Chapter 929 — Meeting Beneath the Moon at Yao Terrace

It was only that Yan'er worried someone might poison Shen Mu, so she had Qi Jiuyi and Long Qilin taste every kind of food first. Only when they were fine did she dare give it to Shen Mu.

"Sister Yan'er need not be so cautious. I am well-versed in medicine as well—using food to administer poison should not be an easy method."

Shen Mu smiled and said, "Moreover, the Heavenly Court has no need to resort to poisoning to dispose of me. They have no shortage of methods."

Qi Jiuyi's eyes flickered as he surveyed his surroundings, and said, "Sect Master Shen knows. This is the place where Lord Yu, foremost of the Nine Celestial Lords, was murdered?"

Shen Mu nodded slightly. "This is also the place of origin for the successive calamities from Dragon Han to Jingping."

Qi Jiuyi said, "I heard the Heaven Alliance originated here—that Lord Ling, Lord Yun, and Lord Yue established the Heaven Alliance here, and together with Lord Mu and Lord Shen became the five founding elders of the Heaven Alliance."

Shen Mu's brow arched. "I had already left by then."

Qi Jiuyi glanced at him. "I heard that after the Heaven Alliance succeeded, its leaders would often come here to deliberate. This place counts as one of the Heaven Alliance's main headquarters."

Shen Mu's interest was piqued. "Who are the leaders of the Heaven Alliance?"

"The Heaven Alliance today has ten leaders, all invested with the title of Celestial Lord by His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor. It is only that some ancient gods do not acknowledge these ten Celestial Lords, recognizing only the original Nine Celestial Lords."

Qi Jiuyi said, "The first is Lord Hao, the second is Lord Fire, the third is Lord Xiao, the fourth is the Ancestral God King, titled Lord Ancestor. The fifth is the Langxuan Divine Emperor, Lord Lang. The sixth is Consort Qiang, invested as Lord Qiang. The seventh is Consort Yan, invested as Lord Yan. The eighth is Lord Hong, the ninth is Lord Xu, and the tenth is Lord Gong."

Shen Mu frowned. Of these ten new Celestial Lords, he recognized only Lords Hao and Fire, and then the Ancestral God King—though he had only crossed weapons with the Ancestral God King's Lord Yu weapon, and had never met the man himself.

As for the other Celestial Lords, he had never laid eyes on them at all.

"There are also Lord Yue and Lord You—why are they not among the Ten Celestial Lords?" Shen Mu asked.

Qi Jiuyi shook his head. "I heard Lord Yue and Lord You long ago went into seclusion to avoid the world, their names obscure. When His Majesty redefined the rankings of the Celestial Lords, he did not include them. The new Ten Celestial Lords all wield tremendous power in the Heavenly Court. However, the new rankings of the Celestial Lords truly cannot command the allegiance of the masses."

He glanced around, lowered his voice, and said, "Some say that the former Nine Celestial Lords, with the exception of Lord Shen, all possessed tremendous merit and virtue—they established the Divine Treasury cultivation system and the Heavenly Palace cultivation system, their achievements so great they blessed ten thousand generations. Even Lord Shen—back then, in his battle at the Yao Pool, his divine powers influenced untold numbers of later generations, so he can barely be counted as having great merit. But the Celestial Lords of today all rely on strength, on battle achievements. As for great merit that influences later generations, they have none. Therefore many in the Heavenly Court refuse to accept them. Few ever speak of the Ten Celestial Lords—they all speak of the Nine Celestial Lords."

Shen Mu smiled. "Then does Brother Qi also believe I possess great merit, and am worthy of the name Lord Mu?"

Qi Jiuyi was first furious, then suddenly burst out laughing despite himself. "Though I find you quite displeasing, ever since I learned that you are Lord Mu who transmitted the method of becoming a god, I have felt a deep respect for you. It is only that every time I see you, I still cannot help but feel revulsion."

Shen Mu laughed heartily. He was just about to inquire about the origins of Lord Xiao, Lord Ancestor, and the others when a palace maid suddenly ascended to the Manhui Corridor Pavilion, presenting a calling card, and said, "Celestial Lord, you have a visitor."

Shen Mu had no choice but to hold back, and taking the calling card, he smiled. "I knew someone would come seeking me of their own accord—I simply did not expect it so soon. Please, invite them in."

The palace maid withdrew.

Shen Mu opened the calling card and saw that the visitor's name was Yun Jianli. He handed the card to Qi Jiuyi and asked, "This Yun Jianli—who is he?"

Qi Jiuyi's expression shifted slightly, turning somewhat grim. "Yun Jianli is of the Yun family."

Shen Mu asked, puzzled, "The Yun family? Which Yun family?"

"The descendants of Lord Yun."

Qi Jiuyi said, "It is said that after Lord Yun died, the Yun family survived, but their numbers were few. Each generation had only a single heir, barely keeping the bloodline from dying out. Yet every generation of the Yun family produced outstanding geniuses, extraordinarily brilliant. Strangely, however, every generation of the Yun family, upon cultivating to the Divine Bridge realm, would suddenly drop dead before they could even set foot in the Heavenly Palace. Thus the Yun family often had only one male heir, and all the rest were widows. Yun Jianli is the son of this generation of the Yun family, a rising star of the Heavenly Court, known as the Sickly Young Master. His talent, well…"

The corner of his eye twitched as he said, "Before I was ordered to descend to the mortal realm to eliminate you, I once came here and crossed hands with the young powerhouses of the Heavenly Court. He was formidable."

Shen Mu smiled faintly. "At that time, you had taken the Scarlet Emperor and the Black Emperor as your masters, cultivating the supreme arts of both imperial thrones. When I first crossed hands with you, your terrifying strength filled both me and Zhe Huali with admiration. It was only that you entered the Dao through the Scarlet Emperor's cultivation method, and your divine power's reaction speed was not as good as mine or Zhe Huali's. How do you compare to this Sickly Young Master Yun Jianli?"

"I lost cleanly."

Qi Jiuyi did not deny it. "To this day I have never submitted to you, believing I might be able to defeat you. Yet toward him I am utterly convinced, acknowledging myself far inferior. However, I have undergone the baptism of the Jingping Reforms. If we fought again today, the outcome would be uncertain."

Shen Mu was moved.

Qi Jiuyi had originally been extraordinarily formidable, and having remained in the mortal realm all this time, helping Xu Shenghua establish the Shangcang Academy, his horizons and experience were no longer what they once were.

Xu Shenghua was also the great synthesizer of the Jingping Reforms, a talent of unmatched brilliance. Qi Jiuyi's current strength was certainly far greater than before. Yet Qi Jiuyi would only say that if they fought again today, the outcome would be uncertain—one could well imagine how badly Qi Jiuyi had lost back then!

At that moment, the palace maid led a man and a woman up to the Manhui Corridor Pavilion. The young man at the head was tall and slender, dressed in elegant cloud-white robes, his complexion somewhat pale, yet handsome.

Though his bearing was refined and distinguished, a wisp of black qi lingered between his brows, as though the illness had reached his very marrow.

The Sickly Young Master Yun Jianli bowed deeply to Shen Mu, with utmost reverence, and said, "This son of the Yun family pays his respects to Lord Mu."

Shen Mu was about to help him to his feet when he saw the woman behind Yun Jianli also bow gracefully, saying, "Yun Chuxiu pays her respects to Lord Mu."

When Shen Mu saw the face of the woman, Yun Chuxiu, his heart and spirit were profoundly shaken.