Chapter 1056 — The Incense Hall Descends Upon the Mortal World
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 5
These radiances and natural way-patterns were exceedingly dangerous; even natives of the Southern Pole Heaven must tread with care, or they might well trigger the way's might. The power of the ancient gods came from the power of the Great Way, and in this forbidden zone the Great Way had almost taken on substance!
Ahead, the Heavenly River Navy cleared the way; mighty gods and demons one after another wielded the Heavenly River, stream after stream pressing down the fires and bearing down the mountains formed of radiance, while from the tower-ships and great vessels thousands upon thousands of divine soldiers rose and descended to subdue the land. Shen Mu's Celestial Dragon Palanquin followed behind, meeting little danger as it advanced; he saw more and more tower-ships in the sky, and ship after ship suddenly bursting into roaring Dao fire, the gods and demons aboard burned into men of flame, scurrying wildly about the decks, screaming without end.
They had stirred the radiance of the Great Way here and triggered its might. If the radiance could not be suppressed, it would devour them in turn.
Here were not only the Heavenly River Navy but also the rebels of the Southern Pole Heaven; those rebels struck by stealth, even at the cost of deliberately provoking the way's might, to perish together with the Heavenly River Navy.
As the Celestial Dragon Palanquin followed the Heavenly River onward, the officers and soldiers on the tower-ships in the sky saw them but asked nothing; some commander must have given the word, and none barred their way into the Southern Pole Forbidden Zone. "Ahead lies the zone of Dao fire. All halt!
" A deity of the Heavenly River Navy stood at the bow of his ship, relaying the order in a loud voice. "Drive the rebels into the Dao fire!
" Countless divine soldiers flew up from the tower-ships and great vessels and pressed down upon the rebels ahead; the gods and demons of the Southern Pole Heaven were many, ten thousand strong, yet they could not withstand the Heavenly River Navy's crushing advance and were driven deeper into the forbidden zone.
The Celestial Dragon Palanquin halted. Shen Mu, Yan'er, and Dragon Qilin looked on as those ten thousand charged into the zone of Dao fire and one after another burst into flame, body and spirit annihilated, all of them turned to flying ash, not one spared!
"Celestial Venerable Mu! " That deity spoke from on high. "My Heavenly River Navy is about to withdraw; with no Heavenly River here to suppress it, I must ask the Celestial Venerable to bear with it!
" Shen Mu nodded.
The deity gave the order to withdraw, and one branch of the Heavenly River after another swiftly contracted, waves sweeping the tower-ships and great vessels out of the forbidden zone.
That deity's tower-ship stayed at the rear, suppressing the forbidden zone's way-might, remaining to the last. "Celestial Venerable, the Dao fire has nine heavens; this is only the first.
The deeper you go, the more perilous it becomes. Take care, Celestial Venerable!
" The deity flicked his sleeve, and the last Heavenly River branch withdrew.
Shen Mu stepped down from the palanquin and said gravely, "Yan'er, Fatty Dragon, come with me.
The palanquin stays here. Yan'er, use the lantern to suppress the Dao fire.
" Yan'er held up the lantern and guarded their advance, while the Celestial Dragon Palanquin remained where it was. Ahead the Dao fire blazed; the heat rose higher and higher, the flames twisting the void, layer upon layer of void melting away.
Shen Mu glanced back without thinking and could not help but marvel.
Standing amid the flames of the Southern Pole Forbidden Zone and looking outward, the Southern Pole Heaven appeared as a twisted ring, the whole of it gathered into a single view.
This was the first heaven of the forbidden zone's Dao fire; the Moon Celestial Venerable's lantern could handle it with ease.