Chapter 1218 — Plucking Off the True Dragon Scales

The Way of Taishi is form without substance, and so Shen Mu and the others had become shining bodies of energy, while the Way of Taiji is the Way of Yin and Yang, by which energy becomes the myriad things, and by which Yin and Yang evolve the myriad Ways of the world! "The only way to resolve our present plight is the Taiji divine stones and the Taiji origin stone!

" With this thought, Shen Mu at once took out several Taiji divine stones and the Taiji origin stone.

Of the origin stone he had only one piece, but of the divine stones he had more than a hundred.

As for the Taiji Way and its evolution of Yin and Yang, he had once thought himself well versed in it, for his Yuantai divine treasury was itself the交割 of Yin and Yang, yet after touching the true Taiji mineral vein and witnessing the strange events within it, he was no longer so certain.

The evolution of Yin and Yang makes matter and the great Dao shift in endless ways, changing even species and altering the laws of the Dao, a thing miraculous beyond words and beyond description. Yet that journey into the Taiji vein had also brought him great benefit, for he had absorbed a portion of the power of the Taiji divine stones and the vein itself! His understanding of how Taiji gives birth to the evolutions of Yin and Yang was now far deeper than before!

At that time, deep in the vein, the Taiji vein had driven its Creator miners to slay him again and again, while he had relied on the divine power of Matter Is Immutable to return to his origin time after time, and thereby comprehended the principle that unravels the evolutions of Yin and Yang.

At the final blow, the vein had driven the yin and yang qi to drill madly into his body, seeking to assimilate Shen Mu himself. Yet Shen Mu, trusting in the exquisite mystery of his Dao and divine powers, had seized the chance to devour the invading yin and yang qi, and thus gained a portion of the vein's power.

"The two ancient gods within the Taiji divine egg gifted me this Taiji origin stone, and it may be said they saved my life.

" Shen Mu first tried to stir the power of the Taiji divine stones. Though his grasp of the Taiji Way ran deep, he was after all no ancient god of the vein, and he had first to learn how to wield this force.

A Taiji divine stone rose slowly to hover above his palm, and Shen Mu felt the energy within his own body flow into it and slowly turn into yin and yang qi, a marvel so wondrous it drew cries of amazement.

From energy to yin and yang qi, and yin and yang qi being matter as well, the passage from energy to matter came about as naturally as water flowing into a channel. "Yet pure yin and yang qi alone cannot restore my flesh.

" Shen Mu pondered.

The yin and yang qi he had obtained from the Taiji vein held many intricate principles of Yin-Yang evolution, and he wished to enter a dream to deduce and order them. But his present state was most unstable, and dream-entry borrows a mighty power of thought, incarnating as countless selves and mobilizing an immense tide of mind, which might well drive the energy within him out of control!

He could only set the thought aside for now, ordering the Way of Yin-Yang evolution step by step and pondering the capacity of the Taiji divine stones. From divine stone to origin stone, from shallow to deep, he could only advance by degrees.

Before he knew it more than ten days had passed, and the Moon Heavenly Venerable had still not returned, while Shen Mu had gradually mastered the power of the Taiji divine stones and understood ever more of the principles hidden in the Taiji vein.

Here none came to disturb them, and all was still and pure.

The Yulin Army obeyed orders to the letter, an army that hearkened wholly to its commander, and Wei Suifeng was that commander, so at a single command the Yulin soldiers sat motionless with no other thought in their hearts, their discipline so stern it struck awe into beholders. Lin Xiao the plumed fire pheasant dragon had been brought to heel by Wei Suifeng and dared make no wayward move.

As for the Longbo King, Feng Qiuyun, and the others, they grew restless, and ever more fretful as time wore on, though fortunately each time they stood on the verge of explosion they came to themselves again. "Longbo King!

" Shen Mu rose at last and summoned the Longbo King, saying with a smiling squint, "I need some energy bodies of the Longbo to test whether what I have gained these past days can undo our present state.

" The Longbo King's face shifted slightly as he sneered, "Junior, you would use us for experiments?

What manner of thing are you. .

.

" "A lofty Heavenly Venerable, and in your mouth merely what manner of thing? " Wei Suifeng strode over and said coldly, "Longbo King, you grow too bold.

" The dragon skin on the Longbo King's face quivered, for he harbored fear of Wei Suifeng, since it was Wei Suifeng who had led the Yulin Army to destroy the Longbo Kingdom and quell the Longbo rebellion, beheading countless Longbo as offerings to the Longhan Heavenly Court!

Even he himself had been taken captive by Wei Suifeng. "Mu Heavenly Venerable is one of the Nine Heavenly Venerables of Longhan, who bestowed the grace of teaching the Dao upon all living beings under heaven.

For a million years from ancient times to now, whoever meets him, even one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court, must address him as Dao brother!

" Wei Suifeng said evenly, "He has saved your life, yet far from repaying the debt you speak rudely to him. You are no true descendant.

" The Longbo King's expression eased somewhat as he said, "I am the sovereign of the Longbo Kingdom, a holy being born of the dragon vein of the Ancestral Court, my station a hundred times more honored than any so-called Heavenly Venerable!

At the grand feast of the Heavenly Court in those years, the Heavenly Emperor invited me to the banquet, while the Nine Heavenly Venerables of Longhan were but trifling figures sporting in the Jade Pool, not worth my regard.

But since the commander of the Yulin Army has spoken, I will grant you this face.

" He mused a moment, then called over a Longbo and said, "Pluck off one of your dragon scales for this Mu Heavenly Venerable's trial. " That Longbo felt humiliated, and at the Longbo King's cold snort the king reached out and tore a scale from his body himself.

The Longbo's face twitched as he stood aside in grievance.

Shen Mu took the scale and at once urged the Taiji divine stone to test his new attainment, paying no mind to the mockery in the Longbo King's words. Wei Suifeng and the Longbo King watched that scale in anxious haste, their hearts surging inexplicably, and hurriedly pressed down their feelings.

As Shen Mu drove it, the Taiji divine stone seemed to lose fixed form and turned into two currents of yin and yang qi, one black and one white, circling the dragon scale, while a wondrous power burst from the stone to alter the scale's physical structure.

The scale was but an energy body in the shape of a dragon scale, with no matter to it, yet under the working of the yin and yang qi it gradually took on matter! The onlookers could scarce suppress the excitement in their hearts, yet suppress it they must, and the effort was bitter. When the scale was more than half transformed, suddenly the passage from energy to matter reversed in an instant, turning from matter back to energy! The scale blazed with light, ever brighter and more dazzling!

Wei Suifeng's face changed greatly as he hastily swept and shook his sleeve, rolling up the scale and sending it high into the sky.

Boom!

Matter annihilated and energy erupted, and the sky seemed to gain another sun, terrifying beyond measure and long undispersed.

"One more scale. " Shen Mu said with a slight frown.

The Longbo King beckoned to that Longbo, who came forward with a miserable face and unwilling steps, only to have another scale torn away.