Chapter 499 — Human Schemes Cannot Best Heaven's Will

" The Chest swam slowly in the water but ran faster on land.

In the darkness they had to rely on the Chest to hold back the dark, so the Chest's speed was their speed.

The Chest was silent in the water, but ashore it would make footfalls; still, now that Xing An had already heard the noise, fleeing onto land was the best choice. In the crack of the cliff, the headless body suddenly rose with a whoosh, hurtling straight toward where Shen Mu and the others were!

At the same time, an eyeball came flying at tremendous speed from the crack; the moment it flew out it halted abruptly in midair, its divine light blazing, sweeping the surroundings to first fix its own bearings. Once the Sacred Pupil had fixed its bearings, a pillar of light shone down from above, illuminating a patch of ground a hundred mu or more across, and flew onward!

"This is bad.

. .

" Shen Mu's heart went cold. The Chest could hold back the darkness, but its speed was not fast, and in the water it was slower still; it had not yet reached shore, and yet they could not abandon the Chest and go!

Thud!

The headless Xing An landed on the water, not far from them, tilting the ears on his neck, standing motionless on the water, and those two ears grew even larger. Suddenly, light like a pillar shone down from the sky onto the headless Xing An, then the light moved and swept forward, and with a swish it fell upon the Chest and upon Shen Mu and the Dragon Qilin, who were in a frenzy of alarm.

Shen Mu broke into a smile, and the Chest beneath his feet came to a halt and stood motionless.

Shen Mu said with a smile: "Brother Xing An, if I help you rid yourself of the hidden ailment of your fleshly body, will you spare my life? " On Xing An's neck, the two ears suddenly flapped and flew up, and the eye in midair flew forward of its own accord.

"Your shamelessness takes me quite by surprise—that you still have the face to bring this up. " Xing An's voice came, and a head flew out of the darkness behind him and settled on his neck.

As the head opened its mouth to speak, the two ears flew over of their own accord and attached themselves to the ear holes. Another eye flew over, but did not enter his eye socket; instead it hovered to the left and right above Shen Mu together with the earlier eye, watching his every move.

Xing An raised his head and said coldly: "Now I can answer you: no. Great Divine Physician Shen is too cunning.

With one moment's inattention, you even stole my Chest.

I fear that if I let you treat me, you will steal my life as well!

A man this cunning—only as a corpse can he set my mind at ease.

" On the river, a mist came rolling in; the air here was heavy with moisture, and mists often spread over it. Seeing the mist, Shen Mu's heart stirred, and he laughed: "Brother Xing An is too cautious.

You are not really wicked; you are only too obsessed with immortality. You have probably not yet been to Jingping in all this time? I have already restored the Divine Bridge and built the Divine Bridge spatial arcane model; one need only cultivate it to restore the Divine Bridge. By now practically everyone in the state of Jingping knows of it—only you do not, still thinking to use other people's bodies and spirits to prolong your own life.

" Xing An was about to strike and kill him, but hearing this he paused slightly, then sneered: "You lie!

If you truly had such a cultivation method, why would you not treasure it as one treasures a worn-out broom, but instead spread it abroad? You are the Youmo Cult Master; of course you would first pass this method to the Youmo followers to swell the strength of your cult! And besides, the Great Venerable has stayed at my side for six or seven days now—why has he never once spoken of this to me? " Shen Mu laughed heartily: "The Great Venerable still wants to use your hand to kill me, and still wants you and Kuiwu God to wound each other grievously—how could he tell you of this? And as for treasuring it as a worn-out broom.

. . you underestimate the breadth of heart of this Tiansheng Cult Master. " He went on: "If you seek immortality, you may cast aside everything in the Chest, and cast aside other people's bodies as well. You need only learn my three methods—the Magpie Bridge Formula, the Mystic Guidance Formula, and the Divine Crossing Formula.

Once the Divine Bridge is complete, you may cross it into the Heavenly Palace and become an undying, imperishable god. To speak plainly, someone has already gone before you. The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping has already become a god.

" The mist grew thicker and thicker, drowning them. In midair Xing An's two eyes drew closer to him, one on each side, still fixed on him; even with the mist rolling up, he could see Shen Mu perfectly clearly. Xing An's voice came from the mist, sighing: "To have such breadth of heart is truly admirable; I misjudged you. But if you think I am only seizing other people's bodies for the sake of immortality, you misjudge me as well. My aim is to become a true god, a true deity.

So I will still kill, and I will still seize other people's bodies.

Your Divine Bridge spatial arcane model is very useful to me—I thank you. But since you have already spread it abroad, then.

. . " Shen Mu's eyes blazed with light. Suddenly his body sank with a whoosh, his vital essence bursting forth and turning into countless runes and patterns that wrapped him, the Dragon Qilin, and the Chest together! "Then what use is there in letting you live? " Xing An's two eyes blazed, shredding the runes around Shen Mu—yet Shen Mu only smiled, drew his blade with both hands, and slashed wildly, cutting and scattering the wind; with every stroke that fell, the runes crushed in the air lit up again.

Blade light coiled around him front and back, and even Xing An could not help but praise him, laughing: "Your skill is not bad—no worse than mine in my day. " His fleshly body charged in, about to strike Shen Mu dead, when suddenly heaven and earth spun, and his expression changed drastically: "A trap!

" Swish—the two eyes vanished.

His fleshly body relied on those two eyes to see; now that both eyes had been teleported away by Shen Mu, the scene before his eyes became a world spinning and hurtling at breakneck speed! "Waaah—" Xing An opened his mouth and vomited.

He forced his spirit to steady the world-turning vision; he felt as though his own body were spinning too, though that was only an illusion brought on by the spinning eyes. "In my day?

Xing An, in my day you were not fit to carry my shoes!

" Shen Mu laughed heartily, and around him more runes lit up.

Xing An heard his voice and charged toward it. The moment he moved his feet he knew something was wrong; the next instant, with a thunderous boom, he had hurtled out for dozens of li and crashed into a cliff!

His two Sacred Pupils were linked to his sight; now that the eyes were spinning at furious speed, his sense of space was utterly gone, and he could not tell direction!

Shen Mu's vital essence burst forth, runes reappeared, and he used his teleportation art once more, vanishing with the Chest and the Dragon Qilin! "I can teleport Xing An's eyes dozens of li away, but carrying the Dragon Qilin and the Chest, I can teleport no more than four li.

Beyond four li, I need only make no sound at all and slip into the riverbed while I have the chance, and I can steal away.

. .

" Mid-teleport, Shen Mu was making precise calculations when suddenly there came a thunderous boom; his teleportation art failed, and he, the Chest, and the Dragon Qilin slammed hard into a mountain of skeletons that had appeared out of nowhere, sending countless dry bones flying through the air! The commotion left him dazed and at a loss.

A skeleton flew past him, waving its arms and legs, and cried innocently: "Who is it that has no eyes?

"