Chapter 423 — The Last Echo in the Darkness
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
. . " In the sky another star dimmed; then suddenly that star blazed out again, so gorgeously that it lit the whole sky. "Creation gathers divine beauty; yin and yang cleave dusk and dawn!
" A cry that clove the darkness came to them, so rousing, so breathtaking.
Dang— A long, resonant bell note came through the air, striking out in all directions; then the bell note went mute. Creation's Gathering of Divine Beauty had become a sound never to be heard again.
The light in the sky gradually dispersed; after the eruption came the darkness seeping in, slowly, from all sides. At last that star fell.
The Protector Elder bowed his head and said no more.
He was waiting for dawn, to gather the bodies of the two old men. In the sky, the eighteen stars paused for a moment, then went on their way east.
The Wasteland. The God-Severing Mountains.
On the snowy peak, the mountains sharp as knives and white with snow, a line of flood-dragons came flying swiftly toward that place.
The wind was strong, blowing the whiskers and manes of these dragons back in streaming banners.
Beside Shen Mu, Si Yunxiang was using the Heart-Vision Mirror to contact the young Patriarch; the Holy Maiden of the Dark Demon Cult stared blankly, lost in thought, then abruptly said to Shen Mu, as if out of nowhere, "The Patriarch says he isn't coming back. He says you needn't think of him.
" Shen Mu was taken aback. Granny Zhu turned her head away and quietly wiped the corners of her eyes.
"That old fellow.
He's gone before us.
" Li Zheng was stunned a moment, then sighed: "Still so impatient, after all.
" The God-Severing Mountains drew nearer and nearer; beyond them lay the Wasteland, shrouded in darkness. There, streaks of starlight moved across the sky, drawing toward this side.
"Shen'er, halt on the mountain!
" Li Zheng said suddenly.
At Shen Mu's command the flood-dragons slowed, stretching out their bodies, their claws digging into the knife-edged mountains, and came to a stop.
Their manes streamed, their bodies supple and strong; they crushed the Xuanji crossbows on the mountain one after another.
The snow was white, the mountain black, but these dragons were some white, some black, and others red, sapphire, and colors of every kind.
Precious light bloomed from their hides — the radiance bursting from the natural runes that flowed along a dragon's body — staining the snow in other hues.
"Let this battle be fought here.
" Li Zheng looked around.
"What do you all think of this place? " Kun Wang surveyed the surroundings. "Very good.
Only a bit cold.
" Tu Xingfeng leapt down from a dragon's back, tightened his clothes, and muttered, "This damned place — cold as ever.
The underground's warmer.
Emperor Shen, if you ever go down to the subterranean world of our Earthwalker clan, it'll open your eyes wide.
Our underground world is jade-glaze everywhere; great crystals hang from the vault, some six-sided, some eight-sided, clustered together like bouquets.
The lava light plays on them — beautiful beyond words.
And underground there are all sorts of plants that grow in the lava, tasting wonderful, like a fiery strong wine on the tongue — it burns the throat, but the aftertaste lingers. . .
" "Stop it. " The Teng Serpent on Xuan Shengwu's shoulder swallowed hard. "You've made me hungry. " Tu Xingfeng lifted his head and looked at the stars racing nearer and nearer, gripped his great horned hammer, and murmured, "I wonder if there'll be another chance to go back underground and taste that once more.
Our underground world has Blazing Fruits too, fruits bred from the geomagnetic vital force, and that flavor.
.
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