Chapter 482 — The Register of Life and Death

What the Register reflected were their dharma names! Take the demon ape Xuanliao, Shen Mu's close friend from boyhood.

He had had no name at first — he was simply the demon ape Xuanliao, and Shen Mu and Snow Fox had called him Big Fellow. Only when he entered Little Leiyin Temple did he receive a title: Zhankong.

In the Register, the demon ape Xuanliao's name was written as Zhankong.

Shen Mu turned it upon Little Tathagata, and the Register even held Little Tathagata's dharma name: Yuanding.

"With this treasure, could Kuiwu not kill whomever he pleased? And never mind Kuiwu — let that wretch Ban Gongcuo get his hands on a bestowed treasure, and he would be invincible too! " His heart stirred, and he turned the Register upon the dragon qilin.

Beside the dragon qilin's image two characters surfaced as well: "Long Pi.

" "Even fat Long has a name?

" Shen Mu was astonished. The dragon qilin had been picked up by the Patriarch in the Wasteland Ruins. He had gone hungry for many days, and once the Patriarch gave him a little food he clung to the old man ever after.

Shen Mu had never imagined the dragon qilin had an original name of his own — whether the Patriarch had given it to him or his mother had, he could not say.

"This thing must be destroyed! " Without another word Shen Mu tore at it with all his strength, but could not rip the Register apart.

Xu Shenghua hurried forward, and the two of them hauled at it together, and still it would not tear. "What are you two doing? " cried a yellow-browed monk in alarm.

Shen Mu took out his sword pellet and drew the Sword Without Sorrow. He struck with one slash — yet even the Sword Without Sorrow could not wound the precious volume.

A long string of runes surfaced upon it, dense as a woven mat, and blocked the blade.

The runes were exceedingly strange. Shen Mu had only time for one glance before they vanished. "Like the writing of Youdu! Could this treasure come from Youdu?

" His scalp went numb.

The Sword Without Sorrow was the treasure of his father, Qin Hanzhen. And what a figure Qin Hanzhen was! He had even wounded Lord Zhenxing and driven him back.

Yet his sword could not so much as scratch the Register!

Which meant the Register was at the very least a treasure of gods and demons on the same order as the Sword Without Sorrow — perhaps higher still! Which meant, in turn, that this Kuiwu's cultivation stood on a level with Qin Hanzhen's, and might even surpass it! His strength lay above that of newly ascended deities like the Imperial Preceptor Jingping!

The yellow-browed monk came forward and reached for the Register, crying, "Sect Master Shen, this treasure belongs to our Little Leiyin Temple.

Kindly return it to us.

" Shen Mu rolled up the Register, stuffed it into his Taotie pouch, quietly dropped it into the true dragon's nest, and smiled. "Little Tathagata, when you deliver Kuiwu, are you not afraid he will stir the Register again? Better to leave it with me for now.

" Little Tathagata looked at him long and deep, then called the yellow-browed monk back. "Let Sect Master Shen keep it a few days.

When we deliver this demon-god we shall win merit beyond measure, and then we may transcend this realm, escape birth and death, and become Buddhas and patriarchs. The true business is what matters.

Brothers, join me in delivering this fellow disciple!

" "Excellent! " the monks said in unison. Little Tathagata and the monks brought out all manner of ritual implements and hung them up, first to fix in place the painting Shen Mu had made, then laid down layer upon layer of arrays to cut off Kuiwu's senses.

Only then did they begin to chant the scriptures of deliverance. Xu Shenghua's eyes flickered. He said in a low voice, "Sect Master Shen, ought we not to be going? " Shen Mu shook his head.

"We cannot leave. Kuiwu has not been delivered, and my heart is uneasy. " The demon ape Xuanliao nodded. "Death. Then peace.

" Shen Mu laughed.

"Big Fellow speaks sense! It is only a pity Little Tathagata insists on delivering him. In my view it will be hard beyond hard.

" Xu Shenghua rose and said to Jing Yan, "The Sect Master worries for the world; we are idle clouds and wild cranes, and need not linger here.

" Jing Yan nodded, and the two of them started down the mountain.

Shen Mu said lazily, "I have mastered the Eighteen Sword Forms.

You have made the Seven Stars Divine Treasury and the Six Realms Divine Treasury into one. If you do not care to learn my sword art, I still care to learn how you fused the Seven Stars and the Six Harmonies into a single whole.

" Xu Shenghua stopped and turned back, smiling. "I had thought the Sect Master too proud and aloof, too indifferent to fame and gain, to bring the matter up.

If you want to learn, I will teach you!

" Shen Mu smiled. "And you do not want to learn my Eighteen Sword Forms? " "No!

" Xu Shenghua said flatly. "My swordsmanship is nothing remarkable. The sword is not what I excel in.

" Shen Mu's face went black at once.