Chapter 1521 — The Tall, Gaunt Stranger
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
The Hundred Thousand Holy Mountains. Night.
Shen Mu stood at the crown of the World Tree, unhurriedly catching the dao-dew that slid down from Tai Yi's Dao Tree.
The half-year term was nearly at hand. All these days he had done this same monotonous thing over and over; monotonous as it was, every time he gathered the dao-dew to patch the riven Black Mountains, he felt anew the burden and the duty laid upon Tai Yi's shoulders.
He had only done it for half a year, day in and day out without fail. Tai Yi had done it here for billions of years.
Suddenly, far away in the Great Luo Heaven within the Ultimate Void, the branches of Tai Yi's Dao Tree swayed and clattered, and who knew how many drops of dao-dew came tumbling down in a flurry all at once.
Shen Mu's heart gave a jolt. He hastily drove his divine art to gather every drop of dao-dew into the bucket, but Tai Yi's Dao Tree cast too wide a canopy; a few drops still fell, landing upon the World Tree and drawn in by its leaves and branches.
His heart sank. A few drops of dao-dew missing looked like nothing much, but the consequences would be no small matter.
To patch the Great Black Mountain with dao-dew, missing even a single drop would leave an immense hidden peril behind. Who could say whether it might not give the powerhouses of the previous cosmic era their chance, the chance to crawl into this universe?
"This is bad."
Cold sweat sprang out on his forehead, but he steadied himself. Even with a few drops lacking, it would likely take days for a being of the previous cosmic era to crawl through. He need only hold out until Tai Yi arrived.
Only...
"Tai Yi's Dao Tree stands in the Ultimate Void. Why would it sway for no reason at all?" He frowned faintly, unease stirring dimly in his heart.
By day, Shen Mu sought out the several Black Mountains that had been shattered by the quaking and mended them with care. Sure enough, when he came to the last mountain, because a few drops of dao-dew were missing, that Black Mountain did not close up completely.
Upon its cliff face ran a fissure two zhang six or seven in length, its depths unfathomable.
Shen Mu stood beneath the cliff and carefully surveyed his surroundings, set his markers, noted the exact position of the Black Mountain, and then summoned Xu Shenghua. "For the next two days I must remain here on watch. Brother Xu, take the iron bucket up to the crown of the World Tree and gather the dao-dew. The dao-dew is the key to mending the holy mountains. Not one drop can be spared."
He had confidence in Xu Shenghua's diligence. Anyone else would likely eat as he caught, and lick the dao-dew clean.
Xu Shenghua glanced at the fissure and asked, "Can you hold this place alone?"
Shen Mu smiled faintly, radiating immense confidence. "The strongest being in Jingping is me. This time, by planting the World Tree alive within my divine treasury, my cultivation and strength have risen another level. I am still no match for the Ten Heavenly Venerables, but against the Four-Colored Great Emperors I should be no worse. If I cannot hold him off, then no one in Jingping could. Besides, in a few days the prehistoric being cannot bore his way out. When Tai Yi returns, I can hand him over to Tai Yi to deal with. Two days remain of the half-year term; I need only hold this spot for two days."
Xu Shenghua departed with the iron bucket.
Shen Mu sat down, laid the divine bow at his side, and quietly awaited the fall of night.
Deep into the night the earth shook and the mountains swayed. Outside the Ancestral Court the scene was once again that of an apocalypse, while within it the peaks trembled. The Black Mountain before Shen Mu trembled too; from deep inside its body came a rumbling roar, and the mountain gave off a crack-crack-crack, like the sound of wood being split.