Chapter 743 — A Conversation Without Accord

Before Shen Mu had even recovered from the news that Yin Chaojin was Yin Tianzi, the "Brother Shen" of whom Yin Chaojin had spoken had already walked over and saluted Shen Mu and Old Ox. "I am Shen Kai, a lone wanderer with no sect to call my own. My greetings to you both. " Shen Mu suppressed the shock in his heart and hastily returned the salute; Niu Sanduo did the same.

As he returned the salute, Shen Mu shot a glance at Old Ox, and Old Ox gave a slight nod.

Shen Mu understood.

This "Brother Shen" was none other than the Kaihuang Old Ox had spoken of, the first name in the Shen clan genealogy: Kaihuang Shen Ye! He called himself Shen Kai, which was not his true name.

No doubt he too had realized that, because of the strangeness of the Yong River, he might have been cast back into some past stretch of time, and for prudence's sake had adopted a false name. Shen Mu raised his head and studied Kaihuang. Sure enough, there was a certain resemblance between himself and the young Kaihuang: both tall and powerfully built, neither of them handsome by the standards of the young Yin Tianzi and his like, yet both carrying themselves with dignity.

But because Shen Mu had spent his childhood in Yincan Village, he was cunning by nature while wearing the open, sunny face of a boy, like a big lad in the bloom of youth who nonetheless knew nothing of the world. Kaihuang, by contrast, was a man of virile, masculine force; a single glance and one could not help being drawn in by the singular quality that clung to him. It was not the quality of leadership Old Ox had just described.

It was the quality of one who had hewn a path through trackless hardship, whose original resolve had turned a thousand times and yet never once wavered. That was the quality of a man whose Dao heart was forever firm, a man who possessed a grand goal and a grand pursuit. Though Kaihuang stood on the back of the great Kun, though a crowd surrounded him, though the scenery on every side streamed backward at flying speed, he seemed to stand at the very center of heaven and earth: everything else moved, and only he did not.

It was not that he truly did not move. What did not move was his Dao heart; what did not move was the conviction within him.

Shen Mu was perplexed. Could this Kaihuang be the same Kaihuang who had hidden himself away in Wuyou Township, never daring to rise again? Kaihuang's gaze was bright, the light in his eyes like the calm surface of a lake struck by the noonday sun.

His shoulders were a little broader than Shen Mu's, his stature a fraction shorter; he must have suffered greatly in his youth. Seeing that the old man transformed from Old Ox, whose features could not be made out at all, had actually returned his salute, Kaihuang could not help but be surprised. He could not discern the old man's realm, but surely such a figure was renowned even in the Heavenly Court. Why would such a being return his salute with such diffidence? Yin Tianzi introduced them eagerly: "Brother Shen is someone I met just after I first ascended to the upper realm.

His skills are astonishing, utterly out of the common run. And how should I address these two senior brothers of yours?

" Shen Mu smiled. "My name is Mu Qing.

This is my senior brother. His surname is Niu, and his given name is Niu. " "Niu?

" Old Ox's expression shifted slightly. Fortunately, the yellow talisman paper of the Heavenly Equal Sage King concealed any change in his face.

He thought: "Back when Kaihuang first founded the Heavenly Court, he once said to me with a laugh that he would give me a new name, not Sanduo, but Niu. Could he have recognized me even then? " Shen Mu, unaware of his thoughts, turned a warm gaze on Yin Tianzi and thought: "If I kill Yin Tianzi now, will the Yin Tianzi of the future vanish?

The Yin Tianzi of this moment is no Emperor Throne expert. He is not even a god yet.

It should not be difficult to kill him.

.

. " Seeing Shen Mu looking at him, Yin Tianzi hastily smiled. "Brother Mu, this is the Heavenly Court's first great gathering. Countless young talents from all the heavens, great and small, have come to attend.

Those who can come are all figures of consequence in their own realms. People like us are small fry. " Shen Mu smiled. "I am small fry. But you, Brother Yin, are a person of consequence.

" Yin Tianzi made a show of modesty, though he could not quite hide his complacency. "I do have a modest reputation in our poor backwater, but I still cannot compare with the others. " Shen Mu's face turned serious. "I can see that you, Brother Yin, are no creature destined to remain in a pond.

One day you will rise to great heights!

" Kaihuang's eyes flickered. He smiled. "I think so too.

Brother Yin may not be famous now, but a child of three can be read for a hundred years to come. In the future, Brother Yin will surely shake the world.

" Yin Tianzi was overwhelmed by the favor. "The Heavenly Emperor still has to give the Heavenly Court a name, and he has summoned all the ancient gods in the world. We cannot hope to rub shoulders with ancient gods, but I have wide connections, and this time many notables of the various clans have come, including the outstanding few who founded the cultivation of the divine treasury.

They are not ancient gods, yet they surpass them. It is because they founded the divine treasury that we are able to cultivate at all. " Shen Mu was shaken to the core. Beings who had founded the divine treasury cultivation system? Was the divine treasury cultivation system not founded by the ancient gods? He looked toward Kaihuang, who was equally stirred.

Were they about to meet the people who had founded the divine treasury cultivation system?

Yin Tianzi smiled.

"They are at the Jade Pool right now, planning to hold a grand Jade Pool gathering.

The Heavenly Emperor and his lot hold the Heavenly Court gathering; we will hold the Jade Pool gathering.

It may not be as grand as the Heavenly Court's, but we absolutely must not miss it! They say that at this Jade Pool gathering, Yutian Zun will announce something momentous, something that will astonish everyone! " Kaihuang smiled. "Brother Yin, with your wide connections, could you give us a hint of the news? " Yin Tianzi hesitated, then lowered his voice and spoke with great mystery. "They say Yutian Zun and the others have already fathomed a way to let practitioners like us become gods!

This Jade Pool gathering is meant to announce it!

" Shen Mu blurted out, "A way to cultivate into a god? Were there no divine-ability practitioners before who cultivated into gods? " Yin Tianzi and Kaihuang looked at him with strange expressions. Shen Mu immediately realized he had misspoken, and said abashedly, "I come from the countryside and have seen little of the world.

Please do not laugh at me, you two.

I always thought there were gods in the Heavenly Court.

" Kaihuang regarded him with a half-smile. After a moment, he explained, "Of course there are gods in the Heavenly Court. Apart from the ancient gods, there are all manner of other gods as well.

But these gods did not attain their power through cultivation; they were born mighty. Yet all of them are bound by a limit to their lifespan. When that limit is reached, their souls return to Youdu. " Yin Tianzi clapped his hands sharply and laughed. "Exactly so!

Brother Mu, you know little of such matters, which is why you were unaware. In truth, they are only demigods. Their standing comes from bloodline and lineage. Many of them are descendants of ancient gods, and because their blood is noble they possess powers that reach the heavens and pierce the earth. But they cannot live forever as the ancient gods do. And the crucial point is that they do not rely on cultivation; they rely on growth. " "Growth?

" Shen Mu was all the more confused.

"For instance, the great Kun carrying us to the Jade Pool.