Chapter Thirty-Seven: "Celestial Yang and the Supreme Force"

Seeing that Song Changsheng’s expression was turning sour, Zhu Yiqun immediately had the sense to shut his mouth, though his beady eyes continued to size him up incessantly.

Song Changsheng could not help but press his hand to his forehead. There was clearly no point explaining to this fellow; the more he tried, the more tangled it became.

He simply ignored Zhu Yiqun and quickened his pace toward the dense forest ahead.

In less than half an hour, the group arrived at the designated rendezvous point as agreed. After verifying their numbers, they set out toward the direction of the ruins…

The ruins were quite some distance from the marketplace. Despite rushing all the way, it still took them two days and one night to reach the outskirts of their destination.

On a desolate hillside, Zhu Yiqun pointed to the thick forest below. “Down there is where the ruins lie. There are still a few days until the winter solstice. Let’s rest for a while, then start preparing.”

After traveling nonstop, everyone was indeed a bit weary. They all sat down where they stood to recuperate and restore their strength…

“Fellow Daoist Song, come here and take a look.” A calm voice sounded by Song Changsheng’s ear.

He looked up and saw that it was Xu Yun, a fellow formation master, beckoning him over.

Xu Yun appeared to be in her early thirties; her cultivation was among the lowest of the group, but she was nonetheless a first-rank formation master of the highest grade, and in breaking formations, she and Song Changsheng were the main force.

“Fellow Daoist Xu, is something the matter?”

“A second-rank superior-level Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Formation. Aren’t you interested in seeing it for yourself?” Xu Yun smiled slightly.

Song Changsheng walked to her side and saw that just a short distance ahead lay the boundaries of the formation protecting the ruins. The concentrated yang energy gathering there was so intense it caused a faint sense of discomfort.

“It really is a second-rank superior formation. If the winter solstice weren’t approaching, there’s no way we could so much as shake this permanent grand formation with just our own strength.”

A second-rank superior formation, if assaulted by force, would require at least several Foundation Establishment cultivators working together; their little group was simply not up to the task.

“That’s right. We’re rather fortunate. Though the Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Formation is formidable, it’s a demon-refining array and won’t attack us righteous cultivators proactively. That gives us a chance to study a second-rank formation up close.”

Xu Yun smiled, then sat cross-legged at the edge of the grand formation, beginning to contemplate the array’s markings.

Naturally, Song Changsheng would not pass up such a rare opportunity. He found a spot not far from Xu Yun and also began to study the formation.

In the process, Song Changsheng immediately noticed something unusual. It was his first time encountering the Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Formation, yet he felt no difficulty in understanding its workings.

The deeper he delved, the clearer the reason became. The markings of this formation bore an uncanny resemblance to those on the damaged formation base he had acquired at the marketplace’s central square.

Although there were many differences in the details, the two were clearly of the same origin. Having fully grasped the markings on the base, Song Changsheng found this study both smooth and rewarding.

This was good news for him. The markings from the base had already advanced his understanding of formations, but gaps remained. Now, perhaps he could use the Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Formation to fill in those missing pieces…

Time slipped by quietly, and over the next few days Song Changsheng had nearly mastered the workings of this formation, gaining so much that he was now on the verge of breaking through to the next level.

Xu Yun, too, had clearly benefited greatly; a charming smile lingered on her face.

“Changsheng, what do you think—are you confident?” Zhu Yiqun hurried over to ask.

“I have some confidence now. The time has come; let’s begin breaking the formation,” Song Changsheng replied with composure.

“Excellent! Fellow Daoists, to your positions—get ready to break the formation!” Zhu Yiqun slapped his thigh in excitement and called everyone to action.

“Fellow Daoist Song, to break this array, we’ve prepared ample Nethercold Stones and three Array-Breaking Talismans. What approach do you think is best?”

Xu Yun left the decision in Song Changsheng’s hands.

“In that case, allow me to offer my plan. The two of us will use Nethercold Stones to set up arrays at these two points, steadily reducing the formation’s yang energy. When it’s sufficiently weakened, we’ll activate the Array-Breaking Talismans to open two breaches. The rest of you will maintain the stability of the openings from outside, while the two of us will enter to seek out the formation’s core and attempt to break it from within.”

Xu Yun neither agreed nor objected, but Xu Yunhe spoke up instead. “Fellow Daoist Song, how confident are you in finding the core? We only get one shot at this.”

“At least seventy percent,” Song Changsheng answered conservatively.

“Seventy percent? Let’s do it, then!” Li Hu roared in his rough voice.

“I think it’s fine.” The others nodded. On the path of cultivation, there was rarely absolute certainty; seventy percent was already quite high.

“Good. Fellow Daoist Xu, let’s split up and get started.”

Song Changsheng and Xu Yun each went to the weak points they had observed, then took out their array flags and Nethercold Stones to begin setting up.

Although both were first-rank top-grade formation masters, the difference between them was clear; Xu Yun was a full half an hour slower than Song Changsheng.

Once the setups were complete, the two activated them simultaneously.

At once, a torrent of icy nether energy erupted within the formation, the chill sweeping toward the Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Formation under their guidance.

A resonant hum rang out.

In an instant, the cold and the yang energies collided in the protective barrier, like dousing a hot iron with cold water, producing a sizzling hiss.

During the winter solstice, yang energy was at its weakest, and it was being depleted much faster than it could be replenished. Before long, the formation began to falter.

Just as the Nethercold Stones within were nearly depleted, Song Changsheng shouted, “Prepare the Array-Breaking Talismans!”

Li Hu and Zhuang Yuechan immediately stepped forward from the group, each holding a time-worn talisman.

Now Song Changsheng understood why Zhu Yiqun had insisted on waiting for Zhuang Yuechan—she, too, possessed an Array-Breaking Talisman.

“Release!”

The two activated their talismans simultaneously. Twin beams of dazzling black light shot toward the two weak points, and with a thunderous roar, the barrier was torn open, forming two swirling breaches.

“Enter the formation!”

As the two entered the grand formation, Zhu Yiqun and the others quickly channeled their spiritual power to stabilize the entryways—these were the pair’s only escape routes.

If the gaps closed before the formation was broken, the two would be lost within, doomed to be trapped and perish.

Once inside, the danger increased sharply. One misstep could mean being shredded by the astral winds of the formation, so every move had to be made with utmost caution.

Song Changsheng reviewed the array’s markings in his mind, constantly deducing its operation. With every step forward, he recalculated the formation’s dynamics.

This was the ultimate test of his mastery. One error in calculation could plunge him into the abyss of death.

Yet this was also the fastest way to break the formation—if his deductions were correct, he could quickly locate the hidden core within…