Chapter 171 — The Tail That Can't Be Hidden

The Grand Unification Art of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture had only one requirement: it must unify every spell and divine power, every sword technique and combat skill within the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture; and beyond that, it must also encompass such esoteric arts as the Seven Chapters of Creation. Only when that was achieved could it truly be called a Grand Unification. After each successive Cult Master of the Nether Demon Cult received the Woodcutter's Scripture on the Stone, he had to comprehend a Grand Unification Art of his own; only by comprehending it could he sit securely in the Cult Master's seat.

Otherwise, in a sect like the Nether Demon Cult, which did not much mind a subordinate killing off the Cult Master, a change of Cult Master would become an utterly ordinary affair.

Those who could become Cult Master of the Nether Demon Cult were all brimming with talent, every one of them worthy of the name of genius; even Cult Master Fan Xuanshu, criticized for wallowing in women, was a man of towering brilliance — otherwise he could never have planted a heart-demon in Granny Zhu's dao-heart, one that even powerhouses like the Headman and the Silent Craftsman could not undo. What shocked the three Cult-Protecting Heavenly Kings, however, was that Shen Mu had comprehended the Grand Unification Art far too quickly; in a mere dozen days or so he had already begun to touch its edges, and had started to fuse and blend it.

What they did not know was that Shen Mu's so-called "Overlord Body" had no vital-essence attribute at all, and could likewise transform into any attribute; and that the so-called "Mystic Body Three Cinnabar Art" also had no attribute, and could likewise become any attribute. Taking the Mystic Body Three Cinnabar Art as his foundation, Shen Mu added and trimmed upon that foundation, threading through the doctrines and concepts of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture and fusing in the mysteries of the Scripture on the Stone, until his Grand Unification Art began to take shape.

Follow one's nature in all things, yield wholly to the natural — he had brought that saying to its fullest expression. Though his Grand Unification Art took the Mystic Body Three Cinnabar Art as its root, that art had neither trunk nor branch, neither leaf nor bough; so the arts within the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture became the trunk and branches, and the spells, divine powers, sword techniques, and combat skills became the leaves. The jade tree adorned, the art accomplished — all of it came about naturally. A moment later Shen Mu "charged" to the foot of the pine-cypress tree, and the three Cult-Protecting Heavenly Kings beneath it were thrown into a panic, fearing that he might take them unawares and cut down this ancient tree, the symbol of the Holy Cult.

But instead of pressing on toward the pine-cypress, Shen Mu sat down on the Sage's Stone, crossed his legs in the lotus posture, and entered meditation. Vital essence coiled around his whole body; his spirit fetus stirred, the five stars trembled, and the five elemental spirits each rose into the air and settled upon the five luminaries. Eyes regarding nose, nose regarding heart, his breath like white light, golden radiance stored within his gaze, he sat motionless.

Heavenly King Lu was about to speak when Heavenly King Shi hastily signaled for silence and tiptoed away. Heavenly King Lu and Heavenly King Yu hurriedly softened their steps and tiptoed after him. "This generation's Holy Cult Master is truly remarkable.

" Once they were far off, Heavenly King Shi looked back at Shen Mu and said with feeling, "The Patriarch's eye was indeed keen; the future of our Holy Cult will likely hang upon him. Such talent and insight are rare in this world. " "Still, he cannot match a sage who appears once in five hundred years.

" Heavenly King Yu sighed, "A figure like the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping comes but once in five hundred years.

. . " Heavenly King Lu looked at the devastation strewn across the mountain slopes — trees Shen Mu had raced about blasting down with every kind of spell and divine power while he was comprehending; in some places the fallen trees were still burning, crackling and popping.

"Rare in this world is of course no match for once in five hundred years — after all, only one can appear in five centuries.

Our Holy Cult Master is fine in every way, except that he is far too good at making trouble. " The Cult-Protecting Heavenly King said with a sigh, "Holy Advent Mountain has only been wrecked like this when the Daoist sect and the Great Thunderpeal Temple invaded, hasn't it?

" "Say no more. He is the Cult Master chosen by the Patriarch, after all.

However good he is at making trouble, we must endure it.

Come, let us go put out the fires!

" Shen Mu sat motionless on the Sage's Stone for another half day, until hunger woke him, and he called Snow Fox to go hunt a river deer. Man and fox built a fire and roasted the river deer's meat; they ate only half of it before both Shen Mu and Snow Fox lost their appetite.

"Has the young master grown tired of the taste?

" The little fox picked her teeth listlessly and said, "I saw a few fish-dragons in the Fish-Viewing Pool. They look quite delicious — plump and well fed.

" "I saw them too.

They do whet the appetite.

" Shen Mu hesitated, then said, "I fear I cannot beat those fish. But Grandpa Dan said that when you cannot win, you drug them. " Snow Fox let out a cheer; halfway through it the little fox hastily shut her mouth, for the three Cult-Protecting Heavenly Kings were standing behind them with black faces.

Shen Mu rose and said with a smile, "When did you Heavenly Kings arrive? " "Just now, just now.

" Heavenly King Shi said amiably, "Holy Cult Master, do continue eating at your leisure; there is no hurry. By the way, those fish-dragons in the Fish-Viewing Pool were stocked by the sixteenth-generation Cult Master.

Back then the sixteenth-generation Cult Master was expounding the dharma to his disciples by the pool and released a few fish, using the transformation of fish into dragons to enlighten his disciples; it was celebrated as a fine tale, and so these fish-dragons survived.

When you have time, Holy Cult Master, go count them at the pool, lest any of the fish slip away. " Shen Mu's face reddened slightly. So these fish-dragons could not be eaten?

"Cult Master, how does the river deer taste?

" Heavenly King Lu said with a smile. "Sit down and eat with me," Shen Mu invited.

The three Cult-Protecting Heavenly Kings did not stand on ceremony; each sat down on the ground and shared out the river deer meat.

Heavenly King Yu licked the grease from his fingers and said with a smile, "It really is not bad! If I did not know these river deer were raised by the previous Holy Maiden, I would have eaten them long ago!

" "So they were raised by Granny Zhu. .

.

" Shen Mu's face darkened.

Was there anything at all on Holy Advent Mountain that could be eaten? Heavenly King Lu said, as if casually, "That grove the Cult Master destroyed was planted in the time of the founding Patriarch. Iron trees grow slowly; to reach such thickness they must have grown for several thousand years. " Shen Mu grew restless. That grove had been utterly destroyed by him, leaving only a few scorched iron trees standing starkly there.

"The Sacred Heart Flowers in the flower bed before the Sacred Heart Hall have been picked by someone, no one knows who," Heavenly King Yu said with a smile.

Shen Mu looked at Snow Fox.

Snow Fox stared down at a river deer bone, and her fluffy tail, which usually swayed to and fro, was strangely still.