荒墟牧神 - 第49章 丹心照破萬重霧 - 雲海書庫

Shen Mu thought for a moment: the head of the Surging River Sect, Mu Beilan, was of the second rank, and this old man named Gu Lihan was of the first rank—he must be even more formidable. "This old senior is telling the truth," he said to Hu Ling'er. Hu Ling'er asked, puzzled, "How do you know he's telling the truth?" "The mist is breathed out by the dragon soul." Shen Mu pointed at the Dragon Mother's soul roaming through the hall; wherever the dragon soul passed, the mist gradually grew thicker, and wherever the mist passed, dried corpses stood up one by one, as if they could smell Shen Mu's location, and drifted over of their own accord. "This mist can put these corpses into a state neither alive nor dead. It is a means to protect her son, and also a means to protect this great hall," Shen Mu analyzed. Hu Ling'er had noticed that too. After the mist breathed out by the Dragon Mother's soul scattered, those corpses would fall to the ground and lie still; but when the mist enveloped them again, the corpses would revive and try to attack anyone entering. These dried corpses were like guardians of the great hall, guarding it so that no one could seize the Dragon Pearl and interfere with the young dragon's "healing." And the origin of these corpses, no doubt as the old man had said, was the Dragon Pearl at work, draining dry the qi and blood of every martial artist who broke into this Dragon Palace, and using others' qi and blood to sustain the young dragon in the ice. Shen Mu said, troubled, "Senior Gu, though I have the heart to rescue you, my strength is slight. I fear I have the will but not the means." Gu Lihan chuckled. "Naturally you do not have enough power to dissolve the Dragon Pearl's mystic ice, but I do. As long as you follow my directions, you can free me! Once I am free, you can have whatever you want!" His words carried pride; clearly the office of Junior Guardian to the Crown Prince was one of great elevation. "Though this old man is trapped in the mystic ice, my cultivation is still intact. This ice cannot freeze me to death." Gu Lihan continued, "I will use the last of my cultivation to move the sword at my waist out of the ice. Take the sword and slay the Dragon Mother's soul! Once her soul is cut down, the Dragon Pearl will never hold me again! When I get free, I can even give you the Dragon Pearl!" Shen Mu started, and blurted out, "Slay the Dragon Mother's soul? Senior, I have only just cultivated to the Spirit Embryo realm. I am an insignificant martial artist—how could I possibly slay the Dragon Mother's soul?" Gu Lihan sneered. "Naturally you cannot. But with my sword in your hand, you naturally can! This sword of mine is no ordinary object, nor is it that low-grade thing you carry on your back. This is a first-rank sword of the imperial court! The Jingping court gathered the finest craftsmen under heaven and forged it from the most superior treasures! In the kingdom of Yanning there are only sixteen first-rank official posts, and only sixteen such swords, each with its own name! My sword is named the Chubao Sword!" Shen Mu hesitated. "How does this sword compare with the staff in my hand?" Gu Lihan scoffed, "The old monk's Ximilo is certainly very good, and the Great Thunderclap Temple is one of the rare renowned sects under heaven. But how can a treasure forged by one sect's strength be compared with a treasure forged by the strength of an entire nation? In the kingdom of Yanning there are still two or three great sects like the Great Thunderclap Temple." Shen Mu's heart shook a little, and he was puzzled. "Senior, since you have such a treasure, why did you not slay the Dragon Mother's soul yourself?" Gu Lihan was silent for a moment, then said, "I did not see the crucial point at first. When I saw the Dragon Pearl, I meant to wipe out that hidden danger for later generations. In a moment of carelessness, I fell into its trap. By the time I realized I could not escape the ice, it was too late! After