Chapter 1782 — The Might of a Single String

Third Sister need not take offense. " Emperor Haotian's face turned cold, and he was about to flare up when the Hall Master of Joy smiled and said, "Emperor Haotian is a fellow Daoist whom our Miluo Palace has supported in this epoch; in the future he is to enter the Miluo Palace.

The Third and Fourth Young Masters themselves address him as fellow Daoist. For the Fengshu Five Elders to humiliate him so — is that not to humiliate our Miluo Palace, and to humiliate the Teacher of our Miluo Palace? " Yan Xiuge composed her countenance and said solemnly, "I would not presume.

The Master of the Miluo Palace is indeed a peerless exalted one, and we five old bones admire him deeply.

But the Master of the Miluo Palace no longer governs it; the great authority has lapsed into other hands. As for the Young Masters of the Miluo Palace.

. . " She sneered coldly, "they are at best petty, scrambling schemers — not necessarily any more brilliant than we! " "Fourth Sister!

Do not be insolent! " Feng Hualian's face darkened as he barked out the rebuke, then said apologetically, "Hall Master of Joy, pray do not take offense. You know that we five are of eccentric temperaments, and our words can hardly avoid overstepping.

Seventh Young Master, we already know the purposes of the Envoy and the Hall Master.

May I ask what purpose brings the Seventh Young Master here this time?

" Shen Mu smiled faintly and said unhurriedly, "I ask you all to return to the World Tree — go back the way you came into this world. " The faces of the Fengshu Five Elders changed all at once. The decree of the Third and Fourth Young Masters borne by Emperor Haotian had already been outrageous enough; who could have thought that Shen Mu's purpose would be even more outrageous — he actually bade them return whence they had come! Yan Xiuge sneered, "Seventh Young Master, in the past your abilities were unfathomable, and we showed you three parts of respect.

Now your abilities are nothing more than this! Who knows, but it may be we five elders who send Your Excellency back to the past and make you the Seventh Young Master!

" Shen Mu smiled without a word.

Feng Hualian chuckled, "The Seventh Young Master is the host here; Fourth Sister, do not be insolent. Seventh Young Master, your demand goes too far.

Are you not afraid that we might throw in our lot with the Third and Fourth Young Masters? " "Would the five of you? " Shen Mu asked.

"HAHAHAHA!

" Feng Hualian rose to his feet. His frame was massive as a mountain, the white hair on his head like the snows piled upon snowy peaks, his voice rumbling like thunder and shaking the Heavenly Court: "Naturally not!

We Fengshu Five Elders are, between heaven and earth, personages of resounding fame — existences who have attained the Dao, who have lived through countless ages, who have witnessed the changes and destructions of universes.

In the past, when the Miluo Palace was present, we were willing to lie dormant.

But now that the Miluo Palace is beset by the Calamity of Annihilation, we naturally need no longer be timid and fearful! " Though he looked advanced in years, his heroic spirit blazed high, and his voice carried throughout the Heavenly Court: "The Miluo Palace has suppressed one cosmic epoch after another. How many heaven-gifted prodigies were left without room to spread their ambitions? How many heroes saw their heroic ardor dissolve into mist and smoke? How many brave men were forced to bend their knees and submit with hearts unwilling? Now, the opportunity has arrived!

" Shen Mu listened quietly, a smile on his face. Within the Heavenly Court, the prehistoric stowaways raised wave after wave of cheers, deafening to the ears. Feng Hualian, in high spirits and full of pride, proclaimed in a loud voice, "Under the crushing might of the Miluo Palace, universe after universe has swiftly withered and died, so that those who attain the Dao under heaven grow ever fewer. If we allow the Miluo Palace to keep running rampant, no one shall ever attain the Dao again!

When the Calamity of Annihilation descends upon the seventeenth epoch, every one of us will face certain death!

For us to submit to the Miluo Palace — utterly impossible!

" "Utterly impossible! " The thunderous cries of the prehistoric stowaways came from across the Heavenly Court. Feng Hualian advanced a step, and looking down from on high at Emperor Haotian and the Hall Master of Joy, he said coldly, "The two of you, please go back. Tell the Third and Fourth Young Masters: as long as the Fengshu Five Elders are here, the Miluo Palace need not dream of des—" Suddenly, a faint, ethereal zither note sounded. Shen Mu took the hand of Celestial Venerable Yue beside him and signaled her not to stir.

The note came, and the vast, boundless Heavenly Court trembled slightly — so slightly as to be nearly imperceptible.

Celestial Venerable Yue cultivated the Ultimate Void and was exceedingly sensitive to changes in space; she caught that tremor at once. The Hall Master of Joy also detected it, but the others present did not have attainments as profound as theirs. Feng Hualian spat out his last word: ".

.

.

scend! " As the word left his lips, the Southern Heavenly Gate suddenly tilted slowly; a diagonal fissure appeared without a sound, and the upper half of the gate, as if settling upon a slide of flawless smoothness, began to glide downward without the slightest noise. After spitting out that impassioned pronouncement, Feng Hualian too noticed the strange change in the Southern Heavenly Gate; he hastily turned his head to look, a bewildered expression on his face.

It was not only the Southern Heavenly Gate that had split.

Palace after palace, hall after hall across the Heavenly Court had been neatly severed in two on a level plane by something unknown; the upper halves of a thousand palaces and ten thousand halls were all at this moment sliding silently downward!

He looked toward the other heavenly gates: the Western Heavenly Gate, the Northern Heavenly Gate, and the Eastern Heavenly Gate had likewise been sliced clean through and were falling away! Boom. The upper part of a great weapon beside the altar suddenly slid off and crashed to the ground; then came boom after booming crash — the mighty instruments that the prehistoric stowaways had forged through untold hardship had all been split into two halves!

Beside him, a prehistoric stowaway raised a hand and touched his neck; a trace of blood had appeared there. He blinked, his gaze dazed, and then he saw the heads of his companions around him dropping one by one from their necks, the severed planes utterly even — even their primordial spirits had been cut through with perfect evenness.

"My head. .

.

" He watched his own field of vision tilt as his head slid slowly from his neck. Feng Hualian's body went stiff; he stood on the altar, not daring to move a hair, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

Emperor Haotian blew a breath.

A line of blood appeared across Feng Hualian's chest, and the upper half of his body flew straight backward on a level line — he died a violent death on the spot! "Who else? " Emperor Haotian cast a glance around and abruptly burst into loud laughter, crying sharply, "Who else dares to defy me?

You?

You? Or you? " His finger pointed at Huang Tang, at Cang Yancui, at Yan Xiuge, at Li Shu.

The other four elders trembled with fear and dared not meet his eyes.

His finger was about to point at Shen Mu when the Hall Master of Joy coughed once.

Emperor Haotian immediately drew back his finger, exultant and proud, and sneered, "Go on with your talk! Why have you fallen silent?

You called me a dog — you are not even worthy of that!

"