Chapter 138: The Great Heavenly Venerable of Subtle Words

“Defy Heaven and alter fate?! Replace the Savage Dao with the Law of Slaughter and attain the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter!”

At the thought of the Fierce Emperor’s insane plan to attain sainthood, Nanluo felt a bone-deep chill, as though he had fallen into the frozen depths of an infernal abyss.

And yet, the Fierce Emperor’s mad plan was an utterly open and aboveboard stratagem, leaving Nanluo with no way to defuse it.

As a Divine Emperor, Nanluo was immensely proud, farsighted, and unmatched in wisdom. Even when confronted by the Fierce Emperor’s brazen scheme, he could only sigh inwardly:

“Truly worthy of being the Emperor of Ten Thousand Evils, truly worthy of being an unparalleled powerhouse bearing a destiny that defies the world!”

Yet in the next moment, the golden pupils of Nanluo’s eyes released a cold radiance so majestic and soul-seizing that it seemed capable of terrifying all creation. His face turned utterly icy as he said:

“But you have made such brazen and utterly deranged use of me to aid your ascension. Are you truly not afraid that I will overturn your entire plan in one stroke and sever your path to sainthood?”

If Nanluo wished to stop the Fierce Emperor from attaining sainthood, he would have to travel to the Great Snow Mountain, prevent the Fierce Emperor from transforming his destiny, and stop him from replacing the Savage Dao with the Law of Slaughter.

However, just as when Nanluo had attained the state of a Half-Saint Emperor, Heavenly Mandate and Defiant Destiny were mutually generative and mutually antagonistic.

When Nanluo became a Half-Saint Emperor, the Fierce Emperor had sent an avatar to attack him. That alone had shortened the time required by the Heavenly Mandate by several hundred thousand years, helping Nanluo attain the Half-Saint realm.

Now, the Fierce Emperor was attempting to transform his destiny and attain the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter.

If Nanluo went to attack him and obstruct his ascension, the Defiant Destiny carried by the Fierce Emperor would naturally help accelerate his transformation and aid him in attaining the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter.

Yet if Nanluo did not go to the Great Snow Mountain to obstruct his ascension, the Fierce Emperor could simply transform his destiny at leisure and attain the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter.

In the Primordial World, where those supreme Saint Immortals had yet to formally enter the stage, the Fierce Emperor, bearing a destiny that defied the world, feared only the Heavenly Mandate carried by Nanluo—a force that was both complementary and antagonistic to his own.

As for the Dragon Emperor, the Phoenix Emperor, and Qilin Fire, when had the Fierce Emperor ever truly regarded them?

If Nanluo were merely a Divine Emperor without the Heavenly Mandate upon him, the Fierce Emperor would not have regarded him either.

More infuriating still was the fact that Nanluo had already been led by the nose, falling into the Fierce Emperor’s calculations without realizing it.

That was why Nanluo had condemned the Fierce Emperor for making such brazen and utterly deranged use of him.

The instant Nanluo saw that divine crystal of the Law of Slaughter and perceived the Fierce Emperor’s intention to transform his destiny and attain the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter, the Heavenly Mandate within Nanluo had already sensed the Fierce Emperor’s mad plan to attain sainthood.

As the Heavenly Mandate that stood opposed to Defiant Destiny, how could it possibly let the Fierce Emperor, who bore Defiant Destiny, escape?

Moreover, the Fierce Emperor was a mere ferocious beast, yet he dared to shatter the laws of Heaven and attempt to attain the Sacred Dao. He had already provoked the will of Heaven and Earth within the Primordial World.

Likewise, Defiant Destiny, which was mutually generative and mutually antagonistic with the Heavenly Mandate, would naturally never allow the Heavenly Mandate to deal with the Fierce Emperor unchecked.

If Nanluo’s judgment was correct, then with the aid of Defiant Destiny, the Fierce Emperor’s transformation of his destiny had already accelerated enormously.

This was an unsolvable vicious cycle.

If Nanluo went to sabotage the Fierce Emperor’s ascension, he might not succeed; instead, he could accelerate the Fierce Emperor’s progress toward sainthood. But if he did nothing and simply waited for the Fierce Emperor to attain the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter, then everything would be lost!

He was trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

That was the situation Nanluo now faced.

“It seems I must set out west as soon as possible. My agreement with the Nether Demon Emperor must also be fulfilled without delay.”

“Otherwise, once the Fierce Emperor attains the supreme Sacred Dao of Slaughter, there will be no place left in the Primordial World for me to stand.”

Rather than sit idly by and wait for the Fierce Emperor to attain the Dao, Nanluo preferred to strike first and keep the initiative in his own hands.

But was the initiative truly in Nanluo’s hands?

Seated upon the Divine Throne of Creation, Nanluo suddenly showed a trace of weariness. The brilliant golden light in his eyes dimmed slightly as he said helplessly:

“The Fierce Emperor merely aided me from the shadows in attaining the Half-Saint realm, yet I must help him attain the Sacred Dao.”

“Indeed, karma comes full circle, and retribution never misses its mark!”

………

The Hall of All Gods, main chamber.

Unlike before, when Nanluo had sat alone upon the Divine Throne of Creation, two rows of twelve divine thrones now stood beneath it, with the Twelve Heavenly Venerables of the Divine Race seated in their places.

“Miaoyan, are the armies of the Divine Race ready?”

The weariness that had earlier shadowed Nanluo had vanished. He appeared radiant, majestic, and wise as he gazed down at them and asked in a solemn voice.

Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan rose and bowed respectfully toward Nanluo.

“Your Majesty, one hundred million troops from the Divine Race and one hundred million troops from the myriad races of the Northern Wilderness—a total of two hundred million soldiers—are fully prepared and ready for battle at any time.”

Nanluo nodded, then asked, “And how many troops do the Dragon Race, the Phoenix Race, the Qilin Race, and the Ferocious Beast Race possess?”

A troubled expression crossed Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan’s face.

“By conservative estimates, the Dragon Race, Phoenix Race, and Qilin Race each possess more than three hundred million troops.”

Upon hearing this, Nanluo showed no surprise. He merely sighed inwardly:

The Divine Race is still far too weak.

The Dragon Race, Phoenix Race, and Qilin Race had ruled the Primordial Continent for millions of years. Their foundations were not something the Divine Race, with its mere hundred thousand years of history, could hope to match.

But this was a world where supreme power belonged to the individual.

So long as the Divine Race produced a single Divine Saint, the unification of the Primordial World would be within reach.

“As for the Ferocious Beast Race, Your Majesty, please punish us. We have been unable to determine the exact number of troops they possess.”

Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan suddenly bent at the waist and bowed deeply toward Nanluo.

The other eleven Heavenly Venerables also rose and bowed respectfully.

“Please punish us, Your Majesty!”

“It is of no consequence. Rise, all of you.”

Nanluo swept his sleeve lightly, and a mighty force lifted the Twelve Heavenly Venerables to their feet. He then narrowed his eyes and asked:

“Why have you been unable to determine the exact number of troops possessed by the Ferocious Beast Race?”

“Your Majesty.”

Heavenly Venerable Wubing, who oversaw military affairs, stepped out from the line. His expression was strained as he explained:

“The entirety of the Western Wilderness is shrouded in boundless baleful energy. Anyone who is not a ferocious beast and enters the Western Wilderness is as conspicuous as the bright moon in the night sky. They are immediately detected and captured by the armies of the Ferocious Beast Race.”

“Even a God-King cannot escape the pursuit of their armies.”

“The entire Western Wilderness has been developed and fortified by the Ferocious Beast Race like an iron fortress. Water cannot seep through, nor can a needle pierce it. It is extraordinarily difficult to investigate.”

Nanluo nodded faintly and sighed.

“The Ferocious Beast Race is becoming more and more like a civilized people. They have armies, territories, and a strict hierarchical system.”

Ferocious beasts had always been synonymous with chaos and slaughter. In the past, they had never bothered to administer the territories they occupied.

But ever since the establishment of the Ferocious Beast Race, under the powerful constraints imposed by the Fierce Emperor, Fierce Slaughtering Heaven, they had come to resemble a civilized race more and more. They had not only formed their own armies, but also developed their territories and established a strict hierarchy.

Nanluo was becoming increasingly curious about the Fierce Emperor, Fierce Slaughtering Heaven; about the Ferocious Beast Race; and about the Western Wilderness.

What sort of peerless overlord, possessed of such extraordinary talent and grand ambition, was the Fierce Emperor to have molded the Ferocious Beast Race into a civilized people and developed the Western Wilderness into an impenetrable fortress?

Afterward, Nanluo dealt with several accumulated matters concerning the Divine Race. Only then did he raise the true subject for which he had summoned the gods that day.

“I intend to appoint Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan as the Grand Heavenly Venerable, placing her above the Twelve Heavenly Venerables. Whenever I am away, she will govern the Divine Race in my stead.”

Golden radiance blazed from Nanluo’s eyes as he surveyed the twelve Heavenly Venerables below and spoke slowly in a majestic voice.