Chapter 1299 — A Funeral Held On the Spot
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
" "Do you think it was Heavenly Venerable Yun who killed me? Was it Heavenly Venerable Ling who killed me?
" "A pity — they are all dead, and only I remain here. " "I sit enthroned above in the Great Luotian of Divine Consciousness.
All that you killed and wounded with such desperate effort was no more than a part of me; you could never touch my origin. " "Do you still imagine I fear Heavenly Venerable Ling's Immutability Art?
Do you think I fear a pair of Empress Sisters, or a mere god within an egg?
" Though he had no head, at that moment Shen Mu seemed to sense a pair of icy eyes fixed upon him, upon the egg of Taishi, upon the body of Her Highness Empress Yuanmu.
Those eyes held mockery, and scorn. To stand before a being such as the Emperor Venerable was a pressure almost beyond bearing. In Shen Mu's hand, the egg of Taishi quietly transmitted its voice: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, on the strength of my experience in keeping my life through all the years the Celestial Emperor Taichu had me suppressed, I will give you one piece of advice: back down.
" Taishi within the egg said, with weight and earnestness: "I truly cannot beat him — I cannot beat him at all. In the old days, of the five great ore veins of the Ancestral Court and the five egg-born ancient gods, three were dug out by the Creator. Taiyi had long since slipped free, and Taiji abandoned a false vein and fled. If we could have beaten him, would we have let the Creator dig us out to dry in the sun? Heavenly Venerable Mu, bow your head for a time, and win back your ground another day.
" Shen Mu pondered for a moment, then said: "Emperor Venerable, you and I can indeed fall out. I can destroy this body you now wear; the Empress Sisters can wear away your divine consciousness; and Brother Taishi can make it so that you never again break the art I have left behind. Of course, I will also die at your hands. But there is a second road we might take.
" Taishi in the egg said in a small voice: "Do not drag me into this.
I was merely brought here by you. . . " The Emperor Venerable halted his steps and sneered: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, I grant that you have the power, and I grant that the fellow in the egg has the skill.
But if your second road does not please me, then even at the cost of this body, I will hold your funeral on the spot! " Shen Mu let out a breath and said gravely: "I can give you half of the Taichu Primordial Stone I obtained. In blocking Heavenly Venerable Hao you completed only half the task; so in fairness, I can give you only half.
" The Emperor Venerable gave an angry snort.
Shen Mu said hastily: "Emperor Venerable, do you think it worth it to kill me and bury this body of yours — the strongest flesh in all history — along with me? " The Emperor Venerable sneered: "I think it worth it indeed.
My Mingfang Yu body was destroyed by a single sword stroke from Kaihuang Shen Ye — and that too because of you. This time my body has lost its head and an arm. Do you think I still begrudge this flesh? To trade this broken carcass for your life, and gain the Taichu Primordial Stone besides — well worth it!
" Shen Mu laughed heartily: "With the Taichu Primordial Stone, but without the peerless Creator, the Emperor Venerable — what use is the stone to you? Let it be this way, Emperor Venerable: I will not haggle with you. Of the Taichu Primordial Stone in my brow, I will give you three quarters and keep only one quarter for myself — and you will give me Heavenly Venerable Hao's heart in exchange! " The Emperor Venerable mused.
Shen Mu smiled slightly: "With my own eyes I saw you tear out Heavenly Venerable Hao's heart.
Surely you have not destroyed such a treasure? It is of little use to you; to trade it for a quarter of the primordial stone, you still come out ahead! " The Emperor Venerable calculated for a moment, and a vast heart flew out of the void, still beating without pause — a divine heart, the heart of a Heavenly Venerable!