Chapter 1046 — True Martial Sword Pavilion

Fortunately, Youming had committed an error and been suppressed at the time, or he truly would have been cut in two. " Shen Mu's expression was strange—those two spouses were both stubborn to the bone, willing to cut even their own child in half to divide it. "Later on, the males came under my authority, and the females under hers.

As time passed, the Northern Pole Heaven became what it is now. " Emperor Xuan said, "The demoness will not lower her head to me, and I will not lower mine to her. Over all these years of separating and rejoining, I have grown used to it. " Many young people on the God-Slaying Platform were tempering divine swords with the blood-colored baleful aura. Those young scions of the Xuan Kingdom darted through the blade-light of the God-Slaying Dark Blade, an extremely perilous practice, yet by it they could hone their sword arts. The divine swords they forged were not sword pellets; rather, each carried a great gourd on his back.

Inside the gourd was heavenly-river sword qi. When the gourd's mouth opened, sword qi flew out like an immense heavenly river, shifting in a thousand ways; combined with formations and augmented by Di Yiyue's Xuanwu Six Harmonies Scripture, their magic was profound and extremely formidable. Shen Mu paused at the edge of the God-Slaying Platform to watch.

Using gourds as sword sheaths was indeed a distinctive feature of the Northern Pole Heaven, and the union of sword arts with formations, fused with the unique Grand Dao of Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu, opened a new vista to him. Emperor Xuan asked, "What does Heavenly Worthy Mu think?

" Shen Mu nodded. "The sword path of the Northern Pole Heaven does have unique merits.

But it is like the sword arts of the Kaicheng Era—outdated. " "I thought so too.

" Emperor Xuan smiled. "We ancient gods are most sensitive to changes in the Dao of heaven and earth. The Imperial Tutor Jingping reformed the ways and created three basic sword techniques, pushing the stagnant sword path of the Kaicheng Era forward three steps.

Heavenly Worthy Mu reformed them and created two basic sword techniques, pushing it forward another two steps. Not long ago, I felt the imprint of the sword path growing deeper and stronger—someone had created another basic sword technique, and with that single technique, the sword path became strong enough almost to rival the innate Grand Daos. Thus the sword path of my Northern Pole Heaven cannot match Jingping's. " Shen Mu said, "It was Kaicheng who created the Twenty Sword Forms.

His sword path was too powerful—I even used his sword arts to beat the reincarnated body of the Eastern Emperor.

He has now returned. " Emperor Xuan's heart jolted.

"He hid in the Carefree Village for twenty thousand years—has he accumulated enough power to contend with the Heavenly Court?

" Shen Mu shook his head and sneered. "There has been no accumulation of power at all; rather, the corruption there is now on par with the Heavenly Court's.

If the sword path of the Northern Pole Heaven wishes to advance, Emperor Xuan can send people to Jingping.

Jingping has carried on the academy and collegiate system of the Kaicheng Era; there, the sword masters of the Northern Pole Heaven can take another step forward. " Emperor Xuan hesitated. All at once, the deities of the Xuan Kingdom on the God-Slaying Platform withdrew their heavenly-river sword qi, landed with a swish, and turned to look at Shen Mu. A man said, "If you want us to go to Jingping to study, Heavenly Worthy Mu must first prove that Jingping's sword arts truly outmatch our Northern Pole Heaven's True Martial sword arts! " Emperor Xuan smiled. "Children sulking—do not take offence, Heavenly Worthy. " Shen Mu laughed heartily and stepped onto the God-Slaying Platform.

The God-Slaying Dark Blade lashed at him, but he severed it with one stroke of his sword. The dark blade was forged from baleful aura; once broken, it condensed again and came at him anew.

Shen Mu raised his sword and swung it—swish! —and the God-Slaying Dark Blade was split into thirty-three or thirty-four pieces that could not rejoin.

"Fine sword art! " the deities of the True Martial Sword Academy below cried in admiration. "But that is Kaicheng's sword art—nothing to do with your Jingping! " Shen Mu withdrew his sword.

The God-Slaying Dark Blade gathered again and struck at him. Shen Mu pointed, and the sword in his hand transformed into the Drilling Sword Form, ripping the dark blade apart and shredding it.

The dark blade coalesced once more, and Shen Mu turned his fingertip; the sword light shifted into the Winding Sword Form, nearly grinding the God-Slaying Dark Blade out of existence. With tremendous difficulty the dark blade came together again, and Shen Mu's technique changed into the Wandering Sword Form, roaming alongside it.

No matter how that god-slaying, demon-executing divine blade dodged and transformed, it never managed to touch Shen Mu by so much as a hair.

Shen Mu then shifted into the Eighteenth Sword Form, and the God-Slaying Dark Blade was sliced into a scattering of blossoms, entirely empty of power. When the blade once more condensed, Shen Mu executed the Nineteenth Sword Form.

One sword stroke fell, and that blood-colored baleful aura actually annihilated before everyone's eyes, dissolving into nothing. The deities of the True Martial Sword Academy changed color in shock and looked at Emperor Xuan with pleading eyes.

Emperor Xuan's face shifted between dark and bright, torn and indecisive.

Shen Mu put away his sword and stepped down. "The blade Dao stored in your God-Slaying Platform is far too shallow—far inferior to Jingping's.

If Emperor Xuan were to reforge the platform and invite grand masters of the blade Dao from Jingping, I would not have been able to break the God-Slaying Dark Blade so easily. " Emperor Xuan gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"I cannot decide this on my own.

I misjudged Kaicheng once; if I misjudge again, the Northern Pole Heaven may well face a catastrophe. I cannot stake your lives on such a gamble—I can no longer afford to gamble. .

.

" A deity of the sword academy knelt on one knee and raised his clasped hands above his head. "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one may die in the evening.

We have set foot on the sword path in this life and cannot turn back.

We can only walk along it, see the highest peak, and climb it.

We beg Your Majesty to grant our wish! " Emperor Xuan was silent. The other deities of the True Martial Sword Academy knelt one after another and called out, "We beg Your Majesty to grant our wish!

" Emperor Xuan suddenly made up his mind. "If you must go, you may. But for the safety of the Northern Pole Heaven, I will cast you out of my clan—you will no longer be my descendants!

Are you willing? " The sword gods of the True Martial Sword Academy exchanged glances, some hesitation in their eyes. Shen Mu stood there with his hands clasped behind his back. Dragon Qilin and Yan'er saw that the palms behind him were trembling.

A moment ago he had used basic sword forms to grind away the God-Slaying Dark Blade, which had been rather overconfident; the muscles in his arm had nearly been shattered.

Shen Mu's bearing did not change, and he said idly, "Kaicheng has gone to Jingping at present.

Since you are his disciples, if you hurry over now, you may still meet him. " "We are willing! " said the sword gods of the True Martial Sword Academy in one voice.