Chapter 373 — Setting the Sky Ablaze

Wang Muran hesitated. "Eldest Senior Brother, when you were raving, I formed an alliance with him. We founded the Heavenly Alliance. I'm one of the four heads of the Heavenly Alliance, and now I'm in the same boat as him..."

Long Yu's eyes went wide. After a moment, he sighed. "He'll lead you astray and twist you crooked."

A while later, Lord Dragonkeeper arrived on his pair of dragons at the place where Shen Mu had burned the black flood dragons. His face ashen, he looked at the black ash covering the hills and fields, so furious that his hands and legs trembled. "You clumsy little fool, you clumsy little fool..."

Only a few curling strands of hair remained on his head. He had refined these hairs until they seemed alive, and now they were trembling with fright.

"I will never let you off! Even if you flee to the heavens or burrow into the earth, I will find you! Dismember you! Cut you into fine little pieces!"

He tore the remaining strands of hair from his head. The few black hairs squeaked and shrieked in his hand, struggling to burrow back into his pores. Clearly the fate of their fellows had struck fear into them too.

Lord Dragonkeeper's face was black as he blew out a breath of dragon qi. The strands of hair transformed at once, falling to the ground and becoming black flood dragons. They sniffed around and caught the scent left by the other flood dragons, but dared not give chase.

"What use are you!"

Lord Dragonkeeper raged. He shook his head, and the black flood dragons turned back into hair and flew onto his head, plunging into his pores.

Lord Dragonkeeper cut his wrist and splashed out a sheet of fresh blood. Drop by drop the blood fell to the ground and at once became blood flood dragons, which continued searching for Shen Mu's trail.

"Ahead is where Granny lives in seclusion."

Shen Mu stopped the flute and looked forward, and froze.

Grandma Zhu lived at the foot of the mountains between Bazhou and Shuzhou, beside a clear lake. It was a very quiet place, but the surrounding land was desolate and barren. Because Fan Xuanshu was always coming out to make trouble, she had chosen a place far from the mundane world.

Yet now, what appeared before Shen Mu and the others was not barren hills and wild ridges, but an incomparably lavish, resplendent complex of palaces!

Palace after palace sat in ordered ranks, like the dwellings of immortals, transforming this poor backwater into something like a holy land of the gods. Tall ornamental columns carved with dragons and phoenixes rose on every side; smooth white marble paved the ground; golden pillars, thick beyond measure, held up palace halls of extraordinary grandeur!

The surrounding mountains had been remade as well: strange rocks and curious pines, spirit herbs everywhere, flowers finer than brocade, and all manner of bizarre beasts and birds wandering among them. Gardens great and small lay everywhere, planted with spirit medicines, some of which even Shen Mu did not recognize.

Spirit springs, flying waterfalls, winding paths, brooks, small rivers, together they formed a landscape like an ink painting, now heavy with ink, now pale.

Though all of them came from great and famous sects and were used to luxury, walking into such a holy place, Shen Mu and the others still felt a little shabby, afraid of dirtying the ground or disturbing the arrangements.

Mojiang looked suspicious and made a couple of gestures. Shen Mu said blankly, "I don't know either. When I came here before, it wasn't like this... Granny! Granny!"

He called twice, and no one answered. Only a few great fish leaped from the water and became beautiful women with human hands and fish bodies, leaning slantwise against the rockery in the lake, softly singing songs upon the water, their voices most alluring.

Mojiang made two sounds. Shen Mu nodded. "It really is too lavish. I don't know how Granny got all this either..."

They came to a shrine hall. It was so exquisitely appointed that they stepped back out the moment they entered, afraid of dirtying it. Mojiang, however, strode in and set down his wooden box.

"Granny isn't here."

Shen Mu was uneasy. He said to Wang Muran and the others, "Granny must have gone out. Let's wait here a while. If Granny hasn't returned by nightfall, we leave at once, not a moment's delay! When night falls, whatever comes back won't be Granny. It'll be the old monster!"