Death Sutra

Shangguan Hong had given up all the secrets and was held for many days before he was released . After he had fled, the hatred in his heart for Slave Huan became deeply rooted .

Gu Shenwei left with his unexpected gains . He had not found a way to utilize this information . However, the most important thing that he had to do now was to bring the over 1,000 swordsmen away from the Great Snow Mountain as quickly as possible .

News of the peace talks between the Great Snow Mountain and Shu-lik had not yet reached the frontlines . However, the troops of Shu-lik had received orders to lie low for now . The Great Snow Mountain had also been strictly following the orders left by the Dragon King before he had left the country . The two sides maintained a tense peace .

The situation remained this way from the time when Gu Shenwei went around the blockade and returned to the mountain pa.s.s via the small road . The threats from the outside had been resolved, but those from within remained .

Many things awaited the Dragon King"s attention, and of them, a few were particularly pressing .

First of all, several nearby groups of bandits had come to join in the activity . They did not have clear motives . Some had a feud with the Golden Roc Fort or Shu-lik while others wanted to fish in troubled waters . Yet others wanted to find shelter in these times of trouble . These men offended the honest sensibilities of the Snow Mountain swordsmen, who promptly chased them away out of their own accord .

Secondly, there was a severe divide within the Great Snow Mountain . This division had nothing to do with the feud with the Five Peaks . All the swordsmen were debating about a single problem: whether they should leave the Great Snow Mountain .

The old chief of Luoshen Peak, Long Qinying, was one of the loyal supporters of the Dragon King . However, he did not want to leave, regardless of whether he was alive or dead . "I"m old," he had said . He was deeply apologetic towards the Dragon King who had rushed back under the night sky . "My arms can lift a sword, but my legs can barely move . The Great Snow Mountain is my home . I must die here . "

There were many people who had the same mindset as Long Qinying . Most of them were old swordsmen . The Five Peaks of the Great Snow Mountain had only gathered about a thousand and two hundred people . These men comprised about a third of the people . The remaining younger swordsmen had not left their homes . They were all gripped in panic under the influence of their elders . "If we were to leave now, we might never be able to come back ever again . " This was the thoughts of many of them .

Gu Shenwei had never thought that, at the most crucial juncture, their sentimentality for their own hometown would defeat their desire for revenge . He lived for revenge and would die for revenge . He could not understand what these swordsmen were thinking about .

Gu Shenwei did not express his thoughts on the first day . He gathered the other chiefs from the other four peaks . Everyone had discussed that, if they were to attack the Golden Roc Fort, then the number of their troops must exceed a thousand . Someone even suggested to forcibly abduct the Luoshen tribe .

Finally, there was a matter of the state that Gu Shenwei could not decide was big or small . However, it had been affecting many residents of the mountains extensively .

A few months ago, Gu Shenwei had s.n.a.t.c.hed away a blacksmith by the name of Daga from the Shu-lik military camp . He had done it in order to forge even more weapons . Daga had wanted a hundred jin of Wushan refined iron while Xu Xiaoyi had sent a thousand jin .

Daga was originally a rather well-known blacksmith in Shu-lik . However, because he had killed someone by accident, he had been cast out of the country and sent to the borders . He continued his career in the military camp, and his fame grew due to his high standards of workmanship .

Daga"s obsession with iron and fire and his standards would not pale in comparison with Chu Nanping"s standards on swordcraft . He did not care about who he was manufacturing weapons for . He would not stop working as long as he had a furnace, anvil and other materials by his side .

Aside from a thousand jin of refined iron from Wushan, Daga had also asked for a long list of items . He had specifically requested for materials that he would have needed: charcoal from a certain country produced during a certain month, clear waters from a certain part of a certain river, stones from a certain hole and only the fats of a quencher . Also, he had chosen the wild bison produced from the Great Snow Mountain and had specified that it had to be male .

Xu Xiaoyi was stunned when he saw the list of items . However, he proved his capabilities with his own actions . After a month of hurrying to and fro, he had gathered all the materials that were required . Slowly, inch by inch, he entered the Great Snow Mountain via the small road .

The blacksmith Daga was satisfied . This was all that he had dreamed of and all his materials were laid out in front of him- not a single one was missing . He started murmuring the words, "Every book has its own beauty," every day dumbly like a nerd . It was as if a beautiful woman had appeared before him when he had least expected it . His heart was joyful beyond what words could describe .

He built a house in the hidden valley and led two disciples and several other helpers to produce weapons during the day and night . Very soon, his disciples and helpers had become acclimated to such tireless work . They took turns to help each other out .

Daga had not caught a single wink of sleep . He wished to witness the birth of his life"s greatest masterpiece .

The first sword was sc.r.a.pped . It could not even cut a burning piece of wood .

Daga threw it wordlessly into the furnace and immediately proceeded to the greater phase of his work: creating nine swords simultaneously .

"Nine," he murmured this number repeatedly . "This is my favorite number . It"s a mysterious number . It"s him . You will see it . "

G.o.d knows who he had been talking to .

The two disciples were extremely afraid . The villagers from the mountains who had been sent over to help the weapons production talked in hushed tones among themselves . From bewilderment to panic, they gradually grew a form of respect towards the process .

"The blacksmith is divine!" These words quickly spread throughout the Great Snow Mountain at a speed that was faster than a galloping horse .

Also, because of a small incident that had occurred, the two disciples had come to believe that their master was certainly someone who had attained divine qualities .

Daga was a methodical blacksmith . He was extremely strict about where the various materials were being placed . Hammers, anvils and other tools had to be placed within reach . However, one day, one of his disciples had placed the hammer in the wrong place . Daga had reached out for it, and when he didn"t find it, he turned around from his work and searched high and low all over the whole place . It was only after he had spent a long time before he had found the item .

From this episode, the two disciples discovered that their master had turned blind .

This incident had happened when Gu Shenwei was hurrying towards Shu-lik . Previously, he had only heard that the blacksmith"s actions had become stranger and stranger . Upon arriving at the Great Snow Mountain, someone told him something weirder .

On a certain night, the valley where Daga had been working in suddenly emitted a red light . The light raged and spurted like a long tongue reaching for the heavens . On the second day, many claimed that they had witnessed this incredible phenomenon . However, their testimonies were wildly different; there were talks of G.o.ds, ghosts, and demons .

For the first time in several months, Daga walked out of the house and proclaimed that the production of the weapons had been completed . "The Dragon King will be the first person to see them . " From then on, he sat at the doorstep . He didn"t eat; he only occasionally drank, with a mysterious smile on his face .

More and more residents from the mountains became moved by this phenomenon . A gradually number of residents joined the team that was guarding the door . This was because there were rumors of people who wanted to steal these nine magical weapons . These swords and blades have become a big part of the Great Snow Mountain . They became a sacred part .

This incident happened three days ago . Gu Shenwei had many things to resolve, however, this incident had been placed first . Already, there had been many men and women of different ages guarding the valley to wait for the Dragon King to examine the weapons .

This was a ceremony that was hastily organized . The five tribal chiefs had already invited three warlocks from the deepest reaches of the mountains . They had offered sacrifices to the Empyrean after the Dragon King"s return . There were nine horses, nine cows, nine sheep . Their blood spilled on the snow that had not changed for years . Some were spread on the Dragon King"s naked body . Their flesh were cleanly burnt while their organs were buried under the ground after a careful examination .

The warlocks announced that, after dawn the next day, they would deliver the prophecies that were crucial to the Great Snow Mountain . Before that, the Dragon King would receive the nine divine weapons .

Gu Shenwei could hardly touch his food all day long . The dried blood on his body also remained uncleaned, and he tossed and turned in bed the whole night . He was unable to sleep, so instead, he sat up in his tent and waited for dawn to arrive . There was no metal weapon beside him . At the same time, the villagers of the mountains were drinking wine as they wildly celebrated around the fire .

Gu Shenwei did not think about whether this practice was credible or not . His position as the Dragon King of the Great Snow Mountain was, to a large degree, due to the villagers" fear and respect toward the Giant Red-crowned Roc . He had to follow the customs of the locals .

The Golden Roc Fort did not believe in any faith . Hence, they were ama.s.sing their troops at this very moment, in preparation for a great battle with the Great Snow Mountain . That was all . Gu Shenwei did not want to keep thinking about this issue .

In the later half of the night, five a.s.sa.s.sins secretly crept into the tent in the hopes of a.s.sa.s.sinating the unarmed Dragon King . However, they were ambushed . Four of them were killed while the final man was taken alive .

Gu Shenwei"s suspicions were useful . The more than ten a.s.sa.s.sins had hidden inside the tent . They could not bring weapons so they were holding wooden sticks and oxen bones . Even so, the a.s.sa.s.sins tried to flee when they discovered the ambush . This made them die even sooner .

The five a.s.sa.s.sins came from the bandit gang that they supported . The swordsmen who learned about the killing flew into a rage . Before Gu Shenwei had given out his orders, they had ma.s.sacred almost half of the bandits who had come from foreign places . Those who were still alive had been tied up to await the Dragon King"s judgment .

Following which, the five chiefs took turns to visit the Dragon King, explaining to him the process of the ceremony and things to take note of .

In the early hours of the morning, there had already been over a thousand people gathered within and outside the blacksmith"s valley . Villagers from distant mountains had also arrived one after another . Everyone had felt that this must be the most important day of the Great Snow Mountain in many years .

The viscous blood of the sheep and cattle formed a thick cake over the snow, which created a visage of scorched earth . Gu Shenwei was extremely uncomfortable . However, he felt compelled to hold his head high and his back straight . He took solemn steps out of the tent and walked, while naked, towards a peak in the vicinity of the blacksmith"s valley . Over ten thousand mountain villagers followed behind him .

The peak of the mountain was still covered with a thick layer of snow . Three warlocks had started to wait at this spot since last night .

The first ray of sunlight lit the mountain peak and the warlocks prophesied in unison . "The weapons given by the G.o.ds will cut the weapons of mortals . The villagers of the Great Snow Mountain can leave their homeland . The heavens are above . This order cannot be violated . "

Each of the five peaks tribes chose a virgin and cleaned the blood stains on the Dragon King"s body with snow . Afterward, the five chiefs placed a black robe over the Dragon King"s body together .

Following which, the team was led by the blind blacksmith Daga and his disciples . The eight elite swordsmen carried a large bucket and walked through the thick crowd . They walked up to the mountain peak with the bucket which was filled with the fat of wild bison and urine . The nine swords were buried inside .

Gu Shenwei reached his hands into the wooden barrel and took out a sword from inside . He said loudly: "The Luoshen sword is thick and heavy . "

The Luoshen tribe"s chief held out his own sword .

Gu Shenwei swung the sword downward with force . The sword in the Luoshen chief"s hands sharply broke . The crowds on the hillside who looked on cheered in unison .

"The Danduo sword is big and st.u.r.dy . "

"The Daxue sword is broad and wide . "

"The Xiaoxue sword is refined and experienced . "

"The Huagai sword is sharp and precise . "

Gu Shenwei examined the sword of every single tribal chief . Cries of adulation came from the hillside which grew louder . Even the elderly, women and children had felt the calling of the G.o.ds . Their spirits were heavily bolstered and they became determined to join the Dragon King in his fight against the Golden Roc Fort .

"The Five Peaks Saber . " Gu Shenwei raised the sixth military weapon . Its design was exactly the same as that of the Golden Roc Fort"s saber . "Drink the blood of the enemy . "

The swordsmen pushed the lone captured a.s.sa.s.sin through the crowds . He landed before the Dragon King .

The a.s.sa.s.sin had become greatly disoriented by the wild crowd . He knelt down obediently . He did not feel any pain at all when the saber pierced through his heart .

The saber pierced deeply through him . It went in him so deeply that not a single inch of the blade was left hanging out of him . The whole body of the saber was soaked with fresh blood .

Gu Shenwei pulled out the Five Peaks Saber and planted it into the snow . With both hands, he reached deep into the wooden barrel and took out two knives which both had the same handles . "The left and right protective knives will only protect the virtuous . "

The last handle was a sword that was not more than three feet long and not more than three inches wide . Gu Shenwei lifted it up high . His heart, which had usually been closed, now seemed to be infected by a certain strength that entered his body . This magnified his voice to be ten times louder for no apparent reason at all .

"The Dragon King sword will taste its master"s blood first . " He then made a small cut on his forearm .

The five chiefs took the lead . More than 10,000 villagers of the Great Snow Mountain knelt down in rows . This was their custom of paying respect to the G.o.ds .

Gu Shenwei breathed a sigh of relief . Fortunately, he had not wasted too much time .

Chapter 266 Divine TroopsTranslator Transn Editor TransnShangguan Hong had given up all the secrets and was held for many days before he was released . After he had fled, the hatred in his heart for Slave Huan became deeply rooted . Gu Shenwei left with his unexpected gains . He had not found a way to utilize this information . However, the most important thing that he had to do now was to bring the over 1,000 swordsmen away from the Great Snow Mountain as quickly as possible . News of the peace talks between the Great Snow Mountain and Shu lik had not yet reached the frontlines . However, the troops of Shu lik had received orders to lie low for now . The Great Snow Mountain had also been strictly following the orders left by the Dragon King before he had left the country . The two sides maintained a tense peace . The situation remained this way from the time when Gu Shenwei went around the blockade and returned to the mountain pa.s.s via the small road . The threats from the outside had been resolved, but those from within remained . Many things awaited the Dragon King s attention, and of them, a few were particularly pressing . First of all, several nearby groups of bandits had come to join in the activity . They did not have clear motives . Some had a feud with the Golden Roc Fort or Shu lik while others wanted to fish in troubled waters . Yet others wanted to find shelter in these times of trouble . These men offended the honest sensibilities of the Snow Mountain swordsmen, who promptly chased them away out of their own accord . Secondly, there was a severe divide within the Great Snow Mountain . This division had nothing to do with the feud with the Five Peaks . All the swordsmen were debating about a single problem whether they should leave the Great Snow Mountain . The old chief of Luoshen Peak, Long Qinying, was one of the loyal supporters of the Dragon King . However, he did not want to leave, regardless of whether he was alive or dead . I m old, he had said . He was deeply apologetic towards the Dragon King who had rushed back under the night sky . My arms can lift a sword, but my legs can barely move . The Great Snow Mountain is my home . I must die here . There were many people who had the same mindset as Long Qinying . Most of them were old swordsmen . The Five Peaks of the Great Snow Mountain had only gathered about a thousand and two hundred people . These men comprised about a third of the people . The remaining younger swordsmen had not left their homes . They were all gripped in panic under the influence of their elders . If we were to leave now, we might never be able to come back ever again . This was the thoughts of many of them . Gu Shenwei had never thought that, at the most crucial juncture, their sentimentality for their own hometown would defeat their desire for revenge . He lived for revenge and would die for revenge . He could not understand what these swordsmen were thinking about . Gu Shenwei did not express his thoughts on the first day . He gathered the other chiefs from the other four peaks . Everyone had discussed that, if they were to attack the Golden Roc Fort, then the number of their troops must exceed a thousand . Someone even suggested to forcibly abduct the Luoshen tribe . Finally, there was a matter of the state that Gu Shenwei could not decide was big or small . However, it had been affecting many residents of the mountains extensively . A few months ago, Gu Shenwei had s.n.a.t.c.hed away a blacksmith by the name of Daga from the Shu lik military camp . He had done it in order to forge even more weapons . Daga had wanted a hundred jin of Wushan refined iron while Xu Xiaoyi had sent a thousand jin . Daga was originally a rather well known blacksmith in Shu lik . However, because he had killed someone by accident, he had been cast out of the country and sent to the borders . He continued his career in the military camp, and his fame grew due to his high standards of workmanship . Daga s obsession with iron and fire and his standards would not pale in comparison with Chu Nanping s standards on swordcraft . He did not care about who he was manufacturing weapons for . He would not stop working as long as he had a furnace, anvil and other materials by his side . Aside from a thousand jin of refined iron from Wushan, Daga had also asked for a long list of items . He had specifically requested for materials that he would have needed charcoal from a certain country produced during a certain month, clear waters from a certain part of a certain river, stones from a certain hole and only the fats of a quencher . Also, he had chosen the wild bison produced from the Great Snow Mountain and had specified that it had to be male . Xu Xiaoyi was stunned when he saw the list of items . However, he proved his capabilities with his own actions . After a month of hurrying to and fro, he had gathered all the materials that were required . Slowly, inch by inch, he entered the Great Snow Mountain via the small road . The blacksmith Daga was satisfied . This was all that he had dreamed of and all his materials were laid out in front of him not a single one was missing . He started murmuring the words, Every book has its own beauty, every day dumbly like a nerd . It was as if a beautiful woman had appeared before him when he had least expected it . His heart was joyful beyond what words could describe . He built a house in the hidden valley and led two disciples and several other helpers to produce weapons during the day and night . Very soon, his disciples and helpers had become acclimated to such tireless work . They took turns to help each other out . Daga had not caught a single wink of sleep . He wished to witness the birth of his life s greatest masterpiece . The first sword was sc.r.a.pped . It could not even cut a burning piece of wood . Daga threw it wordlessly into the furnace and immediately proceeded to the greater phase of his work creating nine swords simultaneously . Nine, he murmured this number repeatedly . This is my favorite number . It s a mysterious number . It s him . You will see it . G.o.d knows who he had been talking to . The two disciples were extremely afraid . The villagers from the mountains who had been sent over to help the weapons production talked in hushed tones among themselves . From bewilderment to panic, they gradually grew a form of respect towards the process . The blacksmith is divine These words quickly spread throughout the Great Snow Mountain at a speed that was faster than a galloping horse . Also, because of a small incident that had occurred, the two disciples had come to believe that their master was certainly someone who had attained divine qualities . Daga was a methodical blacksmith . He was extremely strict about where the various materials were being placed . Hammers, anvils and other tools had to be placed within reach . However, one day, one of his disciples had placed the hammer in the wrong place . Daga had reached out for it, and when he didn t find it, he turned around from his work and searched high and low all over the whole place . It was only after he had spent a long time before he had found the item . From this episode, the two disciples discovered that their master had turned blind . This incident had happened when Gu Shenwei was hurrying towards Shu lik . Previously, he had only heard that the blacksmith s actions had become stranger and stranger . Upon arriving at the Great Snow Mountain, someone told him something weirder . On a certain night, the valley where Daga had been working in suddenly emitted a red light . The light raged and spurted like a long tongue reaching for the heavens . On the second day, many claimed that they had witnessed this incredible phenomenon . However, their testimonies were wildly different there were talks of G.o.ds, ghosts, and demons . For the first time in several months, Daga walked out of the house and proclaimed that the production of the weapons had been completed . The Dragon King will be the first person to see them . From then on, he sat at the doorstep . He didn t eat he only occasionally drank, with a mysterious smile on his face . More and more residents from the mountains became moved by this phenomenon . A gradually number of residents joined the team that was guarding the door . This was because there were rumors of people who wanted to steal these nine magical weapons . These swords and blades have become a big part of the Great Snow Mountain . They became a sacred part . This incident happened three days ago . Gu Shenwei had many things to resolve, however, this incident had been placed first . Already, there had been many men and women of different ages guarding the valley to wait for the Dragon King to examine the weapons . This was a ceremony that was hastily organized . The five tribal chiefs had already invited three warlocks from the deepest reaches of the mountains . They had offered sacrifices to the Empyrean after the Dragon King s return . There were nine horses, nine cows, nine sheep . Their blood spilled on the snow that had not changed for years . Some were spread on the Dragon King s naked body . Their flesh were cleanly burnt while their organs were buried under the ground after a careful examination . The warlocks announced that, after dawn the next day, they would deliver the prophecies that were crucial to the Great Snow Mountain . Before that, the Dragon King would receive the nine divine weapons . Gu Shenwei could hardly touch his food all day long . The dried blood on his body also remained uncleaned, and he tossed and turned in bed the whole night . He was unable to sleep, so instead, he sat up in his tent and waited for dawn to arrive . There was no metal weapon beside him . At the same time, the villagers of the mountains were drinking wine as they wildly celebrated around the fire . Gu Shenwei did not think about whether this practice was credible or not . His position as the Dragon King of the Great Snow Mountain was, to a large degree, due to the villagers fear and respect toward the Giant Red crowned Roc . He had to follow the customs of the locals . The Golden Roc Fort did not believe in any faith . Hence, they were ama.s.sing their troops at this very moment, in preparation for a great battle with the Great Snow Mountain . That was all . Gu Shenwei did not want to keep thinking about this issue . In the later half of the night, five a.s.sa.s.sins secretly crept into the tent in the hopes of a.s.sa.s.sinating the unarmed Dragon King . However, they were ambushed . Four of them were killed while the final man was taken alive . Gu Shenwei s suspicions were useful . The more than ten a.s.sa.s.sins had hidden inside the tent . They could not bring weapons so they were holding wooden sticks and oxen bones . Even so, the a.s.sa.s.sins tried to flee when they discovered the ambush . This made them die even sooner . The five a.s.sa.s.sins came from the bandit gang that they supported . The swordsmen who learned about the killing flew into a rage . Before Gu Shenwei had given out his orders, they had ma.s.sacred almost half of the bandits who had come from foreign places . Those who were still alive had been tied up to await the Dragon King s judgment . Following which, the five chiefs took turns to visit the Dragon King, explaining to him the process of the ceremony and things to take note of . In the early hours of the morning, there had already been over a thousand people gathered within and outside the blacksmith s valley . Villagers from distant mountains had also arrived one after another . Everyone had felt that this must be the most important day of the Great Snow Mountain in many years . The viscous blood of the sheep and cattle formed a thick cake over the snow, which created a visage of scorched earth . Gu Shenwei was extremely uncomfortable . However, he felt compelled to hold his head high and his back straight . He took solemn steps out of the tent and walked, while naked, towards a peak in the vicinity of the blacksmith s valley . Over ten thousand mountain villagers followed behind him . The peak of the mountain was still covered with a thick layer of snow . Three warlocks had started to wait at this spot since last night . The first ray of sunlight lit the mountain peak and the warlocks prophesied in unison . The weapons given by the G.o.ds will cut the weapons of mortals . The villagers of the Great Snow Mountain can leave their homeland . The heavens are above . This order cannot be violated . Each of the five peaks tribes chose a virgin and cleaned the blood stains on the Dragon King s body with snow . Afterward, the five chiefs placed a black robe over the Dragon King s body together . Following which, the team was led by the blind blacksmith Daga and his disciples . The eight elite swordsmen carried a large bucket and walked through the thick crowd . They walked up to the mountain peak with the bucket which was filled with the fat of wild bison and urine . The nine swords were buried inside . Gu Shenwei reached his hands into the wooden barrel and took out a sword from inside . He said loudly The Luoshen sword is thick and heavy . The Luoshen tribe s chief held out his own sword . Gu Shenwei swung the sword downward with force . The sword in the Luoshen chief s hands sharply broke . The crowds on the hillside who looked on cheered in unison . The Danduo sword is big and st.u.r.dy . The Daxue sword is broad and wide . The Xiaoxue sword is refined and experienced . The Huagai sword is sharp and precise . Gu Shenwei examined the sword of every single tribal chief . Cries of adulation came from the hillside which grew louder . Even the elderly, women and children had felt the calling of the G.o.ds . Their spirits were heavily bolstered and they became determined to join the Dragon King in his fight against the Golden Roc Fort . The Five Peaks Saber . Gu Shenwei raised the sixth military weapon . Its design was exactly the same as that of the Golden Roc Fort s saber . Drink the blood of the enemy . The swordsmen pushed the lone captured a.s.sa.s.sin through the crowds . He landed before the Dragon King . The a.s.sa.s.sin had become greatly disoriented by the wild crowd . He knelt down obediently . He did not feel any pain at all when the saber pierced through his heart . The saber pierced deeply through him . It went in him so deeply that not a single inch of the blade was left hanging out of him . The whole body of the saber was soaked with fresh blood . Gu Shenwei pulled out the Five Peaks Saber and planted it into the snow . With both hands, he reached deep into the wooden barrel and took out two knives which both had the same handles . The left and right protective knives will only protect the virtuous . The last handle was a sword that was not more than three feet long and not more than three inches wide . Gu Shenwei lifted it up high . His heart, which had usually been closed, now seemed to be infected by a certain strength that entered his body . This magnified his voice to be ten times louder for no apparent reason at all . The Dragon King sword will taste its master s blood first . He then made a small cut on his forearm . The five chiefs took the lead . More than 10,000 villagers of the Great Snow Mountain knelt down in rows . This was their custom of paying respect to the G.o.ds . Gu Shenwei breathed a sigh of relief . Fortunately, he had not wasted too much time .