Chapter 451 — After the Founding Patriarch
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
At these words, everyone in the tower laughed coldly.
Shen Mu paid them no mind. Smiling, he said, "If the Western Lands were not cut off by a wasteland, Jingping would have wiped them out long ago. To speak frankly, your arts and divine powers are already behind Jingping's — and in my eyes, even Jingping's arts and those of the wasteland have begun to fall behind. That is why I seek change. You brothers and sisters of the Western Lands stand so very close to me — far too dangerous. Never mind the Six Harmonies realm; even you several brothers and sisters of the Seven Stars realm — you, and you, and you — standing so near me, in my eyes. . .
" He pointed at the Seven Stars experts present and shook his head. "You are nothing but corpses that can walk and jump, talk and laugh. The only difference is when you become corpses.
" In the tower, killing intent rose on every side. Yue Qingshan sprang to his feet and sneered, "Sect Master Shen, you are truly arrogant! City Lord Geke, you are the host here.
I would very much like to have a bout with this Sect Master Shen — may I? " Geke laughed. "You are all guests, here for the Huashan Festival of Fangxiu City. Why must swords be drawn?
Let each seek the sweetheart he fancies and take his pleasure — would that not be wonderful?
Of course, if you insist on fighting, I cannot stop you either. " He was plainly set on watching the uproar.
Yue Qingshan walked toward the stairs, sneering, "Sect Master Shen, come down. I mean to take a prize off the Palace of True Heaven.
" Shen Mu smiled, drew a two-foot-square metal ball from his Taotie pouch, and shook his head. "No need to go down. Here is fine. " He held the round metal ball in his palm, and the tower immediately trembled slightly, sinking slowly into the ground.
The tall building groaned and creaked under the weight; the first floor sank into the earth, then the second, and when the third had sunk, the descent stopped.
A chill went through everyone.
Geke praised, "What a heavy ball!
" "Look, gentlemen.
" Shen Mu's left hand gently turned the metal ball. "This is my sword core. " Crack — the sword core split open, and eight thousand swords, fine as silk threads, pointed their tips straight at the core's center.
To forge such cunning work required not only craftsmanship that outdoes nature, but calculations of awe-inspiring precision. His eight thousand swords threw off cold gleams, sending light flowing ceaselessly across the four walls of the tower and across every face.
Each sword was like the most perfect work of art.
Shen Mu held the core on his palm; it floated slowly up and turned slowly, letting all see its inner structure. "Gentlemen, arts and divine powers — never mind a thousand years without progress; even a hundred years without progress and they fall behind the age. The divine arts of your Western Lands still use what the ancestors handed down ten or twenty thousand years ago: awakening the spirit or the god of all things to fight on your behalf. But your arts are too slow to activate. Even a Heaven-Man realm expert needs time to awaken the spirit of all things. And divine powers change in the blink of an eye — would they give you time? I will perform one sword technique. I ask you all for your instruction. Do not move. " Tingfang of the Palace of True Heaven sneered, "Not move?
Would that not be to let you butcher us as you please?
" Shen Mu smiled faintly.
"If you wish to move, the consequences are your own.
One sword opens the emperor. . . " The sword core in his hand suddenly split apart, and in an instant swords filled the tower!
The eight thousand swords moved; almost everyone could scarcely keep from rising to resist — and at that very moment all the sword light abruptly vanished.