Chapter 611 — The Magnetic Pole Tempest

Shen Mu looked up toward Luofu Heaven. Row upon row of altars in the shape of golden characters towered in the far distance, and through the thin mist and cloud he could faintly make out the altar where the Woodcutter Sage and Vajra were. The world of Luofu Heaven was like a painting stood upright; in many places there was only black and white, no other color, and volcano after volcano erupted like fireworks at festival time, adorning the landscape scroll so that it did not seem too monotonous.

They could also see fragments of stars falling from the sky, one fiery serpent after another dangling down from beyond the heavens; they seemed to move slowly, yet in truth their speed was terrifying. The altar where the Woodcutter Sage and Vajra stood was a thousand li away; even seen, it was no bigger than a tiny bean. Yet he could see the light and cloud-vapor radiating from there.

Though the altar looked small, its radiance was fierce, like a small sun suddenly rising, and far more intense than the sun's light - even here it stung the eyes. Over on the side of the Black Tiger God and Granny Zhu, the battle was spectacular; every move of those four demon gods could be seen clearly.

Shen Mu halted, and Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi stopped as if by agreement. The three youths stood upon the enormous star core, gazing about.

Here the sky was high and the clouds pale, the air fresh and clear - a rare fine place. Suddenly a massive planet drifted toward them. It looked immensely huge, as if at any moment it might come crashing down.

Wherever it passed, the sky warped and the earth heaved upward; a thousand mountains and ten thousand ravines sprang up with astonishing speed. The sight was terrifying.

In the distance the Black Tiger God and Granny Zhu darted among the mountains that had suddenly thrust up from the earth, trading fierce blows with Mutuluo and Yuluocha. "Do you know, Zhe Huali, why Luofu Heaven became like this? " Shen Mu asked curiously.

Zhe Huali hesitated, then said, "I once heard Master Vajra mention the reason. Master Vajra said an alien star came suddenly and halted above Luofu Heaven, twisting space and causing natural disasters.

From then on Luofu Heaven became unfit for life. " The alien star he spoke of was one of those broken planets in the sky; from this angle it looked monstrously huge, and one could even make out distinctly the mountains and rivers upon it.

"Though my master and I are not of the same race, I can feel his earnest, childlike heart. " He said gravely, "I heard Master Vajra say that he was not originally the Honored King of the demon race.

The Honored King of that time led many demon gods up to the alien star in the sky, hoping to shatter it or push it away from Luofu Heaven.

But there were many dreadful beings upon that star, and the Honored King and those demon gods went there and never returned. Master Vajra said he later went to the alien star and found that the previous Honored King and the dreadful beings there had all died in battle. " Puzzled, Shen Mu said, "Then why didn't Vajra try to shatter these alien stars? Why instead spend twenty thousand years attacking Taihuang Heaven, at the cost of so many demon and human lives?

" Zhe Huali shook his head. "He kept it deeply hidden and would not speak of it in detail.

" Shen Mu looked at Qi Jiuyi and asked, "Brother Qi, you are a guest from the Heavenly Court - do you know anything about this alien star?

" Qi Jiuyi was about to speak when the enormous planet arrived overhead. At once the three felt their bodies turn frighteningly light, and each thought: this is bad. Shen Mu hastily roused his sword core; sword-light thick as a pillar stabbed down into the star core beneath their feet, trying to anchor his steps. At the same time Zhe Huali's demon blade stabbed into the star core. Qi Jiuyi's shoes split apart, becoming phoenix talons that clamped down with a crack, trying to dig into the core and keep him from being sucked away by the alien star's geomagnetic force. But at once cold sweat broke out on all three foreheads.

Shen Mu's sword-light was flung back by the star core; Zhe Huali's demon blade could not pierce it even a hairsbreadth; and though Qi Jiuyi's phoenix talons were formidable, the star core was so solid it nearly snapped them off. Whoosh - the geomagnetic force formed into a hurricane of electric light. Like the aurora over the ice fields of northern Jingping, it swept lightly across them, and the three were lifted helplessly into the air.

The three youths kept calm in the crisis, each rousing his arts and unleashing divine powers, trying to escape the hurricane of geomagnetic lightning.

Shen Mu assumed the form of the Yinghuo Star Lord - an ox head on a human body, treading two fire dragons - and the twin dragons bore him roaring outward. Zhe Huali called forth his blade; ten thousand blade-lights flashed as he tried to cleave through the hurricane.

On the other side Qi Jiuyi shook his body and became a nine-headed phoenix, wings beating in flight, his speed immense - even greater than Shen Mu's or Zhe Huali's. Yet able as they were, the finest of the younger generation, they could not break free of the geomagnetic hurricane.

It carried them up, higher and higher. "Brother Tiger's rotten idea, bringing us onto this star core!

We're standing too high - the alien star's geomagnetic force has caught us. . .

" Cold sweat stood on Shen Mu's brow.

Suddenly he drew a long breath, sweeping the air around him empty and storing it in his chest. Since they could not escape the geomagnetic hurricane, they could only wait and see whether it might weaken. There was no air at such heights, so he had first to draw a breath and store it in his chest.

Fortunately his strength was already considerable, and his chest could hold a great deal of air.

That breath, stored in his chest, would keep him from needing to breathe for a day; even if he were cast into outer space, it might preserve his life for a while. Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali were breathing in as well.

Both were exceedingly clever and quickly grasped the crux, just as Shen Mu had. The geomagnetic hurricane swept them higher and higher; the star core and Luofu Heaven below grew ever more distant. Cold sweat broke out on Shen Mu's brow, for overhead lay countless drifting bolts of thunder.

Crack - a bolt of heavenly thunder stirred and struck at him.

At once, as if a hornets' nest had been poked, countless bolts of thunder burst forth, forming a vast sea of heavenly lightning. Shen Mu tossed up his sword core; flying swords danced around him and suddenly became a metal sphere some ten feet across, enclosing him and blocking the lightning.

Bolt after bolt hammered the sword core. It groaned and creaked, burned red-hot, ready to melt at any moment.

On the other side Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali were faring no better; the heavenly thunder rolled and engulfed all three. After a time the lightning dispersed.

Shen Mu hastily withdrew his sword core and saw that the geomagnetic hurricane remained, still coiling them along like a long snake, its aurora-like radiance exquisite beyond compare, shifting through many colors in an instant. But when Shen Mu looked up, his heart sank by degrees: they had already left Luofu Heaven far behind and entered the sky of the alien star.

"Damn. . . " Shen Mu's scalp went numb, but then he suddenly saw that the mountains and rivers of the alien star were lush and green, and he felt slightly reassured.

Trees and plants grew here, which meant there should be air - though he did not know whether it would suit human lungs. Whoosh - they were flung out of the geomagnetic hurricane.

The three tumbled and rolled, flying a long way before they steadied themselves in the air. The three youths stood in the air, looking at one another.

Qi Jiuyi's nine heads swayed, then gradually withdrew into his chest; only one head remained as he resumed human form.