Chapter 916 — The Venerable Breaks the Prison

" Yan Shaoqing led the way ahead and said, "To build a divine city and brand runes on its walls to strengthen them, ordinary divine and demonic blood will serve; only the palaces of rulers are worthy of the precious blood of such Lingxiao and Jade Capital realm powers. Different races have blood of different colors, and when paintings are made with the precious blood of such powers as pigment, the murals never fade, forever fresh—hence they are much in demand. There are also high gods of the Heavenly Court who like to drink blood, yet dislike drinking ordinary blood, and so they too must be supplied by my Great Prison.

" Shen Mu narrowed his eyes. Among the wardens of the Great Prison were deities skilled in medicine, treating the prisoners' wounds so that they would not die, and thus could endlessly produce "pigment.

" "Yan Shaoqing, I'll kill you! " A prisoner with a qilin's head and a man's body roared again and again, crying fiercely, "If I ever get free, I will cut you into ten thousand pieces!

" Yan Shaoqing laughed aloud, and suddenly an eye opened in the center of his brow; from that eye flew a lotus flower, which sank into the mind of the Qilin clan leader. At once the Qilin clan leader grew muddled and dazed, a tender look rising on his face, and he made no more noise.

"Consciousness divine abilities can make him forever drunk in a land of tenderness, living in a drunken dream.

" Yan Shaoqing explained to Shen Mu, "With my divine ability I shaped a true and exact world of illusion in his consciousness, where he has whatever he desires and can never walk out. He may even, in the illusory world I made for him, through hard striving and struggle, become a Heavenly Emperor and win immense joy. This too eases his pain and lets him happily produce pigment. " Dragon Qilin shuddered several times. He knew that Qilin clan leader; in the Earth Mother's underground palace, that very Qilin clan leader had instructed him in cultivation. Who would have thought that such a formidable being would come to such an end.

This place was less a great prison than a factory for producing divine and demonic blood! "Ahead are the cages of Jiang Baigui and Emperor Yanfeng.

" Yan Shaoqing led them to two cages.

Shen Mu looked inside, and saw that Emperor Yanfeng and Imperial Preceptor Jingping had not been pierced through by roots; they were merely shut in the cages.

In his hand Emperor Yanfeng clutched a squeaking demon creature, his mouth open to eat it, when he suddenly caught sight of Shen Mu outside the cage. He froze, hastily stuffed the creature behind him, and sat up straight.

In the other cage, Imperial Preceptor Jingping was using a fire divine ability to roast a demon creature half-cooked; seeing Shen Mu arrive, he was quite unruffled and did not hide the creature.

"Left Junior Assistant, might you grant me a little private time?

" Shen Mu said with a smile, "There are things I cannot well say before outsiders. " Yan Shaoqing did not stir, and said with a smile, "Heaven Venerable bears the name of Great Mage; to leave you here alone, I would not rest easy. Whether others would dare to break into the prison I do not know, but Heaven Venerable certainly would. Heaven Venerable is one who dared to make havoc at the Jade Pool Grand Gathering—how much less my little Great Prison? " Shen Mu was helpless, and said to Emperor Yanfeng and Imperial Preceptor Jingping, "Are the two of you well, living here?

" Emperor Yanfeng said angrily, "Try living here a few days yourself, and see whether you are well! " Imperial Preceptor Jingping was calm and composed, quite at ease, and said, "Senior brother, why have you come?

" "I came to tell you I am safe.

" Shen Mu said with a smile, "Jingping is well; you may set your minds at rest.

I mean to leave the Yuan Realm and go to the Heavenly Court.

Whether I live or die on this journey I do not know, and so I came to see you. " Emperor Yanfeng was silent a while, then said hoarsely, "Go to the Heavenly Court?

To serve as a hostage? " Shen Mu laughed aloud: "I am a Heaven Venerable—how could I go to the Heavenly Court to be their hostage?

Your Majesty jests. I go to the Heavenly Court to visit an old friend.

" Imperial Preceptor Jingping's eyes flickered, and he said, "Senior brother, going to the Heavenly Court is indeed a good plan—to place oneself in a death ground and then live, that is the only road left.

Only, your body.

. . " Shen Mu yawned and said, "My body now grows worse by the day.

Without a soul, my cultivation and strength dwindle daily; I can barely keep myself alive, and often, walking along, I fall into a deep sleep, and sleep three or four days at a stretch.

" Imperial Preceptor Jingping frowned: "In such a state, to go to the Heavenly Court—is that not to throw your life away?

" Shen Mu's spirit flagged again, his eyes heavy with sleep, and he said, "I have my own plans.

.

. " Suddenly his snoring rose, and just like that he had fallen asleep.

Yan Shaoqing stood smiling at one side, saying nothing, and did not support Shen Mu, letting him lie down as he would.

Dragon Qilin and Yan'er seemed long used to this, and showed no surprise at all. Emperor Yanfeng choked, and tears fell: "Cult Master Shen truly is finished.

. .

" Yan Shaoqing waited three or four days, and at last Shen Mu slowly came to, and cried out, "I fell asleep again? How many days did I sleep? " Yan Shaoqing said, "Heaven Venerable slept three days and ten hours.

" Shen Mu said apologetically, "To think I slept so long, and delayed the Left Junior Assistant's affairs.

Well then, the visit ends here; I should be going!

Your Majesty, junior brother, farewell!

" Emperor Yanfeng and Imperial Preceptor Jingping rose and took their leave of him.

Yan Shaoqing escorted Shen Mu out of the Great Prison.

The wooden gate of the prison closed, sealing the underground jail, and Yan Shaoqing checked the rune lock on the gate with meticulous care before he was at ease.

He escorted Shen Mu out of White Bone City as well. Shen Mu turned and said, "Left Junior Assistant, stay your steps; there is no need to see me further.

" Yan Shaoqing bowed and said, "I respectfully see Heaven Venerable off.

" He watched Shen Mu ride away on Dragon Qilin's head, vanishing beyond sight, and only then returned to the Judge's Shrine, opened the register of official business, and took up his brush to write down that Heaven Venerable Mu had come to visit the prison—when suddenly he gave a slight start. Yan Shaoqing's face changed slightly.

He set down the brush and swiftly leafed through the register, and saw that the other pages were blank!

Cold sweat broke out on Yan Shaoqing's brow. This register should bear his handwriting, recording the great and small affairs of the Great Prison—and now the words he had written with his own hand had all vanished!

"Heaven Venerable Mu, my consciousness divine abilities have reached the summit, and I have even obtained the Undying Consciousness of the Three Primal Spirits; I am but half a step from the Emperor Throne!

You dare to show off your paltry skill before me?

" Consciousness burst from the center of Yan Shaoqing's brow, and he cried fiercely, "Break for me! " The waves of his consciousness divine ability surged in all directions, and the next moment heaven and earth changed abruptly; the world seemed to lose its colors, from many-hued to black and white!

Then the black and white faded too, and Yan Shaoqing found that he was not in the Judge's Shrine at all, but still standing deep in the Great Prison, before the cages of Imperial Preceptor Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng!