Chapter 950 — A Beauty Pities the Flower-Soul

"Is this all? " Kunwu hesitated, then said, "Master said disciples of the True God realm, and so this disciple sought out fifteen True Gods.

Beyond them there are several who have fused more Emperor's Throne arts, and one of them has barely reached the standard of a great Heavenly Court art.

" Heavenly Venerable Hao was moved. A great Heavenly Court art was the fusion of eighteen or more Emperor's Throne arts. In this world, only a Heavenly Venerable could fuse the various Emperor's Throne arts and comprehend a great Heavenly Court art, and now, unexpectedly, one of his own disciples had reached that standard.

Kunwu said with difficulty, "This one has fused eighteen Emperor's Throne arts, barely counting as the great Heavenly Court standard. Only, his realm is not True God, but Spirit Bridge. .

.

" "Spirit Bridge, and he has fused eighteen Emperor's Throne arts? " Heavenly Venerable Hao was startled.

Such natural gifts were hardly inferior to those of the Heavenly Court's Ten Heavenly Venerables, and this one was so young besides, and still only at the Spirit Bridge realm, which could not but rouse his vigilance. "There is no need to worry about realm.

Shen Mu's realm is not high either. " Heavenly Venerable Hao pressed down the shock in his heart and smiled. "The thief Mu is not even a deity yet, and he has fused only three or four Emperor's Throne arts.

Bring this disciple to me.

" Kunwu departed, and after a moment he brought back that possessor of divine powers. Heavenly Venerable Hao looked, and saw that the person was a woman; she bowed low and gracefully before him, saying, "This disciple, Lian Huahun, pays her respects to Master.

" Heavenly Venerable Hao's heart swayed; he smiled. "Rise.

" The woman Lian Huahun rose gracefully, and Heavenly Venerable Hao studied her closely.

Lian Huahun was beautiful and alluring, her slender shoulders as though pared, her garments wholly proper, save that her breasts strained them taut, while at the waist they drew thin again. Her eyes were deeply alluring; to look into them, one could not help but feel one's heart stir.

Her sashes flew and streamed behind her, and behind her head hung a round halo wrought of vital essence, floating aloft, untouched by a speck of mortal dust.

The woman's features bore a certain resemblance to those of his own mother, Lady Yuanmu. Heavenly Venerable Hao studied her a while, sighed in secret admiration, pressed down the false fire, and thought, "That I should have such a woman among my disciples?

" He opened his eyes wide and looked closely: the woman bore no trace of knife or axe; flesh and soul alike were natural, not a beauty fashioned by arts of creation.

Since he himself had conceived the beauty trap to scheme against the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, he was naturally careful and wary, lest another use the same scheme against him. Though he had inherited a few bad habits from the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, he was cautious by nature; in the past many had tried beauty traps upon him, yet he had smilingly accepted the beauties and then devoured them.

Heavenly Venerable Hao gazed a while, and the false fire in his heart could no longer be pressed down.

He smiled. "The other disciples shall each receive one art of Slaying Mu from me; Lian Huahun shall cultivate the Eighteen Arts of Slaying Mu. You will rid me of Shen Mu.

I will forge a treasure for each of you to guard your consciousness, lest you fall into the thief Mu's illusory realms of consciousness.

" All of them bowed and assented. Kunwu said, "Master, it will be hard to strike within the Heavenly Court.

Heavenly Venerable Mu has no faction there, yet many ancient gods and Heavenly Venerables protect him in secret.

" Heavenly Venerable Hao pondered a moment and said, "Heavenly Venerable Fire and Heavenly Venerable Void joined hands to explore the Great Void and found many perils there. Heavenly Venerable Fire sent word back that danger lies everywhere, and proposed that the Heavenly Court send troops to subdue it.

Since we cannot kill him in the Heavenly Court, we shall kill him in the Great Void. Finding a reason to send him to the Great Void will be no trouble.

" Kunwu assented. "Kunwu, withdraw.

The others remain here; I will teach you the Eighteen Arts of Slaying Mu. " Heavenly Venerable Hao's gaze fell upon these nineteen, then lit again on Lian Huahun, and his heart swayed once more; the old ailment inherited from the Heavenly Emperor had relapsed. But Lian Huahun could not yet be eaten; she was still needed to do away with Shen Mu.

He could only hold himself in check and teach them the Eighteen Arts of Slaying Mu with diligence. In the Manhui Corridor Pavilion by the Jade Pool, Shen Mu toyed with the Seal of the Grand Emperor. After a while his consciousness poured into the seal, and he shouted, "Rise! " A clatter.

The Seal of the Grand Emperor fell to the ground.

Shen Mu scratched his head, picked the seal up, and tried again with vital essence instead, shouting, "Rise! " The seal floated in the air, yet had no might whatever.

He opened the vertical eye at the center of his brow and sought to command the treasure seal with his third eye, but still nothing out of the ordinary occurred. He then tried to construct the Taiwei Enclosure within the seal by means of his consciousness; the seal wobbled and drifted up, and delight rose in Shen Mu's heart, and then with another clatter the seal fell to the ground. "This broken seal is utterly useless! " Shen Mu was furious; he drew out the Heart of the Primeval Wood and smashed it down with all his force.

The Manhui Corridor Pavilion shook violently, nearly collapsing under the power of the Heart of the Primeval Wood, and yet the treasure seal showed no change at all; for all the wood's surpassing hardness, it did not mar the seal in the slightest.

"This thing is hard enough; it would serve well for bashing people over the head.

" Shen Mu put the seal away, and Shu Jun's voice came into his mind, sneering. "The treasure seal of Grand Emperor Juyu, and you use it to bash people, truly a lower species! Give me your blood-essence and consciousness for a single year, and I will teach you how to activate the Seal of the Grand Emperor!

" Before, he had demanded three years; now he asked only one, a steep discount indeed. Shen Mu paid him no heed, but took out the box Heavenly Venerable Yun had left him and studied the altar inside it.

Shu Jun's heart seized with alarm.

"Can this fellow have seen through it?

" Shen Mu closed the box again, and only then did Shu Jun breathe easy, when suddenly Shen Mu smiled.

"Shu Jun, pass on to me the rest of the Taiwei Enclosure Upper Consciousness arts, and I will help you restore your other eye. " Shu Jun sneered.

"Dream on! The Taiwei Enclosure Upper Consciousness is only one third of the complete art.

To give the whole of it to you, is that worth a single eye?

At the very least it is worth a head! And besides, you have still not found for me who that Creator in the Heavenly Court is; your promise is not yet fulfilled! " Shen Mu laughed in his fury.

"You sneaking old wretch!

Our bargain was that I would help you find that Creator and you would teach me the art of cultivating consciousness, yet you gave me only a third of it, and now you have the face to say I have not kept my word! " Shu Jun sneered. "I said only that I would teach you how to cultivate with the Taichu Primeval Stone.

I never said I would transmit the complete art.

I have not broken my promise, have I?

" Shen Mu trembled with rage.

"Damn your uncle! " The lump of flesh on the primeval-stone altar trembled with rage too.

"Damn your second uncle! " After a moment, Shen Mu's brows unfurrowed and he smiled. "You transmit the complete art to me, and I supply blood-essence and consciousness to help you restore your head. How does that proposal sound?