Chapter 25 — Opening the Spirit Treasury Once More, Stepping into a New Realm

Man and ape battled furiously in the valley beneath the cliff, colliding with tremendous force. Shen Mu's arms grew sore and numb; pressed under the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's advantage, he gradually found it hard to hold out.

Before long he was beaten black and blue again, yet the Xuan Liao Demon Ape did not strike to kill—it continued to spar with him, holding back a fraction of its strength. "Eat, strong!

" The Xuan Liao Demon Ape threw a punch, and the gust of that fist surged wild, carrying no fewer than nine kinds of force—it was the third stance of the Eight Arcane Arts of the Thunder's Roar, Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder.

Even as it struck, it urged Shen Mu to eat more, to grow as strong as it was. "Heaven-Reaching Divine Eye, open! " Shen Mu's vital essence surged and rushed into his eyes, forming within his pupils the first heavenly-tier formation pattern of the Nine Heavens Eye-Gazing Art, and in an instant it was as though a second layer of pupil had appeared in his eyes.

With the Heaven-Reaching Divine Eye opened, Shen Mu suddenly felt that all things in heaven and earth before him became incomparably clear, profound, and orderly; even the fist the Xuan Liao Demon Ape hurled at him grew wondrous in his sight.

He could make out the sway of every single hair on the ape's fist in the air, even discern the motion of every tendon and every muscle beneath the ape's skin, and further still the direction of the ape's power itself! The Nine Heavens Eye-Gazing Art the Blind Elder had taught him let his eyes discover the truth within appearances, bringing his control and mastery of the forces of enemy and self to a height he had never imagined!

Shen Mu's fist rose to meet the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's punch. In the instant before man's fist and ape's fist would collide, Shen Mu's five fingers suddenly snapped out one after another, fingertips breaking the air, bursting forth with the piercing shriek of a bowstring loosed from a strong bow and keen crossbow!

The second stance of the Eight Arcane Arts of the Thunder's Roar, the Pipa Hand of the Snapping Finger's Shaking Thunder. Old Master Huo's martial art was not all fists—among them were also finger techniques, and the Pipa Hand of the Snapping Finger's Shaking Thunder was one of the most exquisite. Shen Mu's first finger snapped against the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's massive fist, and the ape immediately found all strength gone from that fist.

Shen Mu's second finger snapped out, and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape felt the great tendons of that arm violently shudder! Shen Mu's third finger snapped out, and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape felt the muscles of its arm shudder violently as well; panic rose in its heart.

Shen Mu's fourth finger snapped out, and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's arm swung high against its will, exposing the weakness at its chest. Shen Mu's fifth finger snapped against the chest of that colossal creature, and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape felt as though hundreds of wild bulls of the barren wastes had rammed into its chest—it toppled and flew backward against its will!

Shen Mu was dumbstruck.

Was the Nine Heavens Eye-Gazing Art the Blind Elder had taught him really this powerful? What was powerful was not his stances but his eyes. With the Heaven-Reaching Divine Eye he had effortlessly seen through the shifts and currents of the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's power, found the weakness within that punch, and with his first finger struck the very flaw of the Xuan Liao Demon Ape, directly dissolving that terrifying punch!

Whoosh— In the brief instant he was lost in thought, the Xuan Liao Demon Ape exploded upward, sent Shen Mu flying with one punch, then leaped into the air, clasped its hands together, and hammered down savagely at Shen Mu.

The earth quaked, and where Shen Mu's body fell a deep pit was smashed out.

The Xuan Liao Demon Ape landed with a thud and drove a fist down into the pit.

Before its fist could reach the pit's bottom, Shen Mu's finger snapped against its fist once more. The next moment the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's massive body was launched high, and Shen Mu sprang from the pit, chasing the ape into the air.

Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder!

Bang, bang, bang—a string of explosive blows rang out, and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's massive body was struck down like a falling star, crashing through more than a dozen great trees in succession. A long while later, Shen Mu and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape had fought their way to the top of the cliff and lay down panting. They had no strength left to continue.

Though the Heaven-Reaching Divine Eye was powerful, it consumed vital essence greatly; even Shen Mu, for all his deep cultivation, could scarcely bear it.

After resting a moment, the Xuan Liao Demon Ape sat up, raised a thumb, and pointed at itself: "Me, big brother! " Shen Mu sat up too, shook his head, and said, "Me, big brother. You, little brother.

" The Xuan Liao Demon Ape was furious. It thrust out a fist, its arm all knotted with muscle: "Me, strong!

" Shen Mu seized one of its fingers, swung it up, and slammed it hard against the ground: "Me, stronger!

" The Xuan Liao Demon Ape flipped up, and man and ape were at it again.

Soon both were spent once more, each lying down panting. Shen Mu recovered some strength, stood, and on the cliff top demonstrated the Eight Arcane Arts of the Thunder's Roar.

The Xuan Liao Demon Ape sat up too and watched without blinking. Yesterday Shen Mu had taught it only once; it had learned merely the rough shape, a crude framework.

Now Shen Mu showed it every detail of the Eight Arcane Arts of the Thunder's Roar, explaining as well the secret of generating power in each stance.

The Xuan Liao Demon Ape learned with astonishing speed.

After a few hours it had grasped the complete Eight Arcane Arts of the Thunder's Roar, and watching this, Shen Mu's scalp went numb.

He wondered whether at this rate he would still be able to beat this big fellow.

"This creature is a martial prodigy too—can a savage beast really have such spirit?

Then can it cultivate as well?

" Shen Mu thought it over, sat down, and taught the Xuan Liao Demon Ape how to breathe and guide essence, passing on to it his "Three Cores Art of the Dark Body. " The Xuan Liao Demon Ape copied the breathing and guiding with proper form.

The "Three Cores Art of the Dark Body" was in truth the simplest art of guiding essence; its method was very simple, merely moving and directing vital essence. Before long the Xuan Liao Demon Ape had basically mastered the art of guiding essence, its breathing steady and plain.

This was in fact also due to its nature: it ate only plants, was by disposition fond of stillness, and its mind was simple and pure—which was why it could master the art of guiding essence in so short a time. "This fellow is truly a martial prodigy.

" Seeing it grasp things so quickly, Shen Mu could not help praising it from the heart.

He said, "Big fellow, cultivate well. Tomorrow I'll come find you to fight again.

" With that he leaped down from the cliff and headed for the village. The Xuan Liao Demon Ape watched him go, then sat down again and said softly, "Little bean sprout.

. . " Over the next dozen or so days, Shen Mu came every day to trade blows with the Xuan Liao Demon Ape.

After they fought, the ape would treat him to fruit, and Shen Mu in turn guided it in cultivation; he even taught the ape the leg techniques of the Lame Elder's Sky-Grazing Divine Legs.

The Xuan Liao Demon Ape had originally been skilled in fist arts but woefully poor in legwork; after learning the Sky-Grazing Divine Legs, however, its leg techniques became exceedingly cunning, and even Shen Mu would suffer if he grew careless. Shen Mu's strength advanced rapidly, and the Xuan Liao Demon Ape's progress was frighteningly fast as well.