Chapter 989 — That Venerable One Must Die

New stars poured ceaselessly out of those rivers, drawing them ever farther from Shen Mu and the sea of fire. Just then the sea of fire vanished of a sudden and became numberless magpies, which, chattering, flew across the star rivers and joined themselves into magpie bridges reaching the far shore. The magpie bridges reached the far shore, then abruptly raised their heads and each became a great serpent, opening sky-swallowing jaws to swallow the nine Creators. Startled, the nine Creators changed their consciousness again, reversed their arts, and turned them into nets to scoop up the serpents.

The nine great serpents slipped into the nets, then abruptly dissolved into rolling streams of consciousness that bored into the crowns of their heads.

The nine Creators' eyes flew open; they did not move at all, cold sweat pouring down their brows.

Shen Mu's consciousness had invaded their flesh, and he need only visualize some colossal thing to burst their bodies apart. "That will do!

" Divine King Langwan's voice came at just the right moment, and Shen Mu's consciousness immediately flew out of the nine Creators, became nine formless currents of air that flew back to the altar and bored into the center of Shen Mu's brow.

Langwan turned and said to the enormous head upon the throne beside her, "Divine King Shujun is indeed worthy of being one of the Ancient Age's Three Kings. A moment ago you even tried to deceive me into thinking you had never taught him; now it seems the Holy Infant's attainments in consciousness arts are not bad at all.

" Shujun looked utterly blank, and murmured, "I really did not. .

. Yes, that is right!

I am an Ancient Age Divine King; naturally I have my methods.

Teaching him a few shallow consciousness arts like these was careless work, but it is enough for him to deal with the Creators you have so painstakingly cultivated.

" His face betrayed nothing.

Divine King Langwan laughed softly and rose to her feet.

"The Holy Infant has already passed three great trials.

Those three trials were, one might say, not difficult at all; with the Holy Infant's status and abilities, he could naturally pass them with ease. The last one tests the Holy Infant's wisdom.

" With slow and graceful steps she came onto the altar, and light surged in the center of her brow like the gradual spreading of sunset clouds, transforming into a domain that enclosed Shen Mu within it.

Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly. Looking out through this domain, he saw that beyond the altar the movements of those Creators had become incomparably swift, fleeting as light and shadow.

He raised his head to the sky. The sun above now moved with incomparable speed as well, crossing from east to west almost in the blink of an eye; the sun sinking and the moon rising was likewise the work of an instant.

In the space of a mere blink, sun and moon had traded places three times over. "The Supreme Consciousness Domain! " Shen Mu was shaken to the core.

Divine King Langwan stood beside him and said softly, "This art domain is the supreme learning of the great enemy of my clan, the Creators.

The Holy Infant must be able, by his own wisdom, to break this art before he can be counted as having passed my test. Otherwise, even with the status of the Holy Infant, you will one day die beneath such an art. " Shen Mu said softly, "The Great Emperor?

" Divine King Langwan's heart gave a slight jolt, and she lowered her head to look at him. Compared with her, Shen Mu seemed very small indeed.

She was a Divine King among the Creators, her body vast, like an ancient goddess such as Lady Tianyin; at her feet Shen Mu seemed utterly insignificant.

"It is indeed the Great Emperor's art. " Langwan did not deny it.

"The Great Emperor betrayed my clan and all but exterminated it.

This blood feud, by whatever means, must be avenged.

I was born precisely to take revenge upon him. Yet though I have imitated his arts in seven parts out of ten, I have no confidence at all in breaking them. " Shen Mu frowned and ventured, "You mean the Great Emperor is still alive?

But in the Great Void I clearly saw that the Great Emperor was dead; his flesh was trapped to death in the Supreme Consciousness Domain by Heavenly Venerable Yun and the Creators.

" Langwan shook her head, and her body shrank gradually until in no time she stood about his own height.

"The Great Emperor must still be alive.

In those years countless Creators sacrificed to him and shaped him into the mightiest being in the world, with the strongest flesh and the strongest consciousness; it is impossible that he was trapped to death there.

" She said softly, "He possesses a consciousness eternal and indestructible.

He can survive in any form whatsoever; even if he casts away his flesh, even if he casts away his soul, even if he casts away a portion of his consciousness, he can still live on. The Great Emperor who died in the Great Void was only a part of him; other parts of him still live on in the Ancestral Court. " Shen Mu's brows knit deeply.

At a level of cultivation such as the Crimson Emperor's, one could rely on an indestructible consciousness to endure forever, and unless that indestructible consciousness were ground away, there was no possibility of utterly destroying him. For a being like the Great Emperor, a monster shaped by countless Creators together, whose consciousness was stronger even than the Crimson Emperor's, to destroy him was truly difficult beyond measure.

"Why did the Great Emperor want to be rid of the Creators? " Shen Mu asked, perplexed. "Is he not of the same clan as you?

" "Because it was the Creators who made him; the Creators could make him, and could also make another. For the sake of his rule, he had to be rid of every Creator but himself. " Divine King Langwan stated a cold, hard fact. "By now more than half a year has passed outside.

You need to hurry. You have endless time to break this domain, and I will be here at your side.

Once I have laid down the Supreme Consciousness Domain, even I cannot walk out of it. " Shen Mu's heart wavered; he glanced at the girl beside him, then suddenly came to his senses and hastily shifted his gaze from her breasts, warning himself inwardly, "Shen Mu, Shen Mu, with no Long Pang at your side, you must keep yourself under control!

" He steadied his mind and did his best not to look at this woman of ice-white flesh and jade bones.

Shen Mu took out the Great Emperor's Seal and the Great Emperor's Altar.

Langwan shook her head. "Before the Great Emperor, bringing out those two treasures is simply seeking death.

" Shen Mu put the two treasures away and examined the Supreme Consciousness Domain in careful detail. The Supreme Consciousness Domain in the Great Void he had broken by relying on the Great Emperor's Seal and the Great Emperor's Altar; but now, without those two treasures, he found that he was utterly helpless before this domain. "There must be a way.

There must be a way. .

.

" He paced back and forth, while overhead the sun rose and set, sun and moon trading places in their cycle.

"A year has passed," Divine King Langwan reminded him.

Panic rose in Shen Mu's heart, and then suddenly inspiration struck: in his hand appeared a peach-wood hairpin. Langwan looked at the hairpin, a doubtful expression coming over her face.

Shen Mu's primal energy burst forth; he channeled the peach-wood hairpin, stretched out his hand and made a slash.

The whole Supreme Consciousness Domain split cleanly open, the moon that had been racing across the sky abruptly halted, a scattering of stars hung in the east, and everything outside returned to normal.

Divine King Langwan was struck dumb, staring at the scene, unable to speak.

Shen Mu too was dazed, then suddenly shuddered and blurted out, "I have it figured out — who killed Heavenly Venerable Ling!

To him, Heavenly Venerable Ling had to die!

"