Chapter 860 — The Supreme Token
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
Many primordial spirits, too, had been fixed there by Xing'an's strange arts — spirits of every kind, grotesque and varied, of every race. Yet what drew Shen Mu's eye was not these collections of Xing'an's, but a jade token, a token like the token of Heavenly Venerable Mu.
The chest spat the token out, and it fell into Shen Mu's hand. He turned it over: on the token was carved a single character, "Shen," in ancient divine script.
The token of Heavenly Venerable Shen. In years past, he and Niu Sanduo had returned to the early years of Longhan, and on the Heavenly River they met Kaihuang; at the grand gathering by the Jade Pool the two had fought a great battle that shook the Heavenly Court.
Heavenly Venerable Yu, seeing that the two possessed vast powers and were unlike any other, surpassing the humans of that time and the ancient gods and demigods of that time, memorialized the Celestial Emperor of the Ancient Gods and asked rewards for them both. And so the Celestial Emperor of the Ancient Gods conferred on them both the title of Heavenly Venerable.
Shen Mu had taken the alias Mu Qing, and was therefore enfeoffed as Heavenly Venerable Mu; Kaihuang, whose name was Shen Ye, took the alias Shen Kai, and was therefore enfeoffed as Heavenly Venerable Shen.
Shen Mu and Kaihuang ranked alongside the Seven Heavenly Venerables, and were called the Nine Heavenly Venerables. The conferral of the Celestial Emperor of the Ancient Gods came with an imperial edict and a token, one set for each of them.
This was why, upon seeing this token, he had agreed at once to remake Xing'an's soul! Shen Mu turned the token of Heavenly Venerable Shen over and over several times, put it away in his Taotie Pouch, and looked at Xing'an.
Xing'an, his soul weak from the remaking, was even then driving his mystic arts to strengthen it.
Shen Mu took the map from the chest and studied it a few times. It was a map of the Primordial World as it was now; too many places were strange to him, and he could make almost nothing of it.
"Even with the map, I will need Xing'an to go there with me. " Shen Mu put the map away and walked out of the Lanjiang Hall.
Outside, Zaifu transformed into a blade of light and flew off, laughing, "Shen boy, didn't you want to learn the fruits of the Lanjiang Academy's reforms? I will be waiting for you at the Heavenly Blade Academy!
" Shen Mu set his thoughts aside and laughed, "Grandpa Tu, I am going to beat you to death.
" Zaifu roared with laughter, and the blade of light fell into a cluster of palaces within the Academy, where the Heavenly Blade Academy stood.
The Crimson Radiance Divine Son swept up his purple robes and vanished in a flash, his voice carrying back: "Divine Son of Youdu, I await your honored arrival at the Creation Academy!
" The old farmer walked out, saying mildly, "The Martial Academy. Come and take a beating from me! " Shen Mu's face darkened, and Yu Zhaoqing said with a smile, "The Nature Academy.
This one awaits your honored arrival, Cult Master. " Ban Gongcuo, his spirit soaring to the clouds, laughed aloud, "Cult Master Shen, I shall await your instruction at the Shaman Arts Tianxing Academy!
" Before the Lanjiang Hall, the many experts went each back to their own academy to await Shen Mu's challenge.
Xue Hu'er, too, grew excited and rode off on a demonic wind, crying joyfully, "Young Master, I will be waiting for you at the Demon Academy!
" Shen Mu scratched his head. "Ling'er seems to have misunderstood.
I came to learn divine arts, and demonic arts are not something I can learn.
.
.
Still, it is rare to see her so eager; after I have fought my way through the other academies, I will go and sit with her a while, so the little girl's feelings are not hurt.
Still, these academies of the Lanjiang Academy all seem to hold hard characters to provoke — apart from the Great Venerable, of course.
.
.