Chapter 1311 — Helping by Standing Aside

At these words something stirred in Shen Mu's heart, and he leaped down from above the Twenty-Eight Heavens of the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner; midway through his slanting fall, the vertical eye at the center of his brow had already opened. Within that vertical eye the Taiji Primordial Stone was roused; at the same moment countless runes lit up across the Egg of Taichu, humming and blazing upon the Taiji Divine Stone, and the Taiji Divine Stone began to turn.

The pupil of that holy eye at his brow instantly became black-and-white, spinning madly. A hum—two beams, one black and one white, twined together, and a pillar of light came down from the sky, slanting upon the throat of the gaunt figure.

Where that pillar fell, the gaunt figure's throat turned to stone at once; as the beam moved on, wherever it passed his body petrified at astonishing speed.

Shen Mu came flying down at a slant, and by the time his feet struck solid ground the gaze of the vertical eye at his brow had already swept the figure from head to toe.

The gaunt figure was transformed wholly into a stone statue, utterly motionless.

Everyone within the Lapis Azure Heaven Banner suddenly felt a great relief; that dreadful suction vanished, and their blood and vitality no longer drained away. Jiang Yunjian and the other young experts of the younger generation came tumbling down from the heights with a clatter, sprawling across the ground, unable to rise for a time.

The First Ancestor, Yan'er and the rest were still trembling with lingering fear.

Yet Shen Mu's figure did not pause; he sped in circles around the stone statue, the black-and-white gaze of his vertical eye twining together as it shone upon every part of the figure, strengthening the petrification.

Whoosh—he raised a hand, and the statue flew up; Shen Mu tilted back his head, the gaze of his vertical eye shining upon the soles of the statue's feet. Thud, the statue landed, and Shen Mu kept circling, sparing no corner.

"Enough, enough!

Lord Mu, you can stop now!

" came Taishi's voice from within the statue. "His body has turned completely to stone, even his primal spirit is stone!

There is no need to keep shining that light on him!

Hurry, think of a way to get me out of here!

" Shen Mu's steps halted and he let out a breath of relief, his whole body nearly collapsing; he simply flung himself down on the ground, puffing and gasping.

What had just happened had been far too perilous.

Had the Egg of Taishi not let itself be devoured by the gaunt figure, had it not willingly let him absorb the Taishi qi within the egg, and had Shen Mu not beforehand used the Way of Taiji to transform matter into energy, Shen Mu and the others would have had no chance of victory at all. The Way of Taishi joined with the Way of Taiji, and only thus was the Great Black Tree's greatest crisis resolved. "Lord Mu, hurry and get me out of here — I think I am stuck in his throat.

" From the statue's throat came Taishi's muffled, stifled voice.

"This statue is too hard, I cannot move. Lord Mu? Lord Mu, are you still there.

.

.

you have not abandoned me and run off, have you? " Yan'er came racing over, transformed into a dragon-sparrow, thrust her talons into the statue's gaping mouth and dug and pried; after a long while she finally worked the Egg of Taishi free of the statue's jaws. The Egg of Taishi landed, rolled twice, found itself unharmed, and only then set its mind at ease.

"That was close, so close! What a pity — I have lost part of my Taishi qi.

Lord Mu, you must compensate me for it! " Shen Mu lay there still puffing and blowing; it was the first time in his life he had felt so weary, so weary he wished he could die. The Egg of Taishi stood propped beside him.

The sky was turning pale; this night was finally about to end.

Seeing it, everyone was set at ease; one by one they sat on the ground, or lay down, or leaned on one another, or propped themselves against the rocks.

They were far too tired.

This night had been a heart-stopping ordeal. When some of Shen Mu's strength returned, he clambered unsteadily to his feet and walked several circles around the statue with its gaping mouth.

Seeing it fixed there perfectly well, unchanged, he was at last wholly reassured.

"Brother Taiyi still did not come. . .

" Shen Mu was rather disappointed.

"Trusting him is worse than trusting that loose-tongued fellow Taiji," said Taishi from within the egg.

"He is surely hiding somewhere, shivering with fright.

" Shen Mu laughed despite himself and shook his head. The alchemist hurried to and fro, treating everyone's wounds, and at last they all recovered one by one.

This night had been far too dangerous; even now, recalling it, they still felt a chill of fear.

They climbed out of that valley, and the sunlight that met them was so bright and lovely it made the heart drunk.

"It is good to be alive," the Silent Craftsman said with narrowed eyes, full of feeling.

Shen Mu gazed into the distance and saw that several more of the great black mountains had split open, white vapor rolling out of them, and a youth carrying a water bucket was hurrying toward them. His face darkened, and he walked over.

The youth set down the bucket and smiled. "Lord Mu, a peaceful night?

By now you should know what lies buried beneath this Great Black Tree, don't you?

" Shen Mu stood at his side, was silent a moment, and said, "You said you would come to support us.

" "I said I would come and lend a hand. I never said I would do the fighting myself.

" The youth drew a willow branch from the bucket and sprinkled water over the split black mountain.

"Cheering you on from above is lending a hand as well. " Shen Mu was choked with anger, and was about to speak when he saw the split black mountain slowly closing again. "The best way to help you is not to help you beat back a powerhouse from the previous universe, but to help you realize who the enemy before you truly is.

Occupy the Great Black Tree, become its master, and you must face all of this. " The youth Taiyi sprinkled water as he went on. "If you cannot even come to that realization, how could you ever help me block these prehistoric monsters from invading? Among them are beings of immense power, who can even create Void Beasts and send them here, stopping at nothing in order to enter this universe. If you cannot even pass last night's little test, then you have no right to occupy this place.

" He handed the bucket and the willow branch to Shen Mu and said, with a half-smile, "Lord Mu, master of a hundred thousand black mountains, your mountain has split open — patch it yourself. " Shen Mu took the bucket and the branch and, as he had done, dipped the willow branch in water and sprinkled it into the crack of the black mountain.

Within that crack was a horrifying, blood-chilling sight, as though some dreadful creature had crawled out from inside, the marks left by sharp claws. "There was another reason I did not show myself last night. " Taiyi, guiding him in how to tip the water from the bucket to repair the black mountain, continued, "And that is our friend Taishi.

Taishi was, after all, suppressed by Taichu for so many years; his mind is no longer simple, no longer pure.

The one he admires most is not in fact me, but Taichu, who suppressed him. " Shen Mu listened quietly. "He wants to become another Taichu, the sovereign of the entire universe. " Taiyi said, "His conversation with Taisu within your brow was in truth a discussion of how to break free of your grasp, how to seize back his own lode, and how to join forces in the future to rule the world.

They even discussed it — Taishi enthroned as emperor, Taisu as empress consort.

" Shen Mu stopped, thought for a moment, and smiled.