Chapter 712 — The Statue Awakens

Shen Mu entered the palace and looked around. In the great hall were piled some wine jars, and there were murals depicting the scene of Tian Shu raising his blade to hack off Lord Tu's horn.

In the painting Tian Shu was heroic beyond measure, a wine jar in one hand and a blade brandished in the other — truly unmatched in his boldness — while Lord Tu was drawn rather meanly, with exactly that little look of shock and fury in his eyes, rendered so vividly that one wondered whose brush had done it.

"Sect Master, that stone statue seems about to come back to life!"

Suddenly Long Qilin's voice came from outside. Shen Mu hurried out of the palace and saw that the stone statue whose head was wedged in the Imperial Gate Divine Blade was slowly shedding its stone, flesh tones gradually emerging!

"Lou Yunqu, Kui Qingpei, and Fu Yanqi of Mingdu are slaughtering the living of Jingping, trying to revive the statue!"

Shen Mu's heart went cold. He saw that the statue beside the hall, the one that had burrowed out of the subterranean space, was growing ever more flesh-colored, and its aura was steadily strengthening.

Shen Mu had once guessed that the statues descending from other worlds were true gods or true devils. Yet now, before these statues had even fully revived, their aura and might already surpassed those of true gods and true devils!

Clearly he had underestimated these statues!

No one knew what realm these statues belonged to, but once revived, they would likely be enough to destroy Jingping!

Shen Mu took out the God-Slaying Mystic Blade and with a click opened the box. Two streaks of blood-light flew out and circled once around the neck of that towering demon-god statue. Sparks flew in a shower of electric fire, but only a white mark was left on the statue's neck — its head was not cut off!

The God-Slaying Mystic Blade had missed on its first strike; at once the two streaks of blood-light turned back — and came slashing at Shen Mu himself.

Shen Mu was startled: "This wicked blade means to turn on me!"

The two streaks of blood-light were incomparably sharp; clearly, having been denied blood several times, their savagery had flared up, and they meant to cut Shen Mu down and drink.

Just then the statue gave a thunderous shudder, and from its forehead demon blood came spurting and hissing in rolling gouts. The statue was reviving, but its head was wedged in the Imperial Gate Divine Blade; now that part of its flesh had revived, turning from stone to flesh and blood, it was wounded by the blade.

The two streaks of blood-light seemed able to smell the reek of blood. One of them veered at once and slashed at the statue's neck, while the other still came for Shen Mu's throat.

Before that streak of blood-light reached Shen Mu's neck, a blood-red sea already appeared before his eyes, shrouding all his vision in crimson!

Shen Mu made his decision on the instant and tore the willow leaf from between his brows. At once the ocean-like crimson was drawn into the spot between his brows like a whale swallowing a rainbow!

At the same time, the other streak of blood-light went whirling with a hiss around the demon-god statue's neck, and demon blood came gushing from the statue's throat. Inside the little box in Shen Mu's hand, that jade-like head was so excited that the membrane of bone at the back of its skull rattled and clattered.

Then the exultant expression on the Emperor-Throne powerhouse's head froze, for he found that he could not call back the streak of blood-light that had gone for Shen Mu!

This had never happened before!

He was a strange treasure forged in the Chiming Era, refined from the head and the primordial-spirit head of an Emperor-Throne powerhouse, and refined until he knew nothing but slaughter. Almost no living thing could escape his blade; and if he failed to cut his target, then he would cut his own master, which tasted just as good.

In the past the blade had always come out and never failed; but now it seemed he had failed to devour Shen Mu's vital blood — and instead had been devoured by Shen Mu!

Shen Mu's third eye swept all before it like wind rolling up clouds, swallowing that streak of blood-light whole. From the third eye between his brows came the sound of a satisfied belch, and the cheering, capering cries of a mischievous child.

Boom —

A great crash rang out: the demon-god statue revived, and then its enormous head toppled from its neck. The head was like a mountain; it plunged straight into the earth with a dull, heavy boom that took a long while to fade.

That streak of blood-light, having devoured all the demon-god's vital blood, flew swiftly back and slipped into the little box.

Shen Mu was about to close the little box when he heard a click — the box had closed itself.

"What has come over this God-Slaying Mystic Blade?"

Puzzled, Shen Mu casually stuck the willow leaf back on, blocking out his brother's exultant cheering.

The little box gave a faint tremor, as if the Emperor-Throne powerhouse's head were shivering. Shen Mu did not understand why the box should be trembling either; he shook his head, stuffed the box back into the Taotie Pouch, and thought: "Perhaps I can use the God-Slaying Mystic Blade against the revived god-and-devil statues. The trouble is, if it misses on the first strike, it comes for me..."

"Even I get eaten..."

Inside the little box, the Emperor-Throne head was in a frenzy of terror, having met its natural enemy for the first time: "Fiercer than me — I cannot afford to cross him!"