Chapter 345: The Grand Formation
Mo Hua made up his mind—he was going to construct a grand formation and kill Feng Xi!
He had a path for himself, but he also wanted to give all the free cultivators a way out, so they wouldn’t have to leave their homes or suffer a life of wandering and hardship.
With his decision made, Mo Hua began to consider how to go about it.
A grand formation was immense and complex—a monumental undertaking in cultivation.
It was difficult to learn and even harder to construct.
Mr. Zhuang explained all the difficulties involved in building a formation, not to discourage him, but likely to make him think more carefully and plan more thoroughly.
A grand formation required manpower and material resources, but above all, it required time.
Constructing a grand formation took time, and learning it personally also required time.
Without time, nothing could proceed.
Mo Hua first went to find Commander Yang and asked,
“Uncle Yang, how long before that pig can refine its blood qi?”
Commander Yang led the Daoist soldiers stationed at the edge of the deep mountains, constantly monitoring the movements of the great demon. He thought for a moment and then said slowly,
“About one to two months.”
One to two months…
Mo Hua frowned.
Learning a grand formation and constructing it within that time seemed insufficient.
At the same time, he was puzzled and asked,
“Does it usually take that long for a great demon to refine its blood qi?”
The Qian family patriarch had consumed the Longevity Transformation Core Pill, and within less than half an hour, his cultivation began to rise steadily.
Could it be that this pig’s digestion was poor?
Commander Yang pondered, “Normally, it shouldn’t take that long. But this Feng Xi is unusual. It didn’t become a great demon on its own—it was forcibly fed and cultivated.”
“The blood qi within it is extremely mixed; it’s not originally its own and has never been refined by it. So now, refining it takes longer.”
“Moreover, this Feng Xi has died once before, so it needs to refine its blood qi to sustain its life again.”
Commander Yang glanced at the blood qi in the deep mountains, his expression serious:
“But once it finishes refining, recovers vitality, and starts feeding, then the trouble will be severe.”
Mo Hua frowned and asked, “Is there a way to delay it?”
Commander Yang nodded, “In a while, the Daoist Soldier Division will send some Foundation Establishment commanders. We’ll join forces to harass Feng Xi and slow down its refining process, buying time for the cultivators of Tongxian City to relocate.”
“How long can we delay it?”
“About a month, I estimate.”
That left roughly two to three months—barely enough time.
Mo Hua nodded slightly, “That’s manageable.”
Commander Yang was taken aback, “Manageable?”
“Nothing, Uncle Yang, you go ahead with your duties.”
Mo Hua received the information, waved, and then dashed off.
Commander Yang watched Mo Hua’s back and muttered, “This kid… I wonder what he’s up to now…”
But whatever he was doing, it probably wouldn’t change the overall situation…
Commander Yang turned his gaze to the deep red blood qi in the mountains. Within it, the great demon lay dormant, harboring a terrifying hidden aura.
This aura was steadily growing stronger.
This pig demon, though dead, had somehow come back to life…
A Dao-Sin that returned from death—he had never seen or even heard of such a thing before.
He sighed, his expression even graver.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.
Two to three months, though extremely tight, was enough to attempt this plan.
First, he had to learn the grand formation.
This was the prerequisite for everything; without it, all plans were empty talk.
Mo Hua immediately went to find Mr. Zhuang, his small face serious:
“Master, I want to learn the grand formation!”
Mr. Zhuang was somewhat surprised—not that Mo Hua wanted to learn the grand formation, but that he had made his decision so quickly.
“Have you thought it through?”
Mo Hua nodded, “I’ve thought it through.”
A grand formation was the ultimate aspiration of a formation master.
A formation master who did not want to construct a grand formation was not a good formation master.
Since he wanted to be a formation master, it was inevitable that one day he would comprehend and construct a grand formation.
Not only that—he wanted to be the chief formation master.
The one who directed the design and construction of the grand formation, the core formation master, not just an ordinary participant.
But constructing a grand formation was extremely difficult, consuming vast amounts of manpower and resources.
Usually, the choice of chief formation master was meticulous, cautious, and extremely selective.
They had to be either highly virtuous, come from a prestigious lineage, have exceptional skill, or be universally respected.
Moreover, they had to have prior experience constructing grand formations.
Mo Hua met none of these criteria.
Leaving Tongxian City, without any backing, who would dare risk appointing a formation master of humble origins to lead the construction of such a massive, intricate formation?
Right now, this was his first opportunity—not just theory, but a chance to personally learn and attempt a grand formation.
If he missed it, this first opportunity might be the only one in his lifetime.
The beginning is always the hardest.
Once he gained experience as the chief constructor of a first-rank grand formation, he could gradually comprehend and construct higher-rank formations.
But if he didn’t take the first step, never gaining that experience, he might spend his entire life without ever touching a grand formation.
So whether for his own pursuit in formation arts or for the free cultivators of Tongxian City, he had to take this step.
Even if he failed, he had to try.
Mo Hua’s expression was resolute. Mr. Zhuang felt a slight sense of relief but still reminded him:
“Grand formations are very difficult to learn.”
“Difficult or not, I will learn it!” Mo Hua insisted.
“Do you truly want to learn?” Mr. Zhuang asked with a meaningful expression.
“Yes!”
“And if you can’t learn it?”
Mo Hua replied calmly, “If I can’t, it simply means I lack the ability, nothing to discuss; but if I don’t try, it means I fear formations, my Dao-heart is timid, and I will never go far in formation arts.”
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly, showing his approval.
Seeing Mr. Zhuang’s expression, Mo Hua relaxed a little and quietly added,
“Master, I can really learn the grand formation, can’t I?”
Mr. Zhuang was slightly startled, “How do you know?”
Mo Hua explained, “If I truly couldn’t, you would have refused me outright instead of letting me go consider it carefully.
“Since you let me consider, it means it’s within my capabilities.”
Mr. Zhuang shook his head helplessly, then took out a set of ten jade slips, placing them on the table, his tone serious:
“These are the jade slips for the grand formation!”
Mo Hua’s eyes brightened. His guess was correct—Mr. Zhuang had prepared them long ago.
“Before learning the grand formation, there are some things I need to clarify with you,” Mr. Zhuang said.
Mo Hua sat upright, listening attentively.
Mr. Zhuang first asked, “What is a grand formation?”
“It’s a more complex, larger-scale composite formation.”
Mr. Zhuang had explained this before, and Mo Hua remembered clearly.
“And what is a composite formation?”
“It’s a compound formation created by connecting single formations through a formation hub.”
“What is the essential difference between a composite and a single formation?”
“The formation hub is different.”
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly. “A single formation has a simple hub; a composite formation has a complex hub; a grand formation’s hub is even more complex.”
“What makes it specifically complex?” Mo Hua asked.
“A single formation’s hub connects formation patterns; a composite formation’s hub connects single formations; a grand formation’s hub connects a massive number of single formations.”
“This means a grand formation’s hub requires much stronger Divine-Sense, more connected single formations, more intricate spiritual power trajectories, and consideration for compatibility between the grand hub and individual formations.”
Mo Hua thought carefully and then said,
“So the core of a grand formation is still the hub. As long as the hub is mastered, the spiritual power flows smoothly, and the single formations are compatible, one can control the grand formation?”
Mr. Zhuang nodded, “More or less.”
“What makes it difficult?”
“Divine-Sense.”
“Still Divine-Sense…”
Mr. Zhuang nodded, “Ultimately, every problem a formation master faces comes down to insufficient Divine-Sense.”
Mo Hua felt a bit relieved—fortunately, his Divine-Sense was decent.
Although, that was basically his only strength…
He then weakly asked, “Is Divine-Sense at the Foundation Establishment stage enough?”
“It’s enough, but barely,” Mr. Zhuang explained.
“Divine-Sense is intangible and cannot be precisely quantified, only roughly referenced.”
“The most objective standard is based on the number of formation patterns one can draw before one’s Divine-Sense is exhausted, according to a formation master’s reference.”
“Even so, this standard is difficult to refine accurately.”
“This leads to situations where two formations both appear to require ten units of Divine-Sense. One might be simple and actually require less; another might be extremely complex and require far more, but still under eleven units.”
“A grand formation starts with ten units of Divine-Sense, but due to its complexity, it demands much more.”
“Ten units of Divine-Sense as a starting point…” Mo Hua muttered to himself.
And it sounded so complicated…
Mo Hua felt a headache coming on.
“So, as I said,” Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and slowly said,
“A first-rank grand formation isn’t really meant for first-rank formation masters to learn.”