Chapter 1273 — You Traitors

Bai Yuqiong was startled. She had read Shen Mu's character with great accuracy, and so she had vetoed the idea outright before he could even voice it. She had never imagined that when he actually spoke it aloud, it would prove so terrifying.

"Who's 'we' with you? You rebel!"

She was so furious she nearly choked, yet deep down her thoughts began to race. Lord Hao was gravely wounded, the Divine Artifact Lord Yu was reduced to a mere head, and Lord Hao could not move. Now was in fact the perfect moment to eliminate Lord Hao!

And not just Lord Hao. Now was also a heaven-sent opportunity to eliminate the Great Emperor and Qiang Tianfei!

If they could find them, and wipe out both Lord Hao and the Great Emperor in one stroke...

Her heart pounded wildly. The temptation was simply too great. Even though she was a Celestial Master of the Heavenly Court, she found it impossible to restrain herself in the face of such temptation.

"To wipe out the strongest of ancient times and the strongest of the present age in one stroke..." She seemed to hear her own heart's voice—but then she realized it was Shen Mu whispering in her ear.

Bai Yuqiong shoved Shen Mu aside and said, "I am a Celestial Master of the Heavenly Court. I cannot run amok the way you do. Yet as a Celestial Master of the Heavenly Court, I must make it my duty to rescue and protect Lord Hao. I cannot allow him to come to harm."

She said calmly, "But if someone should kill Lord Hao before I can reach him, then I would have no choice but to weep and wail, utterly helpless."

Shen Mu burst out laughing.

Bai Yuqiong shot him a glare, both annoyed and amused. "Don't celebrate so soon. I will not collude with you... The head of the Divine Artifact Lord Yu fell over there. We head that way!"

Lan Yutian was still deep in enlightenment. Shen Mu opened the lantern's door, stuffed him inside, and let him continue his contemplation.

Though Lan Yutian's talent was considerable, his strength was far too low to be of any use in hunting down Lord Hao.

Bai Yuqiong shook her head. "We cannot use the lantern. If anyone sees it, they will surely guess our identities."

Shen Mu thought it over, then put the lantern away.

The lantern belonged to Lord Moon. He himself had once carried it with him as he traveled far and wide, and Bai Yuqiong had deep ties to Lord Moon as well. Lord Fire and Yin Tianzi knew that Bai Yuqiong was Lord Moon's disciple and the reincarnation of the Southern Emperor's soul.

The lantern could indeed expose their identities.

In the Heavenly Court's great camp, Lord Fire and Lord Void descended almost simultaneously. The two landed, each staggering.

Lord Fire gave a muffled groan, turned his head, pressed a hand to his mouth, and swallowed the blood surging up his throat.

The wheel of fire behind his head was tattered and all but extinguished. Dozens of sword wounds marked his body—left by Kaihuang.

Besides the wounds left by Kaihuang, he also bore wounds inflicted by divine consciousness—wounds left by the Great Emperor.

These wounds appeared to be external, but the internal injuries were far more severe. Within Lord Fire's body, in his divine treasury and heavenly palace, countless sword lights darted wildly, accompanied by one after another of the Great Heavens of Divine Consciousness rampaging unchecked.

Lord Fire swiftly entered his own great hall, raised a hand to shake the palace bell, and soon a palace maid arrived.

Lord Fire instructed her, "Summon the Red Emperor."

Before long, the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu entered the hall and bowed to Lord Fire.

Lord Fire suppressed his injuries and said, "Although the Void Annihilation will affect this place, it will not destroy the Great Void itself. You need not worry. Red Emperor, Lord Hao was gravely wounded in his battle with the Great Emperor and fell into the Great Void. Do not make a fuss about it. Take some experts with you and go find Lord Hao. This is a fine opportunity for you to earn merit."

Red Emperor Qi Xiayu was startled. She bowed in obedience and prepared to leave in search of experts.

"Wait!" Lord Fire called her back.

Qi Xiayu halted, looking at Lord Fire with suspicion.

Lord Fire rose to his feet and paced unsteadily back and forth. After a moment, he made up his mind and said in a low voice, "Red Emperor, if Lord Hao's injuries are too severe, then... then..."

He raised his hand and made a slashing motion downward. "Do you understand?"

Red Emperor Qi Xiayu felt a chill in her heart and nodded solemnly.

"Go quickly." Lord Fire waved his hand.

In another great hall, Lord Void had also suppressed his injuries and was instructing his trusted Heavenly King, Xi Muhong, Celestial Lord Xi. "Lord Hao was gravely wounded by the rebel Great Emperor. His life or death is now unknown. Celestial Lord Xi, take some trusted men and go look for Lord Hao, but do not attract attention."

Xi Muhong, Celestial Lord Xi, was a handsome man, though his aura seemed a little sinister. He said, "Lord, I am a commander of troops. This sort of matter is better left to Meng Yungui, Celestial Master Meng."

Lord Void glanced at him and said unhurriedly, "Meng Yungui may be clever, but he is full of selfish motives. Your mind is purer than his. Go. Wait!"

She fixed her gaze on Celestial Lord Xi. "If Lord Hao's injuries are too severe to cure, you understand what you should do, don't you?"

Celestial Lord Xi felt a chill in his heart, but he smiled and said, "Lord, you should have done this long ago! I shall take my leave. I will certainly handle this great matter well and will not disappoint you!"

Lord Void let out a breath and said softly, "There should be quite a few people going to find Lord Hao now, I imagine. Besides Lord Fire and myself, I fear Kaihuang, Lord Shen, and that Creator God King called Langwan will each send their elite forces, determined to take this chance to eliminate Lord Hao. But then again, now truly is the best opportunity to eliminate Lord Hao!"

Just as she had expected, Yan Yunxi received Kaihuang's summons, immediately called for the donkey Lü Zheng, and was about to set out riding it.

Just then, many elders of the Creators came rushing out, heading in all directions.

Yan Yunxi withdrew her gaze, only to see an old ox charging over. The Martial Celestial Master Zhuo Cha sat on its back and said in a deep voice, "Celestial Master Zixi, I have come to aid you."

Yan Yunxi was somewhat displeased, but then a black tiger came charging over. The Woodcutter Celestial Master sat on its back and said, "I will lend my aid as well."

Yan Yunxi's gaze shifted, moving back and forth between them. One was unmatched in valor, the other unmatched in wisdom. Both were figures she liked, but neither was perfect.

"Only Jiang Baigui..." She shook her head.

Bai Yuqiong and Shen Mu hurried toward the place where the head of the Divine Artifact Lord Yu had fallen. As the two searched the surroundings, Bai Yuqiong observed his techniques and divine abilities as they traveled and asked, "Did Master Moon not teach you the arts of space, the methods of space?"

Shen Mu shook his head. "Every time I went to see her, I never saw her. She always hid behind a screen. Have you been to see her?"

Bai Yuqiong also shook her head. "I wanted to see her, but I did not dare. She... was she injured by Lord Fire?"

Shen Mu recalled the time he had helped Lord Moon enter the Dao in a dream and said, "Her appearance was ruined by Lord Fire."

Bai Yuqiong fell silent and said no more.

Suddenly, the two stopped in their tracks. Before them lay a bizarre world like something out of a nightmare, filled everywhere with twisted inner demons. These inner demons were monstrous in form—they were the terrors in the hearts of divine and demonic cultivators.