Chapter 820 — The Imperial Guard's Crossing of the Boundary

" Shen Mu said, "It may be the command tally that controls this ghost ship, though I cannot be sure. . . " The village chief gritted his teeth and said, "Let us go in and look!

This ship is surely no common thing, or it would not have drawn so many powers.

If I do not go in and see for myself, I will never sleep well again!

" Shen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

The village chief's curiosity was even stronger than his own, and even if the tally were not the treasure that commands the ghost ship, he would still be unable to resist exploring.

His hesitation came chiefly from fear for Shen Mu's safety, which was why he had delayed deciding. Lord Huanlong hastened toward the ghost ship, and Shen Mu brought out the command tally, whose light drove back the black qi chains and allowed them to land upon the ship.

The two leapt down from Lord Huanlong's head, while Lord Huanlong turned into a dragon-headed god and warily surveyed their surroundings.

The ship's deck was broad and vast like a small landmass, complete with every manner of building, and there was even air here, for the river water had not invaded and the deck was quite dry.

"Shen'er, stay close to me and do not run about.

" The village chief had just said this when he saw Shen Mu already walking ahead of him, so he hurried after him and whispered, "Do not act rashly.

Follow me, I am an old hand!

" The ghost ship moved faster and faster, racing along the riverbed while dragon palaces and mansions in the river flashed past so that they could see nothing clearly. The hull creaked and groaned, and at such speed, and traveling underwater at that, the ship seemed ready to break apart at any moment!

"Where is this ship bound?

Why so fast? Shen'er, be careful!

" The village chief suddenly reached out and seized Shen Mu, warning, "There is a seal underfoot!

Do not step on it. " Shen Mu looked down to see a strange seal formed of black qi chains upon the deck, circular in shape and complex within, showing a tortoise and serpent entwined.

"This is.

. .

the Northern Emperor's seal!

" His heart chilled.

"There is a seal here too!

" Lord Huanlong cried.

When Shen Mu went to look, he saw that the seal Lord Huanlong had found was an Azure Dragon seal, likely left by the Eastern Emperor. "Here too!

" They soon found more seals upon the deck, some in the form of the Vermilion Bird and some in the form of the White Tiger, for the seals of all Four Ancient Emperors had appeared upon this ship.

"For all Four Ancient Emperors to join hands in sealing this ship, there must be something uncanny.

. .

" The village chief mused, "What is worthy of the Four Emperors' seals is surely no trifle. Let us try not to touch them.

" Just then a cry came from ahead, for the Ancestral Dragon King and his party had already undone one of the deck seals, and a jet-black coffin slowly grew out of the deck.

The black coffin truly seemed to grow, rising higher and higher to some hundred zhang, wrapped in black qi chains like great black pythons tied in a knot to lock the coffin shut. "The Yulin Army is the palace guard of the Celestial Emperor of the Heavenly Court, chosen from the finest gods and devils in the world! " The Ancestral Dragon King raised his hand, the dragon-headed staff fell into his grasp, and he struck the knot of the black qi chains at its center as he said in a deep voice, "Earth Mother Yuanjun once let slip a secret, that in the days of the ancient Longhan Heavenly Court, when the Empress was attacked, the Yulin Army boarded a great towered warship to quell the rebellion. Yet midway the Yulin Army vanished without a trace. The mightiest host of the Longhan Heavenly Court thus disappeared into thin air and became a perplexing riddle of that court!

" The black qi chains came undone, the black coffin hissed as foul vapors leaked out in streams.

A demigod beside it suddenly shrieked as his feet rotted into pus, and in moments his whole body became a heap of rotten flesh bubbling with stench. Yet he was not dead, his face pressed against the rotted meat as he screamed without cease.

Terror seized all hearts, and they hastily held their breath.

Far off Shen Mu had meant to undo a seal to see if a black coffin would grow forth, but at this sight he hastily stopped.

The Ancestral Dragon King waved away the corpse poison and struck with his staff to slay the screaming demigod, then stared at the black coffin standing before him and said, "The Celestial Emperor sent many masters to search for the Yulin Army aboard this ship, all without result, yet in the hundred thousand years after, this ship and the Yulin Army aboard her kept appearing in the Star River, suddenly there and suddenly gone.

" From within the black coffin came a creaking scratch, as of something clawing the lid with its nails. Gripping his dragon-headed staff, the Ancestral Dragon King said, "In the Chiming Era there were also tales of this ship, for it often appeared upon the Star River, and some even saw tens of thousands of gods upon her in all their majesty. In the Shanghuang Era this ship often appeared as well, and Earth Mother once went to investigate, yet she failed to find her and that vanished shipload of the Celestial Emperor's palace guard. " With a thud the coffin lid fell to the deck, and all peered into the coffin to find only darkness within, nothing to be seen.

"Rumor holds that a vast secret hides aboard this ship, a secret that can cross time and space.

" The Ancestral Dragon King was parched, his voice hoarse as he said, "Rumor says that whoever masters this ship may cross time and space to any age he wishes to reach! " Within the dark coffin two red points of light appeared, like red lanterns.