Chapter 1043 — Nine Farewells to the Heavenly Worthy
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 5
The East Emperor narrowed his enormous dragon eyes and stared at him. After a moment he chuckled. "You have passed, more or less. The Heavenly Worthy Mu has great potential and great latent power—in the future he will not be inferior to the Ten Heavenly Worthies."
Shen Mu let out a breath and smiled. "Fortunately I have not disappointed Your Majesty. I wonder about that Lingbao Mountain..."
The dragon mouth opened and closed, and the East Emperor laughed. "I promised you, so of course I will give it to you. Only, Lingbao Mountain is very heavy. I wonder whether you can lift it."
Shen Mu's face was all smiles. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will certainly find a way to take it away! The purpose of my coming to the Eastern Pole Heaven was to meet with the East Emperor and renew our bond, lest we grow distant. And now I have troubled you for nearly a month; I had best not impose on my host any longer."
The East Emperor pressed him warmly to stay. "Will the Heavenly Worthy Mu not remain a few more days?"
"No, no."
The two exchanged pleasantries, and Shen Mu ordered Long Qilin and Yan'er to pack their things. The East Emperor, meanwhile, flew to Lingbao Mountain and wrenched off a whole peak bodily, leaving the gods and demons of the Heavenly Court at a loss, each secretly lamenting: "Does the East Emperor mean to carry off all of Lingbao Mountain? Where will we go in the future to seek the Dragon Tooth Saber?"
Fortunately, the East Emperor had carried off only a single peak; there were eight others still.
This peak was incredibly dense and weighty. Though it was not all of Lingbao Mountain, it was still no trifle. As the East Emperor brought it over, its powerful geomagnetic force pressed space itself out of shape.
The corner of Shen Mu's eye twitched. To the East Emperor this mountain was not large, but to him it was too tall, too big, too heavy—he could not move it or lift it at all.
The East Emperor transformed into an emperor in azure robes and stood in the air, holding up Lingbao Mountain with one hand. "Heavenly Worthy Mu, here is Lingbao Mountain—catch it!" With that, he hurled Lingbao Mountain over!
Long Qilin and Yan'er shivered with dread. This peak was too large; even if they fled for their lives, in so short a time they could not escape its crushing weight.
Shen Mu smiled faintly. He reached up and plucked the vertical eye from between his brows, then tossed it into the air.
His third eye flew to meet Lingbao Mountain. Its pupil seemed to rotate, and a curtain of light shot toward Lingbao Mountain.
The curtain of light swept from the mountain's peak down to its base, and Lingbao Mountain vanished into thin air.
That sacred pupil flew back and settled into Shen Mu's brow; flesh and blood grew of their own accord, nerves reconnected.
The eye in Shen Mu's brow blinked. Finding that a single peak had little effect, he smiled at once. "Many thanks, Your Majesty. Your Majesty need not see me off."
The East Emperor too was startled for a moment. He descended from the sky and, leading the civil and military ministers of the Azure Dragon Heavenly Palace, saw him off with great fanfare and full ceremony, saying, "The Heavenly Worthy Mu need not take it to heart—the two trials were merely jokes. The Heavenly Worthy need not brood over them."
Shen Mu said, "Having damaged so many of the Azure Dragon Heavenly Palace's halls, I feel quite uneasy."
"The Heavenly Worthy need not reproach himself. My Eastern Pole Heaven has no shortage of divine dragons skilled in construction—we need only rebuild what is broken."
The East Emperor was warm and gracious, no trace of his earlier aggressive manner remaining. Walking shoulder to shoulder with Shen Mu, he smiled. "When you came, I did not welcome you; when you leave, I must certainly see you off. Heavenly Worthy—here is the Southern Heavenly Gate."
"Pray stay." Shen Mu turned and bowed.
The East Emperor bowed in return. "Take care on your journey, Heavenly Worthy."