Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
“They do look very similar,” the storekeeper had sharp eyes and he soon recognized the palm bone. It was actually more than similar. In this industry, a donut peach would be said to only be worth something equal to a moldy peach. To buy low and sell high was the only way to earn money.
If this man hadn’t said that it was the most precious thing his tribe had and he said it quite confidently, the shopkeeper would not even say they looked similar.
The frail scholar had his eyes wide open and said loudly, “Looks similar! This palm bone was discovered at my family fairy’s tomb. It has never been refined before but already had the power equal to precious weapon. It could drive away demons and ward off curses!”
He had a price on his mind… the shopkeeper thought to himself. He looked at the scholar from top to toe and said, “How much do you want then?”
The scholar grit his teeth and answered, “At least five Low-Grade Previous Weapons!”
“Five Low-Grade Previous Weapons?” The shopkeeper was stunned hearing it, “Are you out of your mind? Five!”
The scholar was surprised at his reaction and stepped backward. He said in a lower voice, “Then you tell me.”
The shopkeeper took the palm bone dimmed with vague light and checked it over. At last he said with a sincere look, “This is simply a major material for making Precious Weapon. You are a scholar and know nothing about the market, but I do not want to disappoint you but I cannot also cheat my boss. Five Masterworks of Sharp Instruments at most. You will be a rich man by selling them!”
The scholar’s face turned red and raise his right hand pointing at the shopkeeper. He said, “You are taking advantage of me!’
He took away Pitch-Dark Palm Bone, turned around and walked away. The shopkeeper said a few more words behind but the scholar kept walking away. The shopkeeper made a gesture and a fellow came inside. He talked to the fellow in a low voice, “Find me two bodyguards and ask them to…”
The Pavilion of Treasures was the name for a shop selling precious weapons. It had many branches in different states and cities and its stock was rich and diversified. It was said that the Pavilion of Treasures was closely related with Tie Yi Pavilion. Every store was guarded.
The scholar walked in a crowded street carrying the palm bone in his bosom with an angry look. He tried to find another shop.
Suddenly he bumped into someone and almost fell. Before he opened his mouth to shout at the man, he walked away and soon disappeared in the crowd.
“What the hell!” the scholar shouted and rubbed his arm and kept walking.
After a while he arrived at the An Jin Pavilion. He searched his waist and suddenly froze. His face soon turned blue.
“Thief!”
He cried out loud and headed back but he couldn’t find the thief anywhere.
A bodyguard stood near watching at him walking here and there with cold eyes.
At the Pavilion of Treasures, the shopkeeper played the palm bone with his fingers and felt it to be so cold, as cold as snow.
“Nice,” he carried the palm bone and walked upstairs to the third floor and knocked door of one room.
Headquarters sent an appraiser and he should knew it better than himself about the value of this palm bone.
“Come in,” a voice of old man rang up.
The shopkeeper pushed the door open and walked inside carefully. He said in a polite manner, “Mr. Dong, I have recently bought a treasure but not quite sure about its value. Could you please help to take a look at it?”
Dong was an elder with thin white hair looked up and saw the palm bone. He exclaimed slightly, stood up and took it in hand.
After a long while, his face turned red and said, “This, I’m afraid, is the remains of a Dharmakaya who practiced arts of the demon and death kind. This can be used as auxiliary material to make Heavenly Weapons or main material for Masterworks of Precious Weapons. Weapons made by this will have great power!”
“Remains of a Dharmakaya?” the shopkeeper squinted his eyes and was very surprised. It was more valuable than he thought!
He thought for a moment and told Dong the fact that he stole it just in case if any trouble might happen in future.
Dong grinned and said calmly, “The precious stone lands its innocent possessor in jail. You did well. The boss will reward you.”
“We are going to have an auction soon and this can be one of the most precious article to be sold.”
And then the palm bone was sent to the flagship shop in the state secretly. The top appraiser checked it carefully and confirmed it to be remains of Dharmakaya.”
Then, every article and its profile were sent to the powerful participants in the auction.
…
At a dark hall filled with rolling dark mist with its walls carved with grotesque demons and devils, demons with six arms and black nails, demons with one eye and no mouth, demons with antenna, demons with its body covered with flakes. One cast a glance and would definitely feel the deepest horror.
Above inside the hall, the black mist gathered and became a lotus throne.
It seemed to be made by black diamonds with its petals stretching outward lively and quietly in the darkness. On top of it, a man sat with his back facing the entrance in dark color robe with his hair bounded with wooden hairpin.
“Master, I have a news to tell you,” a tall man walked into the hall. One could not see his face and body clearly.
“What news?” The lotus throne turned around facing the entrance. It was Devil Master Han Guang! He had deep eyes and a very handsome clear-cut face with devil-like charm.
he became more sedate compared to the past. Now he looked like an experienced senior monk who had read tons of scripts. A swastika loomed between his eyebrows.
The man said, “Master, the Pavilion of Treasures sent me an invitation to participate in its auction together with the details. And I saw one item very similar to the palm bone you got from the Life-and-Death Fugacity Sect.”
He took out a transparent stone and showed the picture of the Pitch-Dark Palm Bone in white light showing life and death Samsara.
Han Guang smiled and said, “Another Nether Palm Bones.”
Nether Palm Bone? The man was stunned slightly. That means it’s invaluable!
Master recognized it so quickly!
Han Guang put both his hands on knees like Buddha and Devil and said, “The Corpse of the Nether was in Life-and-Death Fugacity Sect’s hand and only very few palm bones left in the world. They might put it in the market on purpose to attract those who knew its real value.”
He then murmured to himself, “Could it be that the Nether Emperor already became a Dharmakaya and is now confident enough to challenge me by the help of his sect?”
He had a few Nether Palm Bones.
The demon did not answer. He could see that his master was thinking.
After a while, Han Guang said calmly, “Check out this palm bone first.”
….
At a secret place full of ancient tombs. White bones piled up like mountains and the sky was extremely low as if it was only three feet high for everyone no matter how tall they were.
If one looked carefully at the tombs, one could find out that the tombs lined up by certain rule. The deeper one went inside, you got a stronger feeling of death and less grass grew. But once reaching the core, Yang appeared when there were too much Yin and grass grew by the tomb lively reaching the height of a child!
Inside the tomb it’s dead quiet. A huge, dark and heavy coffin was placed. It’s longer than 20 feet and was carved with underworld prints. Two oil lamps stood by top and bottom of the coffin, burning in green light. The dim light shone on the stone wall.
Suddenly a man with a smell of blood walked inside quickly and said, “Master, a Nether Palm Bone was discovered!”
“Nether Palm Bone? That greedy Han Guang wants to use it to have me trapped and then have the whole Corpse of Nether?” A deep calm voice came out from the coffin as if water flowing out from the void.
The guru displayed the picture of the bone and said in a low voice, “Master, I felt there is something wrong with this palm bone.”
An air of coldness came out and wrapped the picture. After a while, the Nether Emperor said, “Yeah. It’s a bit different.”
Though the other palm bone is now in Han Guang’s hand but it has been in Life-and-Death Fugacity Sect’s hands for years and he knew its features quite well. Especially the Nether was an Evil God and its left hand and right hand bones were a bit different. So it was easy for him to tell.
“Could it be the one that we’ve been searching?” the guru asked.
According to the Patriarch, when the Corpse of Nether was found, one palm bone had no power at all as if it was fake. Therefore all doubts that someone found the corpse beforehand and only took one palm bone and replaced it with a fake one by some reason.”
The Nether Emperor said slowly, “It could be a trap.”
“Then are we going to ignore it?” the guru asked with no facial expression as if he could not move his eyebrows.
The Nether Emperor said in a husky voice, “No. If it’s real, we should get it by all means.”
If it’s the real one, there must be something different about it since it was stolen beforehand. Maybe it had the biggest secret about the Nether and could help him to advance to the next level!
“By all means…” the guru repeated.
The Nether Emperor said coldly, “We, the Life-and-Death Fugacity Sect have been in this world for thousands of years. Though we’ve faced calamities several times but every time we managed to overcome it and get back on our feet again. We did it because we have our own heritage and I can say that our heritage is more powerful than Shao Lin’s!”
“If the bone was real, I don’t mind losing some heritage!”
Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the tomb and the stone wall on the back of coffin shook. The Restrictive Spell was broken.
The smell of a corpse assaulted the guru and he could not help trembling with horror as if he saw Flying Yaksha and the goddess of drought standing in front of him.
He looked inside and saw a secret hall behind the stone wall. Inside placed five bronze ancient coffins carved with mysterious prints not for the purpose for protection but rather for suppression. On top of each coffin stood three oil lamps burning in green light.
The air of death was everywhere!
Three coffins in the center did not have any memorial tablet, which made them more mysterious. And the two coffins on the outer side had two tablets standing by them, written separately with ‘King of Corpse’ and ‘Emperor of Hell.’
The guru soon realized that these two are the corpses of the most recent two Dharmakaya patriarchs!
And the Dharmakaya patriarchs before them, their corpses were ruined because of the calamities.
“Who can play the art of controlling a corpse better than me in the world? Slough of the Earth Fairy in Cao Family’s hand was like casting pearls into darkness!” The Nether Emperor said, “we can find any corpse that we want.”
“Go find someone and ask him to take the ‘King of Corpse’ to snatch the Nether Palm Bones!”
He could afford to lose it.
“Understood, master,” the man answered and bowed.
Then he heard bones shaking again and light of three oil lamps suddenly died out. The bronze coffin slowly opened.
Suddenly a hand with flesh and blood stretching out like human’s hand but then soon it grew red hair!
