Chapter 1375: The Battle Begins
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Chapter 1374: The Battle Begins
Mo Hua was profoundly shaken. Only now did he realize that this so-called “Formation Flow” was likely far more formidable than he had ever imagined.
At the very least, even with his Divine-Sense as powerful as it was—so strong it had already surpassed an entire major realm—he had never been able, during Foundation Establishment, to cross realms and draw a third-grade formation.
He could draw a twenty-four-rune second-grade Absolute Formation.
But without entering the Golden Core realm, he had no way to draw even a basic twenty-one-rune third-grade formation.
That was the restriction imposed by major realms upon formations.
And yet now, right before his eyes, True-Person Zhuge was using Feathered Ascension cultivation to draw fifth-grade formation runes.
Mo Hua was truly astonished.
The cultivation world was vast and boundless; the Dao of formations was broad and profound. The higher one reached, the more one discovered there was always a greater sky beyond, and greater people beyond.
In a sense, True-Person Zhuge was absolutely a monstrous talent.
Soon after, an intense curiosity arose in Mo Hua’s heart.
What kind of Formation Flow was this?
What mysterious Formation Flow could allow True-Person Zhuge to transcend major realms and, with Feathered Ascension cultivation, draw fifth-grade formation runes?
Was it a branch of the “Seven Stars” Formation Flow?
A secret transmission of the Imperial Celestial Bureau?
Or a legacy of the Zhuge clan?
…Could I learn it?
Mo Hua’s thoughts churned. He couldn’t help but glance at True-Person Zhuge, only to see him fully focused. Within his eyes shimmered the light of the Seven Stars. His entire being radiated a vast and pristine aura, like starlight itself. Mo Hua was filled with admiration, and did not dare to interrupt.
He was a formation master as well. He knew that when drawing formations, absolute concentration was required. Interruption was the greatest taboo.
So Mo Hua kept silent and watched intently.
Not far away, True-Person Huá observed True-Person Zhuge’s formation for a while, realized he couldn’t understand it, then turned to glance at Mo Hua, his gaze narrowing slightly.
This brat… watching so intently… could he actually understand it?
True-Person Huá frowned faintly, eyes shifting subtly, clearly scheming something.
But with True-Person Zhuge present, he understood priorities and restrained himself, not acting rashly.
Meanwhile, recognizing how rare this opportunity was, Mo Hua ignored everything around him. He paid no mind to True-Person Huá’s thoughts. His gaze remained fixed solely on True-Person Zhuge’s brush.
Perhaps because this was a “transcendent” fifth-grade formation and extraordinarily difficult, True-Person Zhuge did not employ any unconventional techniques. Instead, he strictly followed formation principles, using the Seven Stars Brush dipped in Starfall Ink, drawing the runes with refined elegance and rigorous precision.
Throughout, bright starlight flickered continuously in his eyes.
Mo Hua guessed this was the sign of the Formation Flow being activated.
Stroke after stroke of rich, heavy ink—formation runes so powerful they seemed to distort the very void—were inscribed upon the formation base.
Drawing these runes placed an immense burden upon Divine-Sense.
Mo Hua could feel True-Person Zhuge’s profound Divine-Sense, surging like a river, pouring into the runes beneath his brush, endowing them with special laws and spiritual resonance.
Mo Hua longed to use the Heavenly Secret Derivative Algorithm to analyze these fifth-grade runes.
But True-Person Zhuge was right beside him.
True-Person Huá and two other Feathered Ascension cultivators of the Dao Court were nearby. A circle of Imperial Celestial Bureau cultivators surrounded them.
With so many people present, he couldn’t act freely.
After all, Heavenly Secret algorithms were not something meant to be seen.
Moreover, Mo Hua knew that if he truly used Golden Core Divine-Sense to deduce fifth-grade runes, his Divine-Sense would be drained instantly.
The situation remained unclear, fortune and calamity unknown. He absolutely could not overdraw his Divine-Sense. He had to retain enough to protect himself. Otherwise, who knew what would happen next?
Since he could not calculate, he could only observe, watching True-Person Zhuge’s technique, contemplating his thought process.
At the same time, he pondered what formation was being drawn.
If it were a fifth-grade, Void Insight–level formation… perhaps it truly could… kill Martial Uncle?
Mo Hua’s heart trembled.
Yet as time passed, instead of finding answers, his doubts only deepened.
He did not understand fifth-grade formation principles. He could only judge by outward structure and surface rune patterns.
And from its basic form, True-Person Zhuge did not seem to be “drawing” a formation so much as… assembling and activating one.
Mo Hua considered this and gradually came to a realization.
True-Person Zhuge’s Formation Flow clearly did not truly grant him the ability to construct a complete fifth-grade formation beyond his realm.
That would be too outrageous, even Mo Hua would consider it defying the heavens.
Moreover, True-Person Zhuge was only at Feathered Ascension. Without Void Insight–level Divine-Sense, he could not withstand the consumption of a fifth-grade formation.
From what he observed, Mo Hua guessed the Formation Flow’s true function was to draw upon some form of star power, stimulating the potential of the Sea of Consciousness, allowing him to inscribe certain transcendent runes.
That alone was already astonishing.
Among the countless experts and prodigies Mo Hua had seen, only True-Person Zhuge could achieve this.
Even Mo Hua himself could only sigh in admiration.
But another question arose.
If True-Person Zhuge was responsible for “assembling” the formation, then what exactly was he assembling? Where did it come from?
Mo Hua lowered his gaze.
As True-Person Zhuge activated the formation core with star power, another entirely different set of primitive runes began to light up upon the once-dim, massive formation base.
These runes appeared ancient, glowing faint blue. Though their aura was also tied to star power, they were completely different from True-Person Zhuge’s Seven Stars Brush strokes and style, as though separated by an entire era.
This was an even more ancient stellar formation.
Not only was its structure ancient, even the formation itself seemed to have been drawn long ago.
True-Person Zhuge’s mission was to use his secret Formation Flow to fully reconstruct and activate this ancient star formation within the Great Wilderness’s Ancestral court?
Then where did this ancient star formation come from? Whose handiwork was it? And what was its purpose?
From the current situation, this star formation appeared to be the core of the entire plan to hunt the Strange Daoist.
But how exactly would it kill him?
Mo Hua looked again at the massive formation, puzzled.
Although it contained immense stellar energy, it was unlike the Central Heaven Ziwei Big Dipper Seven Stars Killing Formation. It did not carry intense killing intent.
Which meant… it was not a killing formation.
If not a killing formation, then what? A trapping formation? A sealing formation?
Could this really kill Martial Uncle?
Mo Hua frowned deeply.
And what scale was this fifth-grade ancient stellar formation?
It likely was not a grand formation—its scale was smaller—but it was larger than ordinary formations or even typical Compound formations.
All these doubts touched upon Mo Hua’s blind spots in formation knowledge.
After all, fifth-grade matters were not something he could learn at his current level.
He looked left and right, still unable to comprehend. He wanted to ask True-Person Zhuge, but did not dare interrupt.
Thus he watched for a long time, anxiety mounting.
Suddenly, the blue light dimmed. The starlight in True-Person Zhuge’s eyes faded. His face turned pale, clearly his Divine-Sense had been excessively consumed.
Mo Hua had not guessed wrong. No matter how formidable True-Person Zhuge was, doing something so far beyond his realm placed an enormous strain upon his Sea of Consciousness.
Mo Hua understood this deeply, he had experienced it far too many times himself.
Beside the massive formation, True-Person Zhuge sat down cross-legged and began restoring his Divine-Sense.
Mo Hua waited patiently.
After resting for a long while, once his Divine-Sense had somewhat replenished, True-Person Zhuge opened his eyes… only to see a pair of bright, inquisitive eyes staring intently at him.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Mo Hua quickly asked, “True-Person…”
True-Person Zhuge shook his head. “This is confidential. Don’t ask.”
Mo Hua looked disappointed.
True-Person Zhuge’s tone softened. “There are things I cannot tell you. But… however much you can comprehend, comprehend.”
Mo Hua understood and nodded.
After that, True-Person Zhuge closed his eyes again to recuperate. Activating the Formation Flow earlier had drained his Divine-Sense tremendously; he had to fully replenish it.
Mo Hua glanced at him, then after a moment of silence turned to look into the distance, toward the pitch-black, terrifying Endless Abyss, like a sky set ablaze. After the oppressive weight in his heart eased slightly, a strange thought surfaced.
“Is Martial Uncle really hiding in the Abyss?”
“He must already know the Dao Court has come to kill him. Why hasn’t there been the slightest movement?”
“Did his breakthrough fail, leaving him gravely injured and unable to act? Or is there… some deeper scheme at play?”
“Or perhaps… the timing isn’t right yet?”
Mo Hua frowned deeply. His thoughts were a fog; he couldn’t grasp even a single plausible answer.
His understanding of his Martial Uncle—especially of his true body—was still far too little…
“What exactly is Martial Uncle doing right now…”
The ashen ancestral court stood in silent stillness.
The black abyss burned soundlessly, like a sea of karmic fire…
…
Later, once True-Person Zhuge had fully restored his Divine-Sense, he resumed reconstructing and activating the colossal ancient stellar formation.
Mo Hua steadied himself and continued observing him.
There were many things True-Person Zhuge would not say. Mo Hua could only watch as much as he could.
He didn’t concern himself with what techniques True-Person Zhuge was using or which formation runes he was drawing, at his current realm and foundation, it was impossible for him to truly understand them anyway.
All he needed to do was rely on his extraordinarily strong Divine-Sense and powerful memory to “record” every single detail of True-Person Zhuge’s formation drawing without missing a trace.
If needed later, he could extract those memories and study them slowly.
In the past, Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense had been strong and his memory sharp, but he hadn’t been capable of such detailed Divine-Sense “recording.”
Now, having entered the Golden Core realm, his Divine-Sense was even more abundant. And perhaps due to cultivating the Celestial Evolution Art, his control over Divine-Sense had grown increasingly profound and mysterious.
This “engraving” ability born from memory was one of those changes.
Moreover, the recording was remarkably clear, even subtle variations within the formation were captured in exquisite detail.
Perhaps one day in the future, these engraved memories would prove useful.
If he ever had the chance to study the Seven-Star Formation to great depths, perhaps he too could one day be like True-Person Zhuge that day, using Divine-Sense to invoke the Central Heaven Ziwei, stepping upon the Seven Stars, commanding the stellar formations of the heavens, slaying evil and suppressing calamity.
Though the Seven-Star Formation was monopolized by the Dao Court, one could at least dream.
Thus, Mo Hua’s eyes gleamed as he watched with intense focus.
…
And so, within the Great Wilderness Ancestral Court, True-Person Zhuge drew.
Mo Hua stood beside him, faint golden light flickering in his eyes as he “recorded.”
No one knew what he was truly doing, not even True-Person Zhuge.
It was true that he had allowed Mo Hua to watch as much as he could.
But he hadn’t realized that Mo Hua’s eyes were truly like an image-capturing diagram, taking in everything.
As time passed bit by bit, the formation beneath True-Person Zhuge’s brush gradually became complete.
The colossal ancient stellar formation he had activated through some wondrous Formation Flow also slowly revealed its true form before Mo Hua’s eyes.
It was an exceedingly simple yet ancient fifth-grade formation.
Within its simplicity surged a vast stellar power Mo Hua could not comprehend.
That power seemed capable of communicating with the constellations of the heavens, bearing a primordial aura that caused the surrounding space itself to distort.
And the moment this immense ancient stellar formation began operating—when its boundless star power burst forth—from the depths of the Endless Abyss came a terrifying intent.
It was as though some existence had sensed the stellar force, stirring the black abyssal flames into turbulence.
Mo Hua’s heart turned cold. He knew it was Martial Uncle… he had finally made his move.
True-Person Zhuge’s expression hardened as well, and he shouted:
“Activate the Seven-Star Formation!!”
The cultivators of the Imperial Celestial Bureau obeyed True-Person Zhuge’s command, one by one activating the Seven-Star formations previously laid within the Ancestral court.
For a moment, the entire Ancestral court glittered with starlight, erupting in dazzling brilliance.
Amid the pale bone courtyard, layers of star formations shone resplendently.
Then, in an instant, the earth trembled and black flames surged.
An utterly frigid, dark, and eerie aura spread outward from the Endless Abyss.
One after another, pitch-black figures crawled out from the flames—like vicious ghosts climbing up from purgatory—bodies ablaze with the fires of the Strange Dao, densely packed like a rising tide.
Mo Hua’s expression changed.
True-Person Zhuge and the other Feathered Ascension cultivators’ pupils constricted.
“Strange-slaves…”
Mo Hua abruptly looked toward True-Person Zhuge.
True-Person Zhuge said slowly, “These are the claws and fangs that Daoist has raised within the Endless Abyss… servants of the Strange Dao…”
True-Person Huá gave a cold laugh. “So the Daoist finally knows fear. He doesn’t want us to activate this formation…”
True-Person Zhuge spoke solemnly, “All of you, enter the formation. Take position at Yuheng (Jade Balance). Conceal yourselves at Tianxuan(Heavenly Jade). Break malevolence with Yaoguang(Shaking Light). Let Tianshu(Heavenly Pivot) govern the killing. Use Kaiyang(Opening Yang) to suppress the evil…”
“Do not leave the protection of the Seven Stars. If Strange-Dao Thought enters the body, even heaven will be powerless to save you.”
“Yes, Consecrator!!”
“Yes, True-Person Zhuge!!”
The cultivators of the Imperial Celestial Bureau and the Dao Soldiers Division responded in unison.
Every cultivator selected to encircle and suppress the Strange Daoist was an elite Golden Core expert, some from the Imperial Celestial Bureau, others commanders from the Dao Soldiers Division.
Following True-Person Zhuge’s arrangement, they each took up designated stellar positions, intercepting and slaughtering the tide of Strange-Slaves crawling out of the Endless Abyss Marsh.
Along the boundary between the Ashen Ancestral Court and the Dark Endless Abyss, a brutal and bizarre battle erupted.
The splendid light of the Seven Stars cut down the foremost wave of Strange-Slaves at the waist, slowing their advance.
Yet the remaining Strange-Slaves surged forward like a black tide.
When they drew near, the cultivators of the Imperial Celestial Bureau activated Seven-Star Disks, Seven-Star Swords, and other artifacts to suppress them from afar.
Meanwhile, the Dao Soldier commanders fought within the Seven-Star Formation True-Person Zhuge had prepared in advance, borrowing the protection of starlight to slay these servants of the Strange Daoist.
These Strange-Slave were not high in cultivation, yet their bodies were pitch-black and radiated sinister Strange-Dao Thoughts.
Everyone knew the terror of that Daoist. They also understood that even the slightest contamination by this Strange-Dao Thought intent meant certain death, even True-Person Zhuge would not be able to save them.
Thus, none dared stray a single step from the protection of the Seven-Star Formation.
The two sides clashed fiercely.
Meanwhile, True-Person Zhuge began fully activating the Ancient Stellar Formation.
As his immense divine sense poured into the formation through the Formation Flow, the entire Ancient Stellar Formation began to rotate slowly, like some primordial celestial instrument from ancient times.
In the unseen heavens above the Ancestral Court, distant starlight began to ignite one by one.
And the turning of the Ancient Stellar Formation seemed to “enrage” the Daoist within the Endless Abyss.
The entire abyss churned violently, raising tsunami-like waves of black flames.
More and more Strange-Slaves crawled out from its depths.
These new Strange-Slaves were stronger, some even reaching the Third-Grade Golden Core realm.
Golden Core Strange-Slaves were far more terrifying, to the point that True-Person Huá and the other two Feathered Ascension cultivators had no choice but to personally step in and slay these Strange Dao abominations.