Setting up the Formation

The battle was exceptionally brutal. With Xu Yishan joining the fray, the disciples of the Wan Household and Tian Household were reaped like wheat.

In a single clash, vast numbers were killed or wounded, and corpses piled into mountains.

"Die!"

Tian Qihong's head flew into the air, severed from his body. Even as he died, he clung tightly to Liu Wuxie's legs, giving everyone a chance to escape.

"Let's break out!"

The remaining mercenaries of the Langya Hired Mercenary Corps surged toward the gate like a torrent. With their commander dead, they scattered like birds and beasts, terrified out of their wits and unwilling to fight.

Breaking free of Tian Qihong's hands, Liu Wuxie stepped in the pattern of the Seven Stars. Three Liu Wuxies appeared across the battlefield, scattered in different places. His short blade slashed down through the air, its staggering blade force gathering into a canopy of blade Qi that suddenly descended.

Rumble...

The ground throughout the camp shook violently, like a magnitude-five earthquake. Countless cracks appeared in the surrounding buildings.

Biting blade Qi filled the surroundings, obscuring everyone's vision. They could not see what was happening on the battlefield, but scream after scream echoed in their ears.

When the dust settled, peace gradually returned to the camp. A youth in blue stood at its center, like a lofty mountain that demanded admiration. Everyone who looked at him felt as though they were gazing at an ancient, towering mountain, impossibly high to scale.

A thick layer of corpses lay around him. The Langya Mercenary Corps had been all but annihilated. How terrifying was it to wipe out a hundred people with a single slash?

"Hiss..."

The Xu Household guards sucked in sharp breaths. More than fifty corpses lay at the exit, all shot dead by arrows.

Xu Yishan put away his longsword and walked toward Liu Wuxie, a trace of bitterness at the corners of his mouth and an unnatural expression on his face.

"When did you break through to the Xiantian Realm? Does my elder brother know?"

He voiced his questions. When he had returned to Canglan City six months ago, Liu Wuxie had still been a good-for-nothing. He could not possibly have grown so quickly in just six months. There was only one possibility: he had been hiding his abilities all along.

"He knows!"

Liu Wuxie answered indifferently. There was little familial affection between him and Xu Yishan, whom he saw only a few times a year. Xu Yishan's relationship with Xu Lingxue, however, was very good.

Whenever Xu Yishan returned from the mine, he brought novel little trinkets for Xu Lingxue. As for Liu Wuxie, he received a scolding whenever Xu Yishan returned, so he always avoided him when they met.

"I was wrong this afternoon. Without you tonight, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

He was frank enough. Knowing he had gone somewhat too far that afternoon, he apologized to Liu Wuxie in person.

The other guards came forward with respectful expressions. Those who had mocked Liu Wuxie, in particular, lowered their heads like children who had done something wrong, afraid he would blame them.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to rest. These are some materials I need. Have my father-in-law prepare them as soon as possible. I'm going to set up a grand formation here. Afterward, even someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm will meet only death if they come."

Leaving behind a list, he handed the remaining matters over to Xu Yishan. All he needed to do was return and cultivate in peace while waiting for the formation materials to arrive.

He passed through the crowd and returned to his room, as though none of this had anything to do with him.

"The young master seems to have changed!"

A guard spoke quietly. The presence Liu Wuxie gave off made them afraid to look directly at him.

"The young master is far too powerful! He killed Langya in three slashes. Our Xu Household's rise is in sight!"

Excited shouts rang out, and the entire camp erupted in cheers.

"No one is to reveal what happened tonight. The injured brothers should focus on recovering. Clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible. Everything is to remain as before."

Xu Yishan issued a series of orders. The injured guards were carried back to rest, while the others cleaned up the battlefield and sealed off all news of that night.

Everyone got to work. At daybreak, operations at the mine resumed. The miners went underground, and cartloads of ore were brought up.

"Young master, breakfast is ready. Will you eat in the dining hall, or shall I bring it here?"

A guard stood cautiously outside the door, bowing as he asked respectfully.

"Bring it here!"

Liu Wuxie did not want to interact with too many people. The formation materials should arrive within the next two days. Once the formation was successfully set up, he would leave and hurry back to Canglan City. The one-month deadline was drawing ever closer.

Liu Wuxie spent the next two days cultivating. The Xu Household's convoy slowly drove into the camp, bringing a familiar face this time.

"Young master, I've brought everything you need!"

Steward Lan stood outside the door. After receiving word from the second master, Xu Yilin had allocated funds without another word, purchased the materials, and sent them over at once. Steward Lan had personally escorted the convoy to prevent any mishaps.

Liu Wuxie opened the door. Two days of cultivation had slightly improved his cultivation level. As his cultivation reached its later stages, progress grew increasingly slow, requiring endless resources to build it up.

"Tell me about the recent situation in Canglan City."

The two stood in the open space. Xu Yishan remained in the distance without approaching, having developed a sense of awe toward Liu Wuxie.

"A few days ago, the Tian Household joined forces with the Wan Household to launch a surprise attack on our weapons workshop. Fortunately, the patriarch was prepared and caught them off guard instead. Both households suffered heavy losses."

Canglan City had been far from peaceful these past few days. The Tian and Wan Households had been stirring restlessly, growing unable to restrain themselves. They had launched a night raid, only to suffer a crushing blow from the Xu Household.

"Is there any other news?"

Liu Wuxie wanted information about the Stone-Breaking Army. So much time had passed since they lost fifty soldiers. Could there really be no news at all?

The Stone-Breaking Army was an elite force, and every soldier was registered. Even if one died on the battlefield, there would be detailed records of his deeds in life.

The mysterious disappearance of fifty Stone-Breaking Army soldiers was enough to shake the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty.

"There have also been problems at the Song Household's formation hall. And there's another story circulating in Canglan City, though whether it's true remains uncertain."

Steward Lan spoke uncertainly. Those were essentially all the major events of the past few days.

"What is it?"

The two talked as they walked. The mine's open grounds were vast, and making a circuit would take a long time.

"There are rumors that the Stone-Breaking Army came to Canglan City. No one knows what happened, but those soldiers mysteriously disappeared. I heard Imperial Capital City has already sent people to investigate."

Steward Lan lowered his voice. The Stone-Breaking Army's mysterious disappearance could be a major or minor matter, and he dared not make rash judgments.

Liu Wuxie nodded. Deacon Qi and the others had already issued a gag order. They would die rather than speak. If word got out, every one of them would die.

Qi Enshi, the Tian Household, and the Wan Household were even less likely to mention it. They had used the Stone-Breaking Army and would likewise be unable to escape implication.

Cartloads of goods were unloaded, all materials Liu Wuxie needed-three full carts in total.

"Steward Lan, I'll need your help over the next few days."

Setting up the formation alone would take a great deal of time. He could leave the excavation of the formation nodes to Steward Lan.

"Just give the word, young master!"

News of what had happened at the camp had already reached the household. Xu Yishan had not concealed it. Aside from him, Steward Lan alone knew what had happened here.

With a face full of respect, Steward Lan followed behind Liu Wuxie, taking out paper and a brush to make detailed notes. Much of it was obscure and beyond his understanding, so he would study it slowly after returning.

Fifteen formation nodes were needed in total, encircling the entire Xu Household mine and covering a fifty-li radius. A formation this large could not be completed by one person alone.

Once the arrangements were made, Steward Lan led fifty guards to excavate the ground and set up the formation according to the positions Liu Wuxie had marked out beforehand.

A powerful formation could never be completed simply by planting a few formation flags around the perimeter. Such descriptions in books merely deceived ordinary readers.

Formations fell into three categories. The first was the Spirit Gathering Formation, set up using Spirit Stones. This type of formation was consumable, depleting its power every day. A powerful Spirit Gathering Formation could last several months, while an ordinary one lasted only a few days.

The second borrowed momentum, making use of the grand momentum of heaven and earth. This was extremely difficult and required an understanding of how to harness that momentum. The slightest error in setting it up would produce the opposite result and cause a backlash.

The third was even more complex. It required not only using the grand momentum of heaven and earth, but also integrating the intricacies of formations and establishing formation nodes. Only a formation master could accomplish this.

The Surging Waves Earth Essence Formation Liu Wuxie was setting up combined the local environment with the wonders of formations, achieving two ends with one effort.

After a day's work, all the formation nodes had been successfully excavated. Some were on sheer cliffs, while others were in mountain streams and rivers...

Over a day and a night, Liu Wuxie crafted fifteen formation flags. Each differed in size and color, and the attributes they represented naturally differed as well.

Following the diagrams Liu Wuxie provided, Steward Lan inserted the flags into the formation nodes overnight. Gusts of wind suddenly ravaged the air above the entire camp. A faint mist enveloped it, and the camp vanished into thin air.

From outside, the place looked like a bewildering veil, through which nothing in the camp could be seen.

Those inside, however, could clearly see every movement outside. It was uncanny in the extreme.

Drawing on the power of the earth was the Surging Waves Earth Essence Formation's greatest strength. Maintaining a formation with Spirit Stones alone was ultimately no lasting solution. Once the Spirit Stones were exhausted, the formation would collapse without being attacked.

Harnessing the power of heaven and earth, continuously drawing in fresh power to keep the formation running-this was the true way of formations.

The rest was left for Liu Wuxie to complete-the most difficult step. The grand formation had already activated, but it had no rules. Those outside could not enter, and those inside could not leave. Rules needed to be established.

In a certain sense, the person who set up a formation was its soul, controlling heaven and earth.

Two Spirit Stones were placed at each formation node, one yin and one yang, creating the power of yin and yang. The formation gradually took shape.

The formation nodes returned to their original appearance. Even if ordinary people knew about them, they could not approach. A killing formation formed around each node. Anyone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm who approached would undoubtedly die.

"Young master, how... how did you do it?"

Though Steward Lan had personally taken part, he had only handled simple tasks. He knew nothing about the way of formations.

"Do you want to learn?"

Liu Wuxie turned his head and asked with a smile. Steward Lan was utterly loyal to the Xu Household. Sooner or later, Liu Wuxie would leave Canglan City, and the Xu Household would have to rely on them for support. Hu Shi was one example; Liu Wuxie had taught him artifact refining.

"Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Steward Lan acted decisively and knelt on the spot. If he could comprehend such a formidable formation, his standing in the Xu Household would rise even higher from then on.

"Extract a drop of Essence Blood!"

It was the same as with Hu Shi: one could know a person's face without knowing their heart. By signing a soul contract, if Steward Lan dared betray the Xu Household in the future, Liu Wuxie could take his life at any time.

Without hesitation, Steward Lan extracted a drop of Essence Blood, which floated in the air.

Liu Wuxie formed a series of hand seals, sealing a vast amount of formation knowledge into it, along with the soul contract.

With a whoosh, the Essence Blood sank into Steward Lan's head. A flood of information exploded in his sea of consciousness, and the astonishment on his face deepened.