Chapter 1219 — Plucking Off the Divine Phoenix Plumes
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
Feng Qiuyun's face was without expression. She savagely plucked a hundred or more plumes, thrust the whole armful into his hands, turned, and walked away, saying flatly, "I am going to find something to cover myself. Call me when your tests succeed."
Shen Mu nodded and put the plumes away.
Wei Suifeng said in a low voice, "Junior brother, could we not do without the phoenix plumes? I think we might pluck hairs from our own heads and test with those just as well."
"Hah! I forgot!" Shen Mu cried in astonishment.
In the distance, Feng Qiuyun stumbled, pitched headlong to the ground, then scrambled up and walked on without once looking back.
Shen Mu went on testing with the Taiji divine stones a dozen more times and at last steadied the odds of success. Then he brought out the Taiji origin stone and continued his attempts with it.
The Way of Yin and Yang evolution contained in the Taiji origin stone was far more intricate and far harder to grasp. Shen Mu suffered several dozen more failures, and after each one he would take stock of it all, seeking to comprehend the way in which Taiji evolves the derivations of Yin and Yang.
Though he had not yet succeeded, his understanding of the Way of Taiji had grown deeper and his comprehension keener.
"A pity I cannot enter the Dao in dreams and use the world of dreams to deduce the Way of Taiji. Otherwise it would not take long at all to comprehend fully the principles hidden in this Taiji origin stone."
Shen Mu sighed inwardly. The Taiji origin stone held many principles profound beyond fathoming, and it was not merely a matter of matter-energy conversion; the evolution of the great Dao lay within it as well, deep and mysterious, not to be unlocked in a moment's time.
Still, in using the Taiji origin stone to convert matter and energy, he was now eight or nine parts certain, and all that remained was to make success a certainty.
Of turning their bodies of energy back into living beings with the Taichu divine stone, he was wholly certain. But the Taiji divine stones could restore only their flesh and their divine power; they could not restore their Dao arts.
The Taiji origin stone was different.
With the Taiji origin stone, the transformation could restore each of them to their most perfect state—stronger and more perfect even than before!
Of course, for those who had been stripped of every feather and scale, feathers and scales could not be restored; they would have to grow them back themselves.
Shen Mu went on testing with the plumes that remained, and at last the test succeeded. Restored by the Taiji origin stone, the plume blazed with seven-colored glory, brimming with divine power and even suffused with the Dao resonance of the Phoenix clan!
Shen Mu gave the plume a light wave; seven-colored light flashed, and with a swish it cut the great mountain ahead to powder!
"This plume is even stronger than Feng Qiuyun's original feathers!"
He nodded slightly, and Wei Suifeng, King Longbo, and the others watched him with expectant faces, waiting for him to speak.
But Shen Mu went on testing, striving to make every attempt succeed.
Before anyone knew it, he had tested his way through all the remaining plumes. The odds of success climbed higher and higher, with scarcely any chance of a slip left, and only then did he let out a breath and smile. "My friends, I can restore you now."
Feng Qiuyun came over, her face alight with excitement.
Shen Mu pondered a moment, then threw Wei Suifeng a glance. Wei Suifeng understood and said, "Restore a few Yulin soldiers first, in case of failure, and then restore the rest of us."
Shen Mu smiled. "These Yulin soldiers laid down their lives for righteousness. It is admirable."
Feng Qiuyun and King Longbo understood perfectly well why Shen Mu and Wei Suifeng had said this: they feared that if King Longbo and Feng Qiuyun were restored first, the two of them would turn traitor and seize the moment to slaughter everyone.