Chapter 171 — The Tail That Can't Be Hidden
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The Grand Unification Art of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture had only one requirement: it must unify every spell and divine power, every sword technique and combat skill within the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture; and beyond that, it must also encompass such esoteric arts as the Seven Chapters of Creation. Only when that was achieved could it truly be called a Grand Unification. After each successive Cult Master of the Nether Demon Cult received the Woodcutter's Scripture on the Stone, he had to comprehend a Grand Unification Art of his own; only by comprehending it could he sit securely in the Cult Master's seat.
Otherwise, in a sect like the Nether Demon Cult, which did not much mind a subordinate killing off the Cult Master, a change of Cult Master would become an utterly ordinary affair.
Those who could become Cult Master of the Nether Demon Cult were all brimming with talent, every one of them worthy of the name of genius; even Cult Master Fan Xuanshu, criticized for wallowing in women, was a man of towering brilliance — otherwise he could never have planted a heart-demon in Granny Zhu's dao-heart, one that even powerhouses like the Headman and the Silent Craftsman could not undo. What shocked the three Cult-Protecting Heavenly Kings, however, was that Shen Mu had comprehended the Grand Unification Art far too quickly; in a mere dozen days or so he had already begun to touch its edges, and had started to fuse and blend it.
What they did not know was that Shen Mu's so-called "Overlord Body" had no vital-essence attribute at all, and could likewise transform into any attribute; and that the so-called "Mystic Body Three Cinnabar Art" also had no attribute, and could likewise become any attribute. Taking the Mystic Body Three Cinnabar Art as his foundation, Shen Mu added and trimmed upon that foundation, threading through the doctrines and concepts of the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture and fusing in the mysteries of the Scripture on the Stone, until his Grand Unification Art began to take shape.
Follow one's nature in all things, yield wholly to the natural — he had brought that saying to its fullest expression. Though his Grand Unification Art took the Mystic Body Three Cinnabar Art as its root, that art had neither trunk nor branch, neither leaf nor bough; so the arts within the Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture became the trunk and branches, and the spells, divine powers, sword techniques, and combat skills became the leaves. The jade tree adorned, the art accomplished — all of it came about naturally. A moment later Shen Mu "charged" to the foot of the pine-cypress tree, and the three Cult-Protecting Heavenly Kings beneath it were thrown into a panic, fearing that he might take them unawares and cut down this ancient tree, the symbol of the Holy Cult.
But instead of pressing on toward the pine-cypress, Shen Mu sat down on the Sage's Stone, crossed his legs in the lotus posture, and entered meditation. Vital essence coiled around his whole body; his spirit fetus stirred, the five stars trembled, and the five elemental spirits each rose into the air and settled upon the five luminaries. Eyes regarding nose, nose regarding heart, his breath like white light, golden radiance stored within his gaze, he sat motionless.
Heavenly King Lu was about to speak when Heavenly King Shi hastily signaled for silence and tiptoed away. Heavenly King Lu and Heavenly King Yu hurriedly softened their steps and tiptoed after him. "This generation's Holy Cult Master is truly remarkable.
" Once they were far off, Heavenly King Shi looked back at Shen Mu and said with feeling, "The Patriarch's eye was indeed keen; the future of our Holy Cult will likely hang upon him. Such talent and insight are rare in this world. " "Still, he cannot match a sage who appears once in five hundred years.
" Heavenly King Yu sighed, "A figure like the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping comes but once in five hundred years.