Chapter 1279 — That Cunning Senior

Shen Mu was struck dumb, gaping, speechless for a long while. And he was far from the only one. Friend and foe alike were shaken beyond words by the means with which Wentiange had shattered Lord Hao's arrangements — an awe that left them utterly thunderstruck.

Among them all, apart from the Woodcutter Sage's Black Tiger God, the Woodcutter was arguably the weakest; yet his wisdom was the mightiest, and even the seal Lord Hao had laid could not stump him.

"Old thief Wen, what cultivation realm have you reached now?" Lord Xi asked, his face frantic with alarm.

The Woodcutter's face twisted into a bitter grimace, and he said hoarsely, "Still the Yaotai realm."

"Then you are a Heavenly God?"

Lord Xi breathed a long sigh of relief and muttered, "Then I can rest easy — one puff of breath would be enough to blow the man dead... My lords, let us probe this canyon, find Lord Hao soon, and return to report!"

The others breathed easier as well. Qi Xiayu said, "We are all loyal ministers and righteous men; let us find Lord Hao, heal his wounds, and wish him long life unending, blessings equal to Heaven's own. There is no time to lose — let us go in at once!"

Lord Xi, Qi Xiayu, and the rest charged into the canyon first, while the Woodcutter Sage, the Creator Xiuzhong, and the others lagged a step behind. Yan Yunxi's gaze flickered, and he said in a low voice, "Woodcutter, you broke Lord Hao's seal. If they rush in and join hands with Lord Hao against us, what then?"

The Woodcutter Sage laughed. "Who says I broke the seal?"

Yan Yunxi was taken aback. He looked at the stone walls to either side of the Eighth Canyon, and saw that the divine light within the canyon had been turned by the Woodcutter into runes nailed upon the rock — plainly the very picture of the Woodcutter having broken Lord Hao's seal.

"It only looks as though it were broken."

The Woodcutter said unhurriedly, "My cultivation is too low; I have not the strength to break Lord Hao's seal. In a little while these runes will turn back into the rosy radiance of the seal. Everyone stay vigilant — be on your guard!"

Xiuzhong and the Silkworm Maiden hurried to their side. The Silkworm Maiden pointed at the Woodcutter. "You wicked old man..."

Xiuzhong said, "Thank heaven that back when we stood against the Carefree Land, it was Celestial Master Zixi and not the woodcutter."

Yan Yunxi laughed. "I was never his equal to begin with. Of all the Celestial Masters, I fear only the ancient Longshan the Wanderer and Yue Tingge could rival him in wit."

The Woodcutter was suddenly seized with panic and shouted in alarm, "Guard yourselves! Lord Hao's seal is about to reappear! Everyone protect me — I must not be wounded!"

The others were greatly displeased, yet still they shielded him at the center; and the Black Tiger God, being of low realm, was likewise taken under their care.

Upon the cliffs to either side of the canyon, countless magnificent Great Dao runes of the ancient gods burst forth of a sudden, transforming into streaks of rosy radiance that flooded the Eighth Canyon!

The might of the Heavenly Lord's seal erupted. Those walking in front — Red Emperor Qi Xiayu, Xi Muhong, Lord Xi, and the rest — at once sensed that something was badly amiss. Qi Xiayu and Lord Xi, decisive in the instant, summoned the treasures of their Emperor's Thrones to shield themselves.

Qi Xiayu's zither spun swiftly around them all, and the notes within its strings turned forthwith into barrier upon barrier of space.

Lord Xi's demon-quelling pestle quivered in the air, splitting one into two, two into four, four into eight, until in an instant the heavens were filled with pestle-shadows!

Other experts of the Yujing and Lingxiao realms likewise roused their divine weapons, but scarce had their power begun to spread when the divine radiance had already drowned them!

The zither spun faster still, its notes more urgent — sealing and closing, holding back the Dao-might of the restriction hidden in the radiance.

Qi Xiayu's face was grave. The restriction Lord Hao had laid blasted barrier after barrier of space to powder, its force reaching all the way to her side.

Suddenly a phoenix cry rang out. She revealed her true form, becoming a nine-headed phoenix, and beat her wings to withstand the restriction head-on.

At the same time, Lord Xi's demon-quelling pestle could scarce hold back the restriction's Dao-might; he felt as though ancient gods, one after another, were striking the pestle with unmatched Dao-power.

Left with no choice, he too revealed his true form — a Taowu, divine light bursting from every part of it!

The two joined forces and withstood the restriction's might — yet of the Lingxiao-realm experts about them, only ten or so remained; another dozen or more had perished in that dread restriction of the canyon!

Together the two shattered the rosy radiance and finally won a moment to breathe. Lord Xi resumed human form and bellowed in fury, "Wen, you chicken-thief—"

They had been unprepared; but the Martial Celestial Master, Yan Yunxi, Xiuzhong, and the others had been ready, and though wounded, they kept their lives.

When the Woodcutter Sage heard Lord Xi's shout, he turned a deaf ear to it. Long since accustomed to such names, he went on directing the others: "There are ancient gods' Great Dao runes in Jingping, sent over by my good-for-nothing second disciple. If you have any study of the ancient gods' Great Dao runes, unraveling them is in truth no hard matter. This rosy-radiance restriction is in fact the Xuandu Great Dao of the Lord of Heaven, the Heavenly Seal within Heaven's Dao; you need only break it thus..."

At the canyon's mouth, Bai Yuqiong and Shen Mu stood looking in.

When Bai Yuqiong saw the rosy radiance erupt, her heart pounded with fright. She probed, "As a disciple of Wen the chicken— of Wentiange, Lord Mu, you should know how to break the seal here, should you not? Surely Wentiange did not fail to pass even this on to you?"

Shen Mu gave a cold snort and said lightly, "He never passed his knowledge on to me; rather, he learned no small amount from me. The method by which he breaks seals must have come from Jingping — either from the Daoist sect, or from Xu Shenghua. Breaking this is no difficulty for me."

Bai Yuqiong smiled faintly, taking it for boasting, for him to salvage his pride.

What she did not know was that the ancient gods' Great Dao runes of Jingping had indeed come from Shen Mu — stolen by Shen Mu from the Heavenly Court's Repository Pavilion.

Shen Mu said gravely, "However, my dharma-power is not strong enough; I fear it will be hard for me to break the seal and walk deep within, so I must ask Celestial Master Bai to lend a hand. Follow me — back to back, each of us guarding one side."

He shook his body, and there appeared three heads and six arms; thus he could take in the rosy-radiance seals of every direction at once.

Though he had only the strength to protect himself and could not shield Bai Yuqiong, he could still guide her.

The two walked cautiously into the canyon; beside Red Emperor Qi Xiayu and his company, they seemed far more at ease.

Yet Red Emperor and Lord Xi were, after all, at the very front, and their strength was exceedingly formidable; all along the way they forced their way through the seals, pressing ever deeper into the Eighth Canyon.

Along this road, Shen Mu and Bai Yuqiong met fright but no peril, and were soon to reach the canyon's end.

The four groups ahead had already reached the end, where a valley shrouded in thick black qi lay before them; each group sent out its vanguard to probe the way.

Suddenly, from ahead came a shrill and mournful cry: "Lord Hao's heart demon has appeared! Be careful, everyone!"

"The heart demon is very strong!"

"Watch out! That is Mu— ah—"

Some met a foul end and died on the spot, but others still cried out sternly, "Beware Lord Mu!"

Lord Xi and the Red Emperor were stunned. "Lord Mu?"