Chapter 1296 — The Path of Seeking the Dao

He was trapped by his own grand ideal at the Yaotai realm, and the God-Slaying Altar became the barrier he could never cross in all his life.

The founding patriarch of the Celestial Sacred Religion, Wei Suifeng, had not accomplished it either. He drew upon the Woodcutter's thought, founded a faith and established teachings, and he wished to render merit.

He wished to uncover the riddles of history, to solve the essence of dynastic change, to root out the Celestial Court beyond the realm, and to restore justice to the world. This was a great merit, a great virtue — yet his aim too was vast.

He became Emperor Yunluo; his identity was exposed and he was seized, taken to be drowned in the river.

Had Shen Mu not saved him, he would likely even now be cycling aboard the ghost ship.

Shen Mu took the Kingdom of Jingping as his faith, reform and change as his teachings, and wished to march against Heaven itself, to overthrow the Celestial Court, and by this merit and virtue to become a saint by the three establishments.

He also wished to change the world's Dao methods and divine powers, to change the world's system of cultivation, to advance the Dao arts and divine powers — that the present must surely surpass the ancient, and the future surely surpass the present. Yet the Jingping Tribulation erupted, and he too was knocked bloody-headed; to this day he still labored and rushed about for these two goals.

Looking across the million years of history from Longhan to now, those who truly accomplished the three establishments — merit, teachings, and faith — becoming a saint: only the combined merit of nine men together was worthy of the title of saint. These nine were the Nine Celestial Venerables of Longhan: Yu, Hao, Ling, Huo, Yue, You, Yun, Shen, and Mu. They founded the Divine Treasury Heavenly Palace system, founded the Dao Realm system; the merit of the nine together was worthy of the name of saint.

Yet the merit of each one of the nine taken alone fell far short of the title of saint.

"Now it seems the first who might become a true saint is, unexpectedly, Lan Yutian. " Shen Mu gazed into the distance.

Lan Yutian led his three thousand disciples, a mighty host; these lost divine ones, under the command of the direction-blind Lan Yutian, were marching toward the territory of Carefree Township.

"Lan Yutian is not Celestial Venerable Yu. Like me, he must be a second consciousness born within Celestial Venerable Yu — a pure man, a man born for the Dao.

" A smile like that of an old father appeared on Shen Mu's face.

As Lan Yutian's guide and pathfinder, as one who had suffered a fate like Lan Yutian's, he felt deeply gratified.

Lan Yutian had, at last, grown up. "Heavenly Master Bai, I suddenly understand why you did not wish to become the Vermilion Bird, the Southern Emperor.

" Shen Mu turned around and said with a smile, "My circumstances are the same as yours, and the same as Lan Yutian's. From now on, I will no longer force you to become the Southern Emperor.

Let us go back. "