Chapter 223 — The Dead End of the Yellow Springs
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Shen Mu shook Yuan Shan off and swiftly glanced around. The treasure ship had been riddled with holes by flying swords, leaking wind on every side.
That Yuan Shan of the Yuan Gong Sword Sect was nimble in body, leaping, thrusting, and striking with a swordsmanship both keen and uncanny; fortunately the hull was cast of dark iron and sturdy enough to weather the assault of this sword master. Even so, the cabin was leaking wind, and it dragged the treasure ship slower. On top of that, the prow had rammed into a gigantic sword of ice and been cut open with a great gash; when it flew at full strength, wind poured into the hull, and its speed was now far below its peak.
"If I could stop, I could repair it in half a day—only these fellows won't give me half a day.
Fortunately, the Barren Ruins aren't far now. " He had barely thought this when Xue Hu'er's voice reached him: "Young Master, the bronze beast on the bottom of the ship has had its head cut off.
Is that serious? " Shen Mu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "It's nothing serious.
Just a bit of a bumpy landing. " "How bumpy?
" The little fox poked her head out of the cabin, blinking as she asked.
Puzzled, Shen Mu said, "Why do you ask?
" "We're out of medicine.
" Xue Hu'er said in her crisp, bright voice, "Haven't you noticed, Young Master?
Our ship is falling. It won't be long before it lands.
" Sure enough, Shen Mu saw that though the treasure ship still flew forward, it had already begun to sink slowly into the sea of clouds. Shen Mu said decisively, "Ling'er, wake that pig up.
It's his turn to pitch in!
" The Dutian Demon King flew into a rage: "Who are you calling a pig, you brat?
I've been pitching in all along! " Xue Hu'er shot him a glare: "Nobody's talking about you. Look at you, all puffed up.
The Young Master means Long Pang. Long Pang, get up, stop sleeping—the ship is about to land, and the Young Master says it'll be bumpy!
" The dragon qilin slowly rose and crawled sluggishly out of the cabin, belly dragging on the ground, rather displeased.
In a muffled, rumbling voice it grumbled, "A few days ago you were still calling me Big Dragon. .
.
" "Can this fellow even fly anymore? " Somewhat worried, Shen Mu swiftly swept up the remaining New Year goods in the cabin and stuffed them into the Taotie Bag; then he pinned down the Dutian Demon King and tried to shove him in as well. The mouth of the Taotie Bag was not large—only a single leg could barely be squeezed inside. Just as Shen Mu was about to dismantle the demon god's body, the Dutian Demon King raged, "What are you doing?
Don't take it apart! My consciousness is scattered through this body right now—if you dismantle it, you'll scatter my consciousness as well. .
.
Don't you know how to use this bag? Use your primal energy to light up the Taotie's mouth.
.
. " Shen Mu's eyes lit up.
His primal energy surged forth and lit the Taotie pattern on the bag; all at once the bag's opening expanded into an enormous Taotie maw more than sixty zhang wide, and with a single gulp it swallowed the Dutian Demon King whole.
"This really is much more convenient. " Both startled and delighted, Shen Mu tied the bag at his waist and leaped onto the dragon qilin's back with Xue Hu'er, shouting, "Abandon ship!
Go! " Fire clouds sprouted beneath the dragon qilin's feet and it rose from the ship; the vessel had already dropped below the clouds and begun its descent. In its honest, simple voice, the dragon qilin said, "Sect Leader, Sister Ling'er, you two have gotten fat again, haven't you? Much heavier than before.
" "You're the one who's fat! " the little fox snapped.
"Look at how fat you've gotten now!
The elders in the Young Master's household are very fierce—if you keep getting fatter, you'll be slaughtered for the New Year! " Just as she spoke, the treasure ship struck a great mountain with a thunderous boom and split apart.