Chapter 1170 — The Intuition in the Heart

And further off, Yan Heavenly Consort too raised a marvel — a Heavenly Venerable's treasure she had refined herself — its strange radiance steaming upward, sealing off the void and the earth, steadying her footing. Shen Mu frowned and searched in every direction, yet Qiang Heavenly Consort, Gong Heavenly Venerable, and the rest had each seized a choice plot for themselves, leaving him few places to choose from.

Long Qilin still could not accept that in the Battle of Yaochi, Fire Heavenly Venerable had not helped Shen Mu but had instead joined the faction that sought his death; he was dazed and muddled. "Fire Heavenly Venerable was dealt a crushing blow by Yu Heavenly Venerable's death.

From the day Yu Heavenly Venerable was assassinated, he changed. " Leading Long Qilin and Yan'er on the search, Shen Mu said, "Of the seven Heavenly Venerables of the Longhan era, six held Yu Heavenly Venerable in boundless admiration.

None were closer to him than You Heavenly Venerable — save Fire Heavenly Venerable. Yu Heavenly Venerable was the paragon in their hearts, a mountain none could surmount.

After Yu Heavenly Venerable died, You Heavenly Venerable withdrew into himself for a full million years. And it must have been at that very moment that Fire Heavenly Venerable's thinking changed as well. He loathes the ancient gods — and yet he wants to become one. " He halted, staring blankly into nothing, lost in thought. "You Heavenly Venerable said he had changed too; Yue Heavenly Venerable's words likewise hinted that he was not to be trusted. But I always held a fondness for him — a fondness I indulged against all reason.

Perhaps only if Yu Heavenly Venerable were to live again could he be woken from this dream. " Long Qilin laughed. "Yu Heavenly Venerable has already been reborn! We need only steal back the remnant soul in the Pixiang Hall, and Yu Heavenly Venerable will no longer be muddled and foolish.

Fire Heavenly Venerable is sure to come around! And then the human race will be saved! " Shen Mu smiled.

"I hope so.

" His divine consciousness erupted, forcing back the void beasts that had suddenly appeared.

"These old foxes have all picked out a place to roost — the good spots are all taken by them!

" Shen Mu's eyes flickered. He looked around, trying to find a fine treasure site, yet the eight Heavenly Venerables had each found an excellent location and were entrenched there.

How could Shen Mu contend with them?

Moreover, each of these Heavenly Venerables had a Heavenly Venerable's treasure to suppress the void and keep the void beasts from intruding; before long, they would surely have established strongholds of their own. By then they would come to ask Shen Mu to send them out, and then bring their disciples to run the place — driving off the void beasts and mining all manner of treasures.

"Even if I find a treasure site, I have no treasure that can hold down the void beasts. " Shen Mu blinked and thought, "I cannot take out the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner.

Using it to suppress the void would serve well enough — it could kill any void beast.

But if it fell into the eyes of the other Heavenly Venerables, they would surely seize it. And what is more terrifying still is that ancient god egg inside the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner. . .

" "And I cannot be trapped here for the rest of my life, guarding a treasure site. If I went to ask the Primordial Ancestor and the successive Human Sovereigns of the Human Sovereign Hall to come and hold it, I fear even the Primordial Ancestor and those Human Sovereigns would be no match for the Void Mother Beast. .

.

" Shen Mu turned it over and over in his mind. Then, in a flash, inspiration struck: the vertical eye at the center of his brow opened, and he looked all around. "Last time I came to the Taichu Vein, the void beasts could not enter it. Which is to say, all five of the great veins are places the void beasts dare not tread lightly.

But I know only the Taichu Vein, and it is already occupied by Xiao Heavenly Venerable. As for where the other four veins lie, I fear only Qiang Heavenly Venerable and Gong Heavenly Venerable know.

" Within his vertical eye, upon the Shen-character continent, the two giant ancient god eggs were communicating.

Suddenly, as though the ancient gods within the eggs could sense the world outside, the Dao-tones fell silent. The two eggs each gave off a faint tremor; both ancient god eggs seemed stirred.

Shen Mu surveyed his surroundings and thought, "I do not know where the other four veins are, but these two ancient god eggs surely do!

Rather than blunder about on my own, it is better to have them tell me.

" The two ancient god eggs went still.

Shen Mu blinked and waited a while, but the two ancient god eggs still gave no sign of movement. Shen Mu ground his teeth; his divine consciousness rippled.

Before long the sky suddenly split open, revealing an enormous eye.

The eye rolled and rolled, then its gaze settled upon Shen Mu, and a void beast of colossal size squeezed its way out of the void and came down with a crash. Yan'er and Long Qilin cried out in alarm and hurried to brace themselves. This void beast was covered in void patterns.

It advanced on six enormously thick legs, every claw hooked into the ground, and circled them a few times, its eyelids rolling up to reveal a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Yan'er gave a soft shout; her primordial spirit surfaced, ready to strike at any moment.

"Do you still recognize me?

" Shen Mu said with a smile. The void beast's eyelids drooped, its mouth vanished, and it thrust its head toward Shen Mu.

Shen Mu raised a hand.

The void beast gently rubbed against his palm.

Yan'er let out a breath of relief; hearing her exhale, the void beast sprang far away and watched her warily.

Long Qilin said in astonishment, "Sect Master, is this the void beast you subdued back then? " Shen Mu nodded and smiled.

"A million years, and it is still alive — and more ferocious than ever.

" He soared into the air and landed on the bone mountain behind the void beast's head, standing tall against the wind.

Long Qilin and Yan'er hurriedly flew up and landed on the bone mountain as well. Seeing this, the void beast rolled its eyelids upward, turned its head aside, and gave a threatening whimper.

Shen Mu took out the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner and used the supreme treasure as a walking stick, rapping it against the bone mountain.

Only then did the void beast rein in its savagery. It leaped up and raced through the mountains. Leaning on the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner, Shen Mu stood facing the wind. Eye-catching as the banner was, the Heavenly Venerables were all busy setting their own territories in order, with no attention to spare for this place.

He gave the void beast its head entirely, letting it run wherever it would, with no destination. Long Qilin and Yan'er stood at his side, gazing about curiously, and saw that the void beast Shen Mu had tamed did not run in a straight line but seemed to wander without aim. Their hearts grew anxious: "If the Sect Master (Young Master) does not find a treasure site soon, every last treasure will have been snatched up by the Heavenly Venerables!

" The void beast walked for most of a day, still wandering without aim — and yet within its utterly simple mind there was an "intuition" that told it this was not the place its master wanted.

That "intuition" came from the ancient god egg inside the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner! When it came to a discerning eye, Shen Mu certainly could not match the seasoned shrewdness of old fellows like Xiao Heavenly Venerable, Hong Heavenly Venerable, and Qiang Heavenly Venerable; nor was he as widely traveled as half-gods like Hao Heavenly Venerable and the Ancestral God King.