Looking at the ancient banner-skin drifting in the demonic flames, delight rose in Theodore's eyes.
"The Hungarian Horntail truly deserves its reputation as the fiercest draconic breed in the magical world. This innate savagery and murderous aura make its hide significantly more effective for refining than that of other dragon breeds."
"With merit fused into it as well, it really does count as excellent material."
Then Theodore lifted a hand again, and drops of merit fell like rain onto the ancient banner-skin.
At once, golden light blazed across it, and the entire banner gave off the aura of merit.
Its very level instantly became something entirely different from before.
At the same time, a far more violent flood of spiritual energy than any he had received from artifact-refining previously poured into Theodore's body through Proving the Dao Through Artifacts, accumulating within the Origin Sea.
Theodore did not pause.
With another motion, all the merit-infused substances that had already been refined within his Origin Sea flew out and began circling the ancient banner-skin.
His hands moved constantly through the seals of the Heavenly Demon Treasure-Refining Art, while again and again he bit his tongue and sprayed out clouds of golden blood mist.
The Heavenly Demon Fire surged wildly, melting down all those merit-infused substances and gathering them toward the ancient banner-skin.
Gradually, one mysterious layer of prohibitions after another began to be imprinted upon the skin.
One only had to look at them for a moment to feel their soul trembling and the world spinning.
And as that happened, more and more phenomena began to appear around the forming banner.
Mountains and rivers. Lands and nations. Grass and trees. Insects and fish. The countless stars of the primordial age.
One by one, they manifested around the banner.
Theodore could not help feeling a surge of awe.
"The spectacle here far surpasses what I saw when refining a destiny treasure like the Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds, or even a treasure like the Abi Hellscape Sword that carries the potential to become the proving instrument of my Sword of Slaughter."
"As expected of something connected to a world-shaking formation like the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation. Its level is absurdly high."
"If my destiny were not now blazing brightly, and if I had not fused in so much merit, then with my current cultivation even refining the most inconspicuous of its formation flags would have been a delusion."
"But now…"
Theodore poured out the power of his Origin Sea without restraint, sustaining the Heavenly Demon Treasure-Refining Art without the slightest slackening of effort.
At the same time, his expression grew solemn.
Just as when he had forged the Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds, he drew a line across his chest and sprayed out a mouthful of heart's blood, scattering it entirely over the forming banner.
"Form!"
With that low cry, all the merit-infused substances merged completely into the banner.
Bronze essence, silver essence, gold essence, and the other five metallic essences formed the banner's staff.
The remaining materials became tassels or adornments upon the surface of the banner.
All the surrounding manifestations surged toward it in that instant.
By the time Theodore's face had gone deathly pale and even the golden radiance around his body had dimmed, a vast and ancient aura finally spread out from the Heavenly Demon Fire.
Wild joy appeared on Theodore's face. He stretched out a hand, and a small, ancient flag landed in his palm.
The Grand Celestial Constellation Formation flag was complete.
Though it was only the most inconspicuous of the fourteen thousand supporting flags, in the primordial world it would still have been a treasure for which even Golden Immortals would fight.
Anything connected to a formation as world-shaking as the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation—how could it possibly be ordinary?
The moment the flag entered Theodore's hand, he felt at once how extraordinary it was.
Its actual weight was not especially great—perhaps a little over a hundred jin. For the current Theodore, that was lighter than a feather.
Yet although it was light, holding it felt as if he were lifting an entire mountain.
He understood why.
Its position was simply too high. It was not something his current cultivation ought to be able to control easily.
If he had not refined it with his own hands from beginning to end, and if his own merit and blood essence had not been fused into it, then he likely would not even have been able to hold it at all.
Theodore drew in a deep breath. Some color slowly returned to his pale face, and the dim golden light around him gradually grew bright again.
Then burning anticipation erupted in his eyes.
"Now that the formation flag is complete…"
"I have to test its power."
With that, Theodore drew the flag back into his Origin Sea and shot like a streak of light toward the Forbidden Forest.
A few moments later he was already deep within the forest, far beyond the range covered by the protective magic of Hogwarts itself.
"Last time I encountered the grey mist in the Forbidden Forest, along with the horror hidden within it, it was not far from here."
A cold smile touched Theodore's lips.
"If that thing still dares to appear today, then I'll let it taste the might of this formation flag."
During his journey here, Theodore had already sensed the weight of the banner's presence.
Within the Origin Sea, the Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds and the Abi Hellscape Sword had originally floated and sunk there in perfect balance, each minding its own place.
But the moment the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation flag entered the sea, it immediately claimed the central position, enduring the cleansing wash of the Origin Sea's power.
The Purple-Gold Crown and the Abi Hellscape Sword, by contrast, had not shown the slightest objection. They had simply obediently withdrawn to the side.
Theodore clicked his tongue inwardly.
Judging from that alone, if the flag were used offensively, then even the Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds might not be able to fully protect against it.
And if it were used defensively, then the Abi Hellscape Sword in its current state would likely be unable to shake it.
More importantly, once the flag entered the Origin Sea, Theodore immediately felt all heavenly secrets around him plunge into chaos, as though a black hole had appeared and swallowed every clue that might have betrayed him.
In the primordial world, such an ability to obscure heavenly secrets might not have been enough to block the gaze of Great Luo Golden Immortals or quasi-saints—let alone true Saints.
But in the magical world as it was now, Theodore had the distinct feeling that even if he openly taught immortal cultivation beneath the banner's cover, the hidden horrors lurking in the dark would not be able to perceive the slightest trace.
That alone would let him harvest vast quantities of merit and destiny going forward. The benefits to him were enormous.
Still, Theodore had not come this time to test its power of concealing heavenly secrets.
He had come to test its offensive might.
So in the next instant, he lifted a hand, and the ancient flag appeared in his grasp.
Holding it in both hands as if supporting a mountain, he poured Origin Sea power into it.
Immediately, the banner began to move though there was no wind, its surface snapping and fluttering.
The sky above the Forbidden Forest, which only moments before had been bright with daylight, suddenly—
went dark.
Day became night.
And in the heavens above, the boundless constellations of the primordial age appeared, as though an ancient sky from that older world had descended over the magical world.
Theodore's expression turned solemn.
He gave the banner a light shake.
In that instant, perhaps only one ten-trillionth of the true might of the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation had been stirred—
and yet what burst forth still made Theodore's scalp go numb and left him staring in open shock.
Stars began to fall.
Endless streams of starlight spread out in murderous radiance.
Everywhere the banner's light touched, everything beneath it was ground into dust by the falling stars and killing starlight.
Theodore stood there stunned, breathing hard.
This power…
Even if he himself unleashed every method he possessed, standing within its range would likely still be a situation of certain death.
The Grand Celestial Constellation truly lived up to its name.
And this was only one small supporting flag.
If he ever refined all three hundred and sixty-five main flags and all the lesser flags besides, and then found the full formation diagram and truly laid out the complete Grand Celestial Constellation Formation—
this world would turn to ash in an instant.
And he still possessed a chance to obtain the formation diagram for the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation as well. Its fame was no less than that of the Grand Celestial Constellation. Its power surely would not be inferior in the slightest.
In that instant, all of Theodore's anxiety regarding the magical world's so-called "Saints," "Heavenly Dao," and "Pangu" turned to ash.
When "Pangu" awakened, he could let it have a taste of this sort of might and see whether it still dared to wake so casually.
At that very moment, Theodore suddenly felt the talent Proving the Dao Through Artifacts erupt. A tide of spiritual energy more immense than every previous feedback combined poured into him like rivers joining the sea, rushing into his Origin Sea.
In an instant, Theodore's hair lifted and flew, every strand seeming to fill with spiritual energy and radiate holy brilliance.
All the depletion from refining the formation flag was restored at once.
And his cultivation, too, was pushed upward at a speed beyond all imagination.
His body crackled from head to toe, and a golden radiance spread out around him.
Theodore's eyes moved slightly.
"This is…"
"With the feedback from the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation flag…"
"Is the Eight-Nine Mystical Art about to enter its First Revolution?!"
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