Chapter 429 — At the Head of the Yellow Springs Bridge
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
The chain came whistling out of the darkness, wrapped around the deity of the High Heavens who had gravely wounded the Flood Dragon King God, and bound that deity tight with swift, hissing turns. Shen Mu's other arms dragged over the Broken Moon and smashed it down with a thunderous boom. The Flood Dragon King God screamed in alarm—he was right beside them; if the blow struck him, he would lose half his life even if he did not die.
He hastily rolled and tumbled out of the way; the half-moon grazed past him, tearing away a great swath of dragon scales, and the pain made the Flood Dragon King God clench his teeth, tears streaming down his face. Boom! The Broken Moon hammered onto the body of that deity of the High Heavens; the mountain ranges trembled with a clatter, and the demon monsters in the darkness all around shrieked and fled in every direction.
Boom! Without a word, Shen Mu swung the Broken Moon up again and smashed it down once more—once, again, and again.
Chunks of stone the size of mountain ridges broke off the moon, then were crushed to powder by the Broken Moon as it fell again. The deity Shen Mu had crippled earlier wore a look of terror.
Hurriedly enduring his pain, he limped rapidly away, his heart in turmoil, able to hear only the boom, boom of the hammer blows behind him, one after another, blows so heavy and solid they seemed to strike at his very heart, numbing his scalp.
"The boy's gone mad, surely mad. . .
not worth risking my life against! I only came to carry out the task given from above—no need to fight to the death!
" He sped away, when suddenly a tremendous crack sounded behind him: the half-moon had been smashed apart by Shen Mu, and huge stones flew wild through the sky. With the moon gone, Shen Mu at once felt the strength drain swiftly from his body, and he reverted to a cultivator of the Six Harmonies realm.
Had the crippled deity turned back, he could have raised a hand and slain the weakened Shen Mu on the spot; but the deity's courage had been shattered, and he never once looked back.
Shen Mu sat on the ruined Po Boat, gasping for breath. The Dragon Qilin watched him in alarm, and the other flood dragons cowered trembling behind the Dragon Qilin, their eyes full of dread when they looked at Shen Mu.
Thick chains hung from the boat to the ground.
The Po Boat had lost its former terrifying aura, and the circling rings of moonshine had vanished. Darkness surged in and would soon swallow them, but the demon monsters in the dark kept their distance, not daring to come near. Shen Mu looked at the statue before the Po Boat: the smile on the village chief's stone face, a gratified smile.
"You're still alive—you must still be alive! Flood Dragon King God! " Shen Mu struggled to his feet and shouted, "Go lift that statue! " The Flood Dragon King God, covered in wounds, struggled over and with all his strength lifted the statue.
Anxious beyond measure, Shen Mu demanded, "Is it heavy? " "Very heavy indeed!
" The Flood Dragon King God hastily set the statue down and answered honestly. "Carrying a stone statue is like carrying a god—Blind Grandpa would never lie to me.
. .
You really are still alive, alive somewhere, just not in this world! Like the other stone statues in the Desolate Ruins, you sometimes wake from the darkness.
" Shen Mu laughed heartily, and in the midst of laughing he suddenly began to weep, wiping away tears by the handful: "I've seen stone statues come to life, riding Dragon Qilins to put down rebellions—you can surely do it too! Isn't that so? " Si Yunxiang looked at this young Holy Cult Leader and suddenly felt that this big boy—so utterly cunning, hailed as the Great Demon King—was at heart so innocent.
Not only innocent, but fragile—or rather, beneath his resolute exterior there lay hidden a tender place in his heart. Shen Mu dried his tears and said loudly, "You'll come back, won't you?