Chapter 1535 — Alone into the Imperial Capital

Shen Mu sheathed his sword and descended. One by one he gave thanks to the four emperors who had come to his aid; and when he came to the East Emperor, the Azure Dragon, that one laughed and said, "Lord Mu, you owe me a favor. Without the help of my qi and blood you could never have forged this sword. The power of this blade of yours surpasses even the treasures of the Heavenly Venerables. That is no small debt; one day you must repay me a favor in kind."

Shen Mu assented, and said, "Would you like a written note for it?"

The East Emperor was just about to agree when Lady Tianyin quietly tugged at him and whispered, "Do not take it! The last man who asked him for a note was Heavenly Venerable Hong. With my own eyes I watched it: Hong could not produce the note, and so he refused to acknowledge the debt, and had Hong killed, his soul scattered and his spirit dispersed!"

East Emperor Azure Dragon shuddered, and forced a smile. "It is enough that the Heavenly Venerable keeps it in mind. As for notes and such, best forget it."

Shen Mu sighed. "What a pity."

The East Emperor did not know what he meant by that, and took his leave.

Shen Mu watched him go far into the distance, and lamented inwardly, "If I had written him a note, then in the future, when he could not produce it, I would be free to deny the debt, for we do things by the rules. But with no note written, if he makes a fuss I will have no way to refuse him a favor. And I have always held promises sacred..."

He gave thanks to the two Xuanwu Emperors. Emperor Xuan laughed and said, "We made a covenant with the Grand Dharma Master long ago; it was only right that we come to his aid. What need is there for thanks? We, husband and wife, never thanked the Heavenly Venerable for the care he showed our worthless son, either."

Shen Mu said gravely, "These years the Lapis Lazuli Azure-Heaven Banner has been in my keeping. I took it without asking, and in my heart I am deeply sorry toward you both, worthy husband and wife."

Emperor Wu laughed. "The common man is blameless; the fault lies in the jade he carries. That the Heavenly Venerable took the Azure-Heaven Banner was to shield our son from tribulation."

Husband and wife departed together, side by side.

Shen Mu came before the West Emperor, the White Tiger, and said with a smile, "Elder Sister, that you sounded the horn just now and roused the East Emperor's qi and blood was truly a stroke of genius."

The West Emperor giggled. "That East Emperor counts every hair; a stingy man. I cannot think how Sister South Emperor blinded her eyes and took a fancy to him. I too saw that he was only making a show of effort, so I lent you a hand. You need not thank me; you saved me once before!"

She turned into a beam of golden light and vanished without trace.

Shen Mu saluted all the heavenly artisans, formation masters and sword masters who had come to lend their strength. Tens of thousands returned the salute, and at their head was Yu Yuan Chuyu, who laughed and said, "Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, in forging this sword for you we too have profited greatly. If in the future we can advance one step further upon the sword dao, it will surely be owing to this forging."

They departed one after another.

Shen Mu saw that Jiang Baigui and Emperor Yanfeng had also risen and meant to leave, and said, "Your Majesty, Junior Brother, after you have been to the Yao Terrace, go first to the Sea of Heaven, and there comprehend the Heart of Heaven. As for the Spirit-Slaying Platform, it has fallen into the hands of Heavenly Consort Qiang; she carried it off, and even Kai Huang had no time to mount it. Be at ease a while; leave the means to me."

Jiang Baigui said, "Senior Brother, will you not cultivate the innate and acquired methods that Teacher Woodcutter passed down? Of all methods, those hold the greatest hope of cultivating to the Great Heavenly Court realm."

Shen Mu hesitated. He was filled with curiosity about the cultivation methods of the Woodcutter Sage's seventy-two treasure halls and thirty-six heavenly palaces, and greatly wished to cultivate them too.

Yet to cultivate such methods plainly consumed immense time and effort; otherwise Jiang Baigui would not still be at the Yaochi realm today.

The Woodcutter Sage cultivated three hundred and sixty heavenly palaces, three hundred and sixty kinds of acquired great dao, and the time it consumed was greater still.

With all the wisdom of his life, he might never succeed in cultivating the Heart of Heaven, let alone the Spirit-Slaying Platform.

Seeing that Shen Mu was not much inclined to learn, Jiang Baigui did not press him, and straightaway departed with Emperor Yanfeng.

Shen Mu then saw off King Yama, and took his leave of the South Emperor, saying, "Elder Sister, the Ancestral Ground of the Dao Fire, I need to borrow for a time."

The South Emperor said, "Take it as you please. This ancestral ground is no longer mine."

Shen Mu was slightly startled, and the South Emperor laughed. "I have died once, and shaken off all entanglement with the Ancestral Ground of the Dao Fire. It was seized by Heavenly Venerable Fire, then snatched away by Heavenly Venerable Moon, and now it has fallen into your hands and been refined by the heavenly artisans; it has long since had nothing to do with me. It cost me great effort to shed my identity as an ancient god; how could I cling to an old house?"

She had always been of a generous and forthright nature, and this time, having died and come back to life, she saw things more openly than ever.

Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Elder Sister is as free-spirited as ever. Since you cast aside even the Ancestral Ground of the Dao Fire like a worn-out sandal, why must you have your divine soul back?"

The face of South Emperor Vermilion Bird darkened. She said lightly, "Bai Yuqiong says she is not me, yet she is still me. Brother Mu, though you are the Grand Dharma Master Undying Through Myriad Kalpas and can revive souls, your insight into the resonance between my two souls of Heaven and Earth and my divine soul is still shallow. Since my rebirth I can sense with perfect clarity that other self of mine; I can sense Bai Yuqiong. And she can sense me. I have a premonition that in the future we will yet return to one body."

She smiled brightly. "Brother Mu, as South Emperor Vermilion Bird I have lived but one life; this now is my second. As Bai Yuqiong, she lacks two lives to reach two hundred. When we return to one body, I will be both the South Emperor and Bai Yuqiong. By then, when we look back upon the kalpas we endured through those two hundred lives, and our hearts of dao are made whole, we will most likely smile in perfect understanding."

Shen Mu thought for a moment, and did not press her. To Yan'er he said, "Look after your mother well. And feed her less; she has grown fat already."

The South Emperor scolded him in anger and made as if to strike; Shen Mu laughed and dodged away.

He took his leave of the South Emperor and Lady Tianyin, and bearing the Ancestral Ground of the Dao Fire, departed the Tianyin Realm together with the Blind Elder, Granny Zhu and Prince Youming, returning to the Ancestral Court.

The Silent Craftsman, meanwhile, was still within the Ancestral Ground of the Dao Fire, standing erect there as before, in the midst of comprehending the dao.

When the heavenly artisans bring forth things, the Great Dao begins to take form. Perhaps this forging of a sword for Shen Mu would let the Silent Craftsman enter an utterly new dao-realm in the way of casting, and drive that acquired great dao of casting to a height never seen before.

"Shen'er, are you not returning to the Holy Mountain?"

When they reached the outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Holy Mountains of the Ancestral Court, Shen Mu handed the Ancestral Ground of the Dao Fire to Granny Zhu. Granny Zhu could not help frowning; guessing his thoughts, she asked, "Do you mean to go to the Jade Capital City?"