Chapter 1640 — Disciples of the Mystic Sect
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
Yuchenzi said, "Back and forth, the time stretches longer and longer. And if the envoy the Imperial Preceptor chooses is shameless, thick-faced and black-hearted, he can drag it out longer still. This is why the Imperial Preceptor chose me to go to the Heavenly Court. What is more, the Imperial Preceptor can promise some Tianzun even greater benefits, so that the Tianzun wrangle among themselves over them. By the time they reach a conclusion, two or three years will have gone by."
Shen Mu smiled.
The Great Brahma Heaven King Buddha turned to the Dao Ancestor and said, "The disciples of your Daoist sect are not at all bad in ability."
The Dao Ancestor, not without pride, smiled and said, "We of the Daoist sect are skilled in calculation. In the Jingping reforms Yuchenzi absorbed the micro arts of number and fathomed out the chaos arts of number — a remarkable thing. His chaos arts excel at hazy reckoning."
Yuchenzi changed tack and bowed. "Since the Heavenly Court's second Celestial Master, Meng Yungui, can see through it, I beg the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping to point me a road to live."
Shen Mu pondered. "Meng Yungui is of the human race..."
"The bond of a common blood may not move his heart. Let the Imperial Preceptor choose another road."
Shen Mu said, "Meng Yungui is greedy for wealth..."
Yuchenzi shook his head. "That is his art of disguise. It is simply that, being of the human race and too high in wit and stratagem, he must be cautious and meticulous, and so deliberately exposes a greed for wealth lest others do him harm. Let the Imperial Preceptor choose another road again."
Shen Mu said, "The third Celestial Master, Bai Yuqiong, is likewise of the human race, and likewise a reincarnation of the Southern Emperor. After you reach the Heavenly Court, go first to see her. Bai Yuqiong knows Meng Yungui deeply, and can tell you his weak points."
Yuchenzi said, "Then, Imperial Preceptor, how am I to move Bai Yuqiong?"
Shen Mu circulated his mana and forged a jade pendant by the Dao of Reincarnation, saying, "Take this jade pendant and go to her. She owes me a debt; it is time she repaid it. Tell her that if Meng Yungui does not hold his tongue, the human race will be exterminated."
Yuchenzi did not take the pendant. "How can the Imperial Preceptor be so certain that Bai Yuqiong's heart leans toward the human race?"
"She has been reincarnated one hundred and ninety-seven times, and never once was she reborn as another race."
Shen Mu's eyes flickered. "One hundred and ninety-seven lives, every one of them human."
Yuchenzi put away the reincarnation pendant, bowed, and said, "I will certainly not betray the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping's trust!" With that, he rose and departed.
Shen Mu watched him go into the distance and said with feeling, "That the human race should possess such a prodigy is truly a blessing."
Having dealt with this matter, he suddenly looked about at those around him and asked, "The Divine Emperor Langxuan is dead. Who is his avatar here in Jingping? Has the Emperor already sent men to kill him?"
At that moment Ling Yuxiu came in from outside and said, "I have already dispatched the Immortal King of Yujing to Canglang Isle, to kill Langxuan's reincarnation, Yu Cangqi. Word will come within a few days!"
"Pray Your Majesty inform Wang Muran at once: do not kill Langxuan's avatar. Let him leave Yu Cangqi a road to live, and drive him into the Southern Heaven, and let him go to see Huo Tianzun!"
Shen Mu bowed. "Pray Your Majesty issue the decree."
The others were baffled by his meaning. Ling Yuxiu looked at him, and after a moment said, "Driving Langxuan's avatar into the Southern Heaven — what does the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping intend by it? Is it to give Huo Tianzun the wherewithal to rise higher?"
"Langxuan's entry into the Southern Heaven is not the wherewithal for Huo Tianzun to rise higher."
Shen Mu said, "It is the beginning of Huo Tianzun's doom."
"How so?" Ling Yuxiu said with a frown.