Though this formation encompassed all things and secretly accorded with the supreme principles of the Heavenly Dao, it also held many powers that defied heaven. It could not only accelerate cultivation, but also refine the universe, rewrite cause and effect, and even extract the power of the Heavenly Dao. It truly seized the creative power of heaven and earth and plundered the mysteries of sun and moon. Each additional layer required a deeper understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, yet the slightest misstep would provoke a backlash from the Heavenly Dao, annihilating body and soul.
However, anyone who truly comprehended all its mysteries could wield the authority to create and destroy worlds, stand above the myriad Daos, and become a true sovereign. Given such a heaven-defying method, Shi Yi should, by all rights, have cultivated it without hesitation to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
Yet now, his brows drew together slightly, and doubts crowded his mind. Though this formation is powerful, it may not suit the laws of this world...
He knew full well that the laws of heaven and earth differed from world to world. Some cultivation methods that were invincible elsewhere might be impossible to practice here, or might even cause cultivation deviation. Moreover, this formation touched upon the very source of the Heavenly Dao. The slightest carelessness could summon heavenly punishment and doom him beyond redemption.
Shi Yi gazed intently at the formation's runes, his eyes deep and inscrutable. His fingertips brushed lightly across its patterns, sensing the mysterious power flowing through them. After a moment, he slowly exhaled and murmured, "Enough. Idle speculation is useless. I'll only know once I try. Today, I'll cultivate this formation and test whether it works!"
Shi Yi had not comprehended this formation on his own; the system had imparted it directly into his mind. Along with its complete mysteries, it had bestowed a profound understanding of the grand formation, allowing him to command it as naturally as his own limbs from his very first encounter. It was as though he had studied it for millions of years, and he could operate it without the slightest impediment.
The Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation comprised thirteen parts, each layer containing supreme mysteries. However, the information within it was so vast that Shi Yi's soul, with the strength it had possessed in his original mortal body, could never have borne it all. Thus, the system had sealed most of the formation's mysteries deep within his sea of consciousness, opening only the first layer for him to study. Only once he completely mastered his current stage would the seal on the next layer gradually unravel.
"In that case, I'll cultivate the first layer!"
Shi Yi hesitated no longer. He immediately sat cross-legged, his palms, soles, and crown facing heaven, and formed intricate hand seals. With a single thought, the spiritual power within him surged endlessly like a celestial river pouring down from the sky, beginning to condense runes according to the patterns of the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation.
He sank his awareness into his sea of consciousness. The formation patterns were extraordinarily intricate; even with his existing understanding, they still seemed unfathomably deep. Shi Yi entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness, as though he resonated with heaven and earth and had become part of the Great Dao itself. Boundless light shone from his body, and his bearing was solemn and majestic, like a deity descending into the mortal world. Every inch of his flesh underwent an astonishing transformation.
His blood boiled like magma, his bones rang like metal, and countless runes appeared among his internal organs. Some resembled the sun and moon hanging in the sky, others towering mountains and rivers, and still others rushing streams and seas. The energy accumulated within him flowed together like a hundred rivers returning to the ocean, constantly breaking apart and reforming until it finally condensed into an immensely profound Dao pattern.
The instant that Dao pattern took shape, Shi Yi seemed to slip into the void. Though still visible to the naked eye, he had transcended the material world. The three thousand Great Daos manifested their true forms and wound around him like roaming dragons. The Great Dao of fire tempered his heart, every beat booming like a thunderous drum; the Great Dao of water nourished his kidneys, shimmering with rippling light; metal energy coursed through his lungs, its sharpness fully revealed; thick earth fortified his spleen, steady as a mountain; and green wood nourished his liver meridians, brimming with vitality.
This enlightenment lasted two days, during which more than a hundred formation patterns developed within Shi Yi. With each new pattern, the true meaning of the Great Dao grew clearer. At last, countless runes intertwined and illuminated one another, evolving into the embryonic form of a small world within his body. Though merely a drop in the vast ocean, it already held the potential to cleave heaven from earth.
A smile of understanding lifted the corners of Shi Yi's mouth, and his eyes flashed with a light that pierced the secrets of heaven. "Hahaha, just as I thought! This Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation really can be cultivated in this world. It seems that although the myriad worlds differ, the supreme principles governing heaven and earth are interconnected. Only the forms in which each world's power manifests are different. And this formation points directly to the source of the Great Dao, to its loftiest mysteries!"
Despite his delight, he quickly gathered his thoughts. His slender fingers traced intricate paths through the air, and the spiritual power within him continued circulating along the routes prescribed by the grand formation. Gradually, his breathing merged with the rhythms of heaven and earth, and faint Dao patterns began to appear around him.
The sun rose and the moon set as time flowed on. In the blink of an eye, half a month quietly passed. Shi Yi remained seated in his original posture, as though he had become a stone statue that had existed since time immemorial. Only the formation patterns constantly flowing across his skin proved that he was deep in cultivation.
Throughout this time, his mind was wholly immersed in the formation's mysteries.
That day, as the first light of dawn appeared, Shi Yi's body suddenly shuddered in the midst of his deep cultivation. Chaos energy churned within his Double Pupils, where faint scenes of heaven and earth being cleaved apart could be seen, as though countless worlds were cycling through birth and destruction within them.
"One hundred thousand formation patterns, finally complete." Shi Yi gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, his voice stirring ripples of Dao resonance through the quiet chamber. With his spiritual sense, he examined every part of his body. Brilliant patterns densely covered his interior, each containing the supreme principles of heaven and earth. Throughout these days, he had tirelessly inscribed formation patterns into his flesh, day and night. Now, at last, he had finished carving all one hundred thousand patterns required for the first layer of the Chaos World-Creation Formation.
The first ray of morning sunlight pierced the clouds and fell directly upon Shi Yi. His blood and vital energy surged ceaselessly like mighty rivers, while his spiritual sense was as clear as a mirror. He slowly rose, his white robes fluttering without wind. Even the space within thirty feet of him twisted slightly beneath the aura spilling from his body.
Shi Yi abruptly stood, divine chaos light swirling within his Double Pupils. His aura was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, with the faint rumbling of the Great Dao echoing around him. Eager to test the might of the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation, he swiftly formed hand seals, and the hundred thousand formation patterns within him lit up one after another like a river of stars.
As the final formation pattern activated, the entire grand formation roared into motion. It was as though a bottomless cavern had opened within Shi Yi. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a thousand feet instantly erupted, rushing toward him like a raging tide! The surging energy formed a vortex visible to the naked eye in midair, howling as it poured into his body.
However, this spiritual energy was mixed and disorderly, laden with impurities. If an ordinary cultivator absorbed it directly, they would suffer damaged meridians at best, or a shaken foundation at worst. Yet Shi Yi remained composed, allowing the torrent of spiritual energy to wash over him. The Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation thundered into operation, its hundred thousand formation patterns grinding the energy like millstones. They refined away every impurity, transforming it into the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth before it flowed into every limb and bone!
What a terrifying refining speed! Shi Yi was shaken. He could clearly feel the spiritual power within him increasing at a perceptible rate, even faster than if he had swallowed spiritual medicine directly!
He abruptly clenched his fist, and the air cracked explosively in his palm as an immense force surged through his meridians. At that moment, he seemed to become a furnace of heaven and earth, devouring spiritual energy from every direction and refining the essence of all things!