Chapter 1518 — That One Crossed the River and Was Gone
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 5
" Shen Mu offered no explanation, and simply sought out the cracked black mountains on his own, repairing them with the Dao dew. When the Dao dew was used up, he had just finished mending those shattered peaks.
"Tai Yi is still unfathomable," he said, setting down the iron bucket, unable to suppress a sigh of emotion. Then he began to contemplate the Dao of Tai Su, intending to cultivate the Tai Su Heavenly Palace.
He rarely had such peace and quiet.
Over the following days, by day he repaired the shattered black mountains, and by night he carried the iron bucket to the crown of the World Tree, catching the Dao dew dripping from the ultimate void.
After several days, he successively opened the Tai Su Heavenly Palace and the Tai Ji Heavenly Palace.
But when he came to open the Tai Chu Heavenly Palace, Shen Mu suddenly froze slightly, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. "The eggshell of Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu — my World Tree devoured it!
" More beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. Those two pieces of eggshell were treasures he had prepared to rescue Sovereign Ling!
He had intended to carry the Tai Chu eggshell into that vanished heavenly river which had already transformed into Bu Yi matter, and use the Bu Yi divine power to seal the Heavenly Emperor's physical body within the eggshell! He had planned to seal it together with the Tai Di primordial spirit parasitic within Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu's body!
And the World Tree having devoured and refined the Tai Chu eggshell meant he had lost his greatest reliance! If he went to rescue Sovereign Ling, he would have to face the Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu's physical body, controlled by the Tai Di primordial spirit!
"This time, it's troublesome!
" Shen Mu steadied himself and continued contemplating the Tai Chu Heavenly Palace.
Since he could not seal the Heavenly Emperor's body and the Tai Di primordial spirit into the eggshell, then a better understanding of the Dao of Tai Chu was the proper path to dealing with Tai Di and the Heavenly Emperor! Several more days passed, and he opened the Tai Chu Heavenly Palace.
Yet when he came to open the Tai Yi Heavenly Palace, he encountered a problem.
Although he had learned something of the Dao of Tai Yi through the World Tree, this Dao was truly obscure and abstruse.
Moreover, Tai Yi had already absorbed all the divine stones, raw stones, and primordial liquid of the Tai Yi mineral vein — not a drop remained.
This time, it was only because the World Tree had devoured and refined the Tai Yi eggshell that he had come to understand the Dao of Tai Yi.
To comprehend it thoroughly would require great perseverance, great enlightenment, and great fortune! Furthermore, the World Tree in his God Treasury had indeed, as Tai Yi had said, stopped growing.
Shen Mu's God Treasury was not a true universe — it lacked the nutrients to let this tree continue to grow.
The current World Tree was still only a sapling. Though its roots continued to gradually strengthen, the tree itself had not grown taller, nor had it produced more branches or boughs.
Shen Mu counted: the World Tree had five main trunks and nineteen branches, which corresponded to the Great Daos he cultivated. Among them, the five main trunks represented the five Primordial Ultimates, while some of the other branches were still subdividing into different twigs — for instance, the Demon Dao Heavenly Palace had sixty-four branches, which should represent the sixty-four Great Daos of Youdu.
Shen Mu temporarily set aside the notion of continuing to delve into the Tai Yi Heavenly Palace. His heavenly palaces now numbered twenty-three, and his cultivation had risen considerably once more.
What he considered more important was to use the opportunity granted by the World Tree to push himself further along the path of the Dao realm! Over the following months, Shen Mu caught Dao dew, repaired the shattered black mountains, and quietly comprehended the Dao.