Chapter 136 — Dream Walk
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
Their eyes met.
Imperial Preceptor Jingping broke into a smile and said in a low voice, "Interesting. .
. " Shen Mu withdrew his gaze and gave up the thought; there were too many people here for him to experiment. Imperial Preceptor Jingping waited a while longer, then spoke.
"Very well.
Now I will teach you the second basic sword stance: the Circling Sword Stance.
A sword flying through the air knows no restriction, and the form of a sword knows no restriction either; therefore a sword may roam — as a dragon roams, as a snake roams, as a fish roams, as a phoenix soars through the sky, as immortals and gods tread the void. Why must one be bound by the basic sword arts of those who came before? " Shen Mu's spirits lifted. The second basic sword art that Imperial Preceptor Jingping had created was, as before, refreshing and eye-opening, as though a door had been pushed open onto a broader world. "I was right to come to the Imperial Academy; the Patriarch saw what others did not," he thought to himself.
Before the mountain gate, Daoist Danyang raised his head and looked up. Upon Jade Peak, palaces and towers lay in layer upon layer, deep and solemn; the grasses and trees of the mountain were lush, dyed jade-green by the qi of the Nine Dragons. Now and then the wind carried down a phrase or two of Imperial Preceptor Jingping's voice from the mountain, and hearing them gave him a feeling of sudden, wide clarity.
"Uncle-Master Danyang.
" The Dao-son Linxuan, too, faintly heard the voice drifting down from the mountain. He hesitated, then said, "Is the man lecturing up there Imperial Preceptor Jingping? I can catch only a phrase or two of his words, and already I profit greatly. I even feel that he.
.
. " Daoist Danyang smiled. "Speak freely.
" The Dao-son Linxuan gathered his courage.
"Though I have not heard the whole of his discourse to the scholars, his sword art has indeed reached an inconceivable realm. The arts our Daoist sect has handed down are deep in foundation and all-encompassing, yet his insights surpass them. This disciple believes Imperial Preceptor Jingping may truly wish to advance the development of Daoist arts and divine powers. If that is so, why must we blockade his gate? " Daoist Danyang smiled. "Dao-son, one must not only listen to a man's words but observe his deeds; that is the way to conduct oneself in the world.
No one denies Imperial Preceptor Jingping's talent. In his early years he met the Dao Sovereign, and the Dao Sovereign deemed him a genius such as appears once in five hundred years, one who in time would become a Sage; you can see how highly the Dao Sovereign appraised him. But what if he does not become a Sage, and instead turns to evil? " The Dao-son Linxuan was perplexed. Daoist Danyang sneered.
"With his strength he could well advance the divine arts and the Dao.
But he harbors a wolf's ambition: he means to subdue the great sects and leave them no way to live. That is the first. The second is that Imperial Preceptor Jingping actually makes use of the doctrines of the Dark Demon Cult! The Dark Demon Cult is a false Dao, borrowing the name of sages while practicing the way of demons in truth. Imperial Preceptor Jingping keeps company with the Dark Demon Cult; he is an enemy of our righteous path! " The Dao-son Linxuan felt a chill of awe.
"The righteous and the evil cannot stand together. If he keeps company with the demon path, then the greater his talent, the greater the threat!