Chapter 319 — Sorcery of Soul Sacrifice
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 5
" Ban Gongcuo suddenly gave the order; at once, all his subordinates erupted together, blade orbs spanning the sky, countless streaks of blade-light raining down on Shen Mu, while the three Witch Kings crossed paths and worked their witch arts, dragging the two white bats down out of the air. Shen Mu laughed aloud, lifted his garment to cover himself, and vanished; the next instant he appeared beside the great witches and the officers and men of Mangdi State.
The Sorrowless Sword soared up, and countless sword-lights burst from the Taotie pouch, shooting out in every direction. Shwish!
— eight thousand swords stabbed into the earth, covering the ground for a hundred zhang in every direction, blood dripping from their hilts; only the two great witches of the Seven-Star realm had escaped the calamity, fighting off the countless sword-lights and keeping the flying swords from piercing their hearts, but they were badly frightened all the same.
"The teleporting garment? " Ban Gongcuo's heart clenched.
Shen Mu had struck far too fast, teleporting straight to their side by means of the garment and slaughtering without mercy.
Shen Mu raised a hand and pointed; the Sorrowless Sword soared up, countless sword-lights revolving around it as it slashed down at one of the Seven-Star great witches! Golden wings blazed into being behind that great witch, beating again and again, and numberless golden feather-swords flew out to meet his blow in a thunderous collision. Shen Mu, outmatched, was sent flying; still in midair, he wrapped himself in his garment and vanished.
The next instant he reappeared behind the great witch, fingers spread wide, and the Sorrowless Sword and the eight thousand swords came whistling over. Just then, Ban Gongcuo spun where he stood and vanished. Shen Mu hastily twisted his hand and slapped behind him; with a tremendous boom, their palms collided, and both men landed.
Ban Gongcuo had once entered the Youmo Cult, had cultivated the Great Nurturing Youmo Sutra, and had even contended for the position of cult master.
He had likewise cultivated the cult's teleportation art. Though the art demanded extremely high skill in mathematical reckoning, with the foundation of the Daoist arithmetic classic, his mastery of teleportation surpassed even Shen Mu's. The Dragon Qilin and the three demon monks came charging over, while the two Seven-Star great witches soared into the sky — only to be overtaken by the three demon monks, who shook their bodies and became three Golden-Winged Rocs plunging at the two great witches.
The Dragon Qilin opened his mouth and roared, a pillar of flame surging toward Ban Gongcuo.
Ban Gongcuo dared not meet it head-on; his form flickered, vanished, and reappeared at the side of the three Witch Kings.
The three Witch Kings were busily beating the two white bats, which were extraordinarily resistant: battered again and again by a great witch of the Life-Death realm and two great witches of the Heaven-Man realm, they were still jumping and lively — truly thick of skin and tough of flesh.
"Gongmu, you deal with the two white bats! The other Witch Kings, kill the three bald donkeys!
" Ban Gongcuo cried fiercely.
"Whatever happens, they must be eliminated!
" Witch King Gongmu was a great master of the Life-Death realm, more than enough to suppress the two white bats; even if he could not beat these two strange bats to death, he could keep them from going to Shen Mu's aid.
And the two Heaven-Man realm Witch Kings, together with the two Seven-Star great witches, ought to make short work of the three demon monks and the Dragon Qilin — after all, none of the three demon monks nor the Dragon Qilin had cultivated to the Heaven-Man realm! He had just spoken when he suddenly saw Shen Mu take a black jar out of the Taotie pouch, and his scalp went numb. "Run!
" he said sharply. He drove the teleportation art and vanished at once.