Dragon Qilin and Yan'er had long since grown accustomed to Shen Mu's divine power of resurrection, but this was the first time Yu Chudu had witnessed it, and he could not help but be shaken to his core. Shen Mu summoned the shattered souls and remade them—such a divine ability was undeniably a heaven-defying art of rewriting fate. Yu Chudu had seen more divine powers than he could count, yet he had never even heard of one like Shen Mu's. This power transcended life and death, transcended reincarnation, and placed Shen Mu's fate beyond the grasp of the four Great Dao-Born Ancient Gods: the Heaven Lord, the Earth Lord, the Heaven Yin Empress, and Yuan Mu. Beyond the awe in Yu Chudu's heart, there was also dread—he felt that such a power, which kept the dead from dying and defied heaven, ran counter to the Way of life, death, and reincarnation. And yet, every divine power in this world, while following the Great Dao of heaven and earth, likewise defies it. Medicine, for instance—saving the dying and healing the wounded—is also a defiance of heaven. The arts of cultivation and husbandry, which make crops or livestock grow swiftly, are also a defiance of heaven. And what of forging and smelting, splitting mountains and parting seas, spanning the void with bridges, laying down roads—which of these is not a defiance of heaven? Moreover, all the divine powers in this world are filled with destructive force—destroying life, ravaging the natural order of heaven and earth—and this too is a defiance of heaven. It was only that people had long since grown used to it and no longer found it strange, while Shen Mu's divine power was simply too astonishing. The little girl woke, her lips pursed, about to burst into tears, and Yu Chudu hurried forward to comfort her gently. "Nephew Yu, you can no longer remain in the Heavenly Court, nor is there a place for you in the White Emperor's territory of the Western Heaven. You might as well take her with you to the Yuan Realm." Shen Mu said, "She is now alone and helpless, and my side is far too dangerous—I cannot keep a little girl with me. I must entrust her to you." Yu Chudu felt some reluctance. "This disciple wishes to follow you, Martial Uncle, and cultivate for a time, to broaden his horizons." Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Following me is of no use. Your master's abilities far surpass mine, and his vision is broader than mine as well. Before long, I will be able to rescue him. When you two master and disciple are reunited, you will naturally have your chance to broaden your horizons." "It is no fun by the Master's side, no excitement..." Yu Chudu muttered under his breath. "Excitement?" Shen Mu's expression turned peculiar, and he thought to himself: "There will be times ahead when you feel excitement—excitement enough to kill you." Yu Chudu also knew that the Heavenly Court was determined to have him. Wei Suifeng, cunning and ingenious, had breached the Great Void and created a method to shield oneself from inner demons and safely pass through the collapsing void. Only a prodigy like Wei Suifeng could have devised such a method. Yu Chudu was Wei Suifeng's most capable disciple, and the man had passed on all his skills to him. For the sake of this method, the Heavenly Court would spare no cost. "If you go to Jingping, there is still one person who can track your whereabouts—and even seize your soul." Shen Mu produced the Book of Life and Death and shone it upon Yu Chudu. "That person is the Yin Son of Heaven. I will first erase your name from the Book of Life and Death, and then the Yin Son of Heaven will not be able to find you." He struck Yu Chudu's name from the book and said, "In five years at most, two years at least, I will break open the ghost ship and rescue your master. By then, you two master and disciple will naturally be reunited. When you reach Jingping, study with an open mind, and you must gain your own insights, forge your own path, and strive to rise from third-rate to second-rate." Yu Chudu's face darkened, but he bowed in gratitude, took the little girl's hand, and said, "This disciple will certainly not fail your teachings, Martial Uncle!" Shen Mu bent down to look at the little girl and smiled. "Little one, what is your name?" The little girl still clutched the beast bone tightly in her hand, her face smudged with grime, and said timidly, "Hua Xuanxiu. Uncle, eat." She held out the beast bone, gnawed down to a few shreds of meat, to Shen Mu. He took the bone and smiled. "Hua Xuanxiu—what a lovely name. Do you know? You died and came back to life, and your three souls and seven spirits have been strengthened by my divine power. An ordinary divine power wielder of the Six Harmonies realm is no match for you now. I will give you one more big bone!" He beckoned, and the thigh bone of the Second Pillar Ancient God flew into his hand. He stripped away the flesh and blood, tempered it, suppressed the fearsome might within the ancient god's divine bone, and stuffed it into her arms, smiling. "For you to protect yourself." Hua Xuanxiu hugged the enormous thigh bone with all her might, straining under its weight, yet as she examined it, she seemed somewhat disappointed. "Uncle, there is no meat on this one. It is for feeding dogs!" "A dog could not bite through it." Shen Mu laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Worthy nephew, take her and go." Yu Chudu bowed, took Hua Xuanxiu's little hand, and departed. Shen Mu tossed the beast bone Hua Xuanxiu had given him to Dragon Qilin. Dragon Qilin caught it in his jaws, then immediately spat it out and said sullenly, "I eat vegetarian... Sect Leader, where are we going now?" Shen Mu strode away. "To the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace. Then we will take a detour to the Southern Heaven, Northern Heaven, and Eastern Heaven to have a look." Dragon Qilin hurried after him with Yan'er and ventured, "Are we still going to kill the ancient gods of the other heavens? If the ancient gods of all four great heavens die, it will cause a tremendous uproar." "We are merely going to walk and look." Shen Mu's gaze flickered. "I am going to these worlds to see how the people there live. It is not absolutely necessary to move against the ancient gods. Heh heh..." He smiled. "In truth, are the demigods not another flock of ancient gods? Even if I alone could kill all these stubborn, unrepentant ancient gods, what would it accomplish? When the ancient gods are gone, there are still the demigods; kill the demigods, and there is another flock of demigods. They can never be completely wiped out." Dragon Qilin pondered. "Then how can all of this be changed?" "It still requires self-strengthening. The human race must strengthen itself, and the innate races must strengthen themselves as well." Shen Mu thought for a moment. "When people are strong, when they no longer fear the demigods and ancient gods, when they dare to resist and have grasped powerful strength—only then can there be change, only then can the gods be made to serve mankind. This is why the Jingping Reforms are necessary. Drawing your sword when you encounter injustice is merely a small skirmish. What I truly must do..." He gazed at the White Emperor's Heavenly Palace drawing ever nearer and said calmly, "Is to spread the Jingping Reforms to every corner of the universe and the primordial wilds, to every great heaven, and shatter the god in the hearts of the people of these heavens! The Longhan era did not accomplish it, nor did the Chiming era. Shanghuang and Kaihuang—neither achieved it! Perhaps Jingping can." He let out a breath. "While traveling through the four great heavens during this time, I can also use the opportunity to calm my mind and study the manuscripts of Ling Tianzun, to rescue my eldest senior brother, and to rescue the Yulin Army on the ghost ship. And more critically..." He did not continue. The ancient god egg within the Lapis Lazuli Azure Heaven Canopy, as well as the Egg of the Great Beginning—he had to