Chapter 938 — Tearing Apart the Heavenly Court

In truth, she had killed Lady Yuanmu, while she herself feigned death to escape, crafting the illusion of her own demise.

Afterward, Heavenly Venerable Ling made his move, transforming the Feathered Forest Army—witnesses to the entire affair—along with their tower-ships into the Ghost Ship, creating the Feathered Forest Army Transmigration Incident and obliterating every last trace.

At that time, Lady Yuanmu's corpse had likely not been placed among the Twin Lotuses of Guixu. The Empress's primordial spirit entered Lady Yuanmu's corpse, returned to the Heavenly Court, and announced to all that the Empress had not died.

The Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, who doted upon Lady Yuanmu, was happy to help her conceal that she was not the true Empress—never suspecting that the one within Lady Yuanmu's body was in fact the true Empress.

Thus had the Empress disposed of her disobedient little sister and completed the process of replacing her.

Then she conspired with Heavenly Venerable Ling to create Jue Wuchen, using Jue Wuchen to scheme against the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor and bury both of those treacherous curs who had betrayed her!

After disposing of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, she, along with Heavenly Venerable Yun and Heavenly Venerable Hao, immediately flew toward the Heavenly Court to seize the Heavenly Emperor's physical body. As for who ultimately obtained the Heavenly Emperor's body, that was unknown.

Shen Mu strung these events together, leaving only one thing unresolved: why Heavenly Venerable Ling's hairpin had been lodged in the back of Lady Yuanmu's skull.

"Could it be that Heavenly Venerable Ling wanted to dispose of the Empress, meaning to kill her with the hairpin, only to find the Empress a move ahead—who instead seized the opportunity to free herself from that body?"

Shen Mu had his conjectures, though whether they were the truth of history, there was no way to know.

Upon Yaohai, four Heavenly Venerables faced off, the atmosphere so oppressive that the people on the island could scarcely breathe.

Besides them, there were many palace maids upon the island, huddled together. Though they were all divine maidens—some of half-divine races, of extraordinary bloodline—if the four Heavenly Venerables made their move, they would have no path to survival!

"Shujun, can you now discern the identity of this Creator?"

Shen Mu stirred his consciousness and questioned the great fleshy mass upon the Taichu Primordial Stone altar: "My transaction with you is already complete."

The Creator he spoke of was the third Heavenly Venerable to appear upon Yaohai.

This person was the prehistoric Creator hidden within the Heavenly Court—the very one who had laid the bloodline curse upon the descendants of Heavenly Venerable Yun!

His arrival had shattered the balance between Heavenly Venerable You and the mystic, forcing Heavenly Venerable You to act first.

Upon the altar, the great fleshy mass had transformed into a single large eye, observing that person through Shen Mu's line of sight.

That Heavenly Venerable's body was magnificent, his face shrouded in layer upon layer of light—his features impossible to discern.

"Not complete. I cannot see his face clearly," said Shujun.

Shen Mu sneered. "I have found this Creator for you. The transaction is naturally complete! As for your inability to see his face—that is your own incompetence, and has nothing to do with me!"

Shujun said coldly, "It is not my incompetence, but yours! I am borrowing your eyes to look at him. That I cannot make out his face is because your cultivation is too weak to pierce the divine light upon his face! Until we know which Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court he is, our transaction cannot be considered complete."

Shen Mu was left sullen and resentful.

At this moment, the four Heavenly Venerables faced off, forming yet another strange equilibrium. None made the first move.

"Heavenly Venerable You has come from afar—I never expected it would stir up internal strife within my Heavenly Court."

Suddenly, a sonorous voice came from beyond the heavens. A divine being with white brows, white beard, and white eyes descended from the sky, rays of light streaming ten thousand fathoms around him, halos wreathing the back of his head. He laughed loudly: "You hide your faces, not daring to reveal your true identities—but I, the Ancestral God King, am not afraid. I would even kill my own old father, the Heavenly Duke, let alone a mere Shepherd Heavenly Venerable!"

The sky blazed with light. A beam of incomparable thickness descended from the heavens and struck the surface of Yaochi's sea. The light surged unceasingly, and then the white-haired Heavenly Duke appeared upon the water, his body slowly rising, growing taller and taller, larger and larger.

"Old man..." The Ancestral God King's eyes twitched violently several times at the Heavenly Duke's descent.

The Heavenly Duke remained silent.

Just then, space convulsed violently—another Heavenly Venerable arrived, concealing his true face, and laughed loudly: "The Heavenly Duke has come from afar, bringing glory to the Heavenly Court."

The balance tipped once more.

The Heavenly Duke gave a snort, his voice rolling like thunder: "Tubo, will you still sit by and watch?"

The crowd was startled. Black qi churned from the depths of Yaohai, and then the sea split open. Tubo's twin horns thrust straight up from the surface, rising slowly!

"Even Tubo cannot sit still!"

In the pavilion, Yun Jianli suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "The more who come, the safer we are. For if these people make their move, victory and defeat would be uncertain, and even the Heavenly Court would be smashed to powder! They will not act!"

Qi Jiuyi also breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "But the Heavenly Court will be split apart because of this."

"Tubo and the Heavenly Duke have come together—why did they not give word ahead?" Another Heavenly Venerable walked forth, appearing upon Yaohai, likewise concealing his face.

Before he could halt his steps, flames suddenly blazed. The Vermilion Bird, the Southern Emperor, strode forth, appearing at the center of these beings, a peach blossom pinched between her fingers. She said with a smile, "My friends, my abilities are a touch weaker than yours, but I have only come to deliver a single item. I do not intend to interfere in your affairs."

She planted the peach blossom upon the surface of the sea. In an instant, countless peach groves surged forth, a peach forest spanning ten thousand li, veiling the surface of Yaohai.

Within the peach groves stood palaces and watchtowers. Several young maids carried lanterns, hung them beneath the eaves of the halls, and then returned within.

Shen Mu breathed a sigh of relief—Heavenly Venerable Moon had come as well.