Chapter 439 — Dying in Another's Stead
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
The Alchemist plucked the silver needles from them all.
Their bodies were still very weak, their primordial spirits still somewhat unstable; the Alchemist examined them and said, "The soul-gnawing worms gnaw within the soul on one side and within the mortal body on the other. Only when your bodies are nursed back to health and revive can you be wholly brought back to life.
The herbs I carry are nearly used up; I lack sufficient elixirs. . . " Shen Mu said hurriedly, "On the Sunlight Boat there is a Pool of Pure Yang that can swiftly restore one's vitality. " "Then it will be much easier!
" The Alchemist breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We shall go at once and soak in the Pool of Pure Yang, and nurse these mortal bodies well as quickly as may be.
Those substitute worms cannot fool the underworld courier for long.
" The others hurried to the Sunlight Boat. Shen Mu, knowing the way well, led them to the Pool of Pure Yang; they soaked within it, and the functions of their bodies gradually recovered — though the water in the pool likewise dwindled.
Seeing that their lives were no longer in danger, Shen Mu said hurriedly, "Sirs, where did your primordial spirits go? " The Grey Immortal let out a breath and said, "In the great battle then, the Sun Guardian sailed his boat in to support us.
But the gods of High Heaven were truly formidable — all manner of divine arts and dharma, treasures of the gods, immense in power.
Our Eldest Sister and Second Brother fell one after another in battle, and the Sun Guardian was slain even aboard his own boat; death was upon us all. The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping roused the Zhen Cauldron, meaning to drag them down with him and wound the gods — but a strange thing happened. . . " Shen Mu showed bewilderment, then suddenly understood, and cried out, "The Zhen Cauldron blasted a hole through the barrier between another world and Jingping?
" "No. " The Lame Elder shook his head and said, "The power of the Zhen Cauldron was absorbed by the God-Severing Mountains.
" Shen Mu was dumbstruck.
The Lame Elder went on: "When I saw that scoundrel the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping bring out the Zhen Cauldron, I knew things were bad, and I hoisted the Alchemist on my back and fled for my life, so I was farther off.
Deaf Elder, you were closer then — you tell him.
" The Deaf Elder pulled out his two iron ears, washed them in the Pool of Pure Yang, and plugged them back into his ear holes, then said, "When the Zhen Cauldron's might erupted, I too knew it was bad, and I made a painting at once, meaning to hide in the world within the painting and escape that calamity. But the power of the Zhen Cauldron was so terrible that I had no time to flee at all; the worlds within my paintings were annihilated one after another. Just then, an unimaginable force suddenly came from the God-Severing Mountains and absorbed the Zhen Cauldron's power.