Chapter 1007 — They Are Not You
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
Shujun returned the salute and halted beneath the Chengtian Gate, watching him climb stair after stair, ascending toward the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.
Shen Mu advanced step by step. After who knew how long, he finally came before the Lingxiao Hall.
In the Lingxiao Hall, an emperor sat upon the throne. Seeing him come, he rose to his feet.
Kaihuang took off the imperial robe he wore, folded it neatly, and laid it on the throne. Then he removed the imperial crown from his head and pressed it down upon the robe.
He lifted the Worry-Free Sword at his waist. With a clang, the Worry-Free Sword left its sheath; with a light wave he sent the scabbard flying to lodge in a pillar of the Lingxiao Hall.
The sword light blazed, illuminating Lingxiao; the whole hall shook with sword shadows.
He looked at Shen Mu walking into the Lingxiao Hall, quietly awaiting his arrival. His figure stood there, giving the impression of something immovable since ancient times, a dao heart that would not shift.
Though the years had passed, his original heart had never changed.
Shen Mu came before him and smiled. "Shen Kai, long time no see."
Kaihuang smiled too. "Muqing, a million years since we last met. You came walking from Taihuang Heaven — what did you see along the way?"
"I saw that your Heavenly Court has rotted."
Shen Mu took out the sword pellet, gave it a gentle shake, and it became a divine sword that rang in his hand. Shen Mu plucked the blade; tip and body trembled without cease. He said unhurriedly, "Your original intent in migrating the Worry-Free Land was good, but only you could hold to your original intent. Your old subordinates could not bear the failure, and fell into the misery and desolation of shattered dao hearts. They could not carry the burden forward as you did; they could only resent you and hate you. They are not you."
Kaihuang nodded. "It was I who overrode all objections, who single-mindedly wished to migrate to the Worry-Free Land. The guilt is mine. What else did you see?"
Shen Mu said, "I also saw that your Kaihuang Reforms have already failed, that hearts have fallen apart. When you decided to migrate to the Worry-Free Land, the Kaihuang Reforms had already failed; only some superficial things remained."
Kaihuang nodded. "In the Kaihuang era, the use of gods in service of men was the foundation of the state. I abandoned that foundation, so that the gods of Kaihuang no longer protected the common people and the living beings, and the reforms were cut short. The guilt is mine. What else did you see?"
Shen Mu said, "I saw that the new generation has no spirit of reform, that they cling to a corner of safety and give themselves to the sea of desire — no blood, no capacity for struggle, no acts of creation. Between the old and the new, the gulf is deep. They are not you."
Kaihuang said, "The guilt is mine."
"I also saw the blood of the Shen family die for the decisions you made back then, generation after generation, one following another."
Shen Mu said sorrowfully, "They are not you. They could not grow into another Kaihuang; they could only use their own lives to make up for your errors."
Kaihuang was downcast. "The guilt is mine."
"I also saw that you wish to walk out, but cannot. The only one who can walk out is Kaihuang; those who cannot walk out are everyone in the Worry-Free Land. They cannot leave the Worry-Free Land, and you, burdened by them, cannot leave it either."
Shen Mu flicked his wrist, traced a sword flower, then let the tip slant down to point at the ground. Lightly he said, "Shen Kai, let me shatter the Worry-Free Land in your heart."
Boom—
The Lingxiao Hall of Miluo Palace in Kaihuang's Heavenly Court split apart. The vast structure slid down at a slant, collapsing all the way down the stairs; pillars and boulders rolled, and carved beams and painted rafters were smashed to powder in the dust!