Chapter 944 — Bloodshed at the Ancestral King Palace

This trip to the Heavenly Court is only to revisit old haunts and meet old friends. " With that, he cast a covert glance at the hot-blooded young disciples of the Ancestral God King.

Those youths were unexpectedly good-tempered, their faces wreathed in smiles.

Dan Fenglai grew even more solicitous: "Your Venerable's health is unwell, but heaven protects the good. It seems this illness comes and goes in turns—a tricky complaint indeed.

I hear Your Venerable cut a swath of carnage through Langxuan Divine Palace, a most impressive feat, from which it seems the illness was in remission then.

" So saying, he laughed heartily. Shen Mu laughed heartily too, his voice full and strong. Dan Fenglai sneered inwardly: "This shameless wretch cannot even blush! " Yet he could not help admiring Shen Mu's mastery of the face, and he instructed the junior apprentices: "Attend carefully to His Venerable.

I will summon some powerful fighters to ensure his safety.

" They all acknowledged and pressed close around Shen Mu's party, showing them the splendor of the Ancestral King Palace.

Dan Fenglai then mobilized the gods and demons within the palace, spreading nets in the sky and laying snares on the ground, lest someone come in a surprise attack and pin the blame on the Ancestral God King. When he had finished making arrangements, he went to look for Shen Mu. A disciple told him: "Senior Brother, Heavenly Venerable Mu has opened an altar and is preaching, teaching divine arts and Dao techniques at the Abyss-Facing Terrace; all the brothers have run over there. " "Preaching at the Abyss-Facing Terrace?

What medicine is that fellow selling from his gourd?

" Dan Fenglai hurried to the Abyss-Facing Terrace and saw a sea of people around it, all disciples of the Ancestral King Palace, seated below the terrace listening to the one above expound the Dao.

". .

.

That is precisely why reform is needed: abolish the Divine Bridge Treasury, open the Heavenly River Treasury—the Heavenly River Treasury is the true orthodoxy. Look around, which of you at the same realm is a match for me?

It is not because I am Heavenly Venerable Mu that I am stronger than you. The reason I am so strong is precisely that I opened the Heavenly River Treasury.

What I now teach you is what the Ancestral Heavenly Venerable cannot teach!

Now I will teach you how to sense the power of the Heavenly River. .

. " At this Dan Fenglai was a little puzzled: "This plague god truly is preaching and expounding the Dao, only he seems to have gone mad, raving about reforms and abolishing the Divine Bridge and such nonsense. Let me hear how he goes on boasting; I need only guard the surroundings lest an enemy slips in to do him harm. " He took out a bottle, opened the stopper, and tipped it gently. Countless glass beads the size of fingertips poured out, swelled as they met the wind, and flew into the sky, turning into round after round of dazzling suns; from each sun flew a three-legged golden crow, carrying the sun on its back as it soared aloft.

Those golden crows were mighty creatures; they beat their wings, tore open the void, and burrowed into the depths of space, lurking there to watch every subtle movement. Dan Fenglai stood on a hilltop not far away, and all that the three-legged golden crows beheld was clearly reflected in his mind. With nets in the sky and snares on the ground, the Ancestral King Palace was sealed as tight as an iron bucket—no one could infiltrate it without his knowledge! He kept his guard all about while Shen Mu's voice drifted to his ears, and yet even he, without realizing it, listened in rapt attention, thinking: "This plague god does have some unique insights after all.

This method of his, sensing the power of the Heavenly River to open the Heavenly River Treasury, is indeed quite feasible. With talent high enough, one truly could open the Heavenly River Treasury. But before that, one must first abolish the Divine Bridge Treasury. .

. Not good!

" His mind suddenly fell into chaos, and cold sweat poured from his brow: "This is terrible! His method requires abolishing the Divine Bridge Treasury!

He is preaching here to destroy the orthodoxy of my Ancestral King Palace! " He soared into the air and shouted harshly, "Heavenly Venerable Mu is deluding the people with heresy!

No one is to listen! " His voice was thunderously loud and at once overwhelmed Shen Mu's. Shen Mu laughed, rose to his feet, and said leisurely, "Why does Your Star Lord say such a thing? In what way is my art heresy? " Dan Fenglai's face was livid as he flew onto the terrace and cried, "Heavenly Venerable Mu is the chief of the rebel bandits of the lower realm, the monster of reform!

What he teaches you is demonic arts, evil arts—do not listen! Forget his words!

Whoever dares cultivate them, I will kill at once!

" Below the terrace, the disciples of the Ancestral King Palace sat in a sea of people; at this they all exchanged glances, not knowing why the Great Sun Star Lord had suddenly turned so stern.

A young man laughed: "Senior Brother, I think Heavenly Venerable Mu's Heavenly River Treasury is indeed quite workable. If we could abolish the Divine Bridge and open the Heavenly River, our strength at the same realm would probably increase by as much as forty or fifty percent!

" Before he could finish, Dan Fenglai reached out a hand and snatched; the young man rose involuntarily, flew into his grip, and was seized by the throat. "What did I tell you? This is an evil art, a demonic art!

" Dan Fenglai slammed him heavily to the ground; the young man vomited blood, his bones broken who knew how many. Dan Fenglai was about to continue when the sky suddenly bled—streak after streak of blood seeping out of the void.

His face changed drastically, and he knew at once that someone had slipped into the deep space of the Ancestral King Palace and killed his avatars! The blood in the sky flowed thicker and thicker, and his avatars died faster and faster, yet he could not even see who the enemy was! "The one who has come is an existence at the Imperial Seat realm—perhaps even a Heavenly Venerable!

" Cold sweat broke out on Dan Fenglai's brow, but at that moment majestic radiance burst from the sky, and the colossal form of the Ancestral God King appeared in midair, saying in a deep voice, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, someone has come to kill you. The Ancestral King Palace is no place for you to linger.

I beg you, elder brother, to leave at once; I will hold off the assassin in your stead!

" Shen Mu made a salute: "God King, we are meeting for the first time—where is the rule of driving away a guest? " The Ancestral God King returned the salute, lowering his hand half a measure to show his station a notch beneath Shen Mu's, and said, "A strong enemy has invaded, and it will be hard for me to keep you safe.

Leave as quickly as you can, lest disaster befall you and implicate my Ancestral King Palace as well.

Fenglai, see our guest out.

" Dan Fenglai raised his hand, his face livid: "Heavenly Venerable, please! " Shen Mu and the others rose and departed.

Dan Fenglai escorted them out of the Ancestral King Palace, still livid, and sneered: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, it is not that my Ancestral King Palace wishes to drive you away—there truly is an external enemy invading, seeking to kill you and frame my Ancestral King Palace!

" Shen Mu voiced his thanks and said with deep meaning, "Star Lord, how do you know it is an external enemy? It might well be an internal one. " Dan Fenglai was taken aback for a moment, then watched him walk away, and suddenly came to his senses. He at once returned to the Ancestral King Palace and made straight for the Abyss-Facing Terrace.

Before he even reached it, he saw several corpses—the corpses of his junior brothers and sisters.