Chapter 1431 — Fragments of the Great Luo Heaven

"Divine Emperor, this prehistoric mighty one is a being enthroned high in the Great Luo Heaven; his strength stands above the Ten Heavenly Venerables and indeed above any Heavenly Venerable. If he enters the Ancestral Court, then the rule of the Ten Heavenly Venerables will crumble, and he will become a being high above all. " Shen Mu guided him along, step by step: "For the sake of his own power, he will either eliminate the Ten Heavenly Venerables or subjugate you all. As one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables, the rulers of this age, what should you do? " Divine Emperor Langxuan came back to himself, his gaze flickering. He smiled. "But I will not let him enter the Ancestral Court, nor the Jade Pool—still less will I let him plunder the Jade Pool's power!

" Shen Mu breathed a sigh of relief and closed the vertical eye in his brow.

"With the Divine Emperor holding watch here, I am at ease. " Divine Emperor Langxuan looked at him and smiled.

"Heavenly Venerable Mu, he hides beneath the Jade Pool.

Rather than wait until he has stolen power enough to enter the Ancestral Court, we might as well drive him back into his own age! I need the aid of your Sacred Pupil to find his whereabouts!

" He smiled proudly and said, leisurely, "I would very much like to meet this supreme mighty one of the previous cosmic year! " Shen Mu hesitated a moment, and Divine Emperor Langxuan smiled. "Do you not wish to root out this hidden threat?

" Shen Mu studied his face carefully. Divine Emperor Langxuan met his gaze openly and smiled.

"I am one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables, a ruler of this cosmos; naturally I must consider this age. " Shen Mu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Since the Divine Emperor harbors such intent, then I shall grant you this favor.

Divine Emperor, neither you nor I are sufficient to reach that Great Luo Heaven fragment. I possess a divine ability called the Other Shore Divine Ark Crossing; if I borrow your strength, perhaps I can enter that fragment. " Divine Emperor Langxuan's heart gave a slight jolt.

He nodded silently and praised, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, you know a great deal indeed.

" Shen Mu grew wary within, but smiled.

"My cultivation realm is low, so in idle hours I like to tinker with divine abilities. " Divine Emperor Langxuan laughed aloud.

"Your cultivation is already exceedingly high. Who else, pray tell, could cultivate to your stage at merely fifty-odd years of age? Setting aside all else, to cultivate to the Jade Pool realm and become a Heavenly God in fifty years—among the geniuses of the myriad heavens and worlds, those with such aptitude are already rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

And moreover, your strength does not end even there.

" Shen Mu laughed too.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. " Divine Emperor Langxuan's heaven-flooding mana surged forth, and Shen Mu immediately borrowed this mana to perform the Other Shore Divine Ark Crossing. The Other Shore Divine Ark Crossing was the eighth heaven of his divine abilities. This move held little offensive power; it was a divine ability for entering the Void.

Shen Mu had created it upon entering the Dao in order to enter the Ultimate Void and rescue the soul of Heavenly Venerable Yun, imprisoned by the Great Emperor.

But his cultivation was still weak; he was far from able to enter the Ultimate Void, and at most could reach the twenty-ninth or thirtieth layer of the Void.

Yet now, with Divine Emperor Langxuan's aid, Shen Mu's mana surged violently and his divine consciousness grew incomparably mighty. With a long cry, the Other Shore Divine Ark Crossing erupted! An Other Shore Divine Ark swiftly took form beneath the feet of Shen Mu and Divine Emperor Langxuan.

The ark flew out, its prow pointed downward, its speed unimaginable, roaring as it plunged toward the depths beneath the Jade Pool!

At the prow, Divine Emperor Langxuan watched the seabed and shattered rock rush at him head-on and hastily raised a hand to shield his face. Yet though the vessel shuddered violently, it did not strike the ground; in the very instant of contact it passed into layer upon layer of Void beneath the earth.

The vessel sped through, traversing layer after layer of Void in an instant, reaching straight to the thirty-fifth layer of the Void, hurtling straight for that Great Luo Heaven fragment! Divine Emperor Langxuan's heart pounded violently.

At last, with his own eyes, he could see that fragment of the Great Luo Heaven, and the altar within the fragment, and the mysterious giant coffin upon the altar! In that lightning-swift rush, he looked up, and looking up he beheld the Jade Terrace and the Jade Sea suspended above the Other Shore Ark and the Great Luo Heaven fragment! The land of the Ancestral Court seemed not to exist at all; he could even see the mine slaves and overseers standing beside the etherealized mountains, upon the etherealized ground.

This sight filled him with wonder.

BOOM— The Other Shore Ark crashed into the Great Luo Heaven fragment, and the entire vessel exploded with a thunderous roar. The two at the prow tumbled head over heels through the air; when they steadied themselves, they found they had plunged into the fragment and were floating before the coffin.

The coffin was enormous; its archaic rust bespoke immense antiquity.

The lower it went, the more decayed it became. Even the runes and Great Dao brands upon it had been worn away and greatly diminished in power.

Yet standing before this coffin, they felt wave upon wave of palpitation—the power emanating from the coffin was too frightening, too terrifying!

Even one as mighty as Langxuan could only feel his heart quail and his flesh creep!

That was pure Dao might, Dao power—higher than his own power, more profound and mysterious, inconceivable! Divine Emperor Langxuan clasped his hands behind his back; his divine consciousness rippled as he smiled. "Even a being as mighty as one from the previous cosmos cannot survive the great annihilation.

How pitiful.

" Just then, the giant coffin abruptly emitted creaking, grating sounds, and the coffin lid slowly opened.

Divine Emperor Langxuan was as though facing a great enemy.

The heavenly palace appeared behind his head, his primordial spirit vast, standing within the heavenly court, the Divine Origin Finger already prepared—ready at any moment to strike and slay the one within the coffin!

The coffin opened, and within the giant coffin lay a withered Dao tree—no corpse, no one's primordial spirit.

Upon that Dao tree hung but a single shriveled Dao fruit. From that Dao fruit, a vast divine consciousness spread outward, speaking unhurriedly: "Creatures as tiny as ants, mocking an eagle that soars between cosmoses with a cosmos as its year, laughing at its shallow vision.

Heh heh—little friends, it is you who are pitiful.

" They communicated through divine consciousness; even without understanding each other's language, they could know one another's thoughts. Divine Emperor Langxuan sneered and was about to speak when another surge of divine consciousness came from the Dao fruit: "Little friend, when your cosmic epoch is destroyed, how will you escape?

With your mouth?

Kneel, worship me, offer me sacrifices enough, and I will teach you the method of transcendence and aid you in attaining the Dao—then you may live on into the next cosmic epoch!

" Shen Mu's expression shifted slightly, and he hastily looked toward Divine Emperor Langxuan. Divine Emperor Langxuan's face flickered dark and bright by turns.