Chapter 1275: Thick-faced and Black-hearted

Suddenly, someone choked, coughing repeatedly. Immediately, the gazes of all the assembled deities fell upon him. The person stifled his cough, his face turning beet red from holding it in.

Hao Tianzun broke the silence, saying breathlessly, “Thanks to Shepherd Celestial Venerable’s help, the consequences would otherwise have been unthinkable. I fear I would have perished at the hands of the Grand Emperor.”

Qin Mu said weakly, “Fortunate people are blessed by heaven; Hao Tianzun does not seem destined for an early demise. I, too, gave my all to block the Grand Emperor and save your life, Celestial Venerable.”

Hao Tianzun, his voice barely a whisper, said, “I am deeply sorry for troubling you, my brother. I have no way to repay you, but from now on, I shall devote myself entirely to your service.”

Qin Mu’s face flushed with a sickly crimson hue from excitement, “You speak too highly, too highly! Hao Tianzun is the leader who controls the Heavenly Court and its affairs. How could I not risk my life to rescue you, when it is for the sake of the Heavenly Court?”

All the divine generals and Celestial Venerables present exchanged glances.

Suddenly, Qin Mu and Hao Tianzun both began coughing violently at the same time, each appearing as if they might perish at any moment.

Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable also looked unwell and began to cough.

“Four Celestial Venerables simultaneously suffered heavy injuries; truly a time of many troubles,” someone whispered.

Qin Mu roused his spirits and declared loudly, “That is incorrect! Qin Ye, the old thief from Wuyou Township, and the old hag Lang Wan, have also suffered severe injuries! Now is an excellent opportunity for our brave sons of the Heavenly Court to achieve great feats! I shall personally lead troops onto the battlefield with this crippled body, claim the head of the old thief Qin Ye with my own hands, and serve the Heavenly Court!” With that, he began to cough violently again.

The Four Heavenly Kings, Four Heavenly Masters, and Four Emperors each coughed repeatedly. Bai Yuqiong sighed, “This coughing seems contagious…”

Fire Celestial Venerable asked with concern, “Brother Hao, are your injuries severe? Void Celestial Venerable and I went to your aid, but unexpectedly encountered Emperor Kai and Lang Wan also attacking, so we couldn’t fully protect you in time, my brother.”

“I’m not dying.”

Hao Tianzun said blandly, his face pale, “I survived. I had originally planned to recover in seclusion without alarming anyone. However, it seems there are traitors within our Heavenly Court who dared to plot against me while I was recuperating. Hehe, what a clever scheme.”

Everyone present felt a chill in their hearts, and their gazes simultaneously fell on Qin Mu.

Qin Mu seemed oblivious, picking up a dish from the table and putting it in his mouth.

As for Bai Yuqiong, Xi Tianjun, and Crimson Emperor Qi Xiayu, though their expressions remained unchanged, their hearts were inevitably uneasy.

That day, in the dark valley of the Grand Void Demonic Domain, they had all been present during the assault on Hao Tianzun and had each taken action. They wondered if Hao Tianzun had noticed anything amiss.

Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable remained outwardly calm. Void Celestial Venerable asked, “Brother Hao, do you know who tried to harm you?”

How could Hao Tianzun possibly reveal it?

To point out Xi Tianjun and the others would be to force Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable to kill him now; he would naturally not be so foolish.

“The people who tried to kill me concealed their true identities,”

Hao Tianzun said lightly, “Perhaps their traces will be found in the future. However, my injuries are very severe right now, and I have no time to inquire about this matter.”

Qin Mu suddenly put down his chopsticks and exclaimed in surprise, “When I rescued Brother Hao, I was also in the Grand Void Demonic Domain, and I recognized the villains who tried to harm him!”

Everyone’s gazes simultaneously fell on him again.

Qin Mu’s gaze fell upon Meng Yungui, the Second Heavenly Master. Meng Yungui’s face turned pale, and he quickly recoiled.

Qin Mu’s gaze moved from him to Zhu Shaoping, the Fourth Heavenly Master. Zhu Shaoping’s face was ashen.

Qin Mu smiled as he looked at the other Heavenly Kings and Heavenly Masters, and everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.

The divine generals present, many of whom were at the Numinous Sky Realm, were now as silent as cicadas in cold weather. None dared to meet his gaze!

Within the egg hidden in Qin Mu’s third eye on his forehead, Grand Beginning couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, “To easily manipulate situations, such cunning and skill are truly exceptional! Shepherd Celestial Venerable may be young and not highly skilled, but he must not be underestimated!”

Suddenly, Qin Mu’s gaze shifted to Fire Celestial Venerable’s face. Fire Celestial Venerable’s eyes burned like fire as he watched him, saying nothing.

“Hahahaha!”

Qin Mu clapped his hands and laughed heartily, saying, “It was too dark in the Grand Void Demonic Domain; I couldn’t see their faces clearly, so I wouldn’t dare to speak carelessly.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, each subtly turning their heads to wipe away the cold sweat on their foreheads.

Hao Tianzun glanced at him again, then said calmly, “Shepherd Celestial Venerable may not know who tried to assassinate me, but there are those who betray from within who cannot escape my notice.”

He took a breath and said in a deep voice, “Yin Chaojin!”

Yin Tianzi’s face turned pale. He rose from his seat and bowed, saying, “Celestial Venerable, what instructions do you have?”

Hao Tianzun slammed the table and said coldly, “Villains chased me for six hundred thousand miles while I was heavily wounded, even reaching the front of your Nether City. Why did you not save me?”

Yin Tianzi stiffened his neck and retorted, “Your subordinate could not save you! Your subordinate commands the armies of Northern Heavens Nether Capital and guards Grand Void Youdu, a vital military stronghold. The villain Qin Fengqing, King Yama, was leading an army to attack. If Grand Void Youdu had fallen, all the Heavenly Court soldiers in the entire Grand Void territory would have been exposed to the villains’ slaughtering blades! Let alone a Celestial Venerable, even if it were the Celestial Emperor, your subordinate absolutely could not have saved them!”

“Presumptuous!” Hao Tianzun trembled with rage, slamming the table and roaring. His throat felt sweet, as if a mouthful of blood was about to burst out, but he swallowed it back down.

Yin Tianzi stubbornly said, “Your subordinate was ordered to guard Grand Void Youdu, and it is my duty to prioritize the greater good! If Celestial Venerable is petty and holds this grudge, then please report it to His Majesty the Celestial Emperor and let His Majesty decide! If Celestial Venerable intends to punish me here, Chaojin will not accept it!”

Hao Tianzun, beside himself with fury, raised his hand and struck with a palm.

Boom—

At the grand banquet, the heavens and earth changed color, winds and clouds surged wildly, and space shattered. Hao Tianzun’s palm strike was majestic and imposing, his hand extending with the might of the Ancient God Celestial Emperor who once struck Earth Count back to Youdu and shattered Divine King Gong Yun with a single blow!

Yin Tianzi roared, and with a thunderous crash, the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate appeared behind him, suppressing the surrounding fluctuations.

His robes flapped wildly behind him, his headdress exploded with a crack, and his long hair was pulled straight back by the fierce wind!

“Your subordinate will not sit idly by and await death!”

Yin Tianzi roared repeatedly. Four celestial palaces erupted behind him, and four more celestial palaces emerged from within the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate, forming an anomaly of eight celestial palaces!

Yin Tianzi’s aura surged. He met Hao Tianzun’s palm strike and sharply declared, “Hao Tianzun, you are heavily wounded. Do you really think you can defeat me? If I take you down, I, Yin, will become the Yin Celestial Venerable!”

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes, picked up his wine cup, and drank. He transmitted a spiritual message to the Grand Beginning egg within his glabella, asking, “Grand Prime intervened, didn’t he?”

Grand Beginning in the egg replied, “That’s right. Hao Tianzun doesn’t possess such immense power yet. He has only recovered at most nine celestial palaces, but his palm strike indeed seemed to have the power of eighteen celestial palaces. It was Grand Prime secretly assisting him.”

When Hao Tianzun’s palm descended, an earth-shattering roar reverberated. The entire front hall of the grand palace was blown away, and a massive palm print, thousands of miles long, sent Yin Tianzi and the Nether Capital Heavenly Gate flying!

At the banquet in the hall, all the divine generals and Celestial Venerables were struck with awe.

Hao Tianzun withdrew his hand and said weakly, “My injuries are still too severe; I couldn’t kill that fellow.”

A silence fell over the hall.

Qin Mu, biting on his chopsticks, clapped his hands in approval and said in a muffled voice, “Well struck! If I weren’t also heavily wounded, I would definitely have given that Yin Tianzi a good beating too!”

Hao Tianzun glanced at him again, suppressing the anger caused by Qin Mu stealing his thunder. He raised his cup and said, “He’s not worth getting angry over. Gentlemen, I toast you all.”

The Two Celestial Venerables, Three Emperors, Four Heavenly Masters, Four Heavenly Kings, and other generals hastily said they wouldn’t dare, then raised their cups and drained them.

Hao Tianzun put down his wine cup, only to see a long rainbow flying in from outside. Yin Tianzi, covered in blood, fell to his knees with a thud, then prostrated himself and crawled forward, dragging a trail of blood into the grand hall. He choked out, “Chaojin knows he was wrong! Please, Celestial Venerable, forgive my transgression!”

Hao Tianzun let out a hum.

Fire Celestial Venerable picked up a wine cup and stepped forward, placing it in Yin Tianzi’s hand. He said gently, “Nether Emperor, go offer a toast to Brother Hao to apologize. Brother Hao, Brother Yin also bears a heavy responsibility; please don’t take it to heart anymore.”

Hao Tianzun’s expression softened slightly.

Yin Tianzi, still kneeling, raised his cup and moved forward. Hao Tianzun eased his expression, took the cup, and said, “Alright, I understand your duty. Not saving me was the correct course of action, and I don’t blame you anymore. Rise.” With that, he drained the wine in the cup.

Yin Tianzi burst into loud sobs, kneeling and prostrating on the ground, unwilling to rise.

Hao Tianzun, also moved, struggled to his feet, went to help him up, and said tearfully, “You are my brother, my sworn comrade. The reason I was angry with you was precisely because of our deep friendship, and yet you stood by while I was in peril. However, I understand now; I shouldn’t have hurt you…”

Yin Tianzi choked out, “Those were just words spoken in anger earlier, Celestial Venerable; please don’t take them to heart.”

The two supported each other and returned to their seats.

All the deities present wiped away tears.

“Excellent!”

Qin Mu, however, burst into loud laughter, standing up and clapping in praise, “Your interaction was so moving, it could bring gods and ghosts to tears! If word gets out, it will be a beautiful story for our Heavenly Court!”

Hao Tianzun and Yin Tianzi’s faces darkened simultaneously, and they forcefully suppressed the urge to immediately kill him.

“That Shepherd Celestial Venerable, why isn’t he dead yet?”