Chapter 1415 — Quite Brilliant, Upon Reflection
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
The Divine King Zu ground his teeth. "The old villain may be my father, but I hate evil as my enemy; for the greater good I must put aside kinship!"
Venerable after Venerable added their voice, recounting the Lord of Heaven's crimes, until Venerable Hao turned to Shen Mu. "What does the League Lord think?"
"This is naturally excellent. I have no objection," Shen Mu said, smiling.
Behind him, Long Xiao rolled several of his eyes and thought: 'Those same words again, just as I expected.'
Venerable Hao said: "Then at tomorrow's Great Assembly of the Heavenly League, let the League Lord proclaim it to all under heaven: raise the banner of righteous war and smite the Lord of Heaven!"
Shen Mu ventured: "Then this proclamation of war..."
"We have already drafted it for the League Lord."
The Divine King Zu brought over the proclamation against the Lord of Heaven. "The League Lord need only read it aloud at the Great Assembly of the Heavenly League. The black pot must be borne steadily and firmly; it must not slip from your shoulders."
Shen Mu read the proclamation through. It enumerated the Lord of Heaven's crimes one after another in vehement language, well calculated to inflame the hearts of the people.
Shen Mu put it away and smiled. "This is naturally excellent."
Below, the ten Venerables exchanged glances. Venerable Hao smiled. "Since the great matters are settled, let us disperse and prepare for tomorrow's Great Assembly of the Heavenly League."
They rose, bowed to Shen Mu, and departed in streaks of flowing light.
Only Shen Mu, Long Xiao, Yun Chuxiu and Venerable Hao remained in the Hall.
Venerable Hao glanced at Yun Chuxiu and Long Xiao. Yun Chuxiu went off with a skip and a hop, and Long Xiao concealed himself and vanished.
Shen Mu rose to his feet and stepped down from the high seat.
Venerable Hao turned and walked out of the Hall. At the doorway he halted, and Shen Mu came to stand at his side, shoulder to shoulder.
The two looked out ahead, where the jade sea rippled in green waves, and the island swarmed with sovereigns come from the many heavens — a vast multitude, coming and going, bustling and thronging.
"Every hero under heaven is gathered here!"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Venerable Hao swept his gaze across the scene. "This sight resembles the great Heavenly Court Gathering and the Jade Pool Gathering of the early Longhan years," he said mildly. "But the great gathering of the Heavenly Court in those days came after the titans had quelled the rebellion of the Creators and begun dividing the spoils and carving up the wealth. The Jade Pool Gathering was no more than a meeting of later-born creatures and demigods; to the titans of that age it was trivial, beneath their notice altogether."
Shen Mu took up the thread. "And now, this gathering at the Jade Pool is the one that will decide the fate of the world. As for the Heavenly Court, it has become an empty shell."
Venerable Hao smiled faintly and said with an easy air: "Venerable Mu, have you ever considered that all of this was brought about by me? How many enemies have I defeated in my life? The mighty — Xie Wuqi, the Heavenly Emperor, Venerable Yun, Venerable Yue, Venerable Ling, the Great Emperor — every one of them fell at my hands. Even one as strong as Kaihuang, Shen the Venerable, can only hide from place to place. The Four Emperors of the Ancient Gods dare only cling to their corner; when I will their death, they cannot live an hour longer. And now..."
Grandeur surged in his breast, and he declared in a ringing voice: "I shall begin by executing the Lord of Heaven, doing away with Tubo, and wiping out the Creators, to achieve a true unification! In all history, what emperor has ever attained such a height? What emperor's achievements can stand shoulder to shoulder with mine?"