Chapter 1559 — The Treasure Ship of Salvation

Heavenly Venerable Hao walked into the Zixiao Hall, but the other Heavenly Venerables did not follow him in. Fire, Gong, Zu, and Void had all regained their former appearance; only the Divine Emperor Langxuan still wore the look of a man in his dotage, bent and aged. He had been the last to pledge himself to Heavenly Venerable Hao, and he was moreover Hao's half-brother by the same father; as a punishment, Hao had not restored his lifespan.

"In other words, Heavenly Venerable Hao has some method or treasure that can shield him from the aura of the calamity of destruction in the Long River of Chaos. Did the Fourth Young Master give it to him?

No wonder Heavenly Venerable Xiao was defeated. That Fourth Young Master has staked a fortune on Heavenly Venerable Hao! " Shen Mu's eyes flickered.

With Taisu at his side, the Divine Emperor Langxuan must have been subdued by Heavenly Venerable Hao, unable to break free of his control.

In the struggle at the Jade Capital of the Ancestral Court, Heavenly Venerable Hao's faction had won a complete victory, while Heavenly Venerable Xiao's faction had been utterly routed. Langxuan was gone, and Shi Qiluo and Yan Tianfei had been captured by the Ancient God Taiji; the two Ancient Gods meant to experiment on them, attempting to fuse them together.

And because Heavenly Venerable Xiao was Taichu, and a Heavenly Emperor besides, proud and lofty, hard to subdue, only by being brought low could he be made to submit utterly; therefore the Third Young Master of Miluo Palace had given him no treasures and no support. The Third Young Master of Miluo Palace had waited until he was defeated and had nothing left, and only then reached out to save him, taking him into the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

The two Young Masters of Miluo Palace handled matters differently, perhaps reflecting their different natures: the Fourth Young Master acted the moment a thought came to him, decisive and absolute, while the Third Young Master planned before he moved, soft and insidious, patient and enduring. "I should be going. " When Shen Mu's gaze fell upon Heavenly Venerable Fire, Gong, Void, Zu, and the rest, they sensed it and all looked his way.

Now, apart from the Divine Emperor Langxuan, whose cultivation and strength had not been restored, the other Heavenly Venerables were likely far more formidable than when they had entered the Jade Capital of the Ancestral Court; if he stayed here any longer, Shen Mu would surely fall to their murderous hands.

Shen Mu smiled at the woman in the Dao Fruit. "Along the way I have been graced by your care, elder sister.

Before we part, I still do not know your name.

Might I be permitted to hear it? " The woman in the Dao Fruit had always found him thoroughly disagreeable, and Shen Mu had once mocked her as a fool; but since he had asked twice, she could hardly refuse to answer, and said reluctantly, "I am Nanxiang.

In the last universe, I was honored as Nanxiang Yuanjun. " Shen Mu nodded slightly and introduced himself with great solemnity.

"I am Shen Mu. Some call me Sect Master Shen, some call me Heavenly Venerable Mu, Shen Jingping, the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping.

And some scoundrels call me Shen the Wrecker, Shen the Beast, Shen the Swindler, and the like — all of it slander, not to be believed. " The woman in the Dao Fruit wore an expression that was not quite a smile. Shen Mu glanced into the distance and saw Heavenly Venerable Fire, Heavenly Venerable Void, and the others coming toward him side by side, while the Ancestor God King and Heavenly Venerable Gong were laying down divine powers along the way.

Clearly they had found him and meant to encircle and destroy him here, leaving him no way to escape. Shen Mu stepped away from Miluo Palace and said with a smile, "Nanxiang, why are you always without clothes? Lying there bare in your Dao Fruit — is that a custom of your last universe?

" Nanxiang Yuanjun was mortified and furious.

"That I could come out of the Great Calamity of Destruction alive and reach Miluo Palace is already a remarkable achievement! And you expect me to have kept my clothes? How many who attained the Dao are still struggling in the Great Calamity of Destruction to this day!

I will tell you the truth: of the seventy-two halls of the Jade Capital, I was the master of one! Do not make light of me, Young Master Mu!

" Keeping one eye on the movements of Heavenly Venerable Fire, Heavenly Venerable Void, and the rest, Shen Mu quickened his pace and said with a smile, "So your cultivation was exhausted and you could not fashion a garment to cover yourself. I had thought it was a custom of exposure among your kind. We are about to part, and it is rare to have made your acquaintance; I shall give you a set of clothes. " With that, he took off his robe and passed it through the opening in the Dao Fruit for Nanxiang Yuanjun to put on.

Nanxiang Yuanjun put on the garment and found it enormously loose: her fingers barely poked their tips from the sleeves, and when she looked down she could see only her toes. "There is no undergarment," she said, gathering the front of the robe over her chest. "Neither have I. " Shen Mu quickened his pace and said, troubled, "I never wear such a thing, and women's undergarments are even less likely to be found on me.

.

. Nanxiang, there is no need to see me off.

Let us part here.

" Nanxiang Yuanjun's Dao Fruit halted.

Standing within it, both hands clutching the front of her robe, she called out loudly, "Young Master Mu, with what do you mean to contend against the Young Masters of Miluo Palace? Your cultivation is weaker than theirs, your forces smaller; they laid their plans billions of years before you, they hold every advantage.

Why struggle so bitterly? " "They hold every advantage, but I have advantages of my own. " Shen Mu turned his head and smiled at her. "Great men cherish their bodies and their lives; they think only of laying plans, only of nurturing their own power, and cannot step into the arena themselves.

But I am a wretch with a worthless life.

If they lose, they lose only their forces; their lives remain. But if I lose, my life is gone. So my advantage is this: I have no way back! Not the slightest retreat. So every time, I can only throw in my full strength and fight — fight for my life!

" He waved his hand and rushed into the distance.

Nanxiang Yuanjun looked after him and saw that the direction he ran in was straight toward the Miluo Golden Ship!

Nanxiang Yuanjun's vision went black. Alarmed, she cried out sharply, "What are you doing?

Stop this at once!

That is the Golden Ship of Salvation of the master of Miluo Palace — not a thing for you to touch!

" "He has no use for it. Give it to me, and I can make this ship serve a purpose! " Shen Mu went off with a whistle, his voice loud and clear, carrying from afar: "Then what harm is there in letting me use it?

" Nanxiang Yuanjun was furious. Her Dao Fruit gave chase, but then she suddenly saw Heavenly Venerable Fire and Heavenly Venerable Void closing in from the flank, ready to intercept Shen Mu, and she halted, thinking, "These two Heavenly Venerables are of the highest strength, restored to their peak.

Let us see how you escape now!

" Scarcely had the thought crossed her mind when she saw Shen Mu give a long, unbroken whistle, running like rolling thunder; striding swiftly forward, he roused his vital essence and suddenly thrust out a single finger!

Heavenly Venerable Fire and Heavenly Venerable Void arrived together, barring his path, and then they saw that finger come flying. "The Divine Origin Finger of the Divine Emperor Langxuan? " Heavenly Venerable Void and Heavenly Venerable Fire were briefly startled, then their expressions changed drastically.