Chapter 458 — Formation Dao Tactics

Rumble, rumble — the colossal Yun City lurched forward, and Shen Mu stood shoulder to shoulder with He Yiyi atop the city tower. Even though he had already witnessed the marvel of this city walking of its own accord, Shen Mu still found it beyond belief. The divine arts of the Western Lands had not advanced for over ten thousand years, yet this creed that all things possess a spirit and all things possess a god was still something quite extraordinary.

He looked back and saw the streets thronged with passersby coming and going, and could not help clicking his tongue in wonder. After the Formation Master He Yiyi conceded defeat, she had summoned the residents of Yun City; some hundred thousand souls dwelt there, and all of them had now returned within its walls.

For a great city to carry so many people as it walked, crossing mountains and ridges — such a spectacle was truly beyond comprehension, and yet there it was, right before his eyes.

"Toppling Zhentian Palace's Palace Master Yu will not be easy. " He Yiyi said, "Beyond our He family, we will need the support of other great houses. In our Western Lands there are two paramount houses, the Yu and the Xiong, the strongest of all. The Xiong have already fallen, their seat as Zhentian Palace Master seized by the Yu.

Then there are the Mu family of the poison master Mu Yingxue, the Luo family of the sword master Luo Yinyu, the Fang, the Liu, the Gong, the Xi, and the Fu — ten great houses in all.

Beyond these, there are also the Geke, Maochi, and Kaxiangka houses, whose strength is not to be slighted either. " (Note 1) Shen Mu mused, "Why was the Xiong family able to inherit the seat of Zhentian Palace Master? Do the other houses hold that same right? " "The Xiong inherited the seat of Zhentian Palace Master through ancestral succession — the first Palace Master of Zhentian Palace was surnamed Xiong. " He Yiyi said, "In later generations the Palace Masters were likewise usually surnamed Xiong. Though now and then someone of another surname would take the seat, it never took long before the Xiong returned to it. It is said.

. .

" She glanced at Xiong Qi'er, who stood beside Shen Mu, and said, "It is said that the Xiong ancestors enjoyed the backing of a deity, and that this is how they kept the seat for so long. But this time was different.

It is said that this deity grew displeased with the Xiong family's Naikui, and instead made contact with the Yu family — and that is how the Yu were able to uproot the Xiong's power so easily. " "A deity? Could it be the master of the wooden idol I encountered in the Flame Desert?

" Shen Mu was rather perplexed. "If this deity always backed the Xiong family, then why would it suddenly turn and back the Yu? " "That brings us to Bagou. " (Note 2) He Yiyi said, "Bagou's origins are no small matter. Rumor has it he is a mighty one who came down from the upper realm, and it is said that he is the one who linked the Yu family to this deity.

" "Bagou?

" Shen Mu blinked. Bagou, like Naikui, was a title of respect — Naikui being the mother of a princess, Bagou the father of one.

Yet by his understanding, the princess of Zhentian Palace was Xiong Qi'er, and her father had already fallen in battle; so the Bagou He Yiyi spoke of must be the husband of the Yu family's Zhentian Palace Master.

And yet, the Palace Master had never borne a daughter, so she ought not to deserve the title of Bagou. "This Bagou can make contact with that deity — his standing is no small matter.

" He Yiyi said, "He is exceedingly mysterious.

Rumor has it he came from the upper realm, a visitor from Heaven Above. He has joined with the Zhentian Palace Master, and it is said she has already conceived, that there is a child in her womb. Bagou has let it be known abroad that the child in the Palace Master's belly is certain to be a girl — that is, the princess of Zhentian Palace! " That bearing a daughter was what secured one's seat as Zhentian Palace Master — such a rule Shen Mu had never heard of.

But in the Western Lands, women were held supreme, and their customs were indeed vastly different from Jingping's.

Moreover, so long as one cultivated the Sacred Pupil, discerning whether the child in a womb was boy or girl was no trouble at all.

Since Bagou was certain the child was a girl, then he could not be mistaken; the Palace Master would surely bear a little princess and secure her seat. Shen Mu asked, "What surname does this Bagou bear? " "Yu. " Shen Mu was taken aback.

"Yu as well? What is his connection to the Yu family?

" He Yiyi smiled a smile that was not quite a smile.

"We would like to know that too. There are many rumors in the Western Lands — some say Bagou is the Yu family's founding ancestor, others say Bagou is the son of Heaven Above's Lord Yu, and that the Yu family are Lord Yu's descendants.

With so many rumors, it is hard to tell true from false.

" Shen Mu's expression turned strange.

He Yiyi said, "Some say it was Xiong Xiyu's lack of talent and lack of virtue that cost her the seat, which the Yu then seized.

Yet in my view, though Palace Master Xiong is indeed wanting in both talent and virtue, what truly steers the winds and clouds of the Western Lands is this Bagou. " Shen Mu nodded. Xiong Qi'er was right there beside him, yet even he had to admit He Yiyi was not wrong. In neither statecraft nor scheme nor cunning did Xiong Xiyu much resemble the mistress of a holy land.

She had weathered few intrigues, few bloody struggles and slaughters; she had ascended to the Palace Master's seat at a tender age, and it was only natural that she could not outmatch the Yu family and Bagou.

Shen Mu too had ascended young to the seat of sect master of the Youmo Sect, that holy land of the demonic path — yet the ones who had taught Shen Mu were the Nine Elders of Yincan Village, who from his childhood had drummed into him every manner of intrigue, treachery, and cunning, and even they still thought him too honest. And so Shen Mu had been able to hold the sect master's seat firm, with everyone in the sect, high and low, obedient to him. Yun City raced through mountain and field, heading west, not making straight for Zhentian Palace. This time they were bound for the ancestral land of the He family, the Sword River Valley, where the He family's seat of power lay.

As a great house, the He naturally commanded a colossal force of their own; though not the equal of the Yu or the Xiong, they were still a power not to be taken lightly.

Yun City ran for half a day, and at last, as the sun sank, arrived at the Sword River Valley. Gazing into the distance, Shen Mu saw a great river running straight as a sword, with the He family's walled towns and settlements built at the hilt; the mountains to either side took the shape of a blade, walled towns arrayed in ranks, guarded on both flanks by the Sword River. The cities here were most uncanny.

As Yun City arrived, Shen Mu was astonished to see great mountains rise to their feet and open a road, while from the water stone bridges surfaced from the depths — stone giants, each with its back bowed, so that Yun City might tread upon them and cross the Sword River. "How marvelous — the Western Lands truly are a place brimming with wild imagination," Shen Mu could not help exclaiming. He Yiyi's gaze was like autumn waters, like a pair of cut gems.

She smiled lightly. "If Sect Master Shen likes it here, then there is no need to go back. You may stay here forever, with Yiyi for company, roaming the hills and waters, beholding the wonders of every region. " Shen Mu said with delight, "With a beauty like Sister Yiyi for company, that would be one of life's great pleasures.

Only, I have a great many trifling matters to see to.

Once the affairs of the Western Lands are settled, I fear I must set my hand against Heaven Above and rid myself of that lurking peril.

And there is still much to be done in Jingping.

. .