Chapter 1192 — The Eerie Black Peak
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
My territory does indeed need a great many experts now, so let the First Ancestor Human Emperor hold it down. " Shen Mu thought for a moment and said, "Blind Grandpa and Mute Craftsman Grandpa must go there as well. Besides needing them to identify the various gemstones and mineral ores, I need them to forge the Glazed Azure Heaven Banner anew. The present banner is too crude, and there is an ancient god's egg inside it—I do not trust that egg.
" Ling Yuxiu laughed.
"You are Jingping's Imperial Preceptor; you set the state policy. We shall do as you say. " Shen Mu laughed heartily, then asked whether she had any word of Fengdu.
Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "Fengdu is still nowhere to be found.
But not long ago the Woodcutter Sage appeared in Jingping.
I did not see him; he sent someone with a letter. " Ling Yuxiu took out the letter and handed it to him. "The Woodcutter Sage explains why Fengdu did not act during the Jingping Calamity, and he blames himself deeply.
See for yourself.
" Shen Mu unfolded the letter; the handwriting was the Woodcutter Sage's.
The letter said that Emperor Kaihuang had given the order, and as a subject he could not but obey; that Fengdu had been of no help during the Jingping Calamity, and he felt deeply ashamed; and that hearing Emperor Yanfeng and Jiang Baigui, former Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, had gone to Taixu to help Wuyou Township against the Heavenly Court, he felt even more guilty.
In the letter, the Woodcutter Sage also spoke up for Emperor Kaihuang, explaining the difficulties he faced, and asked Emperor Yanxiu to understand. Shen Mu closed the letter, mused for a moment, and said, "I will go see him.
" Ling Yuxiu asked in surprise, "How will you see him? " "With this letter, I can draw the vital essence of his spirit from the handwriting, summon his soul, and sense Fengdu's whereabouts—then I can find Fengdu," Shen Mu said with a smile.
"I no longer hold it against Fengdu that he did not aid Jingping, and Your Majesty need not brood over it either. As he says, Emperor Kaihuang truly has his difficulties. " Ling Yuxiu wanted to raise a hand to smooth her hair, but recalling her own station, she forced herself to refrain, and said, "I understand.
You have returned to Jingping time and again; I know you fear Jingping will become another Wuyou Township, that its people will forget reform.
I have seen it all.
" Shen Mu laughed.
"Once they have finished unloading the goods, I will go back to Jingping with you. " Ling Yuxiu nodded lightly.
The Ancestral Court, the Hundred Thousand Great Black Mountains.
In the palace, Long Qilin was trembling, Yan'er was trembling too, and between them little Tubo shook with fear.
The three of them stared out at the world beyond in alarm. "It will be light soon.
Do not be afraid! " Long Qilin mustered his courage and walked outside, saying, "We have the Glazed Azure Heaven Banner—this treasure answers every prayer!
" He came outside the hall.
The sky beyond was dark, and in the darkness the bones of the countless void beasts Shen Mu had slain flickered with ghostly fire, drifting to and fro. That in itself was not so eerie. What was eerie was that after Shen Mu left this place, the corpses of those void beasts had withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In only three or five days, the void beasts had become pile after pile of bones, stripped of all flesh and blood.
Long Qilin, Yan'er, and little Tubo had all witnessed the strangeness here, and they had still summoned their courage to go inspect the void beasts' bones, to see just what had drained these giant beasts of flesh and blood—yet they found nothing at all. It was the unknown that was most terrifying.
By the tenth day, they saw the void beasts' bones begin to rot, glowing with ghostly fire, as though they had weathered untold ages.