Chapter 1118 — Probing the Depths of the Heart of the Dao
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
The group hurried swiftly toward Jingping's capital. Seven days later, they finally arrived.
Seen from afar, the capital had taken shape in two tiers: the Upper Capital was built upon the canopy of the Primordial Tree, while the Lower Capital was built encircling the Primordial Tree.
When Shen Mu had left last time, he had given Gongsun Yan some Primordial Mists Essence. It must have been that after Gongsun Yan absorbed the Primordial Mists Essence, the Primordial Tree grew wildly beyond containment, and the original Jingping capital could no longer hold it all. Thus Ling Yuqiu had no choice but to lead the ministers in building another capital.
The original capital had also been expanded, capable of housing a far greater population.
As for the area outside the capital, the number of supervisory forges along the Tu River had multiplied. Within those forges, great furnaces blazed day and night, mechanical giants labored without rest, and those with divine abilities and the gods themselves ceaselessly forged all manner of divine weapons and sharp implements.
Shen Mu slowed his pace and toured for a week. He found that the people of Jingping now lived in abundance, their wealth far greater than before. Merchant vessels came and went in enormous numbers, bustling and crowded. The Tu River was packed with merchant ships from the Heavenly Court, from every corner of the Primordial World, and from all the heavens.
The Heavenly Court's merchant ships came to transport divine weapons and the daily-use primordial armaments required by the Heavenly Court's gods. The merchant ships from the various heavens and other nations of the Primordial World typically brought ores and minerals produced in their respective regions.
Jingping used divine weapons and daily-use primordial armaments to trade with the Heavenly Court for Heavenly Court currency. Then, with Heavenly Court currency, they purchased ores, minerals, and other materials from the various heavens and divine kingdoms. In ten years, a considerable industry had taken shape.
And these were but one corner of Jingping.
—In truth, beyond the capital, there were also Jiangling, Bazhou, Yongjiang, and Lanjiang in the south. Their scale of development was no small matter either—in some respects even surpassing the capital.
The capital was responsible for forging divine weapons; Jiangling for inscribing runes; Bazhou for design and the refinement of spiritual pills and medicines; Yongjiang for forging formation diagrams; and Lanjiang for the design and forging of daily-use primordial armaments. Each had its own specialty.
Shen Mu sought out the Silent Craftsman and the Blind Elder, only to find that the Butcher was there as well. Shen Mu's expression shifted slightly. He felt some hesitation in his heart, but the Blind Elder—whose eyesight was exceptionally keen—was the first to notice him. The Silent Craftsman's resonant voice rang out: "Shen'er is here!"
Shen Mu obediently stepped forward. The Butcher drew forth two divine sabers, tossed one over, and said, "Shen'er, go outside and spar a few moves. Let me see whether you have entered the Dao through the saber these days!"
Shen Mu caught the divine saber—nearly a zhang in length. He pressed his index and middle fingers together and lightly stroked the blade, sliding along the thin edge from the hilt to the tip, then laughed heartily: "Grandpa Tu, I have not yet comprehended the Dao of the saber, but I have comprehended something better!"
The Butcher shouldered his great saber and strode outward, his brows arching, and laughed: "Something better? You little bastard—throughout history, those who betray their masters and ancestors all speak with that very tone. Are you planning to take me down?"