Chapter 371 — Escape Over the Mountains

The dozen or so flood dragons encircling him all lowered their heads, their dragon whiskers swaying slightly.

"Mazusha—" Strange dragon cries issued from the mouths of the flood dragons one after another, submissive and docile. Shen Mu was momentarily stunned.

He looked down and saw that the Heavenly Emperor's Jade Tablet had at some point emerged from his chest, like an exceedingly tiny dragon poking its head out, lying against his collar.

"The Heavenly Emperor's Jade Tablet—the True Dragon Lord! " Understanding dawned in Shen Mu's heart.

The Dragon Keeper's cultivation surpassed his own by untold degrees, and his mastery of the Dragon-Subduing Art surpassed his own by untold degrees as well—yet these flood dragons had not been controlled by the Dragon Keeper.

It must be the power of the Heavenly Emperor's Jade Tablet. Shen Mu leaped onto the back of one flood dragon and shouted, "Bring down this dragon vein for me! " Dragon cries rang out one after another.

A dozen or more flood dragons each shook their bodies, their forms suddenly swelling, each revealing its true shape.

Instantly, all manner of savage, wild auras erupted through the passage. A dozen flood dragons opened their massive jaws. A terrifying, indescribable tremor burst forth, and with a thunderous boom that shook heaven and earth, the dragon-scale stone walls of this dragon vein were shattered by the swarm of dragons.

Rubble collapsed, filling the passage. The dragon vein passage was blocked. The magma rose higher and higher, flooding through the dragon vein.

Before long, the magma would fill the passage completely.

Shen Mu shouted, and the flood dragons immediately bore him forward in a mad dash, swift as wind and lightning.

Behind them, rolling lava continued to collapse. This dragon vein had been severed and destroyed—and the consequence was that the entire dragon vein would be ruined along with it, the whole vein collapsing! At last, before the dragon vein caved in entirely, Shen Mu burst out of the passage and into another dragon vein. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"The dragon vein's destruction will block the Dragon Keeper for a while, but not for long. " He urged the dragons on, advancing along this dragon vein, surging from underground toward the Kingdom of Jingping.

Mount Taibai.

The Taibai Sword Sect.

Numerous disciples of the Taibai Sword Sect guarded the volcanic crater closely.

They had brought out the sect's treasure, the Hundred-Chest Sword Formation—one hundred sword chests, each six or seven zhang tall, encircling the crater. The Hundred-Chest Sword Formation enjoyed considerable renown among the sword schools. It was a precious treasure left behind by the Taibai Sword Sect's founding patriarch.

Since the sect's founding, these hundred sword chests had been smelted day and night within the volcano, their power growing ever stronger. The hundred chests stood like a hundred massive black stone steles, silently towering, ready at any moment to unleash the sword formation. The mountain peak was locked in ice and snow.

Though it was a volcano, it was bitterly cold—only the crater itself was warm.

Several sect disciples rubbed their hands for warmth, white breath puffing from their nostrils. One female disciple said, "How did that old devil, the Youmo Cult Leader, know there was a treasure hidden in our Taibai Sword Sect's mountain?

We've lived here so long and never discovered it, yet the old devil knew the moment he arrived. " "How would I know? " The male disciple beside her leaned against a massive sword chest to shelter from the wind, shaking his head. "But the Youmo Cult people are all cunning.

They must have detected that our Taibai Sword Sect harbors a treasure and came to take it.

They underestimate us too much, not even bothering to announce themselves—utterly arrogant and overbearing. " An elder of the sect said, "Is that not the way of the demon path? What sort of figure is this generation's Youmo Cult Leader? He marched into the capital with the Emperor and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, and cut down the Crown Prince before the Emperor's very eyes.

What would he not dare to do? But this time the Sect Master has gone to the capital to lodge a complaint with the Emperor—he will surely win! The treasures down there still belong to our Taibai Sword Sect! With the Sect Master absent, we must all stay sharp and guard this place, lest that old devil escape with the treasures. " The sect disciples at the crater all laughed. "There may be treasure down there, but there must be great dangers as well. The old devil goes seeking treasure, risking life and limb—never imagining that the treasures he finds will all be returned to our Taibai Sword Sect!

" Even as they spoke, the volcano suddenly rumbled and shook. The sect elders hastily shouted, "Disciples, the old devil is coming out! Activate the Hundred-Chest Sword Formation—lock down that old devil—" "Boom—" Dragon cries rang out from the crater one after another. Suddenly the volcano erupted.

A column of magma a li thick surged from the mouth of the crater, shooting straight into the clouds. Before the Taibai Sword Sect members could activate the sword formation, they saw the volcanic peak blasted apart by an enormous impact force. One by one, the black stone-stele sword chests were sent flying in all directions.

The crowd stood dumbfounded, at a loss—and then, above the volcanic magma, Shen Mu burst out from within the lava with a dozen or more flood dragons.

"Disciples of the Taibai Sword Sect, abandon the mountain and flee for your lives! " Shen Mu's voice came from above.

"The big fellow is coming! " "What big fellow? " The entire sect, from top to bottom, was furious—and then a more violent tremor came from within Mount Taibai.

Mount Taibai emitted cracking, crunching sounds, shaken until massive fissures appeared. Magma poured from the cracks.