Chapter 796 — The Mighty Array
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
Shen Mu could not help saying, "Sister Qiuyun, Jade Capital City has gathered nearly all the demigods of the Yuan Realm, along with the one impersonating the Earth Mother, and other divine, demonic, and sundry clans besides—experts thick as clouds. If we barge in so rashly, before the Red Emperor even lifts a hand, we will be beaten to death by other experts."
Feng Qiuyun shook her head. "That Earth Mother is a counterfeit. So long as I expose her identity, the demigods will return to my side, and then, gathering the strength of many demigods, putting the traitor Qi Xiayu to death will be easy!"
Shen Mu laughed. "Sister, you think too simply. If you barge in, the counterfeit Earth Mother will surely bewitch the demigods into striking at you, making you the target of all. I fear you will be done away with before you even see Qi Xiayu."
Feng Qiuyun halted and turned her head. "What do you propose?"
Shen Mu said, "Sister, do you have a token of the Earth Mother's—something that can prove your identity, and prove the Earth Mother's identity?"
Feng Qiuyun sneered. "The Earth Mother is the Earth Mother. Does she need to prove her own identity? What sort of twisted reasoning is that?"
Shen Mu said mildly, "If you have no token to prove the Earth Mother is the Earth Mother, how will you argue that the other is a false Earth Mother? Those demigods were summoned by the other side; they surely have a token. You have none—how will you win those demigods' trust?"
Feng Qiuyun frowned, and after a moment said, "What should we do?"
Shen Mu smiled. "Since Sister has decided to go to Jade Capital City and have it out with that false Earth Mother, then naturally the greater the display the better. Does the Earth Mother have any carriage that symbolizes her station?"
Feng Qiuyun said, "There is. But it is too grand—it requires eight dragons and eight phoenixes to draw it, and summoning the carriage would most likely alert the Earth Mother, which would make things difficult. The Earth Mother would not agree to my going to kill that wretch Qi."
Shen Mu thought for a moment. "Does the Earth Mother have anything else—some branch or fork of a thing—that looks rather splendid?"
Feng Qiuyun's eyes lit up. "The Earth Mother once forged a wooden sword to suppress the gods and sages of the heavens. It is called the Venerable God's Kunyuan Sword. The sword is right here in the temple—I will go fetch it!"
She hurried eagerly into the main hall of the ruined temple. Shen Mu followed her in, and saw Feng Qiuyun bow reverently to the statue of the Earth Mother Venerable God, then go behind the statue, where a wooden sword hung upon the wall.
Shen Mu was dumbstruck. He ventured, "This wooden sword is the Venerable God's Kunyuan Sword that suppresses the heavens? Just hanging here?"
Feng Qiuyun nodded. "This is the sword. It usually hangs here."
Shen Mu's expression turned strange. He glanced at the other parts of the dilapidated temple, his gaze falling on the offering table, the shrine, the incense burner, the incense cauldron, the screen, and the rush cushion.
"Two great bronze bells hang under the eaves as well—are those good things too?"
He had just thought this when Feng Qiuyun began clamoring to go to Jade Capital City. Shen Mu smiled. "Sister, what is your station before the Earth Mother Venerable God?"
Feng Qiuyun hesitated, then said with shame, "My Phoenix Clan originally dwelt upon the Primeval Wood, under another's eaves, sheltered by the Earth Mother. So in ordinary days I draw the Earth Mother's treasure carriage. I am one of the eight phoenixes that draw the Earth Mother's carriage. Qi Xiayu was originally one of the eight phoenixes too, and later turned traitor."