Chapter 1178 — True and False Polarities
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
It was no void beast but another of the primordial giant beasts, hiding here — it had somehow escaped the slaughter of the void beasts! "The giant beasts of the Ancestral Court are not extinct!
" Shen Mu was startled and overjoyed at once. The village nearby held tall houses, but they stood empty now, with no Creators within. Shen Mu searched through the village and found several sets of Creator bones; in the hand of one withered skeleton was clutched a gemstone.
He stepped forward and pried open the finger bones.
The gemstone was like the simplest of Taiji diagrams: one side black, one side white, one side cold, one side hot, with a curved line dividing black from white through its center — yin and yang in perfect harmony, a thing of great beauty.
Shen Mu wiped away the dust, and all at once the Taiji gemstone began to change, floating above his palm as yin and yang flowed and crossed through each other.
As it flowed, the stone seemed to have no fixed state and no fixed form, changing without end.
Shen Mu watched, entranced, and before he knew it he had slipped into a state of mystery beyond mystery, wonder beyond wonder.
The yin-yang Taiji diagram of the gemstone and the yin-yang Taiji diagram of his Primordial Embryo divine treasure were, though different in form, wondrously of one spirit, so that at the sight of the Taiji divine stone he found himself, without realizing it, linking it to the Taiji diagram of his own divine treasure. After none knew how long, he came back to himself, put away the Taiji divine stone, and smiled, breathing a long sigh of relief.
"So this is the true Taiji mine vein! The place Heavenly Emperor Langxuan occupies also looks like a Taiji diagram, but it must be a false site!
No wonder nothing could be dug up there! " "Young Master, you're awake!
" Yan'er's cry of joy rang out. Shen Mu turned toward the voice and saw that Yan'er had taken the form of a woman and was stir-frying vegetables and cooking a meal, while Long Qilin sat to one side in meditation, cultivating his qi, the Taichu divine stone pressed to the spot between his brows as he trained his divine consciousness.
Shen Mu was astonished. "How long have I been standing here? " "Ten days already.
" Yan'er set out the meal and said, "It's rather bare here, but luckily I brought some spirit herbs, vegetables, and fruit.
Fatty Long has already cleared a few acres of wasteland — he means to plant spirit herbs here. " She brewed a pot of tea and brought it over, calling, "Pi, time to eat!
" Long Qilin woke, and at the sight of Shen Mu he was overjoyed.
"The Cult Master is awake," he said with a smile.
The three of them sat down. Yan'er picked Little Tu Bo up and set him on the table, placing a plate before him; on the plate was a spirit pill.
"Don't get it all over yourself," Yan'er admonished the tiny Little Tu Bo.
She brought out two more plates of spirit pills, stir-fried with tender green leaves of spirit herbs, and set them before Long Qilin.
"I added a bit of cooling snow lingzhi for you — good for bringing down your inner fire. " The void beast sat down on its haunches, its four forelegs braced against the ground, and watched them eat.
Shen Mu visualized forth some flesh and blood, and the void beast hurried over and fell to with a will.
When he had finished eating, Shen Mu sipped his tea slowly and gazed at leisure over the mountain range that stretched for thousands of li, its forests full of rare and wondrous flora, giant beasts coming and going among them — and suddenly he burst out laughing. Long Qilin hastily swallowed his spirit pill and asked with impeccable timing, "What makes the Cult Master laugh?
" Shen Mu pointed at the mountain range and said leisurely, "I laugh at Heavenly Emperor Langxuan, who has eyes yet cannot see, blind to a true treasure land.
He believed he had taken the Taiji mine vein — never dreaming that the Taiji mine vein has fallen into my hands!