"Could it be that this Ban Gongcuo has improved the Sorcerer Sovereign Tower-Luo Scripture?"
Duke Wei was somewhat puzzled, murmuring: "I've crossed swords with masters from the Loulan Golden Palace. Their cultivation methods use the soul as the foundation—though they temper their bodies to a golden sheen, their techniques mostly rely on the soul as the primary means of attack. But this young barbarian walks the path of physical cultivation, and his technique doesn't quite match the Sorcerer Sovereign Tower-Luo Scripture either. It's rather too violent..."
As a first-rank official and a Cult Master-level existence, he immediately perceived something extraordinary about Qin Mu. Yet despite his extraordinary insight, he could only tell that Qin Mu's Sorcerer Sovereign Tower-Luo Scripture seemed both familiar and off—never realizing that Qin Mu was actually employing the Heaven-God Creation Art.
Each of the Seven Creation Chapters of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra had its own unique strengths. The Heaven-God Creation Art excelled at mimicking the techniques of others. Grandma Si had once used this very art to impersonate Fu Yundi, Lord of Xianglong City, so convincingly that she was indistinguishable from the real one.
Qin Mu struck Yuan Jing dead with a single palm. The monks of Nantuo Sub-Palace were instantly filled with righteous fury. Another monk stepped forward and shouted: "You took our Nantuo Monastery's sacred treasure to slay our people! Do you really think Nantuo Monastery has no one left? I, Yuan Shan, will take you on—"
Qin Mu reached out and grabbed. A crack of thunder erupted. Before Yuan Shan could finish his sentence, he collapsed stiffly to the ground, his body lifelike with not a single wound upon it, his heart still beating.
Several monks rushed over and felt for Yuan Shan's breath. He was still alive, but his eyes had already closed.
"Stop checking. His soul has scattered."
Qin Mu said: "I seized his soul with a grab and annihilated it directly."
"Weren't we supposed to be testing each other?"
The monks laughed furiously and roared: "Why do you keep killing!"
Qin Mu said calmly: "These are the rules beyond the frontier. Once you strike, life and death are no longer a concern. I thought the people of the State of Yankang still had some backbone. I didn't expect you'd grown so pampered that you fear death. It seems I came to the wrong place—this Thousand-Banner Pagoda should remain in my Loulan Golden Palace. You are not its destined ones."
"Insolent!"
A monk bellowed and suddenly charged forward, wielding a khakkhara staff. The staff bore nine rings adorned with nine treasures. With a violent shake it clanged and rang, its sound shaking the soul.
Qin Mu stood motionless, letting the staff strike his head before catching it. He wrenched it hard, and the monk's hands were torn open, his palms ground raw.
Pfft.
Qin Mu hurled the staff, skewering the monk through the heart and pinning him to the ground. The monk drew his last breath.
Duke Wei shook his head: "The monks of Nantuo Monastery have all become gluttonous monks. These years of living in luxury have left them far too weak—at the same cultivation realm, none of them stand a chance against him. The sorcery of the Loulan Golden Palace is sinister and devious—annihilating an opponent's soul is entirely possible. But something isn't quite right. I've never seen his techniques before. Could the Sorcerer Sovereign have created some new divine ability?"
Wei Yong still hadn't found Qin Mu and thought to himself: "He asked me to come watch the show—so where did he disappear to?"
Several middle-aged monks emerged from Nantuo Sub-Palace, their faces grave. One of them spoke in a deep voice: "Someone go to the Grand Court of Judicature and report the crime—let the authorities arrest him! And another, go to the Crown Prince's villa and invite the Grand Master here!"
The other monks' eyes lit up, and they hurried off.
The Grand Court of Judicature was responsible for investigating cases. Nantuo Sub-Palace had no need to fight Qin Mu to the death—they simply needed the authorities to arrest him and throw him in prison, and the Thousand-Banner Pagoda would naturally return to Nantuo Monastery.
Qin Mu had killed someone in the capital, so it was only natural for the Grand Court of Judicature to investigate. Moreover, Nantuo Monastery had people within the court, making things even easier.
At the Crown Prince's villa, a monk rushed in in a panic: "Grand Master, something terrible has happened! Someone is causing havoc at our Nantuo Sub-Palace!"
Sun Nantuo sat like a great Buddha in meditation. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and looked at the Crown Prince—a middle-aged man who appeared not much younger than Emperor Yanfeng. The Crown Prince stroked his beard and smiled: "Could it be some little demon from the Heavenly Demon Cult coming for revenge?"
The monk shook his head: "It's not the Heavenly Demon Cult. He's a disciple of the Loulan Golden Palace from beyond the frontier, called Ban Gongcuo. He brought the sacred treasure of our Nantuo Monastery—the Thousand-Banner Pagoda—which has been missing for several hundred years. He claims he will gift it to the one destined to receive it. Whoever defeats him at the same cultivation realm will receive the Thousand-Banner Pagoda. Several of our senior brothers stepped forward to challenge him, but he killed without hesitation—he's killed many of our senior brothers!"
Sun Nantuo's expression darkened slightly: "You indulge in wine and women instead of cultivating the Dharma. You brought this upon yourselves. But the Thousand-Banner Pagoda is Nantuo Monastery's sacred treasure, lost beyond the frontier centuries ago. It must be brought back."
The Crown Prince frowned slightly: "Grand Preceptor, the Heavenly Demon Cult has already lost two Heavenly Kings in succession. Given the nature of this foremost sacred site of the demonic path, they certainly won't let it rest. Now this disciple of the Loulan Golden Palace suddenly appears—could it be a trap? I've heard that after forty years, the Heavenly Demon Cult finally has a new Cult Master, and his origins are still unknown..."
Sun Nantuo rose and said calmly: "Your Highness, your information is a bit outdated. The new Cult Master's background has already come to light. I received word from the Great Thunderclap Monastery—the new Cult Master is a scholar at the Imperial Academy, surnamed Qin, given name Mu, an outcast from the Great Ruins. Just recently, His Majesty promoted him to Fifth-Rank Grand Consultant."
"So it's him!"
The Crown Prince stood up in surprise: "The new Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult may be young, but the sect still has its strongmen and strategists—we must be cautious. Grand Preceptor, I didn't realize you still have connections with the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Could you arrange a meeting for me?"
"That can be arranged." Sun Nantuo walked outward and said, "The Old Tathagata also wishes very much to meet Your Highness."
The Crown Prince followed him and said with a smile: "I'll come along to see this Ban Gongcuo of the Loulan Golden Palace and find out whether he's truly from the Loulan Golden Palace—or from the Heavenly Demon Cult."
Before long, several officials from the Grand Court of Judicature arrived and, upon seeing Duke Wei, quickly paid their respects.
Duke Wei caught sight of Sun Nantuo and the Crown Prince approaching and called out at the top of his lungs: "The Emperor once decreed that court matters belong to the court, and jianghu matters belong to the jianghu. This is a jianghu grudge—the Grand Court of Judicature has no need to interfere. Otherwise, with people fighting and killing each other every day in the jianghu, would you even have time to handle it all? Wait until an imperial official is dead before you show up. Lord Sun, Your Highness—come over here and watch the show!"
Sun Nantuo's expression darkened. The Crown Prince smiled: "Grand Preceptor, we'd better go over. If we don't, that loudmouth Duke Wei will make sure the entire capital hears about it. Speaking of which, the rules Father Emperor set all those years ago really should be revised."
What Duke Wei had just stated was the old decree the Emperor had established with the major sects: court affairs belong to the court, jianghu affairs belong to the jianghu, and the two shall not interfere with each other. Although the monks of Nantuo Monastery were disciples of the Crown Prince's Grand Preceptor Sun Nantuo, most of them held no official positions—they were merely jianghu folk.
Sun Nantuo and the Crown Prince arrived at Duke Wei's side. As they talked, Qin Mu killed several more monks, inciting the entire Nantuo Sub-Palace into a fury. Numerous monks clamored to shed his blood in open fight.
The middle-aged monks, seeing more and more people gathering around, feared Nantuo Monastery's reputation would be tarnished and quickly silenced the crowd.
"Your Grace, Your Highness, Lord Sun!"