Chapter 2883: Taking Turns |
River Ancestor Shen Xiao scanned the crowd. “Relax. I won’t kill you, at least, not until I’ve found the Key to Endless Tribulations.
Everyone fell silent. You say that, but who could possibly believe it?
River Empress Peacock said, “I don’t care who you kill, but I assure you that if you attack Fellow Daoist Su, you’ll never find the Key to Endless Tribulations, not even if you find the Cave to Endless Tribulations.”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao frowned. “Did you set up some sort of countermeasure?”
River Empress Peacock said, “You’re a River Ancestor. You could kill us all with a snap of your fingers. I had no other choice if I wanted to protect myself.”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao nodded. “Understandable.”
Suddenly, he tossed the Writing Brush of Genesis to Lu Shi. “Use this to decipher the stele’s secrets.”
Lu Shi should have been happy to regain his lost treasure, but he couldn’t work up even the slightest bit of enthusiasm.
“Remember: don’t resist, and don’t try any funny business,” River Ancestor Shen Xiao said calmly. “If you do, I won’t spare you. Fellow Daoists Wang and Su won’t give you any chance to escape, either.”
Lu Shi’s expression was dark, and he was so frustrated that he wanted to cough up blood, but in the end, he comforted himself. A moment’s impatience will only ruin my plans. I’ll just take his threats as the mere barking of a dog.
He took a deep breath, then gripped the Writing Brush of Genesis and walked over to the stele.
When the others saw this, they all sighed in relief, as they knew this meant that River Empress Peacock’s information was enough to change River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s mind; he wasn’t going to kill them after all.
Everyone looked at Lu Shi.
Silence descended over the area. Everyone had their own plans.
“Why not work with Lu Shi earlier? It seems to me that River Ancestor Shen Xiao is too great a threat to ignore,” transmitted Wang Zhiwu.
River Ancestors were comparable to Heavenly Sovereigns. No amount of caution would be excessive with a River Ancestor involved.
“You can’t trust a thing Lu Shi says. He’s capricious and unreliable. Working with him is an easy way to get screwed over,” Su Yi transmitted back. “As for River Ancestor Shen Xiao? He really is dangerous, but with River Empress Peacock here, he won’t try anything. At least, not until we’ve entered the Cave of Obsession. You’re the one who ought to be careful. The old-timer might have too many reservations to kill River Empress Peacock or me, but he’s highly likely to find an opportunity to get rid of you.”
Su Yi added, “If I were River Ancestor Shen Xiao, I wouldn’t bring everyone to search for the Key to Endless Tribulations. I’m sure that you, Lu Shi, River Empress Lu Ping, and River Emperor Winged Dragon are all among his targets!”
Wang Zhiwu nodded. “I understand. I’ll say something to River Empress Lu Ping.”
Similarly, Lu Shi and River Emperor Winged Dragon were having a transmitted conversation of their own. They were trying to figure out how to take advantage of this situation.
Meanwhile, River Emperor Hong Ye transmitted, “Daoist Brother, what do you plan to do after you’ve deciphered the stele’s secrets?”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao put his hands behind his back, scanned the group, and transmitted back, “When the time comes, just follow my arrangements.”
River Emperor Hong Ye instantly understood. He must have already planned something.
But then, after a moment’s thought, he couldn’t help but warn his old friend. “We can’t underestimate Wang Zhiwu and Lu Shi. Both of them are carrying precious treasures, any one of which could prove an unexpected variable. Su Yi is quite strange, too. He actually managed to discover my true name. It’s simply unbelievable! Daoist Brother, whatever you do, don’t underestimate him!”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao laughed. “They’re the ones who ought to be afraid. This might sound shameless, but here in the River of Destiny, it wouldn’t matter even if they called a Heavenly Sovereign to their aid!”
When River Emperor Hong Ye saw how confident he was, he got the sense that River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s confidence wasn’t merely born of strength. He’d obviously figured out all of Su Yi’s methods!
This filled him with confidence.
The whole area was silent. On the surface, no one spoke. In truth, their transmitted conversations were drawing to a close.
All eyes converged on Lu Shi. They were watching his every move.
When the Writing Brush of Genesis restored the stele’s damaged markings, it produced a wondrous, unbelievable transformation, stunning all who looked at it.
Even River Ancestor Shen Xiao eyed the brush hungrily. What a treasure!
The River of Destiny was full of mysterious treasures. Some touched upon various taboos. Many were impossible to decipher. But if he had a brush like that, it would be a completely different story.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao could already think of several places where the brush would come in handy. All of them hid enormous mysteries. If he deciphered them… The very thought of it made it difficult to remain in control. No matter what, that brush is mine. If anyone tries to take it from me, I’ll kill them!
“Why did you stop?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao suddenly noticed that Lu Shi had stopped to rest after repairing just two Dao Markings.
Lu Shi’s expression darkened. “Using this treasure exhausts an enormous amount of heart and soul power. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try it yourself.”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao snorted coldly. “When a lazy donkey pulls a millstone, it takes as many potty breaks as it can! Seems to me that you’re just in need of a good beating. Hurry up and get back to work! Keep lollygagging, and I’ll kill you first!”
Boom!
Dazzling silver starlight condensed into a whip and ruthlessly cut into Lu Shi’s back, leaving a bloody gash.
It wasn’t a serious injury, but it was deeply humiliating. Lu Shi’s eyes blazed with murderous intent, and his face reddened, but in the end, he forced his fury back down and got back to work.
Wang Zhiwu barely resisted the urge to burst into laughter. Who’d have guessed you’d sink this low, Lu Shi?
Su Yi calmly took all of this in. He silently exerted the secret power of the heart, as if opening a celestial eye, and took in the entire ten-thousand-foot stele.
Its damaged, incomplete markings came into view in full detail. After examining them for a while, he was surprised to discover that although they were incomplete, they were written in a script shockingly similar to the river denizens’ true names. They were so similar that they obviously had a common source!
Don’t tell me that every marking on the stele corresponds to a river denizen’s true name?
This thought had only just occurred to him when a bold idea occurred to him. The Book of Destiny can collect and refine true names. Could I use it to refine the markings on the stele?
Alas, there were too many people watching. Otherwise, Su Yi would really have wanted to test it.
“Why aren’t you moving again?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao frowned.
Lu Shi’s face was pallid, and he was gasping for breath, visibly overcome with exhaustion.
“Would you believe me if I said I’d whip you to death if you keep slacking off?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao said coldly. A dazzling silver whip floated in midair, billowing with a terrifying aura.
Lu Shi snapped, “I said it earlier, didn’t I? The Writing Brush of Genesis drains an enormous amount of energy. How is this slaking off!?”
Whap!
The whip descended, slamming ruthlessly into Lu Shi’s body and making him stagger backward, his shoulder a bloody pulp.
River Emperor Winged Dragon cried out. “Your Excellency, every word Lu Shi is saying is true. He isn’t slacking off on purpose!”
“Oh,” said River Ancestor Shen Xiao. “In that case, you take over.”
“?” River Emperor Winged Dragon blinked, then forcefully suppressed his anger, walked over, and took the brush from Lu Shi.
At the same time, Lu Shi’s voice transmitted directly into his ears. “Endure a while longer. I’ll teach that old bastard a lesson later!”
River Emperor Winged Dragon’s spirits soared. On the surface, however, his expression didn’t shift in the slightest. He transmitted back, “I understand.”
He relied on Lu Shi and trusted him completely. Since Lu Shi had said that, he’d surely made arrangements. And whatever they were, it was enough that he had no need to fear River Ancestor Shen Xiao!
River Emperor Winged Dragon took a deep breath, set aside his scattered thoughts, and got to work.
“Lu Shi, you aren’t acting, are you?” Wang Zhiwu said skeptically. “In other words, are you afraid that expending too much power will make your situation worse?”
Lu Shi gnashed his teeth, his expression extraordinarily unsightly. “Care to test me?”
Wang Zhiwu laughed but said nothing. Inwardly, he was on guard. He knew that Lu Shi had many cards up his sleeve; he shouldn’t have had any fear of River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s threats. Yet now, River Ancestor Shen Xiao had whipped him twice, and Lu Shi had had no choice but to endure. This was unquestionably out of the ordinary.
“Brother Su, I’m afraid Lu Shi is hiding malicious intentions.” Wang Zhiwu stroked his jaw and transmitted to Su Yi.
“Everyone has their hidden cards, and all of us have ulterior motives. After all, we’re all after the Key to Endless Tribulations. It’s to be expected,” Su Yi said casually. “When it comes time to reveal our hidden cards, we’ll find out who’s just a paper tiger. We’ll see who’s smiling in the end.”
Wang Zhiwu gestured to Wei E. “Why bring that spineless craven with you?”
Wei E quivered from head to toe. Inwardly, he grumbled, Your Excellency Wang, you think too highly of me. I’m not just spineless. I’m useless and inept, too!
“Don’t you think that Wei E is a delightful person?” asked Su Yi.
Wang Zhiwu was stunned. He looked Wei E up and down, then said, “It doesn’t seem that way to me.”
Wei E grumbled inwardly, Thanks a lot!
Su Yi just laughed and said no more. He naturally had his reasons for keeping Wei E around.
“And who is that little girl? She looks so pitiful, and she’s nothing but skin and bones. Is she not getting enough to eat? She looks more ragged than a stray dog,” said Wang Zhiwu, his eyes full of pity.
Innocence rolled her eyes. “In light of your friendship with Master, I won’t pursue that insult.”
Suddenly, River Ancestor Shen Xiao said, “Winged Dragon, you seriously can’t cut it either?”
His voice was full of displeasure. River Emperor Winged Dragon had only just gotten started, but he’d run out of steam after restoring just three Dao Markings. He now breathed in ragged gasps.
The others were stunned. Who could have imagined that restoring these markings would be so difficult?
“I…” River Emperor Winged Dragon was just about to respond when River Ancestor Shen Xiao sent him flying with a wave of his sleeves.
“Someone else take over!” He looked at River Empress Lu Ping. “You go, and be quick about it! The rest of you should get ready, too!”
He swept his gaze over Su Yi, Wang Zhiwu, and River Empress Peacock. “If any of you dare to slack off, don’t blame me for my poor manners!”
His words were full of murderous intent.
The stele was covered in markings. Who knew how long it would take to restore them all one by one?
The way River Ancestor Shen Xiao saw it, the longer the process took, the more likely it was that something would go wrong. That was why he repeatedly urged them on and threatened them.