Chapter 544 — The Bond of Brotherhood

The Woodcutter Sage dismounted his donkey down the slope and preserved his dignity, but Zhe Huali sat astride a tiger's back with no donkey to step down from.

Cold sweat beaded on Zhe Huali's brow as he stared at his own right arm. Luo Wushuang had no right arm; he wielded his saber with his left hand, and the marvel of his saber technique was wrought through that left hand.

If Zhe Huali wished to execute Luo Wushuang's saber technique in flawless perfection, he would have to sever his own right arm! The cold sweat on his brow thickened.

His heart seethed with unwillingness!

He had not yet crossed blades with Shen Mu, and already he must cut off an arm — who could bear it?

Who would accept it gladly? Yet if he did not sever his right arm, his saber technique could never be as perfect as his master Luo Wushuang's; and to face Shen Mu with an imperfect saber technique — in his heart he truly had no confidence. "The state of mind has little effect on one's strength.

" Abruptly a voice came from behind him, waking Zhe Huali from the dilemma into which he had sunk.

Shen Mu raised his brows and looked toward the Asura of the Demon Clan who was walking over.

He had been forging iron all this while and did not know Jiang Yi. At this moment Jiang Yi was covered in blood — whether his own or another's, it was impossible to say — though judging by his wounds, his injuries were far from light.

He looked as though he had been sliced into fish fillets by a flurry of blades; the wounds, great and small, numbered a hundred at least. Despite the gravity of his wounds, his fighting spirit still blazed, his aura fierce, his blood-aura surging to the heavens.

As he came near, the stench of gore and rotting corpses struck them in the face; he seemed to bring with him a vast ocean made of dead bodies.

Jiang Yi's gaze slid off Zhe Huali and settled on Shen Mu: "The state of mind is not strength. The strength of one who wields divine abilities is embodied in the physical body, the primal spirit, and the Dao arts and divine abilities; the state of mind affects strength only marginally. The bystander sees most clearly — Zhe Huali, you have fallen into his trap.

Why do you not leap out of it? " Zhe Huali's eyes blazed bright, and his breathing steadied. Jiang Yi was one of the few friends he had in Taihuang Heaven. The two often exchanged insights; they were bosom friends, friends in life and death.

On the battlefield Jiang Yi had saved his life, and he had saved Jiang Yi's.

Jiang Yi went on: "What affects strength most is the physical body, the primal spirit, and the Dao arts and divine abilities. Zhe Huali, your body and mine are both stronger than his; your primal spirit is stronger than mine, and therefore naturally stronger than his. As for the Dao arts and divine abilities — your saber technique is inherited from the Divine Saber Luo Wushuang, and you have also studied the demonic arts of the True Demon Fuluotuo, combining the strengths of two schools, of gods and demons alike.

Could your Dao arts and divine abilities be weaker than his? He has not even succeeded in cultivating a true-god body — how high could his Dao arts and divine abilities possibly reach? " Zhe Huali's confidence returned in a rush, and his manner relaxed as well. He smiled and said, "Sometimes one who wields divine abilities needs a good teacher and a helpful friend. I already have a good teacher. Jiang Yi, you are my helpful friend! " Roused by Jiang Yi's words, he finally regained his confidence, and his state of mind, all unnoticed, climbed back to its peak.

His strength lay chiefly in the fact that he possessed the body of a youthful True God, the primal spirit of a youthful True God. Though his saber technique and divine abilities had not yet reached the level of entering the Dao, when it came to sheer strength, he feared no one in the sandbox world! His first advantage was the body of a youthful True God — beyond doubt superior to Shen Mu's, granting him the edge in speed, power, reaction, and the might of his moves.

His second advantage was his primal spirit — a primal spirit as mighty as that of a youthful True God.

Though for a divine-ability wielder of the Seven Stars realm the role of the primal spirit had yet to manifest, wielding it well was still a key to victory.

He had two masters: Luo Wushuang and Fuluotuo. Fuluotuo was a word in the demon tongue, meaning vajra; Fuluotuo's primal spirit was exceedingly powerful, and from him Zhe Huali had learned a method to advance his own primal spirit further.

On this point, he was certain Shen Mu could not match him. His third advantage was his saber technique and his demonic saber.

The demonic saber was his primal weapon, forged for him by Luo Wushuang's own hand; and the saber technique was Luo Wushuang's divine saber art, which, to bring to its utmost perfection, Luo Wushuang had polished for nearly forty thousand years! His disadvantage was his state of mind — but the state of mind has little effect on strength. Being inferior to Shen Mu in state of mind was not the key that decided victory or defeat!

Jiang Yi smiled, deeply gratified, and said, "Your strength is still above mine. You were merely swayed by his words and, without realizing it, fell into his way. " Zhe Huali smiled too.

With a friend like this, what more could one ask?

A friend so true — one was enough! Shen Mu frowned slightly. Zhe Huali alone had already made the situation feel thorny to him; add Jiang Yi, and he truly had no chance of victory.

Suddenly Sang Wan poked her head out, her two braids dangling down, then waved excitedly at Shen Mu: "Hey, Thresher!

Don't be afraid, I'm here!

Is it only us here? Where are Senior Sister Yu He, Senior Brother Shu You, and Senior Brother Huang Yue?

Did they die in battle?

" The moment her voice fell, Yu He walked out with a helpless look on her face, and Shu You, his brows deeply furrowed, followed behind her.

Sang Wan said excitedly, "Senior Sister Yu He, Senior Brother Shu You, what were you hiding in that little hollow for? Now there are four of us against their two — more than enough!

Where's Senior Brother Huang Yue? Is Senior Brother Huang Yue also hiding in that hollow where you were just holed up? " The helplessness on Yu He's face deepened, and Shu You's brows knit tighter still.

The two of them had hidden in the shadows, preparing to ambush and kill Jiang Yi and Zhe Huali, only to be called out by this girl and forced to emerge — which made them look rather less than honorable. Zhe Huali said calmly, "I sensed the two of you long ago.

Hidden there as you were, you could not conceal the killing intent in your hearts. As for Huang Yue, I killed him with a single saber stroke. " Yu He said helplessly, "Junior Sister Sang Wan, we saw Junior Brother Huang Yue's corpse. The others are dead too; we are all that remain here.

They died gloriously, taking down so many demon fiends with them, perishing together with those Demon Clan masters — that is the only reason we hold the advantage in numbers.

" She felt profoundly helpless toward this girl of the Venerable Deity Sang Ye's house — a deep sense of powerlessness. Sang Wan had exposed their hiding place and rendered all their earlier schemes useless.

And even now, though they seemed to have the greater numbers, it made little difference. Sang Wan's strength was low; she had not yet passed the trial of the God-Suppressing Pagoda and had no claim to the makings of a youthful True God, so she was of no use.