Chapter 845 — Rebuilding the Heavenly Palace
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 5
Xiao Chunfeng's eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice: "The Archive Pavilion — the supreme holy ground of the Heavenly Court's book collection. The books kept here are said to be the Heavenly Court's highest secrets! Strange — why would the Dao Ancestor summon us here? Is he not afraid the Heavenly Court will discover that he has summoned rebels from the lower realm?"
The woman in red, Yu Hongxiu, had calmed down. Enduring her pain, she said, "The Dao Ancestor has summoned us — why does he not show himself?"
Shen Mu asked with concern, "Sister Hongxiu, are your injuries serious? I am rather skilled in medicine; treated by my hand, you will soon be skipping about again."
Yu Hongxiu gave a cold snort and moved further away from him, closer to Xiao Chunfeng.
Daoist Master Linxuan stepped forward and said kindly, "Senior Sister Yu, in Jingping, Sect Master Shen is called a master of the state; in his early years, when he first made his name, he was a holy hand of gynecology, renowned throughout the world."
Yu Hongxiu ground her teeth and sneered, "You two have no good intentions!"
Shen Mu shrugged, and climbed the jade stairs along the pillar to the bookshelves on the second storey of the Archive Pavilion, where he pulled out a scroll at random.
The book was polished from jade slips, cut into long strips and strung together with gold thread, like a book of bamboo slips; but what was carved on them was not writing, but runes.
Linxuan, Xiao Chunfeng and Yu Hongxiu also came forward. Xiao Chunfeng and Yu Hongxiu kept a little distance from the other two, and each drew out a jade slip and studied it closely.
"These strange symbols..."
Yu Hongxiu shook her head. She did not recognize the runes, and stuffed the jade slip back.
"These are the foundational Dao runes constructed by the art of calculation; they belong to the Tiangang runes among the Orthodox Gods of the Stars of the Whole Heaven. This scroll of mine is the rune of the Tiankui Star."
Xiao Chunfeng said, "The other scrolls — are they the Dao runes of the other Tiangang Orthodox Gods?"
"No."
Shen Mu shook his head: "This scroll of mine is also the rune of the Tiankui Star."
"Mine as well," said Linxuan, setting down the scroll in his hand.
Xiao Chunfeng moved swiftly, opening the other scrolls, and saw that the runes on them were all runes of the Tiankui Star. The Lord of the Tiankui Star was an Orthodox God of the Stars of the Whole Heaven, and an ancient god besides, born of heaven and earth, born on the Tiankui Star.
His foundational Dao runes should number only a hundred or so; yet the rune marks on these jade slips were exceedingly many, which left Xiao Chunfeng somewhat bewildered: "Can it be that what the jade slips record is the divine powers of the Lord of the Tiankui Star? But that is far too many divine powers..."
Shen Mu's heart stirred. He suddenly waved his hand, and his vital essence flew out; all the jade slips on the six walls of bookshelves rose at once, spreading out around the jade pillar with a clatter, their runes turned toward the translucent pillar.
The pillar refracted the light, casting back the runes on the slips. Gradually all the runes lit up, and within the jade pillar there appeared a crimson dragon god, fierce and malevolent, vivid as life!
"So that is how it is!"
Shen Mu waved his sleeve, and all the jade slips flew back to the shelves on the six walls.
He went on to the third storey and did the same: all the runes on the jade slips shone toward the pillar, and within the pillar appeared the figure of the Lord of the Tiangang Star.
The runes on the fourth storey were those of the Lord of the Tianji Star, the fifth storey those of the Lord of the Tianxian Star. Shen Mu climbed swiftly, and soon reached the three hundred and sixtieth storey, and turned the jade slips there toward the pillar.