Chapter 1223 — Seeming True, Yet False

Moon Venerable was delighted at heart to see how earnestly Shen Mu painted; when he finished, he even pressed a seal onto the page, as if putting his mark to a document.

"You there, fellow, this is a dream, not reality—do you really think the painted me will run away? " She snatched the painting away, rolled it up in high glee, and laughed.

To her, this painting was a brand left by the dream, and naturally could not be carried into reality.

In the future, if she truly became disfigured and ugly, she could still take it out in a dream and remember the face she had once worn.

Shen Mu smiled and continued to paint, producing a second portrait of Moon Venerable without telling her the truth.

Some things Moon Venerable would do no matter what; the killing of Earth Mother, the Primordial Sovereign, was one, and he could not stop her.

This girl had held up the Supreme Emperor's era for three hundred thousand years; she had her own thoughts and her own views. Earth Mother had done the Primal World service, but likewise she had done it immense harm.

After the three-hundred-thousand-year war between the northern and southern Supreme Emperors, all living beings had suffered; whatever the case, Earth Mother had to die.

Whether or not Fire Venerable had proposed it, she would do it anyway—that was the kind of person Moon Venerable was.

All Shen Mu could do was leave her hope for the future.

"This painting I will keep," Shen Mu said with a smile.

"One portrait is branded into your heart; the other is branded into mine.

" Moon Venerable blushed.

"Thank Heaven this is a dream," she laughed, "or I would have thought you were flirting with me.

" Shen Mu laughed loudly.

Moon Venerable said softly, "If this is a dream, then everything that happens here is a beautiful memory. " But Shen Mu seemed not to understand the meaning in her words.

"A dream is, after all, a dream—sooner or later one must wake.

Moon, look into my eyes. " Moon Venerable raised her head to look at him, her eyes like autumn water, and then slowly closed them. Yet she waited long for Shen Mu's response and it never came. She opened her eyes secretly and found herself standing beside Shen Mu.

Wei Suifeng was lecturing the Feather Forest Guard in the distance.

The Dragon Earl King, leading the seven Dragon Earls—the eight survivors of the Dragon Earl clan—had been plucked bald, eyes fixed on noses, noses fixed on hearts, with a look of utter desirelessness.

Shen Mu was still striving to activate the Taiji Primal Stone and restore his physical body; everything had only been her dream. "What a pity it was a dream.

. .

" Moon Venerable was downcast.

Suddenly she saw the scroll in her hand; startled and ashamed, she quickly unfolded it.

In the painting, she had a young girl's shyness, and the bright moon above her head was full and round.

Moon Venerable rolled the scroll up, looked at Shen Mu, and saw that he was still working to restore his body; beside him, too, lay a scroll.

Was Zhuangzi lost in his dawn dream among butterflies—was it true, or false? Did Wangdi's spring heart entrust itself to the cuckoo—was it dream, or illusion?

The world before her eyes seemed to change from black and white into dazzling, many-colored splendor. Moon Venerable left with the scroll, which was not only a seal of her countenance but also a resting-place for her feelings.

Though she was a Venerable, she was also a woman, and emotion made her a little drunk. But once she reached the outer world, she soon cast those feelings aside.

She could see the deep intention behind the dreams Shen Mu had made her experience, but no matter what, she had to remove Earth Mother; she could not endure Earth Mother continuing to prey on the people of the Primal World. "The worst outcome of this battle is that I lose both legs and ruin my face," she said, "but in exchange, Earth Mother will lose her head and bring disaster no more.

" She smiled. "It is worth it. Sister Ling is the most important.

As long as she is alive, there will always be chances and hopes.

" She walked briskly toward the Supreme Emperor's Heavenly Court, her heart burning with eagerness.

"As long as Sister Ling is here, with her divine powers, no one under heaven will be her match. As for Little Moon—Moon Venerable—she is only Sister Ling's little sister, only the shadow that helps her.

.

.

" Gradually Shen Mu restored his physical body, and the Primal Embryo Divine Treasury was structured exactly as he had envisaged.

Silently he put away Moon Venerable's painting. This time he had become an energy body, and even Moon Venerable's portrait had turned into pure energy; he had not hesitated to sacrifice part of his energy to paint those two pictures. One painting he would carry into this age, transforming with him into an energy body.

The other he kept himself; in the future, he would use it as a model to restore Moon Venerable's former face. The most important thing now was to fulfill his promise and restore the physical bodies and primordial spirits of the Feather Forest Guard. After this upheaval, the physical body he regained was more powerful than before.

The reorganized Divine Treasury was filled with all kinds of uncanny powers; the most extraordinary was the newly opened Primal Embryo Divine Treasury, built according to the scale of the Ancestral Court, whose hidden mysteries even Shen Mu himself could not have imagined. Especially the five mineral veins: the power of Taiji, the power of Taichu, the power of Taisu, and the power of Taishi had all begun to show signs, while only the Chaos Vein was suffused with billows of chaotic qi, revealing no power as yet. Beyond this, he made the Ancestral Court the center of the Primal Embryo Divine Treasury and, with it as the origin, opened up the universe of the Primal Embryo Divine Treasury: he established the Primal World, founded the Mystic Capital, opened the Nether Capital, and raised the Four Poles.

The Celestial River originated at the Jade Pool of the Ancestral Court, ran through the Mystic Capital to the Four Poles, fell from the Primal Capital into the Nether Capital, and then entered Guixu; from Guixu it returned to the Jade Pool, forming a great cycle.

The Celestial River, moreover, was transformed from primordial qi, and its path of circulation was exactly the path of the Mystic Body Triple Elixir Art!

As for where the primordial qi passed—the Spirit Embryo beneath the divine tree, the Celestial Duke of the Mystic Capital, the Four Ancient God-Emperors of the Four Poles Heaven, the Earth Mother of the Primal Capital, the Earth Earl of the Nether Capital, the Twin Lotuses of Guixu, and the countless star gods and ancient constellation deities of all the heavens—each had its own distinct course of primordial qi, turning in accordance with the ancient divine paths of those places. At this, Shen Mu felt that this circulatory system was nearly perfect! "If I were to divide it into realms," he said silently in his heart, "the Spirit Embryo of the Ancestral Court is the first realm; the Mystic Capital is the second; the sacred stars and divinities of all the heavens are the third; the Four Poles Heaven is four minor realms. The Earth Mother of the Primal Capital is the fifth realm; the Earth Earl of the Nether Capital is the sixth; the Twin Lotuses of Guixu are the seventh.

These seven realms are the seven realms of the Divine Treasury.

After one has cultivated a perfect Great Reincarnation, that is the Heavenly Court realm. After the Heavenly Court realm, one should develop the power in the five great veins of the Ancestral Court. .

. " His eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he felt he had found an extraordinary path. This path was more perfect than the present Divine Treasury–Heavenly Palace system, and more complete than the Dao Realm system.

Moreover, at the end of this path he could see the five great future realms: Taiji, Taisu, Taishi, Taichu, and Taiyi!