Chapter 1071 — A Brotherhood of Glass

Moreover, reckoning by Xiao Tianzun's age, the present Xiao Tianzun had not yet been born; he had become Yun Tianzun's fervent disciple only in the middle of the Longhan era.

"Is this Xiao or is this not Xiao Tianzun?" Shen Mu said to himself.

Silence fell in the carriage; the four men each had their own concerns.

The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot had already left the Heavenly River far behind and was speeding toward the outer heavens; the spatial coordinates Shen Mu had given the Dragon Qilin were precisely in the outer heavens.

And behind them, on the warships of the Heavenly River Navy, countless gods shouted, unfurling banners, and lo — a tributary split off from the Heavenly River itself, and those warships, banners streaming, came on in pursuit.

Hong looked outside in surprise, his gaze flickering, and said: "Tianzun, are you fleeing to the outer heavens? The world barrier of the Yuan Realm is very thick; leaving the Yuan Realm is no easy matter."

Shen Mu's gaze flickered, and he laughed: "Does Daoist Hong have a way to leave the Yuan Realm?"

Hong shook his head: "Though I wish to flee to the outer heavens, I am trapped in the Yuan Realm and can do nothing. But I have heard that following the Heavenly River onward, one can leave the Yuan Realm by way of the Heavenly River and reach the starry cosmos. One may even roam the Four Extremes and travel to Xuandu and Youdu!"

"Many thanks for Daoist Hong's guidance."

Shen Mu chuckled: "Daoist Hong says he can do nothing, yet speaks so fluently of the way out of the Yuan Realm. How very strange."

Hong laughed heartily.

Gu Xiao took out a small file and filed his nails, then raised his eyes to glance at Hong, looking curious: "Why is Daoist Hong hunted by the Heavenly River Navy? So far as I know, you are the Grand Marshal of the Heavenly River Navy. That the Heavenly River Navy should hunt its own Grand Marshal is most puzzling."

Shen Mu's heart went cold; he looked at Great Hong.

Hong sighed: "I am guilty of a word. To tell the truth, when Mu Tianzun slew the Five Luminaries Star Lords on the Heavenly River, I was on the Heavenly River drilling the navy, and saw it all; I could not help but cry out 'well done.' I was overcome with admiration for Mu Tianzun's divine powers and had no thought of rebellion — yet someone reported me to the Heaven Emperor. The Heaven Emperor was enraged and ordered my arrest, to be taken to the God-Slaying Platform. I had no choice but to flee for my life."

Shen Mu wrung his wrist and sighed long, tears falling: "To think that it was I who brought this upon Daoist Hong! It is my fault!"

Hong's gaze flickered and settled on Gu Xiao: "I have heard that the Heavenly Master of the Nanluo sect is exceedingly mysterious, a dragon that shows its head but never its tail. Yet I have some friends in the Nanluo sect who told me that the Nanluo sect's Heavenly Master is a god of the human race. I was both astonished and full of admiration — could that human Heavenly Master be Daoist Xiao? And why is Daoist Xiao hunted by the great army under his own command?"

Shen Mu's gaze fell on Gu Xiao, and a look of suspicion appeared on his face.

Gu Xiao put down the file, sighed and lamented: "I too incurred guilt because Mu Tianzun slew the Five Luminaries Ancient Gods on the Heavenly River. Only I was not praising Mu Tianzun's heaven-reaching dao — I was looking at this Daoist here."

He looked at Luo Xiao: "I saw that this Daoist's fleshly body was vast and boundless, greater even than the ancient gods', and could not help but praise it. Only later did I learn that this Daoist was in fact a Creator, and there is some bad blood between the ancient gods and the Creators; because of my careless words I too was seized by the Heavenly Court."

Shen Mu could not help but sigh with a thousand feelings: "Both Daoists incurred guilt for a word. You were once high and exalted, yet for one misspoken sentence you have come to such an end, so that you must flee for your lives together with me."

He sighed and sobbed, and could not help but weep again.

Gu Xiao and Great Hong hastily consoled him: "Everyone says Mu Tianzun is of boundless righteousness, warm-hearted and generous, a timely rain to the people of the world — and now we see the fame is well deserved."

"Tianzun need not fret over our fortunes; perhaps we two were fated to meet this tribulation."

Shen Mu stopped his tears and choked: "Hearing of the experiences of you two Daoists, and thinking of my own, sorrow rose unbidden in my heart — my circumstances are so like yours that I lost my composure. We three Daoists are not the same men but share the same fate, and today Heaven has been kind, letting us flee to the ends of the earth in one carriage. Why not—"

He clenched his fist, excited: "Why not swear brotherhood? Let us bind ourselves in golden orchid, become brothers of different surnames — we ask not to be born in the same year, the same month, the same day, but only to die in the same year, the same month, the same day!"

Gu Xiao and Great Hong were struck dumb, staring at each other, unable to speak.

Shen Mu grew more and more excited; he rose and paced to and fro in the carriage, then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed: "Luo Xiao, you are a Creator, a stranger stranded in a foreign land, hunted by the Heavenly Court, unwelcome to the ancient gods — you are the same as us. Let the four of us swear brotherhood together!"

Gu Xiao's and Great Hong's expressions grew stranger still, their brows knitted into a deep frown.

Shen Mu, elated, said loudly: "Let us swear to Tuba that we shall die in the same year, the same month, the same day!"

Cold sweat broke out on Great Hong's forehead; he gave two dry laughs: "Mu Tianzun, you are a Tianzun — how could we presume to climb so high?"

Gu Xiao too chuckled: "The Creators are the enemies of the ancient gods. If we swear to Tuba, would we not be delivering Brother Luo Xiao into Tuba's mouth? This matter of sworn brotherhood should be given long consideration."

Shen Mu seemed too excited to contain himself; he stepped forward, took the two men by the hand, and knelt, laughing: "Better today than a chosen day — let us kowtow and swear brotherhood, become brothers of the golden orchid! Brother Luo Xiao, come, come, swear with us!"

Luo Xiao hesitated a moment, then made up his mind, stepped forward, and knelt.

Shen Mu shot a glance at Gu Xiao and Great Hong and sneered: "Do you two Daoists look down on me and Brother Luo Xiao? I am Mu Tianzun, and I have already knelt — will you not kneel?"

Gu Xiao and Great Hong exchanged a look, then braced themselves and knelt. Gu Xiao said in a low voice: "Brother Luo Xiao is a Creator; we cannot swear to Tuba, nor can we swear by Heaven—"

Shen Mu pressed one hand on Gu Xiao's head and the other on Great Hong's head, and the four kowtowed together, laughing: "Then we shall not swear to Tuba or to Heaven."