Chapter 380 — The Inheritor

Before long the divine corpse was carried up by several great masters, its divine might still spreading in all directions—but it was only a broken thing, torn apart, impossible to piece back together. The god's head, at least, was still whole, and its features could yet be made out.

"It is that god I met—the one who claimed to come from the Heavens Above.

" The Imperial Preceptor Jingping glanced at it and said, "His abilities were exceedingly high.

When I crossed blades with him, only by trading life for life did I force him back, and he crippled me. " The outcome of that battle was that the Imperial Preceptor Jingping was utterly ruined; his heart turned to ashes, and he meant to live out his days as a recluse with his wife beside the Blood Lake.

Had Shen Mu not sought him out, the Imperial Preceptor Jingping would likely have vanished from the world and never been seen again. Shen Mu studied the head and was slightly taken aback: the god's head gave him a feeling of familiarity. It seemed to be made of fine jade; though the god was dead, not a single flaw could be found in it.

He looked very young, his age impossible to guess—but gods share the lifespan of heaven and earth, and true years are hard to read from outward appearance. "This god's head.

.

. it rather resembles.

.

.

" Shen Mu's face turned strange. The god bore a certain likeness to Xu Shenghua!

Not that their features were alike, but Xu Shenghua too was a perfect being, as though carved from flawless jade, exquisitely fine.

And this head was exquisite beyond the human, exquisite as a carving in jade! "Could this god, blasted to death, be the master Xu Shenghua once spoke of—Lord Yu?

" Shen Mu's eyes went wide. Xu Shenghua's master, Lord Yu, had in all likelihood been killed by a single shot from Emperor Yanfeng's cannon!

"Lord Yu was the one who brought calamity down upon the nation of Jingping; his death is well deserved. Only, I wonder what Xu Shenghua's reaction would be if he learned of it?

" Shen Mu thought for a while and said nothing. He had no intention of letting the matter out; if Emperor Yanfeng learned that Lord Yu was Xu Shenghua's master, he would surely kill Xu Shenghua to root out future trouble. Emperors, after all, never cared for the rules of the jianghu.

Shen Mu admired Xu Shenghua greatly and did not wish to see him die.

Emperor Yanfeng said with a smile, "My dear minister Shen, in forging the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon you have labored long and rendered great service, and I have yet to reward you.

Let this god's head be my gift to you. " "I don't want it!

" Emperor Yanfeng's expression shifted slightly, and he gave a cold snort, feeling he had lost face.

Shen Mu hastily smiled and said, "In this battle to slay the god, this humble minister has not earned a single merit—how dare I take the greatest share? Your Majesty's firing of the cannon must have consumed no small store of elixirs and minerals; better that the spoils go into the national treasury. " These words were far more pleasing to the ear, and gave the emperor ample face before his assembled ministers. Emperor Yanfeng was greatly delighted, and said with a smile, "My minister understands the greater interests; then I shall not press you.

As for your merit in building the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, I shall count it as a donation to the treasury.

" Shen Mu's face went black on the spot. Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily; then, remembering what the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon consumed, he could not help but feel a pang of pain in the flesh.

Firing the cannon was exhilarating indeed, but the cost was terrifyingly great.

In this war between gods and demons, Emperor Yanfeng had led the masters of the court, piloting the cannon platform all the way from the capital; the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon had to be held in flight the entire way, and the elixirs and minerals consumed far exceeded those of a single shot. Although the Imperial Preceptor Jingping and Ling Yushu had brought back great treasures from the Mandi Kingdom and the Langjuxu Kingdom, the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon was a bottomless pit that could never be filled, a gold-devouring beast that could never be sated; play with it a while longer, and it would bankrupt the nation.

"This is the first god our Jingping has slain! " Emperor Yanfeng raised his head to the sky and said with a cold laugh, "In the days to come there may well be a second, and a third! My people are not fish flesh to be carved up, and I am no coward to be pinched and kneaded by these gods as they please!

March the army back to the capital! " The Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon slowly turned about. Shen Mu hesitated a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, this humble minister has a small matter to attend to and must remain here for a time.

.

. " Emperor Yanfeng looked at him and said, "My minister, can it be that you know the powerful ones who fought those gods? You wish to stay behind to meet with them?

" Shen Mu nodded. "They are some elders of my house.

" Emperor Yanfeng said with a half-smile, "Your house has quite a few elders. Might you introduce them to me?

The nation stands in sore need of talent, and I would very much like to meet these masters of peerless brilliance.

" Shen Mu hastily pointed at Wang Muran and said, "Several of them are probably elders of his house. The elders of my house do not much care for meeting outsiders, so Your Majesty had best ask about the elders of his house. " Wang Muran shook his head.

"Your Majesty, the elders of our house do not care for meeting outsiders either. " Emperor Yanfeng's face turned ashen. The Imperial Preceptor Jingping gave a cough.

Standing at his side, he leaned over as though it were nothing at all and whispered into Emperor Yanfeng's ear, "The elders of both houses are extraordinary indeed.

On one side are the Old Human Sovereign, Heaven's Blade, and other mysterious masters dwelling in the Wasteland; on the other, Little Yujing.

Your Majesty will not be able to recruit them. " Emperor Yanfeng was startled, and his heart turned solemn. Little Yujing he knew of: though it dwelt in seclusion, aloof from the world, its standing was still above that of the Three Great Holy Lands, and within it lived a number of unfathomable old immortals. And the Imperial Preceptor Jingping had ranked Shen Mu's house above even Little Yujing—could it be a holy land hidden in the Wasteland? "Imperial Preceptor Jingping, if there is an Old Human Sovereign, then this generation's Human Sovereign.

. . " The Imperial Preceptor Jingping shook his head. "The pavilion nearest the water catches the moonlight first. This generation's Human Sovereign cannot be Your Majesty.

" Emperor Yanfeng's heart quivered slightly.

He looked at Shen Mu, his head somewhat mazed. Shen Mu took his leave once more.

Emperor Yanfeng hesitated; the Imperial Preceptor Jingping knew the mind of a sovereign, and it was plain that he had grown wary of Shen Mu, this new Human Sovereign.

"Your Majesty? " the Imperial Preceptor Jingping said with a cough.

Emperor Yanfeng came to his senses, waved his hand, and said, "My minister Shen, seeing to your own affairs matters most.

You may withdraw. " Shen Mu leaped down from the cannon platform, and Wang Muran and the others hastily jumped down after him.

Emperor Yanfeng watched their receding figures.

The Imperial Preceptor Jingping stood silently behind him, then said abruptly, "Your Majesty entertained a killing intent? " "For a moment.

" Emperor Yanfeng concealed nothing from him, admitting it frankly and without reservation.