Chapter 542 — The Heavenly Realm's Number One Jinx

Above Huang Yue's head the cloud vapor steamed and billowed—the very phenomenon born of his primordial spirit drawing in and giving out vital essence. Now his gaze came to rest upon the figure at the mountain's summit, and the vapor above him swelled monstrously huge, spanning half a mu in breadth. Within that vapor the vital essence seemed to congeal into droplets; faintly visible, drop after perfect drop of rain came tinkling down, and landing upon the crown of his head, steamed up once more into cloud, cycling without end.

Huang Yue climbed the mountain. It was not tall—after all, it had been shaped from the essence-runes of the Woodcutter Sage and Vajra, no true creation—and in a few strides he reached the summit. When he was still more than forty zhang from Zhe Huali, he halted.

"In the battlefield, I met you and nearly died by your hand. " Huang Yue's aura surged, his will to fight flooding the heavens. Though he had once been defeated by this opponent, he felt not the slightest fear; rather it kindled within him an inexhaustible fighting spirit.

He was a martial fanatic, untouched by fear.

"I have been searching for you all this time, waiting for my chance to wash away the shame. " Elated, Huang Yue said, "I beg you, Senior Brother, grant me that chance!

" Zhe Huali turned, his gaze settling upon him.

The demon eye set in the hilt of the demon blade at his back did not open; it remained shut.

Suddenly his right foot shifted, the toe angling, his stance neither this nor that.

His left foot pointed at Huang Yue, and in the direction his right toe indicated, a woman was climbing the mountain, just then coming into view before them. Huang Yue's face darkened.

"Chanyuan," he said coldly, "do not meddle in my affairs, or I will kill you along with him! " The woman, Chanyuan, was likewise a power of the Taihuang Heaven, and had entered the sandbox world together with Huang Yue and the rest. They had first made straight for the Place Where Axe and Spear Crossed, but since everyone was rushing there, that ground lost its meaning as a contested prize, and so they had all gone into hiding.

Yet the only one who did not hide was Shen Mu. Shen Mu raced through midair; so swift was he that he left cloud trails behind him, streaking smoke the whole way to the very edge of the sandbox world, and thus showed everyone their direction.

Nor did Shen Mu then settle down: he began forging iron at his hiding place, drawing many demon elites to hunt him there. For the masters of the Taihuang Heaven, the demon elites' hunt for Shen Mu was a rare opportunity, and so they hunted the demon elites along the way. Chanyuan had realized this as well, and so she guarded the road that must be taken to reach Shen Mu. Discovering Zhe Huali standing upon the mountain summit, and then catching sight of Huang Yue, she was overjoyed and climbed the mountain, meaning to join forces with Huang Yue—third among their ranks—to rid themselves of Zhe Huali.

"Senior Brother Huang Yue, you and Senior Sister Yuhe are both disciples of the True God Pang Yu.

You should know that the greater cause comes first. " Staring fixedly at Zhe Huali, her face grave, Chanyuan said in a low voice, "This duel is not about your personal grudge, nor is it your chance to chase the pinnacle of Dao arts and divine powers. It concerns the ownership of Licheng, the fate of our Taihuang Heaven.

Neither you nor I can stand against this man alone, but together we can bring him down! " "I will not join hands with you.

Withdraw. " Huang Yue's expression was resolute as he shook his head.

"Out of regard for the fact that we are both powers of the Taihuang Heaven, I will not kill you. But if you seize the moment of my duel with Senior Brother Zhe Huali to strike him down, do not blame me for showing no mercy. " His gaze was firm, fixed upon Zhe Huali, his heart burning with an intense desire to seek the Dao. He chuckled.

"If I win, he dies by my hand. If I lose, he will be gravely wounded too, and you may take your chance to strike—Licheng's ownership will not be delayed.

You need only watch. Otherwise, do not blame me for showing no mercy! " Chanyuan frowned slightly and took a step back. Huang Yue grew elated, his aura thickening further. "Zhe Huali, I ask for your instruction!

" "You are no match for me.

The so-called youthful True Gods of your Taihuang Heaven have been a joke in my eyes from first to last. " Zhe Huali's expression was indifferent as he regarded him calmly. "You do not understand what a True God means at all.

You think that once your fleshly body reaches the level of a youthful True God, you are destined to become one—little knowing how far short you fall. The making of a youthful True God has three parts: the body, the primordial spirit, and the Dao arts. You have but one. I am different. " The demon blade at his back quivered slightly, giving off a humming note.

"Before I descended to the lower realm, I had already attained two of the three, with only the Dao arts incomplete.

My descent this time, taking Vajra as my master, is my cultivation in the seeking of the Dao.

Huang Yue, you are steeped in Dao arts and divine powers and are about to attain the second. I admire that resolve of yours.

The two of you may as well come at me together—do not cast your lives away for nothing. " "Do not look down on me! My Dao arts and divine powers—no breaking, no building! The stronger the foe, the stronger I am! Army-Breaker Mountain!

" Huang Yue gave a long cry and sprinted forward with all his strength. The instant his foot moved, his attack was loosed; his boxing art became a divine power. In a heartbeat countless phantom fists appeared, piling up like a mountain, and the next moment they stacked into the likeness of the Army-Breaker Star. His fists were so heavy and solid that the wind of them compressed the air, and burst after burst of thunderous cracks rang through the sky, like ten thousand thunderbolts rolling. This strike displayed the astonishing attainment of Huang Yue's boxing-art divine power. In his battlefield encounter with Zhe Huali he had understood his own inadequacy; now, facing Zhe Huali again and pressed by a powerful foe, he had actually advanced another step, and his Army-Breaker Mountain divine power stood on the verge of perfection.

Behind Zhe Huali, the demon blade suddenly opened its eye. The eye spun, swelled, and turned the color of blood.

Zhe Huali reached back and drew the blade, slashing down to meet the Army-Breaker Mountain divine power. At once blade radiance erupted in the air; the radiance collided with the phantom fists of Army-Breaker Mountain and rebounded, and in an instant it seemed to become ten thousand blades of light forming a mountain of swords, cleaving Army-Breaker Mountain apart with exhilarating thoroughness. The ten thousand blades of light abruptly merged into one and arrived above Huang Yue's head.

Huang Yue brought his hands together and caught the blade light between them. Suddenly the demon blade split into two.

His expression shifted slightly; flesh and blood burgeoned beneath his armpits, and two arms grew out, catching the second falling blade of light. He caught the two demon blades, and before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the two became four. Huang Yue roared. The flesh beneath his armpits burst apart, and four more arms grew out, catching the falling blade light.

Then, in despair, he saw the four blades of light become eight and slash down at him.

Chi, chi, chi, chi. The other four blades of light fell. Huang Yue lowered his head and stared blankly at the blade light that vanished upon striking the ground. Four straight blood lines appeared on his face, growing longer and longer, larger and larger.

Zhe Huali shook the demon blade, drew it lightly from his hands, and slid it back behind him.

Huang Yue fell apart in pieces. Zhe Huali looked toward Chanyuan. Her face was grave as she backed away slowly.

"Go.