Chapter 1070 — A Sudden Upheaval

" Just as he feared, the battle above the Yuan Realm's Heavenly River did indeed raise a vast commotion. The fight lay upon the Yuan Realm's Heavenly River, and Earth Mother Yuanjun, dwelling upon the Yuan Tree, was watching it, while to the Heaven Duke enthroned high in Xuandu, the battle likewise could not escape his ears. The gaze of Tubo of Youdu likewise fell upon the battle at the Heavenly River. Yet as if by the same unspoken accord, they chose alike not to meddle in the battle at the Heavenly River, but watched the fighting in silence. The Five Luminaries Star Lords were ancient gods sent by the Celestial Emperor to Yuan Realm, Xuandu, and Youdu to watch over them.

Of this they were well aware, and so chose to look on. The slaying of the Five Luminaries was to them also a welcome thing. Moreover the battle came swiftly and ended swiftly. Before the Celestial Court could react, the fighting was already over and the five ancient gods dead one after another.

Even had the Heaven Duke, Tubo, and the others wished to intervene, they would have come too late. Yet the deep meaning of this battle could not but give the Heaven Duke, Earth Mother, and Tubo pause.

Mu Tianzun, who had once run riot in the Jade Pool, reappeared after a thousand odd years already possessed of the strength to slay ancient gods. "Civilization begins when mortals step by step master the power of gods. " In Xuandu, the Heaven Duke's brows and eyes were snow white, his long eyebrows bright snowy light rippling through Xuandu and gently stirring brilliant suns one by one, his voice booming and echoing through Xuandu. "At first, men learned the language of gods and could commune.

Later they learned to use tools and to make tools.

" "Still later, they mastered runes and mastered divine arts. " "And now, they begin to master the Great Way.

" The Heaven Duke's emotionless face showed a flicker of feeling as he said, "Ancestral God King, this is civilization. A transformation to replace the ancient gods has already begun.

I see the coming decline of the ancient gods, the step-by-step passing of the ancient god age. " The Ancestral God King floated before the vast and boundless face of the Heaven Duke and bowed, saying, "Father God, since the human race has built a civilization and seeks to overthrow the rule of the ancient gods, why not destroy it? Your son will go down to the lower realm at once to see to it!

" The Heaven Duke said unhurriedly, "You are wrong, Ancestral God King, my son.

As master of Xuandu, a god born of the Heavenly Way, facing the changes of the world you should have neither joy nor anger, nor make choices of like and dislike.

The Heaven Duke cannot aid, nor meddle, but quietly watches this change.

That is the Heavenly Way. " The Ancestral God King protested, "Must we wait until they alter the workings of the Great Way and weaken the Heavenly Way before Father God acts?

" The Heaven Duke said, "Even should they alter the Heavenly Way, gods born of the Heavenly Way should not meddle. We govern the movement of the heavens and the tracks of a hundred million stars, and should regard the changes of the world with a heart neither glad nor sorrowful, giving civilization unto the years.

That is joy within stillness.

" "Father God is pedantic!

" The Ancestral God King turned, his cloak snapping in the wind and hiding half the Heaven Duke's face, "The ancient gods have grown heedless of divine glory and let mortals trample it. You can endure it. I cannot!

I go down to the lower realm now! " With that he gave a shout, and upon the Heaven Duke's colossal body countless god clans rose flying to follow the Ancestral God King down to the lower realm. The Heaven Duke looked on coldly and did not stop them.

Youdu. Demonic mist filled that boundless domain, where Tubo serenely ruled the shadowed side of all the heavens and myriad worlds. At a glance, the teeming beings of countless worlds fell into his eyes. The youthful You Tianzun floated before him and saw the battle upon the Heavenly River through the third eye upon Tubo's brow.

Tubo's great brow eye blinked, and the scene within vanished. "You, your age has come.

" From within his eye, Tubo's prime spirit walked forth and said to You Tianzun, "You should rejoice. You tiny lives are at last to become masters of the universe. I have already seen the waning of ancient god fortune. " You Tianzun bowed and said, "Does Tubo mean to destroy my race?

" Tubo shook his head, "I am transformed from the rules of the Way and govern the underworld.

All affairs of the underworld fall to me. Matters of the sunlit world are none of mine. Yet this transformation makes my still heart feel a touch of expectation. I think I see too far.

My thought seems to stretch to ten thousand or even a million years hence, to see the curtain fall upon the ancient god age and the born-of-later-days beings wielding mighty power of the Great Way.

I am glad.

I wish to change as you do. You.

" He actually smiled and said, "Perhaps one day I shall walk the sunlit world, live as a mortal, and seek a breakthrough. Grow quickly.

When I am reborn as a man, I shall need you to manage Youdu in my stead.

" Yuan Realm.

Earth Mother Yuanjun stood before her palace within the Yuan Tree, beside her the frightened ancient gods of Yuan Realm, Qilin, Phoenix, divine dragons born of dragon veins, Pixiu, Taotie, and other ancient gods born of Yuan Realm. They too had seen the battle in the Heavenly River and felt deeply the terror of death. Earth Mother Yuanjun glanced back at them and said, "An age of great change has already begun, yet you tremble with fear.

Such incompetence disappoints me.

" The ancient gods of Yuan Realm said one after another, "Once mortals mastered divine arts, they began to alter the geography of the earth, change the courses of rivers, reshape mountains and streams, dig mines, fell trees, even alter the growth of plants and catch wild beasts to tame. And now Mu Tianzun has slain the Five Luminaries Star Lords. We cannot but grieve as rabbits grieve for foxes. " Earth Mother Yuanjun smiled and said, "Though they begin to master the power of the Way, the Way they master is only the Way of us ancient gods. Can they conjure a Great Way from nothing? Ancient gods are uniquely blessed by heaven.

We need only fathom our own Way, find the end of our own Great Way, and bring our own Great Way to its utmost, and mortals and born-of-later-days beings can never surpass us. The Five Luminaries Star Lords were merely fools who fancied themselves born of the Way and so sank into seeking the source of their own power. Their deaths are no surprise.

" An ancient Qilin said, "But the born-of-later-days beings bear more than we do.

Their power to breed is too strong. " "Then bear more yourselves, as many as can be.

" Earth Mother Yuanjun smiled and said, "Numbers are the root of power.

The more children born, the firmer the rule. " In the Xiaohan Celestial Court, Yun Tianzun looked at the five stars hanging in the firmament, each but half, all broken god stars.

"Old Daoist, old Daoist! " He summoned the Dao Ancestor and said, "The five great calamity stars are dead and have left their ancestral god stars. There must be creation within. Can we go up?

While the rosy light of the Five Calamity Gods' Great Way has not yet scattered, let us go and study the Great Way of the Five Calamity Gods to the root. " The Dao Ancestor said, "The Great Way of ancient gods is too profound. I fear study will prove most laborious. " "This is just the time for your arcane mathematics to shine! " Yun Tianzun led some human gods skilled in arcane mathematics with him toward the Five Luminaries Stars, saying, "Have you heard? It was Mu Tianzun who killed the Five Calamity Gods. I long to meet him and speak with him, but alas he has run off none knows where.

" He seemed greatly stirred, "I wish to see him once!