Chapter 1243: Slaughtering the Shepherd Plan

Huotianzun's anger surged. Shang Pingyin's Dao heart was flawed; he had been severely wounded by the Dragon Mountain Hermit in his early years. Although he had later mended it, the cracks in his Dao heart remained.

Now, trapped by Qin Mu using the "Dragon Mountain Hermit" formation, even if healed by a Celestial Physician, Shang Pingyin would constantly be plagued by thoughts of the formation, always trying to figure out how to break it.

In such a state, Shang Pingyin would find it extremely difficult to contend with Emperor Kaihuang's formidable army.

Huotianzun frowned, summoning a divine being. "Where is Mu Tianzun?" he asked.

"To answer Tianzun, after Mu Tianzun left here, he went to see the Fourth Celestial Master, Zhu Shaoping, and then the Northern Heavenly King, Yi Luo."

Huotianzun's brow furrowed deeply. "He went to see Celestial Master Zhu Shaoping? How is Zhu Shaoping now?"

The divine being hesitated. "Celestial Master Zhu is doing very well. He was laughing and talking with Mu Tianzun, and even saw him off courteously when he left."

Huotianzun breathed a sigh of relief. If even Celestial Master Zhu had been disheartened by Qin Mu, then the Heavenly Court's Four Celestial Masters would have lost two major combatants!

He looked at Shang Pingyin again. After treatment by the Celestial Physician, Shang Pingyin's complexion had recovered significantly, though he still occasionally seemed distracted.

"Without shedding a drop of blood, he ruined the Heavenly Court's First Celestial Master. This Qin Mu..."

Huotianzun had a splitting headache. At the moment, he couldn't find any fault with Qin Mu, as even Shang Pingyin believed Qin Mu wasn't harming him but rather offering guidance. Even if Huotianzun wanted to act against Qin Mu, he couldn't find an excuse.

"His purpose for this trip is to visit the Four Celestial Masters, then the Four Heavenly Kings. It's hard to guarantee that none of the Four Heavenly Kings will be swayed by him. We cannot allow him to continue acting so recklessly!"

He arrived at Zhu Shaoping's divine city. Zhu Shaoping hastily came out to greet him, asking, "Tianzun, to what do we owe this visit?"

Huotianzun asked, "Did Mu Tianzun do anything particular when he was here?"

Zhu Shaoping smiled faintly. "Mu Tianzun came to assess my strength and observe my army's formations. However, what a Celestial Master seeks is the overall world situation; the changes he observed in my formations were merely minor aspects."

Huotianzun secretly praised him, then asked, "How do we get rid of Mu Tianzun?"

Zhu Shaoping was unaccustomed to such directness and hesitated before replying, "Whoever kills Mu Tianzun will bear ill repute. Since that is the case, why not let someone else take the blame? I have a plan: when we attack the Grand Primordium in the future, we will have Mu Tianzun charge at the forefront."

Huotianzun was displeased. "Qin Ye is colluding with him; he wouldn't kill him at all!"

Zhu Shaoping chuckled. "Tianzun, Emperor Kaihuang won't kill him, but we won't? In the chaos of battle, blades and spears have no eyes. It would be perfectly reasonable for Mu Tianzun to die in battle, harmed by Emperor Kaihuang's forces."

Huotianzun pondered for a moment. "How large an army would you need for Mu Tianzun to die in the chaos of battle?"

Zhu Shaoping said, "Emperor Yin sent three top experts—Hu Mengdie, Yin Jiuzun, and Yu Wufei—to pursue him, but he killed them all. Mu Tianzun has too many abilities; his cultivation realm makes it difficult to measure his strength. If categorized by the Divine Treasure Heavenly Palace realm, his power fluctuates, making it hard to understand."

Huotianzun frowned. Qin Mu's cultivation and strength were indeed a mystery.

Zhu Shaoping analyzed, "I believe it's because he has cultivated and integrated too many systems. If categorized by Heavenly Palace, his realm is True God. If by Dao Realm, he's roughly equivalent to Dao Realm 27th or 28th Heaven. However, neither of these accurately measures his strength."

He paced back and forth. "When he encounters a Numinous Sky Realm expert, if that expert has a deep understanding of the Dao, then Mu Tianzun's strength appears weaker. However, if the expert merely relies on cultivation techniques and divine arts to enter the Dao, then Mu Tianzun appears very strong. We only need to find a few Numinous Sky Realm experts with a deeper understanding of the Dao, and they can kill him amidst the chaos. If there's even a single being at Dao Realm 27th Heaven, or even the Jade Capital Realm, they could eliminate him!"

He continued his analysis, "But this is not his full strength. I haven't witnessed his battle with the Reincarnation Bell, but I've heard accounts of it. He should be proficient in Celestial Venerable Ling's Immutability Divine Art."

Huotianzun's brows knitted tightly, and the fiery wheel behind his head suddenly spun faster. His mood was clearly agitated. "In the past, you Four Celestial Masters studied Celestial Venerable Ling's notes together, yet you failed to decipher the mysteries of the Immutability Divine Art. This is disappointing."

Zhu Shaoping cautiously replied, "Celestial Venerable Ling spent over 900,000 years to comprehend the Immutability Divine Art. It's impossible for us Four Celestial Masters, no matter how diligently we study, to comprehend it in just a few tens of thousands of years."

"Yet Mu Tianzun learned it," Huotianzun reminded him.

Zhu Shaoping's face flushed slightly. "Most likely, Celestial Venerable Ling taught him directly; of course, we cannot compare. Tianzun, although I haven't thoroughly comprehended Celestial Venerable Ling's notes, I have gained some insights. Combined with what the other three Celestial Masters have learned, together, the Four Celestial Masters should be able to devise a method to counter the Immutability Divine Art. Killing him should not be difficult."

Huotianzun nodded slightly. "Shang Pingyin's Dao heart is fractured. With only three Celestial Masters remaining, can you still devise a plan to deal with Mu Tianzun?"

Zhu Shaoping smiled faintly, full of confidence. "We Celestial Masters excel in wisdom. While our combat prowess may not be top-tier, in terms of strategy and tactics, throughout the entire Kaihuang Heavenly Court, only the Wen Tian Pavilion is worthy of being our opponent."

Huotianzun exhaled, then said in a deep voice, "Go and invite Bai Yuqiong and Meng Yungui. Begin preparations immediately!"

Qin Mu left the divine city where the Northern Heavenly King, Yi Luo, was stationed and went to see the Eastern Heavenly King, Huang Qianxi.

The Northern Heavenly King, Yi Luo, also known as Heavenly Lord Yi, was intelligent but only skilled at leading charges. Qin Mu observed that his army's formations were not as intricate as those of the Four Celestial Masters.

Each has their specialty: the Four Celestial Masters are renowned for their strategy and favor schemes, while the Four Heavenly Kings excel at leading charges and value martial prowess.

The reason Kaihuang Heavenly Court collapsed so quickly and disastrously in its later stages was that the Four Heavenly Kings were unable to participate in battle for various reasons, leaving the Four Celestial Masters to lead charges, which led to a complete and overwhelming defeat.

"Heavenly Kings are easier to deal with, but Celestial Masters are formidable. Fortunately, Celestial Master Shang Pingyin of the Heavenly Court has a flaw in his Dao heart."

Qin Mu arrived at the divine city where the Eastern Heavenly King, Huang Qianxi, was stationed. Huang Qianxi had already heard of his arrival and avoided meeting him. A divine being stated, "Tianzun, you've come at an inconvenient time. Heavenly Lord Huang has gone to Celestial Venerable Xu's place to listen to teachings."

Qin Mu thought to himself, "If the Eastern Heavenly King refuses to see me, then the other Heavenly Kings will likely do the same. There's no need to visit them, then."

The Heavenly Court's Four Heavenly Kings all hold the title of Heavenly Lord: Northern Heavenly King Yi Luo is Heavenly Lord Yi, Eastern Heavenly King Huang Qianxi is Heavenly Lord Huang, Western Heavenly King Xi Muhong is Heavenly Lord Xi, and Southern Heavenly King Sang Geng is Heavenly Lord Sang.

The Four Heavenly Lords' strength surpasses that of the Four Celestial Masters. However, the most powerful are still the Four Color Great Emperors: Black Emperor, White Emperor, Red Emperor, and Green Emperor.

This time, the Four Heavenly Kings and Four Emperors are leading their armies to attack the Grand Primordium together, which shows the importance they place on the carefree village.

"If the Heavenly Court's Ten Guards were added, it would be even more terrifying. Even with Youdu's support, the Grand Primordium wouldn't be able to resist."

He gazed at Emperor Kaihuang's camp, thinking silently, "Emperor Kaihuang, how long can you hold out?"