Chapter 1374 — Bearing the Boundless Void
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
Many of the runes in Yue the Heavenly Venerable's art proved, unexpectedly, to be identical to the runes of the Void Beast. Nor was that all: many of the calculation-runes in Jingping's teleportation divine art were likewise akin to the space-runes of Zaiji Xukong.
"When in those years I went with Yun the Heavenly Venerable and Ling the Heavenly Venerable to the Great Void, I saw that Void Beast, and so copied down many void runes. " Yue the Heavenly Venerable laughed. "Those void runes were a great inspiration to my dao of space.
Yet the place where I gained the most was still the Chaotic Space.
I was trapped there for a hundred years and more, and it was there that I fathomed the profound principles of the Great Dao of Space. " Shen Mu was deeply envious. "What relics are there in the Chaotic Space?
" he asked. "Strange fragments of space, and certain decayed things.
I could not put it clearly into words in a moment's time. They seemed to be things not of this age.
" Yue the Heavenly Venerable recalled the past and shook her head. "Just which age's leavings they are, I do not know. It is too perilous within; even I dared not enter the deepest part, but found a path and left as soon as I could.
" The dao of space is exceedingly hard to learn and hard to practice. In these few months Shen Mu had done no more than take the first steps, gaining a rough grasp of a few space divine arts; to reach Yue the Heavenly Venerable's level, to ignore distance and space at will, would take far more effort.
He could not yet even forge the Void Heavenly Palace, could not enter the dao through space. "Does it mean that I too must enter the Chaotic Space once, before I can fathom the mysteries of space? " He could not help shaking his head.
The Chaotic Space was exceedingly perilous, and Xiao the Heavenly Venerable had been exiled there; now was not the best time to go and fathom the dao of space.
"The lords of the Yuan World carve it up among themselves; this is now the most peaceful of times, but even so one must not let down one's guard. " Shen Mu borrowed a lantern from Yue the Heavenly Venerable and took his leave of her, saying, "Among the ten Heavenly Venerables, Hong the Heavenly Venerable can be trusted; the others are all unworthy of trust, and there is no telling when they might launch a surprise attack upon the Yuan World.
Yue, you are well versed in the dao of space. If the ten Heavenly Venerables mean to swallow the Yuan World, they must first do away with you. You must be careful!
" Yue the Heavenly Venerable saw him out of the peach grove, somewhat reluctant to part. When he was about to step free of the grove, she suddenly laughed. "Mu, long ago you painted a picture for me.
Will you paint another for me today?
" Shen Mu halted his steps, took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and looked up.
In the peach grove the blossoms vied in splendor, yet could not conceal the woman's beauty. Yue the Heavenly Venerable stood beneath a peach tree, a peach branch in her hand.
On the branch were two or three blossoms, veiling her cherry lips.
She seemed a little constrained, a little bashful, and a little expectant. Shen Mu seized the beauty that flashed forth in that fleeting instant, and set brush to paper; in a short while a portrait of a beauty was finished. Yue the Heavenly Venerable leaned in to look, and the expression of herself within the painting made her somewhat bashful. Then Shen Mu painted on without pause, and produced a second picture.
In the painting, Shen Mu was setting brush to paper, while Yue the Heavenly Venerable bent over behind him, watching his painting without taking her eyes from it, her long hair hanging down and falling upon Shen Mu's neck. In the painting they showed only their profiles, their expressions very earnest, both a little bashful. Yue the Heavenly Venerable gazed, entranced; then of a sudden she came to her senses.