Chapter 1164 — You Still Owe Me a Favor

Shen Mu's gaze moved off the Qiang Heavenly Venerable's bosom, and at the sight Long Qilin let out a breath of relief — only to see Shen Mu turn to the white cat in the Yan Heavenly Venerable's arms, at which his alarm flared up again. "The Cult Master truly will not let a body's heart rest. Watching the cat is a pretext... Damn it all, these two Heavenly Consorts are the women of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor! The ancient god Heavenly Emperor is right there before you — stop staring at what you should not!" In the jeweled carriage the four Heavenly Venerables took their seats, host and guests distinguished one from another; and dreading that Shen Mu would let his eyes wander where they ought not, Long Qilin crouched low beneath the seat, while Yan'er turned into an azure sparrow and perched atop his head, dozing. The Qiang Heavenly Venerable and the Yan Heavenly Venerable let their eyes drift and turn — both were consorts of the Heavenly Emperor, and so of peerless beauty by nature, their very glances tender as water, bearing a charm beyond all words, and much beauty besides could be read in those eyes. The Qiang Heavenly Venerable was the more unrestrained, her dress and ornaments scant, carrying a certain seductive heat: what should be shown was shown, and what should not be shown proved all the more bewitching. Consort Yan, by contrast, was far more proper, yet the white cat in her arms was a true snare for the eye, forever dragging your gaze toward it. Their gaze shifted, swept over the Xiao Heavenly Venerable's face, and came to rest on Shen Mu. Shen Mu wore a smile, perfectly at ease. The nine-dragon jeweled carriage drove away from the Heavenly Court; the Xiao Heavenly Venerable cleared his throat and was about to speak when Shen Mu spoke first: "Equal shares of the profit!" The three Heavenly Venerables' gazes all fell upon him at once. Beaming, Shen Mu said: "There are no outsiders here, so I will speak plainly. I can enter the Ancestral Court, but I have no great strength, and so it would be hard for me to gain much benefit there. You three, Daoist friends, are strong enough, but whether to repair the Ancestral Court or to enter it, you will need me. Therefore I propose that the profit be split equally." Consort Yan held her white cat and said nothing. Consort Qiang produced a packet of sunflower seeds from somewhere and cracked them idly, a smile at the corner of her mouth, her gaze flitting ceaselessly from one of the other three faces to another. "The Ancestral Court must be sealed; it must never be broken open." The Xiao Heavenly Venerable said gravely: "My master, the Yun Heavenly Venerable, has said that if the seal upon the Ancestral Court is broken, it will be a calamity that ends the world. Mu Heavenly Venerable, do not think always of profit — think of the living beings of this universe." "If the seal upon the Ancestral Court is broken, those more worried than we are will be the ancient gods." Consort Yan's gaze settled upon the Xiao Heavenly Venerable, and she said mildly: "Some people are more worried even than the ancient gods." The Xiao Heavenly Venerable said with a stern face: "I am of the human race, and naturally I worry for the safety of the human race. Consort Yan is not of the human race and cannot understand my inner anxiety. But you must worry for this world as well, Consort — otherwise why would you hurry here to go with me and inspect the Ancestral Court?" "There is no one I care for." Smiling, Consort Yan smoothed the white cat's head and said: "Like the Mu Heavenly Venerable, I believe there is great profit to be had in the Ancestral Court. I have heard that the ancient gods have fished no small benefit out of that place. And more than that, the Ancestral Court concerns the very origin of the Creators and the ancient gods — it is a place one simply must go. What does Sister Qiang think?" Consort Qiang giggled: "I have never had much mind of my own. I want to heed Xiao, and I want to heed you two as well — a true dilemma. How about this: the Ancestral Court shall be sealed, and the profits in the Ancestral Court shall be mine as well! How is that for a plan?" Shen Mu clapped his hands in praise and said: "Tai Di will surely go to the Ancestral Court to loose the colossal void beasts within it. That man Tai Di is a corpse that will not lie down, and exceedingly hard to deal with. This time, ancient gods such as the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Earl will also have their eyes upon that place. We four should join hearts and strength and stand together against the perils of the age!" The three Heavenly Venerables wore strange expressions. Consort Qiang laughed: "Mu Heavenly Venerable, which side are you on, exactly? You would actually join with us to stand against the ancient gods." Shen Mu roared with laughter and said with righteous dignity: "I stand on the side of justice!" Everyone burst out laughing; even Long Qilin gave a couple of grunting chuckles, which startled the dozing Yan'er awake. The white cat poked its head out of Consort Yan's arms and stared at Yan'er, hostility in its eyes. The Xiao Heavenly Venerable smiled: "Brother Mu, what do you make of what the Shen Heavenly Venerable said — of using the Way Realm in place of the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court realms?" Consort Qiang and Consort Yan both looked toward Shen Mu as well. Shen Mu smiled: "Kaihuang's words are striking at first hearing, but on closer thought, his Way Realm, like the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court realms, cannot fully represent a cultivator's level." The three Heavenly Venerables were baffled. Consort Qiang said: "I, for one, think Kaihuang's words hold a great deal of sense — they are merely hard to accept, that is all. Why does the Mu Heavenly Venerable say so?" Shen Mu smiled: "In the sword way I am of the third heaven, in divine arts the eighth heaven. Counted by the thirty-six heavens of the Way Realm, my realm can rank only in the lower middle among gods and devils. And yet when an ordinary expert of the Jade Capital realm crosses blades with me, he dies far more often than he lives." The white cat gave a start and looked over at him. Consort Yan stroked the white cat gently and said: "And the Lingxiao realm?" "I would certainly lose, but the Lingxiao realm need not dream of killing me." Shen Mu went on: "So you can see that ranking by the Way Realm cannot wholly take in the strength of gods and devils; nor can the Heavenly Palace and Heavenly Court realms. I am today only at the second level of the Heavenly Palace realm, the True God realm, and yet my strength has already reached a height that rivals the Jade Capital realm. Clearly, both of these as measures fall short." The white cat narrowed its eyes and dozed off again. Consort Qiang asked: "Then how does the Mu Heavenly Venerable think realms ought to be divided?" Shen Mu thought for a moment and said: "I do not know either. But if I were to divide them by myself, there would be only one realm — the Spirit Fetus realm. The spirit fetus can reach straight to the ultimate void, and straight to the Heavenly Court as well. What is called the Way Realm, what is called the Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Palace — these are all but small realms within the Spirit Fetus realm." The three Heavenly Venerables all burst out laughing and shook their heads: "You talk even more nonsense than Kaihuang!" Shen Mu laughed heartily, and the mood in the jeweled carriage was merry indeed. Suddenly Consort Qiang opened the carriage window, and there was a jeweled carriage speeding along, not far from their own. "It is the Hao Heavenly Venerable's carriage." Consort Qiang smiled: "As a Heavenly Consort, it is not fitting for me to call out to him. Xiao Heavenly Venerable, give him a hail." The Xiao Heavenly Venerable assented and called out. The window of that jeweled carriage opened, and the Hao Heavenly Venerable looked over at the sound; seeing Shen Mu seated together with all thre