Looking down from above, it was easy to see that this massive, naturally formed stone platform was actually a formation diagram depicting complex patterns.
As for the eight stone lotus lamps, they happened to correspond to eight runes, and the locust corpse at the center was the formation eye.
Although Nan Zhi had only recently begun learning about formations, she studied the formation diagrams in the 《Encyclopedia of Formations》 whenever she had a spare moment.
Because of this, the ones that left the deepest impression on her were teleportation formations.
These formations involved heavenly rules like space and time, making them far more complex than other types of arrays, such as defensive, offensive, or restorative ones.
Like a computer program, the more profound and mysterious a teleportation formation was, the more complex its runes became.
The subtleties within were undecipherable to anyone not well versed in formations.
Nan Zhi squinted at the runes, but as soon as she focused, her divine sense became chaotic, and a needle like pain stabbed through her brain.
Although the formation was not active, hidden mysteries lay within the dust covered runes; she could barely stand to look at them for more than a few moments.
A formation of this size and complexity was certainly not something a single person could build.
The person who drew this formation diagram must have had a cultivation level at least at the Nascent Soul stage, or perhaps even at the Deity Transformation or Void Refinement stage!
Nan Zhi did not dare to act rashly, so she first landed on the edge of the altar, enduring the sickeningly sweet fragrance while she pondered.
"Countless demon beasts are drawn to this fragrance, yet within a thousand meters of the altar, there is not a single trace of them. What are they afraid of?"
"The locust corpse? The lotus lamps? Or this formation altar?"
"Activating a formation requires a massive amount of spiritual energy, and a formation this large would consume an enormous amount. So where did the person who created it go?"
"Of course, the origin of the formation might be related to that locust corpse, but where does the other end lead? The depths of the Imperial Tombs? Another world? Or maybe even..."
A game world.
It was not entirely impossible.
Nan Zhi suddenly remembered Liu Ruhe mentioning that they had found a burial chamber near the altar that showed signs of being lived in.
Her heart stirred, and she released her divine sense to search carefully along the altar. Sure enough, she discovered an entrance at the northeast corner beneath the altar.
...
Ancient people worshiped ghosts and gods, believing that people continued to live in the Underworld after death. Therefore, burial chambers were generally built according to the preferences of the tomb owner during their lifetime.
This burial chamber beneath the altar was less like a residence for a soul after death and more like a living space for the living, based on its layout.
There was a stone couch, a stone bed, a stone table, wooden chairs, and brick windows and doors designed to look like wood with exquisite carvings, as well as tall bookshelves covered in dust.
A green jade wine pot sat on the stone table along with several pairs of gold plates and jade chopsticks, and even a few small bowls inlaid with gemstones and gold thread.
On a heavy wooden table of unknown material, several brushes, an inkstone, and ink sticks were scattered haphazardly.
In the northwest of the chamber, behind a carved screen, the walls were covered in vivid and colorful murals. They depicted immortals riding deer and heavenly maidens scattering flowers.
At the top of the mural, a green robed Taoist stood on a reef by the sea, gazing toward the east.
A thick layer of dust lay on the floor, marked by messy footprints, and there was a faint trace of spiritual energy remaining in the air.
Even though the person who lived here might have died hundreds or thousands of years ago, the furnishings in this stone chamber looked as new as ever, perfectly preserved.
In a daze, it almost seemed as if the green robed Taoist from the mural had never left, but was instead sitting behind that screen, holding a jade brush and smiling pleasantly at the visitor.
Nan Zhi did not touch anything, merely observing cautiously from a distance.
In such a dangerous secret realm full of hidden threats, the sudden appearance of a massive formation altar was suspicious enough, let alone this seemingly safe stone house.
These things all belonged to someone once. Thinking small, the owner might have placed restrictions or traps in the stone house, and touching them would at most cause some pain.
Thinking big, perhaps the owner's soul remains were still here, waiting for some unlucky soul to come along so they could perform a possession.
Someone capable of driving such a massive formation might be a powerful cultivator, so it was best to be cautious.
She turned her attention to the murals on the stone wall.
The colors of the murals were vibrant; even after all this time, the pigment showed no signs of peeling.
Reading from right to left, Nan Zhi found that the story depicted in the murals was very coherent.
The first mural showed a Taoist in a green robe standing in a crowd, performing the trick of making flowers bloom upon the ground while the surrounding commoners cheered.
At first glance, the scene looked peaceful, but a careful observation revealed ghosts hidden everywhere in the crowd: in sleeves, under robes, on the head of the pear seller, behind the flower girl, and behind the ear of the boatman.
Beside every person were two or three strangely shaped, hideous ghosts. These ghosts hid in the mortal world, waiting for their chance to strike, making one shudder with fear.
In the second mural, the Taoist's cultivation seemed to have improved. Holding a red skinned gourd, he was slaying demons and devils. Beneath his feet was a raging fire, and within that fire were innocent people struggling and suffering.
The ghosts that were previously hidden seemed no longer willing to conceal themselves, instead walking openly in the world.
Greater ghosts held human legs, tearing at them and chewing greedily, while lesser ghosts crowded around children's heads, gnawing on scalps with mouths full of blood.
In the third mural, the green robed Taoist was fighting a red clothed vengeful ghost covered in a baleful aura. That ghost was streaked with blood and tears, and everywhere she went, the earth was scorched. Countless ghosts sat beneath her, with lesser ghosts clearing the way and greater ghosts slaughtering. She stepped on mountains of corpses and a sea of blood, and above her head, the silhouette of a mighty demon king as large as a mountain loomed.
Standing among a group of immortals resisting the demons, the Taoist seemed to be no match for them. He hid his face and fled, leaving behind his fellow cultivators who were fighting the demons, as well as cities that were currently burning.
What was once a peaceful land had suddenly turned into a hell on earth.
Blood was everywhere, and wails of grief filled the land.
The fourth mural showed a change. The subject shifted from the mortal world to the immortal realm, where immortals rode azure deer among the clouds, heavenly maidens held flowers and fragrant fruits, cranes spread their wings, and boys led oxen.
Every immortal wore an expression of compassion, appearing to be discussing an important matter.
The green robed Taoist stood on a reef, weeping toward the East Sea. The direction he looked was exactly where the mortal world from the previous mural was located.
The fifth and sixth murals were blank, as if someone had deliberately erased the content to prevent others from seeing it. Anxious to know what happened next, Nan Zhi looked directly at the seventh mural.
The content of the seventh mural was more direct. The green robed Taoist sat on a divine altar, surrounded by a thick, transparent barrier. Outside the barrier, commoners were kowtowing and worshiping him.
Below the altar were offerings of the Three Sacrificial Animals and Six Livestock, with incense smoke rising straight into the clouds. The green robed Taoist could not leave, and his human form slowly blurred over time until, finally, he grew a conical, bright green grasshopper head.
The final mural looked somewhat crude, neither colored nor telling much of a story, as if someone had sketched it haphazardly following the previous format.
The green robed Taoist with the grasshopper head sat behind a stone table, clutching a jade slip. A single tear slowly fell from the compound eyes on his large head, and his insect like mouth was slightly open, as if he wanted to warn those who came after him.
Was the green robed Taoist in the mural the locust corpse on the formation eye?
Was that locust corpse the owner of this stone chamber?
Nan Zhi sucked in a breath of cold air.
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