Chapter 961 — The Brand of the Lord of Blazing Flame

" Luo Wushuang said, "Shen the Overlord Body, you underestimate Heavenly Venerables.

Among the Heavenly Venerables, apart from you, which one is not so powerful that worthy opponents are hard to find? Fire Heavenly Venerable's opponent was naturally not as mighty as Fire Heavenly Venerable and could not leave a brand. " Shen Mu shook his head: "If his opponent were not strong enough, why would he be so guarded, to the point of pushing his cultivation and power to the extreme? " Luo Wushuang was startled. There was indeed logic in that.

But Fire Heavenly Venerable was so powerful—where in this world could one find someone capable of matching a Heavenly Venerable of his caliber? Unless. . .

A terrible thought arose in his mind: unless it was Void Heavenly Venerable, who had traveled alongside Fire Heavenly Venerable! Void Heavenly Venerable had fought fiercely with Fire Heavenly Venerable here, forcing him to unleash his full power, leaving behind the Dao brand!

"And Fire Heavenly Venerable was wounded.

" Shen Mu raised his hand, pointing toward Fire Heavenly Venerable's brand. Luo Wushuang followed his finger and was greatly shaken.

At the heart of Fire Heavenly Venerable's brand, the Dao runes were exceedingly faint.

Clearly, Fire Heavenly Venerable's enemy had struck him there, wounding him, so that the brand at the heart's position was missing. Fire Heavenly Venerable had indeed been wounded!

But could someone truly wound a Heavenly Venerable? "Could it really be that Void Heavenly Venerable struck at Fire Heavenly Venerable?

" Luo Wushuang was about to approach for a closer look when Shen Mu hastily pulled him back, shaking his head: "If it were a complete brand of Dao runes, it would be stable and would not easily erupt.

But his chest is missing a portion of the runes—this brand is unstable. If you touch it, it could very well explode, and we would all be burned to ash!

" Luo Wushuang hastily halted. He glanced sideways at Shen Mu: "You know a great deal. " "I am a Heavenly Venerable and an Overlord Body—of course I know a great deal.

" Shen Mu smiled, then studied the wound on Fire Heavenly Venerable's brand closely.

Suddenly his heart stirred.

"Is Void Heavenly Venerable's weapon a sword?

" Luo Wushuang shook his head: "Void Heavenly Venerable's greatest strength is his divine abilities. He rarely uses a divine weapon. " "That is strange then—who used a sword to wound Fire Heavenly Venerable. . . " Shen Mu asked, "Among the Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court, whose swordsmanship is the highest?

" Luo Wushuang looked at him.

Shen Mu said helplessly, "Apart from me, whose swordsmanship is the highest?

" Luo Wushuang shook his head: "I have never heard of any Heavenly Venerable whose swordsmanship stands alone above all others. Each Heavenly Venerable has his or her own specialty.

Swordsmanship belongs to the acquired Great Dao created by postnatal beings—how could a Heavenly Venerable deign to regard it? What Heavenly Venerables pursue is the innate Great Dao.

Only unranked gods and demons like myself would pursue acquired Great Daos such as the way of the sword or the way of the blade.

" Shen Mu was stunned.

A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he murmured, "Perhaps that Heavenly Venerable could.

.

. Is he here? Is he truly here. . . " Luo Wushuang did not understand whom he meant and felt perplexed.

But Shen Mu was suddenly overcome with excitement. Throughout history, the only person to have cultivated swordsmanship to the thirty-third heaven—the first figure to reach the pinnacle of the sword. He was not among the Ten Heavenly Venerables, yet he bore the title of Heavenly Venerable.

He was one of the five founding elders of the Heaven Alliance.

Shen Heavenly Venerable Shen Ye, who had once traversed the Dragon Han Era alongside him, the Kai Emperor who had gone by the alias Shen Kai!

"Was it the Kai Emperor who dueled with Fire Heavenly Venerable? " Shen Mu suppressed the surging emotion in his heart.

If this person was the Kai Emperor, then the Land of No Sorrow should also be within the Void! He longed to see this ancestor again, this fellow cultivator of the Dao!

"If the Land of No Sorrow is in the Void, then my brother should be there too!

As long as I can contact my brother, I can find the Land of No Sorrow!

" He immediately attempted to establish a resonance with Shen Fengqing, but no matter how he tried, he could not sense him. Shen Mu frowned slightly.

He glanced at Luo Wushuang beside him, then suddenly smiled: "Luo Divine Blade, would you be interested in making a Little Earth Lord's Pact?

" Luo Wushuang was puzzled. Shen Mu smiled: "You and I shall pit swordsmanship against blade technique, the way of the sword against the way of the blade.

No cultivation—only these two skills.

If I lose, I am at your disposal. If you lose, you betray the Heavenly Court and pledge allegiance to Jingping.

" Luo Wushuang probed: "No cultivation or dharma power—only swordsmanship against blade technique, the way of the sword against the way of the blade?

You would lose terribly. I have already cultivated the way of the blade to the thirteenth heaven and am about to step into the fourteenth. You are still only at the third heaven of the sword, are you not? " Shen Mu smiled: "Will you take the bet?

" Luo Wushuang shook his head: "No bet. I would rather you and I contend at the same realm, giving you the advantage of cultivation, than take advantage of you. " Shen Mu frowned: "Stubborn fool. " Luo Wushuang's insistence, however, earned his admiration.

"Fire Heavenly Venerable is bleeding!

" Luo Wushuang went to the rear of Fire Heavenly Venerable's brand and looked toward the city wall. At the base of the wall was a drop of burning fresh blood, flames churning.

Within the flames, a gleam of sword light hovered above the blood.

Shen Mu came to his side and examined it closely.

This was the divine blood of a Heavenly Venerable, containing a Heavenly Venerable's divine ability.

The power within the blood and the sword light was contained, not released, yet both of them felt an inexplicable dread. "Do not touch it under any circumstances.

If you touch it, it will break the balance.

If the power within this drop of Heavenly Venerable's divine blood erupts, I fear it will utterly destroy this place! " Luo Wushuang drew a sharp breath and retreated step by step.

He said in a low voice, "Even if my injuries were fully healed and I were restored to peak condition, I would not have time to escape!

" Shen Mu was also retreating, not daring to release the slightest breath lest he disrupt the balance of the divine ability within the blood. This drop of divine blood was too perilous. And what was even more terrifying was that if the divine blood erupted, it would inevitably impact Fire Heavenly Venerable's brand—and Fire Heavenly Venerable's brand would be triggered as well!

At that very moment, two beams of light suddenly vaulted over the high city wall, flitting above the city like butterflies in flight—two women locked in a desperate struggle to the death! "You little slut!

You stole my man, you ruined my life, and you act in my name! " "You're the little slut!

You've been trying to harm me all along—did you think I didn't know? You hid for so long, and I long ago guessed you were concealed among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. Today I'll peel off your skin and make you show your true face!

" Shen Mu and Luo Wushuang were dumbfounded. They looked up at the two figures of light. Suddenly the lights separated—Yun Chuxiu and Lian Hunhua stood atop two tall towers, one on each side, robes fluttering.

Both women were beautiful beyond compare.

"You indulged your son Hao to kill my son Qi—did you think I didn't know? " "You kept that pretty boy Yu Heavenly Venerable, carrying on with him, scheming to seize the throne of the Heavenly Emperor—did you think I didn't know? " "Slut!