Chapter 1399 — The Nine Hells Terrace
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
In this place, to say nothing of you — even an ancient god becomes a mortal.
Every step stabs through the whole body with pain; you wail and howl, and in the end you are twisted beyond all recognition and die a death too horrible to behold! " "Mount Qi. The Heavenly Prison? " Shen Mu was taken aback.
He looked around and murmured, "There is a Heavenly Prison in the Heavenly Court too, but it is not so dreadful. . . If the Heavenly Prison corresponds to a realm as well, then which of the seven realms of the Heavenly Palace does it correspond to. . . " Long Xiao shot him a glance.
"This is still only the outer edge of the Heavenly Prison, the first terrace of the Nine Hells Terrace.
If you reached the ninth hell, then never mind your being unable to use divine abilities — even if the so-called Ten Heavenly Venerables came, they would have only one road: death! The bones of ancient gods there number at least several dozen! Submit to me, be my mount, and you will have boundless glory on the far side of the Ancestral Court. Refuse me, and I will throw you into the ninth hell and let you taste a life worse than death!
" Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Long Xiao, you are already at death's door, and still you dream your pipe dreams. " He recounted Wei Suifeng's analysis word for word, then said mildly, "You have only one way to live now: join hands with me. Otherwise, when the Ten Heavenly Venerables descend, you will die beyond any doubt! " Long Xiao snorted coldly. "I will throw in my lot with one of the Heavenly Venerables and live free and easy. What danger to my life is there?
" "If you side with one Heavenly Venerable, the other nine will feel greatly threatened. To preserve the balance of power among the Heavenly Venerables, you will inevitably be killed.
" Shen Mu smiled faintly. "Long Xiao, I have invited you twice. I will not invite you a third time.
" Long Xiao raised a dragon claw and tapped lightly on the throne. His nine faces shifted between light and gloom as he kept sizing Shen Mu up.
Suddenly one dragon head shouted, "You must have a way to deal with my present peril — that is why you came to me so confidently! If you do not speak your method, I will throw you into the ninth hell! " Shen Mu smiled slightly, looked around, and laughed.
"No need for you to throw me. I will go in myself.
" Long Xiao's eyes went wide. Shen Mu walked straight past him, heading deeper into the Heavenly Prison. The second terrace of the Heavenly Prison lay behind Long Xiao's throne, a sheer cliff. Shen Mu leaped and dropped into it. He had very much wanted to see whether this Nine Hells Terrace could serve as a realm within the Heavenly Palace, and now was the perfect chance to test it.
Long Xiao hurried to the edge of the cliff and peered down. He sneered, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, if you cannot bear it, just squeak, and I will pull you out myself.
Though even I dare not enter the ninth hell.
If you can jump in and come out alive, I will make alliance with you. " The dragon qilin came to the cliff, craning his neck this way and that, and cried, "How can my adoptive father ally with a pet?
" Long Xiao glanced at him and spat. "You are sworn brothers with him — do you think I do not know?
Spare me the act. " The dragon qilin shivered. Long Xiao laughed. "You are still too green, not half so crafty as Heavenly Venerable Mu.
The moment I came into contact with you, I swept through your eighteen generations of ancestors with my divine consciousness and saw it all clearly. The reason I took you as an adopted son, apart from admiring your shamelessness, was to get one over on Heavenly Venerable Mu — to be at least a generation above him!
And besides, I need you to open a line to Heavenly Venerable Mu, so that if I cannot make him my mount, I need not fall out with him. " The dragon qilin immediately turned meek and praised him from the heart: "Adoptive father is sagacious!
" "Naturally!