Chapter 742: The Death of Heavenly Lord Imperial
“What’s all the fuss about the death of Heavenly Lord Imperial…”
Old Ox continued walking, snickering. “These ancient people have seen death before, haven’t they? Their noise is splitting my head… Heavenly Lord Imperial is dead? Heavenly Lord Imperial is dead!”
He couldn’t help but roar out loud, forgetting to call for Qin Mu, the Open Emperor, and the others. He hurriedly rushed out of the Splendid Wind Pavilion, only to see that the commotion outside had not yet subsided. Some people were wailing loudly, others stood there woodenly, and some ran to ask others for confirmation, then slumped to the ground in despair after receiving the news, staring blankly into space.
Old Ox’s heart was filled with panic. He felt as if the ancient sages who had come to the gathering had suddenly lost their backbone.
He stared blankly at the noisy, panicked crowd outside. When Heavenly Lord Imperial was alive, this place was a prosperous era in the midst of transformation. But with the news of his death, everyone had instantly become like headless flies.
The prospect of an impending golden age suddenly dimmed.
The death of a great leader was too heavy a blow for the people of this era.
Old Ox’s heart was also filled with confusion. “How did he die? How could he die like this? It can’t be, right? Is this a joke? This joke has gone too far…”
Footsteps sounded behind him. Qin Mu, the Open Emperor, and Heavenly Lord Ling walked over. Their faces were also filled with bewilderment. Inside the pavilion, they had heard the crying and noise from outside. The impact of the news of Heavenly Lord Imperial’s death was unimaginable for them as well.
Qin Mu and the Open Emperor had traveled through time to this era. They had had relatively little contact with Heavenly Lord Imperial, only one conversation, but their impression of him was very favorable.
They held great respect for Heavenly Lord Imperial in their hearts, regarding him as an ancient leader of unparalleled talent who would lead the later-born beings into a new era.
They had the highest praise for Heavenly Lord Imperial. Yet such a young leader, who was just waiting to realize his lifelong ambitions, had died so suddenly. Neither Qin Mu nor the Open Emperor could accept it.
Heavenly Lord Ling was even less able to accept it.
Qin Mu and the Open Emperor had little contact with Heavenly Lord Imperial, but she had grown up hearing legends about him. Later, she met him, and he took care of her like an elder brother, giving her much encouragement.
After she opened the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury, she turned to studying the non-existence of time, wanting to prove this through divine abilities. Although Heavenly Lord Imperial didn’t think her research could succeed and considered it a wrong path, he was still very kind to her.
His death was a huge blow to her.
Her face pale, she stumbled forward. Qin Mu said softly, “Follow her. Let’s go see what happened!”
The three of them immediately followed Heavenly Lord Ling. Ahead, the crowd was a sea of people. The entire detached palace was packed, everyone immersed in grief. In the sky, some demigods were also looking around.
“How could Heavenly Lord Imperial die so suddenly?”
The Open Emperor said in a low voice, “For someone like him, divine ability practitioners couldn’t kill him. Only a demigod or an ancient god could have the power to put him to death, right?”
Qin Mu was thinking about something else. He mused, “Why kill him just before he was about to announce the method of becoming a god? The killing wasn’t to eliminate him, but to eliminate the method of becoming a god!”
Old Ox whispered, “Could Heavenly Lord Imperial be faking his death? If he faked his death, he could stir up conflict between the demigods and later-born beings and the Heavenly Court…”
Qin Mu and the Open Emperor shook their heads together.
Old Ox was puzzled.
Qin Mu explained, “Faking his death in front of the Heavenly Court is meaningless. With Earth Lord and Heaven Duke present, he couldn’t possibly fake his death. His soul couldn’t escape the control of the Netherworld, and he couldn’t evade Heaven Duke’s perception. He is… truly dead.”
The Open Emperor added, “Moreover, if he wanted to stir up conflict between demigods, later-born beings, and the ancient gods, he wouldn’t need to fake his death. He should have spread the method of becoming a god first. Once it was spread, the contradictions between new gods and ancient gods would inevitably accumulate day by day. This involves the issue of interest distribution. New gods want more benefits, ancient gods are unwilling to give up their vested interests, and contradictions naturally arise. Someone as intelligent as him wouldn’t need to resort to faking his death. And faking his death…”
He didn’t finish, clearly holding back.
But Qin Mu had no such reservations and continued his thought: “And if he faked his death, he would undoubtedly be handing over the position of leader to someone else. He wouldn’t do something that would benefit others at his own expense.”
The Open Emperor glanced at him, looking worried, and said in a low voice, “We are outsiders after all. It’s not easy to get too deeply involved with this era. We’ve only been in this era for a few days, but I can already feel the undercurrents surging and the dangers lurking everywhere.”
Qin Mu shook his head and said, “We are in the past. We are events that have already happened. No matter what we do, when we return to the present, we will find that everything we did is already part of history.”
The Open Emperor’s forehead bulged with veins, and his voice was a bit hoarse: “Are you going to act recklessly again? Do you want me to kill you without mercy?”
Old Ox didn’t know what they were talking about and was confused.
But Qin Mu and the Open Emperor understood each other clearly. They had just mentioned “benefiting others at one’s own expense” and “undercurrents,” both of which were allusions.
They were referring to the biggest beneficiary after Heavenly Lord Imperial’s death.
When the leader dies, the one who succeeds him is the biggest beneficiary.
When the reformer dies, and the path to becoming a god is lost, the ancient gods are the biggest beneficiaries.
In recent days, Heavenly Lord Imperial had been running around tirelessly, both hosting the attendees, coordinating between demigods and later-born beings, and managing the factions within the Heavenly Court. He rarely had time to rest.
He lived in the Winding Corridor Pavilion of the Jasper Pool Retreat. Now, the area outside the Winding Corridor Pavilion was packed with people. Fire Heavenly Lord and the Netherworld Emperor were standing guard at the door. Fire Heavenly Lord’s face was full of grief and anger. He glared at the crowd, forbidding anyone from approaching.
Heavenly Lord Ling pushed her way forward and asked in a hoarse voice, “Is it true?”
Fire Heavenly Lord choked up and nodded. “They’re all inside. Netherworld Heavenly Lord is trying to summon his soul to see if he can revive him. Hao Heavenly Lord has already submitted a petition to His Majesty, asking Earth Lord to return his soul…”
Qin Mu looked at the Netherworld Emperor. He stood there, his eyes vacant, somewhat dazed, staring blankly into space.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply as he stared at his own hands. Two tears splashed onto the back of his hands.
Heavenly Lord Ling rushed into the Winding Corridor Pavilion. Qin Mu, the Open Emperor, and the Green Ox also tried to enter, but Fire Heavenly Lord raised his hand to stop them. The Netherworld Emperor snapped out of his daze and quickly raised his hand as well, saying apologetically, “Brother Qin, Brother Mu, Heavenly Lord Imperial was murdered inside. You cannot enter…”
“Fire Heavenly Lord, let them in.”
Heavenly Lord Ling’s voice came from inside: “Their attainments in divine abilities and techniques are very high. They might be able to find some clues!”
Fire Heavenly Lord hesitated, then lowered his arm. With reddened eyes, he said to Qin Mu, “If you can find any clues, I won’t hold a grudge against you.”
Qin Mu nodded slightly. “I’ll do my best.”
They walked into the Winding Corridor Pavilion. The pavilion was built on an island lake, facing the lake, with waves below. It was very elegant here.
As the residence of the Empress, the Winding Corridor Pavilion was also much larger than normal buildings, spacious inside.
As Qin Mu and the other two entered the pavilion, they saw bloodstains on the floor. The window sill had been blown open, and there were traces of divine abilities on the walls. Heavenly Lord Imperial’s corpse sat under the window sill, leaning against the wall, his head drooping, his limbs limp.
Hao Heavenly Lord, Cloud Heavenly Lord, Moon Heavenly Lord, and Netherworld Heavenly Lord were all there. Hao Heavenly Lord was holding a divine hound, which was sniffing around everywhere.
Netherworld Heavenly Lord raised his palm, and his primordial energy surged, lifting Heavenly Lord Imperial’s corpse into the air, three feet off the ground.
The ghost-face mask behind the young man’s head began to cry, but Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s expression remained as calm as ever.
Qin Mu looked at Heavenly Lord Imperial floating in the air. Almost all of his bones were broken, not a single intact one. He had been struck with heavy force, shattering his bones, leaving him floating in the air with a strange sense of limpness.
“From the external injuries, it seems there was more than one attacker.”
Qin Mu walked around Heavenly Lord Imperial, carefully examining the wounds. He didn’t get very close, but he could see every injury on Heavenly Lord Imperial’s body clearly.
“But the fatal wound wasn’t caused by the broken bones. The fatal injury came from his back. Someone struck him from behind, severely wounding him.”
Qin Mu slowly circled, and a picture had already formed in his mind. The person suddenly attacked from behind Heavenly Lord Imperial. Fearing leaving traces, he didn’t use his most proficient divine abilities but relied purely on physical strength.
With the first strike, he used his terrifying physical power to shatter Heavenly Lord Imperial’s heart. Then, dodging Heavenly Lord Imperial’s counterattack, he moved around him with incredible speed!
A series of physical attacks, like a heavy hammer striking various parts of Heavenly Lord Imperial’s body, shattered his bones one by one!
“The marks of divine abilities on the walls of the Winding Corridor Pavilion are Heavenly Lord Imperial’s own.”
Qin Mu looked at the walls. Heavenly Lord Imperial must have trusted that person deeply, giving them the opportunity to ambush him.
Moreover, their cultivation and strength were not far apart. Heavenly Lord Imperial’s cultivation was stronger, but the other’s physical body was much stronger. After losing the initiative and having his heart shattered, he launched a counterattack, but the opponent had already closed in.
Being closed in on by a master of combat techniques—how terrifying was that?
Qin Mu himself practiced combat techniques and knew this well.
“But what truly took Heavenly Lord Imperial’s life wasn’t the physical injuries.”
Qin Mu’s mind stirred slightly. A drop of blood floated over. His pupils rotated layer by layer, directly opening the Eight Heavens. In Heavenly Lord Imperial’s divine blood, there were a few subtle divine ability runes, which quickly dissipated.
These were traces left by the opponent’s divine abilities.
“There are no traces of magical techniques or divine abilities on Heavenly Lord Imperial’s body, but there are divine ability runes in his blood. This means the opponent did use divine abilities, but not against his physical body. So what were his divine abilities targeting?”
Suddenly, obscure Netherworld language sounded. Qin Mu’s heart stirred, and he looked at Netherworld Heavenly Lord.
That young man was activating Netherworld divine abilities, chanting ancient, profound Netherworld language, trying to summon Heavenly Lord Imperial’s soul back from the Netherworld.
His Netherworld language was already quite good, but in Qin Mu’s ears, it was somewhat lacking. After all, the current Netherworld Heavenly Lord had not yet entered the Netherworld and had not yet become the Heavenly Lord of Perfect Sage and Benevolent King of later ages.
Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s eyes were bloodshot, and the Netherworld language he spoke became increasingly chaotic. Although his expression was calm, his heart was a turbulent storm.
His heart was in turmoil, and his attainments were still too shallow. Even if his heart were calm, he couldn’t summon Heavenly Lord Imperial’s soul back from the Netherworld.
“I still can’t do it…”
Netherworld Heavenly Lord suddenly spat blood, fell to his knees, and convulsed as if in spasms, making choking sounds from his throat, his teeth clenched tightly.
“I still can’t do it!”
He curled up into a ball, his body trembling, sobbing. “I still can’t do it. I couldn’t save my mother, and I can’t save Big Brother. I still can’t do it…”
He was always cold to everyone, even to Heavenly Lord Imperial, never showing any warmth. But ever since his mother fell gravely ill, it was Heavenly Lord Imperial who had been taking care of him.
He had long regarded Heavenly Lord Imperial as his only family in this world.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded in his mind: “I’ll speak, and you repeat.”
Netherworld Heavenly Lord was startled. The voice in his mind slowly continued, speaking in the most ancient, purest Netherworld language, expounding the great principles of soul and Dao. It was so profound, so mysterious, that he felt as if Earth Lord himself had descended.
Netherworld Heavenly Lord stood up again, following the voice as he chanted the Netherworld language. Around him, Netherworld demonic energy rolled in. The floor of the Winding Corridor Pavilion suddenly turned pitch black, revealing a deep space-time.
That was the Netherworld.
His voice spread throughout the Netherworld, searching for Heavenly Lord Imperial’s soul.
Everyone in the Winding Corridor Pavilion looked over. At this moment, Netherworld Heavenly Lord no longer seemed like a young man but like a deity controlling the rules of the Netherworld, summoning the souls of the dead!
The Open Emperor’s heart stirred slightly. He looked at Qin Mu beside him and sensed Qin Mu’s spiritual fluctuation—a wonderful spiritual connection.
He could tell that Qin Mu’s spirit was connecting with Netherworld Heavenly Lord!
Just now, Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s techniques and divine abilities were still crude, unable to communicate with the Netherworld. But now, he could make his voice spread throughout the Netherworld. Clearly, it wasn’t Netherworld Heavenly Lord’s doing, but Qin Mu secretly teaching him a profound Netherworld divine ability!
“He even understands Netherworld divine abilities. What else does he know?”
Just as the Open Emperor thought this, a gate slowly rose from the darkness. A Gate of Heavenly Burden stood tall in the pavilion, emitting a heavy demonic aura.
After a moment, Qin Mu sighed and cut off the spiritual connection with Netherworld Heavenly Lord.
“Heavenly Lord Imperial’s soul is not in the Netherworld. He… his soul has been scattered. I know what the divine ability of the person who killed him was used for.”
His heart was heavy. “It was used to destroy his soul.”
Netherworld Heavenly Lord suddenly let out a cry, like a wild beast, growling in a low voice, then growling again. He fell to the ground, convulsing, foaming at the mouth.
Qin Mu stepped forward, his fingers flying like lightning, stabilizing his spirit, then helped him up and sat him by the door.
“Thank you…” Netherworld Heavenly Lord grabbed his hand, staring blankly at the lake outside the door, and said in a low voice.
Qin Mu was stunned.
Netherworld Heavenly Lord looked up, his eyes woodenly fixed on Qin Mu’s face. “Thank you.”
In the Winding Corridor Pavilion, Hao Heavenly Lord’s voice came: “Heavenly Lord Imperial is dead. What should we do about the Jasper Pool Gathering now?”
The Open Emperor came behind Qin Mu and said in a low voice, “At this gathering, whoever spreads the method of becoming a god will be the murderer.”
Qin Mu slowly straightened up. Hao Heavenly Lord’s voice came again: “A few days ago, Heavenly Lord Imperial passed the method of becoming a god to me. Although he has met with misfortune, his legacy will still be passed down and carried forward!”
Qin Mu’s eyelids twitched, twitched again, and he turned his head with difficulty.
A large hand pressed down on his shoulder, strong and powerful.
The Open Emperor said in a low voice, “It has nothing to do with us!”
“Is there no justice left in this world?” Qin Mu smiled, but it was not a smile; he cried, but it was not a cry.
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