Chapter 1415 — Quite Brilliant, Upon Reflection
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
Without waiting for Shen Mu's answer, he went on: "The Great Emperor failed. He was cruel, and with three kings carving out domains of their own, he could not achieve true unification. Nor did my father, the Heavenly Emperor Taichu — he was too soft; he divided power and handed it to the Lord of Heaven, to Tubo, to the Earth Mother, to all the gods and sages of the heavens. Venerable Yun failed; he could not even unify the Origin Realm. The Red Emperor, the Bright Emperor, the Supreme Emperors of every age, even Kaihuang — not one of their achievements amounts to anything. Not one of them is fit to carry my shoes!"
"I alone am capable of all of it!"
"Venerable Mu, I alone can bring to heel ambitious men like you, and become the rightful lord, the enlightened sovereign, who rules heaven and earth!"
His spirit soared to the heavens. "I know there are many rivals among the ten Venerables. They come from ancient ages, each with his own designs and his own dark schemes; but they have too many designs, too many schemes, and have lost the bearing of a hegemon. That is where they fall short of me! Even one as cunning as you — are you not now arranged to my perfect satisfaction?"
Shen Mu smiled. "And if Venerable Yu were still alive? Would he not have done better than you?"
It was as though a basin of cold water had been poured over Venerable Hao from crown to sole. His face turned cold. "There is no 'if.' His edge was too sharp; he did not know how to hide it. Were I my father, I would have killed him too! Venerable Mu, the way you surpass Venerable Yu is that you understand how to advance step by step — plotting one step at a time, seeping into the heart of power in the Heavenly Court one step at a time. But once you have come in, you can only be one of us — become us!"
Shen Mu fell silent. After a long while he said: "And if I do not become one of you?"
"Then you will have nothing."
Venerable Hao said icily: "You will die. Your Jingping will be destroyed. Everything of yours will cease to be, and after death you will bear a name of infamy. Every time later generations speak your name, they will curse you through foaming lips!"
A faint smile surfaced on his face. "You are no match for me. My only rival was Venerable Yu of those years — and alas, from the very beginning, he was defeated, and he died. You will see me root out my strong enemies. You will see me reign over all under heaven. You will see the myriad worlds bow down and kneel in worship before me."
He stepped down the stone stairs of the Hall of the Heavenly Venerables, smiling. "Huo, Xu, Lang, Zu, Gong, Qiang, Xiao, Hong, Yan, Shi — not one of them is my match. In time you will see them either submit or die. And if you do not submit, you will be the same..."
"Hao."
Shen Mu called him back.
Venerable Hao stopped. Shen Mu stood upon the dais and smiled. "I oppose you not out of ambition, but for the human race, for the sake of an ideal. Invincible as you are — with no rival, would you not be lonely?"
Venerable Hao turned around, his gaze settling upon his face.
Shen Mu's face broke into a brilliant, sunlit smile. "I will be your rival."
Venerable Hao was taken aback for a moment, then laughed aloud and turned to go. "No need. If you dare to oppose me, I will finish you."