Chapter 1621 — Cloud and Flame Converge

Celestial Venerable Yun grew even more flustered. In but a brief moment, of all his divine treasures, only the Spirit Fetus remained!

And what was this talk of doing the opposite of what was expected?

Weren't they supposed to be protecting Earth Count?

Celestial Venerable Hao and his lot had taken Earth Count hostage to force Shen Mu and the others to come to the rescue, to walk of their own accord into their trap — so why would Shen Mu instead be the first to kill the hostage?

However wretched Earth Count might be, he was still an ally. Who ever heard of wiping out one's strongest ally before the great battle had even begun?

Earth Count too was a being of formidable fighting strength. Though today's Celestial Venerables were far mightier than those of old, Earth Count ought to be able to drag down the Ancestral God King who now wielded Heaven Duke's fleshly body and perish together with him!

To not first let Earth Count and the Ancestral God King die together, but to finish Earth Count off first — Celestial Venerable Mu's stratagem was outrageous, incomprehensible.

"So long as Earth Count lives, he's a great big target; whatever arrow comes, it can be loosed at the target!"

Brimming with excitement, Shen Mu sealed Celestial Venerable Yun's heavenly palace completely so that its energies could not escape, and said, "Celestial Venerable Hao can shoot, so naturally we can shoot too! Our aim is to keep Youdu out of the Heavenly Court's hands, and next to rescue Earth Count — to free him from the shackles of the ancient gods and let him be reborn as a man. So long as we strike one step ahead of the Heavenly Court, we can lay out Youdu one step ahead of Celestial Venerable Hao and the rest, and seize the initiative!"

Celestial Venerable Yun's eyes went wide, his mouth agape. "I..."

"Before, it was Celestial Venerable Hao and Taichu who held the initiative. If they attack Youdu and kill Earth Count, then we must respond — and the moment we respond, we fall into their trap."

Shen Mu's ten fingers flew, tapping ceaselessly over his body, his words coming even faster than his fingers. "They can act whenever they please. They can set their traps at leisure while we can only watch helplessly, and then go blundering headlong into them. The moment we step in, they close the net and hold us fast in it, to be butchered as they will. But what if we do the opposite — what if we lay the trap, what if we are the ones who kill Earth Count?"

His eyes shining bright, he looked at Celestial Venerable Yun with an expression of expectation.

Celestial Venerable Yun opened his mouth. "I..."

"I knew you would agree to this plan!"

Shen Mu clenched his fist in elation and laughed. "Then it's settled! Cultivate well!"

Celestial Venerable Yun hurriedly caught hold of him. "Don't go yet! You destroyed my divine treasures — how am I to cultivate? You owe me for this!"

Shen Mu pulled free of his hand and laughed. "I've already found you a teacher. You have a physical body now, so you can leave Great Luo Heaven. I'll send you to Jingping; someone there will take you to the World Tree of the Ancestral Court. Your teacher is waiting for you there."

Celestial Venerable Yun felt that not a shred of power could be drawn from his physical body, and his heart was heavy with gloom.

Once, for a time, he had admired Shen Mu, dreaming of fighting shoulder to shoulder with him, dreaming of sharing wine and laughter with him, dreaming of sweeping the age before them together and pointing out the rivers and mountains.

Yet now, the more he came into contact with Shen Mu, the more he felt that this Shen Mu was utterly unlike the Celestial Venerable Mu of his imagining.

This true Celestial Venerable Mu was somewhat unreliable.

Shen Mu thought of something and warned him, "Brother Yun, hide that Emperor Sword of Taichu well; do not carry it on your person. Within Great Luo Heaven, Taichu cannot sense his Emperor Sword, but once you leave Great Luo Heaven, he will sense this supreme treasure born alongside him, track you down, and cut you dead. That Emperor Sword must never fall into his hands."

Celestial Venerable Yun nodded. "The Ultimate Void is vast beyond measure. Celestial Venerable Hao and Taichu may possess Great Luo Heaven, but so long as I wish to hide, they will never find me."

He made his preparations and followed Shen Mu aboard the Golden Ship of Deliverance.

He could no longer wield his power, so Shen Mu bore him onto the ship with magic. Celestial Venerable Yun went to Celestial Venerable Ling's side; she sat there reckoning something or other and paid him no heed.

"Ling, you're still as odd-tempered as ever." Celestial Venerable Yun shook his head and sat down unsteadily.

He had spent far longer in Celestial Venerable Ling's company than Shen Mu had. Throughout the whole of the Longhan era, Celestial Venerable Ling had worn that same strange temper, and when spoken to she answered or ignored you as she pleased.

Shen Mu said, "Once you reach the Ancestral Court and meet your teacher, I expect it won't be long before you can reopen your divine treasures. By then your heavenly palace will open of its own accord. Oh — I have only sealed your physical body; should you meet enemies, you may use the power of your primordial spirit. We wouldn't want a Celestial Venerable Yun, a Celestial Emperor of the Firmament, a Dao-attainer of the present day, to be killed off by some blind little nobody."

Celestial Venerable Yun said in surprise, "You're not coming with me to the Ancestral Court?"

Shen Mu shook his head. "I'm going to see Celestial Venerable You."

Celestial Venerable Yun nodded, then abruptly said, "Why won't you teach me yourself? How does that teacher's ability compare with yours? If he's not your match, I'd rather stay with you."

Shen Mu laughed. "His ability is naturally no match for mine, but what he cultivates is the orthodox way; the road I walk is heretical and crooked, and it does not suit you. When you arrive, you'll understand. No need to ask more."

Hearing this, Celestial Venerable Yun wanted all the more to know who this teacher was, but Shen Mu refused to say, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The Golden Ship of Deliverance sailed out of the Ultimate Void and came to Jingping. Shen Mu entered the Academy of Hearing the Dao to see the village chief, and barely suppressing that tradition of the Human Emperor Hall — beating one's teacher — said, "Grandpa Village Chief, this is Celestial Venerable Yun. Escort him to the Ancestral Court and find Fatty Lan."

The village chief looked at Celestial Venerable Yun with profound respect, bowed, and said, "This latecomer and petty student, Su Muzhe, pays his respects to Celestial Venerable Yun! Celestial Venerable Yun, please follow me!"

Celestial Venerable Yun went off with him, and Shen Mu heard the village chief's voice come drifting back from afar: "Celestial Venerable Yun is a good friend of little Shen, are you not? Come to think of it, I am little Shen's teacher as well — it was I who taught him his swordsmanship. When he was small, an old granny in our village even sold him to a cloth shop, hahahaha, I'll tell you the whole tale on the road..."

Shen Mu watched the two of them recede with a black face, then urged the golden ship on toward Youdu.

Celestial Venerable Ling was still aboard and had not stirred the whole way. As the Golden Ship of Deliverance entered Youdu and flew toward Earth Count's two horns, Shen Mu labored over the transformations of the Dao patterns of Miluo Palace, though many knotty points remained that he could not penetrate in so short a time.

He wished to ask Celestial Venerable Ling, but her earlier rebuffs had left him somewhat short of confidence, and he dared not speak.

After a long while, Celestial Venerable Ling raised her head, smoothed the hair at her temples, and said, "If you truly do not understand, then ask."

Shen Mu's spirits soared, and he hurriedly laid out his difficulties.