Chapter 823 — The Flawless Maiden

The three of them and the lantern once more made their way toward the structure of that ancient tower-ship of war, when suddenly light blazed forth — from whence it came, no one could tell — and the whole ship was wrapped in a dense, searing radiance, so that Shen Mu, Li Zheng, and the rest could see nothing at all with their naked eyes. The light came swiftly and went swiftly. When it had vanished, Shen Mu looked around and gave a slight start: the tower ship had been sailing beneath the waters of the Heavenly River, and now it had risen onto the river's surface.

Mist lay all around; little by little a bright sunlight shone down, and the tower ship sailed out of the fog. Outside, the sun blazed high. Shen Mu looked out and saw the ship floating upon the river, while the Heavenly River itself now floated in the sky.

"Lin Xiao, what has happened?

" Shen Mu asked the inch-tall little man in the lantern.

Inside the lantern, the little creature with a bird's head and a human body buzzed its wings and said, "Lord, there is no need for alarm.

This is merely another reset of time and space.

" "A reset of time and space? " Li Zheng ventured cautiously, "What do you mean by this reset of time and space?

" The inch-long little man in the lantern said, "The divine power within the mist is not continuous.

This uncanny power erupts once every so often, and carries one across into a fixed age.

I have calculated that this ship will be borne by that power across thirty-six different ages. Right now it should be. . .

" The lantern cast its light outward, and there was nothing but rolling smoke of gunpowder and war on every side.

"This is the age of the Ming Emperor now.

As for the exact year, I cannot recall.

" The little man in the lantern said, "The son of the Ming Emperor of the Ming Emperor's Heavenly Court, the Imperial Son Chi Xiao, is about to come aboard. " Hardly had he spoken when a young general slaughtering in the battlefield came flying from afar, raising his palm high, and from his palm a mirror-light shone out and fell upon the ship.

The young general flew along the beam of light and arrived, three-headed and six-armed, awe-inspiring.

"The Imperial Son Chi Xiao?

" Shen Mu shuddered and said in a low voice, "Was not the Imperial Son Chi Xiao one of the faces in that black coffin the Patriarch Dragon King shattered when we first came aboard? That face called itself Chi Xiao, Crown Prince of the Ming Emperor. .

. " Li Zheng's expression changed slightly, and he murmured, "It cannot be him. He was clearly devoured by the coffin, drained of all his divine blood until he died.

Whoever comes aboard cannot be Crown Prince Chi Xiao; it must be someone who shares his name.

. . " "This is.

.

.

the Heavenly River ghost ship!

" The young general's voice came, startled and delighted: "That this treasure should appear at such a moment — can it be that Heaven itself aids me?

I have heard that aboard this ship are the bravest and most battle-hardened gods and demons of the ancient Heavenly Court.

If they could be made to serve me. .

. " He unfurled and waved his banner, and a great many three-headed, six-armed gods and demons came flying and alighted on the ship.

The young general shouted, "Search it!

Search out the ancient Yulin Army aboard this ship!

" "Your Highness, there are seals upon this ship!

" "Break them open! " . . .

After a while, black coffins grew up out of the deck one after another, black qi spreading everywhere, and from within came the panicked cries of the young general and his gods and demons.

At last the black qi dispersed; the young general and the many gods and demons of the Chiming era had vanished, leaving only the black coffins standing upon the deck.

The black coffins sank down one by one and disappeared one by one. "When they appear again, Crown Prince Chi Xiao will die because the black coffin was shattered. " The inch-tall little man in the lantern flapped his wings and said, "Lord, let us go and see the Empress's coffin.

Follow me. " Shen Mu and Li Zheng exchanged a glance, both somewhat dazed.

Suddenly Li Zheng said, "General Lin Xiao, when you first saw Shen'er, you said the Lord had grown young again.

What did you mean by that?

Have you seen him before? Was he older then than he is now?

" Shen Mu felt a chill of dread and hurriedly looked at the little man in the lantern.

The little man in the lantern was silent.

The wrinkles on Li Zheng's face twisted, and his voice trembled a little: "In other words, this is not the first time we have come aboard!

We have boarded this ship many times already, and even stayed aboard for a long while! Is that not so? " The little man sat on the lantern's threshold, vibrated his wings, and the lantern drifted forward as he said, "Aboard this ship, every time is the first time.

This way, please. " Lord Dragonkeeper collapsed limp on the ground and wailed, "It's over, all over!

My lord, we are finished. . . " Shen Mu's face was grim; he seized him by the dragon horn and dragged him forward.

They rounded the pavilion, and saw that the old dragon fused with the building before it had turned to stone; upon the stone dragon's face was an expression of terror.

Shen Mu looked up and studied the stone dragon, then laughed: "Could this mad old dragon be Lord Dragonkeeper himself? " Lord Dragonkeeper shuddered several times over, his body going limper still.

"Shen'er, don't frighten him! " Li Zheng said gravely, in a heavy voice, "In these years I have met with more strange things than I can count and weathered I know not how many great storms; I will not be trapped by this ship!

Rest easy, I will surely get you out.

Let us go! " Behind the building was a great hall. The lantern led them through the palace's winding corridors, past the rockery, through the council chamber, and into another great hall behind it.

The first thing to meet their eyes was eight giant red dragons. Their bodies hung from the beams of that vast empty hall, half their length dangling down from above, their bodies coiled about bronze pillars, then thrusting forward, claws touching the floor, necks lifted high, dragon heads bowed forward — toward a coffin floating in the air.

The eight giant dragons stood exactly at the eight directions around the coffin, guarding the hanging coffin.

Yet these eight red dragons had by now turned to stone as well, as though carved from translucent red rubies, exceedingly magnificent. The Patriarch Dragon King and the others had already arrived; skirting the eight red dragons, they had come to the coffin's side, and the Patriarch Dragon King unleashed his divine power, attempting to open the hanging coffin. But the hanging coffin was exceedingly heavy and covered with a great many seals; even he, a great god of the Lingxiao realm, could not open it. "The Yulin Army is two of the Heavenly Court's Ten Guards: the Left and Right Yulin, the Left and Right Longwu, the Left and Right Shenwu, the Left and Right Shence, the Left and Right Shenwei.

The Yulin Army is commanded by the Heavenly Emperor himself.

What is Yulin?

Wings for the realm, flourishing like a forest — that is Yulin.

" Prince Qiuming said, "Since the Yulin Army is the Heavenly Emperor's own army, those it selected were naturally the mightiest beings in the world, demon dragon.

How could you possibly open the seals they laid down? " The Patriarch Dragon King's face flushed red, and he sneered, "If I cannot open it, do you suppose you can? " Prince Qiuming's robes flapped as he strode forward, laughing: "The Yulin Army is my Heavenly Court's army, passed down in one unbroken line, and I too once entered the Yulin Army to study.

Though my cultivation realm is far below yours, opening a seal of the Longhan era is no difficulty for me.