Chapter 548 — The Bridge of Spiritual Power Exchange

Upon one altar after another, the stone statues were awakening, slow and unhurried. Within Shen Mu's eyes, layer upon layer of array-patterns revolved; gazing intently, a faint doubt stirred in his heart.

These divine statues each possessed their own traits—turtle-backed divines, leopard-tailed divines, bird-headed divines, dragon-headed divines, and many other forms besides. Twenty-four altars, twenty-four kinds of divine form. Yet among them, some statues seemed to Shen Mu as though he had seen them somewhere before.

"The stone statues from the Desolate Ruins!

" At last he remembered—the statues that struck him as familiar came from the relics of the Desolate Ruins!

Which was to say, these statues most likely all came from the Desolate Ruins!

These awakening statues were about to become deities—which meant that every statue in the Desolate Ruins might one day revive and become a living god, confirming the conjecture he had long held!

The statues that had entered Taihuang Heaven numbered fully twenty-four; Taihuang Heaven would thus gain twenty-four deities to fight on its side. These deities were surely friends of the Woodcutter Sage, and their strength must be no small matter. And yet the Woodcutter Sage still said they could not hold against the Demon Race—only delay them for a time.

What exactly was the origin of the Demon Race? How did they come to possess such terrifying power? He voiced his doubt.

The Woodcutter Sage looked toward the reviving statues, fell silent a moment, and said, "The origins of the Demon Race are deeply mysterious.

Even I am not certain.

But rumor has it they arose from Youdu—that they are beings of Youdu, who later split away from it.

Whether that is so, I do not know. The Demon Race possesses many worlds; their strength was formidable from the start. That Taihuang Heaven cannot hold against them is only natural. " Shen Mu's heart stirred. "Then what is the relationship between the Demon Race and that so-called true Heavenly Court which destroyed the Kaihuang Era? Zhe Huali came from that place; his master, Luo Wushuang, heads the Heavenly Court's Spirit Excellence Army. Luo Wushuang sent his own disciple down to the Demon Race for tempering—that Heavenly Court must have some connection to the Demon Race!

" "There is a connection, but it is not one of subordination. " The Woodcutter Sage knew much of this, yet spoke vaguely. "Theirs is more a relationship of mutual exploitation. That so-called Heavenly Court often uses the Demon Race to do things inconvenient for them to do themselves, and the Demon Race, to survive, is glad to be used. All these years my primordial spirit has roamed the void, searching for the origins of this Heavenly Court, but I have found little useful information.

" He took a step, treading upon the air, and walked toward the altars one by one.

"Since you have come to Taihuang Heaven, stay here and temper yourself. I have other matters to attend to. " Shen Mu was about to chase after him, but saw the Woodcutter Sage walking farther and farther, space beneath his feet shrinking so that a thousand li was as a mere footstep—utterly impossible to catch up. In haste he called, "Sage Master, I still have matters to ask! " But the Woodcutter Sage's figure was already far away, and Shen Mu's cultivation was far from sufficient to carry his voice that distance. "Little Tiger, stay by his side.

" The Woodcutter Sage's voice came through. "Do not let him stir up trouble. " The Black Tiger God hastily responded in assent, came to stand behind Shen Mu, and his massive shadow swallowed Shen Mu whole.

Shen Mu laughed. "The Sage Master misjudges people. I am, after all, a Holy Cult Master—hardly a child.

How would I stir up trouble everywhere?

" The Black Tiger God's face darkened as he looked down at him.

"Whether you stir up trouble everywhere—don't you know well enough in your own heart?

" Shen Mu tilted his head up.

The Black Tiger God was truly too tall; even speaking to him was a strain. So he said, "Tiger Senior Brother, could you make yourself a little smaller?

" "Senior Brother? " The Black Tiger God's expression changed at once, turning genial.

His two ears perked up with a flap, standing tall before his head, catching the wind, and he laughed. "Since you have called me Senior Brother, I shall no longer look down on you from on high.

You can see for yourself—I am no mount, but the Lord's disciple.

By seniority, you ought indeed to call me Senior Brother. " His body gradually shrank, and after a moment he stood level with Shen Mu, like a tiger-headed youth—only his two furry ears remained exceedingly lively, flicking and flapping from time to time. Shen Mu said earnestly, "Tiger Senior Brother, the Sage Master said not to stir up trouble—not that you mustn't cause any fuss at all. Stirring up trouble and causing a fuss are vastly different. They cannot be lumped together.

" The Black Tiger God would have none of it. He shook his head. "The Lord said to watch you.

I won't let you out of my sight. " Shen Mu's head ached; he had no choice but to let him follow.

He thought to himself, "I had planned to ask the Sage Master's help to design a world bridge connecting Jingping and Taihuang Heaven. But the Sage Master has matters to attend to—it seems I must complete it alone.

" Licheng was bustling now, and he knew no one here. So he settled temporarily in a city gate tower, took out a stack of paper and various calculating tools, and continued working out the design for the world bridge. The Black Tiger God stood behind him, watching for a long while, then suddenly asked, "What are you calculating?

" Shen Mu did not look up. "I am calculating the spiritual energy conversion equation and the spiritual energy transfer equation between two worlds. These two equations can determine the conversion ratio of spirit and energy for a divine ability practitioner in different worlds, as well as the transfer ratio between worlds.

" His words were rather abstruse, yet the Black Tiger God understood.

He laughed. "The spiritual energy conversion equation is the key to flesh-and-blood sacrifice; the spiritual energy transfer equation is the key to teleportation divine abilities—am I right? " Shen Mu lifted his head, looking at him in disbelief. The computational load these two equations demanded was immense, involving a vast range of knowledge—the conversion of soul, flesh, mass, and energy, as well as the calculations of spatial teleportation and leaps.

Any divine ability practitioner of Taihuang Heaven would surely have been lost in the clouds—yet the Black Tiger God had laid bare the crux in a single sentence! "Of course—he is the Sage Master's mount. The Sage Master's Great Nurturing Netherworld Demon Scripture contains profound arts of calculation.

Immersed in it, he must have learned a great deal.

" Shen Mu probed, "How accomplished is Tiger Senior Brother in the arts of calculation? " The Black Tiger God picked up a sheet of paper from the ground. "I noticed just now that you made an error in your calculations—here, this is wrong. " Shen Mu looked at the paper, hurriedly recalculated with his tools, and indeed there was an error.

Shen Mu was filled with admiration. "Tiger Senior Brother's calculations are profound—faster and more accurate than mine.

This humble brother is in awe.

These two equations are difficult to work out, with too many things to solve. Might Tiger Senior Brother lend a hand?

" The Black Tiger God laughed. "So long as you don't stir up trouble, what harm is there in helping you?

What is your line of calculation? What do you intend to construct with the spiritual energy transfer equation and the spiritual energy conversion equation? " Shen Mu explained his idea of constructing a world bridge, then took out his designed altar and teleportation flag.