Chapter 1311 — Helping by Standing Aside
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
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.