Chapter 1046 — True Martial Sword Pavilion

Emperor Xuan entered the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace with him, summoned a tortoise-backed divine being, took out a divine whip, and instructed, "Prince Youming was too talkative and cost me ninety-nine Five-Thunder Jars. Take my whip and go bestow ninety-nine lashes upon him. " The tortoise-backed divine being accepted the whip with both hands, turned, and departed.

Shen Mu hesitated for a moment but did not plead for Prince Youming.

Dragon Qilin and Yan'er exchanged baffled glances.

Yan'er said softly, "Why did you not plead for Prince Youming, Master? At least he showed us the way, and he had a good temper. Now, instead, he is going to suffer ninety-nine lashes.

" Dragon Qilin whispered, "The Master is of low station, so his words carry little weight.

.

.

" Shen Mu gave him a glare, and Dragon Qilin hastily fell silent. Ahead stood a stone statue that bore a resemblance to Kaicheng Shen Ye.

Shen Mu stepped forward and studied it—it was indeed a statue of Kaicheng, but of a much younger man, carved in spirited high resolve, not the seasoned and settled expression he wore now. "Kaicheng's relationship with our Northern Pole Heaven was not bad," said Emperor Xuan.

"In the early days of the Kaicheng Era, before the Kaicheng Heavenly Court was established, he came here. Around this statue there used to be a sword academy, founded by him, called the True Martial Sword Academy. He opened it here and took disciples; many of the younger generation of my Northern Pole Heaven entered his school and learned swordsmanship from him. I exchanged ideas with him, learning his sword path, while he asked me about formations. Nearly forty thousand years have passed, yet my Northern Pole Heaven still has many masters of the sword path, known as the True Martial Sword Sect. " He walked Shen Mu around, and Shen Mu indeed saw many foundation stones of the True Martial Sword Academy.

The academy had been vast; he imagined thousands of Xuanwu disciples studying there back then. "But after the Kaicheng Era came to an end," Emperor Xuan went on, "the Heavenly Court ordered the academy demolished; only this statue was preserved. If the disciples of the True Martial Sword Academy heard that you had come, they would be very pleased.

Shen Ye also brought two girls and a woodcutter—one was called Di Yiyue, one Yan Yunxi, and the woodcutter was called Wen Tiange, a very courteous man. Di Yiyue studied the grand way of Xuanwu with me; Yan Yunxi practiced formations with me; and the woodcutter studied numerology with me.

They were all exceedingly clever, and later their accomplishments surpassed mine. I learned a great deal from them as well. " Shen Mu asked, "Celestial Master Zixi and Teacher Woodcutter were also here? " His mind stirred. "Did Kaicheng go to the Eastern Pole Heaven? " "Naturally he did," said Emperor Xuan.

"In those days Shen Ye also established an academy in the Eastern Pole Heaven, called the True Dragon Dao Academy, which was very famous.

It is said the one who cultivated at his side was a true dragon called the Azure Emperor, transformed from the dragon vein of the Kaicheng realm.

" Shen Mu pondered a moment.

He had seen no traces Kaicheng left in the Eastern Pole Heaven; presumably the Eastern Emperor had erased them completely. From this one could see the different temperaments of the Eastern Emperor and Emperor Xuan. The Eastern Emperor was stubborn and overbearing, with a stronger need for control; what he could not control, he erased entirely.

Emperor Xuan, by contrast, cherished old ties. Even after Kaicheng had fallen and the Kaicheng Era was gone, he had still kept the statue, and many in the Northern Pole Heaven still practiced the sword path.

Kaicheng, in that age, had carried the acquired Grand Dao of the sword path to its limit, and that was a reform. Beyond the sword path, formation arts, forging arts, the blade Dao, and many other Daos—these were also acquired Grand Daos, all developed and grown to brilliance during the Kaicheng Era.

One could say the Kaicheng Era was a time when acquired Grand Daos burst forth, gradually vying in splendor with the innate Grand Daos. And Emperor Xuan's proficiency in formations and numerology showed that he did not reject acquired Grand Daos; it was only that the limits of his innate nature prevented him from carrying those two acquired Daos to their ultimate heights.

They walked on, and Shen Mu saw more traces of Kaicheng: a sword-discussion terrace, a sword-washing pool, a heaven-and-earth chessboard left by Yan Yunxi, and the Xuanwu Six Harmonies Scripture wall left by Di Yiyue. "Kaicheng was on such good terms with Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu—why, then, was the Northern Emperor's divine weapon borrowed to destroy the Kaicheng Era? " Shen Mu asked. Emperor Xuan said, "The tide of events made it unavoidable.

What I thought at the time was this: if the Kaicheng Era could last three hundred thousand years like the Shanghuang Era, the acquired Grand Daos would be imprinted upon the void, and the gods of the Kaicheng Era would turn from acquired to innate and become new ancient gods.

Then we could contend with the Heavenly Court. " Shen Mu's mind shook—so the ancient gods of that era had nurtured the Kaicheng Era precisely in order to create a new generation of ancient gods!

"At that point, Kaicheng's interests would be one with ours. They would become new ancient gods, and we could join forces to sweep away the Heavenly Court. Then Kaicheng would be the new heavenly emperor of the ancient gods.

" Emperor Xuan said, "Even without three hundred thousand years, a hundred thousand years would have allowed the Kaicheng Era to establish itself, divide the world with the Heavenly Court, and make them afraid to move against the ancient gods. But we never dreamed the Heavenly Court would grant only twenty thousand years.

Under such a tide, we had to compromise; had we not, it would have meant certain death for us. " He walked toward the jade terrace, shaking his head with sigh after sigh, and murmured, "Only twenty thousand years. . .

As for Jingping—heh, eight hundred years. .

. " Shen Mu followed him and, after a hesitation, asked, "Emperor Xuan, there is something I do not know whether I should ask. Your relationship with Emperor Wu does not seem very harmonious.

Why is that? " "You saw it too? " Emperor Xuan sighed. "Emperor Wu and I were originally divine beings born from the Heavenly River, each governing a stretch of it, with no dealings with each other. Later, as more ancient gods were born, our strength was a little weaker than that of big fellows like the Azure Dragon and the Sovereign Consort.

But when we joined as one, our combined strength was a little greater than any of theirs. " He led Shen Mu past the Jade Pool, and they saw that the Jade Pool of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace had also been split in two.

The Xuanwu Heavenly Palace was far smaller than the Heavenly Court; just ahead was the God-Slaying Platform. A strange look crossed Shen Mu's face.

This platform, too, had been neatly cut apart, and even the two entwined God-Slaying Dark Blades upon it had been separated, leaving only a streak of blood-colored baleful aura.

Emperor Xuan said, "We joined together partly for self-protection and partly for our own positions, which is why people called us the Northern Emperor Xuanwu. Only later did we discover our tempers did not match—a small quarrel every three days, a big fight every five; we could not go on living together. Worse, of the Four Emperors, we Northern Emperor Xuanwu were the strongest, so someone stirred up discord. Life together grew harder and harder, so when the time came for the Dragon Han Era to divide, we simply divided as well.

" He chuckled.

"That demoness even shouted about cutting the child in half and giving each of us equal shares!