Chapter 926: Song and Dance Flourish

Although Moon Heavenly Venerate was disabled with ruined legs, she was still the most ancient Heavenly Venerate. Even after years of seclusion, she remained a force to be reckoned with.

The space around Jade Pond was almost completely shattered by the pressure from these formidable beings. Only the island where the Covered Corridor Pavilion stood remained a safe sanctuary. From the island, one could see space shattered into countless fragments, forming terrifying, swirling spatial storms. Yet, those formidable beings stood unmoving amidst the turbulent, fractured space.

The sight was so terrifying that Qin Mu and the others had the illusion that the outside world had been annihilated, leaving only their isolated island intact.

"If a war between Heavenly Venerates erupts, the Heavenly Court will likely be utterly destroyed."

Qin Mu nudged the still-sleeping Dragon Qilin, lamenting inwardly, "It's a pity they won't fight."

The Dragon Qilin awoke, glanced around, and asked in surprise, "Cult Master, isn't it over yet?"

Qin Mu nodded, and the Dragon Qilin promptly lay back down to sleep.

Yun Jianli chuckled, "This fellow is truly blessed to be able to sleep through this."

The Dragon Qilin opened his bleary eyes and grumbled, "If the sky falls, the Cult Master will hold it up. If the Cult Master dies, I won't survive either, so I might as well just sleep."

Everyone broke into helpless laughter.

However, upon closer thought, the Dragon Qilin's words held considerable wisdom. The current situation was far beyond their control; even Qin Mu, the instigator of this upheaval in the Heavenly Court's structure, could not influence its direction. No matter how much they concerned themselves with the unfolding events, they had no means to alter their course, rendering worry futile. It was indeed admirable that the Dragon Qilin could still sleep soundly amidst such a perilous, life-or-death situation.

"Ten Heavenly Venerates are now present, six of whom belong to the Heavenly Court."

Yun Jianli analyzed, "This means four Heavenly Venerates from the Heavenly Court are still unaccounted for, giving them an overwhelming advantage. Mu Heavenly Venerate, the situation isn't looking truly bright or optimistic. If more Heavenly Venerates arrive, do you have any more reinforcements? Will Heavenly Venerate Qin appear?"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, "Kaihuang remains in Carefree Land; he wouldn't appear before, and he won't now. Besides, who says the remaining four Heavenly Venerates won't necessarily help me?"

Not far away, Yun Chuxiu paused slightly, looking at him thoughtfully.

Among the Heavenly Court's Ten Heavenly Venerates – Hao, Huo, Xiao, Zu, Lang, Qiang, Yan, Hong, Xu, and Gong – only Ancestral God King had shown his true form. The others had kept their identities concealed to avoid giving their political rivals a pretext for involvement in the killing of Heavenly Venerate Mu. Empress was also secretly among them, assisting Qin Mu. The Empress was helping Qin Mu because Madam Yuanmu's corpse was in his possession, and she feared her sister's resurrection, which forced her hand.

Qin Mu confidently asserted that someone else would assist him, but which of the Ten Heavenly Venerates could it be? The Heavenly Court's Ten Heavenly Venerates had never been a unified group. In the past, they constantly bickered and undermined each other. Not long ago, didn't Heavenly Venerate Hao, wielding the strongest divine artifact, descend to the lower realm only to be forced back, resulting in the Primordial Realm falling into other hands?

As another Heavenly Venerate approached, even the island of the Covered Corridor Pavilion began to buckle under the pressure. Its edges started to collapse, and rocks crumbled into dust. The palace maids on the island screamed in terror, retreating and surging towards the Covered Corridor Pavilion, lest they be annihilated by the terrifying aura of the Heavenly Venerates.

Although Qin Mu's Covered Corridor Pavilion was by the sea, it was secretly protected by Heavenly Duke, Earth Count, Empress, and others, ensuring it would remain safe for the time being. However, the arrival of this new Heavenly Venerate once again upset the balance. The island they were on would not last much longer; it would be ground to dust, and they, too, would be utterly destroyed, their souls scattered.

Just then, another Heavenly Venerate descended, arriving at the Jade Sea. His arrival restored the balance, and the island ceased to crumble.

"To think that among the Ten Heavenly Venerates, some are actually opposing the Heavenly Court!"

A Heavenly Venerate, whose face was obscured by shimmering light, let out a cold chuckle. "What a waste that we called each other fellow Daoists; it seems we know faces but not hearts. Nevertheless, you remain the minority!"

Just then, yet another Heavenly Venerate descended, breaking the balance once more, and the island resumed its collapse! But no sooner had this Heavenly Venerate stopped than another arrived, re-establishing balance and halting the island's collapse.

All ten Heavenly Venerates of the Heavenly Court were now present! Including Heavenly Duke, Earth Count, Heavenly Venerate You, and Heavenly Venerate Moon, a total of fourteen supreme powerhouses were gathered.

Yun Jianli was deeply moved, sighing, "This is a truly rare and unprecedented spectacle! Fourteen Heavenly Venerates—if they were to fight, the display of power would be beyond anything we've ever witnessed!"

"Magnificent, my foot!" Qi Jiuyi, exasperated and spitting, exclaimed furiously, "Right now, we should be begging them not to fight! If they do, we'll all be instantly annihilated! Second Brother, that damn guy, is still asleep! The real question is, how do we resolve this now?"

Qin Mu suddenly stated, "By my reckoning, only His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, who rules the entire Heavenly Court, can put an end to this conflict. Perhaps his decree will arrive here soon."

Everyone's hearts were filled with awe. The Heavenly Emperor was, after all, still the ruler of the Heavenly Court, and all deities, whether ancient gods or Heavenly Venerates, were his subjects. Although the Heavenly Emperor had not involved himself in political affairs for years, entrusting governance to the Ten Heavenly Venerates, and Earth Count and Heavenly Duke rarely obeyed his commands, he was still the nominal co-sovereign of the Heavenly Court. If he were to appear, he would undoubtedly be able to halt this conflict.

However, Qin Mu and the Empress both knew full well that the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, the Heavenly Court's nominal co-sovereign, had already perished during the Dragon Han era. The Heavenly Court maintained the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor as its nominal ruler simply due to issues of interest distribution among the Ten Heavenly Venerates. Without the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, who among the ten of them would assume the throne? They needed to maintain the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor's status while continuing to weaken the ancient gods' power and strengthen their own. Only when their individual strength and influence surpassed the other nine could they depose the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor and declare themselves sovereign. Until that point, none of the ten would voluntarily expose the truth of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor's death; they would continue to acknowledge him as the co-sovereign of the realm.

As for Yun Jianli, he was unaware of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor's demise, as the Yun family had not passed this information down through generations. The death of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor carried too much significance; had the Yun family divulged this secret, they would have been annihilated long ago and would never have become a prominent aristocratic family within the Heavenly Court. Sometimes, ignorance ensures survival—an unwritten rule within the Heavenly Court.

Suddenly, a voice broke the stalemate over the Jade Sea: "By the Holy Emperor's decree! Heavenly Venerate Mu has performed great deeds, ascending from the lower realm with tireless effort. He is hereby bestowed with fine wine and beautiful women as a reward!"

Yun Chuxiu cast a sidelong glance at Qin Mu, who smiled in return. Yun Chuxiu let out a huff.

Above Jade Pond, a Heavenly Venerate also snorted coldly, receding into the darkness and vanishing without a trace. The vast peach forest rapidly disappeared as well, along with its palaces, leaving only a single peach blossom drifting in the air, spinning as it departed. The other Heavenly Venerates vanished one by one; Heavenly Duke ascended as a streak of light, Earth Count sank into darkness, and Heavenly Venerate You's paper boat sailed into Youdu. Soon, the area was empty, save for the ravaged Jade Sea and the turbulent space that showed no signs of calming down.

Numerous divine soldiers and generals, in neat formation, surrounded a divine official who laboriously broke through the turbulent, shattered space to descend upon the island. Holding an imperial decree, he proclaimed loudly, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, receive the decree!" Behind him followed several beautiful palace maids, bearing various treasures bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor: fine wines and delicacies, an assortment of exotic rarities, and indeed, they themselves were also among the treasures granted to Qin Mu by the Heavenly Emperor.

Qin Mu bowed and declared clearly, "Your subject receives the decree."

The divine official placed the imperial decree in his hand and quickly added, "Heavenly Venerate, please rise at once. As a Heavenly Venerate, a mere gesture suffices; no one can accept such a deep bow from you. Attendants! Prepare the Heavenly Venerate's resting place!"

Numerous divine soldiers and generals produced various treasures, meticulously gathering and refining each shattered spatial fragment to repair Jade Pond. Others brought out creation treasures, forming new land and islands. They worked busily and efficiently, yet without making a single sound. Additionally, some retrieved numerous corpses from the shattered Jade Pond, instructing them to be loaded onto boats and transported away for burial. The Heavenly Court had clearly encountered such situations before, as they proceeded with well-prepared, methodical efficiency.

In the sky, celestial maidens danced gracefully, their drum and music accompaniment sweet and melodious, their movements enchanting—a picture of apparent peace and prosperity.

The divine official, polite and deferential, smiled at Qin Mu. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, it has been a long time since you returned to the Heavenly Court. Are you still comfortable here? The Holy Emperor was concerned you might not be eating or sleeping well, so he sent some women for your enjoyment. If you have any further needs, please inform your humble servant. While I cannot make decisions myself, I can report to the Holy Emperor, and he will surely not be remiss."

Qin Mu glanced at the palace maids and chuckled, "There are already more than enough palace maids in Jade Pond. Why the redundancy?"

The divine official seemed confused, asking, "Palace maids from Jade Pond? Where are the palace maids of Jade Pond? The Holy Emperor ordered your humble servant to bring people precisely because Jade Pond was empty, with no one to attend to you."

Qin Mu froze, then, hearing screams, he quickly turned to look. He saw many divine soldiers and generals who had accompanied the official apprehending the Jade Pond's palace maids. After seizing the women, they swiftly beheaded them, annihilated their primordial spirits, and utterly scattered their souls. The divine soldiers and generals acted with ruthless efficiency, massacring all the palace maids. They then dragged the numerous corpses from Jade Pond, tossed them onto boats, and ordered them to be transported away. Meanwhile, celestial maidens continued to dance in the sky, divine music swelling and fading melodiously. Songs were still sung, and dances performed, as if the performers were blind to the rivers of blood flowing below.

A wave of dread washed over Qin Mu. He turned to look at the divine official beside him. The divine official, still smiling broadly, whispered, "Tonight, they heard things they shouldn't have and saw things they shouldn't have, so they had to be dealt with. Please don't blame us, Heavenly Venerate, and don't make things difficult for your humble servant; this is standard practice."

Qin Mu fell silent. It wasn't the official's words that were terrifying, but the fact that this was standard practice. He looked at Qi Jiuyi and Yun Jianli, neither of whom reacted. It was clear that such occurrences in the Heavenly Court were commonplace to them, and that was the most horrifying aspect.

"True reform requires not just changing Dao methods and divine powers, but also transforming this dreadful mindset. If we only alter techniques and powers without changing this way of thinking, overthrowing this corrupt Heavenly Court would merely lead to the creation of an even more decadent one!" A profound sadness settled in his heart. From the Supreme Emperor era, which championed the idea that human life was paramount, to the Kaihuang era, which emphasized humanity as central and gods serving humanity, and then to Yan Kang, which upheld the concept of breaking the "gods" within one's heart and finding the path of the sages in everyday life—generations had fought, bled, and sacrificed for these ideals. Yet, these ideals had never reached the Heavenly Court! True reform, if it merely entails changing Dao methods and divine powers, can never be called reform!

"What is the Heavenly Venerate thinking about?" the divine official asked with a smile.

"I'm thinking..." Qin Mu's expression was placid, but beneath the surface, magma seethed, like a volcano about to erupt. "Sooner or later," he stated, "I will smash this corrupt world into pieces."

The divine official paused, then chuckled, "Heavenly Venerate, your thoughts are grand, but the great tide of events is unstoppable. Hurry up!" He then loudly commanded the divine soldiers and generals, "Clean this place thoroughly! Don't delay the Heavenly Venerate's rest!"

Soon after, the darkness enveloping Jade Pond dissipated, and the pond was completely transformed. It appeared vast as a sea, yet the divine turtles that once bore the sacred mountains and islands had all perished in the previous night's battle. Astonishingly, the Heavenly Court had, from unknown sources, procured a new batch of divine turtles and relocated sacred mountains and islands, allowing these turtles to continue traversing the Jade Sea, carrying their burdens. Furthermore, divine maidens were planting gigantic lotus flowers. As the lotuses bloomed, countless petite women, transformed from flower spirits, inhabited the realms within the blossoms. They sat by the sea, washing their feet and hair, playing zithers, and singing, creating an exquisitely beautiful scene.

The divine official bowed to Qin Mu and said, "Heavenly Venerate, this place has largely been restored to its original state. Are you satisfied?"