荒墟牧神 - 第753章 拓建仙闕 - 雲海書庫

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 tightl