Chapter 505 — Thrashing the Grandmaster

The Human Emperors of every generation nodded one after another, feeling much the same.

True, in their masters' eyes every Human Emperor had deserved a beating—but a Human Emperor this deserving of one was something they had never seen before.

Every Human Emperor had been the supreme powerhouse of his age. It was not merely their station that made the other sects revere and honor them; it was that their strength was truly great enough to sweep their generation clean, leaving them scarcely a rival to be found.

Any Human Emperor who had not, while alive, fought a few bouts with the gods of Heaven would be too ashamed to face his ancestors after death—and how many such figures did any single age produce?

And yet Shen Mu, facing powerhouses so overbearing and tyrannical as these, had actually said he feared he might wound them, and had even declared their arts and divine abilities outdated and obsolete. How could they possibly endure it?

The Third Ancestor limbered up his body and said mildly, "Every Human Emperor is full of swagger, and after death each one swaggers to the heavens, wanting to fight this one and that one. But you are the first to call us outdated! Human Emperor Shen, how impressive."

The Fourth Ancestor said coolly, "It is common enough for a disciple to defeat his master. I, for instance, have thrashed the old man. But to thrash every old man at once—Human Emperor Shen, that is no small boast. I would rather like to see whether you have the skill to back it up."

The Third Ancestor glared at him.

The Second Ancestor, his face stern, said, "Human Emperor Shen is still a living man, and how he is to cross hands with us is a problem. But the First Ancestor left a treasure here, I believe—it is called Between Life and Death. That treasure can place us between life and death, which makes it most suitable for a contest."

The Human Emperors all frowned. "The First Ancestor is not here. Who can wield Between Life and Death?"

The Second Ancestor laughed. "As the First Ancestor's disciple, with the First Ancestor absent, I am the master of the Five Yang Divine Hall, so naturally I can wield Between Life and Death. Be patient, all of you. I know this place well—better than my own home. Wait a moment for me; I will go fetch Between Life and Death."

They were all rather curious. They had heard of the treasure Between Life and Death but had never seen it. It was said that the First Ancestor, longing for his dead wife, had forged it in order to open a passage to Youdu and meet with her.

Such treasures, however, were of little use and possessed scant power, so very few ever forged them. Yet for a duel between the living and the dead, Between Life and Death could not have been more perfect.

Before long the Second Ancestor returned. Seeing his hands empty, they could not help but doubt, and asked suspiciously, "Second Ancestor, where is Between Life and Death?"

"This is Between Life and Death!"

The Second Ancestor shook his sleeve, and suddenly a long river flew out from it. The great river flew out of the Five Yang Divine Hall, growing wider and broader, until a river hundreds of li long floated in the sky above Fengdu.

The others hurried out of the Five Yang Divine Hall to look. They saw the long river suspended in the air, with a flying bridge spanning it, and on the river a painted pleasure boat moored by the bank beneath the bridge.

They all cried out in admiration. "To meet his dead wife, the First Ancestor expended such great dharma power to forge this treasure! Come, come, onto the bridge!"

Shen Mu followed them onto the long bridge. The moment he stood upon it, something wondrous happened: he saw that flesh and blood had grown upon him once more!

In the Dead-Living Realm of Fengdu, the dead come back to life and the living turn to dry bones—yet this river and this bridge could actually restore his body of flesh and blood. How strange indeed!

And the Human Emperors of past generations, standing on the bridge, had likewise not shed their flesh and blood, but still possessed whole mortal bodies. This too was clearly a marvel of Between Life and Death.

"When I piloted the Po Boat and became a Moon Guardian, I withstood the suppression of the Dead-Living Realm and kept my body of flesh and blood. It seems the First Ancestor Human Emperor's strength must be far greater even than a Moon Guardian's!"

Shen Mu marveled. The First Ancestor Human Emperor's power was unfathomable; he was worthy indeed of being a hero of the Kaihuang era!

"But Between Life and Death is not useless at all—rather, it is a formidable weapon!"

He blinked, his heart pounding. Then he thought of the greatest use of Between Life and Death: it allowed Fengdu to intervene in the world of the living, to intervene in reality!

Between Life and Death let the underworld intervene in the world of the living, let these gods and demons of Fengdu return to the living world in the guise of the living. Though it was only upon this small stretch of river, it was no trifling matter!

Just think: the gods and demons of Fengdu numbered in the tens of thousands. If they could descend upon the living world, who could stand against them?

"Wielded well, Between Life and Death is a weapon of immense power!"

Shen Mu stood at the head of the bridge and looked out. The great river flowed toward Youdu, and faintly he could make out the darkness of Youdu at the river's far end. This river was exceedingly strange; plainly it was no ordinary river.

In Fengdu, countless gods and demons raised their heads to look. They saw the great river floating in the sky, drifting gently, exceedingly magnificent.

"Those Human Emperors again!"

One god-demon lowered his head and looked no more. To those around him he said, "Ever since those fellows came to Fengdu, there have been more and more of them, and they grow more arrogant and overbearing by the day. They are the bullies of our Fengdu; I fear only those devils of the Nether Demon Cult can match them. No need to look. Disperse, all of you. Let them show off."

"When the First Ancestor met our master's wife, he sailed this very painted boat toward Youdu, drew her soul back, and they met upon the bridge."

On the bridge of Between Life and Death, the Second Ancestor's face darkened. "Later, their meetings were discovered by Youdu. Our master's wife's soul was seized by the underworld constables and taken to Youdu for judgment. The First Ancestor knew nothing of it at first, and stood upon the bridge waiting for her. He waited decades and never saw her come. At the time I stood by the riverbank watching, and saw him grow older day by day... Enough of this!"

He roused his spirits, looked at Shen Mu, and chuckled. "And here is an Overlord Body who says we are all outdated. It is time this junior learned how high the heavens are and how thick the earth is!"

Shen Mu was astonished. "Masters, Ancestors—you know that I am an Overlord Body?"

The Human Emperors on the bridge all wore strange smiles and said in one voice, "How could we not? That Su kid told us everything. We all know!"

Looking at their strange smiles, Shen Mu wondered inwardly, "Do all people become this odd after they die?"

Human Emperor Qikang, beaming with delight, snickered, "That Su kid said he had taken an Overlord Body as his disciple, a truly formidable one, unmatched in this world. When we heard it, we all said that after you die you will beat him to death—give him a second death."

Shen Mu said in surprise, "Why would I beat the village head to death?"

The other Human Emperors, afraid Qikang would let something slip, coughed again and again. Human Emperor Qikang took the hint, stretched lazily, and laughed. "Overlord Body Shen, you just said we are old, useless, outdated, obsolete, no longer able to fight. Now it is time to settle accounts for us!"

Shen Mu said hastily, "Master, I only said your arts and divine abilities are outdated. I said nothing else..."

"Ha!"