Chapter 1027 — The Blind Man's Eye, the Mute Man's Hammer

Shen Mu let out a long breath, and felt at ease from head to toe.

Ever since his return from Taixu, Yun Chuxiu had been clinging to him, leaving him no time at all to summon Heavenly Venerable Yun's soul.

And to summon a soul within the Heavenly Court itself was far too perilous: all ten Heavenly Venerables dwelt in the Heavenly Court, and there was no hiding such a rite from them. Now that Yun Chuxiu had been sent away, Shen Mu could finally breathe easy.

"Dutian, we depart.

" Shen Mu returned to the treasure chariot, his voice carrying a note of joy.

The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot started at once; nine heavenly dragons galloped, bearing it east along the Yong River.

Inside the chariot, Divine King Langwo asked, "Holy Infant, will you not meet with Kaihuang?

" "No need to see him.

" Shen Mu opened the vertical eye in the center of his brow; the mortal body of Heavenly Venerable Yun settled onto the cloud carpet. Divine King Langwo's divine consciousness unfurled, shrouding the chariot so that no outsider could see what lay within.

Shen Mu's divine consciousness and vital essence surged out, transforming into countless runes. "He has come out this time to see the fruits of the Jingping Reforms, to see for himself how Jingping's reforms have fared. Meeting him would be useless; only what he witnesses with his own eyes can shatter the delusion in his heart. Besides, Heavenly Venerable Xiao is most likely watching this place right now through the divine artifact, Heavenly Venerable Yu. I had best keep to my place.

" Shujun sneered, "Holy Infant, and you call that keeping to your place?

" Above Yuanmu, the divine artifact Heavenly Venerable Yu withdrew its gaze and slowly closed its eyes, while in the Yuanmu Heavenly Palace the clay figure pondered for a moment, pacing to and fro, murmuring to himself, "Heavenly Venerable Shen is stronger than he was in those years, but he is still far from the Heavenly Court realm. His Kaihuang era cannot sustain a realm like the Heavenly Court. Still, his swordsmanship is truly fearsome. And then there is Heavenly Venerable Mu — a born troublemaker; wherever he goes, trouble follows! " "But I never expected that the Earth Mother could still stir up such waves! Remarkable, truly remarkable.

To be rid of the Earth Mother, one must first be rid of Tiangong and Tubo, and strip Heavenly Venerable Mu of his resurrection arts. . .

" In the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot, Shen Mu at once began the rite, chanting the incantation and driving his divine ability to summon Heavenly Venerable Yun's soul. After a while he stopped, frowning slightly.

"Holy Infant, can you not sense Heavenly Venerable Yun's soul?

" Divine King Langwo asked. Shen Mu nodded, and said thoughtfully, "Even if a soul is shattered, I can summon the black sand of souls. Even for beings like the Empress and Yuanmu, who feign death without dying — so long as I have their mortal bodies, I can trace where their souls have gone. My divine ability can search the heavens and drag the earth; once it is unleashed, all the heavens and myriad worlds — even the Heavenly Court, Xuandu, Youdu, and the Heavenly Yin Realm — must answer its summons! And yet I cannot sense Heavenly Venerable Yun's soul at all, as though it had never existed. . .

" "This is the Grand Emperor's doing.

" Divine King Shujun mused, "The Grand Emperor has that power — to make a soul vanish utterly, beyond all finding. Heavenly Venerable Yun died at the Grand Emperor's hand, I take it?

" Shen Mu's expression turned grave. He nodded slightly and asked, "Even a shattered soul turns to black sand and is absorbed by the Heavenly Yin Realm. What power does the Grand Emperor possess that could make Heavenly Venerable Yun's soul disappear entirely?

" He was deeply puzzled.

His Soul-Pulling Art was a spell of Youdu, and after his own improvements, it could be said that nothing could hide from its tracking, no matter where it concealed itself. Of that much he was confident.

"In all this world, there are but three who possess the power to keep a soul beyond your finding.

" Shujun said in a low voice, "The first is the Grand Emperor; the other two are Her Majesty the Empress and Lady Yuanmu among the ancient gods. The Empress and Lady Yuanmu command Guixu, which shatters all things and annihilates all things. In those years they roused Guixu and buried countless powerhouses of my race. One of the other two Divine Kings of my race perished at the hands of those sisters. Not merely the soul — even the divine consciousness was utterly extinguished, ceasing to be. Even the Grand Emperor cannot go that far. The Grand Emperor's strength lies in a divine consciousness of incomparable power; his divine consciousness is called the Great Luo Supreme Divine Consciousness.

" Shen Mu nodded. The Grand Emperor's Great Luo Supreme Divine Consciousness was exquisitely subtle; the Heavenly Court had long been waiting for the Left Junior Assistant Yan Shaoqing to devise a divine-consciousness method for the Emperor's Throne, yet the Grand Emperor had long since created a divine-consciousness method at the Emperor's Throne realm. "Why is the Great Luo Supreme Divine Consciousness called Great Luo?

" Shujun said, "In truth, his divine consciousness condensed as early as the primordial era, forming the Great Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness.

That is a void-world built entirely of supreme divine consciousness. To say nothing of your spells — no spell in all the world can take effect within the Great Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness. The rules of the great dao there are laid down wholly by the Grand Emperor. I believe Heavenly Venerable Yun's soul has been exiled by the Grand Emperor into the Great Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness. " Divine King Langwo knew nothing of this, and asked, "Divine King Shujun, could you speak in more detail of the Great Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness? " "Of the Great Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness, I too know little.

" Shujun said, "In those years, when the Grand Emperor was not yet so strong, I crossed blades with him, contending for the title of number one powerhouse, and I once heard him speak of it. When his cultivation method, the Great Luo Supreme Divine Consciousness, was trained to its utmost, he began to touch the ultimate void.

His divine consciousness condensed within the ultimate void, ever-changing, eternal and indestructible.

Perhaps only one who has trained his divine consciousness to that level can find the Great Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness within the ultimate void. Yet even at my strongest in life, I never cultivated to that step. " He looked at Divine King Langwo and said, "Your divine consciousness is stronger than mine was then. Have you touched the ultimate void? " Divine King Langwo shook her head. "At my present strength, my divine consciousness can reach only the thirty-fifth void — still one step short of the ultimate void. " Shujun's face showed envy, and he sighed, "That is already far stronger than I was at my peak.

" Divine King Langwo said coolly, "Naturally.

" Shujun gave a muffled snort and sneered, "Do not be so pleased with yourself! I am starting over from the beginning.

Once I cultivate the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, I will surpass your Divine Bridge Divine Treasury, and in time my strength will exceed yours beyond all reckoning!

A few days ago I sought out Qi Jiuyi for instruction, to learn how to open divine treasuries — far more refined than the bumpkins of Carefree Land.

" Shen Mu said in surprise, "Divine King, you sought out Qi Jiuyi to learn how to open divine treasuries? Why go so far for what lies near at hand? " Shujun, puzzled by his meaning, said, "You spend every day clinging to Langwo and Yuanmu, with no time to teach me. Naturally I had no choice but to seek instruction from Qi Jiuyi.

" Shen Mu laughed.