Chapter 744: Pitang Palace

The Great Hall of the Imperial Palace was filled with mighty practitioners from various realms. This hall was truly vast, capable of easily accommodating ten thousand people.

At this moment, everyone in the hall stared blankly at the man who had "returned from the dead." He was the leader of the ancient people. His sudden demise had caused countless people to mourn, and his assassination had fueled suspicion, with many wondering if it was the work of ancient gods or demigods.

Now, he had "returned from the dead" and reappeared before them.

The crowd automatically parted, forming a path, and silently watched as he unhurriedly walked towards Emperor Haotian.

Suddenly, a buzzing murmur arose from the crowd, growing louder and louder.

"Venerable Yu!" someone suddenly shouted.

"Venerable Yu!" more people cried out.

"Venerable Yu! Venerable Yu!"

The roar of voices grew, each one surpassing the last. The sudden eruption of shouts caused the air in the Great Hall of the Empress's Palace to surge, and the sound waves reached the sky, dispersing white clouds.

More and more practitioners joined in, shouting only the name of Venerable Yu. In their eyes, the man walking towards the altar was their leader, the one who had guided various races to carve out a bloody path in the wilderness.

Qin Mu paused, his steps slowing as he gazed at the agitated crowd around him. As someone from a future era, he initially couldn't comprehend the fervent display of these practitioners.

These practitioners in the hall hailed from various lower realms and could all be considered leaders in their own right. Yet, their fervent devotion to another leader was somewhat difficult for him to grasp.

What he didn't know was that while civilization flourished in the current Celestial Heavens, other myriad heavens and worlds did not enjoy such harmony. Instead, they were overrun by snakes and insects, and divine beasts with ancient god bloodlines were ubiquitous.

Most humans and other races wore straw sandals and skirts, carried wooden spears, and struggled desperately for survival. While encounters with ordinary beasts were manageable, facing divine beasts with ancient god bloodlines often resulted in heavy casualties, turning them into meals for demigods.

Even the weakest demigods were far more powerful than humans.

Danger didn't just come from these creatures; it also came from celestial phenomena. Hurricanes, torrential rain, lightning, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and earthquakes – various natural disasters plagued those primeval times.

It was at this time that Venerable Yu pioneered the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, granting weaker races the power to protect themselves, to withstand natural disasters, and to resist demigods. He was truly the leader of all weak races!

On the altar in the Imperial Palace Hall, Emperor Haotian's eyes showed a flicker of panic, but he quickly composed himself and subtly glanced at Emperor Yama, who was not far away.

Emperor Yama's face was pale as he watched "Venerable Yu" approach the altar, looking utterly lost and overwhelmed.

Qin Mu ascended the altar step by step.

Emperor Haotian on the altar was still a bit flustered, but he didn't descend. Instead, he slowly regained his composure and smiled as he watched Qin Mu approach.

"Even though I know you're an imposter, I simply cannot expose you," he thought.

He wore a joyful, inexplicably excited smile, thinking, "You are already dead, your soul scattered. It's impossible for you to revive. So, who is impersonating you? This technique of altering physical structure, appearance, and demeanor is indeed profound. I cannot expose you; doing so would reveal my own involvement, and others would know you died by my hand. However, you can expose yourself."

The altar was high, allowing everyone below to see clearly.

Qin Mu reached the altar, and Emperor Haotian opened his arms, embracing him tightly, choking back tears of excitement. Yet, in his heart, he thought, "The true Venerable Yu passed the method of becoming a god to me, but not to others. You don't understand the divine cultivation method, so I can just wait for you to expose yourself. By then, you will be branded the butcher who murdered Venerable Yu, and everyone will seek to punish you!"

He released Qin Mu and wiped away his tears.

Qin Mu laughed heartily, "Emperor Haotian, I have returned from the dead. Why such a display? Please, be seated."

Emperor Haotian sat down, his eyes red. "Brother, you are alive! I thought you had passed away and even kept vigil for ten days, personally arranging your burial. This unexpected return truly brings your humble younger brother both shock and joy. Who was it that plotted against you?"

"Two people close to me."

Qin Mu smiled faintly. "One destroyed my physical body, and the other obliterated my soul."

Emperor Yama's hand trembled, and Emperor Haotian's pupils contracted.

Qin Mu suddenly moved, and under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, he delivered a punch to the back of Emperor Haotian's heart.

"He used this exact move to shatter my heart!"

Emperor Yama's heart leaped in alarm, but Emperor Haotian stood firm, for Qin Mu's punch carried no power whatsoever!

Qin Mu moved swiftly like lightning, his strikes rapid and forceful, each punch and kick clearly visible, allowing everyone to see every detail.

"He used this move to break my ribs!"

"He used this move to snap my finger bones!"

"And this is how he broke my arm!"

Qin Mu was as swift as wind and lightning, recreating the scene of Venerable Yu's assassination in just a few moments. Beads of cold sweat trickled down Emperor Haotian's forehead, but he chuckled, "Brother, you startled me. So, how did the other person destroy your soul?"

Qin Mu's vital qi erupted, bringing with it gusts of chilling wind and dismal clouds, as he was about to unleash a divine ability.

Seeing this, Emperor Yama suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

Qin Mu pointed a finger at Emperor Haotian's glabella and said, "The other person, at the very moment my physical body died, used this move to destroy my soul."

Emperor Haotian displayed a sincere, heartfelt smile. "But fortunately, brother, you are not dead. A fortunate person has the blessings of heaven; your safe return is a great blessing indeed! Look, Chaoyin was so agitated she fainted. Since you have arrived, brother, I shall not overstep my bounds. Please, tell everyone about this method that allows all beings to become gods! Your younger brother will excuse himself first..."

Qin Mu grasped his wrist and burst out laughing. "Since I have already imparted the method of becoming a god to you, then this time, for the teaching of the divine cultivation method, let us explain it together. I'll cover one part, and you'll cover another."

Emperor Haotian replied joyfully, "Brother, you're promoting me; how could I refuse? Then, please begin with the opening explanation, and I will speak on the second part!"

Qin Mu, in his wide-sleeved robe, sat down and gestured for Emperor Haotian to do the same.

Emperor Haotian sat down and smiled. "Brother, please go first."

Emperor Kaihuang had, without anyone noticing, retreated to the entrance of the hall, drawing closer to Niu Sanduo, and whispered, "If anything changes later, you must intervene and save him!"

Niu Sanduo quickly said, "Why would anything change? The Divine Bridge connects to the Celestial Palace. Junior brother only needs to explain how the primordial spirit ascends to the Celestial Palace, and he'll pass. Emperor Haotian can't expose him."

Emperor Kaihuang shook his head and said gravely, "Emperor Haotian harbors ill intentions. Letting him speak first is a deliberate trap, meant to make him expose himself. You know that ascending to the Celestial Palace with one's primordial spirit allows one to become a god, achieving immortality, on par with ancient gods. But people of this era don't have Celestial Palaces!"

Old Ox froze, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Emperor Kaihuang continued gravely, "People of this era haven't yet opened up a Celestial Palace within their bodies; their Divine Bridge is merely a flying bridge! Venerable Yu's innovation was to create a Celestial Palace out of nothing! Venerable Yu is dead, and the only one who knows how to open up a Celestial Palace is Emperor Haotian! Qin Mu, does he know how to create a Celestial Palace? If he does, he'd be another Venerable Yu! If he doesn't, he'll be exposed!"

Old Ox's heart sank. He muttered, "It would be more straightforward to just say Emperor Haotian harmed him and then kill Emperor Haotian directly. Why does he insist on this whole 'imparting the method' charade?"

"His purpose in ascending the altar to impart the method is twofold: to restrain Emperor Haotian, and to ensure that Emperor Haotian transmits the divine cultivation method, so that future generations will not be without it. That's why he can't eliminate Emperor Haotian immediately."

Emperor Kaihuang lowered his voice. "However, Emperor Haotian is an unparalleled schemer; he has seen through Qin Mu's intentions. This man is insidious and my lifelong adversary! This is the ancient Celestial Heavens of the ancient gods, surrounded by demigods and mighty practitioners. If Qin Mu can't answer, Emperor Haotian won't even need to act; other demigods and practitioners will kill him! Furthermore..."

He showed a worried expression, thinking, "The Jade Pool is the Empress's private garden. Emperor Haotian dared to kill Venerable Yu in the Empress's domain; the implications are too profound. Emperor Haotian is a demigod, a child of an ancient god and a human. Who is that ancient god? Qin Mu is too impulsive. We came here to uncover the mysteries of antiquity, yet he's putting himself in such danger..."

On the altar, Qin Mu's vital qi soared, splendid and vibrant. The vital qi materialized, forming the seven great divine treasures above everyone's heads: Spirit Embryo, Five Elements, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Celestial Being, Life and Death, and Divine Bridge.

He manifested them using vital qi, revealing the profound mysteries of the seven divine treasures for all to witness.

"Such profound mathematical skill! Monk, Venerable Yu's mastery of numerology is astonishingly high!"

A Taoist, holding a compass, looked up in admiration. He said to the monk beside him, "As expected of Venerable Yu, he's almost achieved enlightenment through numerology. It's truly marvelous! Can you tell that his divine treasures are constructed from numerology?"

The monk nearby was begging for alms. "Esteemed senior brother, my junior brother and I have been hungry for several days. Could you spare two spirit pills as an act of charity? As for numerology, it's useless to me; I only cultivate the mind."

Qin Mu's construction of the divine treasures using vital qi was precisely the numerological model of divine treasures he had co-created with Xu Shenghua and others in the future, thus rendering them perfectly lifelike.

His vital qi transformed into a phantom of Venerable Yu, stepping onto the Divine Bridge and nearing its end.

Emperor Kaihuang's tension mounted. This was the most crucial moment. If Qin Mu couldn't present the method for opening up a Celestial Palace, Emperor Haotian would immediately expose him as a fake Venerable Yu and directly pin Venerable Yu's death on him!

The Venerable Yu phantom, formed by Qin Mu's vital qi, reached the end of the bridge and stopped.

Cold sweat slicked Emperor Kaihuang's palms.

Future generations only knew that upon reaching the Divine Bridge realm, their primordial spirit could cross the bridge and ascend to the Celestial Palace, but they had no idea how the Celestial Palace came into being!

The method for opening up a Celestial Palace had long been lost!

People of later ages only knew *what* the Celestial Palace was, but not *why* or *how* it existed!

They were descendants of practitioners who had opened Celestial Palaces. From birth, both divine treasures and Celestial Palaces were inherent within them; they only needed to cultivate to a certain realm to unlock their divine treasures and ascend to the Celestial Palace. They didn't need to ponder the underlying reasons.

And this was precisely the reason for Venerable Yu's greatness!

Qin Mu, naturally, couldn't possibly know how to open up a Celestial Palace. If he didn't know this, he would make a mistake at the very first step, and Emperor Haotian would directly accuse him of murdering Venerable Yu!

This was the crux of the matter, and also the perilous point!

"How can one create something from nothing and open up a Celestial Palace?"

Emperor Kaihuang's mind raced, various thoughts and methods flooding him. "How did Venerable Yu open up a Celestial Palace? If he could open it, then others could too. If he could create such a method, others could also create it. How exactly did he do it?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. "Why did Venerable Yu insist on holding this grand assembly at the Jade Pool to announce the method of becoming a god? It wasn't just to leverage the situation; there were other reasons! Celestial Palace, Celestial Palace! So that's it!"

He suddenly realized, "The Celestial Palace that Venerable Yu opened, its layout, is identical to the layout of the Celestial Palace in the Celestial Heavens! Venerable Yu opened his Celestial Palace by observing the construction of the Celestial Heavens and creating based on that inspiration!"

"Divine treasures activate the power within one's physical body, and the Celestial Palace is..."

Just as he thought this, Qin Mu's voice suddenly came from the altar: "Divine treasures activate the body's latent powers, and the Celestial Palace activates the power of the gods within the body. I name this grand realm 'Celestial Palace'."

Emperor Kaihuang's body trembled. He looked up at the purple-clad youth on the altar, and in a daze, it was as if he saw another Venerable Yu.

Emperor Haotian was greatly shaken, an expression of disbelief on his face.

At this moment, Emperor Yama slowly regained consciousness, just in time to hear this sentence. Overwhelmed with terror, he fainted once more.