Chapter 820 — The Imperial Guard's Crossing of the Boundary
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
The black coffin truly seemed to grow, rising higher and higher to some hundred zhang, wrapped in black qi chains like great black pythons tied in a knot to lock the coffin shut. "The Yulin Army is the palace guard of the Celestial Emperor of the Heavenly Court, chosen from the finest gods and devils in the world! " The Ancestral Dragon King raised his hand, the dragon-headed staff fell into his grasp, and he struck the knot of the black qi chains at its center as he said in a deep voice, "Earth Mother Yuanjun once let slip a secret, that in the days of the ancient Longhan Heavenly Court, when the Empress was attacked, the Yulin Army boarded a great towered warship to quell the rebellion. Yet midway the Yulin Army vanished without a trace. The mightiest host of the Longhan Heavenly Court thus disappeared into thin air and became a perplexing riddle of that court!
" The black qi chains came undone, the black coffin hissed as foul vapors leaked out in streams.
A demigod beside it suddenly shrieked as his feet rotted into pus, and in moments his whole body became a heap of rotten flesh bubbling with stench. Yet he was not dead, his face pressed against the rotted meat as he screamed without cease.
Terror seized all hearts, and they hastily held their breath.
Far off Shen Mu had meant to undo a seal to see if a black coffin would grow forth, but at this sight he hastily stopped.
The Ancestral Dragon King waved away the corpse poison and struck with his staff to slay the screaming demigod, then stared at the black coffin standing before him and said, "The Celestial Emperor sent many masters to search for the Yulin Army aboard this ship, all without result, yet in the hundred thousand years after, this ship and the Yulin Army aboard her kept appearing in the Star River, suddenly there and suddenly gone.
" From within the black coffin came a creaking scratch, as of something clawing the lid with its nails. Gripping his dragon-headed staff, the Ancestral Dragon King said, "In the Chiming Era there were also tales of this ship, for it often appeared upon the Star River, and some even saw tens of thousands of gods upon her in all their majesty. In the Shanghuang Era this ship often appeared as well, and Earth Mother once went to investigate, yet she failed to find her and that vanished shipload of the Celestial Emperor's palace guard. " With a thud the coffin lid fell to the deck, and all peered into the coffin to find only darkness within, nothing to be seen.
"Rumor holds that a vast secret hides aboard this ship, a secret that can cross time and space.
" The Ancestral Dragon King was parched, his voice hoarse as he said, "Rumor says that whoever masters this ship may cross time and space to any age he wishes to reach! " Within the dark coffin two red points of light appeared, like red lanterns.