Chapter 454 — The Eighteen Moves of the Supreme Art

The palaces in Yun City were primal weapons refined by powerful divine-power wielders, their might on an entirely different order from those wooden houses and stone houses.

These palace-giants too rose to their feet, blocking the ends of the streets, reeking of killing intent.

This scene was absolutely unprecedented, unheard of!

Shen Mu brought his sword down. The tremors emanating from the incomparably heavy and solid Wuyou Sword instantly shattered the great river coiling around the dragon-qilin's tail.

The great river, like a giant serpent whose tail had been cut off, shuddered and writhed in agony, twisting and turning through the city.

When the Wuyou Sword's tip touched the street, that utterly terrifying power exploded outward. Bluestone slabs embedded in the street flipped up one after another, flying into midair. A horrifying great fissure appeared in the street, crack-crack-cracking with explosive roars as it extended madly forward. More bluestone slabs flew up and shattered in midair!

*Shua shua shua*—

From the Wuyou Sword's tip flew one flying sword after another. Shen Mu's vital essence raged, pouring madly into the flying swords. These swords spun as they slashed forward along the street. Eight thousand flying swords carved and cut all the way—wherever they passed, house-giants and building-giants were torn to fragments.

Earlier, when the eight thousand swords had merged, he could not activate the treasure sword's might. But now all the flying swords were separated, and he could immediately activate the power of each individual sword.

Countless sword-lights spun like wheels, charging through flying wood and shattered stone toward the end of the street, and in almost a single instant carved deep into the palace-giants, cutting clean through the great halls!

Shen Mu's arms trembled violently. This one sword strike had nearly torn his muscles apart, nearly snapped his bones, nearly ruptured his great sinews—and had drained nearly half his mana in one go!

The reason he had used the first form of the Dao Sword when Yun City was devouring them, rather than the first form of the Sword Diagram, Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers, was mainly to conserve mana. Sword-Treading Mountains and Rivers required even more mana to execute.

Yet this one strike had consumed nearly half his mana in an instant!

Still, the results of this strike were spectacular. One sword had nearly leveled the entire street. He had never imagined he could possess such devastating destructive power.

Shen Mu released the Wuyou Sword, channeling his remaining vital essence into it. The Wuyou Sword vibrated, and one by one the other flying swords flew back from the end of the street.

This time he dared not use the sword pellet's second form again. Instead, he directly gathered the eight thousand swords into a round, rolling metal sphere.

Shen Mu opened the Taotie Pouch and placed the sword pellet inside, then fell into a daze once more. "It seems I've created an unprecedented fundamental sword form. This kind of sword move is not among the seventeen fundamental sword forms…"

That strike just now—countless swords had spun like wheels from the Wuyou Sword, howling forward, and in a single instant had taken away nearly half his cultivation. This spinning-wheel sword form was different from all seventeen fundamental sword forms. The most similar was the Cloud Sword Form, but the Cloud Sword Form had the treasure sword tracing a circle with the wrist or the body as its center.

Yet the sword form Shen Mu had inadvertently executed just now spun like a wheel—possessing both the power of chopping and the skill of slicing, as well as the nimbleness of clouds.

This was the eighteenth fundamental sword form!

Within Yun City, earth-and-wood giants charged toward them, while at the end of the street, the battered and broken palace-giants also lumbered forward, hoisting round, yellow-orange palaces as their "great hammers."

The great river in the city roared and surged, gathering together to transform into a giant wreathed in water-dragons, raising its fist to smash down.

Shen Mu was lost in thought again. "It's just that this one fundamental sword form seems to consume an excessive amount of mana. Not only that, but it also requires one to be very wealthy—wealthy enough to refine more flying swords. More crucially, these flying swords need sword-points on both ends for maximum power."

The dragon-qilin roared mightily, spewing great fire from its mouth. Pillars of flame ignited Yun City's street blocks, and earth-and-wood giants burst into raging fire. The water-giant formed from the city's river hurriedly rushed about putting out fires, hissing and sizzling as it was scorched, its body gradually shrinking.

Shen Mu continued his musings. "But then again, I have plenty of money."

The dragon-qilin grew ever more emboldened, spewing fire in all directions, setting the city ablaze. Outside the city, it had been chased with nowhere to flee; but inside the city, it was instead like a tiger given wings.

Suddenly, Yun City lurched to a halt. The entire great city gave a heavy jolt—and then was utterly still. The house-giants, building-giants, and palace-giants within the city all fell silent in an instant, dropping to the ground and reverting to buildings, houses, and palaces. That water-giant too collapsed into the river, becoming flowing water once more.

Yun City, in the blink of an eye, fell silent. On the chaotic, ravaged streets, only Shen Mu, Xiong Qi'er, and the dragon-qilin remained.