Chapter 304: Strong Troops

Though so, the facts were before his eyes; Commander Yang had no choice but to believe—there was no other option.

Because Mo Hua had already begun explaining the formation diagrams of Great Heishan to him.

Where on the mountain fortress's map each formation was drawn, what purpose each formation served, what would happen if one forcibly broke it, and what would happen if one did not break it.

Also the overall design logic behind Great Heishan's formations: where the formations were strong, where they were weak, and which route would be best to take if launching an attack.

Where the hidden doors and escape routes were, which needed to be sealed off in advance to prevent the evil cultivators from fleeing…

……

Commander Yang grew more and more astonished as he listened.

This level of formation mastery had completely surpassed his understanding; many of the formation principles were so complex that he could barely grasp even a vague outline.

The last time he had felt this way was back in the clan school, struggling to learn formations under the formation master, scratching his head in frustration.

Commander Yang stole a glance at Zhang Lan.

Mo Hua showed no hesitation: "I promised Great Heishan I would retreat to Shenshan."

"Isn't that what Dao soldiers are for?" Mo Hua said.

Commander Yang's attitude toward Mo Hua subtly became far more respectful.

Mo Hua nodded. "Alright, then let's go see the Mist Forest."

Commander Yang silently sneered at Zhang Lan—he had been fully focused, listening intently as Mo Hua explained the formations in a clear, childish voice.

In Mo Hua's perception, among the Dao soldiers, only Commander Yang was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He knew that Yuanchai had seven bosses—seven Foundation Establishment evil cultivators in total.

"Commander Yang, can we wipe out Yuanchai this time?"

After Mo Hua spent half a day explaining all the formations on Yuanchai's map, Commander Yang was deeply shaken—and his mood grew simple.

The route map Mo Hua had drawn of the Mist Forest was naturally useless now.

The more Mo Hua spoke, the brighter his eyes became.

"A Dao soldier squad consists of ten people: select cultivators with identical or similar elemental affinities, whose cultivation methods are similar or mutually complementary, equip them with fine armor and sharp long weapons, then inscribe upon the armor and weapons formations that harmonize their qi and amplify their battle spirit—when facing cultivators of the same realm, they are virtually unstoppable."

Commander Yang nodded. "I and Zhang Lan will escort you."

"A Level Four Qi Condensation Dao soldier, if lacking in combat experience and insufficiently coordinated with his comrades, even if numbering many, will still be picked off one by one by a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Mo Hua looked at Commander Yang and Zhang Lan and asked: "Are you two my bodyguards?"

Even a Level Four Qi Condensation Dao soldier squad, when formed into a battle array, could stand against a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

His own formation skills were poor; what little he had learned meant nothing compared to a true formation master.

Most of what they discussed were Dao soldier deployments, offensive-defensive transitions, and troop formations—he didn't fully understand, so he could only half-grasp and memorize bits, hoping they might prove useful someday.

Mo Hua was deeply shaken.

Though Commander Yang didn't understand formations, he still nodded slowly, feeling it made perfect sense—he had led troops in battle for years and knew this well.

That would be an insult to a Rank One Formation Master.

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Really?"

I need to understand Yu Changlao's terrain structure and formation layout, so I can strike with precision and devise a strategy.

They didn't avoid Mo Hua; Mo Hua sat beside them, listening openly and properly.

Commander Yang held the annotated map, while Zhang Lan discussed something beside him.

In fact, he had never paid such attention during formation classes at the clan school—but now, listening to a great formation master explain, he listened with rapt focus, even taking notes…

It wasn't that he couldn't say it—he just didn't know.

Some formations he didn't need to fully understand, but he needed to know their functions and what to watch out for when breaking them, so he wouldn't fall into the evil cultivators' traps.

Zhang Lan also said: "I told Great Heishan the same thing—if Dao soldiers guard him, even a Foundation Establishment evil cultivator would find it hard to kill him. That's why I refused your request for his help."

Mo Hua ate with relish, listening with interest.

Mo Hua had spoken for a long time and was somewhat thirsty; he politely sat properly, sipping sweet tea, sampling rare spirit fruits and spirit meats he had never tried before.

But when I sent scouts to investigate, I found the Mist Forest's mist formations had shifted—not only that, but the mist within the forest had grown denser.

The Dao soldiers' secret formations were certainly not something to inquire about; I was merely momentarily curious, wanting to know how they differed from or resembled the formations I had studied.

Even during class, no matter how hard the instructor explained, I never understood—over time, I grew numb, hearing with one ear and letting it flow out the other.

Once hundreds or thousands of Dao soldiers form a battle array and charge across the battlefield, even a few low-level cultivators cannot stand against them.

"What if we encounter a Foundation Establishment evil cultivator?"

I asked Zhang Lan to arrange for a formation master—one to explain the formations on Great Baishan's map, and two to retreat to Shenshan to reconfirm the Mist Array's position, so we can attack Yuanchai.

"How do Qi Condensation cultivators compare to Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

Commander Yang's expression hesitated, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

Commander Yang glanced at Zhang Lan and sighed:

And the Eighth Boss probably still has his eye on me.

Commander Yang steeled himself, then bowed apologetically:

"Thank you, Commander Yang!"

Commander Yang's tone was extremely courteous.

But saying I didn't know felt too embarrassing, so I made up an excuse to brush it off.

"There's one more thing—the Shenshan Mist Array has changed; we can't locate Yuanchai anymore."

Commander Yang marveled, then immediately ordered tea, pastries, and several platters of richly charged spirit fruits and spirit meats to be brought to treat Mo Hua.

Commander Yang felt considerably more at ease.

Zhang Lan's expression was far calmer, also very composed—but if anything, it was less composure than numbness…

Commander Yang pondered briefly, recalling his earlier plan, then declared decisively:

Mo Hua asked: "Has Captain Yang still not received any news?"

"Dao soldiers cannot be called the most elite cultivators of the Dao Court; their weakness lies not in the individual cultivation level of each cultivator, but in the mismatch between their armor, spiritual instruments, formation techniques, and their spiritual roots, cultivation methods, and Dao arts."

"Sand gathers into a tower, rivers converge into the sea; when many formations accumulate, they become a greater formation; when many cultivators accumulate strength, they overcome weakness—this too is a law of the Heavenly Dao!"

Mo Hua suddenly realized:

"That statement is correct, but entirely correct," said Captain Yang. "Any ten Qi Condensation Stage Four cultivators cannot stand against a Foundation Establishment Stage late cultivator."

Mo Hua recalled the words from Great Heishan, and said: "Ten Qi Condensation Stage Four cultivators cannot replace one Foundation Establishment Stage late cultivator."

Captain Yang nodded and explained to Mo Hua:

"Even facing lower-stage cultivators, they have no chance to fight!"

After the two finished talking and had eaten and drunk their fill, Mo Hua asked the question he cared about most:

What shocked him was that despite Mo Hua's young age, he truly possessed such profound formation expertise.

Dao soldiers are so weak—it's no wonder Elder Yu's influence is so small and his actions so secretive; he must truly fear discovery by the Dao Court and annihilation by Dao soldiers.

Mo Hua had another complex conversation with Captain Yang, then prepared to rise and leave.

Mo Hua realized his mistake and apologized: "I was rash."

"Mr. Mo, please feel free, don't be constrained."

The route map is useless; we cannot locate the entrance to Wei Yan. To exterminate Elder Yu, there is naturally nothing to discuss.

Mo Hua still had a question: "What kind of formations do Dao soldiers use?"

"Impossible!"

"This is a Dao Court secret; it cannot be told to outsiders."

But if we find a way through the Mist Forest, we can strike down Elder Yu.

"It's nearly the same as formations: formation lines are too weak, so we accumulate formation lines to form single formations; single formations are too weak, so we accumulate them to form compound formations; if compound formations are still too weak, we accumulate even more single formations to create even stronger arrays!"

"These are major matters; don't worry about them," Captain Yang said, waving his hand with a hint of unease.

"Can more Foundation Establishment cultivators still win?" Mo Hua asked.

Captain Yang said warmly: "I'll assign several more squads of Dao soldiers; if you encounter a Foundation Establishment heretic, crush them outright! I guarantee your safety—not a single hair on you will be harmed."

Zhang Lan's skill level, even if slightly higher than mine, is still limited; I could never understand formations of this caliber.

Even compared to most of the First-Rank Formation Masters I know, Mo Hua's formation skill is clearly even lower.

One Qi Condensation Stage Four cultivator cannot fight a Foundation Establishment cultivator; ten cannot, so a hundred cannot either.

These formations are all centrally organized by Wei Yan and issued by the Dao Soldier Bureau; we only use them, never repair them, and naturally have no idea what formations are drawn on them.

Captain Yang nodded: "Not only that, Dao soldiers are equipped with specialized armor and formation enhancements; when forming large arrays for frontal combat, they can even kill Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

Captain Yang did not answer, but asked Mo Hua:

"Only Qi Condensation Stage Four cultivators who have endured prolonged battle, possess rich experience, unwavering will, and seamless coordination can overcome a higher stage."

First-Rank compound formations exceeded my understanding of formations, but luckily Mo Hua's reasoning was clear—he explained in detail and plainly; wherever I noticed something, Mo Hua mentioned it; wherever I didn't notice, Mo Hua still briefly explained it.

I knew it—Zhang Lan and I are evenly matched.

Captain Yang listened more and more intently, even picking up a brush to jot down key points.