Chapter 862 — Reunion with an Old Acquaintance in the Coffin
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 5
Light suddenly rose from the well, taking the form of a sword-light. It had no substance; this sword-light floated in the air, tip pointed down, hanging there. Suddenly the sword-light moved, and at once countless swords appeared in every direction, spreading out flat. The spread sword-light trembled, and countless more swords spread out, and in an instant countless swords covered the whole of the Fallen God Valley!
The moment Xing An said "jump," Shen Mu leapt. The Dragon Qilin was a step behind, not yet catching on, and Shen Mu grabbed it and hauled it up.
Shh —
Sword-light after sword-light spread out beneath the soles of their feet. Xing An landed lightly, treading on the sword-light, and said in a low voice, "This sword-light covering the valley will soon vanish and sink into the well. We must go quickly!"
Shen Mu hurried with the Dragon Qilin at flying speed to the hanging coffin. Xing An leapt up onto the coffin and said, "This is the only place that is stable."
Suddenly the sword-light across the whole valley snapped back, withdrawing into that sword-light hanging over the well. That sword-light slowly sank into the well and disappeared. The glow rose again, cloaking the valley — but around the hanging coffin there was no glow. This glow was exceedingly strange. Step into it, and one's fleshly body would endlessly dissolve, dying a death too ghastly to behold.
At this moment Yan Qiling, Mu Qiubai, the Heavenly Dragon King, and the others arrived at the cliff and looked out at Shen Mu and the rest from afar, each frowning. Mu Qiubai raised a gateway and opened the door, while the Heavenly Dragon King roared again and again, dragon whiskers flying back one after another. A sound of unspeakable oppression and dullness came from the air — this old Dragon King's brute strength was boundless, and he had actually dragged over the entire celestial world where the Fire Dragon Crows dwelled!
"They pile up lives to buy a road, and perhaps they can pile up a path and trigger the sword in the well. But who knows how many must die to get here."
Xing An's eyes flickered as he looked at Shen Mu. "If Hierarch Shen had come here instead, without me to guide you, how would you break the seals here?"
Shen Mu pondered a moment, then said, "I would try to find the mysteries of the divine ability hidden in the glow here, and then break them. If I could recognize the divine ability within the glow, the glow could not harm me."
Xing An smiled slightly. "You still won't admit you're not my equal. The token was picked up on this hanging coffin. Look down."
Shen Mu looked down and blinked. The top of the coffin was quite spacious, about four paces square; even standing there, they did not feel crowded. The coffin's top was carved with many magnificent patterns, and besides these, there was a line of small characters. Beside the small characters was a groove, just right for fitting a Heavenly Venerable token.
Shen Mu read it and said, "When Shen and Mu meet, it opens."
He raised his head and looked at Xing An with a half-smile. "So you gave me the token not only to trade for your life, but also to lure me here to open this hanging coffin for you. Xing An, you're clever — two birds with one stone. The geographical map you drew for me, I could make no sense of it. I suppose you tampered with the map too, deliberately making it illegible so that I would have no choice but to have you lead me here."
Xing An's smile spread. He clapped his hands and laughed. "Even if you've caught on, it's too late. You're here now — what can you do? When I first came here, I obtained that token and saw your name on the coffin. Even with the Shen token I could not open this coffin, so I thought only you could use this token to open the hanging coffin, and therefore I sought you out."