Chapter 1670 — I Simply Won't Sign

Nian Guanhe rose and said clearly, "Emperor Yunluo, stay your steps! " Wei Suifeng stopped and gave an angry snort, his face dark. "And what if you tell me to stay?

Will you kill me? The five of you of the Inner Thrones may not have the skill to hold Wei! " Nian Guanhe smiled.

"Since this is a consultation, there is still room for discussion.

Emperor Yunluo need not be anxious; let me return and report to His Majesty, and then decide. " Wei Suifeng's expression eased.

He shot a glance at Yuchenzi, then flew into a rage again and thundered, "If you dare sell Jingping's interests again, I will beat you to death, you Heavenly Court spy!

" Yuchenzi raged, "I am a Heavenly Court spy? What benefit would I get as a spy?

" "How should I know? I only heard the Heavenly Court gave you several heavens. Everyone says that once these talks are done you mean to hide yourself away and live out your days a rich man!

" . .

. The two fell to quarreling and were about to come to blows again. Prince Youming stood between them, urging peace, saying slowly, "Both of you, say one sentence less.

. .

" Nian Guanhe ordered a civil official under his command to go to the Heavenly Court and report to Emperor Haotian the difficulty they had met. Emperor Haotian was in the Zaofu Heavenly Palace speaking with the new master of Zaofu Palace, the Heavenly Venerable Xing'an, and no idle persons could enter. Only after more than ten days did Emperor Haotian come out of the Zaofu Heavenly Palace, his face radiant, plainly in excellent spirits. The civil official hurried forward and told Emperor Haotian of the Jingping negotiations, saying, "The Heavenly Venerable Mu does not involve himself in affairs, but the powers under him will not yield, and they howl to rebel.

" "A child that cries gets the candy. It is because I have allotted them no benefit that they have begun to make noise.

" Emperor Haotian judged it exactly.

He smiled, "Then I may concede a little; I should not press too hard. Press too hard, and the Heavenly Venerable Mu will rebel.

Go back and tell the Five Inner Emperor Thrones they may loosen the terms somewhat. But they must be given a deadline! " His face turned cold, and he sneered, "By the end of this year, they must sign for me! If they do not sign, then do not blame me for being merciless—I will wipe Jingping from existence!

" The civil official hurried off and returned to Jingping, and repeated Emperor Haotian's words to the Five Inner Emperor Thrones. The Five Inner Emperor Thrones breathed out in relief. "It is good that His Majesty will yield a little benefit.

Then it will be easier to talk.

" Yet once this gap was opened, every party of interest within Jingping leaped out, hoping for a share of the stew.

Inside the Wendao Academy the quarreling turned the air foul, as one Jingping magnate after another quarreled with the Heavenly Court's envoys, and among themselves they quarreled the heavens down. The five Emperors of the Five Inner Emperor Thrones were left dizzy and muddled. Each of the five had several hundred retainers—two or three thousand all told—yet even they were worn to exhaustion by the wrangling, and could not cope. The wrangling dragged on to the end of the year, and still nothing was fully settled.

Emperor Haotian was furious, and ordered all the envoys recalled, preparing for war. No sooner had the order gone out, before the Heavenly Court's envoys had even returned, than word came: the Heavenly Venerable Mu had left his seclusion and come out to Jingping, and had submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Court declaring himself willing to submit, and would personally lead the Jingping envoys to the Heavenly Court to continue the talks. Emperor Haotian, on one hand, ordered the Heavenly Court's armies put in order, ready to make war at any moment, applying maximum pressure; on the other hand, he ordered the Heavenly Venerable Mu to lead the Jingping envoys to the Heavenly Court to continue the talks.

After the Spring Festival, Shen Mu led the Jingping delegation to the Heavenly Court. No sooner had they arrived than Emperor Haotian summoned Shen Mu to him, to talk of heaven and earth and all things under the sun, and would not let him meet with the delegation. On the other side, the Jingping delegation was shut up in the Splendid Heavenly Palace.

The Heavenly Court sent out tens of thousands of civil officials, giving the Jingping envoys no rest and no sleep, and no food or drink either, negotiating in relays, quarreling until the Splendid Heavenly Palace was a bedlam of dogs and chickens. Yuchenzi, Wei Suifeng, Prince Youming and the rest who led the Jingping delegation could not hold out, and one after another signed the contract. More than half a year had already passed. Emperor Haotian had the thick contract packed into jeweled carriages and sent to the rear palace; it took seven jeweled carriages to hold it all.

He smiled, "My dear Minister Mu, the matter of Jingping's surrender has been negotiated. I have not treated you shabbily. Of the various benefits, whatever could be yielded, I have yielded.

Now it is your turn to sign. " Shen Mu leafed through the seven cartloads of contract, reading them one by one. His expression could not help but change; the more he read, the darker his face grew. Seeing his face grow uglier and uglier, Emperor Haotian could not help but knit his brows slightly. When Shen Mu had finished reading the seven cartloads of contract, he flicked his sleeve and sneered, "This contract—I will not sign it!

If I do not sign, no one else's signature is worth anything! " Emperor Haotian was enraged.

He straightened up, and a Daluo Heaven of One Qi surfaced from the Ultimate Void, its majesty covering heaven and earth, shrouding the whole Heavenly Court.

Coldly he said, "My dear Minister Mu, you will not sign? Are you toying with me?

" Shen Mu, neither servile nor overbearing, said, "Your Majesty has taken away the greater part of Jingping's benefits; the others get only broth and dregs, while I have come away with nothing at all. Does Your Majesty acknowledge that I am Your Majesty's greatest rival? Am I not worth even broth and dregs?

If Your Majesty holds your humble minister lightly, then Your Majesty holds himself lightly. " Emperor Haotian's gaze fell upon his face, looking straight into his eyes. "You have retired into seclusion. What do you want so many benefits for? You should set my mind at ease, let me sleep without worry—not prepare to rise again in the east!

" Shen Mu said bitterly, "Your minister still has a whole household to feed. . . " Emperor Haotian laughed in his fury.

"If you do not sign today, I will send down a single order and have the Heavenly Venerable Xu wipe out half of Jingping's people!

" The Dao-heart sealed layer upon layer within Shen Mu's body unbound itself one layer after another, and his will to fight soared to the heavens. "As many as you can wipe out, that many can I revive!

" Emperor Haotian burned with rage. He sneered, "You think I cannot deal with your resurrection divine power?

I will send their souls into the Ultimate Void, cast them into the Ruins of Return, stuff them into the Jade Capital of the Ancestral Court, annihilating them utterly—which one can you bring back? " Shen Mu's breath faltered and sank. Just then, the Minister of the Upper Prime suddenly hurried in, his face full of anxiety; catching sight of Shen Mu, he swallowed his words. Emperor Haotian said coldly, "Speak!

There are no outsiders here!

" The Minister of the Upper Prime hesitated, then said, "Your Majesty, Yuji, Shixiu, Lingshu and Lingyuan—the four great heavens—have rebelled. They have killed the rulers of those four heavens and sworn an oath to march against the Heavenly Court.

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