Chapter 401 — Angling for the Blazing Sun
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
He had to fish out the sun as quickly as possible; the longer he delayed, the more perilous it became. At the edge of the Xiquan, Shen Mu's magic power raged, and one chain after another shot whistling into the Xiquan, each chain like a great black dragon, writhing and transforming, hurtling straight for the galactic core of another space. That place was the Xiquan itself — a circular abyss, where countless suns crowded like orbs of light within a deep well beyond imagination, and beyond the well, stars blazed in splendor, stars of every color forming a silver river that coiled around two great wells, revolving without cease.
Though the Xizhou's chains were thick and massive, compared to the Xiquan they were like a few thin threads. The scene truly resembled fishing, and Shen Mu atop the well was the fisherman. At last the chains reached into the Xiquan. Shen Mu's palm trembled, and he frowned slightly.
The Xizhou's chains had reached their limit and still had not touched the suns within the well. "Chief, give the order at once for everyone to leave the ship!
" Shen Mu shouted.
The Sun Herder chief hastily relayed the command.
Everyone aboard flew up in alarm and left the Xizhou.
They had barely taken flight when they saw the Xizhou stretch out its twelve legs and walk into the pillar of light from the Xiquan. The giant ship tilted, entering the mouth of the well, and at the center of the four pillars, the god-like giant that Shen Mu had become swayed and lurched, steering this colossal vessel into the sea of stars. "Prince, the Xizhou has already swallowed your calves!
" The old clan chief cried out in alarm. "Do not linger on the ship too long, or you will be devoured by the Xizhou! " In the Sea of Constellations, a giant vessel sailed vertically down along the pillar of light, a giant standing at its prow, controlling the chains as they approached the abyss below the pillar of light, surrounded by revolving stars of every hue.
Within the abyss, enormous suns radiated blinding light, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
Shen Mu's face was scorched red, as though it might melt.
The array patterns of the Nine Heavens had already surfaced in his eyes; he used the Divine Pupil bequeathed by the Blind Elder to see all within the well and to resist the blinding glare. The Xizhou was still approaching the abyss that hid the suns. The rocks and earth on this giant vessel had been burned red, but fortunately it had been forged by the gods of antiquity and had not yet melted.
At last, Shen Mu saw the chains touch one of the suns, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
At that moment, he noticed that the Xizhou had already swallowed his waist. "Damn! Without a sun as a source of energy, the devouring is too fast!
" Shen Mu steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and used the four chains as his hands, gently touching the sun's surface, searching for the mechanism. His body was sinking into the ship inch by inch, past his waist.
Without a sun, using the Xizhou's power would inevitably bring backlash from the vessel — but the speed of that backlash exceeded Shen Mu's expectations!
"Not this array pattern.
.
. nor this one.
.
. " Even with the Nine Heavens activated in both eyes, he could not clearly see the array patterns on the sun's surface; he could only rely on the touch of the four chains to distinguish them.
The four chains, like four great dragons, moved slowly across the sun's surface.
His magic power overflowed from the chains, transforming into threads of vital energy that probed the sun's surface, discerning its textual structure. "Not this one either.
. . " His body had already been swallowed up to his neck, and Shen Mu still had not found the location of this sun's mechanism.
Cold sweat poured frantically from his forehead, but before the sweat could seep from his pores it was vaporized, turning into puffs of flame that drifted across his skin.