Chapter 435 — An Eerie Affair at the Door

The two deities — one standing upon the river, one upon Hundred Year Mountain — gazed at each other, and neither spoke. The river wind howled, the mountain wind whimpered; the wind of early spring was cold to the bone.

After a long while, the Dragon-Rearing Lord slowly sank into the water and said, "First set Hundred Year Mountain in order, and build yourself a mountain god's shrine.

In a little while I shall hold a feast to welcome you and wash the dust from your travels. That mountain of yours is too desolate — only at Qingming and the Ghost Festival does anyone come to make offerings and sweep the graves. Incense is scarce there. If you cannot survive on it, I can share some of mine with you. " The White Gap Deity felt a profound desolation in his heart.

The Dragon-Rearing Lord fed on blood offerings; what he would share would doubtless be the folk who had thrown themselves into the river to die. He himself, however, ate only vegetarian fare — and yet this mountain of his bore scarcely any fruit trees, though it had buried no small number of corpses. "Best build the shrine first.

Once it is built, who knows — devout men and women may come to burn incense and bring a few vegetables and fruits. So long as they are not spoiled, they can be eaten.

. . " In Redbud City, Shen Mu looked at the Five Thunder Jar before him, more than five zhang tall, and felt a headache coming on.

Such a huge gourd, harboring world-ending energy — the Five Great Cloud Thunders.

If it were ever released by accident, it would be a catastrophe to end the world! "Sect Master, what shall we do with this Five Thunder Jar? Should we hide it away? " The folk of the Nether Demon Sect circled the gourd, sizing it up from every side, and all of them felt a chill of dread.

Shen Mu shook his head. "There is no place where this gourd can rest easy. The slightest carelessness will stir its power — heaven's thunder rolling and rolling, and who knows how many it will strike dead.

" He paced around the gourd, finding it a thorny problem. In the kingdom of Jingping there was not merely this one Five Thunder Jar; there were a dozen or more similar celestial-phenomenon weapons, enough to destroy Jingping a dozen times over. Suddenly Shen Mu crooked a finger and flicked it — flicked it upon the Five Thunder Jar.

The crowd could not help but shudder. In an instant, within a radius of more than ten zhang around the jar, heaven's thunder rolled, and the divine thunder of the five directions came crashing down, crack-crack! When that burst of thunder had fallen, everyone was scorched — tender within, charred without — their faces black as charcoal. The great courtyard where they stood was destroyed outright by the lightning; in the blink of an eye a thousand hundred bolts came crashing down, houses toppled and roofs collapsed, and the very ground was melted.

Shen Mu spat out a mouthful of black smoke and mused, "This thing is rather good for tempering the flesh. With the Five Great Cloud Thunders to temper it, one could cultivate the body swiftly. Let us carry it home.

.

. carry it back to the Holy Sect.

" "Sect Master! " Everyone's expression changed drastically.

Elder Sigong's face was a mask of mourning: "Carry it back to the Holy Sect?

If it bursts, the Holy Sect is finished! " Shen Mu looked troubled. "If this treasure cannot be put to the Holy Sect's use, would that not be a waste? " Elder Sigong said hurriedly, "No waste, no waste at all!

" Shen Mu knitted his brows and sighed. "This thing has many uses, but you do not know where its true benefit lies. Very well, I shall keep it myself.

Carry it to my True Dragon Lair — I have great use for it. " The crowd exchanged glances. A thing as perilous as the Five Thunder Jar — how could it be of great use?

Plainly it was setting beside oneself a great engine of slaughter that might take one's life at any moment! And placed in the dragon lair, in a space so vast, the thunder would have no way to discharge outward. If the Five Thunder Jar's power erupted, even a deity, surely, would be struck dead by the Five Great Cloud Thunders!

"Besides tempering the body, this Five Thunder Jar is a fine thing for wiping out a whole house. When you meet someone you cannot beat, just give it a pat and perish together!

" Shen Mu thought to himself. Together the crowd worked the Five Ghosts Transposition Art and sent the Five Thunder Jar into the True Dragon Lair, wholly unaware that their Sect Master harbored such a perilous notion. Shen Mu thanked them all, summoned the Flood Dragon King God and the Dragon Qilin, and was about to hurry off to the Divine Severance Mountains to have a look when Si Yunxiang said in alarm, "Sect Master, the Emperor is on his way. In seven more days he will reach Redbud City.

Will you not wait for him?

" Shen Mu's eyes went wide and his voice failed him for a moment: "You did not tell him he need not come? " Si Yunxiang shook her head. "You only said he need not be waited for; you did not say he need not come. This time the Emperor has flown the whole way aboard the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon.

The medicinal stones consumed along the route are beyond counting — he is in a tearing hurry. .

.

" Shen Mu's scalp went numb; he could almost see Emperor Yanfeng sharpening his blade, ready to take his head. "Send word to him at once — tell him he need not come!

" Shen Mu turned and leapt onto the Flood Dragon King God's back.

Si Yunxiang said in a fluster, "The Emperor would not dare take your head, but he would certainly dare take mine! " "Can you not tell bad news in a good way?

" Shen Mu rode the dragon into the distance, his voice drifting back from afar: "Put it another way — he will even reward you!

" "Tell bad news in a good way? " Si Yunxiang was stunned for a moment, then the light dawned. She hastily asked Elder Sigong to take her to greet Emperor Yanfeng. Emperor Yanfeng stood upon the cannon platform, civil and military officials attending him, imperial guards posted all around, awesome in his majesty. On the great cannon fifty-six pill furnaces burned day and night, consuming no one knew how many medicinal stones, and still it pressed ceaselessly on toward Redbud City.

When Si Yunxiang arrived, Emperor Yanfeng was issuing orders, commanding men to go to the cities ahead and requisition medicinal stones. The stones brought along on the platform had long since run short; they could only be replenished from the cities along the way. "Congratulations, Your Majesty!

" Si Yunxiang submitted her report: "The rebel deity of Heaven Above, White Gap, moved by the vast majesty of Your Majesty's heavenly might, dared not raise rebellion or stir chaos, and so submitted.

He has now surrendered to Jingping and become the mountain god of Hundred Year Mountain in Lu County, to guard Your Majesty's realm and aid Your Majesty's rivers and mountains to stand unchanged for ten thousand ages, and the altars of state to endure forever! " Emperor Yanfeng's dragon countenance was greatly pleased. He looked around at the civil and military ministers to either side and laughed heartily: "This rebel deity White Gap actually knows when to advance and when to retreat. Learning that We are leading the campaign in person, he knew he could not possibly withstand Us, and so simply surrendered — truly, he has left Our fist striking empty air.

" Lord Yan said hurriedly, "Before Your Majesty's heavenly majesty, how would he dare give offense? Surrender was the only road open to him; otherwise he would have found no burial ground even in death! " The assembled ministers offered congratulations one after another. Emperor Yanfeng's face shone with glory, and he smiled: "You who accompanied Us on this personal campaign have merit as well.

Each of you shall have a reward. " All the ministers were greatly delighted.