Chapter 471 — The Heavenly Grand Banquet
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping possessed a fierce self-assurance. Abruptly shifting the subject, as if to remind Shen Mu, he said, "There are such flatterers around the emperor—and are there not such people around others with a measure of power? But having such people is not frightening; what is frightening is when they harbor other intentions. That he painted me and the ministers all very small is not worth reproach, but he should not have painted me sinister and cunning—therein lies his loathing. He wished to use the opportunity of flattery to influence the emperor's perception of me, to make the emperor believe I was sinister and cunning, and by this means to eliminate me and halt the reform. Flattery and hidden arrows placed together—impossible to guard against."
He looked at Shen Mu, half smiling, half not, and said, "The Cult Leader holds high position and heavy authority—your power is so great that at times even the emperor cannot match you. You need to be wary of those around you who conceal arrows in their farts."
Shen Mu was caught between laughter and tears. Arrows concealed in farts—the Imperial Preceptor Jingping was both refined and vulgar.
When refined, he could converse grandly with Kuisou and Zaifu; when vulgar, he could utter even such a phrase as arrows concealed in farts.
Still, in life one easily encountered such people—flattering those above while slandering their rivals, harboring unfathomable designs. The Imperial Preceptor Jingping's reminder was quite right.
"On the mural there is the True Heaven Mother, and there are other deities as well. Where do these deities come from?"
Shen Mu examined the mural, scrutinizing the figures of the other deities and distinguishing their features, and suddenly recognized one. He said, "The Jade Lord is among them! Could they be deities of the Heavens Above? No—not entirely deities of the Heavens Above!"
He recognized another face!
From his Taotie Pouch he took out a scroll, unrolled it gently, and repeatedly compared it with a deity in the painting.
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping leaned in and was slightly startled. "Is this not the Soul-Worship Diagram drawn by the Cult Leader?"
"It is this diagram."
Shen Mu looked up at the mural and said, "Bangongcuo's soul-worship power was exceedingly strange. When he worshipped souls, a phantom of a godfiend appeared behind him, and it was according to that phantom that I drew this diagram. Imperial Preceptor Jingping, please look—is this deity somewhat similar to the godfiend in my painting?"
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping studied it for a few moments and nodded.
Shen Mu's face showed perplexity. He pondered, "That godfiend behind Bangongcuo once appeared in this world. Like the True Heaven Mother—one founded the True Heaven Palace, the other founded the Loulan Golden Palace. Then, is he still in this world? If he is still here..."
He felt a chill of horror.
Bangongcuo's power—whoever he worshipped died. If this deity were to employ it, then who could withstand a single worship from him?
"The murals here only record the history of the True Heaven Mother. They do not contain what I seek."
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping shook his head and walked out of the hall, saying, "If the True Heaven Palace truly is a part of the Heavenly Palace, then the murals here should record a more ancient history, not the history of the True Heaven Palace! Here, there must be murals that record the Heavenly Palace!"
Shen Mu followed him out. Only then did the Yu family women on the wall fall down and regain the ability to move.
Outside, the battle continued, utterly chaotic. It was likely that the great families were contending for the Vermilion Bird Pearl, tripping each other up and resorting to underhanded tricks.
The Vermilion Bird Pearl's power was immense, not inferior to the Blue Mystery Water Dragon Pearl. It was one of the four great spirit treasures of the True Heaven Palace, so naturally it would provoke a struggle.