Chapter 648 — Maddened by Poverty

Chi Xi the Divine naturally would not hand Banggongcuo over for him to sacrifice to the blade. With a cold snort, he said, "It is not impossible to leave the God-Slaying Dark Saber in your keeping for now. But when the day comes that the saber turns back on you, you will bear the consequences alone.

" Shen Mu put the case away, his gaze shifting. "Senior Chi Xi, since you were the execution overseer of the Chiming Era and held charge of this treasure for several hundred thousand years, you must surely know how to dispel the resentful obsession that clings to the case, don't you? " Chi Xi nearly exploded: "You stole my treasure, and now you ask me how to use it?

Why don't you simply go rob someone? Oh, that's right—you already robbed me!

" Shen Mu looked at the First Ancestor Human Emperor, meaning that he should beat Chi Xi again and force him to reveal the method. The First Ancestor understood, but with a troubled face he shook his head.

"We have already struck hard enough; I cannot strike any more. At most, do not use the Dark Saber from the case from now on. This fierce thing grows only more savage the more blood it drinks; no matter how you feed it, it is never full. The day you kill too few people, when it cannot get its fill of blood, it will drink yours. " Shen Mu was startled.

If what the First Ancestor said was true, then keeping this murderous blade was indeed unspeakably dangerous. The Chiming Heavenly Court must have sent no small number of gods and demons to the Divine Execution Platform each day to be killed with such a thing—that was how they could afford to keep it fed. But even so, Chi Xi's words betrayed deep dread of this little case, showing he could not fully control it.

In the past, he had piloted a foreign star and encountered the demon host in Luofu Heaven; wounded in that great battle, he had all the vital force of his body drained by the Divine Execution Platform and the God-Slaying Dark Saber, nearly withered to a husk, until he was forced to seal himself and turn into a dried corpse. One could see that even with the secret method in hand, the merciless blade remained utterly perilous.

And yet Shen Mu could not bear to throw the little case away. The First Ancestor Human Emperor said to Chi Xi, "Daoist brother, since we are to join forces, please speak at length with Human Emperor Shen and work out a proper plan. " Chi Xi looked at Shen Mu, remembered all the poisonings Shen Mu had done to him, and burst out, "No alliance.

This cub is far too vicious.

Cooperating with him is sure to bring loss.

" "Master is right! " Banggongcuo showed himself from a distance and called out loudly, "If you join hands with him, he'll sell you and you'll count the money for him—I know that from bitter experience!

" Shen Mu shook with rage, took out the little case, and would have opened it to use him as a sacrifice to the blade, but Chi Xi said flatly, "If you cannot kill him, then the Dark Saber will kill you. " Shen Mu hesitated, put the case away, and murmured, "The Great Venerable and I have crossed life and death together time and again, fighting shoulder to shoulder; the Great Venerable is my own sworn brother.

How could I move against him?

" Banggongcuo was inflamed: "Who is your sworn brother? Don't you dare spew slander!

" The First Ancestor Human Emperor had a headache; he truly did not wish to negotiate an alliance with Chi Xi. Shen Mu suddenly smiled: "Since Senior Chi Xi will not talk to me, what about talking to the emperor of Jingping?

The present age is the Jingping Era. You are an envoy of the Chiming Era.

If the emperor of Jingping himself deigns to negotiate with you, that should be respect enough.

" Chi Xi's heart stirred slightly, and he nodded.

"Before we meet the emperor, you must pass the Art of Creation on to me. " The First Ancestor was about to nod, but Shen Mu shook his head, so the First Ancestor fell silent. Shen Mu's eyes flickered. "I hear the Chiming Era also had a Divine Son of Chiming?

Surely he is the principal decision-maker? Let us first discuss terms.

As for the Art of Creation, the First Ancestor can treat your people, see if they may be saved, and help them regain their memories.

But before I meet the Divine Son of Chiming, it cannot be passed on to you. " Chi Xi struggled to accept it and said, "There is no time to waste—let us set out for the emperor at once! " Shen Mu looked toward the Chiming Heaven-Suppressing Tower and saw divine weapons of every sort piled beneath it like a mountain. He thought to himself with a sigh of regret, "How fine to snatch a few of these. And this Wheel of Creation—if driven in reverse, it is likely the very art of sealing flesh and spirit and changing one's kind.

If it fell into my hands, it would be perfect for dealing with enemies.

. . " The Wheel of Creation was taken by the people of the Chiming Era as a thing for unlocking seals, but in Shen Mu's eyes it was an unimaginable killing engine. Reverse the wheel, cast its runes upon a foe, and even an ordinary god or demon would have both body and primordial spirit restructured by that rune light, turning into some other species with hardly any power left. More critically, the wheel struck in every direction; for a thousand li in all the surrounding land, the runes would light upon everything.

If it were used on a battlefield of gods and demons, before long every deity and fiend would become mighty fishes and sea monsters, waiting to be slaughtered! That was the true mystery of the Art of Creation! For Chi Xi and his lot merely to use it for unsealing was an appalling waste of a great treasure. "Once I am in the capital, I must have the emperor seize this wheel by every means! " he secretly resolved.

Chi Xi forcibly drove his magic power, and beneath the Heaven-Suppressing Tower one divine weapon after another flew up and rehung itself upon the thousand-tier edifice, sparkling with gemstone light, dazzling beyond compare. With a roar Chi Xi worked his power, and that towering thousand-zhang divine building shrank smaller and smaller, then rose slowly and came to rest in his hand, its ten-colored light swirling about the diminutive mansion like countless filaments. Shen Mu was intensely envious. Chi Xi summoned Banggongcuo, and the company departed the undersea divine city and at once took off for Jingping.

The First Ancestor Human Emperor and Chi Xi were both extremely swift, carrying Shen Mu and Banggongcuo through the air at many times the speed of Fan Yunxiao's fastest vessel; below them the mountains hurtled away behind.

After a few hours they arrived at the Jingping capital.

Shen Mu had wanted a chance to kill Banggongcuo and offer him to the blade, yet no opportunity came.

"How I long to kill someone. .

. " The youth stroked the little case inside his Taotie pouch. Banggongcuo was in constant terror for the entire flight, lest Shen Mu suddenly burst into violence and slay him; fortunately Chi Xi kept him close at hand.

Once they reached the capital, the First Ancestor Human Emperor and Chi Xi descended directly before the palace.

Shen Mu called over a palace guard and told him to announce them.

After a moment Yan Zhigui came rushing out in small hurried steps, smiling broadly: "Human Emperor Shen, honored guests, His Majesty is already holding court and awaiting the envoy of the Chiming Era! Please—" Shen Mu said solemnly, "Lord Yan, lead the way. " Yan Zhigui went ahead; turning back to glance at the three-headed, six-armed Chi Xi, he felt a chill inside and asked in a low voice, "An envoy of the Chiming Era?

What background does he have?

" Shen Mu replied in a whisper, "Three hundred fifty thousand years ago, the Chiming Era established a heavenly court.

Later the court sank into the Southern Sea, and only a small band of gods and demons escaped. This Chi Xi was the court executioner in that era, with the strength of a True God or a Heavenly God.