Chapter 826 — Beyond All Scrutiny

The Crimson Emperor, the Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha, and the Lord of Heaven remained silent still, and the air grew dreadfully heavy.

The Sun Star Sovereign shrank his head down and every so often rolled his eyes to steal a look at the others. In his heart he thought, "It seems I know more and more with each passing moment. In my former life I was shot through the heart by an arrow precisely because I knew too much, and now I have learned so much again — surely I am not about to be silenced once more? " "The Empress is Jue Wuchen, and Jue Wuchen is the Empress — what a clever scheme indeed.

" The Old Buddha sighed and said with grave solemnity, "Let me sort through the cause and effect of this matter.

The Empress returned to her homeland and came to the Ruins of Return. The Longbo Kingdom of the Ruins of Return rebelled, and the Empress was attacked. The Feather Forest Army came to the rescue and investigated the incident of the Empress's ambush. The Feather Forest Army quelled the rebellion, the Empress was attacked a second time, and the Empress faked her death to escape. The Feather Forest Army traversed through time. Jue Wuchen was born into the world, and the Empress took up residence within Jue Wuchen's body to lure the Heavenly Emperor.

" "The Heavenly Emperor was reincarnated, and the Cloud Heavenly Venerable, the Hao Heavenly Venerable, and Jue Wuchen assassinated the Heavenly Emperor. The two Heavenly Venerables hastened to the Heavenly Court to seize the Heavenly Emperor's fleshly body, and the Empress abandoned Jue Wuchen's body, burying that body together with her own true body, placing them aboard this ship on which the Feather Forest Army traversed through time. " "This is the truth as I have surmised it thus far. Lord of Heaven, Earth Earl, Crimson Emperor, Star Sovereign — do any of you have anything to add?

" The others all shook their heads. The Old Buddha said unhurriedly, "Then here is the problem.

The Empress must have settled upon her plan to murder the Heavenly Emperor before she set out for the Ruins of Return.

Why did the Longbo Kingdom rebel? Why was it that the rebellion coincided so conveniently with her return to the Ruins of Return? Even if the Longbo Kingdom had taken the Empress hostage to threaten the Heavenly Emperor, that would have been an act of utter folly — the Heavenly Emperor could annihilate the Longbo Kingdom with ease. So then, was the Longbo one of the Empress's people? That is the first point. " "The second: the Empress herself once came aboard this ghost ship of the Feather Forest Army. She came to bury Jue Wuchen, to bury her own fleshly body together with Jue Wuchen's.

How did she leave this ghost ship? If she did not come in person, then she sent someone in her stead — and is that person still aboard? " "The third: the Empress's fleshly body and Jue Wuchen are both here. With both bodies gone, where did the Empress go? And who is the Empress in the Heavenly Court?

" He laid out his questions, and all present furrowed their brows deeply. The Old Buddha had asked the crucial questions, yet no one could resolve them for him.

The Lord of Heaven said to the Earth Earl, "Hidden within the brow of the Godchild of the Dark Capital — quite interesting, is it not?

One can see and hear so many things we never knew before.

" The Earth Earl nodded. "But knowing so much has also made me feel a chill I cannot shake.

" The Old Buddha rose and stretched lazily.

His body drifted slowly upward as he said, "I am going up to the heavens to sleep. Take care of yourselves.

" The Crimson Emperor immediately sensed something amiss and hurriedly turned to look. He saw the big-headed doll Shen Fengqing holding up the Cauldron of Slaughter, eyeing them with ill intent.

The demonic nature within that Cauldron of Slaughter grew ever more ferocious, and face after face without any thickness surfaced within the demonic qi, flying around the big-headed doll. "Ah Chou," they called out to Shen Fengqing.

"Old Buddha, come back down!

" The Lord of Heaven called out loudly, "If we join forces, we can still suppress this fat little brat!

" The Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha yawned, slowly lay down, and said in a leisurely tone, "We cannot beat him.

I shall sleep a while first. Pray for yourselves.

" Outside, Shen Mu's gaze flickered. Li Zheng's thoughts were his own as well — Jue Wuchen was the Empress.

As the Heavenly Emperor's queen, she knew the Heavenly Emperor's temperament intimately; the Heavenly Emperor did not even understand himself as well as she did. That was precisely why she could lay this trap targeting the Heavenly Emperor. "The Heavenly Alliance's Cloud Heavenly Venerable was involved in this — then what of the Ling Heavenly Venerable?

" Shen Mu sat staring blankly, lost in thought.

Jue Wuchen's beauty was unmatched; to create such a body required a transcendently sage-level comprehension of the arts of creation. In the era of Longhan, the only one who could possess such unfathomably profound arts of creation was, in all likelihood, the Ling Heavenly Venerable.

Moreover, the incident of the Feather Forest Army's traversal through time occurred when the Feather Forest Army, on their way back to the Heavenly Court, encountered the Ling Heavenly Venerable performing his arts — and it was for this reason that the ship became a ghost ship traversing through time and space. And it was for this very reason that the Feather Forest Army could not carry the Empress's fleshly body back to the Heavenly Court, and all evidence aboard this ship vanished utterly.

The timing of the Ling Heavenly Venerable's appearance upon the Heavenly River was far too coincidental — he could not help but let his imagination run wild. "Perhaps the Ling Heavenly Venerable imparted his divine arts to the Cloud Heavenly Venerable — after all, at that time the Cloud Heavenly Venerable was the leader of the Heavenly Alliance. .

. " He comforted himself: "Perhaps things are not as bad as I imagine.

. .

" Li Zheng's injuries had improved somewhat. He barely managed to rise and said, "When you summoned the soul, the Empress sensed you.

She should have been able to sense you, and in all likelihood can find you.

This place is not fit for staying long. . .

" He furrowed his brow again.

As things stood, they were trapped aboard the ghost ship and had no way to leave at all.

"Rest easy, Li Zheng. The Empress cannot find this place. " Shen Mu took out some spirit medicines and refined elixirs on the spot to treat the wounds of Li Zheng's primal spirit. He smiled and said, "The Empress's divine powers are vast, but the Feather Forest ghost ship traverses through time and space.

By the time the Empress finds this place, this ship will long since have arrived at some unknown era. " Li Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then relaxed.

"This ship is so uncanny and unpredictable, and so perilous — how are we to leave this place?

" "Li Zheng need not worry. " Shen Mu finished refining the elixir, had him take it, and helped him catalyze its medicinal power. He said, "The Feather Forest ghost ship is not without a way to break through. This ship must exist within a strange divine art — most likely one that I, when I was the Mu Heavenly Venerable, created together with the Ling Heavenly Venerable. It was only in its embryonic form then. I need to find more clues before I can hope to break her divine art.

" Li Zheng laughed. "In our village, you were the most learned and talented — our teachings were not wasted on you. Since it is a divine art you created together with that Ling Heavenly Venerable, then it should not be able to stump. .

. wait, what did you just say?

The Mu Heavenly Venerable?

What Mu Heavenly Venerable?

" Shen Mu smiled faintly and briefly recounted the matter of how he and Kai Huang had returned to the ancient era of Longhan.

Li Zheng's mind reeled as though struck by thunder.