Chapter 363: Order of Heaven and Earth
A ripple suddenly appeared in the thin air. Space was torn apart as a black bell flew out of the void.
“Dang!”
A loud ring sounded from the bell, resounding throughout the entire area. It shook the entire Chu Prefecture City.
With the bell appearing, a old man, wearing a black cloak with a stooped back, slowly walked out of a black mist. There was a thick aura of death being exuded from him.
“As I guessed, it is you, the Ten Thousand Empyreal King.”
The Shepherd Boy looked at the black-cloaked person who had suddenly appeared, without any change in his expression.
However, when the warriors of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom in the Chu Prefecture City heard the title of Ten Thousand Empyreal King they gasped.
Ten Thousand Empyreal King…
Ten Thousand was a title, while Empyreal King was the name of the person’s realm.
In fact, a lot of people in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom were not sure of what the names of the realms above the Sage realm were. Empyreal King was by no doubt in the realm of a Great Emperor. As for how strong he was amongst the Great Emperors, they had no idea.
Great Emperors were too mysterious for them.
“It is nice of you to remember me, hehe.” The black cloaked man insidiously smiled. He slowly lifted off the hood covering his head. With that, people saw a face that made them feel like vomiting.
The cloaked man’s face was filled with wrinkles and scars. Most of his hair had fallen off, leaving behind only a few strands of hair. His neck, face and skin were all baggy. It looked like it were about to fall off due to rot.
The person in front of them looked as if he had crawled out from a grave. Such a look made people not want to take a second glance.
“He is still alive even in that state?”
The Tai Ah Divine City warriors were extremely alarmed. An old man’s corpse that had begun to rot after a month would probably be in a better shape than he was.
“Of course I remember. I am just curious about how you are still alive. You cultivated the Ten Thousand Ghost Dao, to the point of going astray. And now, you are are in a state where you are neither ghost nor man… To carry on living like this requires a great deal of courage.”
The Shepherd Boy used a calm tone of voice to say what were obviously mocking and vicious words. However, the way he said it made people unable to detect the sarcasm, it sounded more like he was stating a general fact.
When people heard him, they shuddered. In this situation, with so many experts surrounding him, while situated inside such a large array, the Shepherd Boy was still able to calmly taunt his opponents.
The Ten Thousand Empyreal King’s face sank, “Good! Good! Today, I want to see what qualifications you have to be so arrogant!”
“Attack!”
The Ten Thousand Empyreal King was the first to make a move. He cried out in a strange way and a gigantic, blood-colored skeleton appeared behind him.
This blood-colored skeleton was a thousand feet tall. It looked like blood intertwined with the full moon!
“Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!”
The blood-colored skeleton melted in the air, turning in a blood-colored sea. It reversed directions and swept towards the Ten Thousand Empyreal King, and finally, the blood-colored sea completely merged with the Ten Thousand Empyreal King’s body.
In an instant, the Ten Thousand Empyreal King’s rotted body became blood-red. At that moment, he looked like a blood-colored Shura who had climbed out from Hell.
“The Aspect Totem entered his body!”
King Chu said with surprise five kilometers away. He did not know what realm merging one’s Aspect Totem into one’s body was, but he did remember that the Shepherd Boy had previously said, “Your Aspect Totem has not even managed to enter your body… Your cultivation level is just so-so.”
Clearly, merging one’s Aspect Totem into one’s body was the goal of those peerless mighty existences.
The Ten Thousand Empyreal King struck with a palm. The palm swept up a surging tidal wave of blood. One could also faintly see white bones within it, and one could also hear the ghastly wails of ghosts roar!
Against this tidal wave, the Shepherd Boy did not take one step back. He lightly flicked his green long sleeves and pressed down against the tidal wave with one palm.
A large green hand appeared out of thin air, one that could block out the sky!
“Boom!”
The blood wave dissipated into a bloody mist before it disappeared into the night sky. The Shepherd Boy did not retreat at all. His deep, black eyes saw through the blood mist and locked on to the Ten Thousand Empyreal King, “You are already half a step into the netherworld. Since you do not have the courage to take that final step, let me send you on your way!”
The Ten Thousand Empyreal King looked at him ferociously as he roared, “What are you waiting for!? Activate the large array and join forces to kill him!”
“Right, attack! We have so many people, and he still has injuries. He will definitely be no match for us!”
“Without the Primitive Sacred Desolate Beast at his command, he is nothing to fear!”
Several legendary experts attacked together. At the same time, the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array beneath them started to emit a ghastly blue light. A visible energy shield then encased this part of the world!
The Heaven Earth Empyreal Array was an array that countered the Desolate race. Once the array was activated, there would be a closed domain spanning the radius of 5 kilometers. In this domain, the Power of Desolates would be greatly reduced.
The Power of Desolates was the source of the Desolate race’s energy. Now, whenever the Shepherd Boy used an attack, he had to exert a force to counter the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array!
To resist the array and face off against the attacks of so many people alone, it would naturally be very disadvantageous for the Shepherd Boy!
However, even though this was the case, the Shepherd Boy still had to enter the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array. That was because Yi Yun was sealed within the heart of the great array by the Shen Tu family clan!
A few legends of the Shen Tu family clan attacked together. In an instant, the beams of Aspect Totems lit up the dark sky. Terrifying Heaven Earth Yuan Qi condensed together to form a gushing divine fountain!
In the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array, the strength of humans would not be reduced, it would instead increase!
“With the ten of us joining forces, you will definitely turn to dust!”
A few of the Shen Tu family clan’s legends set up a battle array, which increased their strength. The force from one strike was earth-shattering!
The Shepherd Boy however transcended them. His expression did not flinch at all, for there was no sadness or happiness in it.
He bathed in the moonlight of the nine heavens, as if he was a god that had descended from the heavens.
He made his move. No one saw how he attacked, all they saw was a green flash that looked like a green, hundred thousand feet waterfall, traversing the starry sky.
“Ah!”
A legendary expert of the Shen Tu family clan, who was previously antagonizing, suddenly let out a scream. It was as if he had hit a mountain at high speed. He flew backwards, his sternum and ribs on both sides now completely shattered. His chest sank inwards as his organs ruptured! He spat blood out from his mouth!
“What!?”
The Shepherd Boy managed to counterattack even when alone against the ten legends’ combined efforts. At the same time, he had seriously injured one of them!
Furthermore, this was within the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array. In this array, his strength was greatly reduced!
“Elder Sun!”
A legendary expert of the Shen Tu family clan turned around to save the old man. However, at this moment, a silk like strand of a green beam flashed past his body. This strand was clearly condensed of extreme amounts of energy. It cut through thin air at an incredulous speed.
“Puah!”
Blood dyed the sky as the heavily injured legendary expert’s head flew out. His neck had been split apart just like the thin air!
Injuring all of a man’s fingers was not as effective as merely chopping one off. The Shepherd Boy knew that this battle today would not be easy. So his goal was not to heavily injure the enemy, but to kill them!
Seeing the head fly up high in the sky, people were stunned.
To the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s warriors, this was a battle that exceeded their comprehension.
As for the people of the Shen Tu family clan, they were all frightened and distraught.
Shen Tu Nantian had long since retreated to the far back. He was only a junior and had no qualifications to participate in this battle.
He watched on helplessly as Elder Sun was killed by the Shepherd Boy. He could not even tell how the Shepherd Boy had attacked!
“How can this happen?” Shen Tu Nantian frowned. He had set up the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array, why did it not seem to affect the Shepherd Boy at all?!
“Do not panic. With us combining forces, there is no way that we will lose! He must have used brute strength to break through the array’s shackles. This will be extremely taxing on him!”
A legendary expert of the Shen Tu family clan said. He did not believe that the Shepherd Boy had the strength to turn the tide under this situation.
As long as morale was upkept, they could combine forces and, step by step, the Shepherd Boy would soon run out of energy!
However, just as that legendary expert finished speaking, he saw a blur. A figure flashed before him like a ghost. It was like a vast amount of green smoke condensed before him.
The Shepherd Boy appeared right before the old man, without any expression. He then attacked with a palm strike!
What!?
The elder’s soul jumped out of his body. When he said those words, he was on full alert. He did not feel any spatial fluctuations in energy, but still the Shepherd Boy suddenly appeared in front him like a ghost. He had instantaneously traversed a thousand feet through the void, far exceeding the elder’s reaction time!
Against the terrifying male of the Desolate race, the Shepherd Boy, this elder felt as if Death itself had descended on him. That pressure, this fear could not be described with words!
Even though he had spoken with confidence and logic, his hair was now standing on end, and his face had turned pale.
It was too terrifying. He was unbeatable!
In a split second, the elder knew that escape was no longer a possibility. He roared and ignored the palm strike from the Shepherd Boy. He circulated his body’s Yuan Qi and slashed at the Shepherd Boy’s chest with a saber!
He wanted to risk his life to take a life!
Since he could not block the Shepherd Boy’s attack, he could only use this method to force the Shepherd Boy to defend!
However, the Shepherd Boy remained expressionless. His palm carried on descending.
Risking his life?
The Shepherd Boy had spent his entire life in the Divine Wilderness, and now stood above this world. How could he risk his life with a Shen Tu family clan’s elder?
“Boom!”
As the palm struck the elder’s chest, the elder’s body suddenly shrunk. Even the space around him collapsed. His sternum fractured and his heart and lungs burst. He turned in a mass of blood.
However when the elder’s saber finally slashed down, the Shepherd Boy’s body suddenly disappeared!
He had calmly retreated to a few hundred feet away with peerless gracefulness. His green clothes fluttered as they remain clean from even a single drop of blood. Even his hands were clean of blood, it was as if he had not fought. His hands sparkled like jade, as if he had never struck out with his palm.
The second legendary figure had died!
Several kilometers away, Shen Tu Nantian’s face was pale. How could this happen? Even when the Shepherd Boy was at his peak ten years ago, he was not that strong, even with the Divine Lion’s battle strength!
Ten years ago, although it was said to be a battle between the Shepherd Boy and the Shen Tu Patriarch, the one really fighting was the Divine Lion. The Shepherd Boy was only playing a supporting role.
Back then, the Shepherd Boy had definitely not been a match for the Shen Tu Patriarch.
As for the Divine Lion, it was a sacred beast owned by the Nether World Desolate God. It did not have any relations with the Shepherd Boy as it was just lent to him.
Hence, Shen Tu Nantian’s impression of the Shepherd Boy’s strength was that it was equivalent to the early stages of Great Emperor.
Shen Tu Nantian would not be afraid of such strength at all, as the Ten Thousand Empyreal King, who had been hiding in the shadows, had already exceeded this realm.
With the support of the great array, this was supposed to be foolproof.
However, the turn of events had gone far beyond his expectations!
The Shepherd Boy was so strong that it was unbelievable!
According to common sense, the Shepherd Boy, at his previous cultivation realm, should not be able to increase his strength this much in the short span of ten years!
Did something happen to the Shepherd Boy in the past decade?
Even if something did happen, Shen Tu Nantian could not understand how the Shepherd Boy was able to completely ignore the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array.
Or could it be just as the Shen Tu family clan’s legendary expert, who had just died, said? That the Shepherd Boy had forcefully gathered his strength in order to break through the shackles of the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array. If so, then every strike of his would expend a great deal of energy, weakening him at a rapid pace!
If this was true, then they were bound to win if they dragged the battle out!
However, at this moment, the Shen Tu family clan’s legendary experts before him were all lacking confidence. The Shepherd Boy was too terrifying. He had attacked twice, and both the attacks had killed one of the Shen Tu family clan elders!
This was also under the restraint and threats of the others. It was as if he could ignore the presence of everyone!
No one dared to speak another word while facing the Shepherd Boy. They were now all silent because the past two times the Shepherd Boy attacked, he killed the two elders that spoke the most.
They had taunted the Shepherd Boy, but were killed shortly after!
“So that is why…” A thousand feet away from the Shepherd Boy, the Ten Thousand Empyreal King had witnessed the two times the Shepherd Boy attacked. His expression turned serious, “You have already grasped the Order of Heaven and Earth. And the Order you have gained insight in, has the ability to manipulate the world’s Power of Desolates, allowing you to ignore the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array…”
The Heaven Earth Empyreal Array was also a type of law. To be precise, all the arrays in the martial world belonged to a type of law.
When the laws a warrior grasped far exceeded the array’s laws, then that array would not be able to restrain him.
The Shepherd Boy was in such a state. The Order which he controlled was something the Heaven Earth Empyreal Array could compare to at all.
Hearing the words of the Ten Thousand Empyreal King, the Shen Tu family clan elders held their breaths.
Grasped the Order of Heaven and Earth? This had nothing to do with one’s cultivation level, it was one’s attainment in the laws. It meant that a warrior’s achievements in a particular law had reached its peak!
The Shepherd Boy did not comment as he gently wiped his interspatial ring and took out a sword.
This sword was entirely white, like jade. It did not reflect any light like metals do.
However… this sword was not made of jade but bone.
This was a Primitive Sacred Desolate Beast’s bone that had been ground into a sword!
The sword’s blade was four feet long, but its hilt was extremely short, just four inches long.
The sword’s blade and hilt were connected together without a guard. However, on the hilt, there were nine nomological seals. It emitted a mysterious yet ancient aura.
“The sword’s name is Illusionary Bone.”
The Shepherd Boy said lightly as he pointed the white sword blade towards the Ten Thousand Empyreal King!
