Chapter 1612 — Harder Than Scaling the Heavens

The two bird heads pressed together, pecking at each other, fighting until blood flowed from their wounds, when suddenly they lost their footing and tumbled from the nest.

The two bird heads cried out as they fell into a beam of reincarnation light.

The next moment, they became two giant beasts battling in the reincarnation world, fighting until heaven and earth split asunder. After another round of reincarnation, the two became two mantises standing on a branch, brandishing their forelimbs like two great cleavers, attacking each other without cease.

Then they became two ferocious fish-dragons in the sea, then two noble consorts in a palace, then two flowers growing on a single vine, then two red ripe fruits pressed together.

They became two great dragon-vein mountains, crouching there, trying to seize each other's dragon-vein fortune, waiting for a million years to take form.

They became two saplings, enduring a thousand years of vicissitude, striving to overshadow each other, denying each other sunlight and nourishment.

This reincarnation world was the reincarnation world within their consciousness. Unknowingly they passed through countless lifetimes of reincarnation, through countless years, yet still they remained entangled together.

Still they fought and struggled, trying to destroy each other, and still no victor emerged.

One day, they reincarnated as two sisters, still fighting and killing, when suddenly their two swords met and pressed against each other's chests.

The two women glared at each other viciously. Madam Yuanmu giggled and said, "Sister, you only know to fight me endlessly, but do you still remember how many rounds of reincarnation we have been through?"

The Empress was slightly taken aback.

Yuanmu laughed, "Do you still remember the road by which you came? If you do not remember, then little sister has surely won! Reverse the Reincarnation!"

Suddenly, a reincarnation divine ability spun into being behind her. The young girl Yuanmu had become threw herself into that reincarnation and vanished.

The Empress's expression changed drastically. She hurried to give chase, but Yuanmu had already transformed into a great tree, and the great tree rapidly shrank, soon becoming a sapling.

The Empress gave chase and also transformed into a great tree, but was one step slower.

The sapling Yuanmu had become vanished, then became a divine dragon. The divine dragon crouched upon the ground and became a dragon vein, and the dragon vein quickly sank into reincarnation, returning to the previous life.

The two women traced back life after life, and the Empress was always one step behind Yuanmu. By the time the Empress returned to the first life and became an infant in the womb, Yuanmu had already vanished.

The infant's expression changed drastically. Then she saw a reincarnation divine ability descend, sweeping her up, howling and spinning, and in but an instant she plunged into reincarnation, passing through countless lifetimes, never again able to find the road back!

Madam Yuanmu was utterly victorious. She occupied the Empress's fleshly body and giggled, "The dao of reincarnation of Mu Tianzun is truly remarkable. At last I have dealt with that little wretch of a sister! Mu Tianzun, I have returned!"

She looked toward Shen Mu, but did not see Shen Mu—only a white-haired old man hanging beneath a red rope.

The red rope was tied around his neck, and the white-haired old man had been hanging there for who knew how long, looking already stiff.

Madam Yuanmu was startled. She hurried forward and checked his breath, finding he still lived, and only then breathed a sigh of relief.

She rescued the old man. Between his brows and eyes, Shen Mu's features could still be made out, only he was far too aged and weathered, as though countless ages had passed.

"What has happened to my dear? Why did you hang yourself?" Madam Yuanmu asked curiously.

Shen Mu wept, choking out, "Too hard, it is simply too hard..."

Madam Yuanmu was in excellent spirits and could not help but laugh. "Hard? If you do not learn it, then it is not hard! My dear is such a clever man—surely a mere red rope's knot cannot be the death of you?"

"It can!" Shen Mu said stiffly.

"I have already dealt with my sister. No one can stand in the way of our elopement now!"

Madam Yuanmu took his arm, elated, and said, "That so-called Second Young Master is no obstacle either! Now let my little sweetheart follow me down to kill our way out, and we can flee far away and live our little life together, just the two of us!"

She giggled, "After I get out this time, I shall unify the Ten Heavenly Venerates and unify the world, and my little sweetheart shall be a noble consort in my rear palace. But you cannot stay as old as you are now..."

Shen Mu's appearance gradually returned to youth. He cast one reluctant glance at the red rope's knot.

"Stop looking. You will never learn it anyway!" Madam Yuanmu tugged at him eagerly, about to head downward.

Shen Mu suddenly froze. His gaze remained fixed deathly upon the red rope's knot, and he murmured, "This sixth rope, the sixth rope... I understand!"

He gave a cheer, broke free of Yuanmu's hand, and with great laughter ran swiftly along the red rope, capering and dancing, singing and dancing, crying out, "I finally understand! So that is it, so that is it—the mystery lies entirely in the sixth red rope! I am invincible!"

Madam Yuanmu watched his mad demeanor and could not help but worry: "I have only just recovered, and he has fallen ill again. But without his help, I may not be able to escape from the Second Young Master's grasp..."

"I am invincible!"

Shen Mu stood with hands on his hips, his bearing soaring: "I have already learned one percent of the red rope's knot! I can walk sideways through the world!"