Chapter 166: The Woodcutter Passes on His Teachings
In the capital, at the National Preceptor’s residence.
The chief clerk hurried in to report, saying, “National Preceptor, unusual activity has occurred in Yongzhou City. High-ranking members of the Heavenly Demon Sect have gathered in Yongzhou, countless sect leaders among them. Suddenly, the city lord’s mansion in Yongzhou vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but empty ground.”
Yankang National Preceptor was reviewing various memorials sent by the emperor. Without lifting his head, he said, “I understand.”
The chief clerk hesitated, then said, “National Preceptor, this is the Heavenly Demon Sect, the foremost sect of the demonic path. For this to happen now, we must be on guard…”
Yankang National Preceptor looked up and asked, “Yunyang, do you know who the founder of the Heavenly Demon Sect is?”
Yunyang, the chief clerk, shook his head.
Yankang National Preceptor said calmly, “If you knew who he was, you wouldn’t be so flustered. He was once the Grand Sacrificial Priest of our Imperial Academy.”
Yunyang’s heart shook violently, and he blurted out, “It’s him? National Preceptor, the founder of the Heavenly Demon Sect served as the Grand Sacrificial Priest of the Imperial Academy for so many years—this is treason! Over those years, how many officials and generals did he teach? His influence must extend into the court and the military! National Preceptor, this cannot be ignored; the army might already be filled with his people!”
Yankang National Preceptor was speechless, then shook his head and said, “You’re overthinking this. Just because the Heavenly Demon Sect’s founder taught scholars, does that make them all members of his sect? If that were the case, wouldn’t I have to be arrested and executed too?”
He stood up, paced slowly, his gaze sharp, and continued, “Back then, I traveled far and wide, learning from the strengths of various schools. I saw that the sects of the world were fragmented, hoarding their knowledge, hindering the progress of divine arts and techniques. So I visited them, hoping to break down the barriers between the major sects. The first person I met was the Heavenly Demon Sect’s founder. He was the first to set aside sectarian views and teach me wholeheartedly, and he was the one who showed me a clear path.”
A look of reverence appeared in his eyes as he said, “After that, he personally recommended me, letting me take his letter to meet the Daoist Sect’s Leader. It was because of his letter that the Leader regarded me differently, favoring me and allowing me to study the fourteen chapters of the Dao Sword. It was also he who sent me to the Great Thunderclap Monastery to meet the Tathagata and receive the scriptures. Though he never revealed his identity, he couldn’t hide it from me, nor did he deliberately try.”
Yunyang’s shock was beyond measure.
Yankang National Preceptor said, “I invited him to come out of seclusion and help me manage the Imperial Academy. Why? Not because of his abilities, not because he was the founder of the Heavenly Demon Sect, but because of his breadth of vision. He was the first person I’d met with such a vast mind, such purity. Only he was fit to oversee the Imperial Academy! Now that he has left, it must be to attend to matters concerning the next leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.”
“The next leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
Yunyang steadied himself and asked, “The Heavenly Demon Sect hasn’t had a leader for over forty years, and now they’ve elected one? National Preceptor, this is a serious matter. Should we report it to the emperor?”
Yankang National Preceptor said, “Write a memorial and present it to the emperor. As for the origins of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s founder, you need not elaborate.”
Yunyang accepted the order, then added, “News from the Imperial Academy says the emperor has ordered Gu Linuan to succeed as the Grand Sacrificial Priest.”
“I understand.”
Yankang National Preceptor waved his hand and said, “My influence is too great; it’s only natural for the emperor to be concerned. Otherwise, I would be uneasy myself. But Gu Linuan’s learning and virtue are both unworthy of the position of Grand Sacrificial Priest of the Imperial Academy. He might be fit to be the Crown Prince’s Guardian, but as Grand Sacrificial Priest, he falls far short. However, I cannot speak out on this matter.”
Yunyang pondered and then asked, “How should we handle the election of the new leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
Yankang National Preceptor said calmly, “Those who follow will prosper; those who oppose will perish. You need not worry about this. I will meet this new leader myself.”
Yunyang withdrew from the room.
At the Daoist Sect, on Dao Mountain.
Danyangzi hurried up the mountain and arrived at the Dao Sage Hall. A white-haired, white-browed old man was sitting on the ground, gazing at a pool of clear water before him.
Danyangzi quickly said, “Sect Leader, unusual activity has occurred at the Heavenly Demon Sect’s stronghold. The sect’s experts have gathered in Yongzhou, and with a wave of their banner, the city lord’s mansion vanished along with them.”
The white-browed, white-haired old man opened his eyes and said slowly, “It seems the Heavenly Demon Sect has a new leader. The sect fabricates history, borrows the name of sages to spread false doctrines, and brings chaos to all beings. Their internal strife—where the saintess killed the leader—violates moral order, and the leader marrying a disciple defies human ethics. Many of their followers practice evil arts, using human lives for cultivation, accepting all without discrimination. They’ve been without a leader for forty years, and now they’ve chosen another. This is unlikely to be a blessing for the common people.”
Danyangzi asked, “What should our Daoist Sect do?”
“Find out the identity of this new demonic leader and wait for an opportunity to eliminate him.”
“Understood.”
Danyangzi then said, “Yankang National Preceptor follows the doctrines of the Heavenly Demon Sect as his guiding principle. The Yankang Kingdom itself is like a vast Heavenly Demon Sect, accepting all without discrimination. What should our Daoist Sect do?”
The Sect Leader’s gaze was deep as he stared at the pool of water, speaking unhurriedly, “Yankang National Preceptor is ambitious, but his abilities cannot support his ambitions. History has seen empires grander than Yankang and geniuses more brilliant than him, yet they all turned to dust, becoming ruins. This world is more complex than he imagines. When he hits the wall and shatters into pieces, he will understand.”
Danyangzi dared not say more, bowed, and withdrew.
“Your Holiness, the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect have vanished from Yongzhou City, along with the city lord’s mansion.”
At the Great Thunderclap Monastery, an old monk entered the treasure hall, seeking an audience with the Tathagata, and said, “The prefect of Yongzhou was Elder Yulin of the Heavenly Demon Sect, a fearsome figure. Yongzhou has become an impregnable fortress for the sect. Someone also spotted the woman who defeated the Buddha Son in Yongzhou, suspected to be a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect.”
The Tathagata opened his eyes in surprise and asked, “Wasn’t that woman a scholar of the Imperial Academy? Why would she be a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
The old monk said, “Her name is Si Yunxiang. She only entered the Imperial Academy this year, and the academy hasn’t had time to teach her much. How could she have the ability to defeat the Buddha Son? She comes from the Si family, the same clan as the former leader’s wife, Si Youyou. The Si family is also a major aristocratic house in Yankang.”
The Tathagata said, “Could the new leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect come from the Si family?”
“Unknown. No news has come yet.”
The Tathagata nodded and said, “The Imperial Academy used the Heavenly Demon Sect’s saintess to defeat our Great Thunderclap Monastery’s holy son. This matter cannot be resolved lightly. Go and continue having the various temples gather information.”
The old monk accepted the order and added, “There is one more thing. The Horse King God has emerged from the Great Ruins.” With that, he turned and descended the mountain.
The Tathagata was momentarily stunned.
At Saint Prostrate Mountain, various mysterious sounds reached Qin Mu’s ears, wondrous and strange. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he found himself as a passerby walking through the mountains, hearing the sound of chopping wood in the distance.
He followed the sound and saw a woodcutter cutting wood under a pine and cypress tree. The woodcutter’s axe traced mysterious patterns as it struck the tree, once, then again, captivating Qin Mu, who felt he could grasp some insight from it.
He stood by, entranced, watching the woodcutter’s axe. The axe struck the pine and cypress, leaving a deep mark, but when the axe lifted, the wound on the tree healed flat, leaving no trace.
Each stroke of the woodcutter’s axe left a different impression on him.
“Passerby, you’ve been watching for so long. What have you seen?”
The woodcutter put away his axe, turned to look at him, and said, “Your family members have long turned to bones in yellow graves. Your children are older than you now. Your grandchildren have married and have children of their own. Passerby, you’ve been watching here for a hundred years.”
…
“Please, teacher, teach me.”
…
Qin Mu saw the woodcutter sit on a stone under the pine and cypress, imparting knowledge and teachings to him.
He listened, entranced, as countless wondrous principles came flooding in. Qin Mu sat by the stone, listening for decades, and the unified cultivation method of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra was passed on to him through this marvelous discourse.
The woodcutter reached out and touched his head. Qin Mu opened his eyes and saw Granny Si stepping back.
He was still on Saint Prostrate Mountain, still in the present, not back in the past.
This was the former leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s crown transmission, passing on the founding patriarch’s experiences from that time to the next leader, generation after generation, the flame never dying.
Qin Mu sat blankly on the stone. The sage touched my head, binding my hair to receive immortality. The unified cultivation method of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra had not been turned into words or diagrams; it could only be passed on through the crown transmission of successive saint leaders.
His mind was filled with a wealth of complex information, not yet systematized.
This crown transmission hadn’t boosted his cultivation, but it had brought him too much, requiring him to organize and comprehend it.
He now understood why the founding patriarch had said that the unified cultivation method could only be passed from leader to leader.
This was because the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra had no fully formed unified cultivation method!
Or rather, the unified method had never been finalized.
The unified cultivation method of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra was hidden in the woodcutter’s discourse on the stone, but each leader had to comprehend it for themselves. How much they understood and what they understood depended on each saint leader’s own insight, chosen direction, intelligence, and fortune.
It could be said that every saint leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect would comprehend a different unified method. Some ideas might be similar, but each saint leader’s unified method would absolutely differ from others!
Three hundred and sixty leaders would have three hundred and sixty methods of practice; ten thousand leaders would have ten thousand methods.
Qin Mu’s first thought was: This is a trap.
What a huge trap—the legendary unified cultivation method couldn’t be used directly; he had to comprehend it himself.
His second thought was: This is true teaching, this is a true sage teacher.
What one comprehends is one’s own; what one learns is another’s. The Heavenly Demon Sect’s method of passing on skills had something that other sects, including the Imperial Academy, could not match.
The young founding patriarch let out a breath and looked at Granny Si. From Granny Si’s mouth came Leader Li’s voice: “Teacher, I am no longer the saint leader. This is my chance to break free from my inner demon. Please, teacher, do not stop me!”