Chapter 950 — A Beauty Pities the Flower-Soul
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 5
Keeping disciples gathered at his side could never form a mighty power; only by sending them out to lead troops, to branch and scatter, could he be sure that his authority swayed court and realm alike.
Kunwu bowed and withdrew to select the eighteen disciples.
Before long Kunwu returned with eighteen disciples. He knew Heavenly Venerable Hao's students better than Heavenly Venerable Hao himself did, for though the Venerable's disciples filled the world, he seldom deigned to teach them himself, leaving them to his most favored disciples to manage, and the instruction of these students and followers was likewise carried out by those disciples; only now and then did the Venerable teach with his own hand.
Those who truly received the Venerable's own transmission were very few indeed. Even Yan Qiling, disciple of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, had not obtained the Emperor's true arts and secret lore; all she had received were those great Dao runes of the ancient gods that the Dao Ancestor had set in order, and a few great divine powers such as Dao One and Dao Two that the Heavenly Emperor had taught her, and nothing more.
Such was the case with the eighteen Kunwu brought as well.
Heavenly Venerable Hao looked them over and frowned slightly. "These disciples are a little weak; in dharma power they do not surpass Shen Mu by much. " Kunwu said hastily, "This disciple followed Master's instructions and transmitted the Emperor's Throne arts to them, letting them comprehend for themselves. Master taught us twenty-eight kinds of Emperor's Throne arts, and they have studied them all; how much each can grasp and comprehend depends on his own endowment and understanding.
" Something stirred in Heavenly Venerable Hao.
"Tell me, each of you, how many Emperor's Throne arts you have comprehended, and how many you have fused. " A woman came forward and bowed. "This disciple is Xiu Youfang.
I have comprehended three Emperor's Throne arts, the Four Phases Kalpa Art, the Biyou Great Azure Scripture, and the Yin-Yang Great Bliss Art, and fused them into one, barely ranking among the lesser Heavenly Court arts.
" Heavenly Venerable Hao nodded. "Fusing three Emperor's Throne arts may be called a lesser Heavenly Court art, but it is still not enough.
The rebel Shen Mu has likely fused as many as three himself. " Then another woman, clad in purple, stepped forward and bowed. "This disciple is Hua Anxiu. I have comprehended the Nether Capital Immeasurable Scripture, the Mystic Capital Mahayana Scripture, the Four Phases Kalpa Art, and the Nine Phoenixes Facing the Sun Art, and have now fused all four Emperor's Throne arts.
" Heavenly Venerable Hao smiled. "Passable strength, no more.
" Then a young man bowed. "This disciple, Pan Chunjin, has comprehended the Azure Wood Great Wilderness Scripture, the Southern Capital Heaven King Scripture, the Nether Capital Immeasurable Scripture, and the Yin-Yang Great Bliss Art. " One after another the young gods came forward, each naming the arts he had cultivated.
Though Heavenly Venerable Hao hoarded his own as a man hoards a worn broom, unwilling to pass on his true secret lore, the Hao Heaven Palace held Emperor's Throne arts in abundance, and he did not forbid his disciples and students to learn them. How many each learned depended on his own ability.
The disciples Kunwu had selected were all True Gods, yet most had fused three or four Emperor's Throne arts, and the best among them had fused five; all were lesser Heavenly Court arts, nothing particularly outstanding. Of course, set loose in the outer world, such figures would rank absolutely among the very summit of geniuses. Throughout the myriad heavens and worlds, Emperor's Throne arts were exceedingly rare; in some worlds, to speak nothing of a single Emperor's Throne art, even one True God was hard to find.
Heavenly Venerable Hao waited until all eighteen had spoken of what they had learned, then looked at Kunwu.