Chapter 1667 — Questioning the Dao in the Chaos Hall
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
"The dao-questions can be answered another day; perhaps I can think this problem through by degrees. How long have I been here?
I wonder how matters stand outside. " His physical body slowly woke, and he saw an old ox sitting in the shade of a tree not far ahead, chest bare, puffing noisily at a water pipe, with several kuilong seated nearby, staring at him with eager eyes.
The old ox passed the pipe over, and the ox-headed kuilong hurriedly took it, gurgled two mouthfuls, then handed it on to the other kuilong. Farther off, by the Heavenly River, a pure-black tiger was using its own tail to fish for red kun in the river, when suddenly there came a crack, and the black tiger hastily pulled its tail back out of the water to find it a length shorter—a red kun had bitten it clean off!
The black tiger's face fell; it urged the mystic art of Creation into motion, and its tail slowly grew back.
From the mountain forest still farther off came a braying cry, and a voice as ugly as a donkey's called out, "Let me have one bite, eh?
I won't eat you, just one bite—" Shen Mu, suspicious, said, "Senior Brother Sanduo, what are you all doing here?
" Seeing him wake, the old ox scrambled to his feet. "Heavenly Venerate, all four Great Heavenly Masters have arrived.
They saw that you were cultivating and did not disturb you; they are waiting in the palace now! " "All four Great Heavenly Masters have come?
" Shen Mu was taken aback; then he walked toward the palace.
The Headman and Master Dan were drinking tea beneath the great tree before the palace gate, both reclining in rocking chairs, and they gave Shen Mu a lazy glance. Master Dan laughed. "Shen'er, you cultivated for four months—you have finally woken.
" "Four months already?
" Shen Mu was startled. Defeating the sixty-seven phantom forms of Dao-completers had not taken him long, but answering the dao-questions before the Chaos Hall must have consumed nearly four months!
"Has Grandfather Master Dan heard the news of the negotiations between the Heavenly Court and Jingping?
" Shen Mu asked quickly. "Yuchenzi came looking for you once already.
When you did not wake, he hurried off.
" Master Dan thought for a moment, then said, "He seemed to say that the talks between the Heavenly Court and Jingping are on the verge of breaking down. "