Chapter 805 — The Fall of the Lord of the Heavenly Court
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
The Heavenly Duke's avatar and the Molten Lava Earthlord remained silent still. Off to the side, the Old Buddha and the Crimson Emperor sat at a stone table, leisurely sipping tea, lifting their eyes now and then to glance over with smiling faces.
The Great Sun Star Lord sat obediently to one side, head lowered, cupping his tea, a tiny flame flickering from his beak as he muttered, "I don't know a thing. Don't ask me. I died early, and it was because I knew too much that I took an arrow in the back..."
The white-bearded old man coughed again and again, glanced at the Earthlord, then at Shen Mu, and at last could not hold back. "Young Shen," he said, "let me have a word with the Earthlord first."
Shen Mu nodded lightly.
The Heavenly Duke and the Earthlord walked into the distance, away from the others, and spoke in low voices. "Fellow Daoist, what are we to do now?"
The Earthlord said, "You are the one with wide experience and broad knowledge. You speak."
The Heavenly Duke said, "All the dead end up in your domain in the end. You know the most."
The Earthlord said nothing.
Helpless, the Heavenly Duke had no choice but to go on. "That girl Yan Qiling has already made it plain, warning this young fellow to be on guard against us, sowing discord. If we do not divulge a few secrets, this young man will surely harbor a grudge."
The Earthlord said in a muffled, sullen voice, "I do not know much."
The Heavenly Duke laughed in sheer exasperation. "You did it all, and you still claim not to know much? Believe me, I could expose everything you have done. In these times, the Yuan Realm's seal is broken, and even true and false Earth Mothers have come leaping out. The Heaven Alliance, the Heavenly Court, even the Heavenly Emperor of ancient times, one after another they spring forth. It is plain the world is meant to fall into chaos, and then the net will be drawn in to catch the fish! Do you think our Youdu and Xuandu can be preserved?"
The Earthlord was silent a moment, then said, "I agree to tell him some secrets, but matters that implicate us cannot all be told."
Only then did the Heavenly Duke breathe a sigh of relief. "Will you speak, or shall I?"
"My lips are sealed. I will speak," said the Earthlord.
The two turned back, and Shen Mu looked at them expectantly.
By the stone table, the Old Buddha and the Crimson Emperor could not help but prick up their ears, full of anticipation.
The Great Sun Star Lord had not dared to listen and meant to leave, but curiosity burned too fiercely in his heart. He steeled himself and stayed, thinking, "I am already dead through and through. What have I to fear?"
In the distance, the big-headed doll Shen Fengqing tiptoed out of the Shen Clan Mountain Range, and his pair of ears suddenly swelled to tremendous size, standing taller than a mountain peak, straining to listen to their words.
The Heavenly Duke coughed once and said nothing, looking to the Molten Lava Earthlord. The Molten Lava Earthlord was silent for a moment, then abruptly spoke, unhurried and measured. "The Heavenly Emperor of the Longhan Heavenly Court is indeed dead."
Shen Mu was deeply shaken, and looked at him expectantly.
From afar came the voice of the big-headed doll, calling out, "Great Earthlord, where can one eat the Heavenly Emperor's soul? Did you hide it away? I knew you still had many fine things hidden!"
Seeing the expectant gazes of the crowd, the Earthlord hesitated, then said, "That is all. Heavenly Duke, my lips are sealed, and I do not know what to say, for fear they will trick me into talking. You do it."
Shen Mu was skeptical yet expectant as he looked at the white-bearded old man.
The Heavenly Duke's head felt as big as a bushel, and he laughed in exasperation. "You are not tight-lipped at all, you simply want me to be the one to speak! Fine, I will! The Heavenly Emperor of the Longhan Heavenly Court was murdered when he reincarnated to take a woman as his wife!"