Chapter 654 — The Fire-Crow Grand Formation Collapses

These fire-crow god-men were plainly using a battle formation from war, and Chi Xi was only an overseer of executions from the Chiming era; he had never gone to the battlefield, and clearly had no experience of formations. The First Ancestor himself was a deserter from the field; though he had learned methods for breaking formations, he had never used them, and had no experience either.

Facing the fire-crows' formation attack, both of them were somewhat at a loss.

In flocks the fire-crow god-men came: first a volley of arrows, then fire to burn the ship. Chi Xi was hard pressed on every side, guarding the front and losing the rear, guarding the left and losing the right.

While he beat back the charge on one side, fire-crows rushed in on the other and attacked the ship's wings; and many more came beneath the hull, seized it, and flew backward, meaning to drag the tower-ship away. Others flew to the masts and tore at the sails with all their strength.

Chi Xi was driven to frenzy.

"Fellow Daoist," he cried, "this is the Fire-Crow Formation, and I cannot break it — come and lend me your hand, quickly! " The First Ancestor too was at a loss; he had never faced such a scene. The fire-crow host, thousands strong, made him feel that no matter which side he turned to, he could not prevent the ship's destruction. Shen Mu, at the open window, called out, "First Ancestor — the Heaven-and-Earth Seal Art: Heaven Spins, Earth Turns, the Heart Does Not Change!

" The First Ancestor understood.

His hands crossed, and the Heaven-and-Earth Seal Art burst forth; at once space shifted and turned.

As his seal art drove on, the great tower-ship became a heaven-and-earth of its own — now heaven above and earth below, now earth above and heaven below.

The fire-crows, whose speed had been so dreadful that no one could seize the moment to strike, now lost their footing in space and time and tumbled every which way; batch after batch spun helplessly and were flung far behind by the ship.

Chi Xi was flung about till he was dizzy and sick; he hurriedly clung to the mast, terror in his heart.

"Get up on the mast! " Shen Mu called. The First Ancestor leaped and landed on the mast, standing on one foot. Shen Mu's voice came from the tower: "The Sun Circles Mid-Heaven, Flowing Through All Ages! " At once the First Ancestor performed this stance of the Heaven-and-Earth Seal Art.

Space revolved; countless fire-crow god-men aboard were caught by the might of his seal and went whirling into the air.

Many tried to seize whatever could be seized to steady themselves, but the dreadful force tore them away, and caw after caw rang out.

A flood of fire-crows formed around the First Ancestor, spinning madly about him.

"And after that?

" the First Ancestor shouted. Shen Mu's voice answered: "Heaven Falls, Earth Sinks, the Autumn Phoenix Grieves! " At once the First Ancestor performed this seal. Heaven broke, earth split; a dreadful field of force collapsed at furious speed toward his palm.

The fire-crow god-men wheeling through the sky were drawn by his palm's power and slammed together in midair, boom upon boom, heaping into a great ball.

"The Eight Trigrams and Heaven and Earth cleave the Pure Land; Earth, Water, Wind and Fire fix the Five Elements.

" Shen Mu's voice came from the tower.

Without a moment's thought the First Ancestor loosed the two stances. Two seals, four palms; two diagrams of the Eight Trigrams and heaven and earth pressed the ball of a thousand-odd fire-crow god-men in their midst. Then earth, water, wind and fire erupted, the power of the Five Elements churned, and countless fire-crow god-men had their bones snapped and sinews broken, their bodies shattered, ground, sliced, burned to ash; then a gust of xun-wind swept through, and the thousand-odd fire-crow god-men became flying ashes, blown off behind the ship.

The First Ancestor stood stunned, scarcely able to believe it.

"I broke the formation? " Just then cries of alarm came from Ling Yuxiu and Ban Gongcuo within the tower. Startled, the First Ancestor dropped down at once, and saw a fire-crow god-man that had escaped his heaven-and-earth seal slip in through a window of the tower. A moment before, Shen Mu had opened the window to direct him in breaking the formation; the fire-crow must have taken the chance to slip inside, meaning to strike at Shen Mu and the others. The First Ancestor rushed toward the tower.

Before he could reach the window, two bloody gleams burst from within, carrying a murderous killing intent beyond all dread; he shuddered with cold and hastily fell back.

The two gleams crossed like shears — and the fire-crow god-man within was parted from his head in an instant. Shen Mu stood there blankly, the box in his hand, seemingly still staggered by the power of the God-Slaying Mystic Saber.

The First Ancestor hurried in and ran his hands over him in a fluster. "Did it backlash against you?

Did it cut off your head? " His heart quaking, he raised a trembling finger, wanting to nudge Shen Mu's head, yet afraid that the slightest touch would send it toppling from his neck. Suddenly Shen Mu struck his hand aside and said in admiration, "What a box!

What a saber!

"