Chapter 1355 — Secretly Pulling the Strings

Heavenly Venerable Xiao with All Ways Return to One, plus the Imperial Heavenly Venerable and the Primeval Tree, I fear he is the strongest of the Ten Heavenly Venerables! If he strikes, Heavenly Venerable Yue, can you hold him off?

" Heavenly Venerable Yue thought for a moment, then summoned all the palace maids and said, "Bring out all the lanterns I have refined over the years, and hang them in the peach grove according to this formation diagram. " She took out a formation diagram and handed it to the leading maid, instructing her, "Once they are hung, return to the palace at once.

On no account linger in the peach grove. " The maids assented, went to open the palace treasury, and brought out several hundred lanterns. They shook them, and the lanterns lit up.

Carrying the lanterns on poles, the maids filed out of the palace and hung them one by one on the peach trees.

Shen Mu stared, eyes wide, as though hundreds of snow foxes were clawing and scratching inside him; he wished he could snatch a few lanterns for himself. Others did not know the virtue of Heavenly Venerable Yue's lanterns, but he knew their wondrous uses: travel with a lantern in hand, and one could go faster than those Heavenly Venerables!

But that was not the lantern's greatest power; the lantern's true strength lay in the fact that it could transform into zither strings!

Shen Mu had seen Bai Yuqiong, the White Heavenly Master, use strings transformed from such lanterns to sever Heavenly Venerable Hao's fingers, and even to cut off Heavenly Venerable Hao's head! Heavenly Venerable Yue waved her sleeve, and a guqin flew over and landed on her knees.

She smiled at the two of them. "All five great Heavenly Venerables are wounded; the Great Emperor has done me a great favor. Why should the Great Emperor be so kind?

" Shen Mu smiled faintly and said leisurely, "Naturally, someone is pushing from behind the scenes, borrowing force to strike force. If not for this hidden black, this hidden hand behind it all, I would not have dared come at once to heal you, Yue'er.

" Heavenly Venerable Yue gave him a long look, then suddenly laughed. "Heavenly Venerable Mu, Medicine King God, today I shall make bold to show my poor skill.

The two of you may refine your medicines and heal the wounds; I shall play a tune and try conclusions with the Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court. " She plucked a single string; it quivered with a crisp dong, and in the peach grove beneath the night, the light of lantern after lantern suddenly blazed bright, and strings of light shot out from them! Lantern after lantern was joined by strings of light, crisscrossing, quivering in time with Heavenly Venerable Yue's zither strings, giving forth a wondrous melody!