Chapter 1322 — A Man's Iron Bones

To be called handsome by a beauty of a man like the white cat Little Seven — he was indeed rather pleased with himself.

The young general in silver armor flew into a fury: "Heavenly Venerable Mu, do not imagine that because you are handsome and full of manly spirit you may do as you please!

" Shen Mu grew all the more pleased and gratified: "You are beautiful too, but far too seductive and effeminate; beside me you do lack a measure of manly spirit. Little Seven, for that one remark of yours, I shall spare your life.

" The young general's rage knew no bounds. Behind him a heavenly palace bloomed, and his primordial spirit stood before the Lingxiao Hall within it — a white cat too, cat-headed and man-bodied, handsome and seductive.

He had once fought Yan'er to a standstill; his strength was exceedingly high.

He thrust out his spear, and the white cat primordial spirit standing before the Lingxiao Hall thrust out a spear as well; the two spear shadows merged into one. The power hidden in that spear was enough to make the heart quail, yet the strike gave off no ripple of might at all!

Shen Mu gave a soft cry of surprise: "A divine ability of the Kaihuang era?

You are a cat demon of the Kaihuang era? " He raised his palm.

With a ding, the young general's spear pierced his palm, and at the very instant spear tip met palm, his Divine Treasury domain abruptly erupted!

Weng— The might of the Divine Treasury domain swelled outward, and the young general was blasted back, his figure vanishing into the mists of the mining district.

Shen Mu drew back his palm and looked down at it.

His palm had been pierced by the young general's spear.

Divine abilities of the Kaihuang era bore one exceedingly distinct mark. Set beside other eras, the Kaihuang era possessed a craftsman's spirit, ever striving for perfection.

The divine abilities of that age were made as small and exquisite as could be, their power compressed to the utmost extreme; until they struck the foe, the force would not leak away, the might would not erupt. By concentrating a divine ability's power to the highest degree and shrinking the area in which it bursts forth, one can lend it an even fiercer attacking force!

In truth, the swordsmanship of Shen Ye of Kaihuang was the same.

That he could pierce the mortal flesh of Heavenly Venerable Huo with the Carefree Sword, and run it through the palm of Heavenly Venerable Hao, was for this very reason.

And that Shen Mu's palm had been pierced by the young general's silver spear was for this reason as well.

Shen Mu himself had studied the divine abilities and arts of the Kaihuang era, yet to hold all their power perfectly within, he still found hard.

One not born to that age could scarcely comprehend the craftsman's spirit of the Kaihuang people, their ceaseless pursuit of perfection. That this young general in silver armor could achieve such a thing left but one possibility: he was a mighty demon-race expert of the Kaihuang era!

The white cat Little Seven's voice came from the mist, drifting and elusive — now from behind Shen Mu, now from above and to his left, now from beneath his very feet, so that no one could pin down his position.

"You may fool Consort Yan, but you cannot fool me. I do not know what makes you so confident that you can enter the mineral vein and obtain the primordial stone.

But judging by what I know of you, you must be certain of getting one! " He was himself a spirit cat of incomparable nimbleness, and he used the uncanny strangeness of the Taishi mineral vein to hide his traces, sneering: "The Consort does not understand you; she believes you will die in the mining district. But I am different.

I know you far too well! " Shen Mu paid it no mind and walked on ahead by himself.

The white cat Little Seven's voice still drifted to and fro, as though chattering endlessly at his ear: "You look so very curious, like a silly roe deer foolishly walking to its death — yet every time, you come back alive.

It is not that your luck is good; it is that you measure every venture with care. Even when your life is at stake, you have some means of escape. " Shen Mu surveyed his surroundings, trying to find the primordial stone, and laughed: "What means of escape could I have? If I am assimilated by this mineral vein, will I not die all the same?

" "Wrong! This time your confidence is greater still, because you know you will meet no danger at all!

" In the mist, a silver spear, silent and soundless, thrust at Shen Mu's back, straight for his heart.

The white cat Little Seven was like an assassin, and like a great venomous serpent hidden in the dark — impossible to guard against!

Shen Mu turned and swung his sword, sweeping aside the tip of the silver spear, and in that instant the might bursting from the spear tip numbed his arm with the shock.

At the very instant he swept the spear tip aside, a white cat primordial spirit of enormous bulk suddenly appeared behind him, unsheathed claws of incomparable sharpness, and slashed down at him!

When the primordial spirit of one who cultivates divine abilities reaches the Spirit Bridge realm, it has already begun to transform into something nearly substantial. At the True God realm, the primordial spirit is already equal to substance, and it is exceedingly swift, possessing tremendous might — surpassing even divine weapons!

At the God-Slaying Platform, having undergone its baptism, the primordial spirit is essentially the equal of a sacrificed ancient god; though it falls short of such gods in the laws of the Great Dao, its might is extraordinarily formidable.

And at a realm such as Lingxiao, the primordial spirit's power is strong enough to slay with ease beings of the Yujing realm, annihilating both body and spirit! At the very instant the white cat's primordial spirit brought down its claws, Shen Mu said with a sneer: "Little Seven, do you not know that I was once the Divine Son of Youdu?

Before me, no one has ever dared attack me directly with his primordial spirit. You are the first.

" Within his Divine Treasury domain, Tu Bo Shen Mu rose slowly, standing athwart behind Shen Mu.

The white cat primordial spirit's claws fell upon Tu Bo Shen Mu. The force of that blow was truly immense — yet the recoil was mightier still!

The white cat primordial spirit gave a shrill, piteous meow, as though a cat had had its tail trodden on; the three souls and seven spirits within it were shaken clean out of the body, torn away from its spirit embryo!

"You have dwelt in the Heavenly Emperor's rear palace for far too long.

" Tu Bo Shen Mu's vast form stood towering between heaven and earth; he reached out and pinched the three souls and seven spirits that sought to flee, and even the spirit embryo fell into Tu Bo Shen Mu's palm. "Many are the Lingxiao realm experts who have fought me, but they all know that to wield one's primordial spirit before the Divine Son of Youdu is certain death, so they rely instead on the might of divine weapons and the power of divine abilities to do battle with me.

" Tu Bo Shen Mu opened his palm.

The white cat's souls and spirit embryo trembled; facing this colossal being he felt an inborn dread, like a mouse before a cat. In a single instant his primordial spirit had been peeled away from his spirit embryo and his souls, and even the souls had been split into three hun and seven po, each soul and each spirit parted from the rest.

Tu Bo Shen Mu pressed his three souls and seven spirits back together, stuffed them into his spirit embryo, restoring the whole primordial spirit, and set him down. "Little Seven, you may go.

I promised to spare your life. " Shen Mu withdrew his domain and laughed: "But only one life.

If you raise your hand against me again, I will show you no mercy. A single compliment is not worth two lives.

" Not far off, the young general in silver armor walked out of the mist, his face pale.