Chapter 540 — Pitch-Black as Iron

The seductive woman's waist was supple as a willow branch swaying in the wind, and she came toward him with a left-and-right sway, then broke into a titter: "How hard are you, really? I watched you just now — you were the slowest of them all. Not by much, true, but it shows your physical body is a notch inferior to the others'. A single notch is the difference between heaven and earth."

Her steps halted exactly beside the flying swords Shen Mu had buried in the ground, one after another — and she did not step into the ring of swords.

The flying swords Shen Mu had laid beneath the earth were precisely the first stance of the Sword Diagram: Sword Treads Rivers and Mountains. Let the woman but set foot within, and it would erupt, in an instant shredding her into a blood waterfall upon that landscape of rivers and mountains!

Yet her foot had stopped precisely at the outer edge. She must have spotted something.

Shen Mu's eyelid twitched. "Clever indeed," he said in praise. "Good sister, what is your name?"

"I am Tapo Xiangyun, disciple of the True Demon Gandharva."

The woman looked taken aback, then laughed. "The people of Taihuang Heaven, whenever they meet a demon, want only to shout and kill; they never smile. None of them are like you, calling a girl 'good sister' the moment you meet her. If all the folk of Taihuang Heaven were like you, I would not have had to kill so many divine-ability practitioners. I am rather curious — just what is your origin?"

Shen Mu opened his mouth, about to speak, when suddenly Tapo Xiangyun stamped her foot. The ground shook, and one flying sword after another burst up through the earth.

Shen Mu's expression shifted slightly. He raised a hand and grasped: all the flying swords gathered into his palm, clashing ding-ding-ding, and became a sword pellet about to fall into his hand.

Even as he recalled the flying swords, Tapo Xiangyun shot forward at a speed no slower than the swords themselves. Before Shen Mu's sword pellet could take shape, spider legs sprouted behind her — eight spider legs stabbing madly forward, ding-ding-ding, scattering the sword pellet!

The woman was incomparably clever; her eight spider legs attacked like a violent storm, shattering the sword pellet and giving Shen Mu no chance at all!

"You really are the weakest one — the first merit falls to me!"

Tapo Xiangyun laughed softly. Two razor-sharp bone spikes appeared in her hands and plunged into Shen Mu's chest!

"Eh?"

The instant they pierced his body she sensed something wrong. The smile on the Shen Mu before her stiffened — and then he slid down into a pool of ink.

Not only had Shen Mu turned to ink; even the wall of fire behind him, woven of Li Fire and demon fire, had turned to ink!

Tapo Xiangyun whirled to look, and found herself inside a picture frame; outside that frame another Shen Mu was walking toward her, unhurried. Only now did she realize that when she had pounced upon Shen Mu, she had entered a painting!

"A painting? How can a painting move, and speak, and show me no flaw at all?"

Tapo Xiangyun was greatly alarmed. She leaped up, wanting to spring out of the painting, but though she jumped with all her strength she was still within it: all around was blankness, and only the ink on the ground had yet to dry. Tapo Xiangyun shrieked. The eight legs behind her waved and stabbed viciously outward.

Chi-chi-chi — one spider leg after another pierced through the painting. Her heart leaped with joy; she was about to tear the painting open and spring free.

But just then Shen Mu blew a breath, and the painting drifted and fluttered, falling into the wall of fire behind it.

Amid the thick, dense Li Fire and demon fire a shrill scream rang out. The painting burned to ash, and the ash took the form of a spider-woman, still struggling — then she collapsed into the flames and moved no more.

"Sister Xiangyun, I truly wished to fight you fair and square, but there are too many masters here, and my stamina must be saved for stronger ones."

Shen Mu said apologetically, "You are indeed strong, and clever too — but you are still no match for me..."

Suddenly the earth beneath Shen Mu's feet heaved up with a roar, kicking him high into the air. The surging ground took the shape of an enormous footprint. In the very instant it kicked Shen Mu up, zheng-zheng-zheng, sharp stone spikes burst from the footprint and shot toward Shen Mu in the air!

Shen Mu was in midair; the sword pellet came whistling, and countless flying swords whirled with a chi-chi, cutting every stone spike to pieces. He was just about to search out the enemy's position when the ground exploded again, and a huge hand of rock reached out to seize him.

Shen Mu struck down with a fist; behind him his vital qi exploded, and with a thunderous boom a great volcano appeared, erupting, and the might of that punch surged. His fist met the great hand: rock burst apart, countless stones flying wild, rolling, then gathering again into a hand. That hand clenched hard, and demon fire surged within the stones, flowing from stone to stone.

"The lava giant of the Heavenly Demon Host?"

Shen Mu was flung high by the shock, his arm nearly broken. Looking down in haste, he saw the earth quaking as a member of the Heavenly Demon Host took lava form and broke through the soil. The moment the man landed he let out a mighty roar; Shen Mu, in midair, was struck by wave after wave of sound made solid, and fell back into the wall of fire.

"Clay chicken..."

The lava giant sneered, and turned to leave — then suddenly a look of doubt came over him. He looked back and saw Shen Mu floating within the wall of fire; only now Shen Mu had become an ox-headed monster, with a thick tail as well.

"Brother, could you finish that word before you go?"

Shen Mu stepped out of the wall of fire. Demon fire and Li Fire flowed out after him, becoming two fire dragons that he trod beneath his feet. His face was grim: "Not clay chicken — clay chicken and tile dog!"

"The Star Lord of Yinghuo, the Fire Luminary?"

The lava giant turned around, doubt on his face, and sneered. "The Star Lord of Yinghuo can command fire, but only divine fire. How do you command demon fire? Do humans possess such exquisite arts? No — what you cultivate is a demon-path art! You are of my demon race as well?"

He grew all the more bewildered. Shen Mu had now become an ox-headed, human-bodied monster in the form of the Star Lord of Yinghuo — clearly a divine body, yet brimming with demonic qi and commanding demon fire. And upon Shen Mu's body were flame patterns, one after another, as though fire burned upon him; and one of the two fire dragons beneath his feet was a demon dragon. Only the demon race could command such exquisite divine powers!

Beyond the heavens, the Woodcutter Sage and the Black Tiger God watched this scene. The Black Tiger God showed doubt and said softly, "My lord, did you feel it?"

The Woodcutter Sage nodded gently. "I felt it. The countenance is born of the mind. He has conceived a demon in his mind, and so his face takes a demon's form."

The Black Tiger God was puzzled. "But I clearly sensed something strange inside him — like a demon, not purely human... My lord, you lied again, didn't you?"

The Woodcutter Sage frowned slightly and snapped, "When have I ever lied?"

The Black Tiger God opened his mouth to speak, but caught sight of the gods of Taihuang Heaven behind them and hastily shut it. He thought to himself: "I must save a little face for this old trickster..."

The Woodcutter Sage's eyes flickered, resting all the while on Shen Mu; what thoughts were in his heart, none could say. He drew back his gaze and looked at Vajra across from him — and saw that Vajra too was watching Shen Mu, with an air of great interest.

"Half a demon? Such overbearing dharma power, enough to fight Soma's disciple Shi Quansong to a standstill, using dharma power to make up for his lack of strength and body."