Chapter 395 — The Heir Apparent Appears
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
"Long Pang!
" Snow Fox called out. The dragon qilin knew how grave things were, and at once it shook its body and revealed its true form, becoming a colossal beast. Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang leapt onto its back. Yan Jingjing said in a fluster: "They are in the Sun Temple of my Sunherd clan.
Go that way—the tallest, the grandest temple of them all!
" The dragon qilin at once put forth its strength and raced toward the place where the next Sun Warden was being chosen. When they came to the Sun Temple, they saw that the doors bore the emblem of a three-legged bird, the bird set within a sun. Two giants stood leaning on their battle-axes to either side of the temple gate—adult Sunherds, of immensely towering stature—and they sealed their axes toward the center, barring the way. "Outsiders, halt!
" The two Sunherds' faces were stern as they called out in deep voices: "This is sacred ground, the holy precinct of the temple.
Outsiders may not trespass!
" Snow Fox jumped down and said: "It was your Sun Warden who sent us! Go and tell your clan chief at once—something terrible is about to happen!
" "Wait here!
" One of the Sunherds turned at once, pushed open the temple doors and went in; after a moment he came back out and said with courteous formality: "The clan chief bids you enter and observe the rite. " They entered the temple, and at once felt how small they were.
Here were gathered the giants of the Sunherd clan, towering of frame; walking among those giants, they barely rose above their ankles. The giants surrounded a vast round platform, watching the selection below, and now and then a gasp of amazement rose from them.
Snow Fox leapt up, wanting to see what was happening below, but the railing around the platform was too high and she was too small; even leaping five or six zhang into the air, she still could not see over it. Snow Fox hastily wagged her tail, and her body floated up until at last she could see the scene beneath the platform. There, many Sunherd youths, boys and girls, were arrayed in two rows to either side, and at the center of the platform stood three statues, each a three-legged monstrosity with wings, feathers spread, body bent, together bearing a great furnace upon its back. That furnace was unlike any other: round and squat, hollowed out in openwork all around, and within it there was nothing like medicine or minerals.
A strapping Sunherd youth was cutting his wrist and letting his blood flow into that huge round furnace, then urging his true fire to try to kindle it.
Soon a cluster of flame appeared within the furnace, growing larger and larger, and blazing radiance burst out through the openwork on every side, ever more dazzling. From the furnace surged wave after wave of obscure, dreadful force, and there came a roar like that of some strange beast, soul-seizing. The Sunherds around showed delight—but just then the light suddenly dimmed, and the furnace fire went out.
"Next!
" Another girl came forward, strong past all belief, and cut her wrist. She failed as well, though she did better than the boy before her: within the furnace fire an apparition even surfaced, a fire dragon coiling round.
But the apparition was fleeting, gone in the blink of an eye. Snow Fox looked across; there sat the aged clan chief of the Sunherds with several white-haired elders, watching the trial below.
Her heart stirred, and she flew straight over.
An elder was saying: "A pure yang body is very hard to find.
In the past there was Jingjing, and she held out for ten years.
Now, if we cannot find another pure yang body, I fear tonight will be the day Dawnspring is breached. " The elders all looked worried. Without a pure yang body, no one could withstand the Dawnboat's unimaginably terrible, surging power; and even one who forcibly seized the Dawnboat's power would soon be burned alive by it.
"Pure yang bodies are far too rare.