Chapter 906 — Falling Behind Is No Crime; Being Weak Is the Sin
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
"Celestial Lord Yu" smiled. "The child you choose will surely be the best—inheriting your ambition. I am not at ease. Choose another."
Emperor Yanfeng flung himself to the ground, weeping bitterly, tears streaming down his face. Only after a long while did he crawl back up, his gaze wandering over his other offspring.
"Yuxiu, come up."
Emperor Yanfeng wept. "From now on, the state of Jingping is entrusted to you. Do not do too well—be muddled, be incompetent. From this day forth, you are the Emperor of Jingping!"
The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping sighed inwardly. He knew why Emperor Yanfeng had first chosen Ling Yushu, and had not chosen Ling Yuxiu first.
His purpose was simply to protect Ling Yuxiu.
The divine beings of the Heavenly Court took Emperor Yanfeng and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping into custody. A tower ship sailed far away, carrying them off toward the great prison. The other heavenly soldiers and generals of the Heavenly Court remained behind, dismantling the systems of primary schools, great academies, and the supreme academy, burning the reform's canonical texts, propping up the sects, smashing the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons, the Xi Boats, the Po Boats, and other heavy divine artifacts, and keeping watch over Jingping.
Ling Yuxiu ascended the throne. The reign title was Yanxiu, and she was called Emperor Yanxiu.
"A tiny state of Jingping, and it has tangled me up for so long. The human race—such a lowly breed of living being—is truly a headache."
The "Celestial Lord Yu" into which the Heavenly Emperor had transformed smiled at Shen Mu. "And now, We too should return. Celestial Lord Mu, We look forward greatly to your stepping out from the shadows and reclaiming Our physical body at an early date. Do you know why We must imprison Emperor Yanfeng and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping for two hundred years—why We give you two hundred years?"
Shen Mu walked out of the capital of Jingping alongside him, his countenance calm and unruffled. "In two hundred years, the Lord of Heaven will die and his Dao dissipate, and he will be replaced. By then, I, the Great Master of Dharma of Ten Thousand Kalpas Who Does Not Perish, will have become a thing of the past, and will no longer have the power to revive others."
The Ancient God, the Heavenly Emperor, laughed heartily. "Talking with clever people saves so much effort. Within two hundred years, the Great Dao of Xuandu will hold no more secrets, the Lord of Heaven can become history, and a new Lord of Heaven will come into the world. You will be able to borrow no power whatsoever from Xuandu, and your art of resurrection will become a thing of the past. At that time, you will have no qualifications to negotiate, and no capital to negotiate with."
He halted his steps and smiled gently. "Celestial Lord Mu, let Us tell you a truth."
Shen Mu halted as well. "I am all ears."
The Ancient God, the Heavenly Emperor, said leisurely, "Falling behind is not the original sin. Being weak is."
"The new Heaven Diagram is already being forged. Within a few decades it will rise into the sky once more, becoming a star chart that shrouds the entire Primordial Realm."
He lifted his head to the heavens, where a sun had appeared—the true Divine Sun of the Primordial Realm.
"Enjoy all of this."
The Ancient God, the Heavenly Emperor, smiled. "In the coming decades, you will see the true starry sky. After that, no one will remember what the true starry sky looked like. No need to see me off. Go back."
His form floated into the air and vanished at the horizon.
Shen Mu lifted his head, savoring his words. Falling behind means being beaten—but Jingping was not behind. Jingping's Daoist arts, divine powers, and ideals even surpassed those of the Heavenly Court.
The reason Jingping was beaten, beaten until it could not rise to its feet, was simply that it was weak.