Chapter 564 — Wondrous Foresight

"The Tiger Venerable feels even better now! " Snow Fox said to Shen Mu with a perfectly solemn face.

The little fox spirit had just gone over and given him a couple of pats, and the touch was plump and soft. Shen Mu was rather worried that this senior brother of his could not govern his mouth, and had eaten so many Golden Water Primordial Pills that he had grown a layer of fat.

But the Black Tiger God was his senior brother, the one who had followed the Woodcutter Sage the longest, and a deity of illustrious renown besides; as his junior, Shen Mu was in no position to say anything. Even if he told the Black Tiger God to eat fewer Primordial Pills, the Black Tiger God probably would not listen to him.

These days the Black Tiger God listened to Long Qilin more. "Let the Woodcutter Sage have the headache, then.

" Shen Mu turned and looked back.

Behind them, column after column of demonic qi shot up to the clouds; some of the qi was shaped like lotuses, some like dark clouds, and some like peacocks or demon gods, following them all the while. These were the anomalies formed by the vital essence of many masters of the demon path. Anyone capable of producing such anomalies was a master of the Heaven-Human realm or even stronger! Yet these demon experts did not charge forward to kill; it was as though they were waiting for something.

"A Divine Bridge master has arrived!

" Shen Mu narrowed his eyes and looked.

Suddenly a divine bridge spanned tens of li across the sky, and a demon god's primordial spirit walked up onto the bridge; above the bridge stood the demon path's Heavenly Palace.

This was the anomaly of a Divine Bridge expert. In Jingping, the Divine Bridge realm was basically counted as the level of a cult leader, possessed of great strength, but that was in the past. After Shen Mu spread the method for repairing the divine bridge, only those who entered the Heavenly Palace and became deities could be counted as masters of cult-leader level.

Still, those with divine powers at the Divine Bridge realm remained extremely formidable. If these people came hunting them down, only the Black Tiger God's intervention could save them! Then he saw a second divine bridge, then a third, a fourth.

. .

Behind them there were more and more Divine Bridge experts, and on the bridges stood primordial spirits of every description; the position a primordial spirit occupied on the bridge represented different levels of cultivation within the Divine Bridge realm.

These primordial spirits gazed at them from afar, and bolt after bolt of demonic light swept past them, utterly without scruple. Even with so many Divine Bridge experts present, the demon race still did not come charging over. "They are waiting for a mightier existence to descend!

" Shen Mu narrowed his eyes, drew back his gaze, and said silently in his heart: "Stronger than the Divine Bridge, there is only a demon god who has entered the Heavenly Palace! I only wonder whether the demon god rushing here has stepped through the Southern Heavenly Gate.

.

.

" He glanced at the Black Tiger God, who lay sprawled on the chest alongside Long Qilin. Ever since the Black Tiger God had found a common language with Long Qilin, he had grown as lazy as Long Qilin, forever lying on the chest, muttering who knew what with Long Qilin. An ill foreboding rose in his heart: "I hope whoever comes has not crossed the Heavenly Palace's Southern Heavenly Gate.

. . " Sang Hua wore a worried look and said in a low voice: "Brother Cult Leader, if we go on, it won't be long before we reach the demon race's front line. There are many experts there.

" Shen Mu's heart gave a slight jolt, and at once he understood what these demon experts were waiting for.

"The front line is full of experts, and behind us are the pursuers. They have us caught in the middle, so that we cannot look to head or tail at once.

It seems the pursuers behind are not waiting for a demon god to arrive; rather, that demon god is already seated among them, waiting for us to walk into the net!

" Shen Mu steadied himself, went to the chest. The Black Tiger God and Long Qilin were muttering something; seeing him come, they hurriedly shut their mouths. Shen Mu set out his conjecture and said in a deep voice: "Senior Brother Tiger, if we keep going, the closer we come to the front line, the more perilous it becomes! At a certain distance, a demon god will surely lead a force ahead to block our way.

And behind, that demon god will cut off our retreat! Caught between the two, we'll be ground to dust!

" The Black Tiger God rose like a great cat and said gravely: "A fine plan! But they underestimate me, Tiger Venerable, too much! I followed my lord in campaigns north and south, through countless slaughters. My renown was won in blood! Afterward my lord fell silent and turned to stone, and I too sank into slumber; it seems these little bastards have forgotten Lord Tiger's might!

Have no fear. When we're still a thousand li from the front line, call on me! " Shen Mu opened his mouth but said nothing. The Black Tiger God lay down again and raised his head: "Have you any more spirit medicine? The spirit medicine you gave me, I used up refining pills. Give me some more.

Only when I'm full can I fight well.

" Shen Mu took some spirit medicine from the Taotie Pouch, measured out the amount for one furnace of spirit pills, and handed it to him, saying: "Senior Brother Tiger, don't eat too much, or you'll grow into a Fat Dragon. " The Black Tiger God laughed heartily, quite full of himself: "You underestimate me too much.

A mere spirit pill, refine it and it melts at once; it won't put half a liang of flesh on me. I know my own measure.

In a moment you'll see my might! " Shen Mu asked: "Sister Hua, how far are we from the front line now? " Sang Hua took out a geographical map, searched about, then took out a ruler and measured, saying: "This is.

.

. Caiyun Mountain.

Four thousand li from the front line. " Shen Mu looked at the scale on the map, measured it himself, and shook his head: "Four thousand two hundred and sixty-one li.

" Sang Hua laughed: "Why be so precise?

" Shen Mu shook his head and thought: "It's precisely because your Taihuang Heaven's arts of calculation are so poor that even the sun you made is crooked and lopsided, a sight not fit to be seen. " Of course, he could not say this outright.

Sang Hua was called away by Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang; the three girls chattered away, studying and exchanging the dao arts and divine powers of Taihuang Heaven and Jingping.

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang humbly sought instruction in the cultivation methods of a young true god, and Sang Hua told them all she knew. Sang Hua in turn asked them about Jingping's arts; the two girls taught her the divine powers Jingping had lately created, and also taught her the Primordial Spirit Guide. "The Primordial Spirit Guide requires dual cultivation. This art can only be cultivated by husband and wife," Sang Hua said in surprise. Ling Yuxiu laughed: "Nonsense! So long as the primordial spirits can resonate, it can be cultivated.

Many monks and daoists in Jingping cultivate it! " Sang Hua was dumbstruck.

After a moment she said doubtfully: "Monks and daoists can cultivate it too? Have you two cultivated it as well?

" "I cultivated it together with the cowherd," Ling Yuxiu said. Sang Hua felt a little forlorn and bitter at heart.

She looked at Si Yunxiang: "What about you, Sister Xiang?

" Si Yunxiang laughed: "I cultivated it with the Cult Leader too.

The Cult Leader's primordial spirit is very strong; dual-cultivating the primordial spirit with him advances you very quickly! " Sang Hua's eyes went wide, and she blurted out: "How can you.

. .

the two of you. .

. That's not right. Dual cultivation of the primordial spirit, surely one can have only one dao companion!