Chapter 595 — Say That Again, I Dare You
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The Butcher, the Silent Artisan, the Blind Elder and the rest followed hard on the heels of the army of gods and demons, hunting them down; many demon ancestors led a flood of Nether Capital demon monsters across the hills and fields, fleeing madly into the rear. After thirty or fifty li of pursuit, the army of gods and demons halted—but the Lame Elder, the Alchemist on his back, was still charging headlong on.
All at once he realized there was no one around him, that only the two of them were left, and he could not help but shudder several times; he turned and ran, and only when he had run back into the main body did he breathe easy. Granny Zhu said to him in a low voice, "This is the Deaf Elder's limit. We can't go any farther.
If we keep chasing them down, we'll give ourselves away. " The Lame Elder grumbled, "You might have given me some warning ahead of time, instead of leaving me still charging on ahead.
.
. " The Alchemist slid down off his back, his legs still trembling, and complained, "You damned lame fool, you nearly got me killed in that rout!
" Elsewhere, the Deaf Elder was still wielding his brush like flying, his face flushed crimson. Shen Mu saw that something was wrong, and at once stepped forward and caught hold of him. From his mouth came a shout as fierce and clear as a dragon's cry: "Grandpa Deaf, we've withdrawn the troops—wake up!
" The Deaf Elder stopped his brush, a look of bewilderment on his face, and all at once a sweetness surged into his throat and a mouthful of fresh blood came welling up.
Shen Mu's expression shifted slightly. His ten fingers flew, striking again and again at the Deaf Elder's throat and heart, sealing off his wild, chaotic blood and qi. Then he pressed a finger to the point between his brows, and then circled him swiftly, executing the Genesis Heaven-Demon Art, sending wave after wave of finger-force into the Deaf Elder's body. This time the Deaf Elder had poured out every ounce of his strength, and he had injured his heart-spirit.
The heart-spirit is divided into the heart and the primordial spirit; the heart is the hub of blood and qi. His blood and qi had turned violent and raging, beyond what his veins could bear, beyond what his heart could bear, and so he vomited blood. Shen Mu sealed off his heart and his throat, forcing the blood back.
The Deaf Elder's primordial spirit, moreover, had been drained far too heavily; it had grown unstable, on the verge of collapse.
So Shen Mu used the Genesis Heaven-Demon Art to seal off his hun and po, so that his soul could not leave his body. This would buy time, and make it easier to treat him.
Shen Mu swiftly took out ingredients and refined a pill.
After a moment the pill was formed. He pried open the Deaf Elder's mouth and fed it in, then used various techniques to dissolve and disperse its medicinal power.
Granny Zhu, the Blind Elder and the others returned; the Alchemist at once took over and began treating the Deaf Elder, saying, "It's a good thing little Shen saw it in time. The Deaf Elder's condition isn't serious. He's taken a great loss of vital essence this time, but with me here, I guarantee he'll be hopping about lively by tonight.
" The Deaf Elder gave a muffled snort and said mildly, "I will not be hopping about. A man of letters—hopping about, what sort of behavior is that?
" Everyone relaxed.
Granny Zhu asked, "Deaf Elder, how long can this painting of yours hold?
" "So long as the world within the painting is not shattered, this army of gods and demons can exist forever. " The Deaf Elder sat down. The Alchemist carefully regulated his condition, bustling back and forth; Shen Mu followed along, assisting the Alchemist; Snow Fox held the needle tray, assisting Shen Mu.
The three of them conferred with one another, a lively clamor. "But it isn't really so hard to wreck the world inside the painting.