He painted me and the ministers very small—that's understandable—but he shouldn't have painted me as cunning and treacherous. That reveals his personal animosity. He wanted to use flattery to influence the Emperor's perception of me, making the Emperor think I was cunning and treacherous, thereby eliminating me and hindering the reforms. Flattery and hidden arrows combined are hard to guard against."
He looked at Qin Mu with a faint smile, "Your position as Sect Leader is high and powerful. Sometimes, your power even surpasses that of the Emperor. You need to be wary of those who hide arrows in their flattery."
Qin Mu was amused. Hiding arrows in flattery—the Imperial Preceptor was both elegant and vulgar.
When elegant, he could engage in lofty discussions with the Deaf and the Butcher. When vulgar, he could even use phrases like "hiding arrows in flattery."
But in life, it's indeed easy to encounter such people—those who flatter their superiors while slandering their competitors, harboring ulterior motives. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's reminder was very apt.
"In the mural, there are the True Heaven Mother and other deities. Where do these deities come from?"
Qin Mu studied the mural, examining the patterns of the other deities and identifying their faces. Suddenly, he recognized one person, "Yu Jun is among them! Could they be deities from the Celestial Realm? No, not entirely deities from the Celestial Realm!"
He recognized another face!
He took out a scroll from his glutton sack, gently unrolled it, and repeatedly compared it to one of the deities in the painting.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor leaned in and was slightly startled, "Isn't this the Worship Soul Diagram you painted?"
"Yes, this is it."
Qin Mu looked up at the mural and said, "Ban Gongcuo's Worship Soul technique is extremely bizarre. When he worships souls, a phantom of a divine demon appears behind him. I painted this diagram based on that phantom. Imperial Preceptor, look—doesn't this deity resemble the divine demon in my painting?"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor examined it a few times and nodded.
Qin Mu showed a puzzled expression, deep in thought, "That divine demon behind Ban Gongcuo once appeared in this world. Like the True Heaven Mother, one founded the True Heaven Palace, and the other founded the Loulan Golden Palace. So, is he still in this world? If he is still here..."
He felt a chilling sensation.
Ban Gongcuo's technique—whoever he worships, dies. If that deity were to use it, who could withstand a single bow from him?
"The murals here only record the True Heaven Mother's history, not what I'm looking for."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor shook his head and walked out of the hall, saying, "If the True Heaven Palace is truly part of the Heavenly Palace, then the murals here should record more ancient history, not just the True Heaven Palace's history! There must be murals here that record the Heavenly Court!"
Qin Mu followed him out. The women of the Yu family on the wall finally fell down, able to move again.
The battle outside was still ongoing, extremely chaotic. It should be the various great families fighting over the Vermilion Bird Pearl, tripping each other up and using underhanded tactics.
The Vermilion Bird Pearl's power was immense, no less than the Azure Dragon Pearl. It was one of the four great spirit treasures of the True Heaven Palace, so it naturally sparked a fierce struggle.
Although the Western Lands were ruled by women, the power struggles and infighting were no less intense than in Yan Kang.
Qin Mu followed the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor to the main hall of the True Heaven Palace. The murals here were different from those in other halls.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor stood before a mural, his expression calm as he looked at it. Suddenly, the corners of his eyes twitched violently, and fear appeared on his face.
Qin Mu also looked at the mural. It depicted a majestic Heavenly Court, where an emperor-like figure was hosting a banquet for the gods, with countless deities attending!
"Tu Bo!"
Qin Mu's heart shook violently. He saw among the countless deities the horned Tu Bo!
In this mural, Tu Bo held a very high status, though his face was indistinct.
And in this mural, there were many other beings whose faces were also blurry and indistinguishable!
That meant there should be many more beings like Tu Bo.
The countless deities in the painting were in various poses, lifelike, as if they were truly alive within the painting. Clearly, the painter who created this mural was extremely skilled.
Qin Mu's eyes swept over the deities, but he never found the True Heaven Mother's image, nor did he find Ba Gou. "Was the True Heaven Mother not even born at that time?"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's eyes were still twitching. His voice hoarse, he said, "This is the true Heavenly Court. This is the true Heavenly Court... No wonder even the Kai Huang Kingdom was destroyed..."
Qin Mu grabbed his hand. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's hand was trembling, his eyes revealing deep fear, confusion, and despair!
"The Imperial Preceptor is scared by a painting?" Qin Mu laughed.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor pulled his hand away, his voice still hoarse, "Aren't you afraid? Haven't you seen how many deities are in this Heavenly Court? Haven't you seen that Tu Bo is among them? Don't you know that the fall of the Kai Huang era might have been caused by the gods of the Heavenly Court?"
He showed a look of despair, laughing bitterly, "I thought I could eradicate decay and bring a clear world to the people, not letting them be deceived, letting them break the gods in the temples and the gods in their hearts, giving them the courage and strength to fight against heaven. But I never thought it was all a joke! Sect Leader Qin, you don't know anything! You don't know that if I continue the reforms, Yan Kang will meet the same fate! Heh, reforms, heh..."
He was utterly disheartened, lost and dejected. Waving his hand, he said, "I won't go to the Celestial Realm anymore. After returning, I'll take my wife and children into seclusion. Sect Leader, you... you can continue being the Sect Leader. As for the reforms, don't touch them anymore."
He turned and walked out of the hall, his demeanor desolate. Suddenly, he had lost all courage to continue striving and fighting.
"Heavenly King, you asked me just now if I knew. Now I'll answer you!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor stopped.
"I know."
Qin Mu showed a sunny smile, "My involvement is even deeper than yours. The Kai Huang you mentioned also has the surname Qin. The orphan of the destroyed Kai Huang Kingdom is standing right before you."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's body shook violently. He suddenly stopped and turned to look at him, exclaiming, "You, you..."
Qin Mu showed eight white teeth, smiling brightly, "My name might be fake, but my surname is not. The Qin of Kai Huang is my Qin. I'm not afraid, so why are you afraid? Heavenly King, I suddenly have an idea. Come grind the ink for me."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was still shocked by Qin Mu's words, not understanding his meaning.
Qin Mu took out his brush and tossed the inkstone to him. He studied the mural that had completely crushed the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's courage with great interest. After a moment, Qin Mu's eyes lit up as he found the key point. He laughed, "Is the ink ready?"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was dazed, holding the inkstone in his hand. Qin Mu laughed, "Heavenly King, this doesn't suit you. Where is the sage who appears once every five hundred years?"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor took a deep breath, casting aside the countless thoughts in his mind, and focused on grinding the ink for him.
Qin Mu picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, and added a few strokes to the lower right corner of the mural. He laughed, "Help me wash the brush."
"You!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor suppressed his anger and said calmly, "The Kai Huang era ended twenty thousand years ago. The hundred generations of Kai Huang's descendants might not be nobler than a farmer. If you're playing tricks on me, I'll make your life difficult, and you'll suffer for it for the rest of your life."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, "Wash it first, then we'll talk."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor washed the brush, doing it very seriously. He did everything seriously, meticulously.
Qin Mu put away the brush and inkstone, grabbed his hand, and leaped toward the mural, laughing, "I'll take you to the feast—the Heavenly Court Feast!"
The two of them slammed into the mural with a smack, their figures disappearing into the painting.
—Second update! Zhai Zhu continues to work hard on the third update. Brothers, cheer for Zhai Zhu! "The Shepherd's Chronicle" Chapter Discussion Activity, Phase Two
Year-end celebration activity, encouraging everyone to actively post chapter discussion comments and interact with fellow readers. [Activity Time]: From January 29 to February 2 (Monday to Friday). Activity rules will be released later!