Chapter 450: Spiritual Pivot
Chapter 451: Spiritual Pivot
Inside the iron coffin lay a sealed iron corpse.
The iron corpse was a rank above the wandering corpses.
Wandering corpses had pale, decayed flesh, harboring corpse toxins. Though fearless and tough, their power was average, relying mainly on numbers and toxins to gain the upper hand.
The iron corpse had skin like dark iron, as if cast from metal, far stronger—enough to rival a Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator.
Creating an iron corpse was more costly and time-consuming.
Similarly, controlling an iron corpse was far more difficult.
Only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, using Foundation-level Divine-Sense and guided by the Corpse-Control Bell, could maintain stable control.
Qi-Refining stage corpse cultivators lacked sufficient Divine-Sense; the longer they tried to control an iron corpse, the more likely it would go out of control, potentially backfiring.
This was why Zhang Quan wanted to use the bell—to borrow Divine-Sense and stabilize control.
Mo Hua opened the iron coffin.
An iron corpse with dark-blue skin and iron-like fangs lay with eyes closed.
Its body exuded dense corpse aura, its flesh running with greenish corpse toxins.
Bai Zisheng held a long spear, tip against the corpse’s forehead, preventing it from suddenly attacking Mo Hua.
Bai Zixi also held a golden long sword, standing by Mo Hua’s side.
Mo Hua used a dagger to cut open the corpse’s upper garment, revealing its iron-blue, eerie chest.
The skin on its chest bore nothing…
Yet Mo Hua’s eyes lit up.
He could clearly sense the aura of an Absolute Formation.
Mo Hua slashed the corpse’s chest with the dagger, but its skin was too hard; not even a scratch appeared.
Sighing, Mo Hua handed the dagger to Bai Zisheng.
“Senior Brother, it’s up to you.”
Bai Zisheng took the dagger.
“Step back.”
Mo Hua obediently retreated a few paces.
Bai Zisheng then invoked his cultivation technique, wrapping the dagger in golden spiritual power, carefully cutting into the corpse’s chest to peel back the skin.
Beneath the skin, the flesh was a dark, corpse-green, filled with toxins.
And within that flesh was indeed a blood-red, intricate, and profound formation!
“Mo Hua, take a look!”
Bai Zisheng called.
Mo Hua hurried over and examined it.
After a moment, his eyes brightened.
Exactly!
It was a Spiritual Pivot Formation, similar to one for wandering corpses but with slight differences in the pattern.
He quickly grabbed paper and pen to record the formation.
But as he continued, Mo Hua’s expression shifted.
He glanced at the iron corpse and said gravely,
“Senior Brother, this iron corpse… it’s about to go out of control.”
Bai Zisheng was startled.
“How do you know?”
Mo Hua’s eyes grew deep.
“The formation is running. Someone is controlling this iron corpse… ‘out of control’…”
Bai Zisheng’s face changed. He immediately used his spear to pin the corpse in the coffin.
At the same time, the iron corpse’s eyes snapped open.
Red, blood-soaked, brimming with violence.
It stretched out its arms, claws sharp and toxin-laced, body stiff, struggling to rise.
But Bai Zisheng’s spear held it fast; it couldn’t break free.
As it struggled, the blood formation on its chest became clearer.
Blood seemed to flow between the formation lines, producing a peculiar pulse-like sound.
The redder the lines, the fiercer the corpse’s violent aura, the stronger its struggles.
Bai Zisheng frowned.
“Step aside, I can’t hold it much longer!”
Bai Zixi lightly stepped back, graceful and swift.
Mo Hua also retreated a few steps.
Within moments, the iron corpse roared, corpse aura surging, force radiating outward, shoving Bai Zisheng aside and breaking free from the spear.
Free from restraint, the iron corpse’s face was ferocious, letting out a beast-like roar—but it was not bloodthirsty.
It seemed aware that it could not kill anyone in the room.
The iron corpse leapt, attempting to break through the door.
If it escaped outside, into Nanyue City, it could feast, restoring its blood energy.
It crashed against the door, trying to escape.
But the surrounding dense web-like formation lit up; spiritual shackles appeared, binding the corpse, preventing escape.
The iron corpse roared in anger, claws tearing at the formation.
Before it could break free, Bai Zisheng’s spear struck.
Bai Zixi’s sword, aflame with pure white light, targeted the corpse’s head.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua launched fireballs at the corpse’s leg joints with precision.
Inside the chamber, the formation vibrated, spiritual energy overflowing.
Despite soundproofing formations, the noise and energy fluctuations were noticeable outside.
Instructor Yan and Mister Zhuang were drinking tea in the courtyard.
Instructor Yan frowned.
“Did something happen?”
Mister Zhuang smiled calmly.
“No harm. Just children playing around.”
Instructor Yan nodded, half-believing.
Inside, the commotion lasted about the time of a tea break, then gradually subsided.
The chamber’s formation was so dense, layer upon layer, like a spider-web cave. The iron corpse could not escape.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi’s Dao techniques were also strong.
Mo Hua seized openings to strike.
Thus, the iron corpse was quickly subdued.
Bai Zisheng’s spear pierced its throat, pinning it to the ground.
Yet its limbs continued struggling.
Bai Zisheng asked,
“Junior Brother, is there a way to immobilize it?”
Mo Hua studied the chest formation and said,
“Destroy this formation.”
Bai Zixi asked,
“You learned it?”
“Not yet,” Mo Hua shook his head. “But I memorized the pattern; I’ll comprehend it gradually.”
“Good,” Bai Zixi’s voice was crisp.
She twirled her delicate fingers, forming several golden sword lights that pierced the iron corpse’s chest, destroying the blood formation.
The corpse struggled briefly, then gradually ceased moving.
The three exhaled slightly.
“What about the iron corpse?” Bai Zisheng asked.
Mo Hua pondered.
“Seal it in the iron coffin for now. I’ll use a formation to suppress it, preventing further incidents.”
“And the Absolute Formation?”
“I memorized it.”
Bai Zisheng doubted,
“You remembered it so quickly?”
“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded, somewhat uncertain.
“This Absolute Formation… doesn’t seem too difficult…”
“Nothing about an Absolute Formation is easy,” Bai Zisheng warned. “Don’t get it wrong and waste effort.”
“It’s fine. Even if I do, Sister Situ still has four more iron corpses.”
“Alright,” Bai Zisheng said, frowning.
“What if her four iron corpses go out of control?”
“No,” Mo Hua asserted. “Sister Situ doesn’t know formations. Without activating them, the iron corpses won’t go rogue…”
“This iron corpse went out of control to hide something.”
“Someone didn’t want me to see the formation on its heart veins…”
Mo Hua rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
Bai Zisheng nodded.
“Study it carefully. I can’t help with the formation, but call me if you need to fight.”
“Mm,” Mo Hua agreed.
Afterward, Mo Hua spent his time studying the formation on the corpse.
The formation on the wandering corpse combined with the iron corpse’s pattern formed a nearly complete, self-consistent spiritual energy circulation—a first-grade, twelve-line Absolute Formation.
This was the Spiritual Pivot Formation.
A few days later, Mo Hua sat in the courtyard, staring at the formation before him, somewhat dazed.
He could now draw the entire Absolute Formation.
This far exceeded his expectations.
He had thought mastering the Spiritual Pivot Formation would require time to comprehend its special spiritual energy rules.
Yet he learned it quickly.
In just a few days, he had grasped it.
Mo Hua tried the formation on a wooden tiger toy.
The tiger had been crafted by Old Kui and given to Mo Hua.
After drawing the formation and placing a spirit stone inside, he activated it with Divine-Sense—and discovered he could control the wooden tiger’s movements.
It could walk, sit, run, leap, or crouch—lifelike.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were amazed.
Ordinary cultivator toys could move with spirit stones, but mechanically and fixed.
This tiger could be finely manipulated with Divine-Sense.
Though visually similar, the formations were worlds apart:
One required only a few simple lines;
The other, a first-grade twelve-line Absolute Formation.
Mo Hua studied the principles of the Spiritual Pivot Formation.
Instructor Yan’s earlier words were correct: the core of the Absolute Formation lay in “control.”
It divided spiritual energy into delicate threads, using them for precise manipulation.
But was that all?
Had he only grasped the superficial layer?
Was there something deeper he hadn’t comprehended?
He frowned.
Besides understanding the rules, he realized another issue:
This formation might still not be complete.
It was active, yet not fully complete.
Then he remembered the out-of-control iron corpse—and it clicked.
The iron corpse’s “loss of control” was itself controlled by the formation.
The iron corpse controlled the wandering corpses, yet it too was controlled.
The formations on both together formed a spiritual energy loop, achieving the Spiritual Pivot effect.
But above the iron corpse was another layer of Spiritual Pivot Formation.
This higher formation oversaw the ones on the iron and wandering corpses.
Meaning, what Mo Hua had mastered was only the middle-to-lower layer.
This type of formation exceeded his previous understanding.
“The formations are truly profound…”
He reflected again.
If he was correct, the Spiritual Pivot Formation was not a single formation,
But a system: from top to bottom, forming a self-contained hierarchy.
All Spiritual Pivot Formations were of the same type, yet power was distributed step by step.
The formation on wandering corpses was the lowest, weakest, merely responsive.
The iron corpse’s formation was higher, able to control wandering corpses.
Then there must be something controlling the iron corpse!
Was it a cursed artifact, a cultivator, or another corpse?
Whatever it was—object, person, or corpse—it held the highest authority in the Spiritual Pivot Absolute Formation system, able to command all middle- and lower-level formations on corpses.
Controlling all wandering and iron corpses!
Just thinking of it sent a chill through Mo Hua.