Chapter 467 — The Asura Blood Realm

The turbaned man dispersed his power, and the corpse of the Mu family's female divine-power wielder plummeted. He smiled. "What a child. She harbored the same unrealistic fantasies as the Human Emperor of the last generation."

His single sword stroke had severed the Mu woman's arm, but his sword intent had already run through her entire body, dissolving her primal spirit within that intent until it scattered like ash and smoke.

Such was his attainment in the sword dao that he need not even wound an opponent directly; sword intent alone sufficed to destroy their primal spirit.

Mu Yingxue clenched her fists, forcing down her fury, and did not lash out.

The dead was one of her own clan, yet facing the unfathomable Bagou, she dared not strike rashly.

The turbaned man turned his head and looked at the clan chiefs, the towering mountain giants and the magnificent True Heaven Palace at his back, and said unhurriedly, "Clan chiefs of the Western Lands, you rebel and make chaos for the sake of the True Heaven Palace's power, never knowing that the True Heaven Palace's power was given by me. I will grant you a way to live: withdraw now, cut off this Human Emperor Shen's head and send it to the True Heaven Palace, and I will let bygones be bygones."

Shen Mu's expression turned stern. He looked at the heads of the Western Lands clans; not a few were already wavering.

The great army of the Western Lands he had gathered this time was no solid block of iron; they had come together for profit. Beautiful as most of these Western Lands chieftainesses were, and though Shen Mu even shared no shallow feelings with some of them, like the sect masters and patriarchs of the Central Plains' Jingping, these lovely women put the interests of their own tribes first.

Personal feeling would not distort these women's rational judgment.

Had they retreated for that reason, Shen Mu would not have been surprised.

Suddenly Mu Yingxue shook the bell at her wrist, which gave a crisp tinkling, and laughed. "Any of you may withdraw, but my Mu family cannot. What the Mu family owes the Xiong family must be repaid to the Xiong family. Otherwise my conscience will never be at peace for the rest of my life!"

He Yiyi said calmly, "Yu Bochuan died in my Yun City; I cannot shirk the blame. Better to simply overthrow the Yu family's rule. My He family cannot withdraw either."

Liu Ruyin hesitated, then looked at Liu Zhenqing on the little coffin beside her. Liu Zhenqing was clutching a candied hawthorn stick, one Xiong Qi'er had given her.

The little girl was licking the candied hawthorn with great seriousness, then suddenly raised her head and smiled sweetly. "As Sect Master Shen says, it is only an avatar of a true god; killing it is not hard. But for a true god to descend to this world, that is far too difficult. Mother, I have accepted Sister Qi'er's candied hawthorn, so I must do something for the Xiong family. And besides..."

Her smile grew sweeter. "Who can guarantee the Yu family will not settle scores later? Their hearts are very small indeed. Once the Yu family is removed and the Xiong mother and daughter rule the True Heaven Palace, they will still need to rely on my Liu family. The gains outweigh the risks, so why not do it?"

Shen Mu set his heart at ease.

Though Liu Zhenqing had the appearance of a little girl, she was in truth an old fox; her words seemed the artless prattle of a child, yet they voiced what every great clan of the Western Lands was thinking.

Those few words were enough to move the other great clans and powerful houses; even Bagou could not change their minds now.

Among the clan chiefs present, perhaps only Mu Yingxue truly wished to help Xiong Xiyu and Xiong Qi'er, mother and daughter; she did it to atone. The others all had their own interests to consider, more or less, but for Shen Mu, that was enough.

The turbaned man smiled faintly. "Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Even women as fair and refined as you are foolish and ignorant, unworthy of the flesh you wear. Very well. If you want death, then I can only send you to it."

He was about to turn and leave when He Yiyi suddenly laughed. "Since Bagou has come, there is no need for him to leave!"

Countless great stones surged around her and swept with a clatter toward the turbaned man.

At the same time, nearly all the Western Lands clan chiefs unleashed their arts. Behind Fang Caidie, mountain giants raised enormous mountain pillars, using peaks as weapons, and swept them at the turbaned man.

Luo Yinyu drew her sword and thrust; countless flying swords followed her blade, skimming along the peaks swept out by the mountain giants, howling as they attacked the turbaned man.

Mu Yingxue flicked her fingers again and again; Fu Yunxi wrenched both hands downward, and countless thunderbolts burst forth. A thunderstorm, carrying the deadly poison Mu Yingxue hurled, crashed down upon the turbaned man.

Liu Ruyin and Liu Zhenqing, mother and daughter, unbound the chains from the golden coffin; one chain after another coiled toward the turbaned man like black flood-dragons.

The heads of the Western Lands' great clans paid no heed to the rules of the martial world at all; without a word they rushed him in a body, determined to keep him there no matter what.

Shen Mu nodded inwardly. "Well done."

The turbaned man walked straight toward the True Heaven Palace, sword light flashing behind him, cutting off every attack along the way.

Before He Yiyi's formation could close, a single sword stroke carved a road through it; the mountain pillars swept over by the giants were severed by sword light like bolts of white silk; the thunderstorm in midair was intercepted by his sword arts and cut across the sky; the chains from the golden coffin were touched by his sword tip and rolled back.

"Fine swordsmanship! Judged by swordsmanship alone, he has no match in all the Western Lands! Truly fine swordsmanship!"

Shen Mu's face was grave. The turbaned man's swordsmanship was indeed transcendent, reaching a realm of the sword dao beyond the fathoming of gods and ghosts; the formations and sword arts of the mortal world could scarcely stop him now.

"Qi'er, activate the Azure Profound Water Dragon Pearl!"

Xiong Qi'er roused the Azure Profound Water Dragon Pearl. In an instant azure light blazed, a dragon's cry rang long, and azure radiance flooded sky-wide toward the True Heaven Palace.

Wherever that sky-filling azure light passed, everything was turned to wood; even the peak giants surrounding the True Heaven Palace abruptly stiffened, green suffusing their bodies as countless green vines grew at furious speed.

The True Heaven Palace women atop those peak giants' heads were likewise seized by the Azure Profound Water Dragon Pearl in an instant, pop, pop, pop, tender shoots and blossoms sprouting all over their heads and faces!

The Azure Profound Water Dragon Pearl, one of the True Heaven Palace's four great spirit treasures, erupted with terrifying power in the hands of a little girl like Xiong Qi'er. The turbaned man's figure, lit by the azure light, also abruptly froze, his body seeming about to turn to wood!

The Azure Profound Water Dragon Pearl's ferocity surpassed imagination!

Just then, amid the drifting sea of clouds, several women walked out from the True Heaven Palace's halls and stood upon the cloud crests, each raising a pearl in her hand.

Three pearls rose into the air, growing brighter and brighter. In one were the souls of turtle and serpent; in another, the spirit of a white tiger; in the third, firelight glimmered, and a divine bird swam within.