Chapter 553 — The Sun-Binder in the Flames

"Why run?

" Before Shu You, Yu He, and the others could grasp his meaning, the Black Tiger God's ears suddenly pricked upright, and he raised his head to scrutinize the altar still under construction. Around the altar, the demon soldiers who heard Shen Mu's shout wore looks of suspicion. The demon general of the Heavenly Human realm immediately barked twice, ordering several demons over to investigate.

Those demons came racing toward them, and one of them opened a black urn. From it a swarm of bees flew up with a droning hum, each swelling to the size of two feet. The Black Tiger God's ears folded back again.

"Run from what? " he asked, baffled. "These demons aren't hard for you to handle.

That Heavenly Human realm general might be a little troublesome, but he's not unbeatable. " Cold sweat broke out on Shen Mu's forehead. The mirror in his hands felt heavier and heavier, as though he were holding up a great mountain. The Sun-Binder in the mirror was about to step out of it!

"The Sun-Binder! The Sun-Binder is beside that altar! " His voice was hoarse.

"Can't you see him?

He's walking this way!

" A chill ran through the others. They hurriedly looked around.

Yu He asked, perplexed, "Where is the Sun-Binder? " The Black Tiger God warily glanced about and pricked up his ears, swiveling them north, south, east, and west to listen to the sounds around them. He shook his head. "There's no trace of the Sun-Binder. Have you lost your mind?

The Sun-Binder is the commander of the demon race. Why would he come to such a remote place instead of holding court in his main camp? " The mirror in Shen Mu's hands grew impossibly heavy and crashed to the ground. His voice cracked with strain.

"Can't you see the Sun-Binder in the mirror? Just now the Sun-Binder walked out of that altar and then appeared in the mirror!

" The others hastily looked at the mirror and shook their heads one after another.

"Sect Master, there's nothing in the mirror. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you. " Shu You said urgently, "The enemy is almost here.

Prepare to meet them! " The Black Tiger God also looked at the bright mirror, his expression grave. He too saw no Sun-Binder in the mirror, yet he sensed something was wrong.

Though Shen Mu's strength was inferior to Yu He's and Shu You's, and a little less than Sang Hua's, he should never have been unable to lift this mirror!

The mirror had fallen to the ground, which meant it was growing heavier and heavier, surpassing the limit of Shen Mu's strength!

This was impossible! The Black Tiger God walked toward the mirror and said in a low voice, "There truly is no trace of the Sun-Binder beside the altar. Did you really see him in the mirror?

" Shen Mu's eyes remained fixed on the mirror as though he could not look away. Drop by drop, cold sweat ran down his forehead. Though the mirror had fallen to the ground, it had not toppled over. It stood upright before him, as if pinned in place by some inexplicable force. The Black Tiger God looked into the mirror.

There was no Sun-Binder in it, only Shen Mu's reflection. The Black Tiger God's heart jolted.

He hurried to the other side of the mirror and looked into Shen Mu's eyes. Shen Mu was still staring fixedly at the mirror, his face stricken with terror.

Yet in each of his eyes appeared a figure, and that figure was slowly growing larger, filling his pupils! The Black Tiger God finally saw the face of that figure—it had three faces. It was none other than the True Demon Commander of the demon race, the Sun-Binder!

"Damn! The Sun-Binder isn't in the mirror—he's in your eyes!

You once met his gaze! " The Black Tiger God's expression changed drastically.

Knowing things were dire, he clenched one fist and struck at the mirror while his other hand reached for Shen Mu, shouting, "Don't look at the mirror! He's using your eyes and the mirror's reflection to manifest himself! " Just then, a pair of black hands suddenly thrust out from the mirror before Shen Mu and seized his shoulders. In an instant, Shen Mu was like a paper figure, dragged into the mirror by those black hands.

The Black Tiger God's fist was about to shatter the mirror. He hastily pulled back, and his other hand grasped only air. He swiftly turned the mirror around. It was empty and vast within, save for those black hands and Shen Mu rapidly receding into the distance, growing smaller and smaller.

The Black Tiger God leaped toward the mirror. In the instant before he could pass through, there came a clang—the bright mirror shattered to pieces against him.

The Black Tiger God climbed to his feet, dazed and distraught. Yu He, Shu You, and the others were preparing to meet the enemy. Seeing this scene, they could not help but be stunned.

But the enemy had already attacked, and they had no time to think. They could only fight with all their might.

"The Sun-Binder has long wanted to capture our junior brother.

Back in Li City, when that wretch exchanged a glance with Junior Brother Shen, he had already planted his demonic divine ability in his eyes. . .

" Cold sweat poured down the Black Tiger God's forehead. The Sun-Binder's demonic divine ability was utterly undetectable. It had to evade the notice of terrifying beings like the Woodcutter Sage and the True God Pang Yu, and so the ability possessed no power of its own.

In other words, the Sun-Binder had merely imprinted his shadow deep within Shen Mu's eyes. That shadow held not the slightest strength—only thus could it escape the notice of the Woodcutter Sage and the other deities! Only when Shen Mu set foot in the demon race's territory and absorbed the demonic qi there would his shadow surface.

His shadow, having absorbed demonic qi, grew stronger and gained power, but it was still not enough to capture Shen Mu. For his shadow was only an imprint in Shen Mu's eyes, and the Sun-Binder within that imprint was reversed—exactly mirror-flipped from the real Sun-Binder, including his organs, his divine ability imprint, and the tiniest particles of his body. All were reversed. Only when Shen Mu raised the mirror and looked into it would the Sun-Binder in his pupils appear correctly oriented in the mirror.

Only then could the Sun-Binder unleash his divine abilities and arts, giving him the chance to cast his spell and abduct Shen Mu. It was Shen Mu's entry into the demon race's territory and his act of raising the mirror that had finally triggered the Sun-Binder's divine ability.

"If only we had discovered it earlier. .

. " Sweat poured from the Black Tiger God like rain, his eyelids like two dripping caves, perspiration cascading down like a waterfall. "This time it wasn't Junior Brother Shen who caused trouble—it was me. . .

I've lost Junior Brother Shen. How am I to explain this to the Lord. . .

I'm finished! " Shen Mu looked around.

He had appeared in a desolate place of unimaginable emptiness.

In the sky hung several enormous planets, some near, some far—broken, barren, silent. He stood in the midst of a great marsh, his feet upon the water's surface. In the distance, flames drifted up in blossoms, burning upon the water. He did not know where he had come.

All around, swirling, drifting demonic qi hung like mist over a swamp. "Sun-Binder! " Shen Mu called out loudly.

"You are a senior. Since you've captured me, why not show yourself for a meeting? " There was no sound from any direction.

It was as though only he remained in this place.

Shen Mu frowned and walked forward.

Crack—a sharp sound came from beneath his feet. He looked down.

He had stepped on a rotting corpse.

From its attire and build, it was likely a demon. He did not know how long it had been dead. Shen Mu was slightly startled. He looked ahead.