Chapter 1025 — The Venerable of the Human Race Who Comprehends Heaven's Secrets

With the spirit-energy translocation bridges, travel to any destination had become far smoother. The Yuan Realm was a vast and greatly important place, so there were many translocation bridges connecting to it. Shen Mu looked out and saw that this was a translocation bridge at the center of the Yuan Realm, established within a divine city in the sky, not far from the Yuanmu.

He could not help but frown and say, "Dutian, why did we not go straight to Jingping? " Before the Dutian Demon King could answer, Yun Chuxiu laughed. "Jingping is a small place. There are only two translocation bridges connecting to it—one under my control, the other in the Zaofu Palace.

Coming by any other bridge, you can only arrive at this divine city. This divine city is called Yuandu, and it may be considered the center of the Yuan Realm. " Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly. He took out his travel permit and had the Dutian Demon King seek out the local divine general to register it, then asked offhandedly, "And who among the Heavenly Venerables now holds the Yuan Realm in hand? " He surveyed his surroundings.

Yuandu was magnificent and imposing, guarded by heavy troops, the divine city suspended twenty thousand li in the air, monitoring the motions of the heavens throughout the Yuan Realm. Many Daoists were flying through the sky, riding clouds, plucking the sun, moon, and stars from the heavens and rolling up the firmament itself. That was the Heavenly Chart.

A new Heavenly Chart had presumably already been fashioned. The old one was worn and decayed, and moreover too small to shroud the entire sky of the Yuan Realm; hence these Daoists of the Heavenly Court's Daoist sects were taking the old Heavenly Chart down. Yun Chuxiu also looked up, and said in surprise, "You truly did not know? The Yuan Realm as it stands was originally meant to fall into the hands of Heavenly Venerable Hao.

But in the end, Heavenly Venerable Hao was a little too impetuous, and Heavenly Venerable Xiao took advantage of him.

" She sighed mournfully. "Heavenly Venerable Xiao is deep and calculating. He seized the moment when the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign resurrected and both she and Heavenly Venerable Hao were gravely wounded, forced Heavenly Venerable Hao out, and took the Yuan Realm for himself alone.

This Yuan Realm is no small matter. It was originally called Yuandu, and it is rich in heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Back when the Heavenly Court was being built, the Heavenly Emperor ordered the treasures of Yuandu to be mined for its construction. .

. " Shen Mu was greatly shaken, and scarcely heard the rest of what she said. Heavenly Venerable Xiao had obtained the Yuan Realm—then he was the incarnation of one of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor's souls in the Heavenly Court! Shen Mu had originally guessed that Heavenly Venerable Qiang was the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, but he had guessed wrong after all. "Perhaps the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor has two identities in the Heavenly Court—one is Heavenly Venerable Xiao, and the other Heavenly Consort Qiang.

" Shen Mu laughed.

"Good sister, how much do you know about Heavenly Venerable Xiao? " Yun Chuxiu blinked and said warily, "Whenever you want to pry something out of me, you call me good sister, your mouth as sweet as honey.

And once you have pried it out, I am a fox spirit, to be guarded against strictly.

What do you want with news of Heavenly Venerable Xiao? " Shen Mu said with the utmost sincerity, "I have been in the Heavenly Court for quite a few years now.

I am about to turn five, and yet I know nothing at all about Heavenly Venerable Xiao.

I find him most mysterious. So I would ask my sister to enlighten me a little. Good sister, Heavenly Venerable Xiao should not be unfamiliar to you, surely? " Yun Chuxiu shot him a glare and laughed.

"Heavenly Venerable Xiao is a hero of your human race. Speaking of his identity, you ought to be quite fond of him. With Heavenly Venerable Ling's support, he once served as the first Heavenly Emperor of the Southern Supreme Heavenly Court. " Shen Mu was dumbstruck.

Seeing his astonished expression, Yun Chuxiu could not help but laugh. "What sort of look is that? Heavenly Venerable Xiao has another identity—he was a disciple of Heavenly Venerable Yun and Heavenly Venerable Yue, and followed them as early as the Longhan era. He could be called the most radical figure in the Heavenly Alliance.

In his early years he was bent on destroying the ancient gods, and even believed that Heavenly Venerable Hao, Divine Emperor Langxuan, and the Ancestral God King all had to be rooted out.

" Shen Mu felt as though struck by heavenly thunder, so shaken he could not speak. The Heavenly Emperor had been a disciple of Heavenly Venerable Yun and Heavenly Venerable Yue? And later became a disciple of Heavenly Venerable Ling? "Heavenly Venerable Xiao was very active in the Longhan and Chiming eras. He was deeply exclusionary, extremely hostile to half-gods and ancient gods alike, and so he was hardly welcomed by others. " Yun Chuxiu said, "Heavenly Venerable Yun and Heavenly Venerable Yue were quite helpless before his radicalism, and very much on the back foot. So over a matter neither great nor small, they expelled him from their school.

Unexpectedly, he grew very close to Heavenly Venerable Ling.

Later, when Heavenly Venerable Yun died and Heavenly Venerable Yue retired into seclusion, Heavenly Venerable Ling thought highly of him and supported him in becoming the Southern Supreme Sovereign.

" Shen Mu's mind was in a daze, and for a long while he could not speak. "It is precisely because he was a disciple of Heavenly Venerable Yun and Heavenly Venerable Yue, and also close to Heavenly Venerable Ling, that the other Heavenly Venerables did not much care for him. He too lived in deep seclusion, rarely showing his face.

" Yun Chuxiu said calmly, "I suspect that among the Heavenly Venerables who rescued you at the Jade Pool, he was one. " Shen Mu steadied himself, summoned the Dutian Demon King and the others, and said, "Let us go. We are going to Jingping. " Dragon Qilin probed, "Sect Master truly means to go to Jingping? And the Grand Emperor's corpse? " Shen Mu laughed.

"The Yuan Realm is Heavenly Venerable Xiao's territory.

What do I have to fear? Heavenly Venerable Xiao is human. He must surely take great care of his own people.

When the Jingping calamity broke out all those years ago, it was he who protected the humans of Jingping. If the Grand Emperor truly dares to come, I will see to it that he never returns!

" Dragon Qilin hastily said to Dutian, "Brother Dutian, we should return to the Heavenly Court at once! " Shen Mu kicked him and sneered, "Fool, do you not trust Heavenly Venerable Xiao of the human race?

With Heavenly Venerable Xiao here, there is no danger to me at all!

" Dragon Qilin muttered, "But Heavenly Venerable Xiao is not here. . . " Shen Mu pointed with his hand and laughed.

"Who says Heavenly Venerable Xiao is not here?

His divine artifact Yutianzun is suppressed right here in the Yuan Realm. If I meet danger, Heavenly Venerable Xiao will surely activate the divine artifact Yutianzun and come to my rescue!

" The Dutian Demon King returned with the travel permit and said, "Sect Master, it has been registered.

" Shen Mu laughed heartily, in high spirits, and waved his hand. "Heavenly Venerable Xiao already knows I have come. Since that is so, let us return to Jingping!

" The nine dragons cried out long, their dragon bodies growing larger and larger, transforming into divine dragons a hundred li in length.

They rode the clouds and mist, drawing the treasure carriage, and a long river stretched across the sky toward the east. The nine heavenly dragons galloped along the long river, swift as wind and lightning, thunder and lightning accompanying them, their speed extreme.