Chapter 913 — The Earth Mother's Rings

Yan'er could still keep herself in check, but her gaze was fixed dead upon the Hongmeng Primal Liquid, as though she longed to swallow that drop. Shen Mu sealed every pore of his body and strove to master his flesh, yet blood, flesh, and bone all grew madly—even his hair was in wild growth—and though he was master of the art of Creation, he could not suppress it! That drop of Hongmeng Primal Liquid flew into his brow and bored into his Primordial Fetus Divine Treasury.

Though it was only a tiny drop, once in his Divine Treasury it became the size of a lake, purple light rippling, settling at the feet of his spirit fetus. Shen Mu at once felt the spirit fetus brimming with vigorous life; his soul and spirit were still weak, yet now they drew on the Hongmeng Primal Liquid's energy and grew at furious speed.

His primal spirit exulted, greedily absorbing the power in the Hongmeng Primal Liquid, and when Shen Mu tried to activate the Mystic Body Triple Elixir Art, the primal spirit's growth became more terrifying still! "The Hongmeng Primal Liquid can keep a soul from perishing. It is with the liquid that I shielded my own remnant soul.

Heaven Venerable Mu, though you have no soul, you can use the Hongmeng Primal Liquid to strengthen your spirit and make your spirit an indestructible primal spirit!

" The Earth Mother's remnant soul said: "Thus you will not die for lack of soul and spirit, nor need to seek a place of green hills and clear waters to bury yourself. " Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he looked at the rest of the Hongmeng Primal Liquid in the coffin. "Earth Mother, even so, I have no strength to revive you.

My strength is too weak now—to speak plainly, I have only a fifth of my primal qi cultivation left.

" The Earth Mother was silent a moment; another drop of Hongmeng Primal Liquid flew from the coffin, again into his Primordial Fetus Divine Treasury. "This drop is for restoring your cultivation.

" Shen Mu sighed.

"The Earth Mother is still stingy. What use is restoring my cultivation? I am no longer the Divine Son of Youdu; Tubo and the Lord of Heaven have both abandoned me, thinking me of no further value.

My powers are low; they will not lend me strength, and with no strength lent, I cannot revive you. The Earth Mother would do better to give more of the liquid, so that my strength can rival the Divine Son of Youdu's, so that they think me worth using—only then can I borrow their strength.

" The Earth Mother's remnant soul sneered. "It is not that I grudge it, but that you cannot bear the liquid's energy at all.

These two drops of Hongmeng Primal Liquid already exceed the limit of your Primordial Fetus Divine Treasury. These two drops are enough for you to digest for decades, even a century! Give you more, and your Primordial Fetus Divine Treasury cannot seal it; should the liquid's power invade your blood vessels, a single wisp of its breath would burst your body and kill you!

" Shen Mu did indeed feel that his Primordial Fetus Divine Treasury was near its limit; one drop more, and the liquid's energy would burst the space of the Treasury and seep into his body. The breath of this liquid could burst even gods and demons—how much more him?

"Then. .

. " Shen Mu turned his palm, four small jade bottles held between his fingers, and poured out the dragon saliva within them: "Stored in bottles, it will be all right, won't it? " The Earth Mother fell silent again, and after a moment her voice came from the coffin: "Your little bottles cannot bear it.

" Shen Mu's hands flew, countless runes branded onto the jade bottle. "Is this seal good enough?

" "No. " Shen Mu laid on several dozen seals in succession, showing a hopeful look. "And now?

" "No! " Shen Mu, at a loss, turned to Yan'er.

Yan'er at once worked her magic, laying an Azure Dragon Seal upon the bottle's body, an azure dragon coiling about the jade bottle, and then laying a Vermilion Bird Seal at the bottle's mouth. Shen Mu said hopefully: "And now? " The Earth Mother fell silent once more, and after a long while said: "One bottle. " Shen Mu was disappointed, and was about to speak when the Earth Mother said coldly: "One bottle, and no bargaining! " Shen Mu had no choice; with his primal qi he guided one jade bottle into the coffin. The jade bottle flew out filled with Hongmeng Primal Liquid.

Shen Mu hurriedly put it away and stored it carefully. "How long do you need to recover to your peak? " the Earth Mother asked. Shen Mu said: "About a hundred years. " Suddenly a roar came from the Emperor's Coffin, and out of the darkness behind the Hongmeng Primal Liquid strode a majestic imperial corpse, bellowing again and again.

"Ten years at the shortest! " Shen Mu said decisively.

That Supreme Heaven Emperor corpse stared at him coldly.

The Earth Mother's remnant soul in the liquid gave a humph.

"I give you ten years only. Ten years from now, if you have not revived me, I will let my son wash Jingping in blood!

" The coffin shut with a bang, sealing the Supreme Heaven Emperor's corpse and the Hongmeng Primal Liquid inside, and the great flower began to close.

"Wait!

" Shen Mu said hurriedly: "Earth Mother, my cultivation is not yet restored.

If someone kills me, will it not make all your efforts vain?

I beg the Earth Mother to grant me a weapon to my hand.

" The great flower stopped closing, and from the coffin came the Earth Mother's angry voice: "Half dead as you are, you do not hide yourself honestly and refine the Hongmeng Primal Liquid, but instead mean to flaunt yourself everywhere and seek your own death? " Shen Mu said gravely: "I have no more fear for my life now, and I mean to make a foray into the Heavenly Court.

.

.

" Bang— The coffin flew open.

From it thrust an imperial corpse's head the size of a mountain range, its blood-bowl mouth gaping as it roared at Shen Mu—Shen Mu, the dragon qilin, and Yan'er could not have filled the gaps between its teeth! The foul stench blasted Shen Mu's face into wrinkles and he could not keep his footing; the Yong River behind him burst open, almost cut off in mid-flow!

After the roar, the imperial corpse's head shrank, and it glared at him viciously.

"You mean to go to the Heavenly Court?

" The Earth Mother said in a fury: "Why don't you go and die?

" Shen Mu's expression did not change.

"I must make one trip to the Heavenly Court. As the Earth Mother says, I am the Undying Great Dharma Master of Ten Thousand Kalpas; though this journey is perilous, the ancient gods in the Heavenly Court will protect me, and with my standing as Heaven Venerable Mu, a founding elder of the Heaven Alliance, I will be all the safer. Only, a spear in the open is easy to dodge, an arrow from the dark is hard to guard against, and I have no weapon to my hand.

My sword elixir is only a primeval weapon, not a divine weapon.

.

. " The imperial corpse withdrew into the coffin, and after a moment came out again, in its hand a straight wooden staff three zhang long.

"Only this wooden staff? " Shen Mu showed disappointment.

The Emperor's Coffin closed with a boom, and the Earth Mother said coldly: "This is the heartwood of the Yuan Wood, one of the strongest divine weapons in the world.

Look closely at its rings!

" Shen Mu looked to the staff's tip, and saw that the wood bore countless circles, fine and dense beyond measure. He was just about to count them when the great flower closed, the Emperor's Coffin sank into the Yuan Wood's roots, and then the roots spanning the Yong River contracted at furious speed and vanished without a trace!

"Truly stingy—afraid I would ask you for more treasures.

.

.

" Shen Mu shook his head and counted the rings carefully; after a good while he had still not finished.

The dragon qilin could not help saying: "Sect Master, what number have you reached? " "Five million rings, and I have counted less than a tenth. . . "