Chapter 1596 — The Unfathomable Human Heart

The Goddess Taisu whirled about and saw the face of Heavenly Venerable Hao, a face in which it was impossible to tell whether grief or joy held sway.

Her heart sank by slow degrees, yet she would not give up hope, and forced a smile: "When did you come, Hao'er?

" "I have been here all along.

" That single sentence plunged her into an icy abyss: "I have been behind you and the others the whole time, Aunt. Heavenly Venerable Gong's illusion-realm of divine consciousness has already entered the Dao; when she works her illusions, even you cannot perceive them, can you? The Way of Divine Consciousness belongs to the Way of Taichu, and you are Taisu, Aunt — you know far too little of the Way of Taichu.

" A vast terror rose in the Goddess Taisu's heart.

All along?

Did that not mean that Heavenly Venerable Hao had been trailing behind them from the very moment they left the Heavenly Court?

Did it not mean that he had heard everything with his own ears?

"Heavenly Venerable Mu, Gong Yun's illusion-realm of divine consciousness could never baffle you — did you truly sense nothing along the way? " She whirled around and looked at Shen Mu within the Wheel of Myriad Daos; her voice was no longer as lovely and pleasing as before, and she cried harshly: "You could see through her illusion-realm, yet you said not a word the whole time! You want to watch me die!

Isn't that so?

" "Taisu, you are too full of yourself, too self-centered.

" Shen Mu said: "Do not forget one thing — you and I have been enemies from first to last.

If you die, I shall only be the happier for it. " Taisu was shaken with fury.

Heavenly Venerable Hao laughed: "Aunt, Heavenly Venerable Mu is still merciful — he means to use this chance to dispel my intent to kill you. Do not mistake his meaning. " Taisu turned once more and gave Heavenly Venerable Hao a bewitching smile: "The human heart is truly complicated. I thought I could master the hearts of men, could play you creatures of the acquired world in the palm of my hand, yet I never imagined that your hearts and natures were far, far more complicated than I believed.

So in the end, it is I who am the simplest of all in your eyes.

" In Heavenly Venerable Hao's eyes she wore the form of Lady Yuanmu — delicate and touching, strange yet quick-witted.

She still meant to manipulate hearts; it was almost her instinct.

"Hao'er, Aunt was wrong. " She said softly: "I know I was wrong.

Can you forgive me this once? Whatever you ask me to do, I will agree to it; whatever demand you make, I can satisfy it. " Her voice grew softer and softer, so soft it dripped with seduction: "Any demand at all.

You may make me take any form, do anything shameful — I can lick your toes, or lick any other place you please. .

.

" "A woman like me is of great use, of many uses.

How many emperors and kings and generals have dreamed of such a one and never obtained her.

And if I die, I am of no use at all, and you will never find another woman like me. " Heavenly Venerable Hao listened quietly, then suddenly laughed: "A truly tempting offer. " Hope kindled once more in Taisu's heart — so long as she lived, there was still possibility in the future!

"Aunt, to this day you still do not understand why the Ten Heavenly Venerables can live in harmony with one another, have dwelt together for several hundred thousand years.

" Heavenly Venerable Hao said leisurely: "Because we share a common interest, and for that common interest we can compromise with one another, tolerate one another, cooperate with one another. There are struggles among us as well, and if we lose in such a struggle, we submit to the victor. " He smiled: "Do you know why that is? " Without waiting for Taisu to answer, he went on: "Because we know that even if we lose a struggle against the other, so long as we are willing to bow our heads and submit to him, he will not take our lives — because from first to last we share the same interests.

In submitting to him, we may still preserve our interests. " "And the victor spares the other's life also because he knows that, their interests being the same, the other will not betray him, that keeping the other alive is the more useful course. This is why, after my victory, I did not put Heavenly Venerable Gong to death, did not put the Ancestral God King to death, did not put my elder brother, the Divine Emperor Langxuan, to death.

" He smiled: "This too is why Heavenly Venerable Gong has not betrayed me. Your attempt to talk her into surrender was a grave mistake.

Not only can you not win her over — among the other Heavenly Venerables, you can win over none at all.

" The Goddess Taisu's face was ashen.

Within the Wheel of Myriad Daos, Shen Mu fell into thought. He too had once believed that among the Ten Heavenly Venerables one or two might be persuaded to surrender, that one or two might come over to his side; hearing Heavenly Venerable Hao's words, he realized that he had been somewhat naive.

The Ten Heavenly Venerables were a community of interests; however fiercely they contended among themselves, they remained one body still.

"A pity, Aunt — you are not one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables.

You share no common interest with us. " Heavenly Venerable Hao sighed: "And again you are so full of yourself, so lofty in your own esteem, thinking yourself one of the five innate primordials, high above all, forever incapable of learning your lesson.

How am I ever to rest easy?

" Despair filled Taisu's heart; of a sudden she urged on her life-bound supreme treasure, which transformed into the Taiding Cauldron and came pressing down upon Heavenly Venerable Hao. She herself fled backward at flying speed, away from that place, crying harshly: "Heavenly Venerable Hao! Without me to add the final heavenly palace for you, you will never become a Dao-achiever!

If you kill me, you cut off your own road to the Dao! " Heavenly Venerable Hao let the Taiding Cauldron press down upon him.

That cauldron too was battered and broken, covered over with the dao-wounds Shen Mu had left upon this life-bound supreme treasure.

The Taiding Cauldron could bring Heavenly Venerable Hao no threat whatsoever.

He raised his hand, and the cauldron was crushed smaller and smaller beneath an immense pressure, until it fell helplessly into his palm.

He clenched it hard, and the great cauldron gave out a creaking, groaning sound and twisted into a lump.

Bang! The cauldron burst apart and became a mass of Taisu qi, and within that Taisu qi the rhyme of the great Dao flowed — it was Heavenly Venerable Hao repairing the damage to this life-bound supreme treasure with the Way of Taisu that he had forged from his own comprehension!

In the distance Taisu fled, only to find that she could never escape this divine city.

Heavenly Venerable Hao stood within the city, and with him at the center it was as if an absolute, inward-collapsing spacetime had formed, endlessly caving in toward him!

She looked back and saw the magnificent vision of thirty-six heavenly palaces taking shape behind Heavenly Venerable Hao's head; without borrowing her power, relying only upon his own comprehension, he was already able to form a complete Heavenly Court! Not only that — she saw another Heavenly Court as well, thirty-six heavenly palaces headed by the Way of Guixu.

Two Heavenly Courts, one upright and one inverted, one in eternal daylight, one in eternal darkness!

And more terrible still, she saw the Taisu qi in Heavenly Venerable Hao's palm, and within it the Way of Taisu.

Her heart sank deeper and deeper; she had still underestimated the Nine Heavenly Venerables of Longhan.

Of the nine Heavenly Venerables of the Longhan era, Heavenly Venerable Yu was foremost and Heavenly Venerable Hao second; Heavenly Venerable Yu had opened up the Womb of Origin divine treasury, Heavenly Venerable Hao the divine treasury of the Five Luminaries.