Chapter 753 — Opening the Heavenly Palace

Within the main hall of the separate palace were cultivators from every realm; the hall was truly vast, capable of holding ten thousand with ease. At this moment, everyone in the hall was staring in stunned silence at this man who had "returned from the dead." He was the leader of ancient peoples; his sudden death had made countless multitudes weep, and his murder had bred suspicion—whether it was the work of ancient gods or demigods. And now he had "returned from the dead," appearing before the crowd. The crowd parted of its own accord, silently watching him stride unhurriedly toward Haotianzun. Abruptly, a buzzing murmur arose among the crowd, growing louder and louder. "Yutianzun!" someone suddenly cried out at the top of his voice. "Yutianzun!" More voices joined the shout. "Yutianzun! Yutianzun!" ... The waves of sound rose higher and higher, each surging past the last. The sudden eruption of shouting caused the air within the Empress's separate palace to churn, and the sound waves reached the heavens, parting the white clouds. More and more cultivators joined in, crying out only the name of Yutianzun. In their eyes, the man walking toward the divine altar was their leader—the man who had led all races to carve a bloody path through the primordial wilderness. Shen Mu was taken aback; he slowed his steps, looking at the fervent crowd around him. As a man of a future age, he could not truly understand the fanatical devotion of these cultivators. The cultivators in the hall came from all the lower realms, each one a leader of their respective world, yet they followed another leader with such zeal—this was somewhat hard for him to comprehend. What he did not know was that although the present Heavenly Court enjoyed flourishing civilization, the other celestial worlds did not share such harmony. On the contrary, venomous serpents and insects ran rampant, and divine beasts bearing the blood of ancient gods were everywhere. Most humans and members of other races wore straw sandals and grass skirts, carrying wooden spears, struggling desperately to survive. If they encountered ordinary beasts, that was one thing; but if they encountered divine beasts with ancient god bloodlines, they would suffer grievous casualties, becoming meals for demigods. Even the weakest demigod was far stronger than any human. The danger did not come only from this. There were also the celestial phenomena—violent winds, torrential rains, lightning, volcanic fires, earthquakes—all manner of natural calamities hung over those primordial years. It was at this time that Yutianzun created the Primordial Womb Divine Treasury, giving the weak races the power to protect themselves, to withstand natural disasters, to oppose demigods. He was the leader of all people, of all weak races! On the divine altar in the separate palace hall, Haotianzun's eyes showed a hint of panic, but he quickly recovered his composure and surreptitiously glanced sideways at the King of Darkness not far away. The King of Darkness's face was pale; looking at the "Yutianzun" walking toward the altar, he was at a loss, utterly bewildered. Shen Mu ascended the divine altar step by step. Haotianzun on the altar was still somewhat at a loss, not stepping down, but gradually he regained his calm. Watching Shen Mu approach, he revealed a smile. "Though I know full well you are a fake, I must not expose you." His face bore a delighted smile, seemingly stirred with deep emotion, while in his heart he thought: "You are dead, your soul scattered beyond recovery. You cannot have returned. So who is this impersonating you? This art of altering the body's structure and changing one's appearance and bearing is indeed exquisite. I cannot expose you—if I do, I will be exposed, and others will know you died by my hand. However, you may expose yourself." The divine altar was very tall, allowing everyone below to see clearly. Shen Mu stepped onto the altar; Haotianzun spread his arms and embraced him tightly, choked with emotion and shedding tears—but in his heart he thought: "The true Yutianzun passed the method of attaining godhood to me alone, not to anyone else. You do not know the method of attaining godhood, so I have only to wait and let you expose yourself. When that happens, you will be branded the butcher who murdered Yutianzun, and all will be justified in killing you!" He released Shen Mu and wiped the tears from his eyes. Shen Mu laughed heartily: "Haotianzun, I have returned from the dead—why such theatrical displays? Please, sit." Haotianzun took his seat, red-eyed, and said: "My elder brother still lives! I thought you had perished—I even kept vigil for ten days and buried you with my own hands. Yet you pull such a trick, truly startling and delighting your foolish younger brother. Who was it that plotted against you?" "Two trusted ones." Shen Mu smiled: "One shattered my physical body, and the other destroyed my soul." The King of Darkness's hand trembled; Haotianzun's pupils contracted. Shen Mu suddenly moved, and before the eyes of tens of thousands, drove a fist into Haotianzun's back. "This is the very move used to shatter my heart!" The King of Darkness's heart leaped, but Haotianzun stood unmoved, for Shen Mu's fist carried no force whatsoever! Shen Mu's figure wove about, swift as lightning, his strikes fierce and overbearing. Every punch and kick was clearly visible, allowing everyone to see distinctly! "He used this move to shatter my ribs!" "He used this move to break my finger bones!" "It was thus he snapped my arm!" ... Shen Mu moved like a howling wind and flashing lightning; in a brief moment he reenacted the assassination of Yutianzun. Sweat dripped from Haotianzun's forehead, and he laughed: "Elder brother gave me a fright. And the other one—how did he destroy your soul?" Shen Mu's primordial qi erupted, chilling winds howled, and somber clouds gathered—he was about to perform a divine art. Seeing this, the King of Darkness suddenly crashed to the ground with a thud, fainting dead away. Shen Mu pointed a finger, touching Haotianzun's brow, and said: "In the instant my physical body died, the other used this very move to destroy my soul." Haotianzun revealed a sincere smile and said with the utmost earnestness: "But fortunately, elder brother did not die. Heaven protects the good; your safe return is a tremendous blessing! Look—Zhaojin has fainted from agitation. Since elder brother has come, I shall not overstep my bounds. Please, elder brother, personally expound this method by which all beings may attain godhood! Your younger brother will take his leave..." Shen Mu grabbed his wrist and laughed heartily: "Since I have already passed the method of attaining godhood to you, this time we shall teach it together. I will speak one passage, and you will speak the next." Haotianzun beamed: "Elder brother wishes to elevate me—how could I decline? Then let elder brother open with the discourse, and I shall speak the second passage!" Shen Mu, in his wide robes and billowing sleeves, sat down and gestured for Haotianzun to sit as well. Haotianzun took his seat and smiled: "Elder brother first." Kaihuang had already retreated to the hall's entrance; leaning close to the Old Ox, he whispered: "If anything goes wrong, you must act to save people!" Niu Sanduo said hastily: "How could anything go wrong? The Divine Bridge connects to the Heavenly Palace—the junior brother has only to speak of the soul ascending to the Heavenly Palace to bluff his way through. Haotianzun cannot expose him." Kaihuang shook his head and said gravely: "Haotianzun harbors ill intent. Having him speak the first passage is precisely a trap to make him reveal his flaw. You know that by ascending the soul to the Heavenly Palace one may be called a god, immortal, equal to the ancient gods. But the people of this age have no Heavenly Palace!" The Old Ox was stunned; cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Kaihuang said in a low voice: "The