Chapter 702 — All the Worthies Assemble
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Shen Mu stood in the darkness and swept his gaze around. There were still famished ghosts in the dark, but their numbers had dwindled; wherever his eyes fell, he saw only a scattered few drifting to and fro in the gloom. Of course, these famished ghosts were still exceedingly dangerous.
They were too swift; if an ordinary man were to walk into that darkness, he would surely be gnawed until not a whole limb remained. The darkness lingered, yet the famished ghosts had thinned, and that proved the battle between Lady Tianyin and the Netherworld Emperor was over, and that the Netherworld Emperor had failed to enter the Tianyin Realm and put her to death.
His grip upon the Tianyin Realm had weakened, and so the number of famished ghosts had fallen. The rest, he supposed, had been suppressed by Lady Tianyin within the Tianyin Realm. Shen Mu's spirits soared.
"Wait here for me," he said.
"I will enter the Tianyin Realm again and see how matters stand.
" "Very well. " He Yiyi was about to speak further, but Yan Jingjing cut in decisively: "Take care of yourself.
" Shen Mu leaped into the air and flew toward the rift that led to the Tianyin Realm.
He Yiyi said in a low voice, "Sister Jingjing, why let him go alone to so perilous a place?
You are a deity; would it not be safer if you went with him? " Yan Jingjing shook her head. "His skills are extraordinary; if danger comes, he can escape.
If we followed him, we would only distract him. Besides, if he truly faced the Netherworld Emperor, a deity like me would be of no use at all. " He Yiyi fell into thought and gave her a long, searching look. Shen Mu sped through the rift in the mountain.
Only after a long while did he reach the boundary stele of the Tianyin Realm.
He circled past it and looked around: a pagoda hung in midair, weighing down upon the realm, twisting its very space as though an iron ball had been set upon a taut bedsheet. Around the place where the pagoda pressed down, no famished ghosts remained. Countless of them had been cowed into hiding at the far edge of the sky, trembling; the once murky heavens had grown clearer, though still far from bright. Shen Mu breathed a sigh of relief and hurried on, until at last, by the sea, he saw again that lady who sat brooding.
Lady Tianyin sat there, chin propped on both hands, staring listlessly at the sea, her feet in the water — the waves barely covering the tops of her feet. She wore no garment in any traditional sense; only ribbons of divine light, manifested to veil her body, lending her the untrammeled wildness of an ancient god. Shen Mu walked up and sat on the sand, mimicking her by putting his feet into the sea.
A great wave came rolling in and drenched the youth from head to face. Lady Tianyin burst out laughing.
"You are too small," she said. "Just now, in my duel with the Netherworld Emperor, I stirred up great waves in the sea.
" Shen Mu was briefly tongue-tied, then smiled. "Is my lady troubled by these famished ghosts and this darkness?
" Lady Tianyin let her arms fall, braced them behind her, and looked up at the sky. "I do not wish to be left all alone here.
I want this place of mine to be as bustling as Xuandu. Xuandu is lively indeed: many gods and demons build houses upon the Lord of Heaven, and countless living beings dwell on the continents upon his body, with favorable winds and rains, all in harmony and joy.
Even Tubo has numberless ghosts dwelling in his horns.