Chapter 787 — Within and Beyond the Chessboard

" Indra Heavenly King Buddha sighed and walked out of the village. "Whether it is infighting or a single sweep, it is a great calamity for Jingping. This time it is not only the Red Emperor Qi Xiayu who hunts me; the Heavenly Court has sent other experts as well. If I follow you, I will only drag you down.

Do not stir things up. Go to the Great Thunderclap Temple; the Buddhist order will keep you safe. But. . . that will only protect you for a while.

With the Primal Realm's seal broken, the Buddhist Realm itself is as fragile as a pile of eggs.

" He departed with his great sleeves fluttering.

Shen Mu watched him go, silent. The Four Great Heavenly Masters and the Four Heavenly Kings of the Kaihuang era had all been outstanding heroes. Whether it was the Martial Combat Heavenly Master, who seemed to have muscles where his brain should be, or Indra Heavenly King, who seemed aloof from the world and transcendent, each possessed surpassing wisdom. What Indra Heavenly King Buddha had just said about the figures of four eras gathering in the Primal Realm indeed made Shen Mu shiver, seeing a dreadful prospect.

This was plainly a perfect opportunity for the Outer Heavenly Court to settle four eras at one stroke! If it did not want to suffer losses or deplete its own strength, it could sit by and watch the infighting in the Primal Realm, letting the four eras battle to the death, and then reap the benefits as the fisherman.

"Then was the breaking of the Primal Realm's seal and Granny Zhu's reappearance of the primal magnetic runes a coincidence, or was it all planned long ago?

" Shen Mu pondered. In an age of a great explosion of divine powers, reforms and innovations were rife, and all sorts of divine abilities and techniques were being invented. Powers lost to history, powers annihilated, would also be unearthed.

If the one who sealed the Primal Realm had left a condition for breaking the seal—that once the primal magnetic runes were recreated, the lands of the Primal Realm, upon touching these runes, would have the seal undone—then the scene the Ruins now encountered would indeed occur. In other words, that person had laid this chessboard as far back as the Kaihuang era!

Everyone—whether the Red Brightness remnant known as the Divine Son of Chiming, or Earth Mother Yuanjun, or the remnants of Kaihuang, or Jingping—was on this chessboard, and even the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm were on it!

To set a scheme for tens of thousands of years, waiting for the moment to sweep all into one net, and to settle even dangers that might arise in the future—such intellect and strategy was what made Shen Mu shiver.

"The only one not on the chessboard is the Worryfree Village!

" Shen Mu drew a long breath, his gaze growing ever brighter. "As long as the Worryfree Village is not in the game, the Outer Heavenly Court will not act. They are waiting for a time to settle things once and for all. When the Worryfree Village steps onto the board, that is when they strike.

" "The Worryfree Village is the key to detonating all of this.

" "Before the Worryfree Village steps onto the board, the Outer Heavenly Court will let the four eras within the Primal Realm fight among themselves, then reap the fisherman's gain! " His eyes grew brighter and brighter. This was an opportunity to grow!

A hard-won opportunity! And it was also the one flaw of the one who had laid the scheme!

"Fat Dragon, my good brother, let's go!

" Shen Mu called the Dragon Qilin and Yutian Zun. Yutian Zun had been freeloading in the village, holding a great sea-bowl of glistening white fragrant rice topped with sauce, squatting by the wall with a group of villagers. Flustered, Yutian Zun wolfed down the food in a few mouthfuls, bowed to the villagers repeatedly in thanks, then called the Water Qilin to come along.

"Brother, where are we going to scrounge a meal?

" asked Yutian Zun. Shen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He took his leave of the villagers and said, "To Earth Mother Yuanjun's place to scrounge food and drink.

" Yutian Zun was overjoyed: "What good things will there be to eat?

" "Demigods of every flavor!

" Shen Mu laughed heartily and rode the Dragon Qilin off into the distance.

When the Water Qilin heard that he was going to meet Earth Mother Yuanjun, his face turned the color of earth. Then, suddenly realizing what it meant, he was overjoyed: "If those demigods kill and eat them, then I will not be violating my pact with Little Earth Lord, and I will be free! " His steps were swift; with a single movement, a great river appeared beneath his feet, and he sped off upon it.

The Dragon Qilin, meanwhile, had clumps of qilin fire beneath its feet, with terrifying explosive force, and was even faster than the Water Qilin—doubtless thanks to the old farmer's training in these past days. Shen Mu slowed the Dragon Qilin to observe the Water Qilin's divine arts.

After a moment he took out some herbs and, in accordance with the Water Qilin's elemental nature, refined a spirit elixir.

When the elixir was done, Shen Mu let the demigod taste it.

"How is it?

" "Fragrant!

" Shen Mu considered, changed the formula, and refined another batch.

The Water Qilin tasted it again and praised: "Even more fragrant! " Shen Mu settled the formula, taught it to Yutian Zun, and instructed him on how to refine the elixir. "In the future, even if I am not beside you, you can refine elixirs yourself and not let him go hungry.

Just don't feed him too many; he will get very fat. Mm, especially fat.

. .

"