Chapter 818 — The Dragon Lord of the Star River
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
The sky of Jingping was a false sky, merely a formation diagram. The sky was a hundred thousand li high and three hundred zhang thick; the sun, moon, and stars were all formations within the diagram.
This mountain was so tall that it propped up the heavens, so that when the sun, moon, and stars reached this place their motion grew warped and strange.
Especially when the sun came here: the canopy of heaven twisted, and the sun itself was stretched and crumpled.
Seeing the crumpled sun in the sky, Shen Mu could not help but frown deeply. He withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly: "If you are going to fake it, at least fake it well. The gods in the Heavenly Diagram who maintain these false celestial phenomena have simply given up. In the past they would at least strive to keep the sun and moon moving; now they have let everything go to ruin."
He looked at the great mountains and rivers that had suddenly appeared across Jingping, and his heart brimmed with emotion.
He had once been thoroughly familiar with the geography of Jingping; now it was utterly foreign to him.
Jingping today had been shattered, split into countless scattered fragments strewn among range after range of magnificent mountains and rivers.
Beyond that, he saw many ancient ruins, steeped in a sinister aura, as though something dreadful lurked within.
Among these mountains and rivers were cave dwellings, and upon the peaks even splendid palaces ranged in close array; in some places there were vast complexes of buildings.
When they passed certain great marshes and rivers, demigods of immense power would emerge from nowhere, their aura blazing to the heavens, warping the sky into gorgeous anomalies. Some commanded great waters, some great fires, but they did not attack—only gazed at them from afar.
The First Ancestor Human Emperor had accompanied them this time as well. Whenever such a scene arose, a Heavenly Palace would appear behind him, his primordial spirit standing upon the gate tower of Yujing City.
Each time, the demigods would quietly vanish.
Half a month later, Shen Mu and the others arrived at Bazhou City.
Jingping's economy had grown, and Bazhou City had been expanded several times, making it vast indeed. Yet after witnessing the grandeur of Yuandu, Shen Mu felt Bazhou City was far too small—a single drop in the ocean, insignificant in today's Jingping.
Within the city, two deities stood atop the high bell tower, one to each side, their divine radiance streaming ten thousand zhang, gazing in all directions, guarding against demigod incursions.
Shen Mu looked up. One of the deities was the Duke of Wei, so he called out a greeting.
The Duke of Wei remained standing on the bell tower, but his primordial spirit flew down to receive them. Lowering his voice, he said, "Has the Sect Master come from the capital? How fares the capital now?"
"The capital is well enough."
Shen Mu said in surprise, "Does the Heavenly King Wei not know news of the capital? Did the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping not build several dozen teleportation portals?"
The Duke of Wei sighed. "Those teleportation formations consume vast quantities of medicinal stones with each activation. Who would use them unless it were a matter of life and death? Trade between the cities has all but ceased. Send a man to the capital, and even one with divine arts must travel a year or two to exchange a single message. The gods cannot leave their posts, so word from the capital rarely reaches here. These past year or two, those with divine arts have been scouring the land for scattered common folk, escorting them to Bazhou. Many have died or been wounded, and we can scarcely spare anyone to go to the capital for news."
Shen Mu frowned and looked at the city's inhabitants—ragged clothes, every face sallow with hunger.
"We have opened much good farmland outside the city. If we can endure this period, once the grain comes in, not too many will starve."