Chapter 1409 — A Stab in the Back

Shi Qiluo released her grip. Shen Mu rubbed his bones; her hand was truly powerful, and she had squeezed him so hard his bones had nearly snapped.

"Your Highness is no rank-one brute.

" Having said this, Shen Mu glanced at Shi Qiluo, muttering inwardly, for the Shi Qiluo of the present moment was the very picture of a brute. He steadied himself and continued, "When the seal on the Ancestral Court was broken, Your Highness did not appear, did not send your artifact Yutianzun to descend. So why, when the far side of the Ancestral Court appeared, did Your Highness send your artifact Yutianzun down to contend for territory, behaving like a rank-one brute? " Shi Qiluo sighed. "The front of the Ancestral Court I cannot contend for; if I fought over it, I would be dragged out at once. And little wealth remains on the front of the Ancestral Court anyway. But the far side of the Ancestral Court is another matter altogether.

Not only is there greater wealth, there are countless giant beasts besides, and on top of that there is Long Xiao, a great master. I had no choice but to contend. " She said, gravely and in earnest, "If I can subdue Long Xiao and hold him in my control to fight for me, then I will command the battle strength of two Heavenly Venerates. Add the artifact Yutianzun, and that is the battle strength of three. Killing my elder sister will then be easy.

I need only devour her, let the twin lotuses of Guixu merge into one, and join our two heavenly palaces, and the Heavenly Court can be cultivated in a single stroke! And by then. . . " Shen Mu smiled. "By then, the Ten Heavenly Venerates will have no choice but to bow their heads and swear fealty, and the Heavenly Emperor will have no choice but to abdicate in favor of the worthy, and an empress shall reign over all under heaven. " Every hair of Shi Qiluo's full beard bristled outward; her face was wreathed in smiles, and she nodded again and again.

Shen Mu changed tack. "Then which Heavenly Venerate was your inside man, the one who told you the art of reverse summoning, and let you slip onto the far side of the Ancestral Court to fish in troubled waters?

" Shi Qiluo's eyes went wide and her tongue stopped in her mouth; she stammered, "Why does Heavenly Venerate Mu say such a thing?

" Shen Mu sneered. "You have an inside man among the Ten Heavenly Venerates! He made alliance with you and told you the art of reverse summoning, and only so were you able to descend upon the far side of the Ancestral Court.

I created that art a million years ago; only recently did it spread abroad and come to be learned by the Ten Heavenly Venerates. If you could learn it, then someone among the Ten must have taught it to you!

Who is it? " Shi Qiluo's eyeballs darted this way and that; she stammered, "It was Heavenly Venerate Hong. . . " Shen Mu saw the light. "So it is Heavenly Consort Qiang.

You need not pin the crime on that old good man Heavenly Venerate Hong.

Still, it is no wonder. Like Heavenly Consort Qiang, you are tolerated by none of the other Ten Heavenly Venerates. The Great Emperor has always had a lust for destruction, and he too has need of an ally. You are a Destroyer Ancient God, so of course Heavenly Consort Qiang would seek you out as her ally. " Shi Qiluo giggled. "Do not slander a person with your bloody mouth.

How could I keep company with a creature of such infamous reputation as the Great Emperor? It was Heavenly Venerate Hong!

" Shen Mu said mildly, "Birds of a feather flock together. Your tastes run alike, and the Great Emperor has suffered defeat after defeat with grievous losses besides, so it is only to be expected that you and Heavenly Consort Qiang should have hit it off at once. " Shi Qiluo gave a humph and did not deny it.

Shen Mu said mildly, "Since you have Heavenly Consort Qiang for an ally, the Ten Heavenly Venerates should not move against you.

Why, then, did you say the Ten Heavenly Venerates mean to make a sacrifice of you? " Shi Qiluo sighed, her brows knit with care. "Because the Great Emperor's name is too notorious.

If Heavenly Consort Qiang is exposed, I too will have nowhere to be buried. I had to consider what comes after Heavenly Consort Qiang's death. . .

" "You mean to betray Heavenly Consort Qiang.

" With one word Shen Mu laid bare the thought in Shi Qiluo's heart. He sneered, "You are ready at any moment to sell her out!

The two of you truly are birds of a feather!

" Shi Qiluo laughed charmingly. "And I am ready at any moment to sell you out as well!

" Shen Mu's eyes went wide. After a moment he let out a foul breath. Madam Yuanmu was shameless and yet frank; one could not bring oneself to hate her.

He rose to his feet and said with a half-smile, "I want a share of the far side of the Ancestral Court as well. At the Heaven Alliance council, we will support each other.

That should content you, should it not? " Shi Qiluo rose and said, smiling, "Then, as for the giant beasts on the far side of the Ancestral Court, has Heavenly Venerate Mu any ideas? " Shen Mu had meant to leave.

Hearing this he halted his steps and said with a half-smile, "So this was your purpose in keeping me here. You want to swallow whole that colossal power, the ancient giant beasts? " Shi Qiluo shook her head.

"I do not wish to swallow it whole. I fear that once the far side of the Ancestral Court opens, someone else will swallow it whole. I have a power of my own, and I cannot help but worry.

" She rarely turned serious, but now her face was grave. "Is Heavenly Venerate Mu not worried by the prospect of countless giant beasts descending upon Jingping? How many trampling giant beasts can Jingping withstand? " Shen Mu too grew grave. "I share that worry. Compared with Heavenly Venerates like us, the Creators, and especially a being like the Great Emperor, find it far easier to control the giant beasts. His divine consciousness is too powerful.

If the giant beasts fall into his grasp, wiping out the myriad heavens and worlds would be no trouble at all! But there are ways to make a Creator choke on his own bite.

I have an idea: divide the profits of the far side of the Ancestral Court equally, and open up a realm of beasts besides.

" He laid out his thoughts in full and said, "Your Highness may consider my proposal in due course. " With that, he walked out of the Zaofu Heavenly Palace. "A realm of beasts? Summoning giant beasts? " Shi Qiluo paced back and forth in high excitement.

"Now that is an interesting proposal.

If it comes to that, the Creators among the Ten Heavenly Venerates will have no field for their talents! Not only will Heavenly Consort Qiang be restrained, the other two Creators will be restrained as well. .

. That little fellow Heavenly Venerate Mu has no end of crooked ideas!

" Shen Mu did not head straight for the Jade Pool; instead he returned to his own palace. It would not do for him to come forward directly in the matter of opening the beast realm, so he told Madam Yuanmu of it. That little wench had a loose tongue and was by nature unable to sit still; she would certainly spill the whole matter to the other Heavenly Venerates.

He need only remain in the Heavenly Venerate Mu residence and quietly wait for the other Heavenly Venerates to call on him. Moreover, opening the beast realm would harm the interests of the Divine Sovereign Langxuan, Heavenly Venerate Gong, and Heavenly Consort Qiang, and would surely offend those three Heavenly Venerates; with Madam Yuanmu to step forward, the pressure on him would be lighter.

He seldom came to this Heavenly Venerate residence. Ordinarily the palace maids sent by the Ten Heavenly Venerates kept it in order, and those maids were all meant to keep watch on Shen Mu's movements. Yet though Shen Mu came seldom, Xue Hu'er and Si Yunxiang came often, giving banquets here in Shen Mu's name and entertaining the divine officials of the Zaofu Heavenly Palace.