"To open up the Celestial Palace, one must mobilize the power of the many gods within the mortal body."

Upon the altar, within the divine-treasury vision conjured from Shen Mu's vital essence, the sun and moon in the Primordial Fetus divine treasury lit up. His voice spread through the great hall of the side palace, unhurried and composed: "Primordial Fetus divine treasury—Great Sun Star Lord, Grand Yin Star Lord."

Within that divine-treasury vision, the stars of the Five Luminaries lit one after another, the Five Luminary Star Lords standing upon each star.

"Five Luminaries divine treasury! Zhen Star Lord, Yinghuo Star Lord, Taibai Star Lord, Chen Star Lord, Sui Star Lord!"

"Six Realms divine treasury! Earth Mother Primordial Lady, Great Virtue Bears All Things!"

"Seven Stars divine treasury! Seven stars in a string, seven gods in concert!"

"Heaven-Man divine treasury! The stars of the whole firmament, the many star lords and star gods—the Heavenly Lord lends his power!"

"Life-and-Death divine treasury! Vast is the Dark Capital; the gods command the souls—the Earth Lord lends his power!"

"Divine Bridge divine treasury! The primordial spirit shall be the god of gods!"

...

Within the divine-treasury vision conjured from Shen Mu's vital essence, the radiance of one deity after another blazed forth. He was borrowing the power of the many ancient gods of the heavenly court, while the primordial spirit of the divine-power practitioner symbolized the Heavenly Emperor who held all authority in his grasp.

"With this done, I borrow the power of the heavenly court, the gods return to their stations, draw in the power of the heavenly court, and brand the Celestial Palace!"

Shen Mu cried in a low voice. Within the divine-treasury vision, one deity after another lent its power, and the force grew ever stronger. The Southern Heavenly Gate, the Jade Pool, the God-Slaying Terrace, the Jade Capital City, the Lingxiao Hall, the Imperial Throne—those structures the ancient gods had forged with their own power—had their energies drawn forth, and before the Divine Bridge they gradually took shape as a Celestial Palace.

The crowd stared dumbstruck at this scene. All around was dead silence; no one spoke.

Thus was the Celestial Palace opened up. Another realm, incomparably magnificent, teeming with grandeur and vitality, had appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was a monumental creation, a creation that made humans the equals of gods!

A realm sufficient to carry them into an age of myth!

After a long while, someone finally cheered: "Heavenly Venerable Yu!"

"Heavenly Venerable Yu!"

Everywhere were cheering people, the sound crashing against the heavens.

Heavenly Venerable Hao stared blankly at the scene, a certain gloom in his heart: "I do not possess such power to rally the masses... If he is not the Heavenly Venerable Yu, then how does he know the method of becoming a god? Could it be..."

A terrifying thought arose in his mind, one that made him shudder: "Is the Heavenly Venerable Yu truly still alive? No, no—I clearly killed him. Yin Zhaojin destroyed his soul. He cannot possibly still be alive! Moreover, that existence has already confirmed it. That existence cannot be mistaken..."

He felt a chill run through him. If the Heavenly Venerable Yu were still alive, then why had he not struck him down directly?

Was the Heavenly Venerable Yu wary of that existence behind him?

Did the Heavenly Venerable Yu harbor some greater scheme?

In this world, there were few who could truly make him feel apprehension, and the Heavenly Venerable Yu was one of them.

Before the Heavenly Venerable Yu, he always felt himself a notch inferior, always felt himself lesser. Though he too was extraordinarily gifted, whenever he saw the Heavenly Venerable Yu, an involuntary sense of inadequacy would rise in his heart.

Therefore, he had to kill him. He had to eliminate the Heavenly Venerable Yu, eliminate the god within his own heart!

And now, was this god who had pressed him until he could scarcely breathe about to return?

"He must die!" he thought to himself.

At that moment, Shen Mu's voice came: "Heavenly Venerable Hao, it is your turn."

Shen Mu called several times before Heavenly Venerable Hao finally came back to himself. He managed a smile and began to expound the law, continuing from where Shen Mu had left off on the method of opening the Celestial Palace. But he was somewhat distracted, and as he spoke, he faltered and paused.

"After the father and elder brother's borrowed method opens the Celestial Palace, one can already achieve equality with the gods and attain immortality. Yet this is only the initial attainment of such achievement; many trials lie ahead. Because this is a borrowed method—a law borrowed from the ancient gods and the heavenly court—it must be repaid, or else calamity will follow. The first trial at this stage is the Southern Heavenly Gate. Only by crossing the Southern Heavenly Gate can one truly stabilize one's Celestial Palace realm."

"This step is: borrow the law of the heavenly court, refine the false into the true!"

...

Heavenly Venerable Hao quickly steadied his mind and expounded the cultivation method of the Southern Heavenly Gate realm as the Heavenly Venerable Yu had told him.

Heavenly Venerable Hao had not cultivated to the Southern Heavenly Gate, nor had the Heavenly Venerable Yu, but as the opener of the Celestial Palace, the Heavenly Venerable Yu had determined these realms all at once, and his understanding of them had reached an astonishing height.

Heavenly Venerable Hao was merely repeating the Heavenly Venerable Yu's words.

Shen Mu continued, expounding the cultivation of the Jade Pool realm. After the Jade Pool, Heavenly Venerable Hao spoke of the perils of the God-Slaying Terrace realm.

Shen Mu then explained the profound mysteries of cultivating the Jade Capital realm, after which Heavenly Venerable Hao spoke of the Lingxiao realm.

At last, Shen Mu finished expounding the Imperial Throne realm, and the seven great realms of the Celestial Palace were complete.

Kaihuang's heart sank: "With the seven great realms of the Celestial Palace finished, Mu Qing will surely make his move to kill, will he not? He has already confirmed his identity as the Heavenly Venerable Yu. In the Heavenly Venerable Yu's name, he will point out that Heavenly Venerable Hao and the Yin Son of Heaven are the murderers who killed him, and the furious crowd will tear Heavenly Venerable Hao and the Yin Son of Heaven to pieces! But the Yin Son of Heaven did not die—so what happened in between? Who exactly died? What upheaval occurred..."

He had just thought this far when Heavenly Venerable Hao's voice came from the altar, laughing: "The father and elder brother left the final realm for me to expound, so I shall reluctantly take on the task in their stead. Now let us speak of the realm above the Imperial Throne—the heavenly court..."

Kaihuang's mind exploded. His eyes went wide with disbelief!

An eighth realm!

There was actually an eighth realm!

He had never even heard that above the Imperial Throne there existed a heavenly court realm!

Niu Sanduo's mind likewise exploded into blankness. From ancient times to the present, there had never been any record of this realm—not even a rumor of it!

"The Heavenly Venerable Yu..."

On the altar, Shen Mu's expression was bleak. He thought silently: "Worthy of the true Heavenly Venerable Yu. I still cannot compare to him. His death was truly too great a pity... Such a man should not be buried by history!"

On the altar, Heavenly Venerable Hao spoke haltingly, full of errors and omissions, but the general framework had been laid out: the Celestial Palace was but one palace of the heavenly court; within the heavenly court there were thirty-six Celestial Palaces; and the realm beyond the Imperial Throne was the forging of the heavenly court, the opening of the thirty-six Celestial Palaces!