Chapter 1010 — The Struggle of Sovereigns, Close-Quarters Slaughter
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
" "Then your vital essence is truly magnificent—stronger even than mine. " Kaihuang gripped the Wuyou Sword tightly and said unhurriedly: "In divine powers, I seem to fall short of you. You have mastered more of the great Dao of runes, and you have already formed a domain.
By mana alone you could crush me.
" Shen Mu turned around. The sword core had appeared in his hand at some point, slowly transforming into a divine sword, its sword-light flowing gently.
He laughed: "That is right.
" Kaihuang said: "But a true clash cannot be judged by divine powers or swordsmanship alone.
Will your Jingping reforms work or not?
" Shen Mu's face was full of smiles: "Try it and we will know, will we not? If you do not try, how will you know that my Jingping reforms are stronger than your Kaihuang reforms?
" Shujun quietly retreated, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Kaihuang smiled. His feet suddenly surged with power, his sword-path domain swelled, and in that instant his sword path was raised to its utmost.
He laughed: "Muqing, have you seen the Twentieth Sword Form?
" Boom— A radiance of incomparable dazzle burst forth.
Shen Mu thundered open his Divine Treasury domain; the Taiji diagram spun and expanded, the sun, moon, and starry river rose surging from within his body, and the divine sword in his hand swelled enormously!
"This is the very sentence I have been waiting for! Let me see your sword domain and your Twentieth Sword! " The radiance in their two hands collided.
In that instant Shujun's eyes stung sharply; tears came unbidden, and his vision blurred, so that he could only sense the ripples cast by the ultimate sword path piercing the void! His skin felt as though ten thousand swords had run through it, piercing his body, his soul, his spirit-consciousness, so that a great terror rose in him unbidden!
Soon the dazzling radiance bursting from the sword path dispersed, and Shen Mu, clutching his chest, turned and walked away. Kaihuang sheathed his sword; blood dripped from the blade.
"Shujun, let us go! " Shen Mu's voice came, somewhat lacking in vigor: "I cannot walk anymore.
Carry me back.
. .
" Shujun hurried after him, appalled at heart, and stole a glance at Kaihuang.
Kaihuang stood desolate, watching them go. His sword-path domain was above Shen Mu's, and the Twentieth Sword Form had indeed not failed his expectations—it had pierced through Shen Mu's Divine Treasury domain and broken Shen Mu's sword art.
And yet a stunning blade of sword-light had flown past his divine bridge within his Divine Treasury, skimming along it, graceful as a startled swan, supple as a roaming dragon.
Shen Mu's Calamity-Answering Sword had not severed his divine bridge; it had only grazed past it—and yet it left him drenched in cold sweat. Had that sword truly severed his divine bridge, his heavenly palace would surely have collapsed and crumbled, crushing the other six great Divine Treasuries in its fall and utterly destroying his cultivation! A single ringing note.
He did not know whether Shen Mu had lacked the strength to cut with that sword, or had held back out of mercy. Kaihuang swept his sword into its sheath and turned back toward Wuyou Township: "I need to go and see the Jingping reforms.
"