201 Tomes of Arcane Lost in the Wilderness (2/2)
”Because this volume of Tomes of Arcane is probably held by the Desolate Men.” The Array Tactical Master answered.
Ning Que felt puzzled and asked, ”The Devil's Doctrine is born in the tribes of Desolate Man, but why the Tomes of Arcane of Haotian were in the hand of Desolate Man?”
The Array Tactical Master looked at him with complicated expression, wondering why this core disciple of the Headmaster of Academy, also the future Master of Nation of Tang Empire, should have no idea about the most famous history of the cultivation world.
”Master... many years ago, The Desolate Men controlled the northern part of the mainland and, as is known to all, established the strongest country stretching from the south to the north. Back then, the Divine Hall of Haotian sent the Great Divine Priest of Light to the Wilderness to deliver their sermon, aiming to cover the Desolate Man with Divine light of Haotian.”
However, no one had expected that the Great Divine Priest of Light, who were superb in doctrine and of high moral prestige, should go astray in the process of delivering their doctrine to the Desolate Man and created an approach of cultivation which was totally different from the main doctrine.”
Ning Que rubbed his head and unbelievably asked, ”Is it the cultivation of Devil's Doctrine?”
”Yes.”
The creator of Devil's Doctrine was actually the Great Divine Priest of Light of West-Hill Divine Palace? It was only until now did Ning Que know this secret history, thus feeling shocked inside. He thought to himself. ”Finally we were all from one family.”
The Array Tactical Master continued, ”The Great Divine Priest of Light is superb in practicing and strict in teaching, and he is most adept at inspiring the mortals. That year, the Divine Hall has put great expectation on him and even lets him take away one volume of Tomes of Arcane. Therefore, when he created the Devil's Doctrine and became the eternal enemy of the Divine Hall, the volume of Tomes of Arcane was naturally left in the Wilderness and never came out again on the Central Plains.”
”Decades ago, the devil sect hidden in the Central Plains was totally exterminated by the main sects of the Central Plains, and even the mysterious Front Gate of Devil's Doctrine has been chopped into ruins by a sublime being of senior generation with a single sword. However, they still didn't find the volume of Tomes of Arcane.”
A man had chopped the Front Gate of Devil's Doctrine into ruins with a single sword. Listening to these stories of the sublime being, Ning Que seemed to have seen those pictures, and felt stirred in his mind and numb in his skin. But not knowing why, he faintly felt that sublime being probably had something to do with him, or at least had something to do with the Academy.
”Who's the sublime being?”
”I don't know.”
”... ”
”Since there is no such book even at the Front Gate of Devil's Doctrine, then there is only one possibility, that is, as early as a thousand years ago, it was already brought to the extremely cold region in the north by the Desolate Man. That region is too chilly and remote, and the Desolate Man is strong. Even Grand Cultivators at Knowing Destiny State dare not rashly enter the region. So it is still a conjecture. But now, now that the Desolate Man migrated to the south from that extremely cold region in the north, of course the Divine Hall will find the volume of Tomes of Arcane back.”
Upon hearing those words, Ning Que finally realized why the imperial court made such judgment on the intent of the Divine Hall. He also believed that the West-Hill Divine Palace, in order to reclaim the lost volume of Tomes of Arcane, would initiate a bloody war with no hesitation at the risk of thousands of people's lives, and even send Prince Long Qing or other more important people to risk their lives.
From imperial monarchs to hawker pawns, all of us in the world knew that the seven-volume Tomes of Arcane were the most sacred Classics of the Haotian Taoism. But few knew what was the seven-volume Tomes of Arcane and what it was about.
There were many legends about the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane. Some people said that it recorded the will of Haotian to the world. Some said that it contained predictions about the world. Some said that the book itself was a supreme Taoism vessel condensed with power of heaven and earth. Some even said that mortals could practice cultivation at one look of the Tomes of Arcane, cultivators could break the realm at one look of the Tomes of Arcane, ghosts in the Underworld could be refined and reborn at one look of the Tomes of Arcane and sages could become immortals with one glance at the Tomes of Arcane.
Ning Que had heard of these legends, but at that time his life had little relationship with the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane, so he didn't care about them. He even didn't believe that there were Tomes of Arcane in this world. Today, he finally realized that the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane did exist, yet he still couldn't believe those legends were true. He thought the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane were more probably secrets of Haotian Taoism, which recorded some world-shaking and peerless cultivation approaches.
At this moment, he did not know that his name had appeared in the first volume of Tomes of Arcane.
...
...
”The Tomes of Arcane is very important, and everybody wants it. But does it matter to me?”
After all, he is a disciple of the Second floor of the Academy. Although he was still a bit too weak in state, he didn't remain too long in the shock and quickly awakened from it because he was more or less influenced by his crazy and proud Senior Brothers and Sisters at the Back Mountain. Then he looked at the Array Tactical Master and asked.
The Array Tactical Master looked at the outside of the window and said softly to his ear, ”Master of Nation asked me to give you a message. It is difficult to find the Tomes of Arcane in the Wilderness. Ordinary cultivators didn't have any power in the face of the Divine Hall. And after all Master Yan Se is still a Great Divine Priest of Divine Hall, so it is inconvenient for him to do it. You are just at the North of Yan Kingdom, so... ”
”So the task falls on me?” Ning Que stared at him and asked.
”Exactly. As for the piece of cloth with blood characters, it is sent to you by a specially-assigned person from Chang'an City under the order of the Master of Nation himself.”
Staring at the snowflakes floating outside the window, Ning Que kept in silence for a long time and suddenly asked, ”What are the Tomes of Arcane like?”
The Array Tactical Master respectfully replied, ”I don't know.”
Ning Que's eyes fell on his face and continued to ask, ”And size?”
The Array Tactical Master honestly replied, ”I don't know.”
The eyebrow tip of Ning Que slightly twitched. He forcibly suppressed his anger and continued to ask, ”Which volume did the Divine Hall lose?”
The Array Tactical Master shook his head, answering, ”I do not know, either.”
Then he pointed to the piece of cloth clutched in Ning Que's hand and said, ”Maybe the Ming Volume.”
Ning Que took several looks at the cloth and frowningly asked, ”Which volume... is Ming Volume?”
The Array Tactical Master made several coughs. He looked at Ning Que and cautiously said, ”As I have said before, I don't know.”
Ning Que was enraged and said, ”You do not know anything, then how can I find it!”
The Array Tactical Master innocently looked at him and hesitantly said, ”I heard that even the Divine Hall doesn't have the quality to hold the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane. The Tomes of Arcane are from the Unknown Place, then how can an ordinary one like me to know it?”
The words ”Unknown Place” had made Ning Que's eyebrow even more frowned. He thought of the half-revealed background of Chen Pipi and those little information he occasionally heard in the Academy, then he felt it quite troublesome.
”Master, you are the future Master of Nation of Tang Empire and the core disciple of the Headmaster of Academy. Every day, you practice cultivation at the Back Mountain of the Academy and can touch many more things than me. Then you should be clearer of the appearance of the Tomes of Arcane.”
Ning Que stiffened and thought, ”Every day he was occupied with cultivation and shooting arrows at the Back Mountain of the Academy and didn't care about those secret legends of the cultivation world at all, nor did he have the opportunity to gossip about such things from Senior Brothers and Sisters. Then shall I tell such things to you?”
After the Array Tactical Master left, Ning Que sat beside the window to see the blizzard attacking from the direction of the Wilderness and pondered for a long time.
It was until today did he realize that he still underestimated himself after entering the Second floor of the Academy. He had never expected that even the legendary things like the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane should have relations with him. If he could know it, he would have induced Chen Pipi to tell him his background with crab porridge and asked for the secrets of the Unknown Place and the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane.
Suddenly, he recalled that the General's Mansion of Tuyang City had assigned people to disguise themselves as trade team to enter the Wilderness, then his eyebrow tip gradually frowned again. Did it mean Xia Hou wanted to get the Tomes of Arcane that had been lost for thousands of years? If so, no matter how difficult it would be, he should make good preparations and arrangements for things he might encounter after entering the Wilderness.