Chapter 539 — The Unyielding Stone

Seen from above, the two halls and the plaza should form the image of the Li trigram, and hence breed Li Fire.

And now, though the space within the plaza had expanded countless times, from outside it still appeared fifty zhang long and nearly thirty-one zhang wide, still forming the Li trigram with those two halls.

To the Woodcutter Sage, Vajra, Pang Yu and the other gods and demons, Shen Mu and his companions were merely inside a tiny sand table, every move they made as clear as lines on the palm of a hand. Shen Mu narrowed his eyes. Now two paths lay before him: one was to withdraw beside the hall and go on refining his swords with the Li Fire and demon fire; the other was to head for the center of this sand table world.

That was where the Woodcutter's axe and Vajra's spear rested, and rather than go searching for his enemies, it was better to make straight for the place everyone knew — because everyone else would go there too.

Any sensible man would realize that the sooner he reached the place where axe and spear crossed, the greater his advantage; for arriving before the others would let him set his arrangements at leisure, lay down formations and traps, and wait for his foes to walk into the net. "In this time I have refined three hundred and sixteen swords — enough for my use.

" Shen Mu shifted his feet and raced at full speed toward the center of the sand table world; he drove the Lame Elder's Sky-Sweeping Divine Legs to their utmost, swift as a streak of flowing light. Boom — his speed surpassed sound, and the wall of air before him burst like a white cloud, white vapor grazing his cheeks as his body passed through the cloud.

Just then Shen Mu suddenly heard peal after peal of thunderous roars; he looked toward the sound, and saw figure after figure break the sound barrier in an instant, leaving trails of torn cloud vapor among the mountains. Ring upon ring of vapor spread slowly outward, dazzling to behold.

There were nineteen such clouds in all — the traces left by nineteen experts of supremely powerful flesh, all surpassing sound at once. Clearly they too had realized that reaching the place where axe and spear crossed ahead of the rest would give them the upper hand and seize the initiative.

Veins bulged on Shen Mu's forehead. Only now did he discover that of the twenty people in the sand table world, he was in fact the slowest.

Even Sang Hua was a shade faster than he.

These nineteen experts, Sang Hua among them, were figures like youthful true gods; the arts they cultivated had raised their flesh beyond Shen Mu's. For so long Shen Mu had taken pride in his speed, and at last it had been broken by experts of his own realm.

Suddenly Shen Mu halted, turned, and walked away.

Now everyone was racing toward the place where axe and spear crossed; that place had become the most perilous spot of all. Their speeds could not open much distance between them; whoever reached there would inevitably meet the other twenty adepts head-on, and the result would be a great melee, a great slaughter.

In such chaos accidents came easily; even one of greater strength might die beneath a siege. Better, then, not to go there at all.

Just then, the nineteen figures rushing toward the crossing of axe and spear abruptly vanished, each concealing himself; where they had gone there was no telling.

Shen Mu was slightly startled, his expression grave: "Among those who have survived in Taihuang Heaven to this day, there is indeed not one fool; they all thought of the same thing.

Interesting — at last I have met worthy opponents.

Then I shall not go to you; let you come to me.

" His form suddenly broke through the air, racing toward the edge of the sand table world, where stood a wall of fire dozens of li high — the wall of Li Fire and demon fire formed by the burning halls.

After a while, from the sand table world came the clang, clang of iron-hammering, carrying more than ten li. Before long Shen Mu received the first person drawn by the sound: a curvaceous, seductive woman.

"The ten adepts of Taihuang Heaven are all strong, yet you alone are the weakest.

" The seductive woman stared at Shen Mu's back and said with a giggle, "I had no confidence in dealing with the others, so I thought I would follow the sound and claim the first merit. " "Little sister. " Shen Mu turned his head and gave a brilliant smile.

"You may have kicked a hard stone.

"