Chapter 1192 — The Eerie Black Peak

That day at the Jade Pool, Shen Mu had always believed Lady Yuanmu was among the three Heavenly Venerables who stepped in to save him. But since Lady Yuanmu had transformed into Shi Qiluo, palace master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace, it could not have been her. Shi Qiluo's standing in the Heavenly Court was not high enough, and she had risen in the era of the Supreme Emperor; in foundations she could not compare with the Ten Heavenly Venerables.

Lady Yuanmu would certainly never take such a risk. Though she commanded the divine artifact that governs Heavenly Venerables, she too had to be careful, treading on thin ice, doing her utmost never to give herself away.

Otherwise, with eleven Heavenly Venerables appearing at the Jade Pool, the Ten Heavenly Venerables would surely investigate rigorously.

So she could only wait, which meant she could not have been the first to step forward and save Shen Mu.

And once the Ten Heavenly Venerables each made their move, she had all the less reason to act, for by then Shen Mu was already safe. On the contrary, she could watch the infighting among the Ten Heavenly Venerables—Tiangong, Tubo, the Moon Heavenly Venerable, and the rest—from the sidelines, and even put Shen Mu in her debt.

"Not one of these old fellows who survived the Longhan era is a simple character, sure enough.

" Shen Mu's head ached badly. These old monsters were no easy marks; let your guard down even slightly, and they might devour you down to the last crumb.

He shook off Yun Chuxiu and walked shoulder to shoulder with Ling Yuxiu, telling her what he had seen and heard in the Ancestral Court.

Ling Yuxiu hesitated a moment, then said, "Jingping's strength is too small; we are unlikely to gain a firm foothold in the Ancestral Court. I keep feeling we are short-handed as it is, and we would have to send a batch of gods to mine in the Ancestral Court.

Can we truly contend with the Ten Heavenly Venerables there? " She thought it over and said, "It is hard to gain a foothold in the Ancestral Court. Do too poorly, and the casualties are grievous; do too well, and the Ten Heavenly Venerables will suppress you. It is hard to please anyone.

" "The Ancestral Court bears on Jingping's future. We must contend for it," Shen Mu said gravely.

"Jingping cannot serve the Heavenly Court forever.

Once the Heavenly Court has put down the ancient gods and subdued Taixu, Jingping will be next. The Ancestral Court may well be the key to Jingping's rise, and it would be a good thing for Jingping's younger generation to temper themselves there. As things stand, Jingping's young ones have far too few chances to be tempered. " Ling Yuxiu laughed.

"That is because you are not in Jingping. Your cultivation is high now—you stand higher and see farther, and you rarely pay attention to the mortal world. Jingping today has more chances for tempering than the old us could ever have imagined. The young ones go exploring the Yuan Realm, contend with demigods, and exchange with the young of the Yuan Realm's great heavenly powers. It is a lively uproar, and quite a few outstanding young talents have emerged, no inferior to you and me in our day.

" Shen Mu's spirits lifted, and he laughed. "That is good to hear.

I always worried they were kept in a greenhouse, never having weathered any great storms.

" "The young people of today are more promising than we were, and they have seen more of the world. " Ling Yuxiu said, "Though another Shepherd Heavenly Venerable may not emerge, in the future there will be a whole batch of beings at the Imperial Throne realm.

" Shen Mu set his mind at ease. Jingping's development was of the utmost importance; if they toiled and struggled only for no one to succeed them, would that not be a bitter regret?

"Still, the Ancestral Court must be contested. This way: first send the Human Emperors of past generations from the Human Emperor Hall to the Ancestral Court.

My territory does indeed need a great many experts now, so let the First Ancestor Human Emperor hold it down. " Shen Mu thought for a moment and said, "Blind Grandpa and Mute Craftsman Grandpa must go there as well. Besides needing them to identify the various gemstones and mineral ores, I need them to forge the Glazed Azure Heaven Banner anew. The present banner is too crude, and there is an ancient god's egg inside it—I do not trust that egg.

" Ling Yuxiu laughed.

"You are Jingping's Imperial Preceptor; you set the state policy. We shall do as you say. " Shen Mu laughed heartily, then asked whether she had any word of Fengdu.

Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "Fengdu is still nowhere to be found.

But not long ago the Woodcutter Sage appeared in Jingping.

I did not see him; he sent someone with a letter. " Ling Yuxiu took out the letter and handed it to him. "The Woodcutter Sage explains why Fengdu did not act during the Jingping Calamity, and he blames himself deeply.

See for yourself.

" Shen Mu unfolded the letter; the handwriting was the Woodcutter Sage's.

The letter said that Emperor Kaihuang had given the order, and as a subject he could not but obey; that Fengdu had been of no help during the Jingping Calamity, and he felt deeply ashamed; and that hearing Emperor Yanfeng and Jiang Baigui, former Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, had gone to Taixu to help Wuyou Township against the Heavenly Court, he felt even more guilty.

In the letter, the Woodcutter Sage also spoke up for Emperor Kaihuang, explaining the difficulties he faced, and asked Emperor Yanxiu to understand. Shen Mu closed the letter, mused for a moment, and said, "I will go see him.

" Ling Yuxiu asked in surprise, "How will you see him? " "With this letter, I can draw the vital essence of his spirit from the handwriting, summon his soul, and sense Fengdu's whereabouts—then I can find Fengdu," Shen Mu said with a smile.

"I no longer hold it against Fengdu that he did not aid Jingping, and Your Majesty need not brood over it either. As he says, Emperor Kaihuang truly has his difficulties. " Ling Yuxiu wanted to raise a hand to smooth her hair, but recalling her own station, she forced herself to refrain, and said, "I understand.

You have returned to Jingping time and again; I know you fear Jingping will become another Wuyou Township, that its people will forget reform.

I have seen it all.

" Shen Mu laughed.

"Once they have finished unloading the goods, I will go back to Jingping with you. " Ling Yuxiu nodded lightly.

The Ancestral Court, the Hundred Thousand Great Black Mountains.

In the palace, Long Qilin was trembling, Yan'er was trembling too, and between them little Tubo shook with fear.

The three of them stared out at the world beyond in alarm. "It will be light soon.

Do not be afraid! " Long Qilin mustered his courage and walked outside, saying, "We have the Glazed Azure Heaven Banner—this treasure answers every prayer!

" He came outside the hall.

The sky beyond was dark, and in the darkness the bones of the countless void beasts Shen Mu had slain flickered with ghostly fire, drifting to and fro. That in itself was not so eerie. What was eerie was that after Shen Mu left this place, the corpses of those void beasts had withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In only three or five days, the void beasts had become pile after pile of bones, stripped of all flesh and blood.

Long Qilin, Yan'er, and little Tubo had all witnessed the strangeness here, and they had still summoned their courage to go inspect the void beasts' bones, to see just what had drained these giant beasts of flesh and blood—yet they found nothing at all. It was the unknown that was most terrifying.

By the tenth day, they saw the void beasts' bones begin to rot, glowing with ghostly fire, as though they had weathered untold ages.