Chapter 1291 — Alliance of the Weak
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
A long laugh came from within the egg of Taishi. Above Shen Mu's head the divine bell of Taisu erupted in power, a heaven-destroying, earth-annihilating might crashing down; wherever the sound of the bell passed, space ceased to be, and all things were ground to powder!
Countless Dao runes surfaced upon the egg of Taishi, as though numberless ancient gods and living beings were chanting one name in unison; a vast radiance rose to meet the bell's sound and held it up, so that the sound could not descend.
Then the voice of the ancient god within the egg of Taishi came into Shen Mu's mind: "She has already been born, and I have not. I am no match for her. I cannot hold her off for long; we must go quickly!"
Shen Mu's face darkened. He had supposed the egg of Taishi could withstand Taisu's attack, and it was on that assumption that he had pledged to recover the Taishi ore vein and help him be born.
He had not expected this Taishi to be a silver spear with a wax head: fine to look at, useless in the hand!
He raised both hands high, lifting the egg of Taishi aloft, and bolted away at a mad gallop.
The divine bell of Taisu shattered the Dao-light of the Taishi egg, then transformed into a great cauldron; beneath the cauldron lay a thick earth-breath, swirling and rising, and as the great cauldron revolved, Shen Mu, fleeing for his life, suddenly felt that heaven and earth themselves revolved and twisted for its sake!
Though he fled with all the frenzy he could muster, he was sinking steadily toward the cauldron!
"Taishi!"
Shen Mu shouted. Upon the surface of the Taishi egg more intricate Dao-patterns emerged, revolving counter to the cauldron, and from the egg came an obscure and mysterious Dao-speech: "Yin and yang conjoin, mingling into one; from the one comes form, form without substance!"
The Taisu divine cauldron was twisting heaven, earth, time and space when the great Dao overflowing from the Taishi egg struck it, and at once the twisting of time and space halted.
Shen Mu seized the moment and escaped.
"Brother Taishi!"
Taisu's voice came from far away: "You and I once agreed to scheme great things together. Will you truly go back on your word?"
Shen Mu raced on, holding the Taishi egg high. From within the egg an obscure voice came, chuckling: "Brother Taisu, you were born before me, and you are not perfect. I know your mind. To restrain me, you will surely smash my egg as well and force me to be born early. Our former alliance existed so that we might stand against Taichu; now there is no need for it. I will join hands with him!"
"If you join hands with him, you make an enemy of me!" Taisu was furious beyond measure.
Neither spoke further.
Taisu knew that, with Taishi's hand in the matter, Shen Mu would be hard to take, and so she pursued him no longer.
Shen Mu fled on and on with the Taishi egg held high, covering tens of thousands of li in a single dash, only to find that the armies of gods and demons of the Land of No Sorrow and of the Creator had stormed into the Heavenly Court's main camp; gods and demons of both sides slaughtered one another in savage battle, and nowhere was stable.
Shen Mu fled the whole way. The battlefield was truly vast; everywhere gods and demons warred and killed, leaving him no leisure to halt.
After a long while, Shen Mu finally stopped, set down the Taishi egg, laid his palm upon the divine egg, and panted for breath. Here there were fewer gods and demons about; only a few battlefield deserters had fled to this place, and meeting deserters from the other side, they fell to fighting once more.
"Take your hand away! You are pressing on my head!" came a voice from within the egg.
Shen Mu hastily withdrew his hand and went on panting.