Chapter 1565 — The Treasure Ship's Peculiar Quirk

The golden Ship of Salvation sailed out of Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court, and sunlight spilled down, bright and warm.

For three years and more they had not seen the light of day, and now, thrust so abruptly into the sun, they actually found it a little dazzling.

"The Empress is the mightiest Dao-achiever our universe has known since the beginning of time — and yet that mightiest of Dao-achievers has become a madwoman! " Shen Mu stood at the prow, still unable, for a time, to accept the truth of it.

Venerable Hao and Venerable Xiao could both briefly wield the power of a Dao-achiever, but not for long; mighty as those two were, theirs was not yet the complete Heavenly Court realm — only the Empress had planted her feet firmly within that realm.

To call her the first since the beginning of history was no exaggeration. After all, if the master of Miluo Palace had spoken true, Taiyi was a stowaway, not truly a life of this universe; the Empress was therefore beyond all doubt the first since the beginning of history. Even Taichu, the Heavenly Emperor, at the height of his power, even the Great Emperor in his prime, had fallen a notch short of her!

And yet the Empress had still gone mad.

Aboard the Ship of Salvation, the faces of the two ancient Taiji gods began to recover, and the divine power and cultivation they had lost to age were swiftly restored. Before long the two ancient gods were as they had been; they exchanged a glance, then swam to Shen Mu's side. Before they could open their mouths, Shen Mu laughed and said, "Dao-brothers, you helped the Empress into madness. So who will you help this time?

" The two ancient gods looked at each other, and Lady Taiyin said with a bitter smile, "Venerable Mu is mocking us.

We too came into the world early for the sake of our own path to the Dao. We aided the Empress because she and her sister are like us — a stone from another mountain may polish this one's jade — and so we helped her attain the Dao. " The Sun Ancient God said, "This time our studies have yielded a great deal, and we are one step further from attaining the Dao ourselves.

We will not lend our aid to the Empress again. Since we have a bond of fate with Venerable Mu, why not help Venerable Mu attain the Dao instead?

" Shen Mu laughed heartily. The two ancient gods smiled. When his laughter faded, Shen Mu slowly shook his head. "Dao-brothers, so formidable an Empress was helped into madness by the two of you — how would I dare accept your blessings?

Do not make such jests. " The two ancient gods were slightly taken aback. Lady Taiyin said, displeased, "Venerable Mu, by our reckoning there are only five beings in the world today who can truly be called ancient gods: Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, Taisu, and ourselves.

The rest who style themselves ancient gods each bear their own flaws, and cannot even be counted perfect — how could they be called innate ancient gods?

With our aid, your great enterprise may be looked for!

" Shen Mu said, half smiling, "And yet you are far too sure of yourselves. You claim you helped the Empress attain the Dao, but you never once asked her opinion — you seized her outright, forced her to fuse with Lady Yuanmu, heedless of all consequences. And the result: you created that terrifying, raving monster.

If I were to use you, I would have to guard my back at every moment, for fear that one day you would take it into your own heads to make an experiment of me. " He gave a soft laugh. "You have the ambition to attain the Dao, but you have no human heart. I cannot afford you, and I dare not use you. Dao-brothers, I bid you farewell.

" The Sun Ancient God frowned and was about to speak, when Lady Taiyin said, "It is his loss that he will not use us, not ours! Brother Taichu invited us long ago. We will go and aid Taichu, help him defeat every rival and seize the world! " The Sun Ancient God sighed and said to Shen Mu, "Venerable Mu, when we part this time, we will still not be your enemy in the future. Rest assured. " Shen Mu smiled.

"I will not see you out. " The two ancient gods sprang from the golden ship, and all at once golden light leapt upon the deck and, with a swish, coiled around them.

The two ancient gods were startled. "Venerable Mu means to kill us while he has the chance! " The golden light, having bound them, began to draw them back toward the ship.

The two ancient gods exchanged a glance; the Taiji sand table, that companion supreme treasure at the backs of their heads, howled as it spun and sheared through the golden light that locked their bodies, and at once the two tore open the void and fled! Fearing that Shen Mu would press the pursuit, the Taiji sand table turned behind the two of them, countless grains of sand dancing through the heavens, each grain becoming a star.

Seen from afar, a myriad points of starlight glittered behind the two, very beautiful.

Whoosh — The two ancient Taiji gods fled, and the starlit sands swept whistling after them, vanishing from sight in a moment.

Only Lady Taiyin's voice came from far away: "Venerable Mu, because you saw that we would throw in our lot with Taichu, you thought to do away with us.

Such savagery, such a want of the Dao — heaven's punishment will surely find you! " "How strange. .

. " Shen Mu frowned slightly.

That golden light which had seized the ancient Taiji gods had not been his doing; it was the Ship of Salvation's own act.

Without any order from him, the ship had of its own accord tried to keep the two ancient Taiji gods aboard.

That was strange indeed. "Could this ship be hiding something fishy? " His divine consciousness spread out, and he tried to imprint his own brand upon the Ship of Salvation. To his surprise, the branding went extraordinarily smoothly; the Ship of Salvation did not resist him in the least, but let him stamp his brand upon it as he pleased.

Shen Mu grew more curious still.

He searched the ship with his divine consciousness and at once discovered a great many secret places aboard her. "Venerable Hao and Venerable Xiao may come out of Jade Capital City at any moment. Best to leave this place first, and make my plans once I am back at the World Tree.

" He steered the golden ship toward the World Tree, thinking, "To offend the ancient Taiji gods for no reason at all — truly an undeserved calamity.

Then again, if they take up with Taichu, then Taichu will fall to ruin before anyone knows it, and all the faster. Those two ancient gods are too selfish and too fond of acting on their own; they will spoil more than they accomplish. " Suddenly the golden ship flashed again.

Shen Mu looked quickly, and saw that several ancient giant beasts had appeared aboard!

These ancient giant beasts had no idea what had happened. One still had a great tree clamped in the corner of its mouth, and stared blankly at Shen Mu — clearly it had been captured in the middle of a meal.

Shen Mu frowned. Another flash of golden light, and several more giant beasts were taken aboard. "Is something wrong with this ship? " Shen Mu was astonished.

In the blink of an eye, another hundred or so giant beasts, great and small, had appeared on the golden ship, all of them gazing at Shen Mu at the prow in terror.

Before long there were several thousand giant beasts aboard. The ship flew on, scattering golden light as it went; beams of golden light plucked giant beasts, birds and insects of every kind from the towering mountains and great rivers of the Ancestral Court and stuffed them all aboard!

Light dawned on Shen Mu, and he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"The Ship of Salvation — salvation is in its very name.

I fear this ship means to take every living thing aboard! No wonder the ancient Taiji gods mistook my intent for murder.

The golden ship counted them too among those to be ferried across, and so it wanted to keep them on board. The temper of this ship is much like Xinghan's box. .