Chapter 442 — The Heart Is Hell

When you have money, it will not be too late to enter Fengdu.

" Shen Mu was disappointed. Then his gaze caught that skeletal hand—it had only four fingers.

One had been severed, and by the look of it, cut by a sword. His whole body shuddered. But at that moment the boatman poled away, vanishing into the depths of the fog sea.

"When did Fengdu change boatmen? " Shen Mu called out.

From the fog sea came that cold, sinister voice—but strangely, it carried a note of delight: "The day I died, they changed boatmen!

" Shen Mu called again, "Have you ever seen the Nether Demon Patriarch? " "Heh heh. When you have money, come in and see for yourself.

.

.

" Shen Mu was stunned. Grey Immortal, full of doubt and alarm, said hurriedly, "Human Emperor Shen, you know that ghost courier?

" Shen Mu nodded. "He seems to be an old friend. That friend also had only nine fingers.

The finger he lost was cut off by the village head.

" "You mean—he is Ling Jing? " Grey Immortal came to himself at once, astonished and overjoyed.

He called out quickly, "Brother Ling Jing, do you remember an old friend?

" No answer came from the fog sea.

Grey Immortal called several more times, still without reply, and could not help feeling forlorn. Suddenly the mist stirred again, retreating westward, and soon vanished without a trace. Shen Mu looked up. The divine blade was still lodged in the god statue's brow, still shining with matchless brilliance—but Granny Zhu and the others were no longer within it.

"Has Fengdu carried Granny Zhu and the rest away?

" Alarmed, Shen Mu rushed up to the surface with Grey Immortal and the Deaf Elder. The light before his eyes was suddenly dazzling—a rising sun, its first ray falling on their faces. Behind them, the darkness of the Desolate Ruins receded swiftly. "That is where the bodies of the hundred-thousand-strong demon host fell.

" The Deaf Elder pointed to a place in the Desolate Ruins.

"You teleported them about a hundred li. " Shen Mu opened his Fire Firmament Heaven Eye and looked.

There stood only a mountain of white bone; of that host of more than a hundred thousand demons, nothing remained but skeletons—no flesh, no blood. Their flesh and blood had been devoured by the monsters in the darkness of the Desolate Ruins. The mountain of bone, lit by the sun, looked profoundly uncanny.

Shen Mu turned and walked toward the Xi Zhou.

His voice carried back: "My heart is hell itself—let the sin reach the heavens!

" The Deaf Elder smiled and followed him. Near the Xi Zhou, the myriad stars that the Great Luo Heaven Star had become were dimming one by one, swiftly; the woman who had laid down the Great Luo Heaven Star force field opened her eyes, and her figure fell from midair.

Shen Mu hurried forward, meaning to catch her. Another figure dropped from the sky, crying in a thread of a voice, "Aba, aba. . .

" Shen Mu hesitated, his two arms lifting toward the left, then swinging toward the right—and just then the Blind Elder came tumbling down headfirst.

Shen Mu rushed toward him in a panic.

"Shen'er, do you mean to watch me and Lord Huo fall to our deaths too? " came the Cook's voice. Shen Mu looked: the Cook and Lord Huo were falling from the sky as well.

Cold sweat sprang to his brow; he truly did not know whom to catch.

As for the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping and the Wing King and the others falling along with them, Shen Mu had no intention of catching them at all. Snow Fox came dashing out of the Xi Zhou, crying, "Maha—" "Maha!

Maha! Maha!

" A pack of flood dragons ran out from beside her like the wind, catching the falling figures on their backs.

Shen Mu breathed at last and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

Thud! In the distance, the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping crashed to the ground.

Shen Mu started in fright and looked quickly at the flood dragon that had caught him—and was left speechless.

That dragon was carrying Zhending, crying "Maha, maha," as it ran merrily back to the Xi Zhou with the others, wholly unaware that it had caught the wrong man.