Chapter 215 — Slaughter Beneath the Lanterns

When the Duke of Wei saw Shen Mu return to his normal form, a misgiving stirred in him. He cast a glance toward the mansion of the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping and thought: "That cold-blooded fellow has cultivated an art much like this one, I think. I once saw him put on such a form. . . Strange, though.

The old devil never came out to join the commotion.

The emperor gave him so many palace maids — surely they have not drained the old bastard dry? " "Is Ban Gongcuo truly a disciple of the Loulan Golden Palace? " Sun Nantuo hesitated.

The Loulan Golden Palace was the foremost holy ground beyond the frontier, its people naming themselves shamans and practicing depraved arts; they cultivated with souls and spirits, remaking their bodies into forms that were neither god nor man nor demon.

What Shen Mu had just displayed was the deified state. Within the Five Luminaries realm, those who ever refined the deified state were exceedingly few. That freak the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping had even grumbled that the Imperial Academy did not teach profound principles; but the truth was not that the Academy was unwilling to teach — it was that among the Directorate of Education's own students, scarcely a one had ever refined the deified state of the Five Luminaries realm. And Shen Mu's deified state was unlike any other.

Even the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping had once been startled to find that Shen Mu's deification seemed to be a deification of the flesh, a deification of the vital breath, together with other signs of the deification of the soul and spirit; his very aura shifted, extraordinary beyond measure. Take the Fire God form he had just shown: a third, ox-like eye grew from the center of his brow, and a shaft of fire shot from that eye to strike off Chan Master Yuanyue's head. This was a deified divine power formed by the union of three — the deification of the flesh-god, the deification of the vital breath, and the deification of the soul and spirit. An ordinary martial master of the Five Luminaries realm, even one who had refined the deified state, would differ greatly from Shen Mu's, and could never deploy such arts as his.

Even the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping could not quite make sense of it; naturally Sun Nantuo, the Crown Prince of Jingping, and the rest failed to recognize it either. They took it merely for the demonized state of the Sorcerer Sovereign Louluo Sutra, and marveled at that sutra's power and strangeness. "Lord Sun, a good many of your disciples have been beaten to death. Will you not take the field yourself?

" The Duke of Wei shook his head. "You ought to take the field yourself and defeat this barbarian, if you would salvage the fearsome name of your Nantuo Temple!

Your Nantuo Temple's disciples are past all shame — they had already brought out divine powers of the Six Directions realm, and still had their heads hewn off by a man of the Five Luminaries realm. You could not be more thoroughly disgraced. " Sun Nantuo's eyes flickered; he paid it no mind.

He knew the Duke of Wei had a mouth that could swallow the heavens, and that if he took up that thread, the man would surely find a way to force him into challenging Shen Mu.

He would never, under any circumstances, challenge Shen Mu; at equal cultivation, he had no assurance of victory. He had already refined all thousand seal-mudras of the Numinous Treasure Immovable Chan Art to consummate mastery, yet that art alone, he feared, could not overcome this barbarian at the same realm. And if he unleashed the Six Directions realm, he could never hide it from the Duke of Wei; and if the Duke of Wei began to shout it abroad, that would be disgrace indeed. The Duke of Wei would most certainly shout it abroad. The Crown Prince of Jingping said in a low voice, "Grand Preceptor, I have a few skilled hands here who might help you defeat this barbarian.

. . " Sun Nantuo shook his head.

"I am wondering where this barbarian's Dao-protector is. " "His Dao-protector? " The Crown Prince of Jingping was briefly taken aback. Sun Nantuo looked all around and said, "Your Highness does not know: whenever one blocks another's gate, one needs a Dao-protector at one's side, lest one be struck down by treachery.

When the Daoist sect blocked the Imperial Academy's gate, Danyangzi was the Daozi's Dao-protector. When the Datingming Temple blocked the Academy's gate, Jingming the White-Browed Monk served as Dao-protector to the Buddha-Heart Buddha-Son.

This barbarian dares such audacity only because a Dao-protector of the Loulan Golden Palace must be nearby.

That one is surely a master of the Cult Master rank! Only by finding him, defeating him, killing him, can we salvage the face of my Nantuo Temple.

" He knew that his hatred of evil as of an enemy had made him offend too many court officials in ordinary days, and that the disciples of the Nantuo Annex were of crooked temper besides; so many in the capital were waiting to laugh at his folly.

To quell the matter, the best outcome would be to find Shen Mu's Dao-protector and slay him openly and honorably; as for whether Shen Mu lived or died, he did not yet care.

Suddenly Sun Nantuo strode toward Shen Mu. The monks of Nantuo Temple, startled and delighted, parted to make way for him. Shen Mu stood outside the Nantuo Annex. The corpses on the ground had already been dragged away; more than ten monks, one after another, had died by his hand. The monks of the Nantuo Annex burned with righteous fury, yet none dared step forward to strike. Now, seeing Sun Nantuo come in person, they could not help but feel hope rise in their hearts. Sun Nantuo raised his head and looked at the Thousand-Banner Pagoda, his eyes flickering. "Several hundred years ago the Loulan Golden Palace stole the treasure that guarded my Nantuo Temple, and now you bring it out again to block the gate of my Nantuo Temple.

Who gave you such audacity? " Shen Mu shook his head. "I came only to sell this treasure, to sell it to one fated to have it.

I did not come to block the gate of your Nantuo Temple. If others too desire this Thousand-Banner Pagoda, let them come and challenge me as well; if he be one fated to have it, I may as well bestow it on him. Great Monk, if you have the skill, then defeat me and take this Thousand-Banner Pagoda away.

If you have not the ability, then do not disturb my business. " The Crown Prince of Jingping stepped forward and said with a smile, "You said just now that you wished to sell this treasure.

Since it is for sale, there must be a price. What price do you ask? " Shen Mu glanced at him.

"There is a price, naturally.

" The monks of the Nantuo Annex all stiffened, angry and anxious at once. Had they known it could be bought, why fight this barbarian to the death? The Crown Prince of Jingping was greatly roused and laughed. "What price?

Name it freely. There is nothing in this world I cannot buy. " Shen Mu's expression eased. "The price is not dear. A hundred tower ships, each fitted out with pill masters and medicine boys, and two hundred cloud chariots besides. Golden-armored strongmen I have no need of; beyond the frontier I have mighty strongmen in plenty.

" The Crown Prince of Jingping's face darkened. "Are you making sport of Us?

" Tower ships and cloud chariots were instruments of war, the great engines of the state of Jingping, devised by the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping and a company of other masters for moving troops, hauling grain, and waging war; the cloud chariots were the great engines of siege.

To give tower ships and cloud chariots to those beyond the frontier would be the crime of trafficking with the enemy and betraying the nation — even a crown prince would have his head struck off by the emperor! Shen Mu said coolly, "If Your Highness cannot afford this price, then pray do not disturb this humble one in his business.