Chapter 838 — A Side Branch of the Dao Lineage
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The Honored God Baixi was both startled and delighted, then shook his head. "My lord does not know the origins of this Qixia Mountain. Within Qixia lies a divine kingdom ten thousand li across, where gods and divine beings come and go—how could it ever be of use to you? To try to take this mountain range would be as hard as climbing to heaven!"
Shen Mu went to nearby Lu County and wrote out a calling card, which he handed to the Honored God Baixi. "Take my card and pay your respects to the mountain god of the mountain beside us. Tell him I intend to climb it tomorrow and call on him. The battle I fought in the river last night must have been seen by this mountain god; once he has read my card, he will not make things hard for you."
Baixi was just about to set out when a clear, ringing voice came from beyond the walls of Lu County: "The mountain gods of Qixia Mountain's seventy-two caves have come to pay their respects to Shen the Overlord Body, High God of Jingping!"
Shen Mu was surprised, then laughed. "These mountain gods are quick about it—no slower than the Dragon Kings of the Heavenly River. Let them in."
The Honored God Baixi hurried out of the city to receive them. After a short while, the mountain gods of Qixia arrived from every quarter with a great retinue of attendants, bearing treasures of every kind, a dazzling array whose radiance pierced the sky.
Some of these mountain gods had antlers, some the heads of tigers, and some had branching growths atop their heads; in looks and in kind, no two were alike.
Shen Mu knew this was merely a delaying tactic, but he greeted them with a smiling face and had the Honored God Baixi accept the gifts. "You mountain gods guard the rivers and mountains of Jingping, and you have done good service in protecting the realm. So long as you do not turn against us, I will not treat you poorly. I intend to rename Qixia Mountain 'Hundred Years Mountain' and install the Honored God Baixi as the chief god of Qixia's seventy-two peaks. What say you?"
The mountain gods of Qixia's seventy-two caves exchanged glances, then looked at Baixi, their faces full of disdain—they held him in very low regard indeed.
One of the mountain gods stepped out from the ranks. "Mr. Shen has come from far away and does not know. We mountain gods of Qixia's seventy-two caves have a master. Qixia Mountain is under the jurisdiction of Qingyun Heaven. When the Primal Realm was sealed in ages past, Qixia Mountain sank into the seal along with Qingyun Heaven. Within the seal, Qingyun Heaven remains the landlord of Qixia. We mountain gods are merely the ones who keep the landlord's land for him—we collect the rents from the divine kingdoms in the mountain and see to the livelihood of the people."
Another mountain god, one with antlers, said politely, "We mountain gods of the seventy-two caves swore the Earth Lord's Covenant with Qingyun Heaven as far back as the age of Shanghuang. It cannot be violated; we beg the Overlord Body Shen to forgive us. Should we break the covenant, we would die on the spot."
Shen Mu frowned slightly. If these mountain gods had sworn the Earth Lord's Covenant with Qingyun Heaven, then this would be truly troublesome.
"Where is Qingyun Heaven?" he asked.
The mountain gods all raised their hands and pointed to the sky. Shen Mu looked up, and there above Qixia Mountain lay a band of azure light like a long stretch of cloud, spanning ten thousand li, drifting motionless over the mountain.
The azure haze was frightening in its length; seen from afar, one could not tell at all that it was a heaven.
"Since Qixia Mountain already has a master, and you have sworn the Earth Lord's Covenant as well, it would not do to force you." Shen Mu mused for a moment. "Then I shall simply have to put you to death..."