Chapter 227 — The Tree Roots of the Barren Ridge Become Spirits
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
"With other people, you beat the young and the old come for you; with me, I beat the old and it is the young who come.
" Shen Mu sighed inwardly.
Being Hierarch of the Nether Demon Cult was no easy trade. The arrival of Long Jiaonan and that woman from Three Marvels Fort showed that other young masters of the arts were nearby as well; if such people overtook him, it would be trouble.
Xue Hu'er worked her demon wind, sweeping the insects that flew their way into the distance. "Young Master," she said, "do these people not go home for the New Year?
" "They likely take killing me for their New Year revelry.
" Shen Mu shook his head. "Besides killing me, they mean to kill the emperor.
Killing me is bound to fail; whether they can kill the emperor, I do not know. After all, the emperor is a far bigger target than I am.
" Xue Hu'er had handled it well, blowing the insects away so that Long Jiaonan and the rest could not find this place, sparing them from finding the Withered Silence Ridge Canyon as well. The Withered Silence Ridge Canyon was not far off. Shen Mu walked to Withered Silence Ridge and saw that its slopes were not so steep as elsewhere; yet this place differed from other places, its whole mass a dull gray, without one touch of green.
The mountain was covered in withered trees, black trees and black earth, stirring unpleasant associations.
"And if they do kill the emperor?
" Xue Hu'er asked. Shen Mu took the lead, stepping into Withered Silence Ridge; Xue Hu'er hurried after him, leapt onto the dragon qilin's back, then bounced up onto its head and looked all around.
"If they kill the emperor and the crown prince ascends the throne, then the Imperial Preceptor Jingping's reforms will be overturned by the crown prince.
" Shen Mu said, "And then the Imperial Preceptor will dispose of the crown prince and put an obedient emperor in his place. Even if he does not, I will. I would also invite the Imperial Preceptor Jingping to serve as the Heavenly Sage Cult's fourth Cult-Guarding Heavenly King; I have kept that seat for him a long while. But they cannot kill the emperor, and the Imperial Preceptor would not wish to be the cult's fourth Heavenly King. " Here withered trees stood everywhere, stripped of branch and leaf; the little white fox, anxious and fretful, felt those dried limbs to be so many sharp claws, the twisted trunks to be dreadful faces, and could not help but be afraid.
"There is the blood of gods and demons here, and it has defiled this place. " The Dutian Demon King swatted a few flying insects dead, then snatched up a handful of earth, rubbed it between his fingers, and said in surprise, "Strange. This blood is peculiar; you cannot tell whether it is god or demon.
It seems there is both god blood and demon blood; a single blood holding both the divine and the demonic at once.
. . interesting.
" Shen Mu asked curiously, "Demon King, could it be that god blood and demon blood were spilled upon this land at the same time?
" He had seen the blood of gods and demons before, and it was formidable. When he had entered the darkness of the Barren Ruins with the village head, the headman had wounded a god-demon in the dark; a single drop of that god-demon's blood had fallen into the soil, and for a hundred-odd zhang around, trees and grass and flowers all withered, much like the state of Withered Silence Ridge. But that had been only one drop of demon blood.
Here the whole Withered Silence Ridge Canyon was defiled; clearly no small amount of god-demon blood had flowed into this place.
"Not the same.
" The Dutian Demon King shook his head.