Chapter 1256 — The Greater the Power, the Deeper the Harm
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
Heavenly Lord Fire had come to this divine city at some unknown hour, appearing behind them; plainly he had heard their conversation just now! What shook Shen Mu even more was that Heavenly Lord Fire had known long ago that Bai Yuqiong was the reincarnation of the Southern Emperor, the Vermilion Bird.
Heavenly Lord Fire raised a hand, gesturing for Bai Yuqiong to rise, yet he did not look at her; his gaze came to rest upon Shen Mu, his manner rather cold and detached. Shen Mu's expression turned cold.
"Heavenly Master Bai Yuqiong is the reincarnation of the Southern Emperor's soul; I know it. But because she is of the human race, I do not hold it against her.
" Heavenly Lord Fire said indifferently, "I killed the Southern Emperor, and her soul is likewise imprisoned within the Puxiang Hall.
Heavenly Lord Mu, your conduct grows more contemptible to me by the day. I could have killed Bai Yuqiong on account of the Southern Emperor's soul, yet I did not; and you, for the sake of one ancient god steeped in wickedness, would take the life of a powerhouse of the Imperial Throne of my human race!
" Shen Mu stepped away, saying coldly, "I am not Heavenly Lord Yun, nor Heavenly Lord Yue, nor Heavenly Lord Ling. They trusted you, and so they died. Those whose paths differ cannot take counsel together. " Heavenly Lord Fire said coldly, "Stop! " Shen Mu turned a deaf ear and kept walking.
Heavenly Lord Fire's voice came from behind him, with a sneer: "Do you know how many times I warned Heavenly Lord Yun? Not fewer than a hundred times!
I warned him not to defy Heaven, not to oppose the great tide, not to disregard the lives of the human race for the sake of his own ambition!
" "And what did he do?
" "He went his own way! He would resist, he would make the human race the sovereign of all races! And yet he also agreed with me! " "When I went to kill him, he told me that he understood what I did!
" Shen Mu halted, tilted his head, and said with something between a smile and a sneer, "And what of the Crimson Emperor, and the Ming Emperor?
What of Heavenly Lord Yue and Heavenly Lord Ling? When Heavenly Lord Yun was killed, you were at the very front; when the Crimson Emperor and the Ming Emperor were killed, when Heavenly Lord Yue and Heavenly Lord Ling were killed, you were at the very front then too.
" Heavenly Lord Fire gave a cold snort: "I did not kill the Crimson Emperor; the Ming Emperor overreached himself!
After the upheaval of Heavenly Lord Yun, the human race in the Primal World had already been greatly weakened. With much difficulty they had begun to recover and recuperate, and yet the Ming Emperor would still foment rebellion—such a crime deserved ten thousand deaths! It was I who spied out his flaw and had the Yin Son of Heaven kill him. As for Heavenly Lord Yue and Heavenly Lord Ling.
. . " His face darkened, and he shook his head: "Though they were my comrades in the Dao, they too committed the same error as Heavenly Lord Yun—they wished to overturn Heaven, a crime deserving ten thousand deaths! Even so, I spared Heavenly Lord Yue's life. As for Heavenly Lord Ling's death, that was an accident; I never meant to kill her.
" Shen Mu laughed aloud, a laugh that was more like weeping: "Spared Heavenly Lord Yue's life—what a fine deed, truly a paragon of virtue with a heart full of compassion! When you went to Heavenly Lord Yue to discuss dealing with the Earth Mother Yuanjun, I was there! That stratagem of yours with Heavenly Lord Xiao came at Heavenly Lord Hao's behest, did it not? When the Earth Mother Yuanjun was to be done away with, you struck in the same instant to do away with Heavenly Lord Yue and Heavenly Lord Ling!