Chapter 762 — A Promise Weighs More Than the Ages
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
How many years had it been?
Shen Mu did not know the answer either. The Crimson Bright era had fallen three hundred and fifty thousand years ago, and the Crimson Bright era had endured seventy thousand years; four hundred and twenty thousand years ago, the Longhan era had ended.
And how long had the Longhan era lasted?
That was beyond any reckoning.
Through ages without end, with no count kept of days or months, could that masked, withdrawn youth truly have waited in Youdu all this time for Shen Mu to come? Could he have stayed there the whole while, keeping watch over Heavenly Venerable Yu's coffin?
Shen Mu could not imagine it: that Heavenly Venerable You who, bored on the floating bridge over the Jade Pool, had idly tossed Youdu divine arts into the water to blast fish; that youth who, when grief and self-reproach took him, would curl up and twitch — that for the sake of a single promise he would remain in the darkness of Youdu and wait on and on.
Back then he had been a youth with a somewhat pale face; now he was an old man. Only one so withdrawn could have cultivated so many clones and incarnations, spending his days drawing the souls of the dead from world after world toward Youdu. Only someone as withdrawn as he would talk to himself, could keep watch for hundreds of thousands, even a million years without change over that grim ancient god, the Lord of Earth. All for a single promise.
Countless ages ago, Shen Mu had not even made that promise to him in person; he had entrusted Heavenly Venerable Ling to carry the words to him. I understand. I have returned.
For those words he had gone to Youdu, kept watch over Heavenly Venerable Yu's coffin, and grown from youth into old age. And he shared no blood tie with Heavenly Venerable Yu at all; only because, when his mother lay gravely ill, Heavenly Venerable Yu had come to visit him, had been kind to him, had looked after him well.
That small kindness was enough to make one so withdrawn give his whole life in return.
Shen Mu leaped from the bridge and landed on the paper boat. Old Ox, seeing this, hurriedly jumped down too, but with a splash he fell into the Nai River where water and fire mingled; the boat had already carried the old Yin Courier and Shen Mu into Youdu, and did not catch him.
"Little villain, don't you recognize me?
" Old Ox stamped and raged.
"In the days when I wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Court. .
.
" Lu Li, Juehuang, Xuanming, and Hanlei, the four Youdu Military Commissioners, stared at one another. The old Yin Courier's assault on Fengdu had been so mighty, so terrifying — and now he had suddenly rowed off in his little boat and left them here! Had the Yin Son of Heaven and the old Yin Courier not declared their intent to attack Fengdu, they would never have dared to charge recklessly into Fengdu.
It was precisely because the Yin Son of Heaven had gone to Youdu and, in the name of the Heavenly Court, persuaded the Lord of Earth; because the Yin Son of Heaven had promised to open Fengdu's world barrier with his own hands; and because the Lord of Earth had let the old Yin Courier settle old scores — that Lu Li and the others had made their decision and boldly sent troops against Fengdu.
And now the Yin Son of Heaven had been frightened off by Di Yiyue, and the old Yin Courier, having taken a mask, had also inexplicably fled, leaving them here to face the remnants of Kaihuang.
How were they supposed to fight this battle? The four Youdu Military Commissioners exchanged a glance, and without hesitation soared into the air; with four splashes they plunged into the Nai River. Seeing this, the other Youdu demon-gods hurriedly surged toward the Nai River as well.
King Yama raised his sword and said coldly, "Kill! Seal off the Nai River — slaughter them all!