Chapter 999: 牧天尊府

Lang Wo Divine King was puzzled. "Why does everyone say I'm Jie Wuchen?"

As the Divine King of the Creation Race, she had interacted with the outside world only a few times. However, as the sole Divine King of the Creation Race for millions of years, and an entity who had fought Kai Huang and Wuyou Township as an equal, her cunning and composure were profound. Despite her confusion, she remained silent.

As soon as Consort Qiang Tian uttered the words, she realized her mistake; a single short sentence could reveal too much information. She immediately fell silent.

On the other side, Qin Mu was dumbfounded, his mind in a turmoil, unable to speak.

Only a few leaders of the Heavenly Alliance who participated in the ambush of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, along with the Heavenly Emperor himself, knew about Jie Wuchen. At that time, the Heavenly Alliance was a complex entity, formed by uniting all forces hostile to the Heavenly Emperor. Besides the original Heavenly Venerates, it included demigod leaders, the son of Heavenly Duke, the daughter of Earth Count, and even Grand Emperor himself. However, few reacted so strongly to Jie Wuchen. Excluding the Empress and Lady Yuan Mu, the most probable candidate was the Heavenly Emperor! If Consort Qiang Tian was indeed the Heavenly Emperor, that would be incredibly interesting.

Qin Mu immediately thought of a possibility from the Dragon Han Celestial Court era: to maintain his rule and prevent the Empress from consolidating power in the harem, the Heavenly Emperor might have split off a soul to become Consort Qiang Tian, entering his own harem to prevent the Empress's influence from growing. He, as Consort Qiang Tian, would have observed the Empress and Lady Yuan Mu causing trouble in the harem. When he descended and reincarnated to 'sleep' with Jie Wuchen, who was Lady Yuan Mu's manifestation, Consort Qiang Tian remained in the harem. At that time, the Heavenly Emperor's physical body was also in the Celestial Court, but it was an empty vessel, devoid of the Heavenly Emperor's soul. Lady Yuan Mu, along with the Heavenly Alliance of that era, killed the Heavenly Emperor's reincarnated form, scattering his soul. At that moment, Heavenly Venerate Yun, Heavenly Venerate Hao, and Jie Wuchen (Lady Yuan Mu's manifestation) rushed to the Celestial Court to seize the Heavenly Emperor's body. These were all things Qin Mu already knew.

"What if these three, upon breaking into the Celestial Court to control the Heavenly Emperor's body, discovered it was already under someone else's control?" Qin Mu blinked. "What if the one controlling the Heavenly Emperor's body was Consort Qiang Tian?" Who was the clam? Who was the fisherman? Who was the victor of that era? Of course, this was merely his speculation, but one thing he was certain of was that if the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor wanted to maintain his rule and prevent it from being stolen, he would have surely left a contingency to protect his body. The simplest method would be to leave a part of himself in the harem. Therefore, it was highly probable that a soul fragment of the Heavenly Emperor was hidden in the harem. This would mean both Consort Qiang Tian and Consort Yan Tian could be the Heavenly Emperor, and Consort Qiang Tian's surprise regarding Lang Wo Divine King made her the more likely candidate.

"Besides that, there's another matter: Heavenly Venerate Hao's biological father." Qin Mu's gaze remained on Consort Qiang Tian, a habitually simple smile on his face. He thought, "The Heavenly Emperor was once attracted to his sister-in-law, Yuan Mu. Using the pretext of conceiving a demigod to find a path to immortality for the demigod race, he reincarnated as a human. As a human, he, with Lady Yuan Mu, an ancient god, fathered the demigod Heavenly Venerate Hao. So, after Heavenly Venerate Hao was born, did this incarnation of his still exist? Was he hidden among the Ten Heavenly Venerates? If that person was still alive, then the Heavenly Emperor wouldn't need to transform into Consort Qiang Tian or Consort Yan Tian; he could simply leave a soul in that incarnation."

Heavenly Venerate Hao's biological father had always been a secret; only Lady Yuan Mu likely knew the true identity of the Heavenly Emperor's reincarnated form. If Lady Yuan Mu revealed the Heavenly Emperor's reincarnated identity, her own identity would also be exposed. Thus, a delicate balance was maintained between these two Heavenly Venerates, neither daring to expose the other.

In the Heavenly Emperor's harem, Qin Mu, Consort Qiang Tian, and Lang Wo Divine King stood in silent confrontation, the atmosphere extremely subtle. Only Divine King Shu Jun seemed utterly unconcerned by the situation, looking around excitedly. "So this is the Heavenly Emperor's harem? No wonder it's so alluring."

His words startled the three of them. Qin Mu's smile grew even more innocent as he greeted Consort Qiang Tian politely. "Greetings, Consort Qiang Tian. Although I am a Heavenly Venerate, I've been so busy since arriving at the Celestial Court that I haven't had the chance to pay my respects. Please forgive me, Consort." Consort Qiang Tian returned the bow, smiling. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you are too kind. This concubine has always resided quietly in the harem and has not paid visits either. Please forgive me, Heavenly Venerate Mu." The two exchanged pleasantries, neither revealing the suspicions in their hearts.

Qin Mu said, "We accidentally stumbled in here. It's fortunate we met you, Consort, otherwise, a rash person like me might have caused great trouble." Consort Qiang Tian chuckled. "The paths in the harem are intertwined and very complex. It's understandable that Heavenly Venerate Mu, not knowing the way, would wander in here. If you can't find your way out, I'll have someone escort you." Qin Mu thanked her. Consort Qiang Tian smiled, "It's no trouble at all. I heard that Heavenly Venerate Mu was campaigning in the Primordial Realm, searching for Wuyou Township. There have been many rumors these days saying that the Heavenly Venerate had died there, with all his forces annihilated. I never expected Heavenly Venerate Mu to return alive and even appear in the harem. Are these two by your side figures from Wuyou Township?"

Qin Mu laughed heartily. "Of course not. Consort, you seem to recognize my sister? Have you met before?" Consort Qiang Tian smiled faintly. "No, we haven't. Heavenly Venerate Mu has never visited the harem before." Qin Mu chuckled. "Nor have I ever met Consort Qiang Tian before."

Consort Qiang Tian nodded and gently clapped her hands. Two palace maids appeared. She whispered a few instructions, and the maids replied, "Yes," then softly said, "Honored guests, please follow us." The two palace maids led Qin Mu and the others away. Consort Qiang Tian watched them go, then furrowed her brow and murmured, "Which of those two little hussies is she? How peculiar, truly peculiar..."

Qin Mu looked back, and Consort Qiang Tian smiled again. The two exchanged distant, smiling nods. Qin Mu followed the two palace maids, who clearly recognized him. They exchanged glances but dared not speak.

Qin Mu chuckled, "Two young ladies, how long have you been serving the Consort?" The palace maids did not reply. One of them giggled, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, you have no shame! You secretly watched the Imperial Consort and us bathing and playing just a few days ago, and now that you've put on your clothes, you've forgotten?" Qin Mu's face flushed red, and he dared not ask further, sneaking a glance at Lang Wo Divine King. Lang Wo Divine King's expression remained normal, completely undisturbed.

Shu Jun became interested and asked, "Two young ladies, which Imperial Consort was bathing that day? Was it Consort Qiang Tian, whom we just met?" Qin Mu's face turned as dark as iron. The two palace maids dared not answer; if they spoke, it would likely be a death sentence. When Qin Mu had twice opened the Heavenly Emperor's harem gates using the Void Bridge, it had caused a great disturbance. The Imperial Consort had then sealed off information and executed a group of talkative palace maids. Those who survived were naturally very concerned about their own situation.

The Heavenly Emperor's harem was vast. The two palace maids led them through small doors and narrow paths, avoiding crowded areas, and escorted them out of the palace through a back gate. Qin Mu looked back, whispering, "Many secrets are hidden in the Heavenly Emperor's harem..." Lang Wo Divine King gave a half-smile. "And many young ladies often bathe there." Qin Mu remained silent.

Shu Jun nodded. "Last time the Holy Infant opened the gate, he happened upon the Imperial Consort and the palace maids bathing, so many of them, all gleaming white." Qin Mu shot a glance at Shu Jun, who shivered as if falling into an abyss.

Qin Mu smiled, "Divine King Sister, this is the Celestial Court. You wanted to see your creators' ancestral land, and now your wish has been granted, hasn't it?" Lang Wo Divine King looked around. Above the Celestial Court, streams of light intertwined like two funnels clamped together, a very strange sight. Those were the spiritual energy transfer bridges designed by Qin Mu, which she did not recognize. Now, the number of spiritual energy transfer bridges was several times more than when Qin Mu left. It seemed that all the heavens and myriad worlds, even Youdu and Xuandu, were connected by these bridges, facilitating travel and the Celestial Court's rule!

Divine King Shu Jun shook his head. "This is the Ancient God Celestial Court, not the ancestral land of my Creation Race. Lang Wo Divine King is still young; she probably hasn't been to the ancestral land. The ancestral land isn't here." Qin Mu was slightly startled, blurting out, "The Celestial Court isn't the ancestral land?" Divine King Shu Jun shook his head. "No." Lang Wo Divine King said, "I don't think so either. I heard the ancestral spirits say that the ancestral land is incredibly vast, sacred everywhere, with boundless mountains and rivers, mines of creation divine stones, and countless other heavenly treasures. Although this place is rich, it doesn't resemble the ancestral land described by the ancestral spirits."

Qin Mu frowned. He had always been under the preconceived notion that the ancestral land mentioned by the creators was the Celestial Court, but now it seemed he had been wrong. "This should be the birthplace of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor." Divine King Shu Jun twitched his nose. "I just caught a whiff of that fellow's Grand Dao scent. His birthplace hides a great secret. From the scent I detected, his birthplace is somewhere in the harem." Qin Mu looked at him in surprise, thinking, "The scent of the Grand Dao? He can smell that? Is Shu Jun's nose built differently from ours? But the Heavenly Emperor's birthplace being in the harem — that's an astonishing secret! If only I could enter the harem again to investigate..." He shook his head. Although Consort Qiang Tian had politely arranged for them to be escorted out, re-entering the Heavenly Emperor's harem would be incredibly difficult.

"Yan'er and Dragon Fatty are currently in the Vermilion Bird Palace. I should go pick them up first." Qin Mu mused, "I don't own any property in the Celestial Court, nor do I have money to buy real estate. That's quite a headache..."

He led the two towards the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's temporary palace in the Celestial Court. Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird originally had her own grand Celestial Palace, called the Vermilion Bird Palace, but later moved to the Southern Pole Heaven. She only left a temporary residence here for lodging, also called the Vermilion Bird Palace, but it was no longer as magnificent as before, just an ordinary palace.

Upon arriving, Qin Mu saw that the Vermilion Bird Palace was not very large. Next to it was another palace, dazzlingly golden and vast. This was Qi Xiayu's temporary palace, located in the southern part of the Celestial Court, called Guiyi Hall, meaning 'Hall of Righteous Surrender.' This was because Red Emperor Qi Xiayu was not originally the Celestial Court's Red Emperor; she had surrendered to the Celestial Court during the war that destroyed the Emperor's Era Celestial Court. Hence, her residence was named Guiyi Hall. Guiyi Hall was far more opulent and its buildings much taller than the Vermilion Bird Palace.

When Qin Mu reached the Vermilion Bird Palace, he found its gates tightly shut. He asked the divine guard at the entrance, who said, "Ah, Heavenly Venerate Mu. Princess Yan'er and Prince Pi have already left here and returned to the Heavenly Venerate's Residence." Qin Mu was surprised. "Heavenly Venerate's Residence?" "Does Heavenly Venerate not know?" The divine guard smiled. "The Heavenly Venerate's Residence was bestowed by His Majesty himself. It's in Jade Capital City. Heavenly Venerate, please follow me, I'll escort you there."

Qin Mu frowned, feeling a little uneasy. "I'm penniless in the Celestial Court. How can I afford to maintain such a large property as a Heavenly Venerate's Residence? I'd rather stay in Jade Pool and mooch off the Empress. Otherwise, I can't even cover the daily expenses..."

The divine guard escorted them to Heavenly Venerate Mu's Residence in Jade Capital City. Qin Mu saw that the mansion was incredibly vast and luxurious, with a tower every five steps and a pavilion every ten, practically a miniature Celestial Palace! Qin Mu felt a bit bewildered, then heard Hu Ling'er's voice from inside. "Hurry, hurry! Get this place decorated before Young Master returns... This is a Heavenly Venerate's Residence; it needs to have the proper grandeur so we don't embarrass Young Master. We're not short on money, after all... Dragon Fatty, come over here, this is your palace..."

Qin Mu entered the Heavenly Venerate's Residence, hearing Hu Ling'er's voice growing louder. "...Do you prefer it decorated as a dragon's nest or a qilin's den? Do you need to be chained to fall asleep? Or should I have Yongkang's Heavenly Works Supervision Factory forge you a pure gold chain?"