Chapter 1300 — Shifting the Calamity Eastward
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
The disciple guarding the gate quickly sought out Heavenly Venerable Xiao and presented the Taichu Primordial Stone: "Heavenly Venerable Mu bade this disciple deliver this treasure to the Heavenly Venerable, saying it was a thing borrowed in years past, and now it returns to its rightful owner; he begs the Heavenly Venerable not to take offense."
Heavenly Venerable Xiao gripped the primordial stone and said in astonishment: "He has such a kind heart, that he would part with this treasure and return it to me? This brat — has he come to his senses at last?"
To have the primordial stone lost and regained delighted Heavenly Venerable Xiao as well. He put it away and laughed: "Still, he has skimmed some off the top; he still has his selfish designs. What he stole back then was more than this. Where is Heavenly Venerable Mu?"
The disciple said: "Heavenly Venerable Mu has already left. Before departing, Heavenly Venerable Mu also bade this disciple tell the Heavenly Venerable that the Emperor Venerable has been reborn, and has snatched the remaining primordial stone from him."
Heavenly Venerable Xiao's face went black as iron. With a flick of his hand he hurled the primordial stone from him and cursed in fury: "I thought the wretch had grown a kind heart — but it was to shift the calamity eastward, onto my head! Bastard! Damn him! His whole clan should be exterminated!"
His rage turned to laughter, and his curses did not cease.
The disciple shrank his neck, not knowing by what means Heavenly Venerable Mu had once again provoked his master to such fury.
Heavenly Venerable Xiao rose to his feet and paced to and fro, his expression shifting between light and dark.
He walked to the Taichu Primordial Stone, hesitated a moment, and in the end picked it up again.
He would have the Taichu Primordial Stone by whatever means; even if it meant conflict with the Emperor Venerable, he would not shrink from it!
Shen Mu had sent him the remaining primordial stone intending to provoke a conflict between him and the Emperor Venerable, to use his hand to check the Emperor Venerable. Though he saw through Shen Mu's scheme, he had no choice but to follow Shen Mu's wishes and contend with the Emperor Venerable.
"Little wretch, scheming against me — ruthless enough, black-hearted enough!"
Heavenly Venerable Xiao suddenly burst out laughing. He waved a hand to dismiss the disciple and said in a low voice: "The Taichu Primordial Stone must be gathered together by whatever means. But when the stone shattered back then, the whereabouts of the other pieces were unknown. Those pieces must have fallen into the hands of those old fellows. They too are scheming against me, unwilling that I become the true Taichu, seeking to limit my power..."
He raised his head, his gaze flickering, and said softly: "The true Taichu is equivalent to my power plus the Emperor Venerable's power. How could it be limited by a mere Divine Treasury-Heavenly Palace system? How could it be limited by a mere Heavenly Court realm? A pity — the power of the primordial stone and of divine consciousness has in part gone to the Creator and the Emperor Venerable. Even if I search out every piece of the primordial stone, I cannot make myself whole. And that wretch the Emperor Venerable even struck at me from the shadows, having the Creator make sacrifice of me, cutting off my means of refining the primordial stone and drawing its power, so that I cannot grow into the true Taichu..."
"These years I have pondered a way to resolve it, and I have found one: to slaughter every last Creator, and let their divine consciousness return to heaven and earth."
Heavenly Venerable Xiao looked at the primordial stone in his hand: "To seize the Emperor Venerable and refine him and the Great Luotian of Divine Consciousness — that is the second. To gather all the primordial stones and refine them — that is the third. Accomplish these three steps, and I shall be the true Taichu."