Chapter 917 — Truth and Falsehood Reversed

He came to the Judge's Hall, took up his brush, and recorded Shen Mu's prison visit. He breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly unease stirred in his heart again, and he rose and walked to the great prison's wooden gate, thinking, "Did I truly break his undying spirit consciousness?

I must check once more. There can be no mistake.

. .

" He came to the depths of the great prison, and suddenly his body went rigid. Several jailers were dragging out wooden basins brimming with divine blood and setting fresh ones in their place; in the blood river beside them, monsters were being born, burrowing into the cages to drink blood. Yan Shaoqing's body went cold, and he walked forward with difficulty.

He saw the Dragon Qilin crouched in sound sleep before the cages of Imperial Teacher Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng; on the Dragon Qilin's head, the blue sparrow idly preened its feathers. And Shen Mu stood before the cages, talking with Imperial Teacher Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng.

Yan Shaoqing shook his head; he was somewhat dizzy, and his legs grew heavier and heavier, so that he had to hold on to a cage. "What on earth is going on? " He felt he could not breathe, and slumped to his knees, murmuring, "Why are you still here?

Why. . .

My cultivation surpasses yours by I know not how many times, so why can I still not break your divine art. . .

" In the cage beside him, the god-devil imprisoned there suddenly opened its eyes, its expression wooden, like a puppet under another's control, its mouth opening and closing stiffly: "Because the foundation is wrong.

In the Jingping Reform, the greatest change is the foundation.

From foundational runes to foundational divine arts to foundational cultivation methods, you are wrong in every one!

If you wish to break this kind of spiritual divine art, first destroy your own cultivation! " Yan Shaoqing was furious; he reached out and crushed that god-devil to powder! In the cage before him, the deity imprisoned there suddenly opened his eyes and said woodenly, "Yan Shaoqing, I was trapped in the Imperial Gate Divine Saber for several years.

You have been trapped only a few days, and already you cannot bear it? " Beside himself with rage, Yan Shaoqing struck that deity dead. A jailer passing by him suddenly halted, raised his head, and said woodenly, "Yan Shaoqing, my divine art is not only the undying spirit consciousness; there is also the Scripture of Immeasurable Kalpas. If you think everything is an illusion wrought by my spirit consciousness, you are gravely mistaken. " Yan Shaoqing smashed that jailer to pieces with a single punch and walked on toward Shen Mu ahead.

Another jailer, his face strange, stared fixedly at him: "Yan Shaoqing, I perceived the flaw in your foundation and planted the Scripture of Immeasurable Kalpas within your body.

If you wish to break it, it is in fact quite simple: you need only abolish the Spirit Bridge. " Yan Shaoqing's face went ashen; he seized that jailer's head and pressed it to the ground until the jailer was a blur of blood and flesh. Shen Mu raised his head and said woodenly, "There is no use in doing that.

" Yan Shaoqing tore the Shen Mu before him to shreds; the world turned black and white once more, and it was the same scene as before, with no change whatsoever.

Dejected, Yan Shaoqing dropped down onto the ground and murmured, "There must be a way to break it. There must be a way to break it without abolishing the Spirit Bridge spirit treasury. .

.

" He closed his eyes and gathered his mind, sinking into agonized thought. He sat thus for who knew how many days; Yan Shaoqing's hair turned grizzled, and still he could not think of a way to break it. Suddenly a jailer's voice came from outside: "Judge Yan, an envoy from the Nether Capital has arrived!

" Yan Shaoqing started, then his face lit with wild joy, and he laughed aloud, "So that is it, so that is it!

By myself I cannot break your divine art, but the moment an outside force arrives, your divine art unravels of itself!

Heavenly Venerable Mu, even if your divine art can restrain me, so long as someone comes from outside, that comer becomes a variable in your divine art! The more people come, the more flaws your divine art will show!

" He looked toward Shen Mu, and saw that Shen Mu, the Dragon Qilin, and the plump blue sparrow had vanished into thin air; they had slipped away at some unknown hour. But in the cages, both Imperial Teacher Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng were still there.

Yan Shaoqing relaxed a little and gave a cold laugh: "So he did flee!

" He walked out to receive the envoy from the Nether Capital, but the envoy had already entered the great prison, and his voice came to him, saying, "Zuo Shaobi, disciples from the various heavenly palaces came here, saying they meant to deal with Heavenly Venerable Mu. They have not returned for a long time, and my superiors ordered me to come and look into it.

" Yan Shaoqing went up to meet him and saw that the newcomer was Lou Yunqu, a disciple of Yin Tianzi.

He said hurriedly, "So it is Brother Lou. The disciples of the various heavenly palaces have all met with disaster; they died at the hands of that Heavenly Venerable Mu. " He and Lou Yunqu were on very familiar terms. Tian Shu, Heavenly King of the Nether Capital, and Yin Tianzi were sworn enemies. Yin Tianzi had taken action himself, intending to deal with Tian Shu, but Tian Shu escaped. Later Tian Shu cut off Tubo's horn, and his mortal body was held in Tubo's grip, leaving only his primordial spirit; it was then that Yin Tianzi asked Yan Shaoqing to lend a hand and lure Tian Shu into the Imperial Gate Divine Saber, there to be suppressed.

Lou Yunqu's expression changed slightly, and he blurted out, "All the disciples of the various heavenly palaces are dead? " Yan Shaoqing nodded.

Lou Yunqu stamped his foot: "How is this to be explained?

The disciples of the various heavenly palaces died here at your place; you are in deep trouble!

Among those who died here were several of my junior brothers, the prized disciples of Teacher Black Emperor! " Yan Shaoqing was unmoved: "The Heavenly Court has never possessed a complete spirit-consciousness method for the Emperor's Throne. Until I cultivate to the Emperor's Throne realm, which heavenly palace would dare touch me? Brother Lou, on your way here, did you see Heavenly Venerable Mu?

He escaped from here just now. " Lou Yunqu shook his head: "I did not. " Yan Shaoqing's eyes flickered, and he said suddenly, "Since Brother Lou came on the Black Emperor's orders, you must have the Black Emperor's written mandate.

I would ask Brother Lou to produce it so that I may have a look.

" Lou Yunqu laughed: "Since when did Zuo Shaobi become so cautious? Surely you do not think I am Heavenly Venerable Mu in disguise? " Even so, he took out Yin Tianzi's written mandate. Yan Shaoqing examined it closely; it was indeed in Yin Tianzi's hand, and only then did he relax somewhat.

Lou Yunqu said, "I have crossed blades with Heavenly Venerable Mu several times, and I know well how formidable he is.

Since he came here to you, he most likely meant to break into the prison and rescue Imperial Teacher Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng.

Are those two still here? " Yan Shaoqing said, "They are still in the prison. " Lou Yunqu went to look.

He stood outside the cages for a long while without moving. Yan Shaoqing looked at the cages; Emperor Yanfeng and Imperial Teacher Jingping were both within them, and he could not help laughing: "Brother Lou, what is it? " Lou Yunqu's face was pale, and his voice hoarse: "These two cages are completely empty.

Can you not see?

Those two grave criminals have already escaped! " Yan Shaoqing was shaken to the core.