Chapter 984 — Three Prophecies
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
"Xiu Zhong's divine consciousness — approaching the cultivation of the Three Kings of Antiquity?" Shen Mu was taken aback, and fell into deep thought.
The civilization of the Creators had weathered several great purges. By rights, such a civilization should either be in decline, each generation weaker than the last, or else in a period of transformation, advancing by leaps and bounds.
But the Creators' civilization had already matured; transformation would be difficult indeed.
So how had Xiu Zhong cultivated his way to the heights of the Three Kings of Antiquity?
"The Creators of the Other Shore have betrayed the ancestral teachings!" Shu Jun seethed with indignation.
Shen Mu smiled faintly. What Shu Jun meant, surely, was this treasure carriage. The Creators of the ancient era had held to a creed of utmost simplicity — in their architecture, their furnishings, their furniture, there was scarcely any ornamentation at all; they pursued flatness and plainness, and their artistic attainments were pitiable.
Yet this treasure carriage that Xiu Zhong had visualized was opulent beyond measure: a canopy for a roof — and not one canopy but three, each canopy symbolizing a heaven. Beneath the canopies, sun, moon, and stars revolved around a center like the most beautiful of gemstones — luxury taken to its absolute extreme.
From the edges of the canopies hung strands of beads strung from seven-colored gems, each gem's hues distributed differently from the next. If one looked closely, the inner details of those gems were themselves a riot of color, a beauty beyond description — an hour or two of close study would yield new discoveries all the while.
And the carriage shaft, the body, the cloud couch, even the wheels — all were exquisitely carved and adorned. Even the reins binding the nine dragons were woven into intricate patterns — veritable works of art!
In the eyes of the ancient-era Creators, this was rank heresy!
For the sake of convenience in battle, the Creators of the ancient era had visualized things in the simplest possible forms, so that they could be summoned swiftly in combat.
But once a visualized object bore patterns and veins of ornamentation, it placed a burden on the divine consciousness; the speed of visualization slowed — and to a Creator this was a fatal weakness, an opening for the enemy to exploit.
"This is a betrayal of tradition!"
Shu Jun raged to Shen Mu: "The gravest betrayal of all! The Creators are heading for extinction!"
Shen Mu laughed heartily. "Divine King Shu Jun, this is art. Art is also combat power."
"Bah!"
Shu Jun's prejudices ran too deep; nothing pleased his eye. Everything Xiu Zhong visualized he sneered at and heaped with scorn.
Fortunately, their exchange took place within Shen Mu's mind — merely fluctuations of divine consciousness in his sea of thought, and no disturbance reached Xiu Zhong.
Xiu Zhong carried him onward, traveling an unknowable distance, out from that landmass and into the starry void. Ahead, a river of stars surged; Shen Mu saw Creators of enormous stature fashioning stars out there in the void.
They were ranged around a zone of emptiness, the Primordial Stones at their brows blazing with light, and a rocky planet was slowly taking form.
Shen Mu gaped, staring dumbly at these Creators, and saw behind each of their heads a divine treasure floating, radiating brilliance!
Spirit Fetus, Five Luminaries, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Heaven-Man, Life-Death, Divine Bridge — all seven divine treasures, not a single one missing!
What shocked him even more was that at the far end of these Creators' Divine Bridge treasure there was also a heavenly palace — a golden, resplendent heavenly palace, dazzling bright in the starry void!
He could not help but stare spellbound, watching these Creators' colossal primordial spirits standing within their heavenly palaces, visualizing — and the stars forming with astonishing speed!