Chapter 747 — Clash of the Youth and the Sovereign

The Yaochi Gathering had always been a place of thronging comings and goings, people everywhere; when Shen Mu sent Fire Tianzun flying, uproar broke out on the spot, the crowd buzzed with talk, and more and more people came surging over. To send Fire Tianzun flying, a demigod might manage; a divine art practitioner could never do it.

Fire Tianzun was one of the pioneers of the divine treasury cultivation system, the Heaven-Man treasury was opened up by him, he had received the blessing of the ancient gods, and his cultivation was mighty; only the other six Tianzuns could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Moreover, among the seven Tianzuns, Fire Tianzun was by no means the weakest in strength. Fire Tianzun commanded the power of flame, and in the arts of fire his attainments were unmatched by any man alive; yet Shen Mu had sent him flying with ease.

How could that not stir a commotion?

"The equal of the gods? " Shen Mu paid the surging crowd no mind.

Tilting his head, he pondered: where had this definition of "god" come from?

If achieving deathless immortality was enough to make one a god, then one who cultivated the Creation divine art could indeed be called a god.

The Creation divine art could make a man's own flesh deathless, keeping his organs forever in an unaging state; judged by lifespan alone, he could already stand alongside the ancient gods.

And the method Yu Tianzun had founded must be the Heavenly Palace cultivation system of later ages, likewise a deathless, immortal body. The two methods differed: the Heavenly Palace cultivation system had clear divisions of realm, one climbing realm by realm straight up to the Emperor's Throne.

The Art of Creation had no such clear-cut divisions; it worked chiefly through divine arts to alter the structure of the flesh, keeping one forever young.

But the Art of Creation was harder to cultivate, and being a mere divine art, it could not be spread abroad and accepted by the world as the Heavenly Palace cultivation system was. "The Art of Creation is too limited.

" Having weighed it all out, Shen Mu said to Ling Tianzun: "Sister Ling, the Art of Creation may make a god of a man, but it cannot compare with the method Yu Tianzun opened. It is not that its power falls short, but that it is too hard to learn.

" Ling Tianzun laughed: "Those are all mediocrities.

What we seek is the Dao; what business have we with mediocrities?

Your Creation divine art can truly help me perfect my own divine art. We must study it well and thoroughly, you and I!

" She took Shen Mu by one hand and pushed her way out of the crowd, and just then, with a great boom, Fire Tianzun came flying over, flames blazing all about him, searing the air until it burst, and bellowed: "I was careless, that is the only reason you sent me flying! Brat, come again!

" One of Shen Mu's hands was held by Ling Tianzun; his other five turned and flew, meeting Fire Tianzun's attack, and with another thunderous boom Fire Tianzun was flung back again. Kaihuang was furious; lowering his voice, he shouted: "I told you not to make a move! How great a stir do you mean to raise?

" Shen Mu was angered as well: "He struck at me. Had I not taken it, would I not have been wounded?

Were it you, would you not fight back, and suffer the beating gladly?

" Kaihuang frowned. Fire Tianzun charged again, his fury soaring to the heavens, roaring: "All of you, scatter!

There are too many people, I have no room to move!

" The crowd scattered with a roar, leaving open ground.

Kaihuang said hastily: "Fire Tianzun, this is only a misunderstanding.

.

. " Flames blazed all over Fire Tianzun; his body grew larger and larger, until he became a giant twelve zhang tall, fire dragons coiling about him, his might boundless.

Kaihuang's brows knit tight.

Fire Tianzun plainly possessed no shallow attainments in both fire divine arts and body divine arts; though in his eyes they were still somewhat shallow.

Shen Mu pulled his hand free of Ling Tianzun's and said mildly: "Sister, step back a few paces. And you, what do you want me to do?

" His second sentence was spoken to Kaihuang.

Kaihuang stood motionless, staring fixedly at him, and said mildly: "Raise too great a stir, and what changes will come in the future, you do not know, and neither do I. " "Looking ahead and looking behind, that is you.

" Shen Mu too stood there motionless, and said with half a smile: "I am not like you; I do not carry your burdens.

Whoever strikes me, I strike back, of course I do! " Fire Tianzun came charging to kill, and suddenly behind Shen Mu a twelve-zhang primordial spirit appeared, standing at his back with three heads and six arms, forcing Fire Tianzun back. Behind Kaihuang too a twelve-zhang primordial spirit floated up, blocking the attack of Shen Mu's primordial spirit; unable to hold down his rage, he laughed aloud: "I knew long ago that you found me an eyesore, needling me openly and in secret all along.

Since that is so, then let us have it out! " The rage in Shen Mu's heart toward Kaihuang could no longer be held in; his aura burst out all at once, and in the sky a mad tide of blood essence broke forth, lashing up wind and cloud!

His twelve-zhang primordial spirit, three heads and six arms, stood amid that mad tide of blood essence, and its three faces loosed a roar like thunder: "Have it out, then! You think I fear you?

Come on, then —" All around, countless ancient divine art practitioners gaped, heads tilted back, staring blankly at the marvel in the sky, unable to collect themselves.

Powerful.

Far too powerful.

In this age, never had such a powerful divine art practitioner been seen! Fire Tianzun charged again, and suddenly saw Shen Mu's primordial spirit in the sky, godlike and demonic, standing amid the torrent of blood essence, and his face went pale: "Impossible.

There can be no divine art practitioner so powerful.

.

.

" Kaihuang's wrath passed all bearing; his aura too burst out, and he cried sharply: "You have thrown all caution to the winds! I will not indulge your reckless conduct!

" Boom — his blood essence pierced the long sky; his primordial spirit leaped and trod upon the blood essence, and the overbearing majesty of the sovereign who opened an age was laid bare for all to see! The two men's primordial spirits and blood essence stood in equal contention, their surging auras pressing down upon the whole Yaochi Gathering, astonishing every divine art practitioner in that gathering, high and low, so that they could only stare blankly at that soul-stirring scene in midair!

Yu Tianzun and several other Tianzuns were deliberating in the Golden Hall of Yaochi; now they too were startled, and came out of the Golden Hall one after another and looked up, and every one of them stared, eyes fixed.

Such mighty primordial spirits, such overbearing blood essence — they gave a sense at once magnificent and savagely bitter!

Ling Tianzun too was gazing up, greatly shaken, and said softly: "So powerful — how on earth did they cultivate this. .

.

" Behind her came Old Ox's doleful voice, stamping his feet: "What is to be done, what is to be done! These two are both bull-tempered — no, donkey-tempered!

An ox's temper is excellent! Once they start fighting, it is all over. .

.

" Ling Tianzun asked, puzzled: "You came here together.

Are you not friends?

" Niu Santou sighed and groaned, shaking his head: "They both wish to be friends, but both are proud and lofty, and neither is willing to lower his face and bow his head.

. .

" The sky shook with a thunderous roar; the divine arts of Shen Mu's primordial spirit and Kaihuang's burst out all at once, and in a single instant that resplendent power raised a hurricane in the heavens, blowing to the four quarters; the clouds above were swept clean away by the shudder of space, vanishing without a trace! For the first time, the sky turned so deep a blue.