Chapter 1469 — Grudges Melt Away Like Snow

Shen Mu sighed. "The Lord of Heaven is impatient to break free of the Heavenly Dao's shackles. Hong Tianzun is his reincarnated body. For this purpose, Hong Tianzun would sacrifice the Lord of Heaven without hesitation, sacrifice the Heavenly Dao without hesitation, and sacrifice everything in Xuandu without hesitation—including the half-gods here, the women and children here, even his own descendants! The one who will breach Tianfang City will inevitably be Hong Tianzun."

Zhe Huali said in a hoarse voice, "So in the end it is the Lord of Heaven fighting the Lord of Heaven himself. Heh heh, Mu Tianzun, then why should we sacrifice our lives to save the Lord of Heaven?"

His chest was full of bitter indignation, and he gritted his teeth, his voice bursting through the gaps between them: "The reason we came, the reason that at a single word from you we came all this way chatting and laughing, is that we felt the Lord of Heaven must be saved—and saving the Lord of Heaven is saving Jingping! Even if we die in Xuandu, we would die a worthy death! Yet it turns out it was only the Lord of Heaven playing house by himself! Let him die!"

Tian Shu and Luo Wushuang were silent and said nothing.

Zai Fu was about to speak but hesitated, then sighed.

"Hong Tianzun is the Lord of Heaven, but the Lord of Heaven is not Hong Tianzun."

Shen Mu said, "Hong Tianzun is merely one soul of the Lord of Heaven reincarnated, parasitic upon Da Hong. He is already one of the Ten Tianzun. But the Lord of Heaven is not Hong Tianzun—the Lord of Heaven has the heart of the Heavenly Dao, and Hong Tianzun does not. What we must save is the Lord of Heaven who has the heart of the Heavenly Dao. Saving him is saving Jingping! Zhe Huali, you and I were once enemies, and you are not a man of Jingping. This journey is treacherous, and I deceived you before by not telling you Hong Tianzun's identity. If you wish to leave, I will not stop you."

Zhe Huali breathed heavily, glaring at him viciously. The demon blade Dragon Fang also glared viciously at Shen Mu.

Whoosh—

Zhe Huali turned, his robes flapping, stirring up a great wind, and strode outward.

As he walked, his steps gradually slowed. After a moment, he stopped, sat down on a stone block by the roadside, one foot dangling to the ground and the other propped on the block, turned his head to look, lifted his chin, and said, "You truly will not keep me?"

Shen Mu broke into a smile.

Zhe Huali jumped down from the stone block and came running back in a scurry.

"I am a man of Jingping—a Jingping man, half human, half demon, half god, half devil."

Zhe Huali broke into a grin, chuckling. "I ceased to be a man of the Heavenly Court long ago. In the Heavenly Court, in the heavens where I was born, I was a mongrel. Only in Jingping did I find the dignity of being a man. Sect Master Shen, Mu Tianzun, Jingping is not your Jingping alone—Jingping also has a share belonging to me, the demon blade Zhe Huali!"

Shen Mu laughed heartily and raised his palm.

Smack—the two palms met firmly in the air.

"And a share belonging to me." Zai Fu extended his large hand over theirs, smiling.

"Jingping has a share of mine too."

Luo Wushuang's hand covered theirs, and she added, "I have offended two great Tianzun and have nowhere to go. Only Jingping can take me in."

Tian Shu also reached out his hand, smiling. "Though I am not one of you Jingping folk, I count as half a Jingping man. When I was trapped in the Imperial Palace Divine Blade, west of the Imperial Palace was the Desolate Ruins and east was Jingping, so I count as half."

The five laughed heartily, all grievances dissolved.