Chapter 837 — Tea Offered on the River
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
Along the road, dragon kings of the river kept appearing to offer tea and present treasures. Last night's battle had made a tremendous commotion; dragon kings of the Heavenly River from hundreds of thousands of li upstream and downstream had all hurried over. Every stretch of the journey, another dragon king would lead his host out to welcome them, exceedingly courteous.
Shen Mu went on, stopping and starting, until his belly was full of tea. By the time he reached the far bank of the Heavenly River, it was already midday.
The Dragon Qilin said in a low voice, "Cult Master, these dragon kings have lost the Ancestor Dragon King, and with it their backbone; that is why they pretend to submit. When the Earth Mother gives the word, every one of these dragon kings will rise in rebellion! Lord Dragon Keeper's abilities are not weak, but he still cannot hold the Heavenly River in check. You must go and invite Old Man Qinghuang of Dragon Village; only he can overawe them."
Lord Dragon Keeper was greatly displeased, but what the Dragon Qilin said was true. Old Man Qinghuang was the Second Heavenly King of the Kaihuang Heavenly Court; in strength he was second only to the First Heavenly King, Emperor Yiyue, and surpassed Lord Dragon Keeper by more than could be counted.
Old Man Qinghuang was even more formidable than the Ancestor Dragon King; there was no one better suited to guard the Heavenly River.
"Even if Old Man Qinghuang came down from the mountains, he could not hold this Heavenly River in check."
Shen Mu shook his head. "The moment the Earth Mother gives the order, all these dragon kings and demigods who have submitted to us will turn traitor. Not one of them has truly surrendered to us!"
The Dragon Qilin was somewhat bewildered. "Then why does the Cult Master still accept these dragon kings' surrender? If these dragon kings rebel, they will command the great waters of the Heavenly River and flood Jingping, enough to drown Jingping entire, turn it into a watery marshland, and make countless common folk into food for the fish and shrimp!"
Shen Mu looked back at the surging waters of the Heavenly River and said unhurriedly, "I know. I am simply waiting for the Earth Mother to give the order."
The Dragon Qilin and Lord Dragon Keeper were stunned.
"If the Earth Mother gives the order and these dragon kings and demigods rebel, then so long as they rebel, they break the Little Earth Lord's Pact."
Shen Mu's face darkened. "If they do not rebel, nothing happens. But if they rebel, then overnight this Heavenly River will be covered with countless dragon corpses floating on the water! The Earth Mother Primordial Sovereign's strongest means of threatening Jingping will be undone, and the Heavenly River will never again be a threat of floods! From then on, the name of the Little Earth Lord will shake the world!"
Lord Dragon Keeper shivered again and again, not daring to imagine such a scene.
Meanwhile, on the Shen-Character Continent, the Big-Headed Doll was wildly excited, sitting by the stone table waiting for the meal to be served.
Shen Mu looked toward Hundred-Year Mountain ahead and said, "Lord Dragon Keeper, go back. Go and conclude the Little Earth Lord's Pact with them. Every demigod in the Heavenly River who has the strength of the Divine Realm must sign the Little Earth Lord's Pact! Go!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
Lord Dragon Keeper sank into the water and vanished.
The gloom on Shen Mu's face vanished. Looking at the White Rift Deity on the little mound, he smiled and said, "Reverend White Rift, I have come to see you."
The White Rift Deity hastily made his obeisance, not daring to lose his temper, though he still nursed some resentment. "My lord, was that Lord Dragon Keeper just now? He is blessed indeed, the Surging River has grown so vast? My lord, do you see how tall the mountain beside me is?"