Chapter 1545 — Beyond the Cure of Medicine, Beyond the Power to Save

" "It is very hard for divine arts to invade the body of a Heavenly Venerable; they meet the resistance of the Venerable's own faculties.

But for egg-born ancient gods such as myself and Taichu, it is not so difficult.

" A shadowy figure swayed behind Hao Heavenly Venerable, and from there came the voice of the Taisu Goddess: "The Dao of Taichu divides into divine consciousness and the Innate One Qi.

The Great Emperor learned only the divine consciousness, and with it he could rampage through the world and scarce meet a rival.

When his divine consciousness invaded your bodies, you could not withstand it, could you?

" Hao Heavenly Venerable and the Ancestor Divine King nodded.

"And Mu Tianzun is well versed in my Dao of Taisu, the Heavenly Emperor's Dao of Taichu, and the Dao of Taishi and the Dao of Taiji as well. When he breached your face, he must have used one of these four Tai Daos. " Taisu asked: "Is my guess correct?

" Fire Heavenly Venerable nodded: "His swordsmanship is unutterably strange.

He held his sword and bowed low, and I felt a blade come at me out of the chaos, impossible to evade; by the time it pierced my face, all before my eyes was chaos qi. " "That is a divine art evolved from the great Dao of Taichu.

" The Taisu Goddess said: "This art turns everything the sword light passes through into chaos qi; it is called Hunyuan One Qi. When this strike breached your face, the Dao of Taichu had already invaded your body, carrying another of his divine arts in with it.

How many strikes did your face take? " A thread of hope rose in Fire Heavenly Venerable's heart, and he said hurriedly: "He bowed three times, and then Qiang Tianfei dragged him away.

" "Then you took three strikes. " The shadow behind Hao Heavenly Venerable drifted out and came before Fire Heavenly Venerable, inspecting him up and down; then suddenly it burrowed into his body, wandered about, emerged from his back, and drifted back behind Hao Heavenly Venerable. "Mu Tianzun's first strike, Hunyuan One Qi, drove the Dao of Taishi, the Dao of Taisu, and the Dao of Taiji into your body, placing the structure of your flesh in a state of having form but no substance and no body, the easier to reshape it.

After the first strike, though you felt nothing amiss, the structure of your flesh had already passed through three stages.

" The Taisu Goddess's voice came from behind Hao Heavenly Venerable, drifting and uncertain, and the voice each person heard was different from the rest; she said, unhurried: "The first stage is the Taishi stage — form without substance, without body. The second is the Taisu stage — form and substance, yet no body.

The third is the Taiji stage — form, substance, and body.

Your own cultivation and your attainments in the great Dao were unchanged, and so you did not perceive it. And because you did not perceive it, you could hardly resist his second strike.

" As Hao Heavenly Venerable and the Ancestor Divine King heard her dissect Shen Mu's attack, both felt a chill run through them.

This shuddering rose from their hearts, crawled up along their spines to the backs of their skulls, and bored into their brains. "The second strike was Hunyuan One Qi as well. When it breached your face, it was precisely the moment the second stage erupted; he drove Yin Tianzi's Dao of Reincarnation into your body along with the Hunyuan One Qi.

The Dao of Reincarnation joined with the Dao of Taisu, and the form of your flesh was utterly transformed.

" The more Taisu spoke, the more dreadful it all seemed.

"At the same time, he planted the Dao of Creation within your body. That was his second divine art.

" "His third divine art was Hunyuan One Qi once more, breaching your face — and this strike was remarkable indeed: he drove the Unchanging Divine Art into your body, and it was precisely at the third stage. " Even Taisu could not keep admiration from her words, and she praised: "When his Unchanging Divine Art entered your body, it was just as the Dao of Creation was fusing with your flesh. At the same moment, the Dao of Taiji of the third stage erupted, restoring your body to its former state.

Yet this former state was not the true former state. " The admiration in her words grew thicker and thicker, until it was almost a moan of soft praise: "This former state is you after your face took three of his strikes. He has fixed your countenance forever in the shape it holds now. " She could not help laughing aloud: "Fire Heavenly Venerable, you should count yourself fortunate that Mu Tianzun's cultivation is far beneath yours, and fortunate that Qiang Tianfei dragged him away. His power is lesser than yours, and so these three strikes could not spread through your whole body — he had only time to alter the structure of your head.

Had those three strikes invaded every part of you, then you need not dream of growing back even those two arms.

" A fury in Fire Heavenly Venerable shot up to the heavens, scattering the chaos mist above his head.

That he should be so grievously wounded and this woman could still laugh aloud — it was more than he could bear. Suddenly Hao Heavenly Venerable's voice came at just the right moment, mild: "At least Mu Tianzun's cultivation was weak and your life was spared — a great blessing within misfortune. " Hearing his voice, Fire Heavenly Venerable's fury gradually subsided, and his anger was pressed down.

Hao Heavenly Venerable went on: "Aunt, can you heal Fire Heavenly Venerable's wounds?

" "I cannot.

" The Taisu Goddess said: "I have no means to break the Unchanging Divine Art deep-planted in Fire Heavenly Venerable's body, nor can I break the Dao of Reincarnation and the Dao of Creation within him. Only if the Taichu Heavenly Emperor returned to his peak, and fused the Dao of Divine Consciousness into one, becoming the complete Dao of Taichu, would it be possible to resolve Fire Heavenly Venerable's injury.

" Hao Heavenly Venerable raised an eyebrow. "Then the Taichu Heavenly Emperor would have to strike Fire Heavenly Venerable down into the Taichu form with the Dao of Taichu, turning him into Innate One Qi, without form or substance. Then Taishi would have to act, turning the Innate One Qi into the Taishi form, with form but no substance.

Then I would act, turning him into a state of form and substance but no body — and at that point Yin Tianzi would be needed to break the Dao of Reincarnation Mu Tianzun left behind, and Ling Tianzun to break the Unchanging Divine Art Mu Tianzun left behind. " The Taisu Goddess said: "Then two Taiji ancient gods would have to act to reshape his body. Therefore.

. . " She said, flatly: "There is no saving him. " Fire Heavenly Venerable's heart slowly sank into an icy abyss, cold beyond measure.

Yin Tianzi and Taisu might be manageable, but the others would never come to his rescue.

Hao Heavenly Venerable frowned: "Then does Fire Heavenly Venerable's injury affect his strength?

" "It does, but not greatly. " Hao Heavenly Venerable breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately his cultivation and strength are little affected.

Brother Fire, a man's ambition lies in the four quarters of the world — what does it matter whether a man is handsome?

Refine yourself a mask and wear it on your face.

" Fire Heavenly Venerable murmured his assent.

Hao Heavenly Venerable said to the Ancestor Divine King: "Do not go alone to seek out Mu Tianzun. Qiang Tianfei is at his side; you are no match for the two of them. " The Ancestor Divine King laughed heartily: "Would I fear him?

Still, the fellow's divine arts are strange indeed.

. . Where is Palace Heavenly Venerable? "