Shen Mu and Old Ox stared wide-eyed, and Kai Huang too wore a look of disbelief; for a long moment the three of them could not utter a word. Seeing their expressions, Zhu Que'er felt deeply satisfied, and said, "This matter blew up afterward. The Empress was most displeased and made a scene, so the Heavenly Emperor abandoned his mortal body and returned to the Heavenly Court, and the Empress made another scene. Many in the Heavenly Court knew of this, but no one ever spoke it aloud. Later, Heavenly Venerable Hao rose to prominence, and he was indeed extraordinary, yet the Empress treated Heavenly Venerable Yu very well. Can you guess why?" Old Ox blurted out at once, "The Empress wanted revenge on the Heavenly Emperor, so she slept with Heavenly Venerable Yu!" Kai Huang and Shen Mu coughed again and again, their faces red with suppressed laughter. "It is hardly as bad as that. She wanted to prop up Heavenly Venerable Yu and suppress her sister and the Heavenly Emperor's son." Zhu Que'er thought for a moment, and her curiosity suddenly blazed. She lowered her voice: "Then did the Empress harbor such a thought? Perhaps she really did sleep with Heavenly Venerable Yu... Ah yes, why did Heavenly Venerable Hao want to kill Heavenly Venerable Yu? Could it be that the Heavenly Emperor sensed the Empress had been slept with, and it was the Heavenly Emperor who instructed Heavenly Venerable Hao to act?" Shen Mu could not help interrupting her: "Sister, it was the Empress's sister who used her magic power to shroud the Manhui Corridor Pavilion, so that Heavenly Venerable Yu could neither escape nor call for help." Zhu Que'er's eyes lit up: "Sisters entangled? Competing for favor? Killing the chicken to warn the monkey? What a fine drama!" Shen Mu blinked and thought to himself: "This sister's way of thinking seems somewhat different from mine. I rather think the reason Heavenly Venerable Hao wanted to eliminate Heavenly Venerable Yu was that Heavenly Venerable Yu's prestige was too high. With him removed, Heavenly Venerable Hao could become the leader of the demigods and the acquired tribes. Once the demigods and acquired tribes grew, he would have hope of contending for a higher seat." Zhu Que'er clearly had not thought in that direction; she remained excited about the Heavenly Emperor's harem intrigues, which was not at all the same thing Shen Mu and the others were pondering. Kai Huang's expression darkened: "Heavenly Venerable Yu was an outstanding figure of his generation; it is a pity he met such a foul end. Whether the Heavenly Emperor had a hand in it, there is no way to know." Zhu Que'er reined in her earlier excitement and said calmly: "If the Heavenly Emperor's son cannot compare with the son of a human, would that not tell the world that the bloodline of the ancient gods is inferior to that of mortals?" Shen Mu and Kai Huang were greatly shaken, left speechless and staring. Zhu Que'er swept away her solemnity and laughed: "Good little brother, you stay here with your sister for now. I will go outside and see the commotion. That little wretch must be making quite a scene!" Shen Mu stared wide-eyed. Zhu Que'er was clearly one who feared the world was not chaotic enough; she immediately rushed out. "This sister is even more excited than I, the person involved..." Shen Mu shook his head and said to Kai Huang: "Was what Sister Que'er just said true? Did the Heavenly Emperor really instruct Heavenly Venerable Hao?" Kai Huang shook his head: "I have never met the Heavenly Emperor, so I cannot know his character and should not make wild guesses. But it is indeed possible. If what the Southern Emperor said is true, then the Heavenly Emperor is playing with fire. Heavenly Venerable Hao's ambition is immense; once the acquired races and demigods develop, his seat may not remain secure!" Shen Mu frowned. Old Ox was startled and said hastily: "The Heavenly Emperor's divine powers are vast beyond measure, and he is Heavenly Venerable Hao's own father. Could Heavenly Venerable Hao really harbor such ambition?" Kai Huang said: "Since ancient times, in the affairs of imperial families, it is often the case that when the emperor lives too long, the crown prince grows restless and wishes the emperor would die sooner. But the Heavenly Emperor is ageless and deathless; if Heavenly Venerable Hao wants to sit on the throne, he can only move against the Heavenly Emperor. Moreover, once the acquired races and demigods rise, they will demand more benefits, and then Heavenly Venerable Hao will have no choice but to act." Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly: "I am thinking, the first thing Heavenly Venerable Yu once told us was to let all the acquired races cultivate, to be equal with the gods. What might the second thing he spoke of be?" Kai Huang's gaze turned toward him; the two exchanged a look, their minds in accord. Kai Huang said: "If Heavenly Venerable Yu had not died, it might still be possible. But with Heavenly Venerable Yu dead, none of the other Heavenly Venerables can match Heavenly Venerable Hao. Heavenly Venerable Hao commands the momentum of the demigods, and has many followers from other races as well; he already has the greater trend, and being the Heavenly Emperor's son, none can compare. He will become one of the Three Parts of Longxiao Han, and the strongest at that!" Shen Mu said: "None of the other Heavenly Venerables can match Heavenly Venerable Hao. The Three Parts of Longxiao Han—there is still one other part. Where does that part come from?" Kai Huang shook his head: "I fear that is beyond our ability to consider or influence." Old Ox listened in a daze and ventured: "What are you talking about? Weren't we discussing the second thing Heavenly Venerable Yu was going to speak of? How did it come to the Three Parts of Longxiao Han?" Shen Mu explained: "The second thing Heavenly Venerable Yu was going to speak of is this: after the method of longevity is passed on, humans and other acquired races will produce more and more gods, which will sooner or later invite fear and suppression. He intended to contend for the interests of all races, and that is what we call the third pole of the Three Parts of Longxiao Han." Old Ox laughed: "Why not simply form a small Heavenly Court?" "Who will form it?" Shen Mu said with a worried frown: "In a few days, we will all return to our own eras. None of us will stay, nor can we stay." Kai Huang nodded: "Among the Nine Heavenly Venerables, Heavenly Venerable Yu is dead, Heavenly Venerable Shen and Heavenly Venerable Mu are missing, and the remaining Heavenly Venerables are not talents who can match Heavenly Venerable Hao. Moreover, these Heavenly Venerables are scattered as loose sand; it will be very hard to form a third pole." Shen Mu fell silent. After a moment, he said: "I do have a way to form the third pole. But after the Three Parts of Longxiao Han, which pole actually won?" Kai Huang's heart skipped a beat, and he looked toward him. Shen Mu continued: "Was it the first pole, the Heavenly Court of the ancient gods, or the second pole, the Heavenly Court of the demigods, or the third pole that won? The Outland Heavenly Court of the Chiming Era and the Shanghuang Era after the destruction—which of the three poles was it?" Kai Huang fell silent. It was now the early period of the Longhan Era; in the early years of Longhan, neither the second pole nor the third pole had yet appeared. No one knew which pole had won the final victory in the immensely long years of the Longhan Era, becoming the colossal entity that ruled over all. "Rest and heal your wounds in peace." Kai Huang smiled: "History has its own course. We are not people of this era; there is no need to consider so much. We need only return to our own era and face all of this without fear, without dread!" Shen Mu nodded lightly, but in his heart he said: "Yet we have returned to the past, and have already become history. The third pole must be established." A