Chapter 1188 — The Oriole Waits Behind

Not long after, Shen Mu's spirit recovered and his bearing was glowing with vigor, and every Heavenly Venerable felt a chill in his heart: 'His powers of recovery are so swift! Who knows how many times faster than ordinary gods and demons!'

Shen Mu thought for a moment, then summoned Long Qilin and Yan'er and said, "I too must go out for a time. I am bound for Jingping to find a few divine beings to come mine the divine ore and explore the Black Wood Mountains. You two will stay here for the present."

Long Qilin and Yan'er were badly startled and shook their heads again and again.

Shen Mu laughed. "There is no need to fear the Void Beasts. I shall leave the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner here. With this treasure in your hands, you may set your hearts at ease. You can wield it no worse than I. Besides, the Void Mother Beast is dead; even if a new Void Mother Beast appears, it will need years to grow. There is nothing to worry about."

Long Qilin stammered, "These Black Wood Mountains are uncanny beyond words..."

Shen Mu laughed. "Uncanny in what way? With the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner in your keeping, what is there to fear? I am off!"

Long Qilin was shivering and stammering when suddenly Shen Mu's voice transmission arrived: "After I leave this place and return to Jingping, some time will pass. Once these Heavenly Venerables get back to the Heavenly Court, they will certainly send disciples. Those people mean no good, and you must be on your guard. They will surely come to seize the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Banner."

His voice carried killing intent: "Even if the Lord of Heaven himself comes, kill him for me!"

Shen Mu withdrew his divine sense, looked upon the eight Heavenly Venerables with a face wreathed in smiles, and laughed aloud. "My lords, after you!"

The Heavenly Venerables replied with utmost courtesy, "After you, Fellow Daoist Mu."

They walked out of the Black Wood Mountains. Shen Mu at once brought out the altar; the company stood upon it, and Shen Mu reached out with his senses across the distance, seeking to touch the altar left at the entrance of the Ancestral Court.

Suddenly his heart gave a leap.

That altar was gone!

The corner of Shen Mu's eye twitched. "Can it be that I expended too much spirit just now, and my senses are dulled?"

He reached out with his mind once more, and still he could not sense the altar.

A drop of cold sweat broke out on the nape of his neck. The altar was indeed no longer there.

"It may not be that the altar is not there, but that someone shattered it! Even were the altar carried away, I could still sense where it stood. Only if the altar is smashed and the runes upon it destroyed could I be unable to sense it!"

Drop after drop of cold sweat seeped from the nape of his neck. A smile hung upon Shen Mu's face, and that smile slowly stiffened.

His survival in the Ancestral Court had rested wholly upon his ability to lead the eight Heavenly Venerables out of it. Now that ability was gone, and how was he to preserve his life?

Heavenly Consort Qiang coughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Mu, when may we take our leave?"

The gaze of the other Heavenly Venerables fell one after another upon Shen Mu's face, and doubt showed in their eyes. Shen Mu laughed heartily, and the others upon the altar laughed with him; only Heavenly Venerable Hao and Divine King Zu showed no expression and did not laugh.

Shen Mu's hearty laughter slowly died away, and he said gravely, "We cannot leave. Someone outside has destroyed the altar."

The smiles on every face faded one by one. Divine Emperor Langxuan said lightly, "Heavenly Venerable Mu is surely not jesting?"

Shen Mu said gravely, "Would I dare to jest about such a thing? That I could bring you in and likewise bring you out is the very reason I have lived this long in the Ancestral Court. If I cannot send you out, am I not making a jest of my own life? That altar has indeed been destroyed by someone. If I am not mistaken, the one who struck it down is none other than the eleventh Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court."

Heavenly Venerable Hong's expression stirred slightly. "Ming Fangyu?"

Heavenly Venerable Xiao said, "Ming Fangyu is dead. It cannot possibly be him. His primordial spirit was taken away by Heavenly Venerable Ling, and his mortal body was hewn to pieces by Shen Ye."

The gaze of Heavenly Consort Qiang, Divine Emperor Langxuan, Divine King Zu, and the rest fell one after another upon Shen Mu's face. Heavenly Venerable Gong coughed and said, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, there is no need to keep us in suspense. Who exactly is the eleventh Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court?"

Shen Mu sighed. "Lady Yuanmu."

Upon the altar, the Heavenly Venerables trembled faintly and each took a step back, eyeing one another warily.

They appeared to be on most harmonious terms, joining hands to deal with the ancient gods, ruling the Heavenly Court together, advancing and retreating as one, sharing life and death.

Yet they all knew well that though they were partners, they were also rivals.

The alliance between them was not unbreakable.

They had long suspected that the Great Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor were both lurking among them; perhaps even the Empress and Lady Yuanmu hid at their side. It was even possible that these four ancient gods were themselves numbered among the Ten Heavenly Venerables!

If Lady Yuanmu were hidden among them, then who would she be?

Pairs of eyes turned this way and that over Heavenly Venerable Gong, Heavenly Consort Yan, and Heavenly Consort Qiang, plainly more suspicious of these three female Heavenly Venerables.

All the more of Consort Qiang and Consort Yan: the Empress and Yuanmu were both of the Heavenly Emperor's consorts, and Consort Qiang and Consort Yan were in name likewise of the Heavenly Emperor's consorts. Suspicion could not but fall upon them.

Shen Mu shook his head. "Lady Yuanmu is not among us, nor even among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. Her station in the Heavenly Court must be somewhat lower than yours. She did not enter the Ancestral Court, but she came to the outside of it, destroyed our altar, and means to shut us up in the Ancestral Court until we die."

Silence fell over the altar.

After a long while, Heavenly Consort Yan said, "If Yuanmu seals us within the Ancestral Court, then she may deal with Heavenly Venerable Huo and Heavenly Venerable Xu. Those two do not know her true identity, and it is hard to say they will not fall to her murderous hand. Then the age of the ancient gods' rule would in all likelihood return."

Heavenly Venerable Xiao sighed. "All that countless martyrs have striven for since the Longhan era would be wiped out to the last trace."

Heavenly Consort Qiang said, "The only course now is to open the seal of the Ancestral Court; only so can we leave it. Yet if the seal is opened, the Void Beasts within will surely escape. And more dreadful still is the Great Emperor."

With killing intent on her face, she said coldly, "The Great Emperor is certainly awaiting this very chance, to gather up the Void Beasts and bring calamity upon the world! For the sake of the countless living souls of the world, we should not open the Ancestral Court!"

Heavenly Venerable Xiao and Heavenly Venerable Gong glanced at her. Consort Qiang, righteous and stern, swept her gaze around and said, "You will all agree with my judgment, will you not?"

Divine King Zu, Divine Emperor Langxuan, and the others coughed and said, "One cannot put it quite so. To loose a portion of the Void Beasts is dangerous indeed, but for the ancient gods to return to orthodoxy is likewise exceedingly dangerous. Weighing two evils and taking the lighter, we had best deliberate further."

The company looked one after another toward Heavenly Venerable Hao. "Heavenly Venerable Hao, you are foremost among the Ten Heavenly Venerables. Say a few words. We will all follow your lead."