Chapter 646 — Straight Through Three Hundred Levels

Shen Mu smiled at him gently. "Great Venerable, there is no need for astonishment. When you attacked me just now with a divine art from more than three hundred thousand years ago, this was the result."

Ban Gongcuo's expression changed drastically, and his figure vanished with a rush.

The god Chi Xi was blasted back an unknown distance before he finally halted. Then he raised a shrill, long howl: "Chiming Heaven-Suppressing Tower! Come forth —"

The earth quaked violently. The ground cracked with a crack, crack, crack, and treasure light came gushing up from the fissures. The fissures were utterly irregular, and the treasure light mirrored up from beneath the earth was irregular too, gorgeous as the aurora of the poles.

Suddenly the earth bulged, as though some colossal thing were slowly rising from below.

A tower of incomparable splendor thrust up from the ground, some thousand zhang tall, towering on high. Through three hundred and fifty thousand years the treasure tower remained dazzling beyond compare, its treasure light dyeing the sea for a thousand li around in a riot of color.

Shen Mu looked over in astonishment, his gaze going blank.

Beneath the eaves of every level of that Heaven-Suppressing Tower hung divine weapons of every kind!

And not only were the eaves hung with divine weapons — within every level of the tower a mighty divine weapon was enshrined.

Those divine weapons gave off a soul-stirring throb; wave upon wave of divine weapon aura, nearly material, spilled ceaselessly from the tower.

The tower had as many as a thousand levels. The divine weapons hung beneath the eaves were beyond counting, and the divine weapons enshrined within numbered a thousand as well — surely each level's treasure to guard the tower.

Shen Mu murmured, "If I could take this away and bring it to the Kingdom of Jingping, it would be worth so much the Emperor would abdicate..."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor glared at him and strode toward the Heaven-Suppressing Tower. "Do not go running about. Stay here. And do not covet this tower — study your creation arts honestly!"

Shen Mu answered, and watched that tower of ten thousand lights, his eyes still a little fixed.

On the other side, the god Chi Xi had bounded up and down several times and reached the first level of the divine tower. He took up the divine weapon enshrined within — a divine saber. Chi Xi took a divine saber from the altar, and at once another divine saber appeared upon the altar.

Chi Xi seized this one too, and another divine saber appeared upon the altar. Six times Chi Xi grabbed, and only then did no more sabers appear.

Shen Mu, watching from afar, called out loudly, "First Ancestor, the divine weapons of the Chiming Era usually come in sets of six!"

"I know!"

The First Ancestor Human Emperor walked into the tower, and just then the god Chi Xi came slashing at him with six divine sabers. There came a world-shaking boom, and the god Chi Xi staggered back into the tower, his steps disordered.

The First Ancestor Human Emperor entered the first level, and suddenly Chi Xi's saber technique began to turn. Beneath the eaves of the first level, countless divine weapons erupted with power and blasted toward the First Ancestor within the tower!

Shen Mu calmly studied the runes and marks upon the Primordial Creation Ring, taking out paper and brush to copy them down one by one. Not far off, Ban Gongcuo's figure appeared at some unknown moment, and seeing that scene within the tower, he could not help but shout in praise: "Well killed!"

Boom —

Countless divine weapons shattered, and their fragments shot out in all directions — thunk, thunk, thunk — piercing through who knew how many palaces around.

Ban Gongcuo hastily ducked his head, terrified out of his wits.

Shen Mu, without turning his head, said, "Great Venerable, do not underestimate the first Human Emperor of the Human Emperor Hall. Chi Xi has this heavenly palace of the Chiming Era, but the First Ancestor Human Emperor also commands the Human Emperor Hall. The secrets behind the Human Emperor Hall are no smaller than this Chiming heavenly palace."

As he spoke, Chi Xi had already retreated to the second level, and in the next moment the countless divine weapons of the second level burst apart and were reduced to powder.

Two figures battled within the tower; Chi Xi fell back step by step, hard pressed to hold.

Ban Gongcuo lifted his head and peered up, then cried out in dismay, "That Human Emperor has not used any divine weapon at all — he is fighting his way through with his bare hands, smashing even the treasures with which the Chiming Era garrisoned its heavenly palaces!"

Shen Mu's heart trembled slightly, and he hurried to look at the Chiming Heaven-Suppressing Tower. Sure enough, the First Ancestor Human Emperor was bare-handed, meeting every divine weapon and sharp blade with the arts of the Heaven and Earth Seal. Between heaven and earth, I am the honored one; let heaven and earth overturn — I do not fall, the heavens do not cave, the earth does not sink!

"The Heaven and Earth Seal is indeed formidable."

Shen Mu glanced at it, then drew back his gaze and went on studying the runes. "A pity it still is not as formidable as my sword arts."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor drove the god Chi Xi all the way to the three hundredth level, and could not help feeling pleased. "Now that Human Emperor Shen has seen my seal arts, he will surely change his mind and beg me to teach them to him!"