Chapter 704 — Climbing onto a Giant's Shoulder
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Lady Tianyin swept her gaze around the circle and said in admiration, "Your wisdom and talent are rare in all the world, and yet six of you appeared at once. What age is this? How has it suddenly produced so many gifted people?"
Shen Mu laughed. "My lady, the six before you may be called the wisest men of the past twenty thousand years. They are more than one in a hundred million. Right now, all the wisdom of those twenty thousand years is gathered before you."
The Woodcutter urged him, "Hurry up and use the art that will revive our lady. Enough boasting. There are only five wise men in the last twenty thousand years. You have an Overlord Body — you are not one of them."
Shen Mu, disgruntled, roused his cultivation method and drew out the Book of Youdu. Once more he activated the Soul-Pulling Invocation, which he had improved with his own hands. The structure of the Heaven-Bearing Gate shifted at his will, and the Youdu tongue rang out, making everyone frown.
Again and again Shen Mu turned the Gate of Youdu, stealing the power of the Heavenly Lord, then the power of Tubo, and at last he stole the strength of both ancient gods at once.
The onlookers were dazzled by the sight and muddled by the sound.
"It is the Youdu tongue. I can understand eight parts in ten."
Yama roused his own art, and a gateway appeared behind him, somewhat like the Heaven-Bearing Gate. "But I have never seen this book before," he said, "and stealing the power of the Heavenly Lord and Tubo is likely to leave hidden dangers. Either of those two beings is more than we can bear."
"I can understand six parts in ten of the Youdu tongue."
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping said, "I studied it under my master for a time, but much of it remains obscure and hard to grasp. I fear I shall never master it."
The Woodcutter Sage frowned. "I cannot understand all of it either. Stealing a little of Tubo's and the Heavenly Lord's power might pass, but steal much and those two beings will surely stir. To steal their strength to revive the souls of the Tianyin Realm will certainly enrage them."
Xu Shenghua and the First Ancestor Human Emperor had never studied the Youdu tongue, and were all the more at a loss.
Xu Shenghua ventured, "Since we cannot steal the power of Tubo and the Heavenly Lord, why not alter Hierarch Shen's art and go around them?"
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping said, "It is not a matter of going around. The Hierarch has laid a fine foundation for us. My lady, the Tianyin Realm surely has no system of divine arts of its own?"
Lady Tianyin nodded. "There were once many wielders of divine arts living here, but all of them came in from the outside world, fleeing war, and they brought the arts of the outside with them. In the beginning there was only me here. There were no others."
A faint smile appeared on the Imperial Preceptor Jingping's face. "Then from this day on, the Tianyin Realm may have a system of divine arts of its own."
Xu Shenghua's eyes lit up, and he could not help glancing at the Imperial Preceptor Jingping. He thought, "A sage who appears once in five hundred years — truly of the highest intelligence! Yet the reason the Woodcutter Sage has said nothing is surely that he wishes to see how clever this disciple of his is."
The First Ancestor and Yama were suddenly enlightened as well. The First Ancestor laughed. "With the Imperial Preceptor Jingping's guidance, we have found our road at last."
Yama let out a breath. "The Human Emperor Shen's art is the key that opens the Tianyin Realm's system of divine arts."
The Woodcutter Sage looked at Shen Mu. "Disciple, explain your art once through."
Shen Mu explained the art in careful detail. All of them were of surpassing intelligence; one hearing was enough to fix it in their hearts, and each began to pace back and forth.
The Imperial Preceptor Jingping chanted the Youdu tongue in a low voice, and the black sand of souls all around rippled and rose and fell with his voice.