Chapter 1302 — The Earth Awakens

Shen Mu was still trembling with the sting of his loss when the Shen-Character Continent quaked violently and even the sky twisted awry.

The Taishi Egg fell silent again for a moment, then said in a helpless tone, "Mu Tianzun, stop your shaking. I was dug out of a lode by someone, and not long after, the Heavenly Emperor Taichu took me away to serve as a seal — there is nothing of value on me. Shake all you like, you will never shake a single coin's worth out of me. " Shen Mu stopped trembling and asked, testing him, "Is the egg fluid inside that egg of yours tasty?

" "Not tasty at all!

" said Taishi within the egg, his voice stiff as a board.

He added one more line: "Do not even think of laying a finger on my bit of egg fluid!

" "Miser," Shen Mu cursed with a laugh.

Still hoping to knock something loose from him, he probed, "Once you are born, will you give me your eggshell? " Taishi's voice turned even stiffer: "No!

I have a habit of gnawing on my shell — the moment I am born, I will eat it, first thing. You seized Taichu's eggshell with malice in your heart, meaning to use it to subdue him — do you take me for a fool? " Shen Mu put on a troubled look and shook his head. "Brother Taishi, as an ancient god you are splendid in every way, save that you are a miser — not a drop of oil can be squeezed out of you.

You will not part with a single hair; so how am I to give up Her Highness the Empress's mortal body to aid you? " Taishi within the egg hesitated a moment, then tested him in turn: "Since we are allies, I will not cheat you nor hide anything from you. Even if you help me seize back the Taishi lode, I will need several hundred thousand years to finish absorbing the primal stones and divine stones within it, and only then will I be born.

But if you learn my Way of Taishi, then you may seek out some fellow travelers and bring them to the Taishi lode, and they can help me refine the energies in the lode, so that I am born ahead of time. Once I am born, we join hands: I will help you do away with Taichu, and you shall be the Heavenly Emperor! " Shen Mu laughed aloud, his face dark. Taishi within the egg gave a start and said hurriedly, "Mu Tianzun, what are you thinking? " Shen Mu said viciously, "I am thinking what weapon it would take to split that eggshell of yours open! " Taishi within the egg hastily plastered on a smile. "You are to become the Heavenly Emperor — and you are still not happy? " Shen Mu snorted and shook his head.

"Brother Taishi, you underestimate me.

I do everything for you, I even help you be born ahead of your time, and the moment you are born you will be invincible under heaven.

As for your aiding me to do away with Taichu — that is nothing but revenge for yourself.

Let me be the Heavenly Emperor while you are the Retired Emperor — a fine reckoning indeed.

And still you will not part with a hair, taking every last advantage for yourself. " Taishi within the egg gave two dry laughs and reckoned, "In that case, let it be so: if the Taishi primal stone is obtained, I will lend it to you for a time, for you to comprehend the Way of Taishi, and you shall return it to me later. Truly I have nothing to my name; this is all I can do. " Shen Mu thought it over. "That is still catching a wolf with empty hands.

The Taishi primal stone is still in the Taishi lode — I would have to go and seize it back for you. " Taishi within the egg had nothing to say. Shen Mu went on, "Then this: besides lending me the Taishi primal stone, you must swear an oath to do three things for me.

These three things shall do you no harm. " Taishi within the egg thought it over, agreed, and swore the oath.

Shen Mu let out a breath.

Suddenly the light lurched, and they arrived on the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge outside the Ancestral Court. Shen Mu examined the Tianzun seal and saw that it was still in place.

He thought, "So Taisu does have means after all — to come and go freely from the Ancestral Court without breaking the Tianzun seal is remarkable indeed, a divine power beyond fathoming.

Taishi has agreed to do three things for me, so the first shall be to have him help me heal the wounds on Yue Tianzun's body!

But if Grandpa Alchemist can cure them, I will keep that favor in reserve — who knows, it may be of greater use. . . " He entered the Ancestral Court. Suddenly Taishi's voice came from the vertical eye between his brows: "You, surnamed Shen — I remember now! " Shen Mu turned a deaf ear. The Taishi Egg hopped and raged, crying, "We agreed at the start: I saved you from Taisu's hands, and you would do all in your power to help me win back the Taishi lode, and with all your heart search out the Taishi divine stones and the Taishi primal stone for me!

When you were fleeing for your life back then, you had no such conditions to make!

" Shen Mu walked on into the sky over the Ancestral Court, gazing this way and that.

Seeing a great deal more green in the Ancestral Court than before, he was delighted. "Long Pi has the void beasts under control — they no longer devour the things of the Ancestral Court. It will not be many years before the Ancestral Court comes back to life! " "Why do you not speak?

" The ancient god's voice came from the Taishi Egg. "Have you a guilty conscience? Wretch! You say I catch wolves with empty hands — you are the one who catches wolves with empty hands!

And I saved your life, to no purpose!

Come, come — once I break out of this egg, we shall fight three hundred rounds! " Shen Mu hurried along with his lantern, murmuring, "With these plants taking root and sprouting, there should be many spirit roots of heaven and earth in the Ancestral Court. This is a treasure land beyond measure — if I could find a spirit root like the Yuanmu. .

. " "Do not change the subject! " On the Shen-Character Continent the round egg hopped and bounced, plump and stubby, crying, "If you have the guts, hit me once and see — I will shake you to powder!

" "All things in the Ancestral Court are coming back to life — so will the Great Black Wood put out new roots and sprout, an old tree reborn?

" Shen Mu said, overjoyed. ".

. .

and I will give you a bellyful of fists!

" cried the round egg, countless ancient runes surfacing on its shell. Shen Mu looked around. The Ancestral Court now held a great many more gods and demons — surely the direct subordinates of the Ten Tianzuns, seeking to expand outward from their old territories and carve out more domain.

He saw thousands of void beasts besieging those territories, the slaughter savage.

"Fat Dragon has done well.

" Shen Mu praised him inwardly. As he passed Yan Tianfei's territory, the Taishi Egg at last quieted. It thought, "This lad does keep his word — he really means to trade Her Highness the Empress's mortal body for the Taishi divine stones and primal stone.

" "Pray announce me to the Tianfei, and say that Mu Tianzun has matters of importance to discuss," Shen Mu said politely, asking the god guarding the place to go in and report. After a while, Xiu Hongsu, Yan Tianfei's disciple, came out to greet him, smiling.

"When Mu Tianzun arrived, I thought you had come to blockade the gate again. Just now I was even hiding axemen in ambush, ready to give the word the moment Tianzun stepped through the door — blades and axes all striking at once to cut you down. " Shen Mu laughed. "Xiuxiu, you have a clever tongue — your jests sound like the truth.

Where is your master?

" Xiu Hongsu had once been a palace maid at Yan Tianfei's side; because she was quick of wit and of exceedingly high cultivation, Yan Tianfei had sent her out to serve as an official. Later, Yan Tianfei arranged for her to be given in marriage to the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven — a couple both noble. The Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven was a powerful figure of Xiao Tianzun's faction, and there was much to ponder in Yan Tianfei's giving Xiu Hongsu to him as wife.