Chapter 420 — A Great Terror
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
In the mountain estate, the Butcher handed Shen Mu the sun, moon, and stars he had drawn over the past two days, and Shen Mu's scalp prickled. The great hall was filled with drawings of every kind.
He picked up one star chart. The star the Butcher had drawn was a star on the outside, but within lay an exceedingly complex structure, intricate beyond measure.
This star was Kui, and its formation pattern faintly took the shape of a demon god with a black face and tusks, a brush in one hand and a golden seal in the other, with an altar of fish and dragons beneath its feet.
He picked up another: this was the Greedy Wolf Star, its formation showing the pattern of a dragon-turtle, with an altar beneath its feet as well.
Shen Mu frowned and went through the charts one by one. Most of these star patterns had an altar formed by a formation, and within the stars the formations shaped the images of gods and demons.
"What are these god-and-demon formations and altars for? To keep the heavens turning, or for some other purpose?"
A vague unease stirred in him. If their only purpose was to keep the false heavens above in motion, there was no need for such complexity — the formations need only give off light.
If it could be done so simply, why make it so complex?
"These altars resemble the white-bone altar I used to summon the Dutian Demon King, though the formation structures differ."
A chill ran through Shen Mu. Countless stars floated in the heavens, and within them were hidden countless altars, and the altars were for summoning gods and demons.
Imagine it: if one day a blood sacrifice were made, and these gods and demons descended — tens of thousands of gods and demons come down into the world — how terrible would that be?
Never mind Jingping; even the Kaihuang era of old would surely be destroyed.
"The kingdom of Jingping is not worth such effort to guard and watch over. So what, then, is this false heaven arrayed against?"
He could not puzzle it out, try as he might.
The star charts and formations the Butcher had drawn were all incomplete; he had had no time to study the false heavens thoroughly before he encountered the deity who guarded the Heavenly Chart, but he had still sketched out their rough shape.
Shen Mu suppressed his shock and went on examining the formation structures, his brow knotting tighter and tighter, until he said suddenly: "Grandfather Tu, how deep is your mastery of formations?"
The Butcher answered honestly: "Passable at best. Not the equal of the Blind Old Man."
"I will go fetch Grandpa Blind to take a look!"
Shen Mu brought the Blind Old Man and asked him to look them over. "These formations are very strange. I have never seen their like before. Grandpa Blind, have you ever seen a formation structure such as this?"
The Blind Old Man looked through the drawings one by one, his expression growing graver and graver. He shook his head. "I have never seen such formation structures. Strange, truly strange. The formations in these star charts are meant to construct the bodies of gods and demons, yet they can shine like the sun, moon, and stars. Such formation structures are no simple matter. A pity that not one of these formations is correct..."
The Butcher said: "I had too little time. This is all I could remember."
The Blind Old Man examined them closely and calculated. "These formations construct the bodies of gods and demons — and in truth they also deconstruct them. Pig-butcher, do you understand what that means?"
The Butcher pondered. "You mean that if those who wield divine powers were arrayed according to these formation structures, they could bear the might of gods and demons?"
Shen Mu's heart stirred. Array Qi Refiners according to these formation structures, activate the formation — and it would be as though a god or demon walked the earth?
Then how terrifying would the power of such a formation be when roused?
"A pity they are not complete formations."