Chapter 1081 — This Hairpin Is Returned to You

" Joy rose in Shen Mu's heart. He ordered the Dragon Qilin to halt the carriage and flagged down a passing tower ship. The ship was laden with goods—it was likely a merchant vessel traveling along the Heavenly River to trade in other heavens. Deities guarded the ship and came forward to inquire.

Seeing that the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot was no ordinary conveyance, they dared not treat it lightly. Shen Mu stepped out of the chariot and asked, "Brother, what year of Longhan is it now? " The deity smiled and said, "The exact year, I could not say.

But the year of the Xiaohan Heavenly Court, I do know.

This year is the ten-thousandth year of Yun Tiandi's accession. Had you come earlier, you could have witnessed the grand ceremony of the hundred-thousand-year jubilee. What a pity—you are a few days late.

" "Yun Tiandi has already been on the throne for a hundred thousand years?

" Shen Mu was astonished.

If Yun Tianzun had ascended the throne in the very year the Xiaohan Heavenly Court was established, then he had arrived a hundred thousand years into the future! "Guest, have you come from afar? Judging by your travel-worn appearance, you must have been on the road for some years. " The deity asked, "At Yun Tiandi's celebration, a great matter was announced.

What a pity you missed it.

" Shen Mu asked curiously, "What great matter? " "The world's first Emperor's Throne realm!

" The deity was inexplicably stirred, unable to keep his voice from rising, beside himself with delight: "Yun Tiandi is the first being under all heaven to cultivate the Emperor's Throne realm! Even the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor sent congratulatory gifts!

That day, the Xiaohan Heavenly Court was in tremendous uproar.

Tubo, Tiangong, and also Dimu and Dihou all sent people with congratulatory gifts, celebrating that the human race's Great Emperor had become an Emperor's Throne and pioneered the first Emperor's Throne cultivation method under all heaven!

" Shen Mu could not help but be stirred as well.

He praised, "Good, truly good! In merely a hundred thousand and one thousand years, he was able to comprehend the Emperor's Throne realm before all the gods—truly a genius without peer! " Yan'er was somewhat puzzled. A hundred thousand and one thousand years to cultivate the Emperor's Throne? A genius without peer? "Young Master seems not to know—those people of the Kaihuang Era all cultivated the Emperor's Throne realm in merely ten thousand years, or even less than a thousand.

Yun Tianzun took over a hundred thousand years to cultivate the Emperor's Throne. How can he be called a genius? " She was quite perplexed.

She did not know that the people of later generations had the experience of countless predecessors, and thus cultivated with great smoothness.

Yet in Yun Tianzun's era, though the realms existed, no one had ever reached them. Not only that, but the cultivation methods of this era had no other methods to draw upon. Everyone—even the leaders among the demigods—had to start from nothing, groping forward bit by bit, trial and error, equivalent to feeling out one path after another in total darkness.

And more terrifying still were the errors. When an error appeared in a cultivation method, sometimes one had to tear it all down and start over. If one had cultivated to the Jade Capital realm and, on the way to advancing to the Lingxiao realm, suddenly discovered that an error had occurred back at the True God realm, then one would need to revise one's cultivation method from the True God realm all the way to the Jade Capital realm.

But what if the error had occurred at the Divine Treasury stage?

Then one would almost have to overturn one's entire previous cultivation method! Thus the various cultivation methods of the Longhan Era advanced with great difficulty. Everyone groped, verified, tried and erred, and pressed forward through chaos and darkness.

The bones of those who died for this could likely fill an entire heaven!

It was precisely because these sages groped and verified that later generations could avoid many pitfalls and take fewer detours in their cultivation.

That Yun Tianzun could, before all others, be the first to pioneer an Emperor's Throne method and cultivate the Emperor's Throne realm—this was absolutely an achievement without precedent, towering above all others! "Guest, we still need to go about our trade and cannot linger. " The deity guarding the merchant ship said with emotion, "This journey will likely take more than ten years before we return to Xiaohan.

By the time I return, I too will be a long-distance traveler, travel-worn, just like you, guest.

" Shen Mu laughed heartily and waved farewell.

The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot drove up before the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. The Dragon Qilin halted the chariot outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Yan'er took down the lantern and followed behind Shen Mu.

The group walked into the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. Carrying a lantern in broad daylight, their party drew considerable attention.

Shen Mu looked around. The people of this era had already achieved much in the arts; the architecture was exquisite and magnificent, immersing one in the aesthetics of the ancient age.

Shen Mu had studied this as well, and he walked slowly, gazing about, his heart full of joy.

"Yun, how did you return so quickly? " A familiar voice called out. Shen Mu looked toward the sound and saw Yue Tianzun.

She was walking quickly toward him with several goddesses in attendance, complaining, "Did you not say you were going to the Longhan Heavenly Court to lodge a complaint with the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor?

Hao Tianzun has been encroaching on our human race's territory all these years. The demigods under his command have devoured many of our people, and repeated corrections have failed!

The front lines have fought I do not know how many battles.

This time, lodging a complaint with the Heavenly Emperor, you must—why have you transformed into Mu Tianzun's appearance again? " She suddenly noticed Yan'er beside Shen Mu, and the strange figures transformed from the Dragon Qilin and the six Heavenly Dragons.

She could not help but freeze, staring blankly at the Shen Mu before her.

A smile was brewing on Shen Mu's face.

He said softly, "Yue, it has been a long time. Since we parted last, it feels as though it were yesterday. How have you all been? " Yue Tianzun looked at him in disbelief. Her steps grew light and floating as she walked to his side, examining him over and over. She saw that Shen Mu was somewhat haggard, yet he seemed just as he had been yesterday—his appearance had not changed in the slightest. Yet he also seemed to have been through many things; his gaze had grown deeper than before, his bearing slightly altered, more restrained.

"A hundred thousand years. " She murmured softly, "It is not yesterday.

You left a hundred thousand years ago, Mu Tianzun. .

. " "I know. " Shen Mu smiled and said, "To you, it is a hundred thousand years.

To me, it is a matter of yesterday. " Yue Tianzun forcibly held back the urge to weep, took him by the hand, and led him into the Heavenly Court, smiling, "After you left, someone cracked your secret!

Do you know who it was?

It was Sister Ling!

" She was beside herself with joy, her voice light and quick: "Sister Ling said that a person from the future came to that era carrying her future hairpin, and so her hairpin disappeared.

Later I could not hold it in and told her that it was not Yun Tianzun who transformed into your appearance.

She was overcome with emotion, searched for you for a long time, but never found you, and was despondent for quite a while. . .