Chapter 183 — Underworld Raid
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
" Shen Mu's expression changed slightly, and he asked with urgency, "Where were they buried? " The soldier said, "One batch was buried in the common burial ground beside Dijiang County, and another batch was buried at Lu Mountain beside Lu County.
When we were dragging the corpses out of the river a few days ago, we buried them wherever was nearest.
" Shen Mu's mind shook, and he said hastily, "Where is the Deputy Prefect?
Go quickly and inform the Deputy Prefect — have her put the entire army on alert, and send soldiers to the burial ground and to Lu Mountain to burn those corpses! " The soldier was puzzled by the order, but he still rushed out at once, saying, "The Deputy Prefect has gone to Dijiang County on the opposite shore to comfort the people. I will go and inform her immediately!
" "Sister Chuyu is at Dijiang County? That is bad!
" Shen Mu called over another soldier, bidding him alert the garrison of the city, and then swiftly assembled Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the others.
"The Netherworld Sect may mount a comeback! " he said at top speed.
"Be on alert at once! " Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the rest were all deeply baffled.
"The Netherworld Sect's people have been killed off almost to the point of extinction," said the monk Yun Que. "Only a few stray cats and stray dogs remain, fleeing in all directions.
Do such paltry characters really call for an alert?
" "They feigned their deaths! " Shen Mu had only just said this when, abruptly, a faint, half-tangible chant drifted over from the river's surface.
The chant was ancient and obscure, as if a deity of the netherworld were summoning the dead to return to their souls, giving one the feeling that a blurred but towering god had opened a gateway to another world and was sending the souls of the dead back from the realm of darkness! Shen Mu's countenance changed dramatically; he set off at a pace as swift as a flying bolt, and with a shrill whistle that split the air he landed upon the gate tower of the north gate.
The north gate was empty, with only a few soldiers patrolling, for after a great battle most of the troops of Lizhou Prefecture were resting and recuperating.
Shen Mu looked out at the river and saw, at the center of the Yong River, a straw-hatted Daoist standing on a mast, casting spells and chanting upon the water. Enormous runes each emitted a green glow, like countless luminous green serpents twisting and turning in the air. Yun Que and the others hastened over in alarm and stood behind Shen Mu, looking out at the river. "What has happened.
. . " Shen Wanyun began, but before his words faded his expression froze: a mass of black mist surged up from the river, its range expanding with ever-increasing breadth, and within that darkness, faintly and indistinctly, stood a gateway in the middle of the river, floating upon the water!
In the blink of an eye, the sky went dark. Shen Mu turned to the opposite shore, where he dimly discerned several tower ships of scholars sailing this way; then he saw the darkness engulf them. Another tower ship of scholars had already sailed into the sky above the Yong River and was likewise swallowed by darkness; shouts of anger and screams of terror rose one after another from within it — evidently the crew had encountered some bizarre and unforeseen disaster.
He turned his head to Lu Mountain on the left side of the county town. Lu Mountain burst apart with a sudden crack; tiny figures shot up into midair and flew over toward them.
Several soldiers who had been guarding the west gate of Lu County had not yet recovered their senses before the flying figures slapped yellow talismans onto them, fixing their bodies in place, and beheaded them on the spot! Boom! The west gate burst wide open, and "corpse" after "corpse" poured into the county town, falling upon the still-unorganized defenders and massacring them.