Chapter 804 — Mists Shroud Longhan; a Giant Fish Bears the Woman Away

Yan Qiling was as one relieved of a great weight. She said hoarsely, "In this world there was originally no sword dao and no martial dao. These great daos were formed after the fact, opened up by later men; they are not among the daos born of heaven. The Dao Ancestor said that if a single technique can enter the dao directly, it belongs to Dao One. The Dao Ancestor..."

"Where is the Dao Ancestor?" Shen Mu said swiftly.

Yan Qiling's body convulsed violently; she flung her mouth open to bite through her own tongue.

Shen Mu frowned, and at once thrust the handle of the whisk into her mouth to keep her from truly biting her tongue off. He coughed once and said, "Rest easy. I will not ask that question again."

Yan Qiling spat out the handle and said coldly, "You are too cunning. I do not believe you! The great Mu Tianzun, stooping to such vile tricks, drugging me!"

Shen Mu laughed heartily, not without complacency.

Yan Qiling sneered, "Yu Tianzun is still missing some fragments of his soul, is he not? I know where his remnant soul is hidden. You and I have a common enemy; we should join hands."

"The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend."

Shen Mu shook his head. "I do not know your true purpose, nor whether you would be a friend. As for Brother Lan's remnant soul, I know where it is as well."

Yan Qiling fell silent, then suddenly said, "Do you truly not care about the title of Mu Tianzun?"

"Mu Tianzun?"

Shen Mu laughed aloud and shook his head. "The Heavenly Emperor named me Mu Tianzun — what did he ever give me? Nothing but a tablet reading Mu Tianzun and an imperial decree. That tablet and that decree, I never even looked at them. Other Tianzuns at least have blessings from the gods; I got a tablet, and that is all. If he wants it back, let him take it."

Yan Qiling was silent. After a moment she said, "The Heavenly Emperor's blessing is inside that tablet and that decree. In all these million years, you never knew?"

Shen Mu was dumbstruck.

Yan Qiling watched him with a half-smile. Shen Mu suppressed the urge to immediately rummage through his Taotie Pouch, coughed once, and said, "I have finished asking. You may go. Tend your wounds well, and do not worry about Yu Tianzun; he is with me, and I will take good care of him. If you truly wish to join hands with me, bring his remnant soul to see me."

Yan Qiling moved her feet with the utmost difficulty and passed by his side. Suddenly she stopped and said in a low voice, "Do not trust the Earth Mother. Beware the Heavenly Lord and Tubo. And the Heaven Alliance — they are no good either."

Shen Mu was slightly startled, then his expression changed drastically, and he at once took out a willow leaf to press to his brow.

Then he stopped again. He did not press the willow leaf to his brow, but silently put it away, and said with a smile, "A clever woman indeed."

Yan Qiling moved on, taking a dozen steps. The women hurried to meet her and supported her, saying in low voices, "Young Mistress, shall we..."

Yan Qiling shook her head. "He did not strike to kill, and he healed my wounds. We must show some courtesy too. Let today's matter rest. My score, I will settle myself in the future. I do not need your help! Let us go!"

One of the women swayed, and suddenly transformed into a giant kun; the other women helped Yan Qiling onto its back.

The giant kun shook its head and swung its tail, about to fly off, when Shen Mu's voice came from behind: "Sister Ling, is the Heavenly Emperor dead?"

On the kun's back, Yan Qiling's delicate body shuddered violently. She clenched her teeth, and the words burst from between them, hoarse with all her strength: "Go—"

The giant kun beat its fin-wings and soared into the sky.

Shen Mu watched them recede and fell into thought.

Gongsun Yan and Yu Tianzun hurried to his side. Shen Mu came back to himself and said with a gentle smile, "Sister Yan, you are wounded. Let me treat you, lest you be left with scars."

Gongsun Yan murmured assent and stood there obediently, letting him undo her clothing and bare her wounds.

Shen Mu carefully applied the wound medicine for her, pressing out the blood from the wounds, his fingers very delicate.

The girl's skin was very white.

"The Heavenly Emperor is dead."

He stopped his hand abruptly, staring blankly. "That ancient god, the Heavenly Emperor of the Longhan Heavenly Court, is dead."

Gongsun Yan was somewhat at a loss, not knowing why he had gone blank, or why he had said this senseless thing.

Shen Mu came back to himself again and went on applying the medicine, saying softly, "I always thought the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court Beyond the Realm was the ancient god of the Longhan Heavenly Court. But from what Yan Qiling let slip unawares, the Heavenly Emperor must be dead. The Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court Beyond the Realm is not him — it is someone else."

He stood before Gongsun Yan, his hands very light, gathering her clothing for her, arranging her garments with great care; yet Gongsun Yan could see that the young man was somewhat distracted, his mind on other things.

Her clothing was already quite neat, yet Shen Mu was still smoothing and adjusting it.

After a moment, Shen Mu suddenly heaved a long sigh and said in a low voice, "Heavenly Lord, Tubo, it is time we had a serious talk. Would you not agree?"

Gongsun Yan was baffled, not knowing why he had suddenly said this.

And within the Shen-Character Continent, the white-bearded old man and the Molten Lava Tubo exchanged a glance and were silent.

Whoosh—

In the sky above the Shen-Character Continent, an undying consciousness descended from the heavens, landed, and took the form of Shen Mu, looking upon the avatars of these two ancient gods.