Chapter 1284 — The Art of Returning to the Origin

The woodcutter sage said gravely, "Heavenly Venerable Hao is one of them. Though he is gravely wounded, whether this method can kill him I cannot be wholly certain. A great store of energy has already gathered within his body. If he holds out, then it is we who die. If he cannot hold out . . ."

He did not go on, but looked at Heavenly Lord Xi and the Vermilion Emperor Qi Xiayu and said, "Brothers of the Dao, will you join me?"

Heavenly Lord Xi hesitated a moment, then looked at the Vermilion Emperor Qi Xiayu.

Qi Xiayu's face was expressionless. "Do as you will, sage. We have our own plans."

Heavenly Lord Xi wavered, then suddenly clenched his teeth and laughed with a heh: "The timid starve, the bold stuff themselves; Sneaky Wen, make your move!"

The woodcutter sage took a taotie pouch from his waist and drew from it two scrolls of calligraphy, saying, "In the years when Kaihuang's relations with Xuandu and Youdu were still good, I followed Kaihuang to Xuandu and Youdu as a guest. Knowing I liked to affect the tastes of the cultured, the Heavenly Duke and Earth Count each put brush to paper and wrote me a gift."

He unrolled the scrolls. On them were the brushstrokes of the Heavenly Duke and Earth Count, written in god script and demon script. He continued, "I never used these two scrolls. Later, however, I took in an unworthy disciple who created the art of summoning souls and molding souls, borrowing the power of the Heavenly Duke and Earth Count. And so I thought, perhaps on that foundation I might create a divine ability of my own, to revert a divine ability that another directs at me and stuff it back into that person's body . . ."

Everyone present could not help but feel a chill of dread.