Chapter 552 — The Youth's Nightmare

" Everyone hurried to catch up. Just as they caught up with Shen Mu, his Primordial Spirit suddenly came sweeping back, returning to his body.

He patted his Taotie Pouch, and from within the pouch a sword pellet flew out, spinning rapidly, then abruptly accelerated and shot through the air. Shen Mu also abruptly accelerated, hurtling forward.

With a thunderous boom, he actually surpassed the speed of sound, making no attempt whatsoever to conceal his figure. Yu He and the other practitioners frowned. Shen Mu's sprint could indeed catch the enemy off guard, but the sound would surely carry to other watchtowers.

Ding Yun's scouting had said that aside from the six watchtowers on the necessary path, there were other watchtowers not on this route. Shen Mu breaking through the air—the sound was too loud.

If it alerted the other watchtowers, it would expose their mission, and they would have to retreat. Yu He gritted her teeth.

"Keep up! " Everyone hurried to accelerate, sprinting with all their might, pushing their speed to the limit. Boom, boom, boom—a series of explosive reports sounded as they each surpassed the speed of sound, though some were faster and some slower.

Yu He, Shu You, and Sang Hua were the fastest, even faster than Shen Mu by a margin.

The three caught up to Shen Mu and looked ahead—the sword pellet had already reached the first watchtower! When the sword pellet was still some ten-odd zhang from the watchtower, countless swords flew out from within it as it spun. With a whoosh, they passed through the watchtower.

Then a dozen or so flying swords abruptly pointed their tips downward and skimmed along the ground, while the countless swords in the air clanged and clashed against the sword pellet, returning into it. The sword pellet, almost without pause, rushed straight onward. Shen Mu was also sprinting forward.

In a few blinks, the second watchtower came into view. Below it, several demon race practitioners were drinking and making merry, while two more demons atop the tower were gazing about. The dozen or so flying swords skimming along the ground arrived. The reveling demon race had no time to react before their heads flew from their shoulders. The dozen flying swords, trailing blood-light, shot into the air and clanged against the sword pellet that had flown out of the watchtower.

Whoosh— Shen Mu came racing over, passing this watchtower like a gale, charging toward the third. Yu He, Shu You, and Sang Hua hurried after him. When they reached the third watchtower, they saw Shen Mu suddenly stop, while the sword pellet had already rushed on toward the fourth.

Shen Mu stood with his feet in a neither-square-nor-oblique stance, his right hand forming a sword seal. Vital essence steamed and surged around him. He paced to and fro as though drunk, his sword-finger thrusting out from time to time, then both hands each formed sword seals, stabbing again and again.

The sword pellet crashed through one watchtower after another.

Behind it, countless flying swords darted about like flying fish, cutting down the demon race practitioners in the towers.

As the sword pellet flew on, it broke through the fourth, fifth, and sixth watchtowers in succession. The other practitioners caught up.

Just as they stopped, Ding Yun's Primordial Spirit immediately left his body and gave chase toward Shen Mu's sword pellet. He saw that after the sword pellet broke through the sixth watchtower, it clattered apart—eight thousand swords split into two waves, colliding with each other to form two smaller sword pellets that flew off to either side. Ding Yun was startled and sent his Primordial Spirit chasing after one of the sword pellets.

He saw that pellet repeat the same technique, circling half the perimeter at a terrifying speed. Along its path, the demon race in one watchtower after another were slain, with no time to react at all. When this sword pellet reached the last watchtower, Ding Yun heard the thunderous boom of their speed surpassing sound—though the thunder was not loud.

The demon race practitioners atop that watchtower poked their heads out to look. Behind them, the sword pellet flew into the tower, and sword-light erupted, drowning them. Ding Yun hastily recalled his Primordial Spirit. Just as it returned to his body, he saw that sword pellet flying toward them, while at the same time the other sword pellet came shrieking in as well.

The two sword pellets clanged together before Shen Mu, merging into a slightly larger sword pellet that gently drifted down into his hand. "Luckily, I did not fail the mission. " Shen Mu raised his head, a smile on his face. The others were gasping for breath in their alarm—they had only just stopped and had not yet taken in the surrounding terrain.

Shu You looked at Ding Yun, who nodded. "Within a hundred and fifty li all around, every watchtower that could hear the thunder was destroyed by the Sect Leader. Farther away, the sound could not reach. " "A hundred and fifty li?

" Yu He's face showed disbelief. Shen Mu had just said a hundred li, and now he had actually uprooted every watchtower within a hundred and fifty li.

His vital essence cultivation was truly formidable! "So he really was being modest," she thought to herself.

Shu You said in a low voice, "Let us hurry over!

Sect Leader, you controlled so many swords just now—do you need to rest? " Shen Mu shook his head.

"It's fine. My vital essence is still abundant. " Shu You was startled and inwardly cursed him as a monster.

The group followed the destroyed watchtowers onward, and before long they were not far from the small town Ding Yun had described.

Each of them concealed their trail and looked ahead, their hearts and spirits shaken. Ahead, it could no longer be called a small town—it was a massive altar, no smaller than the altar from when the Woodcutter Sage had descended! Thousands upon thousands of human race young men, under the watch of demon race soldiers, were building this altar.

The altar was more than half built.

Many demon race practitioners carried large buckets, dipping from the fresh blood within to brand runic marks onto the altar. "Hasn't the demon race already crushed the world barrier of Taihuang Heaven?

By all reasoning, the world barrier between the demon race world and Taihuang Heaven can no longer prevent the descent of demon race gods and demons.

Why would they still build an altar? " Shen Mu was puzzled and confused, murmuring, "Could it be that the gods and demons they intend to summon are not from the demon race world? Could it be.

.

. " He thought of Zhe Huali's origins and felt a touch of unease.

Zhe Huali was Luo Wushuang's disciple, from that so-called True Heavenly Court!

Shu You hurriedly said, "There is a Heaven-Man realm powerhouse! Everyone, withdraw your gaze—do not look!

" Everyone withdrew their gazes. Beside the altar, behind that Heaven-Man realm demon race powerhouse stood a Primordial Spirit over ten zhang tall, massive and imposing. His Primordial Spirit seemed to sense something and glanced around, but found nothing unusual.

Shen Mu took out a mirror and used it to reflect the area around the altar. "There aren't many demon race here.

Apart from that Heaven-Man expert, the others will not be hard to deal with.

.

.

" Just then, he saw a figure walk out from within the altar, and his expression changed at once. "Furira! " Shen Mu's hand trembled.

In the mirror, Furira walked out of the altar and raised his head, looking from within the mirror at him outside it. "Run. .

.

" Shen Mu's voice was hoarse.

In the mirror, Furira began to walk, stepping out from within the mirror. Like a nightmare descending, his figure grew larger and larger, filling the mirror.

"Run!

" Shen Mu shouted sharply.