Chapter 1682 — Sounding the Depths (Happy Holidays!)

In the era of the Jingping Reforms, the people of Jingping came to understand the principle of the Between Life and Death, improved upon it, and forged many such bridges — also called Between Life and Death. In that moment, bridge after bridge was raised, and countless ghosts and gods of Fengdu charged onto the Between Life and Death, storming from Fengdu into the Yuan Realm!

On the other side, the Void Heavenly Venerable brandished the Styx and swept it across with a hiss; wherever the Styx passed, the Between Life and Death bridges collapsed with thunderous crashes one after another, and the many ghosts and gods of Fengdu crossing them were swept to fine powder, their primal spirits shattered, turned to the black sand of souls!

The Styx Long Whip swept all before it; but the next moment, Shen Fengqing barred the way before Fengdu, seized the Styx Long Whip, and with swift hisses coiled it around an arm.

The Void Heavenly Venerable shook the whip with force, jerking Shen Fengqing aloft and hauling that figure toward herself.

Her gaze was grim; she raised her palm and struck at Shen Fengqing. Just as that palm was about to fall upon Shen Fengqing, behind Shen Fengqing the primal spirit of the Nether Heavenly Venerable passed through her body, and the two palms met with a heavy clash!

The Void Heavenly Venerable's hair streamed; behind her her primal spirit swelled with a hum, blocking the Nether Heavenly Venerable's blow. Shen Mu stood upon the Yongjiang Heavenly Palace, gazing at this from afar, his heart chilled.

Ling Yuxiu walked quickly to his side and said in a low voice, "Husband, by rights the Ancestral God King and the Void Heavenly Venerable should not be so rash.

Striking at the Yuan Realm on their own initiative can do little damage — it only gives us the chance to cut them down.

" "They have made their move because the Haotian Heavenly Venerable, Lady Yuanmu, the Ancient God of Taiji, and Taichu and the rest have arrived.

" Shen Mu raised his head to the sky and murmured, "Only with them here would the Ancestral God King and the Void Heavenly Venerable have such nerve.

" He exhaled a breath of foul air and said, "The Ancient God of Taiji has Taishi to bar his way, and Taichu can be held off by the Cloud Heavenly Venerable in the Ultimate Void.

But Lady Yuanmu and the Haotian Heavenly Venerable are enough to wreak enormous ruin upon the Yuan Realm. " Ling Yuxiu's heart went cold.

"The Heavenly Court's armies cannot possibly arrive so soon!

" she said.

Shen Mu shook his head. "Of course the Heavenly Court's armies cannot come; they will need a dozen more years to reach us from the Heavenly River.

This move of the Haotian Heavenly Venerable's is no more than a first sounding of Jingping's strength — and of mine.

" He gazed afar at Jingping, and saw that above it, from one divine city after another, great silver spheres suddenly rose, trailing long silver flames, mounting into the high sky. The silver spheres were formed of six-faced mirrors, turning without cease, the mirrors spreading out on every side like silver panes, and hundreds of god-devils stood upon those mirrors.

The mirror-light shone downward, shielding every city and every place; and the god-devils standing upon the mirror faces drove their various divine weapons, hurling blow after blow down to slay the god-devils and monsters of the Nether Capital that charged at Jingping's cities and lands. But at that very moment, beyond the heavens there came a sudden blaze of light, and a vast sand table appeared upon the canopy of the sky, pressed against the world-barrier of the Yuan Realm.

That was the Taiji Sand Table, the treasure of the Ancient God of Taiji's attainment of the Dao, black and white in sharp division; turning ever so slightly, it sliced open the world-barrier of the Yuan Realm. A vast sun, seizing the moment when the Heavenly Duke did battle with the Ancestral God King beyond the heavens, squeezed through the Taiji Sand Table into the Yuan Realm's world-barrier, its fires blazing fiercely, burning the sky red!

Within that sun flew Golden Crows, trailing long trains of Golden Crow sacred fire, drawing chariot after chariot as they burst forth from the sun — hundreds of Golden Crows drawing hundreds of chariots, and upon those chariots rode many god-devils of Xuandu! Those god-devils stood upon the chariots with both hands raised high, and in their palms great balls of fire, like little suns, came crashing down upon the Yuan Realm below!

From one divine city of Jingping after another, enormous Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons suddenly floated up into the air; barrage after barrage of cannon-light tore across the sky, streaking blinding brilliance through the heavens above the Yuan Realm, blasting those Golden Crows and their chariots alike to powder!

Boom!

Another violent quaking came; another vast sun squeezed into the Yuan Realm, and then the world-barrier above shook without cease as more giant suns emerged. Countless Golden Crows drew their chariots, charging at the Yuan Realm!

At that very moment, the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Carefree Land floated aloft, and innumerable god-devils of the Kaihuang Era rushed into the sky to meet the god-devils of Xuandu in battle. The Heavenly Court's main armies had not yet come; yet the hosts of Xuandu and the Nether Capital alone were enough to leave the god-devils of the Yuan Realm sorely pressed.

If the Heavenly Court's main host were to arrive, then even all the strength the Yuan Realm could muster might not hold back its first wave of attack.

Shen Mu turned his head and said to Ling Yuxiu, "My lady, leave this place as quickly as you can and hurry to Jingping's aid. I fear this place cannot be held.

" Ling Yuxiu hurried back into the palace and called aloud, "Village Head, Grandpa Tu, we go to Jingping!

" The village head and the others had long since made ready. "In a war of Heavenly Venerables we truly have no part to play," they laughed.

"Off we go, off we go!

" "Take care, Shen boy!

" Grandma Zhu warned.

Shen Mu waved a hand, watching them leave the Yongjiang Heavenly Palace; then he returned within and sat cross-legged before the Lingxiao Hall.

After a while, Shen Mu smiled and said, "Haotian Heavenly Venerable.

" Emperor Haotian came walking in through the front gate of the Yongjiang Heavenly Palace, looked about him, and said leisurely, "What a pure and quiet place this is for a man's old age — and yet the one who dwells here is not content; he must rebel.

Heavenly Venerable Mu, you have disappointed Us.

" Shen Mu watched him approach, and saw that behind the Haotian Heavenly Venerable, Lady Yuanmu stepped out from his shadow, a smile at the corner of her lips: "My little nemesis, we meet again.

" Her gaze fell upon the legs of Shen Mu as he sat on the ground: he wore an infant's trousers, his little short legs and little feet shod in infant's shoes.

She could not but stare, then laugh despite herself: "My little nemesis grows younger the longer he lives!

" Shen Mu smiled faintly, and behind him the Lingxiao Hall suddenly opened. Within, the Ling Heavenly Venerable was bent over a boundless sea of scrolls, writing furiously.

The Ling Heavenly Venerable raised his head, cast aside his brush, and stood.