East Sea Life-Crossing Formation

After Nuwa left, Xuan Heng did not linger here for long either and soon departed.

This time, however, he did not head deeper into the Primordial World. Instead, he changed direction and made for the eastern shore of the East Sea.

Xuan Heng remembered this place vividly. When Nuwa had created humanity, she had merely casually left a small human tribe here. But what concerned Xuan Heng was not only that a branch of the innate human race would arise here.

According to the original course of the Primordial World, after humanity was born, they would migrate along rivers and mountain ranges, moving into the flatter plains of the Primordial World's interior.

But once the Witch-Demon War began, nearly all human branches that had migrated into the heartland of the Primordial World, Mount Imperfection, and the Demon Race's hunting grounds suffered devastating blows.

The Demon Race needed to forge the Witch-Slaying Sword, and so they slaughtered humans on a massive scale.

The aftershocks of the Witch-Demon War would also crush countless weak human tribes.

In the end, the human branch that truly endured the great calamity and carried on was instead the one on this remote, overlooked shore of the East Sea.

This place was far from Mount Imperfection, and the Witch Clan would hardly ever come here. Moreover, most of the Demon Court's attention was fixed on the allegiance of the myriad demons and the fortune of the heavens. For a time, they would not regard the East Sea shore as a core region.

Perhaps the greatest threat here was the East Sea Dragon Clan. Yet after suffering grievous losses in the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, the East Sea Dragon Clan had retreated into the deep sea. Thus, during the Witch-Demon Calamity, this was a rare patch of buffer ground.

Red Cloud's death had taught Xuan Heng that once a great calamity descended, trying to change it was impossible. All he could do was make preparations before the rain came and lay plans in advance.

The East Sea shore was crisscrossed by waterways and broad plains, surrounded by river channels, hills, and seas, with routes leading inland. If humanity suffered disaster in the future, this would be the most suitable rear sanctuary.

Xuan Heng had come this time to set up a grand transfer formation along the East Sea shore in advance. When the Demon Race raised the butcher's knife against humanity in the future, he would save as many humans as possible.

Xuan Heng flew eastward through the Primordial World. The closer he drew to the East Sea, the lower the terrain became. As the sea neared, the land gradually spread wide, rivers wove across the earth, and vegetation flourished. Waterways flowed from the interior into the East Sea, eventually converging into vast tidal flats.

The sea breeze carried dampness as it swept over him. Xuan Heng descended upon a high slope and gazed at the rippling East Sea in the distance.

Compared to Kunlun Mountain and the area around Mount Imperfection, the spiritual energy along the East Sea shore was many grades lower. But it was enough for humanity, who had only just emerged into the world. Low spiritual energy would not draw the covetous eyes of the Demon Race and other clans, making it ideal for the newly born human race to lie low and grow.

Xuan Heng took out the Sky-Illuminating Mirror. Within its surface, the mountains, rivers, and terrain of hundreds of thousands of miles around the East Sea shore gradually emerged.

To the north was a great river connecting to the interior. To the south lay hills and dense forests where traces of migration could be concealed. To the west were several valleys linked to the heartland of the Primordial World. To the east was the East Sea.

Xuan Heng took out a blank formation diagram he had obtained at Treasure Distribution Cliff. Profound Pure Immortal Light fell from his fingertips, and the mountains, rivers, and waterways along the East Sea shore were inscribed inch by inch into the diagram.

River channels, plains, valleys, dense forests, hills, hidden streams—every location that could serve as a landing point was marked one by one upon the diagram, becoming dots of profound blue light.

At the same time, Xuan Heng knew that this grand formation could not be laid too ostentatiously. Otherwise, before humanity was even born, the formation would be taken away as a treasure by the Demon Race or other clans. Therefore, this formation had to be hidden within the mountains and rivers.

Xuan Heng descended into the center of the plains and took out the Heaven and Earth Ruler. The long ruler stretched across the sky. With a light tap, the vital currents in all four directions of the plain were fixed in place.

Then the Mountain-Suppressing Seal descended and sank into the earth veins. A low echo rose from the depths of the land as several scattered earth veins were combed into order and slowly converged toward the center of the plains.

The Mountain-Driving Whip flew out. With a flick of its shadow, several rocky slopes to the west slowly shifted, invisibly forming natural barriers. If humans were transported here in the future, they could use those hills to shelter from wind and disaster, and temporarily hide when pursuers drew near.

After completing this, Xuan Heng sank the Water-Repelling Pearl into a river flowing into the sea. The water vapor within was gradually smoothed out, and the hidden currents in the river channel calmed.

Xuan Heng then took out the Wind-Storing Bag and collected the chaotic winds from several wind gaps, making the climate at the center of the plain more stable.

After completing this, Xuan Heng took out the Heavenly Origin Formation Diagram he had acquired from Treasure Distribution Cliff. As the diagram unfurled, formation patterns sank bit by bit into the earth.

The Heavenly Origin Formation Diagram was primarily meant to protect the transfer formation Xuan Heng had laid down and shield the humans transported here, preventing their frail bodies from being torn apart by spatial turbulence.

After completing this, Xuan Heng knew full well that relying on himself alone to transfer humanity would certainly not be enough. Thus, he also intended to establish several guiding nodes along the way.

Xuan Heng followed several great rivers from the East Sea inland, traveling westward. Whenever he came upon a suitable valley, river bend, ancient tree, or stone wall, he would stop and leave behind a concealed hidden mark.

So long as he activated the main formation on the East Sea shore in the future, these hidden marks could serve as temporary guiding nodes. As long as humans approached them, they could be directly transported to the East Sea shore through those nodes.

Xuan Heng traveled without pause for several hundred years. Starting from the East Sea shore, he followed the rivers west, south, and north, leaving behind seventy-two hidden marks in total.

These hidden marks were scattered among forests, river valleys, shallows, and stone walls. Some lay beside routes humanity might travel in the future; some stood beyond the edges of the Witch-Demon battlefield; some were near Demon Race hunting grounds, yet hidden in cracks between earth veins where demonic aura could scarcely penetrate.

Whenever he finished placing a hidden mark, Xuan Heng would sweep it once with Profound Pure Immortal Light, ensuring it was unstained by murderous aura and did not actively draw karma, only opening when the great calamity truly came crashing down.

When the final hidden mark was set, Xuan Heng's face had already gone somewhat pale. This grand formation had consumed too much of his mental effort.

He had to deduce the future directions of humanity's migrations, avoid the core territories of the Witch and Demon Clans, and ensure that these hidden marks would not be erased in advance by the grand current of the Heavenly Dao.

Several years later, Xuan Heng returned once more to the formation's core. He took out a small piece of withered bark from the Innate Gourd Vine. It was not part of the vine's true body, merely a bit of dead bark that had naturally fallen away during its nurturing over the years.

The withered bark entered the soil. Innate Yimu energy slowly spread out and merged with the moist earth veins of this land. If Nuwa truly left behind an opportunity of creation here in the future, humanity's aura would naturally harmonize with this grand formation.

As the withered bark of the Innate Gourd Vine entered the earth, the final piece of this grand formation's puzzle was truly complete.

Xuan Heng stood before the formation eye, his hands forming seals.

The Heaven and Earth Ruler, Mountain-Suppressing Seal, and Heavenly Origin Formation Diagram all circled around Xuan Heng.

Then Xuan Heng used the Heaven and Earth Ruler to fix the directions, the Mountain-Suppressing Seal to suppress the earth veins, and the Heavenly Origin Formation Diagram to bear the formation patterns.

The seventy-two hidden marks in the distance and the main formation on the East Sea shore lit up at the same time upon the blank Dao diagram.

An extremely faint line of profound blue light extended from every corner of the interior toward the East Sea shore.

The light shone for only an instant before swiftly sinking into the earth veins.

Xuan Heng slowly let out a breath.

"The grand formation is complete. This formation shall be called the East Sea Life-Crossing Formation."