Chapter 618 — A Glimpse Inside the Opened Box
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
The Woodcutter Sage finally turned his head to look at him, and said earnestly: "Old Daoist friend, this little box was left to me by my eldest disciple; it is therefore mine, and I cannot give it to you. I gifted you blood because I feared you would tear all courtesy apart, and then it would be awkward for me to beat you. So I let you recover a measure of cultivation. If you do tear courtesy apart, I will beat you. I had just forced the Honored King Fu Riluo to withdraw in the face of difficulty, and came here only to find you bullying my disciple and these two juniors. It ill becomes a senior, and it sours me somewhat against you."
Chi Xi sneered. Neither his flesh nor his primordial spirit was fully recovered, and he greatly dreaded this woodcutter. He said: "You would have no use for my little box either. Without my Chiming Heaven Court's rune arrays, you cannot open the lock."
The Woodcutter Sage showed a smile. The little box floated up from his coarse big hand; the ten fingers of his two hands danced, and strange runes and sigils leapt from his fingertips one after another, vanishing in succession into the little box. He said unhurriedly: "I have dabbled in too many things and delayed my cultivation. I have been to Chiming-era ruins a few times, and I have some understanding of the runes of your age."
From within the little box came click after click of locks unfastening, denser and denser, as though row upon row of clasps were opening inside, and one lock core after another withdrawing.
Chi Xi's expression changed drastically. He stepped forward, his aura surging, on the verge of striking, and yet holding back!
On the other side, Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi went ashen, thinking, This is bad. The Woodcutter Sage was an adversary of the Heaven Court and the demon races; if he opened the God-Slaying Mystic Blade, he was most likely to make a blood offering of it!
Each time the Heaven Court's God-Slaying Mystic Blade was opened, it required a blood offering, human blood to moisten the blade's edge!
"Judging by his bearing, this woodcutter is a fine one. Pray he offers up this three-headed, six-armed fellow and not us."
Their hearts were both in dread and in anticipation; they longed greatly to see that dread weapon, hidden in its box, that cowed gods and demons!
Suddenly the little box gave a soft click, and opened a hairline crack.
At once the box spewed sky-filling bloody light, washing everyone around in red, so that brows and beards turned crimson and hair too turned red.
And in the sky bloody clouds surged, like blood plasma spinning; the very center of that crimson cloud vortex answered exactly to this little box!
Though what seeped from the box was blood-colored and looked warm, the crowd felt as if plunged into an ice cave.
The killing aura that issued from the box froze their primordial spirits so they could not move, and froze their souls through and through, as though at the least stir a blade of light would come slashing down to cut them dead!
"A dread weapon indeed!"
The Woodcutter Sage's face was grave. He raised the little box, grasped the lid with his other hand, and said in a low voice: "You have fought over this little box for a long while, haven't you? Today I will open it and let you look!"
Chi Xi showed a look of dread, retreated swiftly, and fled far away.
Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali wanted to leave but could not; they could only watch as the Woodcutter Sage opened the box!
The box opened slowly, and the Woodcutter Sage's face grew graver still; his hands trembled a little, plainly at great effort.
He was suppressing the ferocious might within the little box. Suddenly he roared, burst out with all his strength, suppressed the killing aura, and threw the little box open!
Shen Mu, Zhe Huali, and Qi Jiuyi could not help but look into the box, and saw that within that small box there really was a human head!