Enlightenment on Formations

Bai Yuan gazed at the world of crimson filling the sky and couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.

"So this is Red Mountain World? Truly living up to its reputation."

A world created by a World Lord might seem ordinary on the surface, but in truth, it was far vaster than any ordinary star in the outside world.

Some worlds forged by World Lords even appeared as tiny as dust from the outside, yet held entirely different realms within.

However, such independent spaces often originated from World Lords who had died of old age.

Only after they fell could their inner worlds possibly remain, transforming into independent realms.

Otherwise, the universe would likely be littered with World Lord worlds everywhere by now.

"System, pull up Xuanming Domain Lord's exact location."

[Location locked]

Receiving the coordinates, Bai Yuan didn't hesitate to summon his spaceship and sped toward the target at full throttle.

He couldn't be sure when the forces outside might send someone to intercept and kill him.

As for the spaceship in his hands, it naturally came from Du Yan's storage items—his own ship was still in the parking lot.

No one had expected that Du Yan would possess top-tier storage treasures that even Domain Lords would covet.

And the treasures in his hands were far from limited to just this one.

Bai Yuan speculated that Du Yan must have stumbled upon some great fortune; otherwise, his soul power would never have been so formidable, far surpassing his peers.

Unfortunately, his bloodline was too poor, and he lacked the drive to strive, which kept him stuck at Star Ninth Rank, unable to break through for so long.

In truth, Bai Yuan knew that the safest course was to seek help from others.

A World Lord might be out of reach, but a Domain Lord was within his means.

With his wealth, hiring a Domain Lord for a single strike wasn't too difficult.

But after that, he and the Cloud-Touching Vine would probably be left with nothing but the wind to drink.

And it wouldn't help his future growth in the slightest.

At the bottom of a deep pit, someone just lifted his head and caught a glimpse of a streak of light flashing past.

"Big bro, I think I saw a spaceship fly by."

"What are you daydreaming about? The Universe Mercenary Alliance has guards outside—no ship can get in here. If ships could come in, I'd have driven an excavator in long ago instead of digging myself. Hurry up and dig; if we don't gather ten Red Stones, the mission fails."

The older man beside him spoke without even looking up.

The younger man nodded, assuming his eyes had played tricks on him, and turned his attention back to the digging before him.

With the speed of a C9-Class Spaceship, it took only half an hour for Bai Yuan to reach the location where Xuanming Domain Lord was trapped.

It was a massive Red Stone Mountain, so enormous that even the spaceship seemed as tiny as an ant before it.

The entire mountain radiated an overwhelming pressure, making it nearly impossible for ordinary Star Ninth Rank Martial Artists to approach its depths.

But for a C9-Class Spaceship, that pressure was as good as nonexistent.

"Master, shall we proceed further?" Xingwu inquired.

Bai Yuan stared at the oppressive Red Stone Mountain, frowning slightly. Xuanming Domain Lord was trapped at the very bottom of this mountain.

"Why is it that every time a strong person gets trapped, they're pinned under a mountain? Is this some kind of tradition?"

"Who are you? To be able to pilot a C9-Class Spaceship here..."

A voice suddenly rang out, seeming to seep in from all directions, ethereal yet clear.

Bai Yuan's heart jolted, but he quickly steadied himself and replied in a deep voice, "And who are you?"

A moment of silence.

The voice carried a hint of a wry smile, tinged with self-mockery, yet faintly exuding the majesty of a former king.

"Heh... even if I told you, you probably wouldn't believe it."

"I am Xuanming Domain Lord."

Although he had already guessed as much, hearing the name spoken aloud still sent a chill through Bai Yuan's heart.

"You can talk?"

"Nonsense, I'm not mute, of course I can talk."

"No! That's not what I meant—aren't you trapped? How can you still send me a message?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A deep, hearty laugh rumbled from the depths of Red Stone Mountain. Though muffled by the thick mountain body, it still radiated the pride and unruliness befitting a Domain Lord.

"Those fools used every trick they had to set up this 'Heaven-Imprisoning Domain-Suppressing Array,' and even then, they could only barely lock me in here."

"It's been ten thousand years now. Escaping is hard, but splitting off a strand of mental power to pierce through this mountain? That doesn't cost me much effort at all."

Bai Yuan immediately pressed further upon hearing this: "Senior, what must be done to help you break free?"

"You?"

The Xuanming Domain Lord's voice carried a trace of helplessness:

"Your realm is too low. Forget breaking this 'Heaven-Imprisoning Domain-Suppressing Array'—even the three outer barriers are beyond your power to shake. Unless you can breach those three barriers from the outside and coordinate with me from within, there might be a sliver of hope."

Bai Yuan's brows knit tightly. The system had no reason to issue a completely impossible task, but there was no way he could break through to Domain Lord on the spot here.

Even if he wanted to, he simply couldn't do it.

Just as he was hesitating, the Xuanming Domain Lord's voice rang out again:

"Actually, there is a way. Those three barriers are connected to the grand array. If you can sever their link to the main formation, the barriers will collapse. However, this array's grade is quite high, and you're only at the Star Realm. Your formation mastery is probably..."

The Xuanming Domain Lord paused for a moment, his tone taking on a more complex shade:

"Originally, it wouldn't have worked. But after ten thousand years trapped here, facing this great array day and night, studying it without cease, I've come to understand it thoroughly. Unfortunately, breaking the array from the inside is more than ten times harder—that's why I need someone to lend a hand from outside."

The next moment, Bai Yuan gathered his focus and sank his entire consciousness into the vast formation before him.

The manipulation of psionic weapons inherently contained principles of formation theory.

How blades were arranged, how power was stacked—both were, in essence, a precise weaving of energy and spatial structure.

Thus, Bai Yuan was not completely ignorant of formations, but his knowledge stopped at basic application. He was still far from the level of truly "dissecting" or "breaking" a formation.

Just as he was concentrating on deducing the barriers, the Xuanming Domain Lord's voice sounded again, his tone clearly invigorated:

"Since you have the intent, I will explain this 'Heaven-Imprisoning Domain-Suppressing Array' to you..."

He did not directly teach the method of breaking the array, but began from the essence of formations. His voice was like the soft tolling of an ancient bell, each word sinking deep into Bai Yuan's sea of consciousness.

"The way of formations—imprisoning heaven, sealing earth, trapping men, suppressing souls—all boil down to the two words 'Dao' and 'Law.'"

"Dao is the foundation of the universe; Law is the origin of all principles."

"This array uses Red Stone Mountain as its base, drawing on the power of the earth's veins as its source. The three barriers are not isolated; like the roots of a tree, they share the same breath and pulse as the main body of the array..."

The Xuanming Domain Lord spoke unhurriedly, from the fundamentals of formation theory to the method of overlapping spatial layers.

From the shifting illusions of the hidden array eye to how the barriers connected with the main formation.

Trapped for ten thousand years, spending every day with the array as his companion, everything he imparted was born from personal realization. His words were profound yet simple, but they struck straight at the core.

Bai Yuan held his breath and concentrated, engraving every sentence into his mind.

Gradually, the originally chaotic and overwhelming diagram of the array in his eyes slowly revealed clear veins and structure.

He no longer hesitated and called out in his heart: "System, use one Enlightenment!"

In an instant, all the mysteries of the formation became like the simplest mathematical problems, layer by layer dismantled before him, then continuously fused, evolved, and grew increasingly complex.