The butcher could not help saying, "You damned blind fool, did you even ask Shen Mu's opinion before deciding on your own? " "I don't need to ask!

I raised the boy, so I can decide for him! " With that, the blind elder took Shen Mu by the hand and walked out of the great hall.

A host of flood dragons hurried after Shen Mu. The village chief frowned and said, "No need to chase them, Old Tu. The blind elder will come around on his own. " The butcher shook his head.

"That old fellow's temper is even hotter than mine. To think he actually lost his temper.

" In the hall, the Hermit of Qingyou was filled with emotion. He said to Wang Muran and the other two, "The Human Emperor invited us out of seclusion to calculate the spatial arts model for repairing the divine bridge. Now that the model is complete, there is no need for us to remain in Jingping, this place of trouble. Will you return with me to Little Jade Capital? " Long Yu and Mu Qingdai both hesitated. Long Yu wanted to return to Little Jade Capital, but he was not one for making decisions, and his gaze drifted toward Wang Muran.

Among the three fellow disciples of Little Jade Capital, Wang Muran had the most ideas. Mu Qingdai was more playful at heart; the past few months since descending from Little Jade Capital had been full of excitement, and she rather wanted to stay. Wang Muran was silent for a moment, then said, "I just encountered the State Preceptor of Jingping. " The Hermit of Qingyou raised an eyebrow. Wang Muran continued, "He no longer recognizes me. " The Hermit of Qingyou sighed.

"He is the State Preceptor of Jingping. Naturally he would not remember you.

" Wang Muran said, "The State Preceptor of Jingping presides over the reforms, transforming the world and creating a new order. His Daoist arts and divine abilities advance with each passing day, progressing at astonishing speed.

If I remained in Little Jade Capital cultivating diligently, even if I worked a hundred times harder than him, I could never surpass him in this lifetime. And besides, he is extremely diligent as well.

" "You want to stay? " the Hermit of Qingyou asked. Wang Muran bowed. "I want to enter the great upheaval of the era brought by his reforms. This reform movement has already revealed many signs. The State Preceptor of Jingping's Three Sword Forms, the Human Emperor Shen's Six Harmonies Spirit Primordial, and the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, the Celestial Phenomenon Divine Ability—all of these show that the Daoist arts and divine abilities are already changing.

If I stay in Little Jade Capital and miss this era, the State Preceptor of Jingping will never remember me.

When I seek revenge against him, after he kills me with a single sword strike, he will not even remember who I was. " The Hermit of Qingyou sighed inwardly. "Then you stay. Qingdai, Long Yu, what about you two? " Mu Qingdai smiled. "I will stay too, so that our youngest junior brother has someone to look after him. " Long Yu hesitated, then said, "My junior brother and sister are both staying. As the eldest senior brother, it is only right that I look after them. " The Hermit of Qingyou felt a headache coming on.

"Very well. Senior Brother Youhe, let us return to Little Jade Capital.

" The three old immortals of Little Jade Capital rose, bowed to the village chief, the Silent Craftsman, and the butcher, and took their leave. Once the three were in the air, the Hermit of Qingyou said to Youhe and Youyun, "I am uneasy about those three disciples.

You two return to Little Jade Capital first; I will keep an eye on them in secret. " Youhe said hastily, "The emperor blasted a celestial immortal to death, bringing unforeseeable consequences.

If you stay, I fear you will be dragged into it as well. This is no place to linger!

" The Hermit of Qingyou smiled. "Rest assured, I know what I am doing.

I lost my heart for the mortal world long ago; this dazzling world will not ensnare me. " With that, he concealed his tracks and departed. Shen Mu sat on the dragon qilin's back, following the blind elder at an unhurried pace.

Shen Mu offered to let the blind elder ride, but the blind elder would not climb up, leaning on his cane and making his own way toward the Wasteland. After a long while, the blind elder suddenly halted and stopped in his tracks. Shen Mu had the dragon qilin stop, and the many flood dragons around them all came to a halt.

A moment later, the blind elder sighed wistfully. "Shen boy, the old butcher told me to ask you what you wanted. I never asked.

Now I am asking you—do you want to stay, or return to the Wasteland? " Shen Mu smiled. "If Grandpa Blind tells me to go back, then I will go back.

If I said I wanted to stay, would Grandpa Blind allow it?

" "No! " Shen Mu changed the subject.

"Did the village chief ask Grandpa Tu about the matter of the sun, moon, and stars all being fake? " "Go ask the pig-killer yourself! " Shen Mu said no more. The two continued on their way.

As dusk fell, Shen Mu lit a fire and cooked a meal. After they had eaten, the blind elder picked up his bamboo cane and drew a circle around Shen Mu.

"Wait here.

Do not step outside the circle. .

.

not that you could anyway! I am going to steal you a wife. When we return to the village, you will bow in ceremony, marry, and make babies! " Shen Mu was startled. The blind elder seized his bamboo cane, leaped into the air, and vanished. "Steal a wife? Make babies?

" Shen Mu's mind reeled. He hurried toward the edge of the circle, but suddenly there was a hum, and the circle the blind elder had drawn blazed with light, flinging him back.

"Grandpa Blind's restriction is formidable, but Grandpa Lame taught me the Heaven-Grazing Divine Legs—I fear no restriction!

" Shen Mu gathered power in his feet, but the moment he activated the Heaven-Grazing Divine Legs, he was flung back again. The circle the blind elder had drawn was ingenious—its size was precisely calibrated so that his Heaven-Grazing Divine Legs could not reach full speed. The lame elder's Heaven-Grazing Divine Legs required extreme velocity to break through the bonds of space, and only then could it ignore restrictions.

"The Ninefold Heaven Gazing Art that Grandpa Blind taught me—is it not meant for breaking restrictions? Open, eyes!

" Layers of formation patterns rotated in Shen Mu's pupils as he opened the Jasper Heaven Eye. He gazed intently, then slumped in defeat. He could not understand it. As the founder of the Ninefold Heaven Gazing Art, the blind elder was known as the Holy-Eyed Divine Spear. Because of his powerful holy eye, his mastery of restrictions and formations was unfathomably deep. Even if Shen Mu opened all nine heavens of his eye, he might not be able to break it.

"I still have two big eyeballs here—the Solar Jade Eye and the Lunar Jade Eye. Perhaps they can break Grandpa Blind's restriction!

But. .

.

" He looked troubled. The circle the blind elder had drawn was too small to fit those two eyes. Shen Mu glanced at the dragon qilin and the dozen or so flood dragons, then hastily took out the Jade Register of the Heavenly Emperor, activated the Dragon-Taming Art, and blew the golden flute.

One by one the flood dragons roared and attacked the circle.

Yet no matter how powerful or numerous these flood dragons were, they could not break the circle the blind elder had drawn. The light barrier of the circle mended itself as soon as it was broken, constantly shifting, keeping him trapped. Shen Mu did not dare let the flood dragons strike with full force.

If they broke the circle and he could not withstand the backlash, he would be blasted to death as well. He was completely out of ideas.