Chapter 1026 — The Holy Emperor's Sword, the Youth's Tongue

The Yong River was the Heavenly River. The Heavenly River flowed out from the other heavens, came to this place, and fell upon the earth; its waters rushed on without cease, pouring into the great sea of the Yuan Realm.

The Yong River was vast, its surface wide enough to rival the ocean itself; if the waters were drained, one could see countless heavens of the water tribes hidden within its depths. At this moment the mountains on both banks trembled like waves, and those towering, majestic divine mountains were like the crests of waves—one could imagine how terrifying the colossal thing beneath the ground must be!

Yun Chuxiu's expression shifted slightly, and she quietly hid behind Shen Mu, murmuring, "The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign. .

. no, hasn't she already died?

" Shu Jun's expression also changed as he gazed at the mountains rising and falling along both banks of the Yong River.

"Rest assured, Divine King.

With me here, the Earth Mother cannot see us," the Langwan Divine King transmitted.

Shu Jun relaxed a little.

The nine Heavenly Dragons also trembled with fear and hastily halted. The river surged with towering waves, its flow nearly cut off—clearly some colossal creature had slipped from the bank into the river, and because its body was so vast, it had blocked the Yong River's current.

Boom!

A violent tremor came, and a massive stone coffin rose slowly from the river's heart, blocking the way before the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage. Shen Mu put away the jade bottle, took the core of the Yuanmu as a bamboo staff, and stepped out of the carriage.

He looked up at the massive stone coffin; beneath it, enormous roots like tentacles writhed under the river's surface. "Heavenly Venerable Mu, of the ten years, five remain! " A roaring voice came from the coffin, and rolling corpse qi poured out, most terrifying—it must be the imperial corpse of the Northern Supreme Emperor.

"You have returned now—are you preparing to revive the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign?

" Countless corpses of great fish floated on the river's surface, and after a moment the corpses suddenly stirred—infected by the corpse qi, they had turned undead. Shen Mu smiled.

"Five years remain. There is no need for Your Imperial Highness to worry.

" "Then why have you awakened the Primordial Sovereign?

" the imperial corpse in the stone coffin demanded in fury.

"I am in trouble now and need the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign's aid.

" Shen Mu said gravely, "Earth Mother, do you know that the Yuan Realm once buried a Heavenly Venerable?

" The imperial corpse in the stone coffin fell silent, and from beneath the water came the voice of the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign, drifting left and right, elusive and faint: "A Heavenly Venerable buried in the Yuan Realm? You mean the one buried at Heavenly Venerable Ridge forty thousand years ago? " Shen Mu smiled.

"That should be him. Earth Mother, this person is the Great Emperor, come to kill me.

I ask that you block him for me.

" "He is the Great Emperor? The Great Emperor is still alive? " The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign gave a muffled snort and said angrily, "Do you know that I am already dead?

Sending me to block the Great Emperor—do you wish for me to die utterly? No one knows the Great Emperor's power better than I!

" Shen Mu said patiently, "The Great Emperor is dead too.

Rest assured, Earth Mother. His body from forty thousand years ago cannot be too strong.

" "Even so, he is far stronger than I am now! " Shen Mu glanced at the stone coffin and smiled.

"With your son's aid as well, surely you can block the Great Emperor?

" The stone coffin trembled—clearly the Northern Supreme Emperor's corpse within was greatly afraid of the Great Emperor; or rather, what he feared was the Heavenly Venerable. "The Great Emperor's abilities are unmatched. Do you know how many ancient gods died trying to kill him? " The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign's furious voice came from beneath the water: "You should have stayed obediently in the Yuan Realm and cultivated in peace, but no, you had to provoke him.

You are doomed, beyond saving. . . Wait, I see him.

Many white bones are carrying his coffin, flying here, very fast.

. . " Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly. He saw the surface of the Yong River suddenly grow calm, like a vast mirror; in the mirror was reflected the sight of many white-boned divine demons carrying a giant bronze coffin flying toward them, very fast, almost no slower than the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage!

"If I intercept him, I may truly die.

" The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign said, "In those years, to eliminate the Great Emperor, no fewer than ten battles were fought.

Even the final battle could not slay him completely. The Great Emperor has ways to ensure I can never be reborn. As I am now, I lack the strength to clash with him head-on—unless you revive me.

.

. " Shen Mu said indifferently, "If I die, you will never be revived.

" The Yong River churned violently, water surging skyward—clearly the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign was enraged.

Shen Mu was unmoved. "He is also a dead man now. I need you to block him, block him right here, and never let him advance a single step east.

Earth Mother, can you do it? " "You dare threaten me?

" The Earth Mother grew ever more furious, and from the imperial coffin came soul-shaking roars; the coffin opened, and foul corpse qi spread everywhere. "My child, come with me to intercept and kill the Great Emperor!

" The Earth Mother roared, and the stone coffin closed and rose into the air. At the same time the earth trembled, and the Earth Mother's roots threaded away underground, shaking the earth and the Yong River without cease.

Shen Mu turned and climbed back into the carriage.

Yun Chuxiu, trembling, tugged at his sleeve. "Darling, when do we leave this place?

" The Divine King Shu Jun was also uneasy—especially Shu Jun, for the Great Emperor had seen him, and the Earth Mother had seen him too; his identity could easily be exposed. The Langwan Divine King's spiritual consciousness could keep the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign from seeing them, but it could not deceive the Great Emperor. "Wait a little longer.

" The sage pupil in Shen Mu's brow opened, and he gazed into the distance, saying in a low voice, "While the Great Emperor lives, my heart cannot rest. I must not bring him to Jingping.

" He frowned. "Strange—why has Heavenly Venerable Xiao not yet moved to block the Great Emperor?

By rights he should have acted. He has held his forces still; otherwise I would not have summoned the Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign.

.

. " His third sage pupil looked toward a distant place, where the Supreme Emperor's stone coffin was skimming along the ground beside the Yong River, howling as it flew, while the river churned with waves, flowing upstream.

At last Shen Mu saw the bronze coffin flying through the sky—a hundred or so white-boned divine demons in tattered robes carried the massive bronze coffin through the air! The stone coffin and the bronze coffin were still a thousand li apart when Shen Mu saw a middle-aged man and could not help but start.

"Kaihuang? " The middle-aged man wore a sword at his waist, like an ordinary traveler who had endured a long journey, appearing very solitary. Though Kaihuang Shen Ye's steps were unhurried, they were far faster than the white-boned divine demons carrying the bronze coffin in flight, and he quickly drew near it.

The bronze coffin and the white-boned divine demons suddenly halted. The bronze lid flew up with a howl, and from the coffin flew a tall figure, richly dressed, though after so many years the robes were tattered, streaming in the wind and shrouding the sky!

The figure that flew from the coffin was countless times larger than the bronze coffin; the robes draped down, and the coffin was not even a thousandth of his size!