Chapter 194 — No Common Ground

"This is no demon, but a kind of god-transformation — he has taken on the form of a god. " Imperial Teacher Jingping, long past being astonished by anything, explained to Xue Hu'er.

He could of course tell that Shen Mu was not revealing his true form, but rather working a peculiar art, somewhat like the blended effect of several Dark Demon Sect techniques. "It would seem to be the Creation Art, plus one of the Five Luminaries arts — the Fire Luminary's.

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" His knowledge of the Great Nurturing Dark Demon Scripture was not extensive, so he could not be entirely certain. The change in Shen Mu's bodily form belonged to god-transformation; certain arts could achieve the same, and it was nothing rare — one sort of bodily divine ability.

Some sects' arts relied solely on god-transformation or demon-transformation to strengthen their own flesh.

Yet Shen Mu's god-transformation left Imperial Teacher Jingping somewhat suspicious: it seemed to be more than a mere bodily divine ability.

A bodily divine ability existed, naturally, to strengthen the body — to raise one's fighting strength by means of a powerful physique.

But Shen Mu's god-transformation appeared to be simply god-transformation.

In Imperial Teacher Jingping's eyes, Shen Mu was using his art to turn himself into the likeness of the Star Lord Yinghuo: his flesh had changed, his primordial qi had changed along with it, and even the aura he gave off had changed! In other words, he possessed at once the body and the divine power of the god-transformed state.

That was exceedingly strange.

The transformation in Shen Mu had not yet ceased.

Beneath his feet fire clouds churned, gradually taking the shape of two fire dragons; the dragons grew longer and longer, larger and larger, lifting his body up from the ground. Shen Mu trod upon the fire dragons, and his two feet had burst through his shoes, becoming a pair of burning ox hooves.

As he was now, he was a veritable Star Lord Yinghuo treading two fire dragons.

Shen Mu raised a hand, and at once everything around grew unbelievably dry, goose-egg-sized balls of fire dancing up and down in the air.

Imperial Teacher Jingping showed a look of keen interest, watching these fireballs, neither large nor small, when suddenly from each one burst forth a streak of sword light, likewise formed of thin flame; every streak of sword light was executing a sword art — the Sunset Sword Art — and within that sword art there was also the might of fire-type spells.

The power of each sword was far from weak! "The Sunset Sword Art of the Yuyuan Kingdom — very orthodox, and with the subtle use of the sword pill besides. Add to that the power of your spells, and your strength can essentially be reckoned that of a divine-power wielder. " Imperial Teacher Jingping praised him: "If you cross blades head-on with a divine-power wielder of the Six Harmonies realm, you can keep from dying.

And if you can bring out the god-transformed body's divine ability, you can match a Six Harmonies divine-power wielder in strength. " Shen Mu abruptly withdrew his sword art, returning into the fireballs; the fireballs collided with one another and became a red sun the size of a washbasin, which he then swallowed in a single gulp, two jets of firelight spurting from his ox nostrils.

He stopped driving the Three-Pellet Mystic Body Art; the two ox horns on his head slowly retracted, his body gradually returned to normal, and the two fire dragons beneath his feet slowly dispersed. Shen Mu rubbed his backside and wore a look of bewilderment; his bottom stung fiercely, as though someone had whipped it a few times.

"Could it be that from herding cattle since childhood I've formed the habit, always fond of whipping an ox's rump? " wondered the cowherd boy who had walked out of Yincan Village. Ahead lay a mighty mountain, a waterfall plunging from the sky like a silver river hung upside down; the white cataract, the black cliffs, the verdant peak and the blazing sun overhead together composed a landscape of ink-washed green hills.

The roar of the water was deafening, and a rich dampness came from far off; the air was full of fine mist, which settled upon them until before long their garments grew somewhat damp. The place was delightful, refreshing to the heart.

Imperial Teacher Jingping was taking them to the Southern Wastes, avoiding the official roads, fixing on a direction and walking straight on; by now he had led them into the mountains.

The waterfall's scouring had formed a deep pool, its water clear. At the pool's edge stood a great stag whose head was covered in branching, pointed antlers; it swung its short tail and grazed on the spirit herbs growing by the pool, plum-blossom patterns of white dappling its hide.

Catching sight of them, the stag hastily raised its head, cocked it to one side to study them, and shifted a couple of steps. Everyone inwardly exclaimed at its magnificence.

This stag was the equal of a dragon qilin in size, and very majestic. The stag snorted through its nostrils and went to the water's edge.

There by the pool sat an old man in a straw rain cape, his fishing rod planted at the bank, angling.

Beside the old man was a half-grown child, bored, picking up stones and flinging them at the spot where the old man fished. And not one or two stones — the child threw them ceaselessly.

With a waterfall so vast and a current so swift, even if there were fish they would not take the bait; and with this half-grown child constantly flinging stones, the old man might as well give up all hope of catching anything today. Yue Qinghong shook her head: "That child is his own flesh and blood. If he were not, he would have been beaten to death long ago.

Who could stand it?

" Shen Mu wore a look of bewilderment and glanced about.

This was no place for fishing, yet here sat an old man fishing, and a child who would not let up throwing stones into the fishing spot — by no stretch of the eye was this serious angling. In these desolate mountains and wild ridges, where human tracks were rare, if he was not fishing, then he could only be barring the road!

And with this plum-blossom stag no less majestic than a dragon qilin, this old man's identity was likely that of an existence contemporary with the young patriarch and the others! Shen Wanyun and Si Yunxiang had also glimpsed the signs, and each looked toward Imperial Teacher Jingping.

Monk Yunque, however, thought no such thing; he stepped forward to inquire, and said with a smile, "Elder, how could there be fish here? This is your grandson, isn't it?

And your grandson keeps flinging stones — even if there were fish, they would have been scared off.

" The old man tilted up his head, revealing a face covered in wrinkles, and smiled: "How could there be no fish? Aren't the fish coming right now? " Yunque looked toward where he was fishing, and saw no fish, saw only the brat throwing stones.

Imperial Teacher Jingping came forward and said flatly, "This pool is not large, but the fish in it is not small.

It will be rather difficult to land. I wonder, Elder, whether you have the strength for it?

" The wrinkles on the old man's face piled up. He smiled: "The world's affairs are a pool of clear water, but a great fish has come, and it wants to muddy the water. This great fish ought to leap the Dragon Gate and become a true dragon; yet not only does it muddy the water, it also wants to eat the small fish — to eat up every other small fish.

Tell me, Imperial Teacher Jingping, ought I to fish this great fish that muddies the water out of the pool?

" Imperial Teacher Jingping's gaze flickered; he clasped his hands in his sleeves and said unhurriedly, "Elder, is it not rather inapt to liken the sects to small fish?

The sects should be leeches — leeches clinging to the fish and sucking its blood. The water may look clear, but every fish in it is bitten by leeches.