Chapter 1368 — Petty Villains Covet

Heavenly Venerable You had no choice but to give up all thought of fighting Heavenly Venerable Xu to the death, and his paper boat drifted slowly into the center of Tu Bo's brow, where Tu Bo's primordial spirit was already waiting for them. Heavenly Venerable You moored the paper boat and tied it fast with great care, and Shen Mu glanced at him with some displeasure.

The Alchemist asked in a low voice, "This is Youdu, and yet Heavenly Venerable You is still so cautious? " "One does not fear thieves stealing, one fears thieves coveting.

Last time I did not tie it well, and a boat was stolen," Heavenly Venerable You said.

Shen Mu gave a cold snort. "Stingy.

I only borrowed one once, and it is not as if I never returned it. " Heavenly Venerable You said to the Alchemist in all seriousness, "That man stole my yellow paper too.

" The Alchemist nodded with deep sympathy.

"Our village does indeed have two thieves, and when they see something fine they cannot walk away. Even I have had things lifted from me by their nimble hands many times.

" They walked into the palace within Tu Bo's eyes, and Tu Bo's primordial spirit saluted Heavenly Venerable Yue, saying, "Fellow Daoist Yue, your wounds are healed and you have recovered the grace and bearing of those years. Congratulations. " Heavenly Venerable Yue returned the salute.

"You flatter me.

Tu Bo acted righteously to aid me, and I, Yue, will remember it in my heart.

" "No need to take it to heart. " Tu Bo's voice was vast. "This time Heavenly Venerable Mu opened the Chengtian Gate without leave, joining Youdu to the world of the living and startling the Benevolent Saint King. He deliberately used his friendship with the Benevolent Saint King as a threat, and I could not watch the Benevolent Saint King come to harm, so I was coerced by him and had no choice but to lend aid. Fellow Daoist Yue need not keep it in mind. This debt I have already recorded under Heavenly Venerable Mu's name.

" Shen Mu said sourly, "Tu Bo truly sees all and acts justly.

" "It is my duty, and I dare not slacken in the least.

" Tu Bo said, "The various ledgers are all kept well by the Benevolent Saint King, and may be settled at any time.

" Heavenly Venerable You nodded.

"They are kept very well. " Shen Mu did not wish to speak of this further and hurriedly said, "Grandpa Alchemist, Heavenly Venerable Yue hurt her face.

Do you still have any fine ointment? " The Alchemist was suspicious and said, "I do have some, but you could heal Heavenly Venerable Yue yourself with your Creation divine power, and it would not be much trouble. Heavenly Venerable You is more gravely hurt, and I will heal Heavenly Venerable You first.

" Shen Mu sighed, his breath feeble and faint as a thread. "I am hurt too.

This time my injuries are grave, and I fear I may never recover. " The Alchemist grew still more suspicious. Shen Mu's dao wounds were gone, and by all reason with his attainment in medicine and in the dao of Creation he should long since have returned to his peak, lively as a dragon and tiger. Why did he still claim to be wounded, looking as if he might die at any moment?

"I hurt my eye.

" Shen Mu sighed long. "My vertical eye once held all manner of treasures, but in my battle with Heavenly Venerable Xiao he burst my head open, and even that eye of mine was blown to pieces. The rest are easy to speak of. The Heavenly Emperor's eggshell, the Taiji origin stone, all are easy to get. Those are trifles, not worth mentioning. The only thing that weighs on my heart is my jade pendant.

" The Alchemist understood and said with regret, "That jade pendant was refined from Tu Bo's horn, with the character Shen carved upon it. You always treasured it, carrying it with you since childhood and never letting it leave your side. " Shen Mu's eyes reddened and he choked.

"I have always remembered Tu Bo's kindness, knowing that pendant was refined for me from his own horn so that I might subdue my devil nature and not be controlled by it. When I died and came back to life in those years, I placed the pendant in my vertical eye and made it the iris. Who would have thought Heavenly Venerable Xiao would shatter it. . .

" He looked up at Tu Bo's primordial spirit, his eyes red.

The Alchemist also looked toward Tu Bo's primordial spirit with expectation.

Tu Bo was silent.

Shen Mu shed tears. "This eye of mine was praised by an ancient being in the Ancestral Court as the strongest holy pupil, precisely because Tu Bo's horn formed its iris. Who would have thought Heavenly Venerable Xiao would ruin it, so that from now on it will be nothing but an ordinary eye. " Tu Bo remained silent.

Shen Mu gritted his teeth and said, "That ancient being dwells in the Great Black Wood, mending the Great Black Mountain every day.

If there is a chance, I could introduce him. . .

" Tu Bo's face was expressionless, then he suddenly said, "I will give you another sliver.

What do you think?

" Shen Mu breathed a sigh of relief, and the Alchemist secretly breathed one too. Tu Bo went on. "But it is not free.

The Ancestral Court is now open, and I too can reach it. Since you have the face to do it, introduce me to that being.

" Shen Mu muttered inwardly. Tai Yi could go to see whomever he wished directly, while it was not so easy for others to see him.

If he did not wish to see a man, then even if that man stood before him, he could not see him.

Who knew whether Tai Yi would agree to see Tu Bo?

"Agreed. " Shen Mu did not change expression.

"Then I will sacrifice this face of mine and introduce you to him.

But I want the mightiest sliver of Tu Bo's horn to serve as my iris. " Tu Bo hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"It may be done.

" Shen Mu was overjoyed. "Then could Tu Bo contact Tian Gong for me? I could introduce that being to Tian Gong as well.

" Tu Bo frowned, his ox tail flicking. Shen Mu explained, "Though my vertical eye has Tu Bo's horn for its iris, it still lacks the anterior chamber of the pupil.

If a treasure of Xuandu could form it, it would surely be still more splendid. " Tu Bo said, "I can inform Tian Gong. You return first to the Ancestral Court, and Tian Gong and I will settle the exchange with you there.

" Shen Mu set his mind at ease.

Tian Gong surely had treasures too, and if his vertical eye could gather the power of Tian Gong and Tu Bo, together with the Taichu eggshell and the Taiji origin stone, it would surely be mightier than before. Of course, more important still was that he must get water from Tai Yi's bucket to drip upon the eye. Heavenly Venerable You was puzzled inwardly. Though Tu Bo's horns could be regrown, the mightiest horns of Tu Bo were refined from the continents of the Ancestral Court, and even the Mingdu and Fengdu borrowed by Yin Tianzi and Kaihuang were horns later refined from other heavens.

For Tu Bo to employ his origin horn merely to meet the mountain-mending man in Shen Mu's lair seemed too great a price for too small a purpose. Stranger still, Tu Bo had agreed to contact Tian Gong.

Who was that mountain-mending man, that he could make these two beings go together to see him. The wounds of Heavenly Venerable Yue and Heavenly Venerable You were none too grave, and the Alchemist examined them, refined spirit pills, and healed them.

Tu Bo's primordial spirit led Shen Mu to look at Heavenly Venerable Xiao's divine artifact Heavenly Venerable Yu, and as the two gazed at that colossus, Tu Bo's primordial spirit suddenly sighed and shook his head. "This Heavenly Venerable Yu will not last much longer.

" Shen Mu started slightly, puzzled at his meaning. "Heavenly Venerable Xiao forced this Heavenly Venerable Yu to display a perfect Heavenly Court realm, and the strain was too great. The fleshly structure of the divine artifact Heavenly Venerable Yu has already been seven or eight parts destroyed.

" Tu Bo shook his head.