Chapter 83 — Ultimate Armament
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 3
The Jade Register of the Heavenly Emperor is worth one of my legs!
" The Village Head said: "Rest easy, the Jade Register cannot be lost.
Shen'er, take off your clothes. " Puzzled at his meaning, Shen Mu took off his upper garments, baring his lean, powerful body.
The Village Head coughed once: "All of it. Wear nothing at all.
" Granny Zhu turned her back, and Shen Mu stripped off everything, leaving only the glove on his hand.
The Alchemist produced a plump worm and said with a pang: "This cup of blood is the precious blood of a venomous flood-dragon; I had no easy time getting it.
.
.
" He squeezed the plump worm, and a small cup of blood ran out.
The Deaf Elder came forward, took out a writing brush, dipped it in the blood, and painted on Shen Mu's back: the old man with the turtle's back from among the four stone statues of Hidden Remnant Village, his body coiled about with a great serpent.
When the dragon's blood was used up, the Deaf Elder had at last painted the great serpent over Shen Mu's whole body; the last trace of dragon blood was wrung from the brush, which came away clean, and he said: "Shen'er, you may dress now. " The Village Head said: "Silent Smith.
" The smith, Silent Smith, stepped forward; his body shook, and blazing fire spread all around him, flames fierce beyond measure, taking the form of a great furnace, in whose fire gods and demons seemed to lurk. Silent Smith raised a hand and pushed hard; the furnace flew straight at Shen Mu.
Shen Mu's body met that furnace, fearsome beyond words to look upon, yet he felt no heat at all; the furnace shrank smaller and smaller and at last vanished into his body.
The Village Head said: "Lord Huo. " Lord Huo stepped forward, and of a sudden Buddhist chanting swelled, light blazed ten thousand zhang, and the mighty essence behind him became a great Buddha, ten thousand rays of radiance at the back of its head.
The Tathagata.
This Tathagata strode forward, growing smaller and smaller, until it sank into Shen Mu's brow and disappeared. "Blind Elder, your turn," the Village Head said.
The Blind Elder lifted his bamboo staff and touched its tip to Shen Mu's chest, crying in a low voice: "Open your eyes!
" Shen Mu's body convulsed; he felt vast essence surge from heart and lungs into his eyes, and with a humming, humming, humming of vibration, nine rings of pupil appeared in his eyes.
The Lingxiao Heavenly Eye, the Qingxiao Heavenly Eye, the Bixiao Heavenly Eye, the Danxiao Heavenly Eye, the Jingxiao Heavenly Eye, the Yuxiao Heavenly Eye, the Langxiao Heavenly Eye, the Zixiao Heavenly Eye, the Huoxiao Heavenly Eye—the Nine Heavens of the Holy Pupil, all of them opened at once.
At once Shen Mu felt the world before him deconstruct layer upon layer and reassemble layer upon layer, as though his eyes could see through all things.
This was the Blind Elder opening his eyes for him with his own cultivation; though he had not opened them himself, the power of the Nine Heavens of the Holy Pupil was scarcely diminished.
The world he saw now was utterly unlike what he saw day to day—it was the world seen in the state of the Holy Pupil.
The Village Head's figure rose, floating in the air three chi above the ground, and he smiled: "This should be enough now. Shen'er, come with me; you and I, grandfather and grandson, will pay a visit to the Dark Realm.
" Granny Zhu opened her mouth as if to speak, but did not stop them, and said: "Shen'er, be careful. If danger comes, leave that dead old man the Village Head where he stands and run back yourself.
" The Village Head, full of confidence, bore Shen Mu floating out of the city, laughing heartily: "Rest easy, old woman Si, I will surely bring him back safe! "