Chapter 1284 — The Art of Returning to the Origin
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
Struggling and dragging the threads, Niu Sanduo and Lü Zheng came to his side. The Black Tiger God stirred his teleportation ability, a flash of light passed, and the three vanished.
Yet the threads in the air swam about and pursued them at flying speed, as though they knew where the three had teleported.
The Black Tiger God brought Niu Sanduo and Lü Zheng out above Heavenly Venerable Hao. No sooner had their forms appeared than they fell into the net.
Thread after thread swiftly bound them tight and hung them upside down, heads below and feet above.
Those threads even pierced their skin and rooted themselves in their bodies, drawing out the energy within them.
The three were seized with dread; the threads had even threaded into their divine treasuries, into their heavenly palaces, veiling divine treasury and heavenly palace alike in layer upon layer of thin gauze!
Even their spirit essences were veiled in gauze!
Niu Sanduo was about to call for help when Lü Zheng's cries of rescue came ringing out, braying without cease.
Niu Sanduo and the Black Tiger God were both ashamed and mortified, thinking, "From now on, no matter how grandly this donkey talks, we must never listen to him again . . ."
Lü Zheng was still howling for his life, yet at the entrance Yan Yunxi, the Martial Heavenly Master and the woodcutter sage and the rest all wore grave faces, and none stepped forward to rescue him.
"Even if I went in, I could not overcome those threads. Once they stick to your body and enter your divine treasury and heavenly palace, there is no shaking them off."
The Martial Heavenly Master Zhuo Cha said in a heavy voice, "These Dao-pattern threads are supremely soft; once they cling to you, you cannot fling them off. Woodcutter, I reckon Heavenly Lord Xi and the Vermilion Emperor can offer no solution either. Do you have any means?"
Hearing this, the Vermilion Emperor Qi Xiayu said, "Would heavenly fire serve?"
The woodcutter sage laughed, "The Vermilion Emperor may give it a try."
The Vermilion Emperor Qi Xiayu turned over his palm, carefully drew out a wisp of heavenly fire, and cast it among the threads. In no time that crystal of heavenly fire was wrapped up tight as a little rice dumpling, and hung up together with the inner demon Mu Tianzun, Lü Zheng, Niu Sanduo and the rest.
Qi Xiayu stared wide-eyed and said no more.
Heavenly Lord Xi said politely, "Brother Wen, you have always had a plan. You had best think of a way."
The woodcutter sage shook his head. "I cannot break Heavenly Venerable Hao's arrangements either."
At these words Heavenly Lord Xi smiled and made ready to kill; if he could not kill Heavenly Venerable Hao, then he would help Heavenly Venerable Hao finish off these people who had come to do away with him. That too would be a great merit!
"But . . ."
The woodcutter sage's tone turned, and Heavenly Lord Xi hastily suppressed his killing intent. The woodcutter sage went on: "I cannot break Heavenly Venerable Hao's arrangements, but I can borrow his arrangements to break his arrangements."
Everyone was baffled.
The woodcutter sage said, "The reason Heavenly Venerable Hao must form thirty-five layers of Dao cocoons is that his flesh is in ruins. His spirit essence is sealed inside the Daluo Heaven of Divine Consciousness, his flesh cannot command such colossal dharma power, and his dharma power is itself in ruins, his Great Dao patterns scattered and broken."
Everyone listened quietly. But the woodcutter paused, carefully weighing his words, and the crowd waited with anxious hearts. Only then did he continue: "Therefore the simplest way to break his arrangements is to send the Great Dao cocoons he expelled from his body back into his body!"
The crowd was greatly shaken, every one of them struck dumb. The Silkworm Maiden sighed, "Woodcutter Heavenly Master, is there any man in this world you cannot kill?"
"Yes!"