That demon-god carefully planted his army's banner in the ground, bent to pick up his shattered armor, and accidentally brushed against the flagpole.

The great banner toppled with a soft thud, its tattered cloth lying flat against the ground.

"This flag must not fall. .

.

" He had just meant to set the banner upright when a tide-like roar suddenly reached his ears; countless gods and demons surged and fled backward, and who knew how many were howling: "The army flag has fallen—we have lost—run for your lives!

" The four-armed god-demon stood stupefied; he had just meant to raise the great banner when the surging tide of gods and demons swept him apart from it, carrying him farther and farther from the flag on the ground. "It's over. .

. " he thought to himself.

"Even if I found the flag, I could never steady the troops' hearts.

Better to flee for my life! " And he turned and ran at full speed.

Yan Qianzhong watched the god-and-demon souls fleeing in all directions on either side and sneered without cease. Yan Jiuxi, the Great Sun Star Lord, and other demigods and ancient gods could sit still no longer; they rose one after another to stop the fleeing soldiers, but the army's heart had already scattered—how could they hold it? Deserters fled across mountains and plains, surging like a tide toward the tops of Lord Tu's feet and scrambling up his legs; a chorus of weeping rose, and who knew how many were crying: "The Little Tyrant is eating people again!

" Within the Eye of Lord Tu, the karmic-fire Lord Tu said in surprise: "It seems we need not record so much. Two great halls will do; I doubt they will even be filled.

" The old yin-courier shook his head and sighed. "The ones left are the true giants.

Few as they are, their sins are vast enough to reach the heavens. " A long while passed before the commotion gradually subsided.

The Big-Head Doll looked ahead and saw that only a thousand-odd gods and demons still stood there, not having fled.

He was dumbfounded, glanced east, glanced west, and said to Shen Mu: "Little brother, they've all run away—what are we going to eat? " The moment his voice sounded, there came a whoosh—several hundred more gods and demons, unable to master the dread in their hearts, threw down their banners and took to their heels. Shen Fengqing ground his teeth, longing to chase after them, but Shen Mu was in control of the body now, and he could not act on his own.

"Eating any number of these little minnows is worth less than eating one big fish. " Shen Mu's gaze fell on the hundred-odd towering gods and demons remaining around them, and he smiled.

"Brother, the big fish we are going to eat now are these!

" Shen Fengqing grew elated and laughed.

"Then what are we waiting for? " Shen Mu leaped up.

In the instant he sprang into the air, the godly and demonic weapons in midair suddenly melted, becoming a surging torrent; as Shen Mu leaped into the sky the torrent gathered together and formed a great sword streaming with flame, which he gripped in his hand.

In the very instant he gripped the great sword, Yan Qianzhong, Yan Jiuxi, the Great Sun Star Lord, and the others moved as one, each bursting forth with divine powers. Jade Lock Pass in Youdu had been the darkest place in Youdu, the place heaviest with demonic qi; now it was as though several thousand suns had appeared in the sky. The blazing light of their powers stretched for ten thousand li, surging in from all directions to blast at Shen Mu in midair.

Yan Jiuxi bellowed, his body spinning as he charged forward, arms whirling, black sword after black sword flying from his hands to stab at Shen Mu in the air. The Great Sun Star Lord beat his wings and rose, his body shaking as he transformed into a dark golden crow, bird-headed and human-bodied; his wings quivered, and dark sun after dark sun, from large to small, spun at furious speed and blasted toward Shen Mu. Yan Qianzhong leaped and sprinted, and in a single rise and fall transformed into a flame god-man; behind his head wheel after wheel of fiery light whirled with a howl, and as the wheels spun, countless divine powers burst forth from them! At the same time, the souls of the other Lingxiao and Imperial Throne powerhouses unleashed powers that blotted out the sky and hid the sun, lighting up the darkest place in Youdu; even within Jade Lock Pass all was a sheet of white!

To have cultivated to their level, nearly all were beings who had once entered the Dao; when their powers burst forth, they were straightaway great Dao-entry powers, their might shaking heaven and earth! Lady Wuji was the fiercest of all, her martial Dao powers shaking heaven and earth; her fist techniques were fierce and domineering, her footwork swift beyond measure.

Crying out, she had already rushed before Shen Mu, and countless shadows of fists, palms, and fingers blasted at him from every direction! At this moment Shen Fengqing was in a fever of excitement, just about to start fighting, when he suddenly found his own two hands gripping the crimson great sword, and was bewildered.

"Strange—how is it I who holds this sword? I don't even know swordsmanship.

. .

" He had barely thought this when Lady Wuji was already upon him. "Strange Peaks Beyond Heaven, a Thousand Palms Return!

" Shen Mu roared, and countless body-refining powers gathered into one plain, unadorned punch; it was as if a thousand strange peaks from beyond the heavens came rushing forth as the fist met Lady Wuji. "Your martial Dao is too weak! " Lady Wuji's countless fists and kicks hammered Shen Mu's body; her two hands sealed and met his punch, and at once her pretty face changed drastically—her arms twisted and burst apart with a crackling snap.

Her legs kicked forward in a chain, thud, thud, thud, striking all over Shen Mu's body. "Sword, come. " Shen Mu reached out and snatched the great sword from Shen Fengqing's hands, swept it once, and Lady Wuji's head parted from her body!

Boom— A thousand powers came crashing down and drowned them.

The terrifying burst of power sent wave after wave of snow-white light sweeping in all directions, flattening the earth and rushing up into the high heavens; only when it reached Lord Tu's waist did the ripples raised by the white light slowly disperse.

And at the center of the burst, Shen Mu landed, legs spread, half-bent in a crouch, his body battered beyond recognition; even his three heads and six arms had been smashed to ruin. Wave after wave of blood-qi surged within him and poured out of his body; Shen Mu gripped the great sword, elated beyond words.

"I'm so strong—" His body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye; suddenly he gathered his strength, leaped up, and met the charging demigod Yan Jiuxi, laughing loudly: "So strong—" Shen Fengqing, who was working hard to digest Lady Wuji, rolled his eyes at this.

"No taste. . .

"