Chapter 1166 — Splitting the Spoils Evenly
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
Shen Mu glanced at Consort Qiang; she was still chatting and laughing with Gong Heavenly Venerable.
"They are all Creators. The Grand Emperor wants to enter the Ancestral Court and release all the void beasts, while Gong Heavenly Venerable holds deep feelings for the Ancestral Court—this is, after all, the ancestral land of the Creators."
Shen Mu thought: "They all want to break the seal on the Ancestral Court, but each for a different purpose. As for the ancient god line—the Heavenly Emperor, Xiao Heavenly Venerable, and the Empress's sisters—their aim is to reseal the Ancestral Court. Perhaps the Empress's sisters do not think so, but Xiao Heavenly Venerable certainly does. As for Hao Heavenly Venerable, Lang Heavenly Venerable, and the Ancestral God King, they want to enter the Ancestral Court and take the treasures they covet. Or even to monopolize the Ancestral Court!"
He wore a smile, and his gaze fell upon Hong Heavenly Venerable—and the smile froze.
He could not fathom what this old man intended to do.
Thinking it over carefully, Hong Heavenly Venerable seemed to have done everything, and yet seemed to have done nothing at all.
This Heavenly Venerable was like a passerby among the Heavenly Court's Ten Heavenly Venerables. When the Heavenly Emperor's egg was stolen, he appeared, made his brief appearance, and that was that. When the void bridge in the land of Taixu was discovered, the old gentleman came scurrying over to make his brief appearance. When the White Tiger, Western Emperor, sought to seize his divine artifact, the Yutian Venerable, he appeared again, asked Shen Mu for an IOU, made his brief appearance, and then cheerfully withdrew.
Now that the Ancestral Court had appeared, he had come scurrying over too, wearing the look of a man uninvolved, a spectator watching a play.
Shen Mu blinked, and Hong Heavenly Venerable noticed his gaze. Hurriedly he came forward, an IOU pinched between his fingers.
Shen Mu's face darkened, and he muttered: "I know, I remember. Fellow Daoist Hong need not take it out every time he sees me."
Hong Heavenly Venerable put the IOU away and laughed: "Isn't it just that I'm afraid you'll forget?"
Shen Mu's face stayed dark; he would have liked to move farther off from him, but Hong Heavenly Venerable pressed close, studying the Ancestral Court across the great rift, and said cheerfully: "It's truly terrifying in there... When we divide the spoils later, it would be better if our territories were adjacent."
Shen Mu glanced at him, and as if possessed by a ghost, nodded silently.
"This time, now that the Ancestral Court has appeared, it can no longer be sealed."
Hao Heavenly Venerable clearly knew something of the Ancestral Court as well, and said: "This Ancestral Court was sealed in the most ancient age, in the Dark Era, by all the ancient gods joining hands, together with the powerful demigods of that time. Now the Heavenly Court's seal has been broken, and many of the ancient gods of that year are dead, and many of the demigods of that year are gone as well. Therefore it cannot be sealed again."
He looked at the Ancestral God King and the Langxuan Divine Emperor and said: "You two both come from that age and know a great deal. Am I not right?"
The Langxuan Divine Emperor said courteously: "Hao Heavenly Venerable speaks the truth."
The Ancestral God King laughed: "I was born rather late and did not live through the Dark Era, but I have heard my old man speak of it. He said there is great terror within the Ancestral Court, and so the Heavenly Emperor, for the sake of all living things under heaven, led all the gods and demigods of the world to seal the Ancestral Court. The people of that year no longer exist; to keep the seal as it was is impossible."
Consort Yan said: "So Mu Heavenly Venerable's proposal to divide the benefits equally is still workable."
Countless gazes fell upon Shen Mu in unison.