Chapter 354 — Four Honored Guests of Heaven Above
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
"Let him come up," said Imperial Preceptor Jingping, mildly.
Khan Luandi came forward bound in chains, trussed fast, several soldiers following behind and shoving him along. "This guilty subject, Luandi.
.
. " As the Khan was about to bow, Imperial Preceptor Jingping's expression shifted a little; he raised a hand and caught him up, and said with a half-smile, "Is Brother Luandi trying to make me an unrighteous man?
" The Khan seized the moment to rise, and laughed: "If I can spoil the friendship between you and Emperor Yanfeng, then I still have a chance to rise again in the east. " The Imperial Preceptor shook his head.
"You cannot spoil it. Even if you bowed to me before the whole army, the Emperor would not suspect me; it is only those upright ministers of the clean stream who give me a headache. The fewer troubles, the better. Brother Luandi, let the chains drop from you.
I do not accept your surrender. When we return to the capital, bind yourself and beg the Emperor to receive it. " The Khan's body swayed, and at once the chains broke apart inch by inch and fell to the ground.
Many of the officers' hearts jumped, and they stepped forward one after another; the Imperial Preceptor raised his hand and bade them withdraw, saying, "There is no need for such wariness. " The Khan's eyes flickered. "I have heard that Imperial Preceptor Jingping contended with the Divine Chancellor and took grave wounds, and that even with the Little Poison King and the Little Divine Physician to heal you, your cultivation has not yet returned to its peak. Are you not afraid that I might suddenly rise up and strike you down?
" "I am not.
" The Imperial Preceptor said, "A month ago I would have been. But now I have comprehended the way of the sword.
My wounds are still with me, yet I need no longer fear.
You strike, you die. " The Khan was seized with dread. The Imperial Preceptor lifted his head and looked toward the Loulan Golden Palace ahead, and said, unhurried, "Look, Brother Luandi. The Loulan Golden Palace is impregnable; the Great Shaman and the Shaman King keep stern guard; easy to hold, hard to take. If we storm it, our army will surely suffer grievous slaughter. And I sense dreadful, terrifying auras hidden within the palace; they must be the past-life bodies of the Great Venerable.
I sense eighteen auras as fearsome as gods. That is why I have quartered the army here and not moved to this day. " The Khan said, "Those eighteen bodies, like gods, like demons, like Buddhas, are the eighteen lifetimes of the Great Venerable's flesh. They are exceedingly terrible, and they are the strongest force guarding the Loulan Golden Palace. Besides the eighteen past-life bodies of the Great Venerable, the Golden Palace also holds twelve sect-master-level beings who have cultivated to the realm of Communion with the Divine; the strongest of them is the Shaman Venerable.
That man's strength is no less than mine.
" The Imperial Preceptor asked, "And how many experts are there at the Heaven-Man and Life-Death realms?
" The Khan laughed.
"How should I know? " "You took Emperor Yanfeng for your model. You should know. " The Imperial Preceptor glanced at him and said softly, "I, for one, hold in my hand the names, the abilities, and the primal weapons of every expert of the Heavenly Sacred Cult, the Daoist Sect, and the Great Tingming Temple.
Above the nation, no holy land is permitted to play the tyrant. You are the emperor of the grasslands; naturally you would not allow the Loulan Golden Palace to sit upon your head. You must know. " The Khan praised him: "That I cannot best Emperor Yanfeng is precisely because he has Imperial Preceptor Jingping to aid him.
Had I a helper such as the Imperial Preceptor, why should I have had to surrender at all? As for the experts of the Heaven-Man and Life-Death realms within the Loulan Golden Palace, I have already prepared a register, and I offer it to you.
" With that he drew out a register.