Chapter 1446 — The Chipped Blade, the Broken Edge

Our sword arts and divine abilities were developed by two generations of Jingping's imperial preceptors! The sword arts you learned, the divine abilities you learned, are the very finest! " The battlefield grew darker still, the enemies more numerous. Shen Mu advanced and withdrew with his blade, now left, now right, ranging fifteen zhang in every direction; within those fifteen zhang, where he stood, there was no enemy.

He could even go to the aid of others in his squad, helping them cut down strong foes.

They cut their way into the encircling ring, still like a sail cleaving the waves, leading more and more Jingping divine-ability users forward. Banners danced in the sky. The Jingping commander in charge of this sector saw that this squad had the makings of a spearhead, and at once waved his flag, sending several flying chariots to support them from the air.

The chariots came shrieking down, and countless sword lights pierced through the enemies surging in from every direction. Shen Mu and the others pressed on, the pressure mounting, the enemies dead by their hands beyond counting, when suddenly they felt the weight lift. They looked around and, astonished and delighted, found that they had broken out of the encirclement and cut the enemy clean in two at the waist!

Behind them came countless Jingping divine-ability users, following them out of the ring, splitting Southern Heaven's human army apart.

The Southern Heaven army they had cut open was already falling into disorder, and the disorder spread like a plague. Once an enemy force was carved into several pieces, it could be surrounded and destroyed. "Look ahead! " Suddenly a young divine-ability user said in a trembling voice, "What is that ahead.

. .

" They all looked up, and the smiles mixed with blood and water froze on their faces.

Countless Southern Heaven demigods stood arrayed in a host that stretched a thousand li, and among their ranks appeared numberless towering ancient beasts, making no sound at all. Those golden armors dazzled the eye.

These Southern Heaven demigods were far, far stronger than the human army of Southern Heaven they had just faced. Around Shen Mu and his comrades, more and more Jingping divine-ability users cut through the enemy lines and gathered near.

Their numbers slowly swelled, and yet all of them fell silent, frozen where they stood, none charging forward.

They had been overawed. "Bring up the Southern Emperor's divine weapon! " Suddenly a heavy voice came from the demigod host opposite. Two giant beasts bellowed and strained their thick legs, hauling an enormous divine carriage toward the front, and on the carriage stood a colossal pagoda, nine tiers high, wreathed in flame.

The Southern Emperor's divine weapon. The Northern Emperor's divine weapon was the Five-Thunder Gourd; the Southern Emperor's was the Flame Tower.

This tower had been forged in the Southern Emperor's ancestral land, at the nine-tiered altar of sacred fire, refined from flames gathered from all under heaven. Before the Calamity of Jingping, a Southern Emperor's divine weapon had once fallen into Jingping's hands.

When this divine weapon unleashed its might, its flames would span far more than ten thousand li — enough to refine and consume all things.

"Fall back!

" someone said, trembling. But no gong sounded the retreat. Instead the drums thundered, the beats growing ever denser — and yet not one of Jingping's divine-ability users stepped forward.

Before the Southern Emperor's divine weapon, every one of them was afraid. The drums beat faster.

In Shen Mu's squad, every eye turned to the scar-faced veteran, watching him in hope, waiting for him to give the order to retreat. If he fled, they would all flee. The veteran looked at their hopeful eyes, and suddenly grinned, the scar twisting his face into something savage.

"Brothers," he chuckled, "Jingping is at our backs.

" "Jingping is at our damn backs!

Your wives are back there, your sons and daughters, your fathers and mothers — the parents who raised you! " "Follow me, and let's give 'em hell! We can't wait for them to come slaughter our homes! " He charged out.

Ahead, countless primal blades danced and came sweeping toward him.

The veteran roared, struggling to hold them off as he pressed forward.

Chhh, chhh, chhh. Dozens of primal blades struck him, and still he forced himself onward.

Hsss — countless primal blades swallowed him.

The primal blades withdrew, and no bone or body remained on the field.

All around fell a dead silence. No one dared take another step forward.

The giant beasts hauled the Flame Tower this way, and before and behind Shen Mu the soldiers were falling back.

Suddenly another man charged forward, and was at once swallowed by countless primal blades.

Then another rushed forward; before he had even fallen, a dozen more charged in, trying to block the Southern Emperor's divine weapon. Batch after batch fell, and still men kept charging forward.

"The people of Jingping have never lost their blood!

" A flame leaped up in Shen Mu's heart. He raised his blade and roared, striding forward, his steps quickening, and behind him the seven who remained of the squad charged forward with him, voice rising after voice: "Jingping is behind us!

" "Behind us are our fathers and mothers, our wives and children! " "We will not let the Southern Emperor's divine weapon set one half-step into Jingping!

" "Our corpses will be peaks no one can climb, holding the enemy back before the mountains!

" More Jingping soldiers came surging in, their shouts shaking the heavens. Opposite, Southern Heaven's demigod host moved with a roar, fresh and waiting, and came killing toward them.

Shen Mu swung his iron blade, holding off countless primal blades, and yet comrade after comrade fell at his side.

But at once others stepped into the places of the fallen, pressing him onward.

"Jingping is behind us!

" He fought his way forward with all his strength.

His comrades-in-arms took blades for him, blocked the enemy's strikes for him, and one after another fell along the way.

He forgot that he was a Heavenly Venerate.

He forgot that he possessed the power to remake heaven and earth.

He forgot the divine abilities he had learned, forgot the cultivation sealed within his body.

He had only a blade — but at his side he had countless comrades.

Countless men guarded him, bore him along, charging at the Southern Emperor's divine weapon! Men fell without cease, and without cease others took their places, but their numbers still dwindled, until at last they cut through the ring and came before the Southern Emperor's divine weapon.

Shen Mu drove power into his legs and leaped into the air, his body clearing the two giant beasts, and brought his iron blade down with all his might on the Southern Emperor's divine weapon!

"Let him," a demigod commander said suddenly, halting the demigods around him with a cold laugh.

Clang. Shen Mu's iron blade struck the Southern Emperor's divine weapon. The blade broke, shattering into countless fragments. His body fell, and only the hilt remained in his hand.

Shen Mu looked around him, dazed.

Around him were his comrades, guarding him in a tight ring, and beyond them countless demigods, watching with mockery.

"Jingping is behind us!

" his comrades still shouted, pressing forward one after another, trying to cleave apart this world-ending weapon. The demigods watched them coldly and did not move. "Jingping is behind us.

.

.

" Shen Mu gripped the broken blade. This was a blade of protection, a blade of slaughter on the battlefield; it carried a great cause, a great evil — and a great good as well.

"Enough. Kill them," the demigod commander said indifferently.

Suddenly Shen Mu raised the broken blade and roared in fury, every muscle in his body swelling, and a terrifying blade light swept across the battlefield in an instant!