Chapter 1551 — Thrashing the Old Seniors
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
By now Venerable Hao had grown unimaginably old; he seemed scarcely able to stand steady, yet his spirit was as brisk as ever, and he had more teeth in his mouth than any of the other Venerables.
Venerable Xu had by this time become an old crone as well; the two horns atop her head seemed withered, with little of their fire still coursing through them.
As for Venerable Huo, his mask covered his face, so how old he had grown could not be seen, but from the skin bared at his palms and neck, he too was doddering with age.
"Heavenly Consort Qiang, you have come to the end of your road!"
Venerable Huo's voice carried the rasp of long ages, yet still gave off an air of lofty righteousness: "No good end will come to you for following Shen Mu. You two have sailed in the same boat for so long, and Shen Mu has preserved his own youth. But has he ever once helped you withstand the breath of the Great Calamity of Destruction? Never!"
Venerable Xu took up the thread: "He is waiting for you to grow weak, so he can take your life! We are different. All we ask is that you lead the way. We will not take your life. On the contrary, do you think Venerable Mu will let you live?"
Heavenly Consort Qiang's gaze came to rest on Venerable Hao.
Venerable Hao was ancient and doddering, yet his voice rang loud and clear, and his complexion was a shade better than the rest; plainly his cultivation was still the highest of them all.
"Heavenly Consort Qiang, we are the Ten Venerables."
Venerable Hao smiled faintly and said unhurriedly: "The Ten Venerables share one interest and one blood, limb in limb with limb. For a million years geniuses have come forth like stars beyond counting in the heavens, but only we ten found our ambitions in accord, formed an alliance, and upheld one another down to this day. You ought to be able to make your decision."
Heavenly Consort Qiang wavered, unable to decide.
At the prow, Shen Mu said in leisurely fashion: "Great Emperor, do not forget who you are. The Ten Venerables have already split into two camps. Which of those two camps do you think can find room for you? You, who in the Primordial Age galloped across the world and commanded heaven and earth for billions of years, the Great Emperor who crushed all beneath him, are you truly content to serve as a hired fist under Venerable Hao or under Taichu?"
Heavenly Consort Qiang's deeply wrinkled face shifted from gloom to light and back again.
Shen Mu went on: "Besides, Venerable Hao and his lot can scarcely protect themselves. They have grown as old as this, their own Great Dao is cracking apart, their dao patterns are dissolving, they are a pitiful pack of old men and old women. How could such old relics be a match for me?"
His gaze passed over Heavenly Consort Qiang and settled on Venerable Gong, the Ancestral Divine King and Venerable Xu. He said mildly: "You cling to Venerable Hao for no other reason than that he has the support of Lady Taishu. You are merely using one another. But now even Lady Taishu has grown old; far from shielding you, she cannot even shield herself! If I were you..."
He gave a soft laugh and said unhurriedly: "Gentlemen, if you strike now and rid yourselves of Venerable Hao, Venerable Huo and Taishu, I can give you back your youth, give you back your vigor."
On the dao tree, Venerable Hao's heart went cold; Venerable Huo quietly fell back two steps, putting distance between himself and the Ancestral Divine King, Venerable Gong and the others.
Shen Mu continued: "You have no way back now. If you turn around, you will never reach the end of the road; you will die of old age upon the Long River of Chaos. There is only one path left to you: cast your lot with me! Only by casting your lot with me can you preserve your lives! And there is only one condition!"
His gaze was bleak as it swept across the faces of Venerable Huo and Venerable Hao.
The Ancestral Divine King frowned slightly and looked toward Venerable Gong and Venerable Xu.