Chapter 713 — City of Doom
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
Daoist Master, Brother Wang, if the Little Jade Capital and the Daoist Sect have anyone versed in the Soul-Pulling Invocation, have them hurry there as well! There may yet be hope of saving them! " Everyone voiced their agreement. The primordial spirit assembly dispersed.
Shen Mu's primordial spirit returned to his body, and he immediately ordered Long Qilin to race toward Yuzhi Commandery.
After a moment, he told Long Qilin to slow down. Puzzled, Long Qilin nonetheless slowed his pace, running at an unhurried gait.
Shen Mu's expression shifted unpredictably.
Yuzhi Commandery lay on the southeastern coast of the nation of Jingping; the road was long, and a full day's run was needed to reach it. The coast was remote, and if everyone rushed there in one headlong surge, they might well fall for a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain. If all the power-wielders versed in the Soul-Pulling Invocation gathered at Yuzhi Commandery, then should large-scale deaths suddenly erupt in the other provinces and commanderies, no one would be left to react in time.
"The common folk of a single commandery alone are likely not enough to revive a statue. More deaths are needed before a statue can be awakened. " Shen Mu's gaze flickered.
He took the geographical map of Jingping from his Taotie Pouch. Jingping was no longer what it had once been: its territory had greatly expanded, and its population was several times what it had been before.
Still, the more populous provinces and commanderies remained concentrated in the places where trade and commerce flourished. "The Yong River has the most developed waterways of all, and along its course, with its canals and roads, there are many great cities of a million souls. Next would be the Jiangling region.
But Jiangling is not too far from the capital, and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, the First Ancestor, and the others will react swiftly. " Shen Mu studied the map. The most suitable place was undoubtedly Yuyuan Chuyu's Lizhou Prefecture.
It was far enough from the capital, far enough from Yuzhi Commandery, and it lay in the very heart of Jingping.
"If I were Lou Yunqu, I would choose that place.
I would sacrifice every soul in Lizhou Prefecture in a blood ritual and awaken the statues. " Shen Mu's expression shifted unpredictably.
Lizhou Prefecture lay just south of the Heavenly Sage Academy, and the Yong River Academy was there as well. The High Minister Su Yunzhi was its Grand Libationer, while Yuyuan Chuyu and Yuyuan Chuyun were Libationers. "If they use the Book of Life and Death to sacrifice everyone in Lizhou Prefecture in a single blood ritual, they can wipe out the Yong River Academy in one stroke, and my Heavenly Sage Academy will be caught in the net along with it.
And destroying the Heavenly Sage Academy along the way is no trouble at all for Lou Yunqu and his lot. " "Lizhou and Bazhou have populations large enough to revive a great many statues. Once the statues revive, wiping out a few provinces and commanderies will be simplicity itself. After that they can trigger the Five Thunders Pot and other celestial-phenomenon divine weapons, bring tribulation down upon Jingping, and destroy this place utterly.
" At this thought Shen Mu immediately ordered Long Qilin to follow the Yong River downstream toward the Yong River Academy in Lizhou. Long Qilin was swift. As he ran through the air above the Yong River, the waters below surged with waves, and two giant dragons coursed beneath the surface, closely following in Long Qilin's tracks.
When they reached Dijiang County, Shen Mu ordered Long Qilin to descend.
On Baisui Mountain across from Dijiang County, a deity with a single horn on its head, a horse's head and a human body, pure white from head to hoof, gazed over from afar. Shen Mu waved a hand, and the White Crack Deity vanished at once.