Chapter 268 — Seeking Only the Great Dao

If I cannot recover my cultivation, I will have only thirty or fifty years of life left, and by then you will be emperor. Broaden your vision and broaden your tolerance; think more for yourself. " Shen Mu stepped forward and placed the head of Crown Prince Ling Yuxia before the tomb. All present offered incense and paid their respects. "The two Heavenly Kings, if their spirits remain in Heaven, may now rest in peace. " The Jade Heavenly King intoned a prayer: "Heaven has sent down calamity; in this troubled season, my Sacred Cult too cannot escape its tribulation. Senior brothers, the two Heavenly Kings, watch over my Sacred Cult. " After the rites, all dispersed.

The Jade Heavenly King came to Shen Mu's side, hesitated, and said: "Sect Master, will you return to Jingping?

" Shen Mu nodded.

The Jade Heavenly King was puzzled: "This time our Sacred Cult entered the imperial city, killed the false emperor, and removed so many masters of the Daoist sect and Daitingming Temple. I fear the emperor will be on guard against us.

Returning like this, Sect Master—are you not worried?

" Shen Mu looked at the tombs of the two Heavenly Kings, his face calm.

"The Daoist sect and Daitingming Temple still stand.

Removing these two holy lands is the emperor's first priority. Until they are removed, he will not move against my Heavenly Sacred Cult. If those two holy lands are destroyed, then we must be careful.

As for now, there is no need for concern. " The Jade Heavenly King thought it over carefully; indeed, it was so. Shen Mu walked toward the Sacred Tree and gently stroked the grain of the ancient trunk. He looked up at its crown. "The way of the sages is what the common people use daily.

Jade Heavenly King, do you think the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth can truly be changed?

" The Jade Heavenly King came forward. "My talents are dull, and the Sect Master asks something too profound; I fear I cannot answer. But I know that in the past there were no roads in the world, and when enough people walked, a road appeared.

Later, people grew tired of muddy roads in the rain, so they laid stone slabs, and the roads became easier to travel. Still later, people found walking too slow, so they made wheels and built carts, and then carriages and horses ran upon the roads. I think that where once there was no Dao of carriage and horse, people created one, and so another great Dao was added to Heaven and Earth. " Shen Mu was stunned. The Jade Heavenly King continued: "Even later, people found carriages and horses slow, so they built ships that could fly in the sky. Lacking ready-made mysterious copper and gold, they smelted copper and gold from ore. When distances were too far for messages, they created flying letters. I think that as people create, the great Daos of Heaven and Earth may gradually grow more numerous. " Shen Mu gazed, lost in thought, at the Sacred Tree—a single trunk, yet its branches spread ever more numerous.

He could not help but smile.

"In the past, in the north, fresh fruits and vegetables were scarce in winter; now with flying ships, they can be brought from the south in a few days. In the past, barren mountains and foul waters, with demons and monsters everywhere; now one can work magic to change the geography, turning barren mountains and foul waters into green hills and clear streams. In the past, the land was poor and yielded little grain; now barren land can be made fertile. " The Jade Heavenly King said: "In the past, wind, rain, thunder and lightning were the works of Heaven; now people can command wind, rain, thunder and lightning. Sect Master, have we changed the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth? " Shen Mu nodded and smiled: "We should have.

" The Jade Heavenly King said: "Sect Master, I am dull by nature. .

. " "You are not dull at all! " Shen Mu cut him off, smiling. "Jade Heavenly King, you are a capable man; there is no need to always humble yourself. What did you want to ask just now? " The Jade Heavenly King said: "The Sect Master said just now that after the two holy lands are destroyed, the emperor may move against my Heavenly Sacred Cult.

I wonder if the Sect Master has a plan. Perhaps the Sect Master could become emperor himself. .

.

" Shen Mu shook his head: "No.

So long as the emperor does the same things as my Heavenly Sacred Cult, whether I become emperor or not does not matter.

Besides, the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping is the Fourth Heavenly King of my Sacred Cult. While he lives, how could the emperor move against us?

And to destroy the Daoist sect and Daitingming Temple will be difficult indeed. Do not think too much. I came to Jingping only to temper my cultivation.

"