Chapter 288 — Lord of the Great Dao
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Long Jiaonan's scalp split apart to either side with a sound that curdled the blood, and a woman was crawling out of the torn human skin with agonizing effort. Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang screamed, only then realizing they were clutching each other, and hastily let go.
Shen Mu took his Mystic Light Soul-Protecting Pendant from the Taotie pouch and put it on. The pendant was tied together with the Heavenly Emperor's Jade Tablet, which Long Jiaonan had also cast into the pouch.
One of these two items was bound up with his origins; the other was a treasure given him by the Lame Elder to ward off evil. And given how grisly a sight it was to watch Long Jiaonan climb out of her own skin, the Heavenly Emperor's Jade Tablet was just the thing for fending off the uncanny. After a time, a woman with not a thread upon her worked the upper half of her body out of Long Jiaonan's skin, squeezing fragments of broken bone out of the skin along the way. Stark naked, hair wild, she crawled with immense difficulty, spitting blood at every move.
"Turn around! Don't look!
" Ling Yuxiu snapped free of her shock and hastily urged Shen Mu. "It's not as if I haven't seen it before.
.
. " Shen Mu muttered, but he turned around all the same.
Before long, Long Jiaonan finally clawed her way out of the skin, yet she was at death's door and had no strength left.
She looked older. Where before she had been a young woman in her prime, now she seemed to have aged by a dozen years or more. Si Yunxiang fetched a robe to cover her, and as she draped it over the woman, she gave her a discreet pinch. Her eyes flickering, she whispered to Ling Yuxiu, "She still has broken bones inside; she hasn't coughed them all out.
" Long Jiaonan managed to sit up, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and said faintly, "My injuries are too severe. This molt only healed the wound on my heart and repaired a portion of my bones. To recover fully, I must go through several more molts.
Every molt ages me by decades and drains my lifespan. Set your minds at ease—I no longer have the power to threaten any of you. " Ling Yuxiu looked at the two huge red sections of snake lying on the sand and shuddered. "Can this big snake also. . .
" Long Jiaonan's face darkened. She shook her head.
"Little Red has been cut in two, and its head was smashed as well. There's no bringing it back.
" "Good!
" Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu both breathed sighs of relief. Shen Mu turned around with a kind smile.
"Sister Long, might I ask where your father is?
Where is he hiding? Who is at his side? And why does he wish to see me?
" Long Jiaonan said nothing.
Shen Mu smiled slightly. He extended his index finger, and a wisp of yuan qi flew forth, carving a slice of snake meat and laying it on the campfire to roast.
The meat sizzled, fat dripping into the flames with a sputter of smoke. Long Jiaonan's gaze fixed on that slice of meat, her pupils abruptly contracting. "My Holy Cult has three hundred and sixty-one halls," Shen Mu said. "One is called the Punishment Hall, and it has always dealt in harsh laws and stern penalties—a thousand ways to make a man confess. " Long Jiaonan sneered. "Jingping is entangled with the Nether Demon Cult so deeply that it has truly founded its kingdom on deviltry.
Cult Leader Shen, my invitation came with threats, but it was also, I think, a courtesy. I never made things hard for you. Had I chosen, cutting off the Cult Leader's legs, severing the Princess's hands, and blinding the Saintess would have been no great feat for me. But times change and roles reverse.
I have fallen into your hands, and I hope for the same courtesy.