Chapter 505 — Thrashing the Grandmaster

Human Emperor Qikang roared, leaped up, and sprang down from the bridge. Treading upon the river's surface, he raised his head and laughed. "Enough talk! Come down and let us measure ourselves against each other!"

His aura erupted. With seven great booms in succession, seven divine treasuries opened at once. His primordial spirit, incomparably mighty, stood upon the divine bridge. Star after star came whistling and gathering, becoming a vast river of stars that revolved around him. Beneath the divine bridge lay the darkness of Youdu; between heaven and earth were the sun and moon, the five elements and the five luminaries. Sun, moon, and the five luminaries joined into seven stars, and upon each stood a deity!

And below the seven stars lay the continent transformed from his spirit platform, the six directions already established!

Human Emperor Qikang's aura was incomparably overbearing. He raised a hand and sealed his divine bridge and its treasury; the divine bridge vanished. He sealed the Life-and-Death treasury; Youdu disappeared. He sealed the Heaven-Man treasury; his primordial spirit withdrew.

His aura diminished, yet his bearing remained wildly unrestrained. Standing upon the river, behind him appeared the vision of black volcanoes erupting one after another!

Human Emperor Qikang stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist, extended his index finger, and crooked it at Shen Mu. "Overlord Body Shen, come over here!"

Shen Mu's heart pounded wildly. Eager for the hunt, he could hardly suppress his excitement, and asked hesitantly, "Second Ancestor, Third Ancestor—in our Human Emperor line, there is no punishment of three cuts and six holes for striking one's masters and ancestors, is there?"

The Human Emperors all laughed. "We are not a demon cult like the Nether Demon Cult. How would we have such a punishment as three cuts and six holes? Go on, then!"

Shen Mu set his mind at ease, took a step, and landed on the river's surface. Solemnly he said, "Master, if I give offense..."

"If you are going to fight, then fight!"

Human Emperor Qikang roared, stepped forward, and threw a punch. The volcano vision behind him instantly turned savage; peak after peak erupted with a roar, flames blazing. In an instant the black volcanoes became magma surging into the sky. Fire and black smoke filled the heavens, and the river water boiled at once!

The force and intent of his fist actually shook the river water around him and Shen Mu into the air. The terrifying vibration broke the water into droplets, linked like threads, trembling gently as they flowed up toward the sky.

Human Emperor Qikang charged through the rising water, his fist growing larger and larger, more and more overbearing, his momentum ever more violent!

In Shen Mu's pupils, layer upon layer of formation patterns revolved; in his eyes a river of stars coiled around a great sun. He could even see with perfect clarity the process of each droplet striking Human Emperor Qikang's face, each bead bursting and splashing upon his skin.

The Blind Elder's Nine Heavens Gazing Eye Art!

Boom—

A violent shock came from the river's surface as Shen Mu's fist and Human Emperor Qikang's fist collided with a thunderous crash. Their robes suddenly streamed backward. The magma and flames that had shot straight up behind Human Emperor Qikang seemed suddenly to snap, bent by a hurricane, blown backward and stretched taut!

Human Emperor Qikang's expression changed drastically; his chest felt unbearably oppressed. "Such monstrous vital essence cultivation..."

The droplets flying through the air suddenly halted. Shen Mu's fist became an open palm, vital essence raging!

"Eight Thousand Swords!"

In an instant the droplets in the air were stretched straight, becoming slender swords—eight thousand slender swords. Thrust, lift, cloud, chop, cleave, point, burst, hang, flick, wipe, sweep, block, intercept, flower, coil, swim, drill—seventeen sword forms, endlessly changing, all attacking Human Emperor Qikang at once.

Human Emperor Qikang's expression changed drastically. He leaped back into the air, his body swaying backward like a wild goose skimming the river's surface, tapping the water three times in succession, rising and falling, his movement technique exceedingly strange as he dodged the eight thousand swords' changes and attacks again and again!

Shen Mu stepped forward with inconceivable speed, both hands raised high. With a swish, countless droplets fell into his hands and became a long sword, which he raised and slashed down.

Swish!

Countless streaks of sword light burst from that single strike, the sword force swift as a violent storm, drowning Human Emperor Qikang.

Human Emperor Qikang roared, his body leaping into the air, his great hand shaking out a sky full of palm shadows to meet the blow. Suddenly countless sounds of air being split rang out: the eight thousand sword lights from Shen Mu's strike spun and sliced through his palms, and at once both hands were like broken sieves.

"Ha!"

Shen Mu stamped his foot heavily on the river's surface, and a column of water surged up like an angry dragon. He reached out and seized it, using the water dragon as a spear, man following spear, and with a whistle-whistle-whistle countless spear shadows stabbed at Human Emperor Qikang in midair.

Human Emperor Qikang was hung upon the spear, then Shen Mu swung him up and smashed him down hard onto the river. The river's surface exploded with a roar.

The water-dragon spear in Shen Mu's hands also burst apart. He raised both hands toward the sky; in midair thunder clashed and became a thunder dragon, which shook its head and lashed its tail and came crashing down upon the place where Human Emperor Qikang had fallen!

"Great Luo Heaven Star Palm Force!"

Shen Mu raised a hand and struck out a seal. Behind him the Great Luo Heaven Star spread out, forming a terrifying Great Luo divine-power field, and within that field appeared the phantom images of three hundred and sixty deities, all striking out with their palms.

This strike made no sound.

Yet the next moment, the great river quaked violently, and the long river twisted in the air—the warped force field formed by the eruption of more than three hundred and sixty different palm forces.

Shen Mu withdrew his hand. After a moment, Human Emperor Qikang floated straight up from the bottom of the water, drifted downstream, and floated past the long bridge of Between Life and Death.

On the bridge, the Human Emperors craned their necks to look, exchanging glances. After a moment, the Fourth Ancestor said quietly, "About this Overlord Body business—could that little Su have been lying to us? Can there really be such a thing as an Overlord Body in this world?"