Chapter 1102 — The Third Ancient Divine Egg
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
A faint smile touched Long Qilin's lips, and he thought to himself, "Release first to catch — such is the art of rearing men. Crown Prince Youming has become a turtle in my jar."
Yan'er felt a little uneasy. "This Brother Youming is so simple and honest, and so generous besides," she whispered. "We stole his Lapis Azure Heaven Banner and got him suppressed by the Northern Emperor for six hundred thousand years. Isn't that going too far?"
Long Qilin hesitated. "If we hadn't stolen the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner, Youming would likely have died long ago and never lived to see the Jingping era. Stealing this treasure amounts to saving his life."
Yan'er could not shake the feeling that deceiving Crown Prince Youming was a stain on her conscience. She thought for a moment, then said, "Even if we don't steal the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner, the Northern Emperor Xuanwu will find some pretext to suppress him, lest the Yin Tianzi and his kind do him to death. Fat Dragon, if we can avoid stealing it, then we shouldn't."
Long Qilin wavered, then nodded. "Very well. We'll stay here. Under the protection of the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner, we can hold out until the Hierarch recovers."
Their plan settled, the two followed Crown Prince Youming to Lingxiao Hall in the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace. Before they had even entered, they were startled by the dazzle of pearls and jewels.
Once inside, they were startled again: a column of jade and lapis rose high, and tier upon tier of sky-blue canopies dressed it like the joints of a sugarcane.
Drawing closer, they saw the canopies unfurling slowly outward, layer upon layer, like a single square canopy-glyph stacked over and over upon itself.
Within the canopies, all manner of treasure-light shone through, as though each one hid a tiny sun.
Long Qilin stood below and looked up, and his eyes swam. Every canopy bore jade garlands and hanging pearls, and within them were treasures of every kind — bells and cauldrons, towers and pagodas, trees and flowers, clouds and rivers.
Stars also moved within the canopies, now near, now far; near at hand they blazed blindingly bright, far away they were like stars in the night sky.
"Well, I'll be!"
Long Qilin ventured, "Brother, how does one use this Lapis Azure Heaven Banner?"
Crown Prince Youming stepped forward, hoisted the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner onto his shoulder, carried it outside Lingxiao Hall, and set it upright before the hall. "This treasure grants whatever is asked of it, and it is wonderfully efficacious. My father and mother spent a lifetime's savings to forge it. Using it is very simple."
He bowed to the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner and said, "Little treasure, give me something to eat."
The canopies of the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner revolved gently, and all manner of rare delicacies came tumbling down out of them.
Long Qilin and Yan'er were astonished.
Crown Prince Youming caught the food falling from the air, shared it out among them, and said, "Little treasure, make it rain."
Scarcely had he spoken when clouds gathered, and soon a fine drizzle was falling over the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace.
Crown Prince Youming laughed heartily and bowed. "Little treasure, please guard the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace!"
Whoosh —
The Lapis Azure Heaven Banner abruptly grew countless times larger. Canopy upon canopy became heaven upon heaven, twenty-eight heavens in all, wrapping the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace in layer after layer, three within and three without. In those heavens hung treasures of every kind, the sun and moon ran their courses, the Dipper turned and the stars shifted — a blaze of glory beyond compare!
And in the spaces between those heavens hung jade garlands and suspended pearls, now grown immeasurably vast, like giant planets in outer space.
Great bells and cauldrons, towers and pagodas, flowering trees and cloud-rivers also floated in the sky, drifting slowly along and shedding divine radiance of every hue!