Chapter 243 — Bowing the Head in Submission
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Time and again Shen Mu was hung up on the wall, until on wall after wall of Yincan Village there appeared landscape after landscape of mountains and rivers; only Granny Zhu's house had yet to be stamped with the pattern. Shen Mu was about to charge forward once more when he suddenly found his vital essence utterly spent, and he wilted.
Defeated.
The Overlord Body had been defeated, crushed utterly; not only was his swordsmanship no match for the village head's, even his vital essence was less abundant.
It seemed he could only take up the name of Human Sovereign now. The village head said mildly, "You may recover your vital essence and come at me again.
" Shen Mu steadied himself: "Good!
" The village head's face went black, for the cowherd had already turned and bolted off at a run to cultivate that outlandish Mystic Body Three Elixirs Art of his and restore his cultivation.
"You played a trick," said the alchemist, coming over and watching Shen Mu's receding figure. The village head was taken aback.
"How did I?
" The alchemist sneered, "Your sword art devours vital essence horribly.
Given the depth of your cultivation, at the Five Luminaries realm you can use it twice, three times at the very most. Just now, how many times did you use it? Seven, wasn't it?
" The village head's face could not hold it, and he mumbled, "The abundance of my vital essence is beyond anything you can imagine. By governing my vital essence I can use it four times, spending the very least each time. . .
But Shen'er's vital essence is indeed abundant.
I had thought that once I reached the Five Luminaries realm my vital essence cultivation would not differ much from his. I did not expect—" The alchemist laughed, "You did not expect that he is like a great water vat, and you merely a bucket. " The village head sighed and shook his head. "At the Spirit Embryo realm he could be more than twice as deep as I.
But at the Five Luminaries realm he cannot possibly still be that much deeper. At the Five Luminaries realm I have no shortcoming at all — but he. .
.
has none either. You have seen it, but do not speak of it. " The alchemist laughed, "With the same sword art he cannot beat you; he has already lost. Why should I speak of it?
Still, what you said earlier — that the Human Sovereign has only heavy responsibility and no benefit — that seems a little off. " The village head said lazily, "What benefit could there be?
Why is it that I do not know of it?
" The alchemist's eyes flickered. "I have heard certain legends of the Human Sovereign and the Human Sovereign's Seal. The Seal seems to be tangled up with many ancient inheritances, some of them traceable back tens of thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of years.
Some holy lands were founded by the Human Sovereign.
They say the Human Sovereign's Seal is more effective than the emperor's jade seal. " The village head said calmly, "That is a legend from heaven knows how many years ago. Nowadays the Human Sovereign's Seal is a lump of black iron. Who would obey the command of a lump of black iron?
" The alchemist smiled faintly, "There is a legend that when the Human Sovereign's Seal comes forth, it can summon all the champions under heaven.
" The village head yawned and said lazily, "The Human Sovereign's Seal is with Shen'er. Let him take it out and make a show of it, and see which sect answers his dispatch. He would be lucky not to be beaten to death. " The alchemist said sourly, "You knew full well how perilous it is — so why give the Seal to him?
" The village head was lazy no longer; the gleam of a sword flickered in his eyes, and he said gravely, "It is a duty, and a burden. The burden was passed onto my shoulders, and I could not bear it — and so my hands and feet were struck from me.
But someone must bear this burden.