Chapter 753 — Expanding the Celestial Palace

The great hall of the empress's side palace was thronged with adepts from every realm. The hall was truly vast, able to hold ten thousand people with ease. At this moment, everyone within was staring in shock at the man who had "returned from the dead." He had been the leader of the ancient peoples; his sudden death had brought countless multitudes to tears, and his murder had sown suspicion—whispers of whether some ancient god or demigod had done the deed. And now he had "returned from the dead" and appeared before them once more.

The crowd parted of its own accord into a path, silently watching as he made his unhurried way toward the Heavenly Venerable Hao.

Suddenly, a buzzing murmur rose from the throng, swelling louder and louder.

"The Heavenly Venerable Yu!" someone shouted at last.

"The Heavenly Venerable Yu!" more voices cried out.

"The Heavenly Venerable Yu! The Heavenly Venerable Yu!"

...

Wave upon wave of sound climbed higher, each surging past the last. The sudden eruption of shouts set the very air of the empress's side-palace hall churning, and the clamor carried to the sky, brushing the white clouds apart.

More and more adepts joined in, crying only the name of the Heavenly Venerable Yu. In their eyes, the man walking toward the altar was their leader—the man who had led every race in carving a bloody path through the barbaric wilds.

Shen Mu stood stunned. He slowed his steps, gazing at the fervent crowd around him. As a man of a future era, he could not truly comprehend this fanatical display by the adepts.

The adepts in the hall came from the various lower realms and could all be called leaders of those realms in their own right, yet they followed another leader with such burning devotion—this was somewhat difficult for him to understand.

What he did not know was that while the heavenly court of today flourished with civilization, the other heavens and myriad worlds enjoyed no such harmony. On the contrary, serpents and venomous insects overran the land, and divine beasts bearing the blood of ancient gods were everywhere to be seen.

Most humans and the people of other races wore straw sandals and grass skirts, hefting wooden spears, struggling precariously to survive. Should they meet an ordinary beast, that was one thing; but should they meet a divine beast of ancient-god blood, the casualties would be heavy, and they would become food for the bellies of demigods.

Even the weakest demigod was far stronger than any human.

The peril came not only from such creatures but from the heavens themselves: violent winds, torrential rain, lightning, volcanoes, wildfire, earthquakes—natural disasters of every kind shrouded the primordial age.

It was at this time that the Heavenly Venerable Yu opened the Primordial Embryo Divine Treasury, granting the weaker races the power to protect themselves, to stand against the disasters of heaven, to stand against the demigods. He was the leader of all peoples, of every weak race!

On the altar in the side-palace hall, the Heavenly Venerable Hao's eyes betrayed a flicker of panic, but he quickly recovered. He cast a surreptitious sideways glance at the Underworld Lord standing not far away.

The Underworld Lord's face was pale. Staring at the "Heavenly Venerable Yu" approaching the altar, he was utterly at a loss, unsure what to do.

Shen Mu ascended the altar step by step.

The Heavenly Venerable Hao on the dais remained somewhat flustered; he had not stepped down, but gradually regained his composure. Watching Shen Mu climb toward him, he broke into a smile.

"Though I know full well that you are a fake, I cannot expose you."

His face wore a delighted smile, seemingly stirred beyond measure, and he thought to himself: "You are dead—your soul scattered, your spirit gone. You cannot possibly have come back to life. So who is this person impersonating you? This art of remodeling the body's structure, changing one's face and temperament, is indeed exquisite. I cannot expose you, for to expose you would expose myself; others would learn that you died at my hands. But you are perfectly capable of exposing yourself."

The altar stood very high, so that everyone below could see what transpired upon it.

Shen Mu stepped onto the dais, and the Heavenly Venerable Hao spread his arms and embraced him tightly, so overcome with emotion that he sobbed and wept. In his heart, however, he thought: "The true Heavenly Venerable Yu taught me the art of becoming a god, but taught it to no one else. You do not understand that art, so I need only wait for you to expose yourself. When that happens, you will be branded the butcher who killed the Heavenly Venerable Yu, and every man will cry for your death!"

He released Shen Mu and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Heavenly Venerable Hao, I have returned from the dead—why all this play-acting? Please, be seated."

Hao Tianzun sat down, his eyes red. "Father-Brother is still alive. I thought you had perished; I kept vigil over your spirit for ten days and buried you with my own hands. Yet you pull this trick, and it truly shocks and delights this younger brother. Who was it that plotted against you?"

"Two people who were close to me."

Shen Mu smiled. "One struck down my physical body, and the other destroyed my soul."

The Underworld Lord's hands trembled. Hao Tianzun's pupils contracted.

Shen Mu's body moved abruptly, and before the eyes of tens of thousands, he drove his fist into the center of Hao Tianzun's back.

"This is the very move he used to shatter my heart!"

The Underworld Lord started in fright, but Hao Tianzun stood as immovable as a mountain, because Shen Mu's punch had carried no force whatsoever!

Shen Mu's body darted, swift as lightning, his attacks fierce and overbearing. Every fist and kick was clearly shown for all to see!

"He used this move to smash my ribs!"

"He used this move to break my finger bones!"

"He snapped my arm like this!"

...

Shen Mu moved like a gale and lightning, and in the span of a few brief moments reenacted the scene of the Heavenly Venerable Yu's assassination. Cold sweat dripped down Hao Tianzun's forehead, and he laughed. "Father-Brother gave me quite a scare. And how, then, did the other one destroy your soul?"

Shen Mu's primal energy erupted—gusts of yin wind rose, sorrowful clouds hung drear—he was about to unleash his divine art.

Seeing this, the Underworld Lord crashed to the floor with a thud and fainted dead away.

Shen Mu pointed at the center of Hao Tianzun's brow, saying, "In the instant my physical body died, the other person used this very move to destroy my soul."

Hao Tianzun revealed a sincere smile and said with utmost earnestness, "But thankfully, Father-Brother did not die. Heaven favors the good—your safe return is the greatest of blessings! See, Chaojin has fainted from agitation. Since Father-Brother has come, I shall not overstep my role. I humbly ask Father-Brother to personally expound the art that can make all beings gods! This younger brother will take his leave first..."

Shen Mu seized his wrist, laughing heartily. "Since I have already passed the art of becoming a god to you, then this time, you and I shall expound it together. I will speak a section, and you will speak a section."

Hao Tianzun said joyfully, "Father-Brother honors me—how could I refuse? Then let Father-Brother open with the discourse, and I shall speak the second section!"

Shen Mu, his wide robe and ample sleeves flowing, sat down and gestured for Hao Tianzun to take his seat.

Hao Tianzun sat, smiling. "After you, Father-Brother."

Kaihuang had already retreated, unnoticed, to the threshold of the great hall. Leaning close to Old Ox, he whispered, "If anything goes amiss later, you must act to save people!"