Chapter 1076
Dragon-Slaying and Immortal-Exterminating Formation
Under the cover of night, the blue sea surges and rolls.
Beneath the surging waves, a crystal palace looms in and out, enveloped in a giant bubble.
Each of the eight directions of the palace has a pillar, hundreds of feet long, forged from special meteorite iron, and atop each meteorite iron pillar is a ferocious beast.
The creature residing in the east has the head of a dragon and the body of an ox, with a pair of short horns; it is Qiuniu.
The one residing in the south has a dragon's head and a leopard's body, with sharp teeth and claws; this is Yazi.
The one residing in the west has the body of a dragon and the form of a beast, with two wings on its back; it is the Chaofeng.
The one residing in the north has a dragon head without horns, and a fat and short body; this is the Pulao.
The one located in the southeast has a dragon's head and a lion's body, with a majestic appearance; it is the Suanni.
The one located in the southwest has a dragon's head and a tiger's body, with exposed fangs; it is the Bi'an.
The one located in the northeast resembles a dragon, but has no claws under its belly; it is called Fuxi.
The one located in the northwest has a dragon's head and a fish's body, with its mouth wide open; it is Chiwen.
Eight meteorite iron pillars were linked together by thick iron chains, exuding a malevolent aura and forming a barrier that covered an area of a hundred miles.
"【Nine Dragons Stabilizing the Sea Formation】."
Song Changsheng immediately recognized the strange formation below.
At this moment, he finally understood where Kongsang Baijue's confidence came from; it turned out that he had set up such a forbidden formation.
As is widely known, the various arts of cultivation originated from the human race and are the foundation for the human race's prosperity.
The other races are not fools either. Learning from each other's strengths and making up for each other's weaknesses is not something only humans do. Over the years, they have never given up their research.
However, the professional barriers to cultivation arts are extremely high. Not only do they require systematic theories, but they also need a lot of experience from predecessors to support them. This alone makes many weak races hesitate to try.
In addition, most cultivation techniques require extremely high comprehension and dexterity, which has almost completely eliminated beast-shaped and other forms of races.
This is because they not only develop intelligence very late, but also have difficulty performing some fine motor skills.
To use demonic power to replace one's hands, one must at least cultivate to the level of a Great Demon.
Because of these numerous restrictions, those who have achieved something in the various arts of cultivation are almost all demon kings or humanoid races who can transform into human form.
Most demons are beast-like, but sea creatures are different. For example, the Merfolk, the Rainbow Scale Clan, the Sea Yaksha, and the Black Scale Clan are all humanoid races with a higher level of civilization.
Although the success rate is extremely low, several top talents at the master level have emerged in history.
His greatest achievement was in the art of array formation. Because of the long history, his specific name and race are no longer known. He was the most outstanding array formation master at the time, only half a step away from the legendary seventh rank.
Throughout history, he is the only one besides the human race who has been able to reach this point.
Logically speaking, such a master of array formations should have left behind many original array formations for future generations, but he only has one, which is the [Nine Dragons Stabilizing the Sea Array] in front of us.
Its original name should be "Dragon-Slaying and Immortal-Exterminating Formation".
To set up this grand formation, nine dragon-slaying pillars must first be forged, each requiring the sacrifice of a real dragon.
The powerful sea creature who created this formation spent his entire life hunting down nine sixth-level true dragons before finally bringing them into the world.
This act enraged the dragon race, and their strongest warriors launched a massive battle that lasted for years. Only after paying an unimaginable price were they finally slaying the dragon, plunging the world into turmoil.
Although he died, he passed on the method of setting up the formation in advance. Under the pressure of the dragon clan, the content was added or subtracted several times, and the name was changed. It gradually faded from the public eye.
Aside from powerful clans like the Merfolk, few people know about it anymore. Song Changsheng only learned about this powerful formation unique to the sea race when he was reading the "Creation Codex".
Upon hearing this, Yi Tianzheng looked thoughtful and said, "The Nine Dragons Sea-Stabilizing Formation is a legendary, deadly formation made by sacrificing nine true dragons? But right now there are only eight pseudo-dragons."
The Myriad Manifestations Palace had dealt with the sea race for tens of thousands of years, and he had heard of this formation, but that was all he knew.
Song Changsheng smiled slightly and said, "Let alone the fact that true dragons are now hidden from the world, even if they didn't exist, Kong Sang Bai Jue wouldn't dare to hunt down a true dragon to refine the [Dragon Slaying Pillar] even if he had a few more lives. It's already very rare that he was able to gather these nine hybrid species."
As for the last dragon, it should be Baxia, positioned in the center to suppress the evil energy, most likely located in the water palace of Kongsang Baijue.
"It seems you know this formation very well. Do you have a way to break it?"
Song Changsheng activated his [Eye of Truth] and carefully observed the situation, but gained very little.
Among the supernatural abilities he acquired early on, the [Eye of Illusion] was the one he relied on and used most frequently. It was particularly effective in breaking formations, allowing him to easily discover the flaws in formations that were more advanced than his own, enabling him to turn defeat into victory on many occasions in desperate situations.
However, as his cultivation level improved, the quality of the formations he faced also increased, and the once invincible [Eye of Illusion] began to feel somewhat inadequate.
After all, a fifth-tier formation has very few weaknesses.
It is either extremely well hidden, requiring a lot of time to set up, or it was specifically targeted from the very beginning of its formation. In short, it is not easily cracked.
This is a mid-grade fifth-order protective array. Kongsang Baijue himself certainly did not have such a high level of array formation skills, and it is unknown who set it up.
"In my opinion, this formation can only be broken by force."
Yi Tianzheng frowned and said, "With the two of us, it might be difficult to break through this great formation. How about we set up a blockade and wait for reinforcements?"
The arrangement of a fifth-order formation involves the application of the power of the Great Dao. Even a low-grade fifth-order formation can withstand several cultivators at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm for a long time.
Even if a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator were to personally intervene, it would still take some effort.
Only a Nascent Soul Grand Perfection cultivator like Lei Xiang Zhenjun can achieve such overwhelming power.
Even if Song Changsheng and Yi Tianzheng joined forces, they were far from reaching that level; without any obvious weaknesses, it would be almost impossible to break through.
Furthermore, this [Nine Dragons Stabilizing the Sea Formation] is not a defensive formation, but a truly deadly and dangerous one. Attacking it without knowing its strength is a very dangerous thing.
They now have complete control. As long as they don't let Kongsang Baijue, their nemesis, escape, they can catch him off guard once reinforcements arrive. There's no need to take any risks.
Song Changsheng was also happy to relax. He had gained a lot from this decisive battle, but the intense fighting over the past few days had left him physically and mentally exhausted.
Now that the overall situation is settled, what difference does it make if it's a few more days or a few less?
The two hit it off immediately and joined forces to set up a spatial blockade around the surrounding sea area.
At this moment, Song Changsheng missed the [Space Iron Pestle] he had seized from Yin Jue. It was not only useful but also convenient. It was just a pity that it had become a burial item for the body of the Chihai Demon Lord.
After setting up the spatial blockade, he didn't rest. Instead, he activated the [Insightful Eye] to observe the details of the great formation in front of him.
It's both about finding weaknesses and learning.
This formation has a long history and a very prestigious name, but it has always been in the hands of the sea race. So far, no human formation master has been known to have mastered this formation.
Its immense power is beyond doubt. Now that the Song family has risen to become a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan, their hard power, such as their protective array, naturally needs to be enhanced.
This [Nine Dragons Stabilizing the Sea Formation] is quite good, and the [Dragon-Slaying Pillars] are readily available.
The rank of this formation is the upper limit for formation masters, not the upper limit for the [Dragon Slaying Pillar].
In his view, this set of [Dragon Slaying Pillars] could easily be used to set up a fifth-tier top-grade array.
Although it is precious, given the merits he made in this battle, it shouldn't be difficult for him to get this set from the Wanxiang Palace after the war.
Since we're idle now, let's observe more and it will make setting up the formation easier later.
For some reason, Kongsang Baijue remained unmoved by their actions, not only failing to stop them but also completely hiding away without even showing his face.
Actually, it wasn't that Kongsang Bai didn't want to stop it; it was that he simply didn't have the ability.
He was not a formation master, so he could not unleash the full power of the formation; he was good at defense but lacked offensive capabilities.
Furthermore, his fiefdom is located here, leaving him with no way to escape.
All he can do now is use all his resources to find outside help; that's his only way out. The longer the conflict drags on, the better for him. Naturally, he has no intention of starting a war.
Logically speaking, given his cultivation level and status, he should have easily received assistance.
But that's not the case.
Firstly, the Merfolk royal court is located deep in the East Sea, a place that is difficult to reach by any existing means of communication. As a feudal lord, he is not allowed to return without imperial decree, making it impossible to contact him on ordinary days.
Secondly, the Holy Emperor's lifespan is approaching, and he is choosing a new successor. This matter has drawn the majority of attention within the sea race, and no one is paying attention to these struggles in the near sea.
Even someone like Kong Sang Li Feng, who has powerful backers, couldn't get support, let alone someone like him, a marginal noble without any backing.
Now, he can only resort to last-minute cramming...
Shortly after the water palace of Kongsang Baijue was sealed off, a very slight spatial fluctuation was heard in the airspace above them.
Song Changsheng and Yi Tian, who were meditating on the sea surface, opened their eyes and looked up at the sky at the same time.
Through the thick clouds, they saw a young True Lord dressed in a flowing cloud robe and wearing a tall white jade crown.
The surrounding clouds drifted and swayed, seemingly blending completely into this world.
Yi Tianzheng stood up and took the initiative to ask, "Is the visitor a fellow Daoist from the Qingfeng Dao Sect?"
The young True Monarch descended from the sky, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "The current sect leader of Qingfeng Dao Sect is Ren Mufeng. Fellow Daoist, you must be the Palace Master of Wanxiang Palace, Fellow Daoist Tianxiang."
"So it's Fellow Daoist Heng Hua. The man beside me is Song Changsheng, the newly promoted Nascent Soul True Monarch from the borderlands and the current patriarch of the Wangyue Song Clan."
Upon hearing this, True Monarch Henghua couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Could it be Song Zixu, who won the championship in the Five Academies Grand Competition in the past?"
Now it was Song Changsheng's turn to be surprised. Although there were quite a few cultivators watching the Five Academies Grand Competition, most of them were from the cultivation world around the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, mainly concentrated in the area where the Southern Wilderness Continent and the Western Sands Continent meet.
It wouldn't be surprising if people from the Southern and Western continents recognized him; he was confident in that.
The Qingfeng Dao Sect is located on the coast of Dongze Yinzhou. It was quite unexpected that Henghua Zhenjun could directly identify him. The Five Academies Competition had such a great influence.
That's actually true.
The other four academies in the Five Academies Grand Competition may not be as famous, but Zhulu Academy is a top-ranked cultivation academy in the entire human cultivation world. In addition, with the renowned Zhao Yin, the number of people paying attention to the competition he participated in far exceeded the number of people who actually came to watch.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Henghua."
"Truly, the younger generation is to be feared." Upon hearing his own admission, Heng Hua Zhenjun was overwhelmed with emotion.
The competition has been going on for less than two cycles of sixty years. Back then, Song Changsheng was just a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Now, he is already at the same level as him. What a monstrous talent! No wonder he was able to defeat Zhao Yin and win the championship.
After regaining his senses, he immediately asked about the whereabouts of True Monarch Fengyin.
As the pillar of the Qingfeng Dao Sect, the safety of True Monarch Fengyin is of utmost importance.
"Fellow Daoist Fengyin and Fellow Daoist Xiaoyao have gone to the distant sea to pursue the evil path."
Our ancestor, Xuanlei, broke through to the sixth rank and achieved the Supreme Realm as a spirit of a weapon. The overall situation is now settled, fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry.”
Yi Tianzheng's words were both to appease Heng Hua Zhenjun and to demonstrate his strength and seize the initiative.
"Sixth rank?" True Monarch Henghua was greatly shocked.
In the entire Eastern Continent, the number of openly recognized Nascent Soul cultivators can be counted on two hands.
Even if a spirit becomes a supreme being, it is still a supreme being, which is incomparable to the Qingfeng Dao Sect.
Moreover, the lifespan of the artifact spirit far exceeds that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the Myriad Manifestations Palace is already showing signs of rising to prominence.
Although the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty did not have a Nascent Soul Supreme in charge, many people assumed it was a Nascent Soul power because of the existence of the Dao artifact [Map of Mountains and Rivers].
Despite the turmoil in his heart, a smile appeared on his face: "If it weren't for your explanation, I wouldn't have known about this matter. After this battle, I would have personally paid my respects to the Supreme One."
"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. I should thank your sect for your righteous help, which made this battle go so smoothly. We will definitely welcome you with open arms when the time comes."
"Where."
After exchanging pleasantries, the group reached a consensus on the issue of the White Desolation of Kongsang, adding another layer of protection to the area outside the Water Mansion.
The three waited and waited, but no help came. They didn't know what had held them back.
However, as Nascent Soul True Monarchs, the three of them usually went into seclusion for decades or even centuries, so they could naturally endure a few days.
However, what arrived even before the support was an urgent message from the Qingfeng Dao Sect.
Heng Hua Zhenjun initially thought there was some unusual activity in the surrounding cultivation world. After reading the contents, he met the gazes of the two people and said with a solemn expression, "This message was sent by the Wanxiang Palace, passed through the East Sea Heaven-level Black Market to the Qingfeng Dao Sect, and finally reached me."
The letter stated that a demonic calamity had broken out in the borderlands, urging the two fellow cultivators to return immediately.
These words immediately stirred up a storm in Song Changsheng's heart.
The demonic calamity I witnessed during my tribulation has finally come true!
……
P.S.: The extra chapter will be a little late. (End of this chapter)