Chapter 1644 — I Have a Dream: The Wayfarer's Chapter

The South Heaven's resources are held in Huo Tianzun's hands, the East Heaven's in the Grand Supreme Emperor's, the North Heaven's in the Empress Dowager's, Xuan Du in the Ancestral God King's, and the West Heaven in Your Majesty's. How could they ever surrender such great authority? " Hao Tianzun gave a cold laugh. "Once I hold Jingping, it will not be theirs to surrender! In his day, the Grand Supreme Emperor rose against the Creator and only by borrowing the strength of the other ancient gods did he root out the Creator and take the Heavenly Emperor's seat.

He divided the cosmos and the primeval wastes as fiefs among the ancient gods who had won merit, and that is why those ancient gods each carved out their own domain and the wars never ceased. But I will not learn from him!

" He drew a long breath. "I mean to be the eternal Heavenly Emperor; I cannot imitate him in enfeoffing vassals and stirring up turmoil in ages to come!

Control Jingping, stabilize the heavenly coin, let Jingping manufacture everything for the Heaven Court free of charge, and let all heavens and myriad worlds supply Jingping with resources—then the circulation of heavenly coin will meet no obstruction. The other Heavenly Venerables will hold only empty territories and empty power, but the one who truly rules all heavens and myriad worlds will be me alone! " Meng Yungui's frame trembled slightly. "Controlling Jingping is the pivotal step, but Your Majesty, the other Heavenly Venerables are certain to want a piece of the meat as well. .

. " "Give them a piece? " Hao Tianzun snorted in derision and said leisurely, "The meat in my bowl—who dares touch it? Whoever touches it dies! I am different from the Grand Supreme Emperor, different from the Ancestral God King, from Xu Tianzun, from Huo Tianzun.

The Grand Supreme Emperor treated humans as food for the demigods and ancient gods, and crushed the human race besides. The Ancestral God King, Xu Tianzun, Lang Xuan and the rest enslaved humans and likewise treated them as food. That is what drove the human race to resist again and again, and so there came to be the Village of No Worry, and so there came to be Jingping. But I am different. I treat Jingping as labor.

As long as Jingping toils for me and resists no more, I will give them a bite to eat and a road to live on. They may never turn over and become masters of their own house, but staying alive—that they can manage.

" Hao Tianzun laughed.

"Heavenly Master Meng, do you now see what I am after? " Meng Yungui bowed and said, "Next to Your Majesty's talents and strategies, your servant is far inferior. " Hao Tianzun roared with laughter and waved his hand. "Withdraw, all of you. The envoy may withdraw and rest as well. At the coronation ceremony, you shall present the letter of surrender before the sovereign lords of all heavens and myriad worlds.

I want everyone in the world to know that Mu Tianzun has submitted! " Yu Chenzi hastily kowtowed. "Your Majesty is sagacious!

" The company walked out of the imperial study with Meng Yungui at the head; Yu Chenzi hurried after him in little quick steps and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Senior Uncle, for raising your hand in mercy.

" Meng Yungui gave no definite answer.

"It was not I who raised my hand; it was His Majesty. If His Majesty had been unwilling to raise his, no hand could have been raised at all. " Yu Chenzi smiled faintly.

"However it may be, had Senior Uncle not put in an appearance, Hao Tianzun would never have made up his mind.

" Meng Yungui darted a glance at him. "I know your thoughts, and I know Mu Tianzun's thoughts as well—nothing more than stalling for time.

A moment ago you heard His Majesty dissect his own heart. What did you make of it?

" Yu Chenzi said solemnly, "Hao Tianzun as Heavenly Emperor is more enlightened than Emperor Tai, more enlightened than Emperor Taichu! Dredging is better than damming—he is profoundly versed in that principle!

" "Then you mean to rebel all the same? " Meng Yungui lowered his voice, wanting to speak with force yet not daring to use it. "Since he is a wise sovereign of his age, why not simply surrender?

His Majesty has already left the human race a road to survival! " Yu Chenzi looked at him with a smile.

"Senior Uncle, in the primeval age Emperor Tai was a wise sovereign too, and in the ancient age Emperor Taichu was a wise sovereign too.

Set Hao Tianzun in the primeval age or in the ancient age, and he would have done better than either of them. But once you have seen Jingping, you will know—they are obsolete.

" Meng Yungui frowned deeply. "We have seen better. Emperor Yanfeng, Emperor Yanxiu—either of those emperors did better than Hao Tianzun. " Yu Chenzi continued unhurriedly, "Emperor Yanfeng broke the gods that dwelled in the people's hearts; Emperor Yanxiu developed the people's livelihood and the goods of daily life; Mu Tianzun would have the gods serve the people—only that word 'people' is in truth 'the folk.

' Gods at the service of the folk, and the folk are all living beings.

Hao Tianzun has merely made small amendments to the governing policies of Emperor Tai and Emperor Taichu, but what Jingping is doing—that is the true transformation! We have already stood up, and we do not want to kneel down again, do not want to be slaves again!

We want to hold our own fate in our own hands! " "Senior Uncle, I have a dream. The moment I met Mu Tianzun, that dream was kindled in me, churning me up so that I could not sleep the whole night through, filling my eyes with hot tears, and driving a warm surging strength in my breast that urges me onward—no matter how hard the road, no matter how great the peril, I must fulfill that dream. Even if it costs me my head, even if it costs me my life!

" A smile spread across Yu Chenzi's face, and his eyes gleamed. "Even if I must bear a cloud of blame in times to come, I will still see it through!

" Meng Yungui stopped walking and looked at him with complicated eyes, as if looking at himself in his younger days. Once, long ago, he too had had a dream; but after he entered the Heaven Court, that dream had gradually gone to ruin, and he had been left with no choice but to disguise himself. This young man of the Daoist school showed him the original heart he himself had long lost. "You will not win. " He cast down those words, quickened his pace, and left Yu Chenzi behind him.

Yu Chenzi smiled, watched his retreating back, and murmured in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Generation after generation after generation, all of them have struggled for this dream—from Yu Tianzun, from Yun Tianzun, from Emperor Chi and Emperor Ming, from the Exalted Emperor, from the Kai Emperor, on down to the present, to Mu Tianzun, to Jingping. We have never once let it go, Senior Uncle—the human race has never once let it go, Senior Uncle.

.

. " Meng Yungui walked even faster, hurrying away as though fleeing for his life, not daring and not willing to listen to his words.

Those words were heresy; they would shake his heart.