Chapter 978 — Sloth in Youth, Vain Grief in White Hair

Within the Primal Fetus Divine Treasury, Shen Mu's primal spirit stood upon the black-and-white Taiji Diagram. He stamped his foot heavily, and the Taiji Diagram expanded with furious speed, growing ever broader, while the Primal Wood flourished, tall and fair. As the Taiji Diagram expanded, Shen Mu took out the jade bottle in which the Hongmeng Essence was sealed, carefully drew forth a single drop, and flicked it from his finger.

The drop flew out and fell upon the Taiji Diagram, and at once a vast ocean surged into being, its waves raging!

Shen Mu drew out another drop.

This drop transformed into a Heavenly River that rose from the earth, roaring and surging, sweeping up along the Primal Wood behind him and plunging straight into the void! Shen Mu's primal spirit remained upon the Taiji Diagram, not following the Heavenly River up into the void; instead he commanded the river, making it flow across the Taiji Continent.

Shen Mu frowned slightly. He had not obtained the Dao runes of the Great Abyss of Guixu, and so could not visualize the Abyss. He could only let the Heavenly River flow along the Taiji chord at the center of the Diagram, until at its end it became the Nether River, sweeping in mighty torrents toward Youdu, spiraling down around Tubo.

"Lady Yuanmu's mortal body is here with me. When I have time I must take it out and study it carefully; I am determined to fathom the Dao runes of Guixu!

" He drew out yet another drop of the Essence and flicked it forth. Before the drop touched the ground it began to swell, transforming into energy of incomparable purity, like a vast ocean about to fall to earth.

At the same time, Shen Mu roused the Mystic Body Three Elixirs Art, marshaled all the vital qi within him, and blasted it out toward the four quarters of the Taiji Diagram!

Thousands upon thousands of strands of vital qi flew in from every corner of the Primal Fetus Divine Treasury, weaving and entwining, rousing the energy within that drop of Essence; under the impact of strand after strand of vital qi, a Southern Heavenly Gate rose from the ground, and a thousand palaces and ten thousand halls came surging into being. In an instant the Green Wave Bridge, the Longevity Star Terrace, the Heavenly Street, the Heavenly Market, the Imperial Carriage Way, the Water Palace, the Three Terraces, and all the other structures of the Heavenly Court sprang from nothing into being, from foundation to flying eaves, as though an invisible hand were painting and an invisible heavenly artisan were shaping matter, creating a Heavenly Palace of magnificent sweep!

The Heavenly Palace emerged, radiant with bright clouds, veiled in jade-green mist. The energy of that drop of Essence was spent.

This Heavenly Palace was unlike any other.

The Heavenly Palaces of others were usually built on the far shore of the Divine Bridge, or upon the Heavenly River, whereas Shen Mu's was raised directly upon the Taiji Diagram.

The ocean that his first drop of Hongmeng Essence had become had now turned into the Jade Pool and the jade seas, and had become part of this Heavenly Palace.

Shen Mu drew out another drop of Essence. The Mystic Body Three Elixirs Art still turned, vital qi coursed, and another Heavenly Palace surged forth!

The structures of this Heavenly Palace were dominated by dragons; upon the God-Slaying Platform, two dragons coiled to form a pair of blades. Shen Mu drew out the fifth drop of Essence, and a third Heavenly Palace emerged! This Heavenly Palace sat upon the reverse side of the Taiji Diagram, dominated by darkness: a dark, sunken palace, dark sun and moon.

Shen Mu's reflection took the form of Tubo Shen Mu, and this dark Heavenly Palace floated between the two horns of Tubo Shen Mu.

He flicked out the sixth drop of Essence, and a fourth Heavenly Palace surged forth!

This Heavenly Palace stood upon the Taiji Diagram, its buildings and sculptures chiefly of gods and demons with three heads and six arms. When the fourth Heavenly Palace was formed, Shen Mu drew out the seventh drop of Essence, and a fifth Heavenly Palace rose from the ground — this one the Sword Heavenly Palace, bristling with sword qi!

He drew out the eighth drop. The spirit of the martial Dao filled heaven and earth, and the vital qi behind him transformed into a sixth Heavenly Palace, the Martial Dao Heavenly Palace!

The ninth drop flew out; Shen Mu's aura became brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and upon the left side of his form half a Heavenly Palace of the Painting Dao took shape.

The tenth drop flew out; saber light startled the world, and upon the right side of his form half a Heavenly Palace of the Saber Dao took shape.

The eleventh drop flew out, forming half a Heavenly Palace of Medicine.

The twelfth drop formed half a Heavenly Palace of Divine Ability. The thirteenth drop formed half a Heavenly Palace of Forging. The fourteenth drop flew out, forming half a Heavenly Palace of the Buddhist Dao.

The fifteenth drop flew out, forming half a Heavenly Palace of Thievery.

The sixteenth drop formed half a Heavenly Palace of Formation.

When these sixteen drops of Essence were spent, Shen Mu's Primal Fetus Divine Treasury changed no more. The various Heavenly Palaces, some whole and some incomplete, stood in interlacing array, each producing its own strange phenomena — fourteen Heavenly Palaces in all.

Others believed that his cultivation art had fused at most three or four Emperor Throne arts, and that guess was not wrong: Shen Mu's Mystic Body Three Elixirs Art had indeed fused only a few Emperor Throne arts — those of the Crimson Emperor, the Bright Emperor, Mahakala, and the Ancestral Dragon Grand Mystery Art.

Among them, Mahakala's Dark Magic Scripture was incomplete, and so counted as half a Heavenly Palace.

Yet Shen Mu had entered the Dao through the sword, and his sword Dao divine abilities were unmatched under heaven, so he could raise a full Heavenly Palace of the Sword.

He had also pondered the martial Dao and studied the Martial Combat Heavenly Art of the Martial Combat Heavenly Master, Zhuo Cha; that the spirit of the martial Dao should become a Martial Dao Heavenly Palace was only natural.

As for the various acquired Daos — the saber, painting and calligraphy, thievery, formations, divine abilities, forging, medicine, and the rest — he had learned them all from the elders of Hidden Remnant Village.

Though Shen Mu himself had not entered the Dao, the elders of Hidden Remnant Village had all entered it; their cultivation realms were merely low, and they had never deduced their arts and divine abilities to the level of a Heavenly Palace.

The elders of Hidden Remnant Village had, as it were, planted seeds in him, and those seeds had sprouted.

So it seemed that Shen Mu cultivated very few Emperor Throne arts, when in truth he cultivated no small number.

"When I return to Jingping, I must drive Village Head, Mo Jiang, and the other grandpas hard, make them cultivate diligently and train bitterly, ponder with all their might, and raise their cultivation realms and their insights!

" Shen Mu's primal spirit walked beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate of the main Heavenly Palace and felt the pressure emanating from it. Sick at heart, he thought, "If the elders do not strive, the young grieve in vain!

If Grandpa Village Head and the others do not strive, I can never perfect the other Heavenly Palaces. " "Just as they once forced me to cultivate diligently and train bitterly, so I shall force them to study earnestly and train bitterly! Only when every grandpa and grandma has cultivated their Heavenly Palace will my Heavenly Court be complete.