Chapter 1625 — Pure Goodness and Evil Thoughts
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
"But I am not the only one who can do this."
The You Heavenly Venerable gently pushed the Book of Life and Death across to him and said softly, "You can do it too, Mu Heavenly Venerable. You were once the divine son of Youdu; you too can command the power of Youdu's Book of Life and Death. Not only can you command this power, you can also decide the life and death of countless living beings."
"I can do this as well?" Shen Mu's gaze fell upon that golden page.
The Book of Life and Death was nothing more than a single golden page, laid flat upon the table, flawless, without the least grain or pattern.
The You Heavenly Venerable said, "Stir the Youdu Great Dao, and you will command this power."
Shen Mu hesitated. Then he stretched out his palm, roused the Youdu Great Dao, and laid his hand upon the Earth Lord's Book of Life and Death.
Of a sudden he sprang up like a startled rabbit, snatched back his hand, and stared at the Book of Life and Death in dread.
The very instant his palm touched the Earth Lord's Book of Life and Death, he had suddenly seen the countless living beings of all the heavens and all the worlds, the countless gods, every one of them held under the dominion of the Book of Life and Death!
At the moment he stirred the Youdu Great Dao, he sensed it: he could decide the life and death of all beings and all gods throughout the heavens and the worlds, could command their fates!
Shen Mu paced back and forth beside the stone table, his gaze drifting time and again to the Book of Life and Death, a demonic light flickering in his eyes.
This Book of Life and Death seemed to hold an invisible magic, an exceedingly powerful magic, luring him on; it was as though countless voices whispered at his ear, tempting him to pick up that thin golden volume, to command the power that could decide the life and death of countless living beings!
Shen Mu panted hoarsely. The demonic nature in his Dao-heart had been awakened by the Book of Life and Death!
So long as he grasped the Book of Life and Death, he would hold the most terrible power in all the world!
He could directly erase the life-and-death spirit treasury of every person; half-gods and all postnatal living beings alike would be bound by their lifespan, and even if they cultivated to the divine realm, they would still face birth, aging, sickness, and death!
Were he to do so, it would deal a blow beyond measure to the Heavenly Court of today!
The Heavenly Court was the community of shared interests of gods and demons.
These gods and demons enjoyed long lives and enduring vision, living as long as heaven and earth. They upheld the Heavenly Court, let it rule over ever more territory, made certain that latecomers dared not rebel and could not rebel—all of it, in truth, was to protect their own interests.
The Ten Heavenly Venerables were merely the representatives of these gods and demons.
If these gods and demons were stripped of their immortality, then that community of interests would crumble and fall into chaos!
This might pose no threat to existences like the Ten Heavenly Venerables, nor to those mighty ones versed in the Dao of Creation, but the power of the Heavenly Court would assuredly decay on a vast scale.
Once these gods and demons were reduced to mere divine-ability practitioners, he could borrow the power of the Book of Life and Death and make himself the Earth Lord who ruled over all life!
Holding the Book of Life and Death, Shen Mu could freely alter the lifespans of such beings, could even dash off a single stroke and blot them out entirely!
He could even coerce the gods of the Heavenly Court, force them to throw themselves upon him for protection!
Unbidden, all the vital essence in Shen Mu's body turned to dark demonic qi, dyeing his heavenly palace murky black and transforming his spirit-treasury domain into a domain of darkness!