Chapter 876 — The Sword Leaves a Faint Fragrance — Please Vote

When he passes on to you the fruits of the Jingping reforms, then you may contend with the Jingping Overlord Body!

Luandi is now my disciple, and his strength is no small thing; he will surely be able to take you one step further after you have learned my art!

" The Jiangling Academy. Shen Mu had been studying within the academy all this while, learning the fruits of the reforms of the Jiangling Academy in this period, and he studied with great diligence and labor. Unknowingly a month passed, and Shen Mu had finished his studies. He was sparring with the Duke of Wei when of a sudden his heart was moved; he stopped his hand and said with a smile, "Someone in the Northern Heavens has taken up my challenge missive. Heavenly King Wei, I shall go and keep the appointment.

" The Duke of Wei's heart jumped, and he said in alarm, "Hierarch, the Northern Heavens are an enemy power, and Great Black Heaven is the very ancestor of the demonic path; even the Martial Heavenly Master is no match for him!

On this journey, how many masters does the Hierarch need?

" Shen Mu said with a smile, "Dragon Qilin will suffice. " The Duke of Wei stared with wide eyes, greatly alarmed: "How can you take only that great lump? Hierarch, wait a few days, and I will ask the disciples of the sect to seek out the four Heavenly Masters and the four Heavenly Kings to escort and guard you! " Shen Mu shook his head and laughed: "The Jingping Overlord Body — what need has he of Kaihuang's Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Kings as guards?

Would that not cheapen the name of Jingping?

Look after my sworn brother first, and see that he studies well.

I am off! " So saying, he ordered Yan'er to stay behind and attend to the daily needs of Yutian Zun, and called Dragon Qilin to him, and headed north. The Duke of Wei was uneasy at heart; he straightway took out a mirror and contacted Si Yunxiang, saying, "The Hierarch has gone to the Northern Heavens to keep his appointment.

Quickly ask Kaihuang's four Heavenly Kings and four Heavenly Masters to go to the Northern Heavens! " Dragon Qilin hurried north, while Shen Mu hid in the mirror and went on studying those ancient divine runes and Great Dao imprints that the Dao Ancestor had passed to him in the Shoucang Pavilion. Unknowingly more than two months passed, and they came to the north of the Yuan World; there they saw the lights of many colors stirring faintly in the sky, the strange signs wrought by the Northern Heavens hanging above the Yuan World.

Dragon Qilin went on, and on this day of a sudden a mountain ten thousand zhang tall rumbled and shook and became a mountain god of a man, who cried out in question, his voice rolling like thunder: "Are you Shen Mu of Jingping, Shen the Overlord Body?

" Dragon Qilin halted and said, "Hierarch, a mountain god is calling you. " Shen Mu crawled out of the mirror, looked up, bowed in salute, and said with a smile, "I am indeed Shen Mu of Jingping.

" The mountain god returned the salute and said in a rumbling voice, "Jingping Overlord Body, Great Black Heaven has given the order: the Overlord Body need not visit the various Northern Heavens, but may go straight to the Great Black Palace. The strong ones of the Northern Heavens await your honored arrival at the Great Black Palace! " He raised his arm and pointed toward the Great Black Palace: "The Overlord Body goes that way! " Shen Mu nodded lightly: "My thanks.

Fat Dragon, change our course for the Great Black Palace. " Dragon Qilin hurriedly changed direction.

After two days' travel, they saw darkness ahead blotting out sky and sun, so that not even sunlight could shine through. In the darkness, atop the peak of a great mountain, a god-devil ten thousand zhang tall spread his wings like a great bird and cried, "Are you Shen Mu of Jingping, Shen the Overlord Body?

" Dragon Qilin halted; Shen Mu looked up and smiled: "I am Shen. " "This is the domain of the Great Black Palace.

" That bird-headed god-devil cried, "Great Black Heaven feared you might not know the way, and ordered me to wait here to point out the road for you. " "My thanks. " Shen Mu bowed, and bade Dragon Qilin go on; before they had gone far, they saw divine light surging to the heavens, and there was a god standing in the darkness crying, "Jingping Overlord Body Shen, Great Black Heaven has ordered me to point the way here!

This way, Overlord Body!

" Shen Mu gave thanks.

Another ten li or more, and there was another god-devil wreathed in flame, fire coiling about his body, crying, "This way, Jingping Overlord Body! " Dragon Qilin went on, and there were as many as a hundred thousand gods and demons greeting them along the road, ranged all the way from the edge of the darkness to the gate of the Great Black Palace, and Dragon Qilin's heart thumped wildly. Great Black Heaven ruled three hundred and sixteen Northern Heavens, and the elite of his gods and demons numbered a hundred thousand; lining the road to welcome them — such a scene frightened him so that he wished he could turn and flee.

Shen Mu remained calm, and bade Dragon Qilin go on.

When they came before the Great Black Palace, they saw numberless gods and demons each bursting with momentum, with ten thousand strange signs; there were even many gods and demons of the Jade Terrace, Jade Capital, and Azure Empyrean realms.

In the sky their strange signs formed all manner of heavenly palaces, towering where they sat; the bodies of the gods and demons stood upon the peaks and ridges, while their primordial spirits sat enthroned in their own heavenly palaces, dharma forms vast as heaven and earth, all of them mighty beyond measure — truly a dance of gods and demons!

And the Great Black Palace stood amid all these strange signs, with a slender flight of steps leading straight to the Great Black Palace, that hall blazing with lamplight!

Dragon Qilin's heart quailed in terror; bearing Shen Mu on his back he climbed the stone stairway, steeling himself as he went toward the Great Black Palace, gods and demons of the Northern Heavens in all their ferocious masks to either side. Shen Mu stood upon his forehead, his face indifferent.

At last Dragon Qilin reached the summit and came before the Great Black Palace.

Before the palace, the blaze of light was like torches; behind the palace, in the darkness, one could faintly discern the mountain-and-river patterns of enormous stars, unspeakably terrible.

Shen Mu paid no heed to the strange signs all around, and said in ringing tones, "Shen Mu, the Jingping Overlord Body, has come to pay his respects to the heroes of the Northern Heavens.

Will you condescend to instruct me?

" The palace gate swung wide, and within, faintly visible, a figure sat with a black sun hanging behind its head. "Feng Huayu, the Overlord Body is here. " That figure's voice came, unhurried: "Three months of cultivation have made you a different man.

Now, do you have confidence?

" "I do! " The voice from within the palace was like thunder.

"Go! " Shen Mu's gaze fell on the figure walking out of the palace, and he saw a youth emerge from the Great Black Palace, and a fragrance of flowers came rushing to his nose.

"Feng Huayu, ability-wielder of the Flower-Brocade Heaven! " The youth bowed.

Shen Mu stepped down from Dragon Qilin's head and said with a smile, "Shen Mu, the Jingping Overlord Body.

Please. " "Please! " Feng Huayu's momentum burst forth; his body moved, pouncing toward Shen Mu, and a flood of splendor surged through the heavens. Shen Mu grasped his sword core and shook himself into three heads and six arms, and in an instant sword light filled the splendor! Light rose, sword light moved; before the Great Black Palace fish leapt and dragons danced, and the ringing of the sword was clear beyond measure; suddenly the sword light vanished, and all kinds of blossoms, fairer than brocade, came fluttering and scattering down from the sky.