Chapter 1434: Heavenly Dao is Self-Serving

Qin Mu looked at him. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Someone once told me that Celestial Venerable You is too naive. If he had participated in the great age of contention instead of staying in Youdu, he wouldn't be alive today. You, by deciding to leave Youdu, you are putting yourself in danger, risking your life."

Previously, whenever Celestial Venerable You acted, he always had Youdu as his backing, allowing him to advance or retreat. For instance, in the battle where Heaven Court's Jade Pool protected Qin Mu, Celestial Venerable You moved within Youdu. Similarly, in the battle against Celestial Venerable Xiao in the Peach Forest, Celestial Venerable You could always re-enter Youdu at any time.

However, if Celestial Venerable You were to go to Xuandu, he would be unable to return to Youdu in time to evade enemy attacks, which would be extremely perilous for him.

Celestial Venerable You looked at him calmly and said, "But I have already begun to intervene in worldly affairs since Celestial Venerable Xiao was exiled. I have territory in the Primordial Realm."

He was referring to his release of Xie Wuqi and Mingya, who established themselves in the Primordial Realm with his help.

From that moment on, Celestial Venerable You began to get involved in the conflicts, no longer able to remain neutral.

Qin Mu was silent for a moment, understanding his intentions. He said, "Earth Duke will not let you attack; he won't let you put yourself in harm's way. Earth Duke's ideal is to shed his identity, and he needs a just person to take his place. You are his chosen candidate, the next Earth Duke in his eyes."

"The next Earth Duke in Earth Duke's mind was originally you, then Qin Fengqing. He has always been cultivating both you and Qin Fengqing as potential successors."

Celestial Venerable You calmly stated, "My relationship with Earth Duke is a transaction. I manage Youdu for him, and in return, he preserves Celestial Venerable Yu's physical body and protects my mother's soul."

Qin Mu asked, "What if something happens to you? What about your mother?"

"She will live well in Youdu."

Qin Mu said no more, turning to leave. His voice carried from a distance, "Celestial Venerable Yue, Emperor Kai, and Divine King Lang Wo will appear in Xuandu. When they do, you should meet with them first."

He suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, and then said meaningfully, "Be wary of Divine King Lang Wo. Do not let her come into contact with Celestial Venerable Gong. If Celestial Venerable Gong remains in Heaven Court and does not participate in the Xuandu battle, then it's fine. However, if she does participate, she will certainly make contact with Divine King Lang Wo. If Lang Wo and Celestial Venerable Gong make contact, you need to be prepared for changes."

Celestial Venerable You paused slightly, then nodded silently.

Qin Mu departed, saying, "You should return. Ask Earth Duke to release Heavenly King Tian Shu and the others. I will need their help in the battle of Xuandu."

Celestial Venerable You smiled, put away his paper figurines and paper horses, and drifted away on his paper boat.

Qin Mu waited until he had returned to Youdu, then stopped to ponder deeply for a moment before shaking his head.

Divine King Lang Wo, the flawless goddess of his dreams, would nonetheless not dwell on past affections or embrace friendship.

Her paramount principle was the interest of her race, and she would make judgments that benefited her race based on the unfolding situation.

If Heaven Duke were to die, and Qin Mu's faction were to lose its most powerful member, the balance of power with the Ten Celestial Venerables would be shattered. In such a scenario, if she encountered Celestial Venerable Gong, she could easily be persuaded that Qin Mu's side could not overcome the Ten Celestial Venerables, leading her to join Celestial Venerable Gong's camp.

As one of the former Three Kings of the Primordial Era and now one of the Ten Celestial Venerables, Celestial Venerable Gong's maneuvering could even lead to Divine King Lang Wo becoming a member of the Ten Celestial Venerables.

In that case, Divine King Lang Wo, seeking to prove her worth, might ruthlessly attack her former allies. Under her sneak attack, even Emperor Kai and Celestial Venerable Yue might find it difficult to escape.

The Creator race might even make a move against Carefree Village!

Divine King Lang Wo was once the object of Qin Mu's affection, so taking precautions against her caused him great distress, but it was a necessary action.

Over a month later, Heaven Court finally descended completely upon the Ancestral Court. The vast and boundless Heaven Court floated above the Ancestral Court, emanating earth-shattering divine power.

The Celestial River also changed its course with Heaven Court, returning to the Ancestral Court. In the Primordial Era, the Celestial River was the most important river in the Ancestral Court; now, it had merely returned to its former position.

However, the return of the Celestial River caused profound changes in the cosmic landscape.

Firstly, many heavens established along the Celestial River suffered immense upheaval. Originally, the stars in these heavens orbited according to the Celestial River's tides. With the river's diversion, the stars became chaotic, leading to continuous natural disasters in these heavens, countless displaced people, and innumerable casualties.

Secondly, the Celestial River had once flowed through various heavens in the Primordial Realm. Its change of course altered the trajectories of these heavens, tearing and dragging them.

Some heavens were fortunate, with many powerful gods stabilizing stars during the Celestial River's diversion, preventing significant harm to their inhabitants. But other heavens were not so lucky; they were directly torn apart by the Celestial River, becoming fragments scattered throughout the cosmos, with countless cold bodies floating in space.

No one dared to complain.

The Celestial River's change of course also transformed the great marsh of the Ancestral Court into a vast ocean. This marsh was once the origin of Xuandu, which rose from here, growing ever higher to become the most immense firmament.

After the Primordial Era, when the Creators existed, Heaven Court captured the Celestial River, turning the celestial sea that nurtured Xuandu into a great marsh. Now, this celestial sea has been restored, becoming vast and profound.

If one stood on the surface of the sea and gazed into the water, one could see the reflection of Xuandu within it.

This was Celestial Venerable Hong's territory.

The original great marsh was not even considered a treasure land, yet Celestial Venerable Hong chose it. However, the Celestial River's diversion, transforming it into a celestial sea, instantly made this place incredibly rich.

The vibrant life and unique Heavenly Dao rules contained within the celestial sea emerged, transforming the great marsh into one of the most striking sacred lands in the Ancestral Court!

This move by Celestial Venerable Hong caused other Celestial Venerables to look on in admiration, forced to acknowledge his profound foresight.

The most profound impact of the Celestial River's diversion was its final return to Xuandu.

The mighty Celestial River surged forth from the Ancestral Court, flowing towards Xuandu's zenith, drawing a graceful arc, passing through Xuandu to form an open circle, then descending from Xuandu into the Primordial Realm.

The path to Xuandu had been opened by the Celestial River, and the campaign against Heaven Duke was now on the agenda!

Heaven Court's various military commanders were ready, and the Celestial River Navy's majestic battleships sailed day and night towards Xuandu, followed by countless smaller ships dragging supplies.

Along the way, powerful gods illuminated stars, lighting up the Celestial River, making the great river gleam like a jade belt.

The reason the psionic teleportation bridge was not used was due to events in Xuandu; the bridge had been destroyed, and even Ancestral God King's divine artifact, Celestial Venerable Yu, had been suppressed by Heaven Duke.

Rumors spread throughout the heavens and myriad worlds: "Heaven Duke has fallen, and the Heavenly Dao is now selfish! The Ten Celestial Venerables intend to turn the Heavenly Dao's public instrument to their private use. From now on, it will not be a public realm, but a private one! This is a tragedy for all beings!"

"Princes and generals are born with their destiny, while common folk are slaves for generations!"

"From now on, you'll have to pay taxes to breathe and pay to sunbathe!"

These rumors circulated in the heavens and myriad worlds for a while. When someone inquired about them to Celestial Venerable Hong, he replied, "It's merely the cry of the incompetent; pay no attention."

As expected, the rumors did not stir up much commotion and soon subsided.

At this time, Tian Shu, the Butcher, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang arrived at the Ancestral Court's One Hundred Thousand Black Mountains and found Qin Mu. Qin Mu, ready to depart, told the four, "In this battle, life and death are unpredictable. I will stand with you all, sharing life and death."

The Butcher laughed, "What is there to fear?"