Chapter 1131: Four World-Suppressing Divine Weapons

Where the Lingxiao Hall of Treasured Jade ought to have stood, there now towered a colossal divine weapon: eight enormous wheels interlocked, with neither axle nor bearing, but so wondrously contrived that in their turning they stamped an unbroken stream of Creation runes upon whatever was taking shape at their common center. The eight wheels bore Creation runes of unfathomable complexity, and when they turned the runes kindled to light and the power of Creation spilled forth from all eight. And judging by the construction of Yujing City, a thousand celestial furnaces stood within it, their conduits paved with divine gold and covered end to end with transmission runes, able to carry the energy of those furnaces to the eight wheels. To set such a behemoth in motion, every furnace in Yujing City had to be lit, at ruinous cost. "This is the Divine Weapon of Creation that Venerable Lingtian designed and made, the body of Zaohua Juewuchen and the treasure of the Divine Weapon Yutianzun alike." Gazing at that Divine Weapon of Creation, Shen Mu thought, "After Venerable Yuntian's death, this treasure was sent to the Heavenly Court." The greatest legacy of the Xiaohan Heavenly Court was this Divine Weapon of Creation! And at that very moment, all at once, furnace after massive furnace in Yujing City of the Zaofu Heavenly Palace blazed up, and the Divine Weapon of Creation began to move! Shen Mu's heart gave a leap. He looked that way, shaken beyond measure. "The Heavenly Court has started the Divine Weapon of Creation—what do they mean to make?" Rune by rune, the marks upon the eight wheels lit up, and as they kindled their radiance grew ever more dazzling. Shen Mu bade Long Qilin and Yan'er draw near, and looking on from afar they saw the Heavenly Court's giant strongmen hauling in a great cart, and within the cart lay a hunk of flesh like a mountain of meat. "Sect Master, it's a Taisui!" Long Qilin cried out in alarm. Shen Mu nodded. The cart bore the Taisui over to the Divine Weapon of Creation; several Daoist priests climbed down, lifted the creature up, and laid it at the weapon's center. The Taisui lay dull and insensate, neither stirring nor aware. Just then the eight wheels began slowly to turn, their light growing ever brighter, rune after rune blazing brilliantly and casting its radiance down upon the Taisui! Whirr—whirr—whirr! The Divine Weapon of Creation spun faster and faster, and the runes flashed down faster and faster; Creation rune after Creation rune struck the Taisui, and before their eyes the Taisui began to change, sprouting a head, sprouting limbs, sprouting a body! Amid the myriad flashing runes, Shen Mu dimly made out that some were not Creation runes at all, but the Great Way runes of the ancient gods, trailing a blinding crimson glow. The divine official who had come to proclaim the decree reminded him, "Venerable Mu, His Majesty is still waiting for us." His eyes fixed unblinking upon this act of Creation, Shen Mu said, "A moment more. Those are... the Great Way runes of the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird!" Shen Mu was struck dumb, and the Taisui, remodeled by the Creation runes, its form transforming, little by little began to resemble the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird! And as time passed the likeness grew ever closer; more than that, the ancient-god Great Way of the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird was branded upon this body of Creation as well, so that the Southern Emperor taking shape within the Divine Weapon of Creation grew stronger and stronger! The Vermilion Bird's sacred fire poured from that body, blazing fiercely about this Southern Emperor of Creation and scorching the Divine Weapon of Creation red-hot! Shen Mu's heart and spirit quaked—the Ten Heavenly Venerables meant to create another Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird! Yet they were not truly recreating the Southern Emperor; they were forging a divine weapon in the Southern Emperor's shape! What did the Heavenly Court mean to do with a second Southern Emperor? "Mother..." Yan'er murmured. Long Qilin gently comforted her from the side. Shen Mu steadied himself and said in a low voice, "Yan'er, Long Pi, we are going to Yujing City." The treasure palanquin rolled on, but slowly, and Yan'er kept turning to look back at the Southern Emperor being shaped; though she knew full well it was not real, she could not tear her eyes away. "Divine official, what will the Zaofu Heavenly Palace use this second Southern Emperor for?" Shen Mu asked. The divine official said, "How could a humble servant know such things? But I did hear a rumor that they are weapons made by the Venerables. Not only the Southern Emperor—an Eastern Emperor, a Western Emperor, and a Northern Emperor have been made as well, one of each, and it is said they are needed to attack Taixu." Shen Mu glanced sidelong at him and smiled. "You know a fair amount for your station." The divine official smiled apologetically. "Some days ago the Heavenly Court attacked Taixu and suffered heavy losses; before the road in had even been found, the dead and wounded were beyond counting. His Majesty was enraged and commanded the Ten Heavenly Venerables to take this unsubmissive land at all costs. So the Ten Venerables ordered the Zaofu Heavenly Palace to forge the divine weapons of the Four Emperors, meaning to use them to suppress the perils of Taixu. It is no secret in the Heavenly Court." Shen Mu laughed heartily and handed him a pouch of heaven coins. The divine official tucked the coins into his sleeve and grew much more at ease. "In recent days the road to Taixu has been explored, but how one may travel there in safety is a question even the Ten Heavenly Venerables cannot settle. To have every soldier of the Heavenly Court's armies cultivate Neither Perception nor Non-Perception is far too much trouble, and not all can master it; every time reinforcements are sent, most die or are wounded before they ever reach Taixu, and those who do arrive are nothing but remnants of a beaten army. And so someone thought of the Great Emperor Yunluo." Shen Mu's interest kindled. "The Great Emperor Yunluo?" "This Emperor Yunluo was a rebel." The divine official said, "But in his day he went to Taixu and had means to counter the strangeness there. Unfortunately, when the Ten Heavenly Venerables summoned the Azure Emperor to ask, the Azure Emperor said that by the Heavenly Emperor's command he had already drowned this Emperor Yunluo in the river. The Ten Venerables then sent men to seek out Yunluo's disciples and students—what came of it, I do not know." Shen Mu recalled that he had indeed seen the divine arts of his senior brother Wei Suifeng within Taixu, and that it was by the guidance of Wei Suifeng's arts that he had found his way to that place in Taixu. Clearly Wei Suifeng possessed means of his own for countering the strangeness of Taixu. "Then does Emperor Yunluo have disciples?" Shen Mu asked. "Of course he does." The divine official said with a smile, "As the Great Emperor who presides over the Yunluo Heavenly Palace, Emperor Yunluo guarded Pillar One, Pillar Two, Pillar Three, and the Nine Provinces and other star systems. The ancient gods of Pillar One, Pillar Two, and Pillar Three, and the ancient god of the Nine Provinces, are all formidable characters, each with his own race, and champions without number among them. Guarding that place for the Heavenly Court, without disciples and students he could never have contended with those ancient gods." Shen Mu produced another pouch of heaven coins. "Can you obtain a map of the Yunluo Heavenly Palace?" The divine official pocketed it without a sound, as quick-fingered as the Lame Elder himself, and smiled. "Once we reach the Lingxiao Hall, this humble servant will obtain a map of the Yunluo Heavenly Palace for the Venerable." Shen Mu nodded slightly. "I would also ask you to tell me how one travels to the Yunluo Heavenly Palace." The divine official said hastily, "If the Venerable