Chapter 1398 — He Who Walks Long by the River Finally Wets His Shoes

"This realm of the Southern Heavenly Gate is founded upon the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court's Southern Heavenly Gate stands for the authority of the Heavenly Emperor, the majesty of the gods, and the power of the gods. Hence the traditional Heavenly Palace realm values only power, and lacks any comprehension of the Dao.

" Shen Mu's primordial spirit halted, and as he comprehended, he pondered the reason for it all. "In other words, instability of realm will arise in every god and demon whose cultivation is built upon the traditional Heavenly Palace system. There is not a single exception.

" "Because when they passed through the Southern Heavenly Gate, all they obtained was power, with no comprehension of the Dao. That is also why, when Kaihuang split the Heavenly Court open, the Dao hearts of every god and demon nearly cracked and collapsed. " And among them were Shen Mu himself, Kaihuang himself, and even the Ten Heavenly Venerables!

"If Kaihuang wishes to attain the Dao, to cultivate the thirty-six heavens of the sword dao, to lodge the sword dao in the ultimate void, then he must make a journey to the four great Heavenly Gates of the Ancestral Court, and to the Jade Pool, the Jade Terraces, the Jade Capital City and other such places!

Only then will his comprehension of the Dao reach its utmost! " "Kaihuang's road of proving the void with his sword lies in the Ancestral Court! " He walked on, comprehending with all his heart. Shen Mu advanced at an unhurried pace.

Fierce though the Dao fire was, it could scarcely harm him; and the Dao sounds within the Heavenly Gate only made his Dao heart the more limpid and clear.

"This is not the Southern Heavenly Gate but a gate of entry into the Dao.

If a man could walk through this gateway, he would most likely enter the Dao. " He sighed inwardly.

Who would have thought that between heaven and earth there existed so wondrous a place? "Still, the power of the Dao fire in this gate of entry into the Dao could probably burn most True Gods to death!

" Shen Mu frowned slightly.

The most ferocious thing about the Dao fire was that it did not target the fleshly body, nor vital essence, nor the primordial spirit, nor divine consciousness, and still less the Divine Treasure or the Heavenly Palace.

It targeted the Dao heart! If one's cultivation of the Dao heart was not deep enough, the Dao fire within this Southern Heavenly Gate would burn one utterly clean, leaving nothing behind at all!

"I must tell Eldest Senior Brother, Crown Prince Youming, and the rest not to walk straight into the Southern Heavenly Gate. The best path is to analyze the Dao fire here and use it to complete the Southern Heavenly Gate within their own Heavenly Palaces.

That way there is still a chance of entering the Dao. The odds are somewhat smaller, but immeasurably greater than with the former Southern Heavenly Gate, and far safer besides. " He walked the whole length of this Ancestral Court Southern Heavenly Gate, and by the time he stepped out of this gateway wrought by heaven and earth, several days had passed, yet he had not entered the Dao. Deep as was the comprehension the Ancestral Court's Southern Heavenly Gate brought him, Shen Mu had long since entered the Dao, and his realm was deep; what this Southern Heavenly Gate granted him was not enough to support his entering the Dao a second time and raising his Dao realm another storey.

"The other three Heavenly Gates, I must visit as well. The comprehension of the Dao heart and the Great Dao they grant will be enough to leave me without a weakness at this realm!

" His primordial spirit walked out of the Southern Heavenly Gate, then turned back and passed through the gateway once more, intending to return to his body. When his primordial spirit reached the gateway's entrance, he froze. Before the Southern Heavenly Gate there was nothing but emptiness.

His body had vanished into thin air! He had been meditating on the Dao within the Southern Heavenly Gate all this while, his mind free of all distraction, and never imagined that his body could be lost!

"Walk long enough by the river, and at last your shoes get wet. I have made a crude mistake.

What giant beast could break through the divine ability seal and carry off my body? " He sensed after his body and found that it still existed, that it had not been devoured by some giant beast, and only then did he breathe easy.

At that moment, Crown Prince Youming, leaning on the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner, arrived escorting the people of Great Black Mountain.

When they discovered Shen Mu's primordial spirit, they could not help but be astonished, and came forward one after another to question him. Grandmother Zhu frowned.

"Shen'er, where is your body?

" "Do not speak of it. " Shen Mu said shamefacedly, "I tracked Long Xiao here, meaning to send my primordial spirit in to comprehend its mysteries, never imagining that my body would be stolen.

I already know who took my body.

I am going now to take it back!

" Wei Suifeng's heart stirred slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Long Xiao? " Shen Mu nodded. "He took my body so that I would go and serve him as a mount.

I will go and have a word with him.

No harm will come of it. " He told the others of all he had discovered within the Ancestral Court's Southern Heavenly Gate, and said, "If your strength suffices, if you stand at the True God realm only a hair's breadth beneath me, you may attempt to send your primordial spirit in.

But if you are far inferior to me, then do not go in to throw your lives away. " At these words quite a few were eager to try. Shen Mu glanced at Yu Chudu and Wei Suifeng and shook his head.

"You two will not do. You are far from it.

" Wei Suifeng gave a snort, deeply displeased.

Shen Mu looked again at the First Ancestor, the Second Ancestor and the other Human Emperors, and shook his head.

"Nor will you. " The crowd was used to being rebuffed, and thought to themselves, "That Great Hierarch Wei does not seem used to it yet.

But he will be. " Shen Mu said to Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian, "You two may go in. Crown Prince Youming, Grandmother, you may enter as well, but if you sense anything amiss, withdraw at once. You, too, fall far short.

Hua Xuanxiu, you are too young, still at the Divine Treasure realm, and your primordial spirit is unstable.

Stay outside obediently.

Where is Long Pi? Where is Pi?

" He looked all around but did not find Long Pi, and misgiving rose in his heart. "Fatty Long never went back.

" Wei Suifeng said, "When I summoned everyone, I found no trace of him, so I did not summon even Yan'er, lest she worry.

" Shen Mu's heart sank.

During his decisive battle with the Earth Mother, he had told Long Qilin to go on ahead, never imagining that Long Qilin would fail to return to Great Black Mountain in the Ancestral Court! "Once I have recovered my body, I will go and look for him!

" Anxious at heart, Shen Mu suddenly rose to his full height, and his primordial spirit vanished in a flash! His primordial spirit fled ten thousand li at a single leap, following the pull of his own body, and before long it had left the Ancestral Court's Southern Heavenly Gate far behind and come to a strange place.

Here stood forests of mountains, sheer as blades and spears, grim, hideous, like thorns grown from the earth, incomparably sharp, stabbing slantwise at the sky! His primordial spirit passed through one strange mountain after another, and suddenly felt strange forces piercing into it, slowing it against his will.