In the Lingxiao Hall of Treasured Jade, the Heavenly Emperor sat upon his throne, and the Ten Venerables were all present, each seated upright and composed. The civil and military officials filled the hall below in a great assembly, and a profusion of divine radiance shone through the void.

At the lower end, Gongsun Yan knelt in obeisance. The Heavenly Emperor encouraged her with a few words and bade her rise.

A courtier then submitted a memorial, praising Gongsun Yan for her gentleness and virtue, her combined excellence of moral character and talent, which had moved Heaven above. The Heavenly Emperor again spoke a few words of encouragement and ordered that a seat be granted to her.

After Gongsun Yan took her seat, another courtier submitted a memorial, praising her extraordinary cultivation and her ability to order heaven and earth, saying: "The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign of the Primordial Realm was morally corrupt and has already been executed. Now the Primordial Realm has no leader among its heroes, and chaos reigns. Venerable Xiaotian guards the Primordial Realm alone, and a single tree cannot withstand the storm. Therefore, I recommend that Gongsun Yan be appointed as Earthly Virtue Sovereign, stationed in the Primordial Realm, to share Venerable Xiaotian's burdens and resolve difficulties."

The Heavenly Emperor looked at the Ten Venerables and said with a smile, "What do my beloved ministers think?"

The Ten Venerables had long reached an understanding, and one after another they nodded in assent. Venerable Xiaotian said with a smile, "Your Majesty may decide as you see fit."

Thus, the Heavenly Emperor issued an edict, conferring upon Gongsun Yan the title of Earthly Virtue Sovereign, permitting her to establish a heavenly palace, and granting her the right to command an army of a million soldiers.

Gongsun Yan kowtowed in thanks.

All the gods chorused their praises in unison, and within the hall divine light suffused the air, with waves of Daoist tones sounding sweet and melodious.

The Ten Venerables then bestowed blessings upon Gongsun Yan, and behind her head appeared halo after halo, ten halos in all. Shen Mu's divine consciousness, hidden within Gongsun Yan's brow, saw this and could not help but feel a headache: "Ten pairs of eyes are watching Gongsun Yan constantly; nothing she does can be hidden from them!"

At that very moment, one of the halos behind Gongsun Yan's head quietly released a wisp of divine consciousness that entered the woman's brow. Shen Mu sneered coldly, and the divine consciousness hidden in Gongsun Yan's brow exploded forth!

The divine consciousness that had infiltrated Gongsun Yan's brow clearly had not expected that someone else was hidden within. In an instant, it stirred and transformed into a Great Luotian Heaven! But to its surprise, Shen Mu's divine consciousness also transformed into a Great Luotian Heaven. The two Great Luotian Heavens clashed, and the two consciousnesses immediately recognized each other's identity.

"Grand Emperor!"

"Venerable Mu!"

The Heavenly Emperor then bestowed silks, gold, palace maids, and all manner of treasures, saying, "Earthly Virtue Sovereign, the lower realm is not like this place. Many heroes and villains will bring chaos to the lower realm. I hope the Sovereign will suppress them and protect the common people there."

Gongsun Yan acknowledged, completely unaware that a fierce battle was already raging within her brow.

The Heavenly Emperor withdrew from court. The Ten Venerables came forward to offer congratulations and encourage Gongsun Yan. Other courtiers also stepped forward to congratulate her. Following Ling Yuxiu's teachings, Gongsun Yan observed all the formalities without a single mistake, dignified and graceful, which earned the admiration of the assembled officials.

Shen Mu had left even more of his divine consciousness in Gongsun Yan's brow, and he broke through the opponent's Great Luotian Heaven. However, the Grand Emperor's consciousness was even more skilled in its own techniques, unleashing a constant stream of divine-consciousness divine abilities. Although Shen Mu had the upper hand, he could not overcome it.

The two consciousnesses attacked and defended ceaselessly within Gongsun Yan's brow. When Gongsun Yan had finished with all the courtesies and walked out of the Lingxiao Hall, Shen Mu immediately stepped forward and lightly tapped her brow, and the Grand Emperor's wisp of infiltrating consciousness was ground away and refined by him!

"The Grand Emperor is indeed remarkable, possessing extraordinary attainments in the way of divine consciousness, far beyond my reach." Shen Mu could not help but sigh in admiration.

This encounter with the Grand Emperor's consciousness within Gongsun Yan's brow gave him a deeper understanding of the Grand Emperor's abilities.

That the Grand Emperor could become one of the Ten Venerables was due to his unrivaled mastery in the way of divine consciousness. Especially now that he had absorbed the system of the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace, his divine-consciousness divine abilities were far more formidable than before.

"Milord, what should I do?"

After leaving the Lingxiao Hall, Gongsun Yan immediately reverted to being that simple girl, losing all her confidence. She said in a low voice, "I don't know how to be this Earthly Virtue Sovereign. I..."

Shen Mu smiled and said, "You don't need to do anything."

Gongsun Yan was puzzled. Shen Mu continued, "You only need to be yourself, just as you have always been. On ordinary days, water the plants, tend the flowers, apply fertilizer, catch insects, and raise a nest of phoenixes. Learn Dao techniques and divine abilities from Grandma Zhu."

Gongsun Yan blinked her big, black, glistening eyes. "But His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor wants me to build an Earthly Virtue Heavenly Palace. I have no experience in such matters..."

"That's even simpler," said Shen Mu.

"You can request a sum of money from the Heavenly Emperor, and once you have the money, give it to Yankang to build your palace. As for recruiting soldiers and buying horses, you can also leave that to Emperor Yanxiu. Ling Yuxiu would be delighted to help you with all these matters. Just rest assured and focus on cultivation. As long as you become powerful enough to fight ten thousand enemies alone on the battlefield, that will suffice."

"Fight a war..." Gongsun Yan felt somewhat uneasy.

Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Earthly Virtue Sovereign, you now hold half of the Primordial Realm. Those forces that do not submit--will they not have to be fought back?"

As he was speaking, the divine official returned, bringing all kinds of treasures bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor, a hundred palace maids, and a carriage drawn by eight phoenixes. The eight phoenixes were exceedingly beautiful and remarkably powerful, no weaker than the nine celestial dragons that drew Shen Mu's Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot.

The Eight-Phoenix Carriage was of the standard for a feudal lord, one rank lower than the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot, but it was nevertheless extraordinary.

Gongsun Yan boarded the treasure carriage, parting reluctantly with Shen Mu. The carriage set off, carrying the many treasures and maids toward the Lingneng Duiqian Bridge.

Shen Mu watched her leave, his eyes flickering: "The blessings of the Ten Venerables behind Yan'er are indeed a troublesome matter. The Ten Venerables' blessings are hard to remove, even more troublesome than the blessings of ancient gods!"

Nevertheless, now that Gongsun Yan had become the Earthly Virtue Sovereign and would establish the Earthly Virtue Heavenly Palace, Yankang would have a pretext for waging war abroad.

That was a good thing!