Chapter 595 — Say That Again, I Dare You

Their hearts were seized with terror, for there across the way a divine city of incomparable magnificence had risen abruptly from what had been the ruins of Wuwang City. That divine city stood a hundred zhang tall, its walls like mountains, spanning between heaven and earth.

Within, towers and buildings rose high; on the battlements were mounted divine cannon after divine cannon; and atop the high towers in the city there were as many as a hundred giant sun-shooting divine cannons shaped like great eyes. And on the walls stood countless god-and-demon soldiers, god-men in golden armor, awe-inspiring, patrolling the ramparts, walking to and fro.

Above the divine city, auspicious clouds curled and a thousand strands of colored mist shone—a strange phenomenon given off by the aura of gods and demons. A mood of panic and unease spread through the demon host. The demon god commanders of each army looked at one another. Where there should have been ruins, a divine city of such grandeur and spectacle had suddenly appeared, garrisoned by so many gods and demons besides.

And those divine cannons along the walls—their sheer density was terrifying, enough to blast any surging demon army to dust.

The sun-shooting cannons within the city were even more outrageous in number—a hundred of them. This was no longer warfare; they were enough to annihilate a world.

Even demon gods could not help but tremble at such a sight. They could only hold their troops in place and pray the enemy would not attack.

One demon god spread the wings at his back and said in a low voice, "I will first report this to Venerable King Vajra. Hold the line, all of you, and do not let the enemy break through our camp.

" He flew for a long while, until he met Vajra, who was leading the main army in haste, and told him of the matter.

Vajra was astonished. "Such a thing has happened?

Do not attack for now.

Send out scouts to probe the truth of it. I will bring my army and arrive by tonight at the latest.

" The demon god assented, flew back, and ordered a squad of scouts to go probe the truth. When the scouts were still thirty li from the divine city, several dozen cannons suddenly shot out rays of light and blasted the whole squad to ash. The winged demon god flew back in a panic and said to Vajra, "Venerable King, I sent scouts over, and the cannon light from the walls blasted them to death thirty li away!

The cannons on this divine city are all real! " Vajra's scalp went numb, and he blurted out, "Where could such a divine city come from? If Taihuang Heaven had a city like this, it would have wiped out our demon race long ago!

Taihuang Heaven cannot have one, and neither can Jingping!

This city cannot possibly be real! " The winged demon god bowed his head, not daring to speak.

Vajra's expression shifted dark and bright by turns.

He shouted, "Order the front line—no one is permitted to withdraw. Whoever dares retreat, I will cut off his head and offer it to the banner!

When my army arrives, we will flatten them in one push! " The winged demon god murmured his assent and flew off.

By nightfall, Vajra at last arrived with his main army.

He came to the front and looked far off at the divine city, but could not make it out clearly. His expression shifted dark and bright; he could not make up his mind. If the divine city were real, then to storm it by force would cost even the demon gods grievous casualties, and he did not dare wager the future of the demon race.

Inside the city, Shen Mu and the others packed their gear and prepared to withdraw. The divine city was false, painted by the Deaf Elder straight through the night.

Though the whole city was false, the several dozen cannons on the walls were real—Shen Mu, at the primordial spirit assembly, had spoken with Yunxiang of the Governance Bureau, and had her send them overnight. And it was precisely because of those several dozen cannons that they had been able to bluff the demon race, leaving the many demon gods and Vajra unable to tell true from false.

Still, if Vajra made up his mind to attack, then even without the demon race's main force, the Nether Capital demon gods and monsters alone would be enough to raze this city.

So Shen Mu and the others could only slip away now; once Vajra attacked, they would not be able to leave. Shen Mu and the others walked out the city gate and were about to hurry east toward Li City when all at once the dark night lit up; a sun rose slowly in the sky, lighting up thousands of li in every direction.

A moment before it had been black night; now in an instant it was day.

"Could it be that the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping made a sun, and made the hour wrong?

" Shen Mu and the others were still guessing when a three-legged deity wreathed in blazing divine fire came striding toward them. As he walked, the sun in the sky moved with him.

"Lord Yangxing, this should be the place where I encountered that dark shadow of a youth in the Desolate Wastes.

" A clear voice rang out.

Walking before the three-legged, two-winged deity was a youth, very handsome, who looked toward Shen Mu and the others and said with a smile, "The other one beside him was not tall, and carried a weapon like a spear on his back—very easy to recognize. . . " His gaze fell on the Blind Elder coming out the city gate, then swept once across the others, and at last settled on Shen Mu's face.

He smiled. "Shen Mu, the Divine Son of the Nether Capital—Shen Fengqing? You're quite something. To think that the one I saw in the Desolate Wastes was you.

I found it very strange at the time, and thought to myself that you were quite peculiar and extraordinary. " Shen Mu ignored him entirely, his gaze going to the right hand of the three-legged, two-winged deity—there was no right hand there. "He is the god who cut Grandpa Tu in half at the waist, and the guardian of Jingping's false firmament!

" The Butcher took the severed hand from the Taotie Pouch and said mildly, "God of the heavens, did you follow the scent of this thing to find us? Have you come to avenge your severed hand? I too have a waist-cutting grudge to settle. But your hand is still severed, while my body has already recovered as good as new.

I won't take advantage of you. " He tossed out the hand bone.

It traced a streak of flowing light and landed at Lord Yangxing's right wrist, where it joined to his bones of its own accord. Lord Yangxing's gaze fell upon him.

He flexed the hand bone and said softly, "You returned my hand bone—that shows you are open and honorable. But what of the flesh, blood, and skin that were on my hand?

" "The Great Venerable of the Golden Palace of Loulan refined and ate them.

Your chicken bone was too tough for him to gnaw, so only the chicken claw was left.

" The Butcher raised his blade and said mildly, "Shall we do this here?

" Lord Yangxing looked at Shen Mu, hesitated, then looked at Young Master Qi, Qi Jiuyi, before him, wavering. Shen Mu also looked at Young Master Qi and asked curiously, "Friend, what was it you said just now? " He said apologetically, "Say it again—I didn't catch it clearly. "