Chapter 40 — The Wind Blade First Appears, Rending the Vast Sky
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
Shen Mu's eyes flew wide.
This unassuming staff could be worth enough to buy Jianglong City? "This staff is called Ximiluo—four strands and twelve rings, forged by the Tathagata of the Great Tingming Temple.
It can serve well enough for striking people too, and its value should match that of Jianglong City. " Huo Ye explained: "But the staff's greater purpose lies in cultivation. Take hold of the staff, and when your heart moves, the rings move; once the rings move, the stray thoughts in your heart melt away. It is a treasure for excising inner demons. The twelve rings can sever twelve kinds of stray thoughts and banish twelve kinds of inner demons. When an inner demon is born, a ring sounds, and the demon is caught in the ring and refined to ashes.
The staff divides into four strands—to sever the four modes of birth, to contemplate the four noble truths, to cultivate the four equalities, to enter the four dhyanas. With this staff in hand, cultivation brings twice the result for half the effort. " Granny Zhu's eyes lit up at once, both blazing as she fixed them on the staff in Shen Mu's hand, and she laughed: "Shen'er, let granny borrow that staff for a while.
A great inner demon dwells in granny's heart and has plagued granny for so long! " Shen Mu handed the Fanji Twelve-Ring Staff to Granny Zhu and asked in curiosity: "Granny, what inner demon dwells in your heart?
" "An old fellow.
" Granny Zhu sighed, her brow heavy with worry: "An old fellow that no amount of refining can kill. I have slain him a thousand times over, and still he lives on, dwelling in my heart and making trouble for me! If this time the staff can refine him to death, I may finally rest easy.
" Shen Mu still could not guess what the old devil in her heart really was, and Granny Zhu said no more. The moment the staff came into her hands it burst into a loud clatter, all twelve rings shaking at once, deafening to the ear. Granny Zhu's demonic nature surged to full tide; a dreadful, heart-clutching aura spread over her.
This aura was utterly unlike her—it seemed to belong to another being! Shen Mu could not help shuddering with dread.
Another person truly dwelled within Granny Zhu's body!
Blind Old Man, Huo Ye, Lame Old Man, Alchemist Master, and Silent Artisan all felt their hairs stand on end and hastily retreated a step apiece; even they found this dreadful aura immeasurably perilous! After a long moment, Granny Zhu sagged, returned the staff to Shen Mu, and said: "This thing is useless.
It cannot touch the old devil. Blast it—why can he never be killed!
" Shen Mu took the staff and wanted to tuck it behind his back beside his bamboo pole, but the staff was too long—on his back he could not walk—so he had to carry it in his hand. "Throw that thing onto the ox cart.
You are no monk," Huo Ye said.
"At today's market you have passed, and passed the ordeal. You need fight no more. To have defeated a disciple of the Great Tingming Temple is itself a mighty achievement. But that Chenghuai was not a disciple of the Tathagata—he is far from that rank.
Do you understand? " Shen Mu casually tossed this priceless staff onto the ox cart and asked with curiosity: "How strong are the Tathagata's disciples?
" Huo Ye said flatly: "I myself was once a disciple of the Tathagata. Only when you can defeat me can you be called a true Overlord Body.
" Shen Mu's heart gave a slight tremor. When he practiced boxing with Huo Ye every day, Huo Ye called upon no more than the cultivation of the Spirit Embryo realm—and even so, Shen Mu was beaten black and blue by him.
And Huo Ye had but one arm!
If both his arms were whole, how appalling would his power be?