Chapter 926: The Langxuan Divine Palace Massacre
Qin Mu and his companions walked through Heavenly Street and arrived at another street. This street was also long empty, with not a single person in sight.
Yun Chuxiu praised, "The Heavenly Lord truly has such prestige. Wherever he goes, not even a blade of grass grows, and children stop crying!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "After all, I am a Heavenly Lord. When I travel, I naturally have an imposing presence!"
From within Long Qilin's ear, Little Earth Lord poked his head out, surveying the surroundings with a very serious and majestic air. Long Qilin, worried something might happen to him, quickly drooped his ear, blocking him back inside.
Little Earth Lord knocked on his ear from inside, but Long Qilin endured it and never let him out.
Yun Chuxiu noticed this Little Earth Lord, a look of surprise flashing across her face. As if thinking of something, this woman suddenly burst out laughing.
They arrived before the Langxuan Divine Palace. Although the Langxuan Divine Palace's grounds were not as vast as the Jade Pool, it was still an extremely grand and expansive complex of buildings within the Heavenly Court, with layers upon layers of palaces.
Here, everything was resplendent and magnificent. The palaces were suspended in midair, surrounded by swirling clouds and mists, with no cableways connecting them. One had to fly across to reach them.
In fact, most of the buildings in the Heavenly Court were often like this. Not every place was completely connected. For example, the Jade Pool floated in the sky, surrounded by clouds, with only a tributary of the Heavenly River connecting to it. The Jade Terrace where the Jade Pool was located had no direct contact with any other part of the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Market was also suspended in midair, separate from other places. To get from elsewhere to the Heavenly Market, one had to fly.
Other buildings in the Heavenly Court were also often not connected to each other. This was because, in the early years of the Dragon Han Era when the Heavenly Court was first established, the original Heavenly Court did not have its current scale. It was composed of thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Precious Halls. The Heavenly Palaces, Precious Halls, and the Jade Capital City were each individual entities.
These buildings were pieced together to form the Heavenly Court, which resulted in the situation where many palaces and halls were often not connected.
Later, many of the original thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Precious Halls were relocated to other parts of the universe to guard their respective regions.
Added to this were the fusion and splicing of the Xiao Han Heavenly Court, the Long Xiao Heavenly Court, and the Dragon Han Heavenly Court. Through the constant expansion of the Heavenly Court throughout history, it reached its current scale.
However, the tradition of various places within the Heavenly Court being independent of each other was preserved.
The Langxuan Divine Palace had already received news that Lord Mu was heading their way. The disciples of Langxuan Divine Emperor within the palace dared not be negligent and immediately reported it. Chang Xiting, the Divine Emperor's senior disciple who managed the Langxuan Divine Palace, felt a great headache upon hearing that Lord Mu was visiting.
"Is Lord Mu really coming?" he asked repeatedly.
"Senior Brother, he has already arrived outside the palace!"
Chang Xiting sneered, "What is he doing here? Isn't he afraid of death?"
Everyone exchanged glances. One person, plucking up his courage, said, "Senior Brother, who would dare to kill him? A few days ago at the Jade Pool, even the Heavenly Lords made a move, and he still didn't die. If he were to die in our Langxuan Divine Palace, the trouble would be immense! Other factions would seize this excuse, saying that the Langxuan Divine Palace harmed Lord Mu, and we would all have to be buried with him!"
Chang Xiting's headache was splitting. He waved his hand and said, "I naturally know the consequences. I've heard that he no longer has a soul now, only sustained by his indestructible divine consciousness, and his days are numbered. Although we can't kill him directly, we can frustrate him and make him die faster."
His eyes flickered, and he smiled slightly. "What if the esteemed Lord Mu were to be defeated by a disciple of Lord Lang, and not just once, but ten or a hundred times? How much would his confidence and conviction be shaken? Wouldn't he die a little faster?"
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Chang Xiting smiled faintly. "We are disciples of a Heavenly Lord, taught by the Heavenly Lord since childhood, cultivating the most superior techniques and the most superior divine abilities. Lord Mu is nothing but a mere country bumpkin from the lower realms, who used Lady Ling's divine ability to travel back to the Dragon Han Era, thus earning the title of Heavenly Lord. Defeating him is not difficult. As long as he doesn't die in the Langxuan Divine Palace, it has nothing to do with us."
A young man frowned and said, "Senior Brother, I've heard news that Jade Prince and others once went to the Jade Pool to challenge him, also intending to humiliate him, but ended up being killed by him. Jade Prince's ranking on the Divine Excellence List was quite high. If he could kill Jade Prince and the others, his strength must be extraordinary!"
Chang Xiting laughed. "The Divine Excellence List and the Azure Glory List are just toys to fool children. Look at the disciples of the various Heavenly Lords—how many are on those lists? The Heavenly Lords are extremely wary of each other and absolutely don't want other Heavenly Lords to figure out their techniques. The few Heavenly Lord disciples on the lists don't use their masters' true inherited secret arts; they're just little tricks to confuse other Heavenly Lords! If you use the teacher's secret arts, defeating him won't be difficult. I want to make him so frustrated he spits blood and dies of depression!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, saying, "With Senior Brother's words, we can rest assured. But what if he doesn't dare to accept the challenge?"
Chang Xiting smiled faintly. "Isn't he the rumored Overlord Body? I've heard the Overlord Body is unmatched. Seize on this point and provoke him with words. As long as he has any blood in him, he will accept the challenge. This person is only in his twenties or thirties; he doesn't have that deep a scheming mind. Go and prepare. I will go see the Master!"
The crowd hurried out to prepare.
In the Divine Emperor's Hall, Chang Xiting stood respectfully, reported the matter, and said, "Master, is this disciple's handling appropriate? Should Master personally appear to see him?"
Langxuan Divine Emperor had prominent horns on his head and an ancient, noble appearance. He was the first demigod in the world. His parents were both ancient gods, granting him eternal life, which allowed him to survive to this day.
His cultivation and strength were unfathomably deep, even more ancient than Lord Yu and Lord Hao of that era. There were even rumors that he had participated in the great battle of the Blood Rust Zone, though no one knew if it was true.
The identities of his parents, the two ancient gods, had always been a mystery.
His disciples were also mostly demigods. Among the demigods, Lord Hao, Langxuan Divine Emperor, and Ancestral God King were the three great leaders, possessing immense influence and being among the most powerful demigods.
"You handled it well, but be careful not to kill him."
Langxuan Divine Emperor frowned, puzzled. "This fellow actually dares to come? This is a move that gives me a headache. The Heavenly Court has already been thrown into chaos by him. The ten Heavenly Lords are suspicious and wary of each other, almost coming to blows. This fellow is bold enough to go and stir up trouble with the other Heavenly Kings and the Four Emperors, and now he dares to come here to pull the tiger's whiskers. This is a critical time..."
He paced back and forth, pondering. "I won't see him. The Heavenly Alliance was founded by him. He is one of the Five Founding Elders, with a status in the Heavenly Alliance even above Lady Ling! Now, among the Five Founding Elders, Lady Yue is crippled, Lady Yun and Lady Ling are dead, and Lord Qin is hiding and dare not come out. Only he remains. He is the nominal person with the most power and the highest status in the Heavenly Alliance. If I see him, I would still have to bow and call him Senior Brother!"
Chang Xiting was secretly shocked and dared not speak, thinking to himself, "If I handle this matter well, I will have rendered a service in the teacher's eyes, and he will surely reward me heavily."
Langxuan Divine Emperor's gaze was deep, and he said unhurriedly, "This kid has taken all the advantages. In the early years of the Dragon Han Era, the Heavenly Emperor invited me to a gathering. I attended the Heavenly Court's grand assembly, while he went to see Lord Yu and attended the Jade Pool gathering. As a result, the Heavenly Alliance was established, and his status ended up above mine... Xiting, I am going to travel the world. After you have humiliated him a bit, send him away. Don't let him die here. Also!"
He said in a deep voice, "Give me strict protection to Lord Mu. Under no circumstances must anything happen to him! If he dies in my Langxuan Divine Palace, it will be a huge shit pot dumped on my head that I can never wash off! There are already Heavenly Lords in the Heavenly Court who look down on me and can't wait to get rid of me, but they just haven't had the chance. Now their opportunity has come. Someone might even make a move to assassinate Lord Mu!"
Chang Xiting's hair stood on end, and he hurriedly rushed out.
Langxuan Divine Emperor drifted away, laughing. "The Heavenly Court's grand assembly—my status was even above some ancient gods. I never expected that the Heavenly Court's grand assembly wouldn't affect the rankings of later generations, but instead, the unremarkable Jade Pool gathering would be the grand event that determined the pattern for a million years. Fortunately, I also joined the Heavenly Alliance early on, or I wouldn't even have had a chance to share a bowl of soup!"
Qin Mu was gaunt and thin, with a deficiency in both blood and qi, coughing incessantly. Many disciples of the Langxuan Divine Palace were taunting him, saying things like "Please instruct us, Overlord Body Lord Mu."
Qin Mu remained silent, not responding, but his qi and blood were fluctuating, clearly showing his inner turmoil was not calm.
Qi Jiuying couldn't stand it and shouted sternly, "Fellow disciples of the Langxuan Divine Palace, what are you doing? Lord Mu has come to visit Lord Lang, not to wrangle and fool around with you disciples! If you want to fight, come at me!"
A woman laughed and said, "Qi Jiuying, we've heard of your reputation, but you are merely a disciple of the Four Emperors, with mediocre skills. There's no need for you to show off. We are inviting Lord Mu, the Yan Kang Overlord Body, to instruct us. You are not qualified."
Qi Jiuying was furious. "Does challenging require qualifications?"
The crowd smiled without speaking.
Yun Jianli said gently, "Then am I qualified? I am a descendant of Lord Yun. Can I accept the challenges of you fellow disciples on behalf of Lord Mu?"
Chang Xiting walked in from outside, laughing heartily. "Young Master Bing, your grandmother and great-grandmother are far too difficult to deal with. Why bother stepping in yourself? Young Master Bing, rest assured. My junior brothers and sisters merely want to ask Lord Mu to guide them in their cultivation. I've heard that Lord Mu carried out reforms in the lower realms, known as one of the Three Heroes of Yan Kang, and the unparalleled Yan Kang Overlord Body. Guiding my junior brothers and sisters a little will broaden their horizons."
Everyone bowed. "Senior Brother!"
Qin Mu stood up shakily and said, "Since you all want to see the strength of the Overlord Body and witness the secret arts of Yan Kang, then I..."
He suddenly coughed violently, his body swaying, and he reached out a hand as if to grab something.
Yun Chuxiu quickly stepped forward to support him, helping him walk outside, whispering, "You, don't always be so stubborn. Take care of your body. I told you we shouldn't come out, but you insisted..." As she spoke, she secretly pinched a small piece of skin under his armpit and twisted it.
"Am I being flirted with by the Empress?"
Qin Mu's mind wavered, and he quickly pushed the young girl away, panting, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! I can still hold on! I came to see Lord Lang, not to be humiliated. As the Overlord Body, I must absolutely uphold the dignity of the Overlord Body! Come on!"
He straightened his body, took out the Core of the World Tree, and leaned on this wooden staff, fully displaying his pride and backbone, saying coldly, "The Yan Kang Overlord Body has never lost! And has never backed down!"
Qi Jiuying sighed, thinking to himself, "This time out, I'm afraid many more people will die. First the Jade Pool, now Lord Lang's Langxuan Divine Palace. Does Lord Qin really intend to tear down the entire Heavenly Court?"
Yun Chuxiu looked at that wooden staff, her heart skipping a beat. "The Core of the World Tree from the World Realm! That little wench Earth Mother Yuanjun went all out to please this kid! Hmph, that little brat Langxuan Divine Emperor sneaked away just now and isn't here. Lord Mu can't unleash all the power of the Core of the World Tree. If I help him a little, tearing this place apart seems quite simple..."
A gleam of excitement shone in her eyes.
Qin Mu raised the Core of the World Tree and said coldly, "Who wants me to give them some guidance?"
He also had his own calculations in mind. "After I've finished making trouble for Lord Lang, I'll go and cause a ruckus at the other Heavenly Court big shots' places. Then I can go to the Heavenly Court Dao Sect to see the Dao Ancestor..."
Chang Xiting cast a glance at a young man. The young man stepped forward, a faint smile on his face, and bowed, saying, "Shen Wanzhou, disciple of Lord Lang, requests the Heavenly Lord's guidance!"
Chang Xiting coughed and reminded him, "Junior Brother Wanzhou, don't injure Lord Mu. We are the hosts, and we must fulfill our duties as hosts."
Qin Mu said stiffly, "No need! Feel free to injure me!"
Shen Wanzhou chuckled lightly and said, "Junior would allow Lord Mu to make the first move, so that Junior can witness the strength of the Overlord Body."
Qin Mu was furious, and his primordial energy surged wildly into the Core of the World Tree, activating its power, thinking to himself, "Should I kill him with one blow? If I kill him, what if the others don't dare to challenge me..."
Just as he thought this, suddenly an incredibly violent surge of magical power poured into the Core of the World Tree. This magical power was so terrifyingly deep, far surpassing his own cultivation, reaching thousands or tens of thousands of times his own power!
Qin Mu was startled, and the Core of the World Tree in his hand transformed into a giant pillar that reached the sky, sweeping out. Shen Wanzhou was directly crushed into powder!
Not only Shen Wanzhou was crushed into powder, but all the other disciples of Langxuan Divine Emperor also failed to escape this fate, ground to dust by this Core of the World Tree!
Chang Xiting saw the danger and raised his hand to block, but an incredibly terrifying force crushed down on him, causing him to spit blood and fly backward.
He watched in horror as that impossibly large staff swept through the Langxuan Divine Palace in Qin Mu's hand. The space under the staff shattered, smashing palaces one after another into pieces.
The palace halls of the Langxuan Divine Palace were swept up by the terrifying force, falling from the Heavenly Court, with shattered palaces flying into the vast starry sky.
This single strike from Qin Mu had nearly destroyed more than half of the Langxuan Divine Palace! He was both shocked and furious, suddenly turning his head to look at Yun Chuxiu, his hair bristling with rage, and sneered, "Little wench, I've been putting up with you for a long time!"
Yun Chuxiu was also angered, soaring into the air: "You ungrateful fool! Do you think I haven't been putting up with you?"
Qin Mu burst into loud laughter, his body leaping into the air, striking directly at Yun Chuxiu: "Why bother fighting disciples of Heavenly Lords? If we're going to fight, let's fight a Heavenly Lord!"
Qi Jiuying and Yun Chuxiu stared wide-eyed. Qi Jiuying quickly kicked Long Qilin: "Second Brother, what's going on? Explain!"