Chapter 451 — After the Founding Patriarch

At these words, everyone in the tower laughed coldly.

Shen Mu paid them no mind. Smiling, he said, "If the Western Lands were not cut off by a wasteland, Jingping would have wiped them out long ago. To speak frankly, your arts and divine powers are already behind Jingping's — and in my eyes, even Jingping's arts and those of the wasteland have begun to fall behind. That is why I seek change. You brothers and sisters of the Western Lands stand so very close to me — far too dangerous. Never mind the Six Harmonies realm; even you several brothers and sisters of the Seven Stars realm — you, and you, and you — standing so near me, in my eyes. . .

" He pointed at the Seven Stars experts present and shook his head. "You are nothing but corpses that can walk and jump, talk and laugh. The only difference is when you become corpses.

" In the tower, killing intent rose on every side. Yue Qingshan sprang to his feet and sneered, "Sect Master Shen, you are truly arrogant! City Lord Geke, you are the host here.

I would very much like to have a bout with this Sect Master Shen — may I? " Geke laughed. "You are all guests, here for the Huashan Festival of Fangxiu City. Why must swords be drawn?

Let each seek the sweetheart he fancies and take his pleasure — would that not be wonderful?

Of course, if you insist on fighting, I cannot stop you either. " He was plainly set on watching the uproar.

Yue Qingshan walked toward the stairs, sneering, "Sect Master Shen, come down. I mean to take a prize off the Palace of True Heaven.

" Shen Mu smiled, drew a two-foot-square metal ball from his Taotie pouch, and shook his head. "No need to go down. Here is fine. " He held the round metal ball in his palm, and the tower immediately trembled slightly, sinking slowly into the ground.

The tall building groaned and creaked under the weight; the first floor sank into the earth, then the second, and when the third had sunk, the descent stopped.

A chill went through everyone.

Geke praised, "What a heavy ball!

" "Look, gentlemen.

" Shen Mu's left hand gently turned the metal ball. "This is my sword core. " Crack — the sword core split open, and eight thousand swords, fine as silk threads, pointed their tips straight at the core's center.

To forge such cunning work required not only craftsmanship that outdoes nature, but calculations of awe-inspiring precision. His eight thousand swords threw off cold gleams, sending light flowing ceaselessly across the four walls of the tower and across every face.

Each sword was like the most perfect work of art.

Shen Mu held the core on his palm; it floated slowly up and turned slowly, letting all see its inner structure. "Gentlemen, arts and divine powers — never mind a thousand years without progress; even a hundred years without progress and they fall behind the age. The divine arts of your Western Lands still use what the ancestors handed down ten or twenty thousand years ago: awakening the spirit or the god of all things to fight on your behalf. But your arts are too slow to activate. Even a Heaven-Man realm expert needs time to awaken the spirit of all things. And divine powers change in the blink of an eye — would they give you time? I will perform one sword technique. I ask you all for your instruction. Do not move. " Tingfang of the Palace of True Heaven sneered, "Not move?

Would that not be to let you butcher us as you please?

" Shen Mu smiled faintly.

"If you wish to move, the consequences are your own.

One sword opens the emperor. . . " The sword core in his hand suddenly split apart, and in an instant swords filled the tower!

The eight thousand swords moved; almost everyone could scarcely keep from rising to resist — and at that very moment all the sword light abruptly vanished.

Not only the sword light: the tower itself seemed to vanish, replaced by a blood ocean that blotted out sky and earth! The second move of the Sword Diagram: One Sword Opens the Emperor, Blood Ocean. When this move was unleashed, that vast and sorrowful feeling rushed at their faces, so that in a trance they seemed to see countless gods and demons struggling in the blood ocean, howling, then becoming corpses under the sword light and sinking into the sea of blood!

One sword opens the emperor, a blood ocean; the mountains and rivers remain, the heart vast and lost; looking left and right, the old kingdom is no more, its people still in old attire. During this, they heard someone strike the table and rise, someone roar in fury, and the clash of divine powers, the brief sounds of combat.

Suddenly the blood ocean faded like time flying past, and they dimly saw a figure with a divine sword on his back, turning his head back in sorrow; that lonely, world-weary feeling stirred the heart. The figure vanished, the tower reappeared.

Shen Mu's hand was still raised, palm up, and on it a sword core spun without cease. The bowls and dishes before them, every dish, were just as before, not the slightest bit disordered. Cold sweat sprang out on every brow.

They hurried to look around, hearts in dread: Yu Jinfang lay dead on the ground, Tingfang had fallen back in his seat with a red dot of blood at his brow, and two others sprawled dead over the table. A moment ago they had struck the table and risen within Shen Mu's sword light, trying to contend with it, and one by one they had died under this move; the others, because they sat there without moving, were unharmed.

Yue Qingshan's face was pale.

He too had not moved — not because he had failed to feel the terrible sword intent of Shen Mu's move, but because he had felt it all too truly, and so did not dare stir. Geke waved his hand, and at once men came forward and dragged the corpses away. At the seats, some faces were pale, some livid.

The shock of Shen Mu's move was too strong, his sword technique too fast; they had no time to react and could only sit there. That taste of waiting for death with bound hands was truly hard to bear. Especially those few Seven Stars realm experts: though they could send their primordial spirits out of their bodies, and their primordial spirits were formidable in battle, the tower was too narrow and Shen Mu's sword too fast — before they could even form a thought, the sword light had drowned them.

The power of Shen Mu's move was immense; every one of those swords was refined from the finest materials and had the strength to endanger their lives! And their arts of "all things have gods, all things have spirits" were indeed far slower to activate than Shen Mu's sword. If they fought, they could only first open distance from him, or unleash their arts a step ahead of him.

But in this tower, they had no chance at all.

Shen Mu put away the sword core and said apologetically, "Brother Geke, I have soiled your tower.

I hope you will forgive me. " Geke said hurriedly, "Sect Master Shen's sword technique is exquisite beyond compare; it has opened my eyes. Though you thrust out I know not how many swords, not a hair of my tower was harmed — that is true skill.

May I ask, was this move created after the reforms of the kingdom of Jingping? " Shen Mu shook his head. "This move is not an art from after the reforms; it was created four or five hundred years ago.

It too has fallen behind the times — but on this soil of the Western Lands, with this one move I can slaughter my way through Six Harmonies and Seven Stars and have no rival. Everyone seated here is strong, but still no match for Ban Gongcuo.

Ban Gongcuo is far stronger than you; he could take this move of mine, at worst suffering grave injury. " Each gave a cold snort, wanting to speak, but their throats were hoarse and their voices trembling, so they coughed hurriedly to cover it. "City Lord Geke, I have no face to remain here.

Farewell!