Chapter 1446 — The Chipped Blade, the Broken Edge
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 5
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!