Chapter 1023 — The Snow-White Cat

Yun Chuxiu glanced at Demon King Dutian, knitted her brows a little, and said, "A demon god of the Godslayer Terrace realm, and an ugly one at that—why does Heavenly Venerable Mu treat him so well? " Shen Mu laughed. "Good aptitude, good comprehension, clever and tough.

He was simply held back in his early years. Demon King Dutian is one of the few men I have ever found worthy of notice.

" Yun Chuxiu could not help growing curious. "And who else is worthy of Heavenly Venerable Mu's notice?

" "Plenty.

" Shen Mu rattled them off like a man counting treasures: "The ten Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court, and Tiangong besides, and Tubo, the Heavenly Emperor, the Empress, Yuanmu, and the other ancient gods; the Great Emperor and Kaihuang; the powerhouses of the Emperor's Throne, great and small; and several dozen talents of the younger generation. All told, some one or two hundred. " Yun Chuxiu laughed until she trembled like a flower in the breeze. "One or two hundred is what you call plenty?

Heavenly Venerable Mu, are you trying to frighten me to death? " Shen Mu's soul nearly went off with the woman; inwardly he sighed, What a woman.

"No wonder even the Heavenly Emperor, an ancient god, fell for it back in the day! " Dragon Qilin lifted his head alertly and coughed.

Shen Mu at once pulled himself together, shifted his gaze from Yun Chuxiu to Divine King Langwo, and instantly felt that all of Yun Chuxiu's allure was useless.

Feasting his eyes on the quiet, elegant beauty of Divine King Langwo could settle his heart into stillness. The two women had identical faces, yet Divine King Langwo was not like Yun Chuxiu: Yun Chuxiu provoked a fierce possessiveness in a man, whereas the aura of Divine King Langwo drew you in without your knowing, until you were steeped in infatuation.

Dragon Qilin coughed again. Shen Mu could not help wondering, "I am not looking at the little vixen anymore—why is Fatty Dragon still coughing to warn me? " Dragon Qilin's brows were deeply knit, and he felt uneasy. "Is there any saving our Sect Master? " Yun Chuxiu looked at Divine King Langwo and frowned slightly, thinking, "This little seductress has more skill at hooking men than I do.

Where does she come from? By her bearing she might be my sister—but my sister is that little witch Lian Huanhun, and she would not have sent another Jue Wuchen.

I have probed her for so long and still cannot see through her.

Among the ten Heavenly Venerables, which one has transformed into Jue Wuchen? Heavenly Venerable Gong? No, that does not fit either. . . " Shen Mu traded a few teasing words with the two women, then rose and left with Demon King Dutian and Dragon Qilin. "Brother Dutian, I have given the Gourd-Heaven Bottle into Fatty Dragon's keeping.

From now on you follow Fatty Dragon day to day.

" Only after they had gotten clear of Yun Chuxiu and Divine King Langwo did he go on: "When you have time, go into the Gourd-Heaven Bottle and settle your people. That gourd-world is still a blank slate, and it is room enough for your clan to multiply and thrive.

But the Gourd-Heaven Bottle is only another Land of No Sorrow. Hiding inside it will only keep you closed in on yourselves. In the end you will still have to migrate out and settle in the world beyond. " Demon King Dutian assented, and said bleakly, "Out there the heavens stand thick as trees. I fear there will be no place for my clan to perch. " Shen Mu smiled slightly.

"In the Heavenly Court it is hard for you to earn merit, but in my service merit is not hard to come by. In Jingping there is a race called the Tianyu.

Their Tianyu World has been occupied by another demon clan. Yu Zhaoqing, chieftain of the Tianyu, has asked me again and again to attack the Tianyu World and win back her people's territory. I agreed, but I have never found the time. In a few days I will make a trip down into the lower realms. Go and see Yu Zhaoqing, and help her take back the Tianyu World. The Tianyu World is one of the great heavens; there is enough of it to carve off a piece for your clan to stay in for a while. " Demon King Dutian hesitated. "To stay for a while—but in the long run, I fear it will stir up no end of trouble, and the debt of gratitude will turn into enmity. " Shen Mu praised his worldly wisdom, and laughed.

"Who can say clearly what the future holds? Perhaps in a hundred years this world will be thrown into chaos.

In chaotic times heroes rise on every side, and there may well be a place for you and your clan to shelter. " Demon King Dutian's eyes went wide, and he cried out, "The Heavenly Court rules all the heavens now, and the might of the ten Heavenly Venerables holds the myriad worlds down. How could chaos possibly arise? " Suddenly his other head understood, and he laughed.

"Of course. Heavenly Venerable Mu has entered the Heavenly Court—how could there not be chaos?

" Shen Mu cursed him with a laugh. Even as they spoke, Divine King Langwo came seeking them, parting the flowers and brushing aside the willows, and glanced at Dutian.

Her divine consciousness rippled: "Holy Infant, when will you go in search of the Ancestral Court?

" Shen Mu's divine consciousness rippled in answer: "A few days ago I stole the Heavenly Emperor's eggshell. The ten Heavenly Venerables already regard one another with suspicion, and some of them surely suspect me as well.

If I leave the Heavenly Court now, some Heavenly Venerable may grow restless and test me along the way. " He frowned. "There were cracks among the ten Heavenly Venerables to begin with, and mutual suspicion. Now I have brought them word that the Great Emperor is hidden among them—and to my surprise they still sit tight, without any in-fighting.

I stole the Heavenly Emperor's eggshell, and still they do not move; they are very steady, and on the surface as harmonious and united as ever. At this point I am rather powerless. " He shook his head and said with feeling, "I revealed the whereabouts of the Great Void and the Land of No Sorrow, and they were not moved either. I no longer have any confidence that I can set them at one another's throats. Is it only by exposing the news that the Heavenly Emperor, the Empress and Yuanmu are hidden among the ten Heavenly Venerables that they will go to war?

" "Holy Infant, you are rather too impatient. " Divine King Langwo tried to reason with him: "Haste does not bring success. What you should do now is leave the Heavenly Court and wait quietly to see how things change. Contradictions pile up day after day; hatred will run deeper and deeper, wider and wider. If you want to provoke a civil war among the ten Heavenly Venerables in a short span, you will only leave traces, and others will seize on the evidence.

As for using the Heavenly Emperor's body to steal the Heavenly Emperor's.

. . eggshell—I never approved of that to begin with. It was too dangerous. " Softly she said, "The Great Emperor is hidden among them, and so is the Heavenly Emperor. With so many able and extraordinary people among the ten Heavenly Venerables, you cannot be sure they will not discover your traces.

If you had wished to leave the Heavenly Court earlier, the worst they would have done was set someone to watch you in secret. But to leave the Heavenly Court after stealing the Heavenly Emperor's eggshell—there will surely be many dangers ahead. As for the Heavenly Emperor, I do not know his methods, but the Great Emperor has vast divine powers, and he will most likely suspect you. " Shen Mu nodded. "I was rash. Divine King Sister, did you know that the Heavenly Emperor was born from an egg? " Divine King Langwo shook her head.

"Divine King Langwo is, after all, a Creator of the younger generation. It seems I shall have to ask Divine King Shujun.

" No sooner had Shen Mu thought this, and was about to send for Shujun, than Yan'er's startled cry came to his ears: "Where did this wildcat come from?