Qingyuan Breaks the Postnatal Five Directions Five Elements Great Array, Astonishing the Immortals of the Chan and Jie Sects: What Formation Is This?

Bright blue skies and broad daylight.

Rivers were beautiful, and mountain peaks were elegant.

A clear wind swept past the figure standing atop the clouds, stirring his loose hair and tugging at his heartstrings.

"I... actually lost?"

Coming back to his senses,

Daoist Duobao wore a bitter expression.

It felt as though something within him had shattered. The Firelight Sword in his hand had vanished as well, and more than half of his belief that he alone reigned supreme had dissipated.

He had lost...

He had lost!!

He had followed his teacher for hundreds of thousands of years since entering the sect, comprehending the Sword Dao all this time. Even his teacher had praised his extraordinary talent, saying he would surely achieve great things in the Sword Dao in the future!

And yet,

he had comprehended the Heaven-Opening Sword Momentum that his teacher had only displayed once.

Annihilation, Destruction, unstoppable force, sole supremacy...

Only with such momentum could one unleash the Heaven-Smiting Sword Strike capable of destroying heaven and earth. Even Grand Unity Golden Immortals could not accomplish such a feat, yet he had done it!

But who could have known...

he would still lose to Qingyuan??

Although Qingyuan had followed their teacher for millions of years,

his foundations were poor and his fortune shallow. In Senior Uncle Yuanshi's words, Qingyuan had no affinity with the Interception Sect's inner sect.

If not for their teacher's willingness to leave Qingyuan with a thread of life,

he would long since have been left to fend for himself.

In his early years, he had heard from Immortal Elder Nanji and White Crane Boy that when Qingyuan had first entered the Mystic Gate, his behavior had been exceedingly strange. He often said things such as "the greater trend cannot be changed, but the lesser trends can," and did many peculiar things. He had been lively and restless, constantly trying all sorts of things.

Unfortunately...

he had heard that every attempt had failed.

Either the Heavenly Dao warned him, or tribulations descended as a warning. Had their teacher not protected him, Qingyuan would likely have long since been reduced to ashes.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Qingyuan had once ventured through the Primordial Wilderness.

Later,

he had heard that Qingyuan only managed to return to the Kunlun Mountains after narrowly escaping death. From then on, his cultivation and secluded cultivation became increasingly subdued and withdrawn.

Until now,

he had remained obscure, even remarkably mediocre.

As for Duobao, he had begun following their teacher while Qingyuan was absent from the mountain. The junior brothers and sisters who entered afterward recognized only him. Coupled with his righteousness and formidable strength, the sect members all respected him.

Therefore,

he had wanted to challenge Qingyuan.

He wanted to compete for the position of Senior Disciple Brother and become the Mystic Gate's sole chief disciple!

But who could have known...

that he would suffer a setback today???

Still, it was not strange.

How could the Mystic Gate's only first disciple, who had followed their teacher for millions of years, truly know nothing after all these years?

"Senior Disciple Qing... I never expected you to have concealed your abilities until now. I underestimated you. In the Sword Dao, I willingly admit defeat. I am inferior to you, Senior Disciple Qing!"

Daoist Duobao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

His fighting spirit surged anew as he shouted, "I have studied the Dao of formations under our teacher. Over these years, I have gained some understanding and barely entered the path. Senior Disciple Qing, do you dare exchange pointers with me in Formation Dao?"

The moment he said this,

countless cultivators erupted into discussion.

The Sword Dao might be difficult, but with painstaking study, one could still enter its gates.

But formations, alchemy, artifact refinement, and the like required talent. Without it, one would never even qualify to begin. It was not as though one could comprehend Dao Laws merely through hard study!

This Daoist Duobao truly was extraordinarily gifted.

Not only had he attained such accomplishments in the Sword Great Dao, he even understood the Great Dao of Formations?

His talent was truly astonishing!

"Formations?"

A strange look appeared on Qingyuan's face. He nodded and said, "Very well. I happen to know a little about formations too. Junior Disciple Duobao, shall we?"

"Then I shall not hold back!!"

Daoist Duobao's expression turned solemn again.

He suddenly put away his treasured sword and sat cross-legged in the void to recover his breath.

Then,

with a sweep of his hand, he scattered numerous Formation Flags throughout the mountains and rivers. Waves of light flickered amid the wilderness before fading away, appearing immensely mysterious.

As the formation took shape,

an oppressive aura spread, making the surrounding cultivators feel stifled.

That aura caused Guangchengzi and the others' expressions to change slightly. Frowning, they said, "Is this the Primordial Five Elements Five Directions Great Array?"

"The Primordial Five Elements Five Directions Great Array? Could it be the Mystic Gate's supreme formation that the Dao Ancestor personally passed down, which our teacher spoke of when preaching the Dao? Even ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortals would find it difficult to set up this formation. How could Duobao, a mere Golden Immortal, possibly arrange it?" Chijingzi asked with astonishment.

Only Immortal Elder Nanji, who had been silently observing, sighed. "This is indeed the Five Elements Five Directions Great Array, but the Formation Eye and the objects controlling the formation are not primordial. It can be considered a Postnatal Five Directions Five Elements formation."

"Even if it is postnatal, this formation is perfectly integrated with the terrain and timing below. Even an ordinary Taiyi would struggle to break it in a short time!"

"Duobao's talent is truly terrifying!!"

The Chan Sect Immortals cried out in alarm.

The immortals of the Interception Sect were equally uncertain.

Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Holy Mother Wudang, and the other outstanding disciples in particular felt conflicted. If their teacher had not accepted Qingyuan as a disciple long ago, perhaps the position of Inner Sect Disciple would already have been settled, wouldn't it?

But now, although Senior Brother Qingyuan had concealed his abilities for years and possessed remarkable attainments in the Sword Dao,

other aspects required far more than talent alone. Senior Brother Qingyuan would probably lose this time.

"Senior Brother Qingyuan, this formation is called the Primordial Five Elements Five Directions Great Array. It is the foremost formation of our Mystic Gate. However, my cultivation is insufficient, so I can only lay down the Postnatal Five Elements Five Directions Great Array. Please enter the formation and offer your guidance!"

Daoist Duobao sat cross-legged in the void, full of high spirits.

His three thousand strands of hair streamed behind him, making him appear exceptionally bold as he swept away his previous dejection.

"Very well!"

Qingyuan sheathed his sword and stepped into the Postnatal Five Directions Five Elements Great Array.

Rumble!

The instant he entered the formation, the Five Elements generated and restrained one another, supporting each other until they gave birth to a Soul-Bewildering White Mist that disrupted the mind of anyone entering the formation.

As a Green Lotus, Qingyuan possessed Auspicious Light Divine Protection, and Ten Thousand Evils could not invade him. He did not fear the Soul-Bewildering Smoke.

But the Five Elements and five gates shifted without rest.

He had just been fortunate enough to enter the North Gate, which governed Creation, and thus had not encountered slaughter.

Yet in an instant, the North Gate transformed into the West Gate, which governed Slaughter. Rolling golden formation light swept toward him in a flash, dense as pillars of torrential rain, leaving no room to evade!

"What a fine formation. Duobao truly deserves to be called Duobao. Even ten thousand of me could not compare to his talent for learning."

Qingyuan sighed inwardly.

Golden light flashed through his eyes. Not only did he not resist, he even raised his hand and pointed at a patch of empty space nearby. The sight made even the formation's observers' scalps tingle.

Yet no one had expected

that the Postnatal Five Elements Five Directions Great Array would break apart without warning just like that!!

The crowd erupted in uproar, all of them stunned.

Even Daoist Duobao failed to react. The calm smile on his face stiffened.

Several breaths passed

before he finally came to his senses and cried in disbelief, "H-How is this possible! How did you break my formation?!!"

"If it were the Primordial Five Directions Five Elements Great Array laid down by our grandmaster, its Chaos Law would generate an unending cycle of the Five Elements. I certainly could not break it. But your Postnatal Five Directions Five Elements Great Array uses postnatal treasures refined and integrated into mountains, forests, rivers, mineral veins, and Earth Fire. It was arranged according to the Five Elements corresponding to the five directions. As a postnatal creation, its power is astonishing, but it has one flaw."

Qingyuan smiled and explained unhurriedly, "The origins of the Five Elements and five directions are not evenly distributed."

"As long as one disrupts your Five Elements, there is no need for me to break the formation. It will collapse on its own."

The moment he said this,

the many cultivators froze, suddenly struck by a realization.

Even Guangchengzi, Golden Spirit Holy Mother, and the others sank into deep thought. If they had been the ones breaking the formation, could they have thought of such a method so quickly?

Duobao wore a bitter expression. Rising to his feet, he cupped his hands and said, "I lost this formation contest. Please set up a formation, Senior Brother Qingyuan, and allow me to break it!"

"Very well."

Qingyuan nodded.

He immediately set up a formation, throwing 365 Formation Flagpoles into the sky before casting Postnatal Five Elements treasures below. No mysterious radiance appeared during the process. Only when it took shape did it transform into a Misty Great Realm.

"Please."

"Good!"

Daoist Duobao flew into the formation alone, his eyes gleaming as he observed the details of this great formation.

In an instant, the Misty Great Realm drew down the light of three hundred sixty-five stars from the Primordial Star Domain. Together with the Five Elements formation, it formed a terrifying Killing Formation.

Starlight filled the sky like falling meteors.

The Five Elements rotated in succession, and killing intent layered upon killing intent, leaving Daoist Duobao in a wretched state.

Forget breaking the formation—he was currently struggling just to use his treasures for protection!!!

This scene threw the many cultivators into an uproar as they began guessing the origins of the formation.

"What formation is this? Why have I never heard our teacher mention it? Could it be a new formation developed by Martial Uncle Shangqing?"

Guangchengzi exclaimed repeatedly. Immortal Elder Nanji nodded and said, "Senior Uncle Taiqing excels at alchemy, our teacher excels at artifact refinement, while Martial Uncle Shangqing is a transcendent master of formations. This formation must have been created by Martial Uncle Shangqing!"

"I never expected the Primordial Star Divine Light to be connected with the Five Elements. The two complement each other and evolve profound principles, generating endless killing intent!"

Chijingzi also sighed in admiration. "Fellow Daoists of the Interception Sect are truly fortunate to be able to learn such an exquisite formation!"

He also asked Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Holy Mother Wudang, and the others about the formation.

Although the Chan and Jie Sects had differing teachings at present, their conflict had not fully erupted. They still addressed one another as senior and junior brothers and sisters, and their relationship was not bad.

Yet Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Holy Mother Wudang, and the other elite disciples of the Interception Sect

were completely dumbfounded.

This formation... we do not know either...