Chapter 440 — Giant Blade, Long Saber

One colossal stone statue after another came to the vicinity of the earth-boring statue, and all at once those towering figures set hands and feet flying, digging at the ground like madmen, their arms sweeping up the earth like whirlwinds, hurling out boulder after boulder. Shen Mu and the others aboard the Xizhou were astonished; these statues of gods and demons dug with incredible speed, though their manner was not much to look at, and before long they had dug a great pit in the earth. The figures of these god-and-demon statues gradually sank beneath the ground, and still mountain stones were continually flung up out of the pit.

"These fellows dig faster than a dog paws! " Blind Old Man muttered. Kun King looked at Grey Immortal and said, "When it comes to burrowing, apart from Earth-Walker Peak, Brother Grey is second to none. " Grey Immortal rose to his feet and said, "I will go see what they are actually doing.

" With that, he shook himself and transformed into a great grey-furred rat, leaping and bounding swift as flying, racing down from the Xizhou; in a few breaths he reached the ground, then dove beneath it and vanished.

Kun King said, "Grey Immortal is skilled at seeking treasure; he is called Uncle Grey Treasure, and moves through the underground without hindrance.

He is certain to discover something. " Shen Mu lifted his head. Above them filled the sky a profusion of blossoms, flower after flower blooming, forming a floral firmament that canopied the space above the Xizhou, and the Flower Lord stood at the center of one blossom, seeming as though she were growing out from within the flower itself. "These deities of the Upper Heaven must be dealt with!

" Shen Mu looked at the Alchemist and the others and said, "Do any of you have a plan? " The Alchemist laughed and said, "Before, we had no way.

But now, ways abound. " Kun King drew out the golden horn and said, "Let me do it. " With that, he rose from the pool and bowed to the golden horn.

That golden horn was the sacred relic of the Kun clan, forged into a golden spear; as he bowed to it, the golden horn came shrieking forth, and with a faint hiss a golden line appeared in the sky, the trace left behind by the flying horn.

The golden line pierced through the Flower Lord's brow, then from the back of her head suddenly turned and rushed toward another deity, boring through that Upper Heaven god's heart.

The golden line transformed from the horn turned back and forth, incredibly swift, and after a moment, all the deities, including the Word Star Lord, had been pierced through by the golden horn.

A clear, shrill whistle came through, and the golden horn fell back into Kun King's hand. The golden line in the sky slowly dimmed and slowly vanished.

Shen Mu's heart trembled slightly. He looked at that golden horn and saw not the least trace of blood upon it. This golden horn had killed so many deities in succession, including even the Flower Lord and the Word Star Lord of the Upper Heaven's Four Lords, and still bore not the slightest damage.

One had to know that the bodies of the Upper Heaven's gods and demons were incomparably powerful; even a sect-guarding treasure could not wound them in the least, and to forcibly attack a god or demon's body was but to strike stone with an egg, shattering oneself to pieces. Yet the sacred relic of the East Sea Kun clan showed not the least wear — clear proof of how mighty this treasure was.

Still, though the relic was mighty, it also depended on who wielded it. Kun King had previously contended with the Upper Heaven gods and had never been able to prevail — likely because Kun King's own strength was somewhat lacking.

"Kun King, the Three Bridges method for mending the divine bridge has already been made public by me.

Why not come ashore and learn this Three Bridges method yourself?

" Shen Mu asked. Kun King was startled and said, "So that method for mending the divine bridge was spread by the Human Sovereign. I have already obtained this technique.

To speak frankly, our Kun clan also frequently goes ashore and does business with Jingping, trading what we have for what we lack. " Shen Mu was relieved. "So that is how it is.

" Suddenly, a great rat came bounding up onto the Xizhou, rushing toward them, and as it ran it transformed into a grey-robed elder.

He came to the side of the group, caught his breath, and said, "There is indeed something underground! The underground is hollow — there is a whole palace complex, a statue so large it defies description, and a great saber! " The Alchemist hastily had him soak in the Pool of Pure Yang and said, "Your wounds are not yet healed.

Speak slowly. " Grey Immortal gasped a few more breaths and said, "There are passages underground.

Those statues have already dug down to the passages. Follow the passages down, and you reach the heart of the earth — another vast space. At the center of that space is a statue, as though it drilled up from the ground.

Around it are chains.

The chains bind the palaces. Somehow, that statue drilled into the chains. Those chains are even thicker than the chain that binds the sun to the Xizhou! " The hearts of all present were greatly shaken, and they exchanged glances.

The chain that bound the sun was a masterpiece of the Kaihuang era; with present-day methods of forging treasures, such a divine object could no longer be made.

Yet the chains beneath the Shenduan Mountain Range were even thicker than the chain that bound the sun — could they too be relics of the Kaihuang era? Deaf Old Man suddenly said, "The Xizhou's chain binds the sun. Then the chains underground — could they be binding that statue? " The hearts of all turned grave. Why would one chain a statue? Grey Immortal shook his head and said, "No, you guess wrongly.

These chains are connected to several palaces, running beneath them.

I followed those statues down and saw those palaces floating around the statue. That statue does not look like something that was originally underground — rather, it looks as though it has just drilled out, somewhat similar to those statues that appeared in Jingping.

They should all be statues that suddenly emerged not long ago. But this statue is rather unfortunate: it drilled down beneath the Shenduan Mountain Range and ran into the chains, and cannot drill out to the surface.

" Blind Old Man said excitedly, "Those palaces must hold no small number of treasures. Let us go steal.

.

.

pah! Go pick up treasures! " The Alchemist said irritably, "You have only just barely kept your life. Running about everywhere, you may run your life away! Grey Immortal, what else did you see? " Grey Immortal said, "There are floating bridges in the air, connecting to the palaces around the statue. . .

" Kun King said doubtfully, "There are already chains — what need for floating bridges? What are the chains for?

" Grey Immortal's expression turned odd. He wanted to speak but dared not: "There is also a saber on that statue's brow.

The chains are binding that saber.

. .

When that statue drilled up from the ground, it may have run right into the blade, and the blade sliced into its head. . . " The Alchemist asked doubtfully, "What saber?

" "A great saber.

A very great saber.

" Grey Immortal revealed two long front teeth, his little mustache twitching, and said, "The Heaven Saber's blade is already not small, but before that saber it is pitifully small. That saber runs north to south, as though embedded in that statue's brow, very long, very long. When I saw that saber, I noticed something strange. .

. " He steadied himself and said, "Grandmother Zhu, the Jingping Imperial Preceptor, and all the Upper Heaven gods are inside that gleaming saber. That saber is like a mirror, and their primal spirits are battling within the mirror, yet they cannot perceive it.