Chapter 870 — An Elder of the Alliance
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
" Shen Mu was overjoyed and said again and again, "How could that be permitted?
" He withdrew his spirit consciousness, not a little pleased with himself, and said modestly to the dragon qilin and Yan'er, "The Earth Lord says he will escort us to the Lan River Academy himself. " The dragon qilin was somewhat disappointed — but just then a wild wind came howling from deep within the Nether Capital, swept up Shen Mu together with the dragon qilin and Yan'er, and bore them along at a tearing speed, tumbling and rolling, until in an instant they had flown no one knew how far.
The three were dizzy and dazzled, space itself thrown into disorder; when the gale had passed, the dragon qilin was embedded face-first in a cliff outside the Lan River Academy, Yan'er had become a blue sparrow hanging belly-up from a treetop atop the cliff, and Shen Mu had plunged headlong into the Lan River. A while later, the three had tidied themselves up; Shen Mu's face was dark, and he said viciously, "Only we three know what happened today. Whoever dares speak of it, I will kill!
Understand? " The dragon qilin and the blue sparrow nodded again and again. Shen Mu stared at the dragon qilin and said amicably, "Fatty Dragon, do you know how the Great Sun Star Sovereign died?
" The dragon qilin said hurriedly, "Sect Master, my lips are the tightest of any. See — I have never once spoken of the Patriarch's embarrassing moments!
" Two months later, Shen Mu brought the Royal Heavenly Sovereign back and came to the source of the Surging River; the Surging River no longer flowed out from a broken cliff of the Desolate Ruins, but coursed through one heaven after another.
That Heavenly River poured down from the heavens suspended beyond the sky, rushing and tumbling, scattering jade and spilling pearls — a truly magnificent sight.
He waited half a day at the source of the Surging River, seated upon the river's surface, yet the mist upon the river never appeared.
"The Ling Heavenly Sovereign must have cut off the Heavenly River here, and at the same time used divine arts to replace the substance of the Heavenly River with himself, unleashing that breathtaking divine art. " Shen Mu rose and sought out the Tianyin Realm.
In the Tianyin Realm, barge after barge laden with Tianyin gold was sailing out, following the Heavenly River toward Jingping.
Shen Mu boarded one of the sand barges and made inquiry; the divine arts practitioner guarding it said, "The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping ordered us to come and transport Tianyin gold.
The Imperial Preceptor says that Jingping is now divided, and the cities and lands are hard to defend, so we are to gather Tianyin gold and forge Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons; every great city must have one. " "And how is the matter of medicine and minerals to be solved?
" Shen Mu asked.
"That, I do not know.
" Shen Mu asked again, "Is the journey safe? " The divine arts practitioner said, "Along the way, Lord Dragon-Raiser leads the River Dragon Kings in guarding the barges, so it is fairly peaceful, save that now and then monsters in the river make trouble and have destroyed a few boats. " Shen Mu nodded and let them go on their way. In the Tianyin Realm, before Lady Tianyin's sea-borne Tianyin Palace, Shen Mu gazed afar toward the seaside and saw many divine arts practitioners laboring diligently, dredging sand from the sea, hauling Tianyin gold up from the waters and carrying it out to the world beyond.
Along the shore there were towns as well, where the people of Jingping and the Desolate Ruins lived, keeping clear of the chaotic outer world, and no few divine arts practitioners taught there, so that the place was no longer desolate.
"That the Tianyin Realm could become like this — I never expected it.
" Behind Shen Mu, black sand rolled and gathered into the figure of a towering man, who spoke: "Jingping is indeed beyond the common.
Given time, to what heights might you grow? You make even me feel a thrill of dread.