Chapter 839 — The Chief Culprit

" The Imperial Heavenly Venerable was eager to try his hand. "I understand it.

May I give it a try? " Shen Mu nodded.

The Imperial Heavenly Venerable walked up to the bronze wall and passed straight through it, then came back through from the other side.

The old Daoist's eyes brightened, and he laughed, "This young friend has extraordinary spiritual insight—" Shen Mu hastily pulled the Imperial Heavenly Venerable away.

They came to another part of the Dao Palace, where some Daoists had gathered around a huge circular platform, drawing a formation diagram.

Shen Mu pressed close to look, and his expression changed drastically.

In a low voice, he said, "Elder brothers, are you drawing the Grand Star Chart of the Heavens? " "Your eyes are keen.

From which divine kingdom do you hail? " one of the Daoists looked up and asked.

Dao Master Lin Xuan stepped forward.

Looking at the array diagram, his expression also changed drastically, and he rasped, "The Heaven Chart covering Jingping was made by Qingyun Heaven? " Those Daoists were taken aback.

The formation diagram they were drawing was almost exactly the same as the Heaven Chart hanging over the kingdom of Jingping—the movements of the stars matched almost perfectly.

Shen Mu and Lin Xuan were both founding elders of the Sky Alliance. The original purpose of founding the alliance had been to tear open that false sky and let the people of Jingping see the outside world.

For twenty thousand years, none of the successive Dao Masters of the Jingping Dao lineage had been able to master the Fourteen Chapters of the Dao Sword. They had pored over the chapters until their hair turned white, devoting the utmost effort of their lives to deriving the Fourteenth Sword.

Lin Xuan's master, the old Dao Master, had spent his whole life and achieved only half a stance. He died fighting in the God-Sundering Mountains precisely because the Fourteenth Sword had never been completed; had he mastered it, he would not have fallen.

It was precisely because the celestial phenomena in the Heaven Chart were false that every generation of Dao Masters had been misled—no matter how they calculated, their results were all false, and thus the Fourteen Chapters could never be achieved! And it was because of this very Heaven Chart that Lin Xuan's Dao heart had nearly collapsed and he had lost his mind on the spot. Fortunately, Shen Mu, Xu Shenghua, and others had been at his side, rousing him from the shadows.

Now, seeing the array diagram drawn by these Qingyun Heaven Daoists, his Dao heart could not help but stir once more, filled with an utterly overwhelming fury! Those Daoists scrutinized Shen Mu and Lin Xuan, and one of them laughed.

"Are you referring to the Heaven Chart above the Primal Realm? Indeed, our Dao lineage forged it.

Our Dao lineage, on the orders of the Heavenly Court, forged the Heaven Chart to cover the Primal Realm, but the work was done in haste back then, and many flaws slipped in. This time we intend to repair the Heaven Chart and make good all the deficiencies of the formation.

" Another Daoist said, "The Heavenly Court commanded the Dao lineage to forge the Heaven Chart, so our predecessors designed into it several pitfalls of boundless calculation.

If anyone in the Primal Realm observed the heavens and tried to calculate the mysteries of their movements, they would fall into an infinite mesh of solutions. Thus, though the Heaven Chart has its loopholes, that infinitude of solutions can exhaust the wisdom of even those whose intellects touch the heavens, keeping them forever unaware that the skies are false. For you to see at a glance that our diagram is a Heaven Chart, your attainments in numerology are by no means shallow. Which divine kingdom do you come from? " Dao Master Lin Xuan clenched his teeth, blood seeping from the corners of his lips.

"The envoy from the Heavenly Court came saying the Heaven Chart was damaged and bade us restore it. Once the Heaven Chart is fully repaired, no one will ever perceive the slightest flaw. " Those Daoists laughed. Dao Master Lin Xuan's teeth were heard grinding. Numbly, he said, "Sect Master Shen, please go back. This is a private affair of the Dao lineage. " Shen Mu shot him a glance and shook his head.

"This is no private affair of the Dao lineage; it is a public affair of the Sky Alliance.

Was it not the very purpose of our alliance at its founding to tear open this false sky? " Dao Master Lin Xuan spat out the blood and broken teeth in his mouth and laughed grimly.

"Heaven Chart, Heaven Chart. .

. the Heaven Chart that ruined our Dao lineage for twenty thousand years was actually forged by the Dao lineage itself!

Master, oh Master, if your spirit in heaven can see this—" He burst into loud wailing, two streams of bloody tears running from his eyes. Clang— The Dao sword at his back sprang from its sheath, and sword-light shot into the clouds. In an instant, Shen Mu's hand pressed down on his shoulder.

"A founding elder of the Sky Alliance should not be so quick to lose his composure, surely?

" Shen Mu said with a gentle smile.

Dao Master Lin Xuan looked into his warm, gentle eyes, and the Dao heart that was cracking with grief and fury settled down.

He closed his eyes.

After a moment, the sword-light that had pierced the clouds descended and slid back into its sheath.

Shen Mu turned to face those Daoists, now alarmed and uncertain, and showed a pure, innocent smile. "May I ask, where is the envoy of the Heavenly Court?

"