Chapter 1546 — Striking the Iron Plate

Shen Mu and Qiang Heavenly Consort were aghast at the sight: the treasure halls in Xiao Heavenly Venerable's Celestial Court outnumbered even Fire Heavenly Venerable's by a dozen or more!

Those thirty-seven treasure halls settled into place, and then another celestial palace flew up and descended into the Great Celestial Court. Shen Mu and Qiang Heavenly Consort felt a chill of dread and said in one voice: "A Great Celestial Court!

" Xiao Heavenly Venerable's aura swelled violently. He flicked his fingers twice in succession, and the two blood-fiend evil dragons gave mournful cries, flicked up and away by those two fingers, unable to close in upon him!

Shen Mu's Tribulation Sword came beneath the tree; Xiao Heavenly Venerable smiled faintly, raised his palm, and slowly pressed downward.

At once Shen Mu felt his own power over the Tribulation Sword all but slip from his grasp, and the sword tumbled helplessly down into the Long River of Chaos.

Xiao Heavenly Venerable stood upon the Dao tree, and the Dao tree actually rose into the air above the Chaos River, howling as it came to hover over the little boat. Shen Mu's face changed drastically.

A streak of sword light rose from the river, then burst apart like spring blossoms in full bloom — one into two, two into four, four into eight — until by the time it met Xiao Heavenly Venerable it had become a heaven-filling blaze of sword light! On the other side, Qiang Heavenly Consort drove her two God-Slaying Mystic Blades down at Xiao Heavenly Venerable's back!

Both were beings possessed of the battle power of a Heavenly Venerable, striking with all their strength, their might monstrous — enough to grievously wound even one such as Fire Heavenly Venerable!

Xiao Heavenly Venerable only laughed aloud. The Dao tree beneath his feet seemed suddenly to come alive; its thousand branches and ten thousand tendrils blocked Shen Mu's streaks of sword light one after another, and then his two fingers touched the God-Slaying Mystic Blades — and the two divine blades failed to cut through his fingers.

Instead their power poured away, all their might undone by the Dao of Taichu hidden within those two fingers!

The Dao tree pressed down upon the little boat, and Shen Mu and Qiang Heavenly Consort both spat blood! The power of that complete Celestial Court was simply too overbearing — so overbearing that even the two of them joined could not hope to match it!

Shen Mu clenched his teeth, called up Yuan Sheng's teaching rod, and lashed it straight at Xiao Heavenly Venerable's brow! Xiao Heavenly Venerable reached out to seize it, yet failed to catch the rod; struck by that lash, his mind lost its grip for the space of a heartbeat. By the time his senses returned, Shen Mu and Qiang Heavenly Consort had urged the little boat away with a howl, their forms vanishing into the chaos mist. "Do you think you can leave?

" Xiao Heavenly Venerable's divine consciousness erupted, attacking the two of them.

Shen Mu and Qiang Heavenly Consort each roused their own divine consciousness and blocked his assault completely.

But in that single heartbeat Xiao Heavenly Venerable had already come for them, laughing: "The true Dao of Taichu combines divine consciousness with innate primordial qi, and I was born the sovereign of the Dao of Taichu.

You may have a look at it.

" He struck out with his palm, and ten thousand daos chimed at once.

Shen Mu drove the Tribulation Sword, Qiang Heavenly Consort the God-Slaying Mystic Blades, and together they met that palm.

Boom — the Long River of Chaos shook violently, blood burst from the eyes, ears, mouths, and noses of Shen Mu and Qiang Heavenly Consort, and the little boat nearly sank beneath the savage shock. "His Celestial Court has not reached true perfection — the seventy-two treasure halls are not complete! " Shen Mu forced up a breath and threw all his strength into the Tribulation Sword, fighting to the death against Xiao Heavenly Venerable's follow-up assault, shouting: "He cannot remain long at the Celestial Court realm! " Qiang Heavenly Consort fought desperately as well; the two of them were pressed by Xiao Heavenly Venerable's appalling divine arts until their bones nearly cracked, the skin of their whole bodies bursting open, their garments in tatters, a wretched and miserable sight.

They had not even the chance to flee! At last, Xiao Heavenly Venerable's cultivation suddenly dropped by a sliver.

"Counterattack!

" Shen Mu was overjoyed. "Counterattack my foot!

" Qiang Heavenly Consort was furious, and her two baleful mystic blades came to rest against either side of Shen Mu's neck.

Shen Mu roused the Mystic Body Three Cores Art and drove the little boat away with a howl. Xiao Heavenly Venerable rode his Dao tree down onto the river and drove it in pursuit, but the little boat was exceedingly swift and soon left him far behind.

"Without the seventy-two treasure halls, one still cannot stand for long at the Celestial Court realm," Xiao Heavenly Venerable sighed. He went on tracking Qiang Heavenly Consort and Shen Mu with his divine consciousness, pursuing without haste.

On the boat, Shen Mu roused the Creation Mystic Art to swiftly repair his flesh, and Qiang Heavenly Consort put away her two divine blades and visualized her body, lest wounds be left behind.

The two exchanged a look, each still shaken.

"I see Langxuan Divine Emperor!

" Suddenly Shen Mu's eyes lit up; the vertical eye at his brow gazed into the distance, and he said delightedly: "Langxuan is surely a soft persimmon, easy to squeeze!

Let us go finish him! " Qiang Heavenly Consort was beside herself with rage.

She snatched up her two divine blades, raised them at Shen Mu, and said viciously: "Mu Heavenly Venerable, that is enough! I thought your rotten ideas were meant only to trap me, but I never imagined your rotten ideas would trap you as well!

We are in the same boat, the two of us — keep thrashing about and this little boat may capsize at any moment! Thrash about any more and I will hack you to death!

" Shen Mu gingerly pushed the divine blades aside and laughed: "Langxuan Divine Emperor is nowhere near as fierce as Xiao Heavenly Venerable. He is a blunt, honest fellow — stabbing him in the back comes easy to me.

.

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" The blades in Qiang Heavenly Consort's hand did not stir a hair's breadth.