Chapter 226 — One Sword Slashes Forth a Surging Sea of Blood

He closed his eyes, yet before his eyes there were still sword lights flashing out of the darkness, tearing the dark apart. At his ear he heard the sound of sword qi cleaving the air, very urgent, very brief.

He opened his eyes; everywhere before him were sword lights crisscrossing.

Outside the courtyard came one angry shout after another, and again a dreadful wave of force came crashing; in the murky night, the other houses of that little village flew up into the sky, coming apart and shattering in the air.

Shen Mu's heart pounded wildly: "Grandpa Deaf has ensouled it, ensouled the village headman within the painting. .

. " Suddenly all sound and light vanished, and the low singing vanished of itself.

Shen Mu's eyes half open and half shut, he vaguely saw a figure come walking, walking toward him, as though about to return to the painting behind him. Of a sudden that figure collapsed and scattered, becoming a pool of ink that fell upon the ground. Shen Mu was stunned for a moment; he hurriedly opened his eyes and carefully turned his head to look, and saw that the painting hanging upon the wall had become a blank sheet of white paper.

The lamplight flickered; all around was silent and still. Shen Mu let out a foul breath.

Xue Hu'er opened her eyes and said softly, "Young Master.

.

. " "It is safe now.

Sleep.

" Shen Mu said, "Tomorrow we still must cross the mountains; there is a long road ahead.

" Xue Hu'er buried her head, and Shen Mu too lay down, glancing at the blank paper beyond the candlelight, his heart all at peace. When the next day came, Shen Mu woke, rose, and came out into the courtyard, and saw that the little village of the night before had become a stretch of bare ground; the other houses had vanished into thin air, leaving only this half of their courtyard, its walls mostly collapsed, half of the east room fallen in, and the roof of the west room gone as well. Shen Mu washed up, set up the pot, and made breakfast.

Xue Hu'er fixed up the Dutian Demon King's mechanisms, and ran outside together with the Dutian Demon King, Xue Hu'er crying out in alarm without cease.

The dragon qilin woke in a daze, went outside for a look, yawned, licked its paws, and with its wet paws roughly washed its face.

Curiously it said, "Where have we got to? Where did yesterday's village go.

. .

Sect Master, is breakfast starting?

Today, could I have a little cumin sprinkled on my Scarlet Fire Spirit Pellets?

I should like a change of flavor.

.

.

" Shen Mu took a handful of cumin, fetched half a dou of Scarlet Fire Spirit Pellets, and sprinkled it over them. The dragon qilin looked down at the rations before it, then raised its head and said suspiciously, "Only half a dou. " Shen Mu said angrily, "You are so fat now you can hardly run. Half a dou is plenty.

" The dragon qilin said, "I am just at the age for growing; if you skimp on my rations, I shall never grow up. .

. " "You, growing? " Shen Mu said in a fury, trying to pinch the flesh upon its belly, only to find he could not pinch it at all: "You are not growing a body, you are growing fat. Pinch it yourself and see whether you can raise a fold.

" The dragon qilin stretched out a claw and pinched as well, and found it truly could not be pinched, and said, "I am of that constitution which grows fat even on cold water.

.

.

" Xue Hu'er ran over and said angrily, "Fatty Long, from now on you may drink cold water.

" The dragon qilin hurriedly shielded the Scarlet Fire Spirit Pellets before it and said, smiling placatingly, "Is it not that I have been frightened by hunger, and always want to eat a little more?

Half a dou it is, but it must not be any less, or I truly shall starve down to skin and bones. " The Dutian Demon King came over and saw that Shen Mu had eaten and drunk his fill and was taking down the painting, now nothing but blank paper, before the hall, and said, "Was this painting painted by the elder of your house?

" Shen Mu nodded. The Dutian Demon King was silent a moment, then said, "And the man within the painting is also the elder of your house?

" Shen Mu put the scroll into the Taotie Pouch and nodded again.

The Dutian Demon King said, "I am not afraid of them. Still, locking me inside this demon god statue is no solution either. Why not release the seal, and let my consciousness leave your world and return to Dutian, never to set foot in this place again?

" Shen Mu neither agreed nor refused, and said, "Ling'er, eat quickly, so that we may be on our way. " The Dutian Demon King was greatly vexed.

After Xue Hu'er had eaten her fill, Shen Mu came forward to help wash the bowls and chopsticks, put the washed bowls and chopsticks into the Taotie Pouch, looked at the remaining provisions in the pouch, and said, "This will last us to the Wilderness Ruins.

Lord Demon King, let us go.

" The Dutian Demon King caught up and said, "I am not afraid of them.

If my true body descended, I would fear no one. . .

" The Shenduan Mountains stretched on for countless thousands of li.

When Shen Mu and the others came to the foot of the range, they saw that these mountains were steep beyond all measure, so that spirit apes could scarce climb them, and flying birds could scarce cross.

Shen Mu took out the Jingping Geographical Map and searched it carefully, then laughed and said, "The Withered Silence Ridge Gorge is not far from here. Let us go. " Even as he spoke, of a sudden a rift opened in the dark clouds of the sky, and a huge red serpent thrust its head out from the cloud layer, spewing great fire from its mouth and burning the clouds apart on every side; then a golden tide of insects flew out from the cloven clouds, scattering everywhere.

A few of the insects flew this way.