荒墟牧神 - 第1394章 城頭易幟 - 簡牘書房

Shen Mu, radiant and smug as a spring breeze, said to Kaihuang with a smile, "I once misunderstood you in many ways, Brother Dao; now that the misunderstanding is cleared away, I suddenly find Heavenly Venerable Shen to be a fine man indeed. To share a seat with you is the fortune of three lifetimes..."

Kaihuang was about to speak when Heavenly Venerable Hao, his face blank, glanced toward Heavenly Venerable Huo; Huo took the hint and rose, saying, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, this is hardly proper, is it?"

Shen Mu said, "Oh?" He leaned forward, right elbow propped on his right knee, and asked with curiosity, turned sideways, "Heavenly Venerable Huo, what is hardly proper?"

Heavenly Venerable Huo said coldly, "Kaihuang Shen Ye may bear the name of Heavenly Venerable Shen, but the path he walks is a path against heaven: he established the Kaihuang Heavenly Court, colluded with the Lord of Heaven, plotted to overthrow the Heavenly Court, plotted to make himself the orthodox order of heaven and earth. Where does that leave His Majesty? Where does it leave the demigods? Where does it leave the Heavenly Venerables seated here?"

He stepped forward and said coldly, "Kaihuang means to restore the age when the ancient gods ruled; he means to make the Lord of Heaven, Tubo, the sovereign over every race! The Lord of Heaven is a cruel one; he indulged the Earth Mother Yuanjun in her havoc, slaughtering the Heavenly Court's soldiers and generals and the lords of the various regions — a million and more! The Lord of Heaven has exhausted every shred of conscience, and his crimes admit no pardon; Kaihuang stands with him, and his crime deserves death!"

A smile appeared on Shen Mu's face. What Heavenly Venerable Huo had said was precisely the content of the proclamation to punish the Lord of Heaven; by saying it himself, Huo spared Shen Mu the infamy of condemning the Lord of Heaven.

Heavenly Venerable Huo knew it was unfitting as well, but Kaihuang had come to seize momentum, to seize power, to seize hearts, and he could not afford not to fling filth upon Kaihuang.

If he did not, then Kaihuang would steal the authority of a Heavenly Venerable, steal the hearts of the people, steal the tide of events, and slip into the Heaven Alliance, adding countless variables and upheavals to what was to come.

The Ten Heavenly Venerables could by no means tolerate that.

Heavenly Venerable Hong rose, his voice loud as a bell: "The Lord of Heaven's crimes deserve death; Kaihuang, who sets the great righteousness of the world at naught, deserves death as well. What is more, Kaihuang has carved out his own domain in the Great Void and joined hands with the prehistoric Creators. How cruel are the Creators? Kaihuang's crime is beyond measure, and he cannot be whitewashed!"

Shen Mu's expression changed; he rose and said sternly, "Shen Ye, you have committed such monstrous crimes! I valued you so, and you have failed me, failed the people of the world! I am ashamed to stand in the same rank as you! But then again, your merit, your deeds, your Dao, your virtue are all great; merit and fault cancel each other out — so long as you bow your head and admit your fault and cut your ties with the Lord of Heaven, you are not beyond forgiveness..."

His voice and countenance were fierce, yet as he spoke a smile spread over his face again, and he said to the nine Heavenly Venerables, "Why not have this fellow Shen Ye offer you all a toast and apologize, and everyone have a good laugh —"

"Hahahaha!"

The Ancestral God King sprang to his feet, laughed at the heavens, and said sternly, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, the Earth Mother Yuanjun did not kill your people, so you play the kindly old man with an easy hand; your skin does not itch and your flesh does not ache — but mine do! The Earth Mother killed the elite troops beneath my command; the Earth Mother was indulged by the Lord of Heaven, and Heavenly Venerable Shen is the Lord of Heaven's running dog. You can tolerate him; I cannot!"