Chapter 710 — Overlord of the Nether Capital and Sovereign of the Underworld

The three men and Long Qilin sat in the boat, and the little craft swung round and bore them into the measureless dark.

"Brother Tian carries the title of Heavenly King as well?" Long Qilin asked curiously.

Tian Shu gave a snort, and with a look of panic glanced this way and that, saying nothing.

By now Qi Jiuyi had shaken off every trace of wine. He sat between Long Qilin and Tian Shu, restless and unable to settle, so flustered he might have been a young bride new to the bridal chamber, waiting for her groom. "The title Left Junior Minister of the Kaikhuang Divine Dynasty is known to few, but mention the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital and a great many know it."

Shen Mu's curiosity was stirred as well. "Where does the title Heavenly King of the Nether Capital come from? Has it some connection with the Black Emperor of the Nether Capital?"

Qi Jiuyi's face shifted between light and gloom. He stole a glance at Tian Shu, and seeing him cowering in the boat, shivering, more frightened than himself, he took heart and said, "I once heard the Red Emperor speak of the title Heavenly King of the Nether Capital. At the time the Red Emperor was sending me to the Nether Capital to take a master and learn its arts, and he told me of its many taboos—above all, that one must never utter the name Heavenly King of the Nether Capital."

Shen Mu glanced at Tian Shu. "Why is that?"

"The Black Emperor and the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital are enemies."

Qi Jiuyi steadied himself. "The title Heavenly King of the Nether Capital was in truth conferred by Tu Bo. I heard the Red Emperor say that Brother Tian's mastery of the arts of the soul was exceedingly high—he could come and go through Youdu as he pleased, and he won a resounding name there. Tu Bo therefore thought highly of him and named him Heavenly King of the Nether Capital. The Red Emperor said too that Tu Bo's intentions were not entirely kind; his aim was to set the Heavenly King and the Black Emperor at each other's throats, to let them fight."

The old netherworld courier said, "Do not think so ill of Tu Bo. Tu Bo merely felt that he, like the Black Emperor, was a man who had gathered into himself the whole system of Youdu's divine powers, and that his future attainments would be no weaker than the Black Emperor's. Of course, there was a little of the intent to sow discord in it as well."

Qi Jiuyi said, "After that, the heirs of the Black Emperor's line went looking for trouble with the Heavenly King of the Nether Capital, and Brother Tian killed a great many of their disciples."

Tian Shu could not conceal his satisfaction. He grinned. "I am a Heavenly King after all, a being whose name stands beside the Black Emperor's. How could I be inferior to the Black Emperor's disciples?"

Shen Mu's expression turned strange. He studied Tian Shu and could not for the life of him see how this drunkard, who would trade his life for a cup of wine, could be so famous—could stand on equal footing with the Black Emperor, the Yin Son of Heaven.

"Almost all the Black Emperor's disciples were killed by him. Even his eldest disciple died at the Heavenly King's hand, and so the Black Emperor came to his door in person."

Qi Jiuyi hesitated a moment. "The Red Emperor said Brother Tian was defeated, but the Black Emperor could not kill him—he escaped."

Tian Shu's face was all smiles. "Heh heh. I may not have been his match, but I am a Heavenly King after all. Killing me was never going to be easy."

"And afterwards Brother Tian fell out with Tu Bo," Qi Jiuyi went on.

Tian Shu's face went the colour of earth. He slumped limp in the boat, his features crumpled. "What was I to do? Kaikhuang put the divine blade Dique into my hands and told me to go cut Tu Bo down. How would I dare? So Kaikhuang gave me a great many fine wines. The wine was truly good, and once I had drunk it I would have dared to cut down Tu Bo—I would have dared to cut down Kaikhuang himself! So off I went to Youdu, blade in hand, all in a fever of excitement. It was only when Tu Bo seized me that I sobered up..."

Shen Mu's face turned strange again.

Tian Shu looked the very picture of a coward, yet he had this weakness for wine: timid on ordinary days, but once drunk, bold enough for anything.

Before wine, a field mouse; after wine, fierce as a tiger—that was a true portrait of him.

The old netherworld courier did not steer the boat toward the Palace of Tianqi Rensheng within Tu Bo's horn, but downward all the way, straight for Tu Bo's body beneath the Horn of Nine Bends.

Tian Shu's face was ashen. In his alarm he looked again and again at Shen Mu.

Shen Mu mumbled, "We are probably going to see Tu Bo's true body. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

Gradually they could make out Tu Bo's enormous eyes. The nearer they flew, the vaster those three eyes became, until of Tu Bo's whole form it was hard to make out anything at all.

Shen Mu saw, too, that countless ghosts dwelt upon Tu Bo's skin, as though upon numberless continents. Countless ghosts lived there and built splendid cities; in some places they were still at war, battling upon Tu Bo's body until heaven and earth were torn asunder, and yet they could not harm him in the least.

He saw as well a great many monsters of enormous bulk, each bearing a palace on its back, the palaces chained fast to their bodies. They struggled forward, moving step by step across Tu Bo's frame.

"Those halls are the dwelling places of mighty sacred primordial spirits. The monsters were subdued by them and made into mounts."

Tian Shu said, "Anyone with a little standing in Youdu keeps one or two monsters as mounts. When they go visiting friends and kin, they have the monsters carry their palaces along the road—most magnificent and domineering. Back when I was knocking about Youdu, I cut a figure like that too."

The old netherworld courier laughed. "After the Heavenly King has seen Tu Bo, you may cut that figure again."

Tian Shu's face crumpled, and he said no more.

Shen Mu consoled him: "Rest easy. He is only trying to frighten you. Tu Bo is greatly magnanimous; he will not do anything to you."

The old netherworld courier smiled coldly. "The same goes for you. Do not imagine Tu Bo does not know. Some time ago someone stole Tu Bo's power—that was your doing, was it not? The wrongs you have done, Tu Bo has them all written down."

Shen Mu laughed. "Lord Prefect, I did it to save Lady Tianyin. Lady Tianyin governs the souls of the dead: when a soul is shattered, it falls under her charge; while a soul remains whole, it falls under Tu Bo's. I thought I could not let the Lady thus perish, her fragrance scattered and her jade shattered, and so I took without asking, borrowing a little of the strength of Tu Bo and the Lord of Heaven. Even the Lord of Heaven said I did well, that I did right."

"The Lord of Heaven said that?" the old netherworld courier asked curiously.

Shen Mu's face turned grave. "Naturally! The Lord of Heaven understands great principles; he was wholly in favor of what I did. The Lord of Heaven also said that Tu Bo would understand and approve of my conduct. If you say Tu Bo has my faults written down, you must surely be mistaken. Now that I have returned to Youdu, it is better that I not disturb Tu Bo—so why don't you send us back first?"

"We have already arrived."

The old netherworld courier sat there in perfect composure, paying no heed to Shen Mu's artless expression. The little boat drifted on, gliding toward Tu Bo's third eye; gradually the eye itself passed from sight, and all that remained was a boundless red radiance.

The boat entered the red light. Shen Mu looked back, and could not keep his body from giving a small shudder: through Tu Bo's eye he saw countless worlds, and the souls of countless living beings in those countless worlds, every one of them reflected in his gaze.

"Truly, a divine power beyond measure..."