Chapter 585 — Dubious Origins

Shen Mu hastily sheathed his sword and gazed at the towering old man before him in mingled surprise and joy. "Grandpa Butcher!

" he cried happily. Before the words had left his mouth, the other roe deer suddenly burst apart, and figures shot into the sky to intercept Tianfeng Gou as she lunged at the Venerable God Sangye. Her sword-light was already driving at him, and there was no time for her to change her move.

A long spear transformed into a black dragon and scattered the glow of her blade. Tianfeng Gou's entire body shuddered. The great spear twisted and shifted, and in its black-dragon form every thrust struck the pivot of her sword forms, leaving her magic power broken and fitful, so that she could not bring the full might of her swordsmanship to bear. She had devoted her life to the way of the sword, and her mastery had been second to none in Taihuang Heaven.

But after Shen Mu opened the passage between Taihuang Heaven and Jingping, and Jingping's sword arts flowed through, her swordsmanship could hardly claim such rank any longer—there were far too many masters in the kingdom of Jingping whose skill surpassed her own. What she found truly terrifying was that this black-dragon spear could defeat strength through weakness, shattering her magic power outright. Strange stars flickered in the sky, weaving a Daluo Heaven star-force field, and just as she clashed with the black dragon spear, it came from nowhere and blasted against her chest. It was a bizarre divine art—one that turned the star-lore of all heavens into power.

In the transformation of divine arts, too, Jingping far outstripped Taihuang Heaven.

Tianfeng Gou gave a stifled groan and spat blood, then fell back at tremendous speed. Suddenly her back went cold: an old man had appeared noiselessly behind her with a blade in his hand.

She collided with his knife, and it drove straight into her heart from behind. The blow was not strong—this plain, honest-looking old man was clearly good only at stabbing people in the back, and his actual technique lacked force.

She swung her sword backward, but before her sword-light could reach the simple old man behind her, another old man, carrying a furnace on his back, smashed down with a hammer!

The furnace behind the hammer-wielder blazed into the heavens, and the stroke was of such appalling weight that it snapped her bones and tore her sinews.

She tumbled and rolled along the ground, her body bouncing high, falling, and bouncing again. Her strength was exceptional—even above that of the Venerable God Sangye—and she still lived. But she knew she had fallen into an ambush and could never overcome so many masters, so she fled at once despite her wounds.

She bounded a hundred li, then turned and saw an enormously tall old man lifting a palm, as if he were rolling up the vault of heaven. Her heart jolted.

This old man's ears were a pair of gleaming iron ears, and his body loomed so immense, more towering than true gods or true demons, that he had actually folded the space around her! "There is no way he can have such dreadful power.

. . " she had only just thought, when she realized the truth: the iron-eared old man had not folded space at all. After being gravely wounded by the blacksmith, she had fallen into a painting.

She was fleeing inside the painting now. Tianfeng Gou immediately drove her divine sword and tore the space apart. The painting split, and a shaft of sword-light flew straight at the iron-eared old man's face.

The iron-eared old man looked supremely majestic, his aura enough to shake heaven and earth, but in truth his strength was pitiful. Seeing the sword-light coming, he knew he could never withstand it and turned to run in panic.

Suddenly the black dragon spear thrust in, scattering the moves of Tianfeng Gou's divine sword. She leaped out of the painting. Straight ahead, a burly man clad in sable rode a green ox straight at her, his saber-work superb and his forms intricate—a style she had never seen, with spells and divine powers hidden within, of astonishing might.

She underestimated the power of that one cut and paid for it.

A flash of saber-light, and her sword hand—her right hand—was severed completely, blood spraying through the air. Tianfeng Gou gave a muffled gasp, seized the sword with her left hand, and was about to run the ox-rider through when a stunningly beautiful woman curled her palm inward. Space collapsed, and Tianfeng Gou felt herself dragged helplessly toward that palm.

Boom!

The blacksmith charged in from the side and hammered her square on the forehead. Her mind went dazed.

Another short old man used the black dragon spear to break through her divine sword forms, the spear folding and twisting through the air in uncanny angles before piercing her chest. Bang! Her face slammed into the beautiful woman's palm, and the Daluo Heaven star palm power exploded, blurring her whole face into flesh and blood.

The woman's hands whirled as she circled Tianfeng Gou at dizzying speed, her fingers tapping again and again to seal away her primordial spirit and soul.

With a thud, Tianfeng Gou crashed to the ground, her primordial spirit unable to escape, sealed within her battered body. She had not yet died. Through dim eyes she saw a man in a bronze mask hurry to her side and thrust silver needle after silver needle into her body.

The voice he sent into her ears seemed to recede farther and farther into the distance as he said with a smile, "With me here, she won't die. Rest easy—just drag her soul out and interrogate it.

" The Venerable God Sangye stood there woodenly, lost and uncertain. Before he had even had a chance to trade blows with Tianfeng Gou, she had been finished off by these strange people. All the same, Tianfeng Gou truly was a formidable being—her strength, though less than a true god's, was not far from it, and he was certainly no match for her.

Sangye had been ready to sacrifice himself at any moment, only regretting that Shen Mu would likely share his grave.

Fortunately these odd folk had appeared from nowhere and, in one wild flurry of blows, gravely wounded and sealed Tianfeng Gou. Otherwise, he and Shen Mu would certainly both have died. On the other side, Shen Mu cautiously reached up and pushed aside the great saber pressed against his neck. The Butcher snorted, and the blade settled back against his throat.

Shen Mu pushed again, but the Butcher kept the saber there, still clearly angry.

Shen Mu said cautiously, "Grandpa Butcher, you were wrapped in the roe-deer hide, and Granny's magic is so fine that I couldn't see through it. I didn't know it was you.

If I had known, I would never have put my sword to your neck. .

. " "I don't care!

" the Butcher said coldly. "With all the pain and toil I raised you from a child, and you want to kill me for one spanking? My heart has turned to ice! " Behind him, the fingers of Huo Tuluo's hand suddenly spread wide and flat, and one by one they dropped off, falling to the ground like little pillars of flesh. "Ke.

. .

" A strange sound came from Huo Tuluo's throat. Slowly he drew his hands back and reached trembling for his own neck. He did his utmost to keep his balance, not daring to move too quickly; every tiny shift was made with infinite care.

But before his hands could touch his neck, the head on that neck had already lost its balance and begun to slide little by little to one side. Huo Tuluo hastened, grabbing at the head on his neck! Bang.

A loud crack came as his two hands met above his neck—while the head was already falling past him.

Blood gushed from his neck, staining his hands scarlet. "What a swift blade—" The severed head loosed a piercing shriek.

It hit the ground, rolled twice, and at last the flame within its pupils went out, and its eyes slowly closed.

Shen Mu watched with boundless admiration. "Grandpa Butcher's divine blade is truly extraordinary," he praised. "I am far from your equal.