Chapter 762 — A Promise Weighs More Than the Ages
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
" The din of slaughter rose at once. On both banks of the Nai River, countless heads fell in every instant; the river of water and fire was dyed red, and the blood flowed till shields floated on it. Tian Shu, Di Yiyue, and the others were bewildered too, but they had no time to think it over and joined the encirclement.
"The Benevolent Sage King of Heavenly Parity is such a savage, terrifying being — why would he lay down his arms at the sight of that mask? " Di Yiyue destroyed a host of Youdu demon-gods and thought, "How did little brother Mu manage it? And what did those words mean?
" Tian Shu thought, "The Lord of Youdu is savage by nature, the most unreasonable being in all Youdu; how many worlds have been destroyed at his hands?
Had I known he would retreat at the sight of a mask, I should have given him a whole basket of masks!
" About this Lord, there were far too many legends.
Tian Shu and Di Yiyue were both Heavenly Kings of the Kaihuang era, and naturally knew many tales and rumors.
Legend had it that the most terrifying being in Youdu was not the Lord of Earth, but the Lord of Youdu, who bore the title Benevolent Sage King of Heavenly Parity. When this Lord had come to Youdu could no longer be verified.
Some said he had originally been a mortal, later invited by the Lord of Earth to serve as Youdu's Lord; others said he was the Lord of Earth's younger brother, a god born divine. The Lord of Earth enforced Youdu's rules with severity, yet so long as they were not violated, he seldom interfered in anything in the world of the living.
And even if one did violate Youdu's rules, so long as one fled back to the world of the living, the Lord of Earth would not pursue it; he would merely record it and deal with it after death. The Lord of Youdu, however, rarely upheld the rule of non-interference in the world of the living with such rigor.
In countless accounts, the Lord of Youdu was a fellow of unimaginably dreadful fighting power, an existence so mighty as to be inhuman. He had a hundred million incarnations, crossing among the worlds in little boats to guide the souls of the dead to Youdu.
If he met with obstruction from the friends or kin of the dead, it would bring about calamity beyond measure! In history, many worlds had suffered appalling extinctions simply because, when the old Yin Courier came to collect souls, he was obstructed by the gods and demons of that place. When gods and demons went to war with the Yin Couriers, the consequences were likewise unspeakably terrible.
A single old Yin Courier was not invincible; many gods and demons could defeat him.
But when a hundred million Yin Couriers came sailing from Youdu in paper boats, that was a world-ending disaster!
This was the chief reason Heavenly King Tian Shu had trembled and dared not move when he accompanied Shen Mu to Youdu last time. He had cut off the Lord of Earth's horn, and the Lord of Earth had pursued him in person; in the instant he fled into the world of the living, the Lord of Earth seized his body — yet because he had already reached the world of the living, the Lord of Earth did not kill him. Had it been the Lord of Youdu in pursuit, the situation would have been entirely different; the Lord of Youdu would certainly have finished him off, no matter where he fled! And after finishing him off, this Lord of Youdu would seize his soul and drag it into Youdu for judgment; there would be no other outcome!
"I'm afraid Shen Mu alone does not fear the Lord of Youdu. Where did that boy get such standing? " Heavenly King Tian Shu's expression turned strange. Last time, when they escaped from the Imperial Gate Divine Blade, the old Yin Courier had shown him no warmth at all, yet to Shen Mu he was courteous, and the two had talked happily together.
It was also Shen Mu's pleading before the Lord of Earth that had let them escape Youdu.