Chapter 1389 — First Arrogant, Then Respectful

In the Hundred Thousand Great Black Mountains of the Ancestral Court, upon the altar, Shen Mu's divine consciousness returned to his body. He opened his eyes, his expression somewhat grave.

Seeing him come back safe, Granny Zhu, Wei Suifeng, and the rest all set their hearts at ease.

Smack.

Granny Zhu brought her palm down hard on his backside.

Shen Mu rubbed his rump, a little puzzled, but he did not take it to heart, thinking, "Long Xiao is mighty and headstrong, and he will certainly not let Shu Jun, Lan Yutian, and the others go. It seems I must go to the back of the Ancestral Court myself and rescue them. " He exhaled a turbid breath.

For all that Long Xiao's strength was absurdly great, he had still not reached the height of the Ten Celestial Venerables; against the Ten Celestial Venerables he fell far short. And the back of the Ancestral Court was so rich a prize that the Ten Celestial Venerables would not fail to covet it.

When Wei Suifeng, Long Qilin, Crown Prince Youming, and the others saw Shen Mu take that slap on the rear, a wave of satisfaction washed through them, yet the next moment their hearts clenched again with worry for the First Ancestor, Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, and the rest.

"Rest easy, all of you. They are alive still. Long Xiao has them caged, not killed; he means only to break them and make them his mounts.

And there is a great turn in this affair, for that fellow Shu Jun carried the Grand Emperor's head into the back of the Ancestral Court! " Shen Mu waved his hand, and the nine-tiered altar collapsed, dissolving into a current of divine consciousness that flowed back into his mind. In a low voice he said, "Long Xiao can do as he likes with Shu Jun and the others, but can he do as he likes with the Grand Emperor? Shu Jun brought the Grand Emperor's head into the back of the Ancestral Court, and the Grand Emperor must surely have discovered the riches there, and the mighty power of those primeval giant beasts.

" "The Grand Emperor's head? " The hearts of all present went cold; none of them knew when the Grand Emperor's head had fallen into Shu Jun's hands. Wei Suifeng frowned and said, "Did the Grand Emperor's head not fall into the hands of Celestial Venerable Hao? Celestial Venerable Hao has already refined the Grand Emperor's head into a treasure, to overawe the Yuan Realm! " "It is another of the Grand Emperor's heads, the one I subdued and suppressed," Shen Mu said.

"The head in Celestial Venerable Hao's keeping is the strongest. The one I suppressed is a body the Grand Emperor visualized into being; its strength is not great, but it will not be easy for Long Xiao to see through it.

" He looked into the distance, toward the God-Slaying Platform of the Ancestral Court, which Celestial Venerable Qiang occupied. Celestial Consort Qiang was one of the Grand Emperor's identities.

Though little of the Grand Emperor's true body remained, one hand fallen into the Earth Mother's grasp and one head into Celestial Venerable Hao's, Celestial Consort Qiang still lived, and she possessed boundless power.

As one of the Ten Celestial Venerables, she would surely be unable to sit still. "Celestial Consort Qiang will not break the seal on the Ancestral Court herself and let the back of it be revealed; were she to do so, she could no longer claim the back of the Ancestral Court for herself alone. She must swallow it whole, and the simplest way to swallow the back of the Ancestral Court whole is to subdue Long Xiao.

" Shen Mu narrowed his eyes.

Celestial Consort Qiang ought already to have reached the Ancestral Court. "There are two paths by which she may hope to enter the back of the Ancestral Court. One is to come to me.

The other is to go to Earth Mother Yuanjun.

Earth Mother Yuanjun is a master of summoning divine arts, and from a summoning art one may derive a reverse summoning art, and so send herself to the back of the Ancestral Court without damaging the seal upon it. " Shen Mu murmured to himself, "That will be rather difficult. After all, Earth Mother Yuanjun is not as clever as I am.

" "And so, coming to me is the easiest path of all.

" Even as he spoke, all at once a woman's voice came from beyond the Hundred Thousand Great Black Mountains: "Celestial Venerable Mu, Her Highness the Celestial Consort has come to pay her respects to the Celestial Venerable! " "Speak of the Grand Emperor, and the Grand Emperor arrives! " Shen Mu laughed heartily and called out in a clear voice, "Her Highness has come from afar, and my Sacred Mountain is honored by her presence! My friends, come with me to receive Her Highness's carriage!

" Wei Suifeng, Crown Prince Youming, and the others exchanged glances, then followed Shen Mu outside.

Before the Grand Emperor, they could not help but feel uneasy at heart.

Shen Mu's sleeves fluttered, and he was most free and easy; he led the company in person to welcome her, with all ceremony and grandeur, and then they saw Celestial Consort Qiang's carriage draw near, drawn not by phoenixes but by the towering giant beasts of the Ancestral Court, and swift beyond measure. The carriage halted; the palace maids drew back the pearl curtain, and Celestial Consort Qiang stepped down from the carriage with her head lowered, slowly raising it.

Her features were lovely, with a charm that could overthrow all living beings, and she saw Shen Mu leading the company standing in attendance on either side, utterly respectful.

Her beautiful eyes swept about, and she could not help but laugh. "Why is Celestial Venerable Mu first haughty and then deferential?

" Shen Mu raised his head and said with a smile, "It is not that I am haughty first and deferential after.

Your Highness is His Majesty's beloved consort, and though I am honored as a Celestial Venerable, I am after all His Majesty's subject; therefore I cannot but be respectful.

" Celestial Consort Qiang laughed. "When you were at your most insolent in the past, you did not speak so. " Shen Mu extended a hand in invitation, but Celestial Consort Qiang was unwilling to enter the Hundred Thousand Great Black Mountains.

She shook her head. "This place of yours is most uncanny. This consort does not wish to go in.

We will talk here, outside.

" Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly. Back then Celestial Consort Qiang had roused all the void giant beasts to charge the Hundred Thousand Great Black Mountains, only to be routed by Shen Mu, the void beasts slaughtered and scattered, more than half of them lost. Yet Celestial Consort Qiang would hardly refuse to set foot in the Black Mountains for that reason; she was the Grand Emperor, after all, and the void beasts were merely her tools.

"In the primeval age, the Grand Emperor must also have discovered how uncanny this place is, and so dared not enter," he thought to himself.

Celestial Consort Qiang came straight to the point. "This consort wishes to enter the back of the Ancestral Court.

Will the Celestial Venerable grant it? " Shen Mu said with a smile, "Your Highness has but to speak, and how would I dare refuse?

It is only that the prize behind the Ancestral Court is so great that I fear Your Highness may not be able to swallow it in one bite. " "That is no concern of yours.

" Celestial Consort Qiang said indifferently, "To tell you the truth, Divine Emperor Langxuan has already come to the Ancestral Court and taken that fool Earth Mother Yuanjun captive. His aim is to use Earth Mother Yuanjun's divine art to reverse-engineer your reverse summoning art; with his talent, it will not be so difficult for him to work it out.

His aim is also Long Xiao, and as the son of my wife Gong Yun and Taichu, his attainments in divine consciousness are exceedingly high as well.

If he should subdue Long Xiao, then you are in peril. " Shen Mu was startled.

Divine Emperor Langxuan had come to the Ancestral Court, and had already captured Earth Mother Yuanjun?