Chapter 261 — The March of Blades and Armies

The Daoist Lord's eyes lit up; his sword art flowed, attacking Emperor Yanfeng like a violent storm and rain, and he praised: "Everyone says the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping is a prodigy of the Dao and its arts, but the world has overlooked Emperor Yanfeng. Your Majesty, you are already a grand master; you could well found a sect and establish a holy land of your own.

What a pity!

" Chi, chi, chi — the Dao Sword, bearing the rhythm of the great Dao, broke through Emperor Yanfeng's layer upon layer of defenses, leaving him covered in a number of wounds! Tathagata saw the flaw; his golden alms-bowl flipped sharply, the Twenty Heavens pressed down, and the pressure of the twenty small worlds within the bowl bore down wholly upon Emperor Yanfeng. Emperor Yanfeng gave a muffled groan and withstood the crushing weight of the Twenty Heavens; his movements became very slow, yet the might of his Daoist arts and divine powers only grew stronger, contending with the Dao Sword. This half-move of the Daoist Lord's sword art was endlessly transforming, leaving no trace to be found, pushing the calculations of numerology to their utmost, exhausting the derivation of the Dao begetting the one, the one begetting the two, the two begetting the three, the three begetting the ten thousand things, and grasping the very essence of the three begetting the ten thousand things.

Only, the Daoist Lord's wisdom had its limit, and so this final move had never been fully cultivated — only half of it had been mastered; yet even half a move of sword art was enough to break every Daoist art and divine power!

Tathagata suspended the golden alms-bowl in the air, chanted a Buddha-voice, and said: "The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping has still not shown himself, but changes may yet come; better to decide the battle quickly.

" So saying, his body shook, and he manifested a sixteen-foot golden body; lightly, lightly he struck out a palm, and with a shake of his five fingers, five great mountains pressed down. And at this moment, three hundred li away, Shen Mu sat on the back of a dragon qilin, and this dragon qilin trod fire-clouds as it raced through the air.

"Faster, faster still! " Shen Mu sensed wave after wave of dreadful fluctuations, and urged: "If you can run faster, I promise you three pecks of Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills!

" The dragon qilin panted for breath: "Sect Master, I am doing my utmost. " Shen Mu ground his teeth: "Your speed is far below that fellow the Blue Ox!

When the Blue Ox runs, he is more than twice as fast as you, and can run ten thousand li without stopping! Fat Dragon, if you put your strength into it, I will take you to beat up the Blue Ox!

If you keep dawdling, I will take the Blue Ox to beat you up! " The dragon qilin clenched its teeth and suddenly put forth its strength, sprinting; fire-clouds burst from beneath its feet and its speed increased greatly, nearly flinging Shen Mu off; after running thus for thirty or fifty li, the dragon qilin slowed again, spitting white foam: "Sect Master, I cannot take it! " Shen Mu was helpless, and said viciously: "Greedy as you are, next New Year I will send you to the table!

" Just as he spoke, suddenly two rays of light, one blue and one gray, went whistling past; Shen Mu was startled, and the two rays turned back. "Shen'er, what are you doing here?

" The two rays halted, and Old Master Huo and the blind old man appeared.

The blind old man said: "If my eyes were not good, I would have missed you. When did you leave Great Thunderclap Temple?

Did the monks give you any trouble?

" Shen Mu said hurriedly: "I left as soon as you did. Grandpa Blind, Grandpa Huo, something terrible has happened — Tathagata and the others are killing the emperor! " Old Master Huo said: "We saw.

A small matter; emperors used to be changed often enough. " The blind old man complained: "Shen'er, do not muddle what is important with what is not. Fan Xuanshu is the real root of disaster.

If that fellow gets hold of Granny's body, the calamity will be truly great — who could stop her?

" "I have found Granny. The two grandpas need not worry; Granny simply does not want to return to the Wasteland, for fear of implicating you.

" Shen Mu blinked and said: "Could the two grandpas rescue the emperor?

" Old Master Huo looked at the blind old man, who shook his head: "Difficult. The emperor is probably already dead. With Tathagata and the Daoist Lord striking together, even if the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping returned he would be helpless.

By the way, your Dark Demon Sect is over there too; I expect they will die miserably. " Shen Mu ground his teeth: "The emperor still cannot die.

As for the experts of my sect, never mind them; they can transmit themselves away at any time.

Is the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping not there? " "I did not see him.

" Old Master Huo said: "Tathagata is old, and the Daoist Lord is old too; the battle cannot last long, or it will consume the little life they have left.

" The blind old man said with a smile: "We are younger than they are.

" Old Master Huo nodded. The blind old man laughed: "Then let us go and snatch the emperor back. Shen'er, wait here; we will go snatch the emperor's corpse back for you.

" Shen Mu was dumbstruck: "Corpse? " Old Master Huo departed with him, his voice carrying from afar: "With the Daoist Lord and Tathagata striking together, he is certainly dead.

" On the battlefield, Tathagata and the Daoist Lord struck together, deciding the battle swiftly; Emperor Yanfeng withstood the attacks of two godlike beings and was gravely wounded again and again.

His qi and blood remained exceedingly vigorous, while the qi and blood of Tathagata and the Daoist Lord rose and fell unevenly; yet the cultivation of these two was truly too overbearing — in cultivation, both surpassed him by no small margin, and in fighting strength, both surpassed him by a hair. How much more so when two godlike beings attacked him together?

Now, though his qi and blood were vigorous, it was only the last flare of a lamp running out of oil.

The Daoist Lord and Tathagata knew it well too: the next move would take his life.

Just then a bamboo staff thrust forward; the old Daoist Lord hastily swung his sword to block, and Tathagata too sensed killing intent coming from behind him, and at once turned his golden alms-bowl backward to shine. Two sounds were heard — ding, dong — as the bamboo staff struck the blade and the sword pierced into the alms-bowl.

The blind old man staggered back and praised: "Good skill; your cultivation is higher than mine.

A hair less than that old fellow Li Zheng.

" So saying, he turned and left. Tathagata and the Daoist Lord hastily turned back, and saw that Emperor Yanfeng had vanished into thin air. "No need to pursue. Emperor Yanfeng's qi and blood are withered and ruined; all his divine treasuries have been shattered. " Tathagata sighed: "Excellent, excellent.

Even if he is saved, he will be a cripple.

" Shen Mu was waiting when suddenly a body was flung over and crashed onto the dragon qilin's back: "Shen'er, the corpse you wanted has arrived! "