Chapter 468: Heavenly Banquet

Qin Mu felt a chill down his spine. If the Old Mother of True Heaven was still hidden within the True Heaven Palace, they would be exposed while she remained concealed. If she ambushed them, who could stop her? He wasn't sure if the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace could, but he was absolutely certain that he himself stood no chance. Even if the Old Mother of True Heaven couldn't kill the Imperial Preceptor, she could definitely kill him.

"Is the Old Mother of True Heaven's target the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace, or me?" Qin Mu blinked. The Imperial Preceptor posed a greater threat; he had cultivated the Divine Bridge and eliminated Ba Gou along with her clone. Logically, her target should be him. However, the Old Mother of True Heaven's idol had repeatedly attacked Qin Mu in the Flaming Desert. Furthermore, Qin Mu had played a crucial role in conquering the True Heaven Palace. Compared to the Imperial Preceptor, her hatred for Qin Mu was undoubtedly far deeper! "No matter what, I must stay by the Imperial Preceptor's side, not leaving for a single step!" he secretly decided.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace reached out and brushed the wall. The numerous female figures depicted there involuntarily slid aside, revealing the fourth mural. This mural depicted a battle: the Old Mother of True Heaven fighting the Sun Ships and Moon Ships. The Old Mother of True Heaven had initiated this war. She invaded the Great Ruins, luring out the Moon Ships and Sun Ships, then retreated all the way to the Flaming Desert, where she successively destroyed many of them.

The battle scene depicted in the mural was incredibly grand and spectacular. Gigantic land-faring vessels released suns or moons. Sun Watchers and Moon Watchers stood on immense ships, their figures imposing, but their faces grotesque, clearly portraying them as heinous villains. However, the battle involved not only the Old Mother of True Heaven but also several heavenly deities. Yet, in the mural, these deities were drawn very small, while the Old Mother of True Heaven was depicted as heroic, majestic, and radiating brilliant light, possessing an awe-inspiring, world-shaking presence. Other deities looked like infants in comparison to her! "Is the Old Mother of True Heaven really that powerful?" Qin Mu couldn't help but wonder.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace said, "Let me tell you a story, and you'll understand whether the Old Mother of True Heaven is truly powerful or not. One day, the Emperor took me and his officials on a hunting trip. When we collected our game, he ordered the court painter to create a painting. The painter drew the Emperor this big." He spread his hands wide, gesturing, then held up two fingers, indicating himself in the painting, saying, "And me, this small. The Emperor was immense, while I and the other officials were tiny; I was the smallest. Moreover, when painting me, the artist depicted me as vulgar and vicious, with a treacherous and cunning expression. The Emperor was displeased and ordered the painter to redraw it, but the new version was the same. So, the Emperor dismissed him and sent him home." Qin Mu understood his point and smiled, "The person who painted this mural was flattering the Old Mother of True Heaven. She might not even be stronger than you; otherwise, she wouldn't have used a clone to ambush you."

"The Old Mother of True Heaven's power should be formidable, but her combat ability has significant flaws. Her magic power is extremely strong, but her spells follow the path of spirits in all things and gods in all things. If she doesn't show herself, I can't do anything to her. If she shows herself, she dies." The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace spoke with strong confidence, then suddenly changed the subject, seemingly reminding Qin Mu. "The Emperor has such flatterers around him. Don't other powerful individuals have such people around them? But having such people isn't terrifying; what's terrifying is when they harbor ulterior motives. He drew me and the officials small, which is understandable. But he shouldn't have drawn me as treacherous and cunning; that revealed his hatred. He wanted to use the opportunity to flatter and influence the Emperor's perception of me, making the Emperor believe I was treacherous, thereby getting rid of me and hindering the reforms. Flattery combined with a hidden agenda is impossible to guard against."

He looked at Qin Mu, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Cult Master, your position is high and your power immense; sometimes even the Emperor cannot compare to you. You need to be wary of those who hide daggers in their flattery." Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Hiding daggers in flattery"—the Imperial Preceptor was still both refined and vulgar. When refined, he could have profound discussions with the Deaf Elder and the Butcher. When vulgar, he could utter such crude phrases. Yet, in real life, it was indeed easy to encounter such people who would slander rivals while flattering their superiors, harboring malicious intentions. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace's warning was very apt.

"The mural depicts the Old Mother of True Heaven and other deities. Where do these deities come from?" Qin Mu examined the mural, scrutinizing the depictions of the other deities, discerning their appearances. He suddenly recognized one figure. "Lord Jade is among them! Are they deities from the High Heavens? No, not entirely from the High Heavens!" He recognized another face! He took out a scroll from his Gluttonous Bag, gently unrolled it, and repeatedly compared it to one of the deities in the painting. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace leaned over, slightly startled. "Isn't this the Soul Invocation Painting drawn by the Cult Master?" "It is this painting," Qin Mu confirmed. He looked up at the mural and said, "Ban Gocuo's Soul Invocation divine ability is extremely strange. When he invokes souls, a phantom of a god-demon appears behind him, and I drew this painting based on that phantom. Imperial Preceptor, please look, is this god somewhat similar to the god-demon in my painting?" The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace examined it for a few moments and nodded.

Qin Mu looked puzzled, pondering, "The god-demon behind Ban Gocuo once appeared in this world. Like the Old Mother of True Heaven, one founded the True Heaven Palace, and the other founded the Loulan Golden Palace. So, is he still in this world? If he is..." He felt a shiver down his spine. Ban Gocuo's divine ability means whoever he invokes dies. If that god were to perform it, who could withstand his invocation?

"These murals only record the history of the Old Mother of True Heaven; they don't have what I'm looking for." The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace shook his head, walked out of the main hall, and said, "If the True Heaven Palace truly is a part of the Heavenly Palace, then these murals would record an even older history, not just that of the True Heaven Palace! There must be murals here that record the Heavenly Palace!" Qin Mu followed him out. Only then did the jade-clad women on the walls fall down and become able to move. Outside, the battle was still ongoing and extremely chaotic. It was likely the major families fighting over the Vermilion Bird Pearl, tripping each other up and resorting to dirty tricks. The Vermilion Bird Pearl was incredibly powerful, no less potent than the Azure Dragon Pearl, and one of the True Heaven Palace's four great spirit treasures, naturally provoking a fierce struggle. Although women held power in the Western Lands, the power struggles and infighting were no less intense than in Eternal Peace.

Qin Mu followed the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace to the True Heaven Palace's main hall, where the murals were notably different from those in the other chambers. The Imperial Preceptor stood before one mural, gazing at it calmly, when his eye suddenly twitched violently, and a look of fear spread across his face. Qin Mu also looked at the mural. He saw a majestic Heavenly Court depicted, with a figure dressed as a Great Emperor hosting a banquet for countless deities! "Earth Count!" Qin Mu's heart was greatly shaken. Among the myriad deities, he even saw Earth Count, complete with horns on his head! In this mural, Earth Count's status was extremely high, and his face was vaguely indiscernible. There were many other figures in the mural whose faces were similarly vague and indiscernible, implying there were many other beings like Earth Count. The countless deities in the painting were depicted in various poses, lifelike, as if truly alive within the painting. Clearly, the artist who created the mural was highly skilled. Qin Mu's gaze swept among the gods, but he couldn't find a depiction of the Old Mother of True Heaven, nor Ba Gou. "Could it be that the Old Mother of True Heaven wasn't born yet at that time?"

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace's eye was still twitching, and he said in a hoarse voice, "This is the true Heavenly Palace, this is the true Heavenly Palace... No wonder, even the Founding Emperor Era was destroyed..." Qin Mu grabbed his hand; the Imperial Preceptor's hand was trembling, and his eyes revealed deep fear, confusion, and bewilderment! "Imperial Preceptor, are you scared by a painting?" Qin Mu chuckled.

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace raised his hand to break free, his voice still hoarse, "Aren't you afraid? Don't you see how many deities are in this Heavenly Palace? Don't you see Earth Count is among them? Don't you know that the fall of the Founding Emperor Era might have also been due to the actions of the Heavenly Palace's gods?" He showed despair and laughed hollowly, "I originally thought I could eliminate corruption, restore a clear and bright world, prevent the common people from being deluded, enable them to smash the gods in temples and the gods in their hearts, and possess the courage to fight against the heavens. But I never imagined it was all just a joke! Cult Master Qin, you know nothing! You don't know that if I continue the reforms, Eternal Peace will suffer the same fate! Heh heh, reforms, heh heh..." He was utterly disheartened and spiritless, waving his hand as he said, "I'm not going to the High Heavens anymore. After I go back, I'll take my wife and children and live in seclusion. Cult Master, you... you continue being your Cult Master. As for the reforms, don't touch them again." He turned and walked out of the hall, his demeanor desolate, having suddenly lost the courage to continue fighting and striving.

"Heavenly King, you just asked if I knew. I'll answer you now!" The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace stopped. "I know." Qin Mu showed a sunny smile, "I'm even more deeply involved than you. The Founding Emperor you speak of, also surnamed Qin, and the orphan of the destroyed Founding Emperor Era is right before you." The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace's body shook violently; he stopped abruptly, turned to look at Qin Mu, and stammered, "You, you..." Qin Mu showed a full set of white teeth, smiling brightly, "My name might be fake, but my surname isn't. The Qin of the Founding Emperor is my Qin. If I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of? Heavenly King, I suddenly have an idea: come help me grind the ink."

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was still reeling from Qin Mu's words, not fully grasping their implication. Qin Mu took out a brush, tossed him the inkstone, and looked with interest at the mural that had completely disheartened the Imperial Preceptor. After a moment, Qin Mu's eyes lit up as he found the crucial point, and he chuckled, "Is the ink ground?" The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was still dazed, holding the inkstone in his hand. Qin Mu laughed, "Heavenly King, this isn't like you. Where is the sage born once every five hundred years?" The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace took a deep breath, cast away the myriad thoughts in his mind, and focused intently on grinding the ink for him.

Qin Mu lifted his brush, dipping it fully in ink, then dabbed and drew a few strokes in the lower right corner of the mural, chuckling, "Help me clean the brush." "You!" The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace suppressed his anger and said calmly, "The Founding Emperor Era passed twenty thousand years ago. A descendant of the Founding Emperor, after a hundred generations, might not be any more noble than a farmer. If you are playing a trick on me, I will make things difficult for you, ensuring you suffer for a lifetime." Qin Mu burst into laughter and said, "Tell me after you've finished washing." The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace washed the brush very carefully. He did everything meticulously and conscientiously. Qin Mu put away the brush and inkstone, grabbed his hand, and leaped towards the mural, laughing, "I'll take you to the banquet, the Heavenly Court feast!" With a *thump*, they collided with the painted wall, their figures vanishing as they merged into the painting.