Chapter 1866 — The Central Origin Fashions the Mystic Art

The Master of Miluo Palace's heart shook. He spoke long with this man called Shen Mu, then turned back, returning to the Twelfth Epoch.

"Chaos came from the future, intending to walk through the past sixteen cosmic epochs and thereby attain the Dao through chaos. No wonder he always calls himself Old Seven of Miluo Palace—it turns out he is the seventh to attain the Dao," the Master of Miluo Palace murmured inwardly.

The Young Masters attain the Dao differently from other Dao-attainers: the Young Masters are those who have reached, in some domain, an achievement even the Master of Miluo Palace cannot reach.

Though Shen Mu had returned to the past, and his Dao of Chaos grew daily more mature, without walking through the sixteen cosmic epochs he could not truly attain the Dao. Hence he still lacked a measure of refinement and could not count as a true Young Master of Miluo Palace.

"Chaos comes from the Seventeenth Epoch.

I need only, at the Calamity of Creation of the Seventeenth Epoch, look upon all the futures of the seventeen epochs, and I will know whether the future is well," the Master of Miluo Palace said with a smile. Shen Mu met the lanky freak under Old Man Wuya's command, a man named Youjian. Youjian means "an eye in the center of the face"; true to his name, he had but a single eye at the center of his brow, occupying half his face. Shen Mu smiled faintly, with goodwill, and instructed Youjian in how to cultivate his eye; Youjian was deeply grateful.

Shen Mu and Shen Lingyun drifted away.

"Father, where are we going?

" "To find Ling the Heavenly Venerable.

" Some days later, Tai Yi told the Master of Miluo Palace: "Teacher, Old Seven broke into my Obelisk Forest and rescued the Defiler of the Dao, Ling. " The Master of Miluo Palace said: "The entire filth-field is transformed from his divine abilities; if he wishes to rescue someone, of course he can do so with ease. " Tai Yi was somewhat unwilling: "Teacher, the Defiler of the Dao, Ling, was suppressed by your own hand!

" The Master of Miluo Palace said: "Defiler of the Dao? What is a Defiler of the Dao? Tai Yi, the root of why you can never advance another step lies here.

Think well upon it; when you understand, you will be able to advance another step.

" Tai Yi did not understand. At the end of the Twelfth Epoch, the Calamity of Destruction erupted.

The Defiler of the Dao, Ling, killed his way before Old Man Wuya, gravely wounding him; thereupon Shen Mu came to Old Man Wuya's rescue, startling the Defiler of the Dao, Ling, into retreat. In this battle, Old Man Wuya was sorely wounded. Many mighty beings wished to smuggle themselves into the next epoch, but because of this battle things went awry; someone discovered that Old Man Wuya's roots connected to the Seventeenth Epoch, and a mighty being of the Seventeenth Epoch guarding beneath the World Tree slew untold numbers of them.

They called that person the Hunter of the Seventeenth Epoch.

Because of this, Old Man Wuya's relationship with Shen Mu grew even better.

Later, a gaunt figure appeared at Shen Mu's side, and from then on the Thirteenth Epoch suffered a plague of thieves; many were robbed, and Old Man Wuya was robbed most grievously of all.

Miluo Palace too was robbed.

Tai Yi said: "The thief is in Miluo Palace! " So Tai Yi searched out the thief and caught him—a dry, thin old man—and sent him into the Obelisk Forest to be suppressed.

The Seventeenth Epoch.

In the second year after Shen Mu's departure, Young Master Tai Yi confirmed that Shen Mu had left the Seventeenth Epoch, and only then set his heart at ease.

He sent the Heaven-Openers onto the wooden ship forged from his own Dao Tree, with Tai Yi guarding the prow. Young Master Tai Yi saw them off, saying: "Fellow Daoists, when you return to the Sixteenth Epoch, beware of Young Master Chaos.

" Tai Yi said: "Rest assured.

I have long since recognized his true face and am on my guard. " Tai Yi sent them back to the Sixteenth Epoch; rolling chaos-breath surged in from the depths of time and space.

Tai Yi let out a breath of relief, returned to the Yuan Realm, and began his transformation of the Dao and rebirth. Just after Tai Yi's rebirth, the Obelisk Forest collapsed, and a dry, thin old man walked out from within it and vanished in a flash. "I'm back!

" Laughter echoed back and forth through the void.

In the Thirteenth Epoch, Miluo Palace gained another Young Master—Young Master Wuzong.

Shen Mu returned to Miluo Palace once more, and he and Young Master Wuzong drank wine and talked joyously, speaking freely and to their hearts' content. In the Fourteenth Epoch, Young Master Zhanji burst upon the world.

Zhanji was born of Guixu, a divine maiden of Guixu.

Shen Mu came running over again, and drank wine and talked joyously with Young Master Zhanji. The several Young Masters were much concerned for this little junior sister and drove Shen Mu away, lest he lead Zhanji astray.

At the end of the Fourteenth Epoch, Shen Mu brought Shen Lingyun to the place where the Calamity of Destruction was born.

Shen Lingyun asked curiously: "Father, what are we doing this time? " "Coming to receive an old friend. " Shen Mu wore a faint smile, gazing up at the Chaos River. The sound of a qin drifted from within the river; a woman fell into the great Calamity of Destruction.

Shen Mu raised his hand and drew the woman over.

Shen Lingyun came forward holding the ancient qin and said in a crisp voice: "Are you my mother?

" The woman took the ancient qin, pinched her little cheek, and said with a smile: "I very nearly was your mother.

My name is Yue; you may call me Aunt Yue.

" She raised her head and looked at Shen Mu behind Shen Lingyun, her expression half-smiling: "Mu, you did not break your word.

How long have you been here? " "Fourteen years.

" Shen Mu stroked Shen Lingyun's little head, his gaze tender, light as wind and cloud: "Lingyun is already fourteen. " One chaos is one year.

To Shen Lingyun, this was now her fourteenth year.

"Ling Yuxiu did not come along? " Heavenly Venerable Yue looked about, her gaze flickering.

Shen Mu said with a smile: "No.

But I found Ling the Heavenly Venerable.

" Ling the Heavenly Venerable arrived and took away Heavenly Venerable Yue, who was unwilling in her heart.

"Lingyun might want a stepmother," she said to Ling the Heavenly Venerable. Ling the Heavenly Venerable said: "Someone does not want one.

" Heavenly Venerable Yue was closest to her and could say anything to her; angry, she said: "You are not him—how do you know he does not want one? " "I asked him," Ling the Heavenly Venerable said indifferently.

Heavenly Venerable Yue was so angry she played the qin in wild disorder. On the eve of the Calamity of Creation of the Fifteenth Epoch, the Master of Miluo Palace was still gazing into the future, yet Shen Mu again came with Shen Lingyun, and a stretch of chaos blocked his sight.

On the eve of the Calamity of Creation of the Sixteenth Epoch, Shen Mu came again and again blocked his sight.

The Master of Miluo Palace had grown used to having his sight blocked and said nothing.

At last, after lasting a mere six hundred million years, the Sixteenth Epoch perished of itself.

This time, Shen Mu came again to block his sight.

The Master of Miluo Palace said: "Chaos, in times past you always blocked my view of the future, but this time you cannot block my sight.

I shall look upon all the futures of the Seventeenth Epoch; you cannot stop me.

What the future is like, I wish to see with my own eyes.

" "Teacher, from the First Epoch to now, no one has been your match.

But your disciple has attained the Dao, and I wish to try.

" Shen Mu released Shen Lingyun's hand: "You are the strongest of the past sixteen cosmic epochs. Old Man Wuya, the Lord of Tiandu, even Ling the Heavenly Venerable—all are powerless before you.

But I am different.

I am the strongest of the future epochs.