Chapter 906 — Falling Behind Is No Crime; Being Weak Is the Sin

Emperor Yanfeng flung himself to the ground, weeping bitterly, tears streaming down his face. Only after a long while did he crawl back up, his gaze wandering over his other offspring.

"Yuxiu, come up."

Emperor Yanfeng wept. "From now on, the state of Jingping is entrusted to you. Do not do too well—be muddled, be incompetent. From this day forth, you are the Emperor of Jingping!"

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping sighed inwardly. He knew why Emperor Yanfeng had first chosen Ling Yushu, and had not chosen Ling Yuxiu first.

His purpose was simply to protect Ling Yuxiu.

The divine beings of the Heavenly Court took Emperor Yanfeng and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping into custody. A tower ship sailed far away, carrying them off toward the great prison. The other heavenly soldiers and generals of the Heavenly Court remained behind, dismantling the systems of primary schools, great academies, and the supreme academy, burning the reform's canonical texts, propping up the sects, smashing the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons, the Xi Boats, the Po Boats, and other heavy divine artifacts, and keeping watch over Jingping.

Ling Yuxiu ascended the throne. The reign title was Yanxiu, and she was called Emperor Yanxiu.

"A tiny state of Jingping, and it has tangled me up for so long. The human race—such a lowly breed of living being—is truly a headache."

The "Celestial Lord Yu" into which the Heavenly Emperor had transformed smiled at Shen Mu. "And now, We too should return. Celestial Lord Mu, We look forward greatly to your stepping out from the shadows and reclaiming Our physical body at an early date. Do you know why We must imprison Emperor Yanfeng and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping for two hundred years—why We give you two hundred years?"

Shen Mu walked out of the capital of Jingping alongside him, his countenance calm and unruffled. "In two hundred years, the Lord of Heaven will die and his Dao dissipate, and he will be replaced. By then, I, the Great Master of Dharma of Ten Thousand Kalpas Who Does Not Perish, will have become a thing of the past, and will no longer have the power to revive others."

The Ancient God, the Heavenly Emperor, laughed heartily. "Talking with clever people saves so much effort. Within two hundred years, the Great Dao of Xuandu will hold no more secrets, the Lord of Heaven can become history, and a new Lord of Heaven will come into the world. You will be able to borrow no power whatsoever from Xuandu, and your art of resurrection will become a thing of the past. At that time, you will have no qualifications to negotiate, and no capital to negotiate with."

He halted his steps and smiled gently. "Celestial Lord Mu, let Us tell you a truth."

Shen Mu halted as well. "I am all ears."

The Ancient God, the Heavenly Emperor, said leisurely, "Falling behind is not the original sin. Being weak is."

"The new Heaven Diagram is already being forged. Within a few decades it will rise into the sky once more, becoming a star chart that shrouds the entire Primordial Realm."

He lifted his head to the heavens, where a sun had appeared—the true Divine Sun of the Primordial Realm.

"Enjoy all of this."

The Ancient God, the Heavenly Emperor, smiled. "In the coming decades, you will see the true starry sky. After that, no one will remember what the true starry sky looked like. No need to see me off. Go back."

His form floated into the air and vanished at the horizon.

Shen Mu lifted his head, savoring his words. Falling behind means being beaten—but Jingping was not behind. Jingping's Daoist arts, divine powers, and ideals even surpassed those of the Heavenly Court.

The reason Jingping was beaten, beaten until it could not rise to its feet, was simply that it was weak.

Too short a time to develop, no power to resist the Heavenly Court—so that before the absolute power of the Heavenly Court, it was utterly defeated.

He stood there in silence, unmoving for a long, long time, standing until night fell and the lamps were lit.

Then the darkness before him opened, and a dim lamplight shone through from another world, falling upon his face.

Shen Mu saw a continent drifting in another world. The mountains upon that continent formed the character "Shen." A big-headed doll of colossal stature sat cross-legged on the ground, arms folded across its chest, looking toward him.

Shen Mu's gaze fell upon him. The big-headed doll gave a humph, hugged his arms tighter, turned his head away and refused to look at him, deeply angry.

Shen Mu broke into a smile. "Brother, I am sorry. I took your physical body."

He could tell that the big-headed doll was borrowing that third eye to transform into flesh and blood, remaking a physical body.

"Hmph!" The big-headed doll pouted, growing even angrier.

The lamplight came from the hand of an old Yin Courier. The old Yin Courier stood within the Shen-character continent holding a hurricane lantern, and beside him stood Celestial Lord Yu, who waved to Shen Mu.

The Lord of Heaven's clone, the Molten Lava Earth Lord, the Crimson Emperor, the Great Sun Star Lord, and the Old Buddha were no longer upon the Shen-character continent. They had gone somewhere unknown.

Shen Mu waved to the old Yin Courier and Celestial Lord Yu.

A treasure ship sailed over, crowded with shadowy figures.

Shen Mu saw Princess Zhen and a tree-person—those who had once been his parents.

"Shen'er, the Earth Lord has released us. We plan to return to the Land of No Sorrow. Will you come back with us?"

Princess Zhen stood at the bow of the ship and asked softly, "There is too much peril in this world. The mortal realm is even more dangerous than Youdu. Though the Land of No Sorrow has its perils, compared to the outside world, it is a place of peace."

Shen Mu waved vigorously, smiling. "I am not Shen Fengqing, not your son. I am Shen Mu. I am an orphan of the Wasteland, a child Granny picked up from the riverside. I yearn for the Land of No Sorrow, but my heart is still in the mortal world. In a few years, I will go to the Land of No Sorrow to find you—but not now!"

He drew the Sword of No Sorrow and hurled it with all his strength.

That divine sword of Kaihuang traced a long arc through the air and landed upon the treasure ship of the Land of No Sorrow. Qin Hanzhen drew up the Sword of No Sorrow.

"You are my child."

Princess Zhen wept, waving vigorously. "You are flesh born from my womb. You have a home, you have kin, you have our bloodline!"

The treasure ship of the Land of No Sorrow sailed away, Princess Zhen's voice carrying back: "You must come home—you must come back!"

Shen Mu smiled, waving vigorously.

Kin.

Kin of the Land of No Sorrow.

Countless times he had wanted to find the Land of No Sorrow, to return to his homeland, to see Kaihuang, to see his kin. And now, in the Primordial Realm, there were still those who were his kin—those who needed him more.

He turned around. Emperor Yanxiu stood not far away.

"I thought you would leave," the former Sixth Princess, now Emperor Yanxiu, said softly.

"If I leave, what will you do?"

Shen Mu walked toward her, smiling. "Let us go back. From this day forth, I am your Imperial Preceptor of Jingping!"