Chapter 103

Four Grand Masters!

Wang Ping knew that after the Ancient War, these four cultivators were the most outstanding in the cultivation world, acclaimed as Grand Masters.

They entered the Dao through their arts, truly breaking through the level of the myriad arts they cultivated, turning art into Dao.

Ordinary cultivators merely use the myriad arts as auxiliaries; the Dao they cultivate is nothing more than the natural Dao of the five elements, light and darkness, wind and thunder, and the heterodox Daos such as Buddha, demon, ghost, and blood,

Only they treat the four arts of formations, weapons, pills, and talismans as their own Dao to cultivate.

Such a Dao is difficult; in the past ten thousand years, only four people have managed it.

"No! If this place truly had the Formation Sect's inheritance, how could Golden Core cultivators not come?" Wang Ping thought that until now, no Golden Core-level cultivator had come here, so he couldn't help but ask Tie Lanshan in return.

Tie Lanshan froze for a moment, yeah, the Formation Sect's partial inheritance is comparable to a complete top-tier cultivation method; it's very tempting for a Golden Core True Person.

Even if they cannot enter the Dao through their arts, learning just thirty or forty percent is enough for them to venture into dangerous lands, explore blessed lands, and ruins.

After all, in the past ten thousand years, when it comes to formations, no one can surpass the Formation Sect.

Especially, the Eight Trigrams Seal Heaven Array founded by its Nascent Soul cultivator, if one learns even a single aspect, can seal all fourth-tier formations below the fifth tier, provided one's cultivation keeps up!

Wang Ping's words caused several people to redirect their gaze toward the pattern on the ground.

Although several people are not exceptionally clever, they are also quick-witted.

After only thirty breaths, Wang Ping and Tie Lanshan raised their heads simultaneously and said in unison:

"Unless... what is the Golden Core True Person waiting for?"

What is the Golden Core True Person waiting for?

The answer is obvious; naturally, they are waiting for the Eight Trigrams Seal Heaven Array, i. e., the complete appearance of the remnants in the eight directions.

Liaoru Grand Master also guessed the purpose of the Golden Core cultivators not appearing.

Pa!

He pointed his finger at the center of the Eight Trigrams Diagram that Tie Lanshan had just drawn; the gazes of Wang Ping and the three others also fell there, and Tie Lanshan and Wang Ping's hearts jumped—this place is the Wan Ning Mountain Range.

Liaoru Grand Master continued:

"The Formation Sect's predecessors' Eight Trigrams Seal Heaven Array is renowned for sealing and stabilizing; so what is this array sealing and stabilizing here? We don't know, but its sealed location might be right here! That place might be the land of opportunity, and the Golden Core cultivators might be waiting for this moment."

Tie Lanshan murmured, "Exactly, these eight remnants are not remnants; they are using the power of the eight directions to suppress something within the Wan Ning Mountain Range!"

Wang Ping then said, "The reason for setting up the Spatial Sealing Grand Array should be to conceal these eight directions!"

Wang Ye gazed at the pattern on the ground and asked, bewildered, "Since it's a seal and suppression, why would it be opened now? Could whatever inside have been refined? Or perished?"

Tie Lanshan and the several people remained silent; how could they know about this?

However, Wang Ping's heart stirred; he thought of the abnormal spiritual qi in the Western Drooping Land, glanced at the three, and voiced his speculation:

"Perhaps it's related to the recent abnormal spiritual qi!"

When Tie Lanshan and they entered the remnants, the spiritual qi of the Wan Ning Mountain Range had not changed, so they were unaware of this.

After hearing Wang Ping's explanation, Tie Lanshan closed his eyes, then opened them again, and spoke solemnly:

"What Daoist friend Lan says is not without reason; compared to the Alliance Interior, the Western Drooping Land has relatively scarce spiritual qi, and the operation of a grand array requires the support of heavenly and earthly spiritual qi. It's obvious that after three thousand years of sealing, the nearby spiritual qi is clearly insufficient to continue the seal. Perhaps the recent change in spiritual qi has caused the array to sense it, so the corresponding remnants have appeared; they might need to replenish spiritual power. What a pity!"

Wang Ping and they understood Tie Lanshan's meaning; nowadays the heavenly and earthly spiritual qi of the Western Drooping Land is far inferior to before, and with the cultivators entering this place wildly consuming spiritual qi, so the first remnant has opened, and the remaining ones will likely open one after another.

If there is insufficient spiritual qi supply, the Eight Trigrams Seal Heaven Array can't even manage to maintain the seal.

"So you're saying there's nothing good here?" Wang Ye said, a bit disappointed.

Tie Lanshan chuckled and said, "Not exactly; these damaged formation patterns, being broken, make it easier for us to grasp a bit of insight."

Tie Lanshan's words stirred Wang Ping and them, especially Wang Ping, who is very interested in formation patterns.

After all, formation patterns and treasure patterns are quite similar.

One is an external evolution of the material's intrinsic properties; the other is a man-made pattern formed by a formation master who combines his own insight with the great Dao of heaven and earth.

They are all Foundation Establishment cultivators who have formed a sea of consciousness, so even if they don't understand formations, they can still grasp a bit of the mystery.

Wang Ping found a secluded spot, extended his divine sense, and contemplated alone.

The formation patterns here seem related to fire; with the naked eye one only sees glowing lines, but under observation of the divine sense, those glowing lines appear to have deeper subdivisions.

This piqued his interest; he used seventy percent of his divine sense, focusing it entirely on a segment of the pattern—no effect; then eighty percent, still no effect; finally he gritted his teeth and exerted a full hundred percent of his divine sense, concentrating all his attention on the pattern.

Wang Ping did not notice that, when his mental power was fully focused, the illusory‑real will star deep in his sea of consciousness suddenly brightened, then released strands of crystalline light that entered his sea of consciousness and, together with the outward surge of his divine sense, reached the formation light.

The crystalline light mixed within his divine sense continually contended with the formation light; ultimately, with the aid of that crystalline light, Wang Ping's divine sense finally broke through the formation light's obstruction and saw the true nature of the pattern.

Under Wang Ping's divine sense observation, the pattern revealed its true form.

It was composed of interlocking, extraordinary tiny patterns.

Segment after segment, naturally formed as a whole.

Seeing these patterns, Wang Ping fell into thought and continued observing with his divine sense.

Before Wang Ping lay twelve segments of the damaged formation pattern, though several places in the middle had worn away.

After a full three hours, Wang Ping completely recorded the pattern before him; excluding the worn sections, there were seventy‑three!

The seventy‑three patterns intercross and link together to form twelve pattern lines, which combine to create a complete formation.

This complete formation is also connected to the formation on the mountain peak.

After finishing his contemplation, Wang Ping actually felt a slight headache, which surprised him.

With his divine sense power, merely memorizing those seventy‑three patterns gave him a headache—these patterns are truly extraordinary!

"Brother Lan! What's happened?"

Tie Lanshan noticed Wang Ping's abnormality and spoke up.

Wang Ping opened his eyes, only then realizing that Tie Lanshan and the two others had already finished their contemplation.

He shook his head, feeling his head still somewhat painful; Wang Ping gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said:

"It's nothing, I just memorized some patterns; my sea of consciousness can barely bear it!"

"Patterns? What patterns?" Wang Ye asked in surprise.

He had just stared at the formation lines for half an hour, discovering nothing, so he simply made use of the rich spiritual qi of heaven and earth here to cultivate his Qi Condensation to great perfection.

Tie Lanshan ignored Wang Ye's words outright, a touch of urgency in his voice, and quickly asked, "Fellow Daoist, you also sensed those patterns, didn't you? I don't know how many you've grasped—I've recorded ten!"

Master Liaoru also spoke up, saying, "I am ashamed, inferior to Fellow Daoist Lan Ning—I have only recorded three!"

Ten? Three?

Wang Ping, who had been about to speak, forced his words to a halt—this gap is quite large!

Finally he reported the number thirteen.

Even so, Tie Lanshan still looked shocked.

Master Liaoru let out a long sigh: "Fellow Daoist, your perceptiveness is astonishing!"

Wang Ping blinked, wondering what that had to do with spiritual perception.

It's not enough to just have divine sense.