Chapter 1432 — Crossing the Tribulation and Shattering the Pass

So the simplest way for the Divine Emperor to erase me is to cast me into the prehistoric age as a sacrifice. ' Divine Emperor Langxuan clapped his hands in admiration. 'A fine method indeed! In the great annihilation of the prehistoric cosmos matter does not exist; cast you in, and you would be ground down into a mass of energy and cease to be. Even if someone like you could work soul-summoning and soul-molding arts, they could not summon your black sand soul back.

It is indeed the best way to remove you utterly — and casting you into the prehistoric age is easy enough, for the other end of this Great Luo Heaven fragment lies in the great annihilation of the prehistoric cosmos. I need only give you a small push, and you would fall in. ' Shen Mu was silent. 'But I will not kill you. At least, not for now. ' Divine Emperor Langxuan laughed heartily and turned toward the coffin standing upon the altar, saying leisurely, 'Transparent as your Dao heart is, it still cannot refract the thoughts of a Heavenly Venerable. Heavenly Venerable Mu, you overrate yourself.

I have already comprehended the path of attaining the Dao through power; I need no guidance from a prehistoric being, and still less do I need to kneel to him or worship him!

' In the instant he turned to leave, Shen Mu breathed a secret sigh of relief.

In Shen Mu's Dao heart, Divine Emperor Langxuan's killing intent toward him had finally vanished completely! From his invitation to Divine Emperor Langxuan to explore this fragment of the Great Luo Heaven, to his question of when Langxuan would kill him, every move he made and every word he spoke had been meant to dispel Langxuan's intent to kill him once and for all! For when the being within the Dao Fruit spoke those words to Langxuan, Langxuan had indeed turned murderous toward Shen Mu! An exceedingly intense killing intent!

At that moment Langxuan had truly wished to kneel before the being in the Dao Fruit, truly wished to learn his method of becoming a god, truly wished to become the master of the present cosmos, truly wished to live on into the next cosmic era!

Only just now had Langxuan's killing intent finally disappeared entirely.

'Had I never been to the Nine Hells Terrace, I would surely be dead by now. ' Shen Mu smiled faintly and stepped forward to follow Langxuan; his life was no longer in danger.

The two came before the giant coffin. It still had not closed; within, divine light hung in a dense haze, and around the Dao Tree in that light seemed to hang a galaxy of stars, coiling about the withered tree.

Divine Emperor Langxuan bowed in salute and smiled.

'Senior from the prehistoric age, your proposal just now was a good one. I have thought it through. ' From the Dao Fruit came an obscure, ancient divine consciousness.

'Very good.

The wise adapt to the times.

Your cosmos is far too backward, your arts of the Dao and divine powers far too crude.

I will pass on to you my peerless learning, and it will make you at a stroke the mightiest being in the world today. . .

' Divine Emperor Langxuan straightened and cut him off, smiling. 'Senior, I now offer you two roads.

The first: crawl back to your cosmos and die obediently. The second: hand over all your insights to me, then crawl back to your cosmos and die obediently. Which road will the senior take? ' 'You!

' The voice from the Dao Fruit flew into a rage. 'Lowly ant, to dare speak to me with such insolence — you should know. . .

' 'It seems you choose the first road.

' Divine Emperor Langxuan laughed heartily. From the Heavenly Court behind his head his primal spirit struck out all at once, one finger of divine essence stabbing into the giant coffin.

'But senior, I would still rather you took the second road!

You may crawl back and die, but your Dao Fruit must stay — because I, Langxuan, have taken a fancy to it! ' Boom — a terrifying throb issued from the giant coffin. The prehistoric being's Dao Tree swayed its branches, its starry river blazing bright, and frightful power erupted from the Dao Fruit, blocking Langxuan's finger of divine essence. Divine Emperor Langxuan roared, and his primal spirit stabbed again and again, finger after finger, each one a finger of divine essence.

His art of entering the Dao had only this one move.

Anyone else would surely have dodged this way and that, but the giant coffin stood upon the wooden altar, half of it entered into the Ancestral Court, half still remaining in the prehistoric cosmic era — and facing the calamity of the great annihilation, it had no way to dodge at all! Divine Emperor Langxuan struck countless blows without pause, when suddenly the giant coffin blazed with light, and a heaven-shaking crash came from within. The Dao Fruit upon the Dao Tree was at last knocked down by his finger of divine essence!

Langxuan laughed aloud, reached out, and seized the Dao Fruit in his hand.

Then he flew up and landed atop the coffin, planted his feet, and cried fiercely, 'Crawl back and die! ' The giant coffin and the wooden altar shook and were pressed back into the prehistoric cosmic year; since the coffin no longer held the Dao Fruit, altar and coffin alike turned to powder in the great annihilation and were utterly erased! Divine Emperor Langxuan landed, raised the Dao Fruit high, and laughed out loud.

'Heavenly Venerable Mu, and all you other Heavenly Venerables — the day you bow to me is near at hand! ' Shen Mu stood to one side and smiled. 'Congratulations, Divine Emperor.

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