Chapter 54: Ruthless Grand Formation

"What are you saying?"

The Big Black Dog's voice was very low; only he himself could hear it clearly, Ye Fan only vaguely heard the two words 'imperial weapon'.

"Nothing, why do you keep trying to worm words out of this emperor?"

Seeing this, the Big Black Dog kept silent; no matter how Ye Fan questioned him, he wouldn't utter a word.

Yang Zhu simultaneously employed the Nine Secrets; the Front Character Secret strengthened the soul, the All Character Secret increased battle power tenfold, allowing him to barely avoid detection by the killing formation.

His body almost merged with the void, becoming extremely ethereal; he successfully reached the Five-Color Altar, pouring all his body and mind into the pattern at its edge.

That was a vast universe, boundless, each point of light representing a star; to be precise, it should be Gu Xing, a place where sentient beings once dwelled.

Although the star map was merely a stone carving, it possessed boundless formative power spreading across it, like a fallen Milky Way, extremely splendid.

Yang Zhu merely stared at it for a moment, his expression becoming dazed for an instant, as if he were immersed in a brilliant universe.

He silently memorized the pattern, then came to the altar; beneath his feet the five-colored materials were complete, without any lack.

"It looks like it could set sail at any moment, but it needs coordinates; otherwise, who knows where it would teleport to?"

The ruthless one who produced the Five-Color Altar surely had a purpose; otherwise he wouldn't have expended such enormous effort to set up this grand formation here.

There are no traces of anyone else having come here, showing that even a corrupt Daoist back then couldn't have discovered this place; his ingenuity can be imagined.

Using the Supreme Ultimate as a canopy, placing the altar below, taking yin and yang as the seal, mobilizing the essence of heaven and earth to replenish the grand formation.

If the altar is activated, the five-colored materials will be completely consumed; this kind of divine material is extremely rare, and its growth requires ages, making it hard to obtain.

By establishing a great trend and using an entire vein of source ore as replenishment, the power of the five-colored materials can be maintained, achieving a state of endless endurance.

Such a method seizes the creation of heaven and earth; ordinary people have never even heard of it, let alone set it up.

As for why Yang Zhu could recognize it, it's because Zi Mountain likewise possesses this kind of great trend; although this place cannot compare to Zi Mountain, it works in a similar way.

Zi Mountain, where nine dragons vie for a pearl, each dragon vein at least tens of miles vast, rare in the world.

The dragon veins combined with the grand formation inside the great hall possess the power to seize heaven's essence and earth's creation, a heaven-reaching might that only an ancient great emperor could set up!

It is said that merely slumbering here grants immortality; this is also why the Undying Heavenly Emperor and the Wushi Great Emperor successively took over this place.

These two, among the ancient great emperors, are also the most stunning existences, transcending the Great Dao, surpassing other great emperors; they can live for several lifetimes without cutting the Dao, and even longer.

Yang Zhu surveyed the Five-Color Altar thoroughly; just as he was about to step onto it, he fixed his gaze above and suddenly conceived a bold idea.

"This grand formation is not bad; I want to replicate a part of it."

Returning to the entrance at the top, he told the two of them his idea.

"Sure, this is a great thing!"

Upon hearing this, the Big Black Dog's eyes lit up; versed in the way of formations, if he could copy a segment, he would have more confidence when facing danger later.

After all, these are Great Emperor formation lines; lacking only a corner, they can erupt with world-destroying might.

"I've inspected the altar; it's intact, but activating it requires coordinates."

Yang Zhu then turned to Ye Fan, explaining his judgment.

"I may need to spend some time here; if you have business, you may leave."

Replicating the Great Emperor formation lines requires considerable energy— as little as a day or two, or as much as seven days to half a month or more. 'Going outside would also mean being hunted; it's better to observe here.'

Ye Fan had no pressing matters, and he also wanted to see just how formidable Yang Zhu's methods were.

Last time inside the Yaochi Former Grounds, he had witnessed Yang Zhu's cultivation appearance, which gave him a tremendous shock.

"Suit yourself."

Golden Divine Fire surged from within Yang Zhu's body, melting the surrounding cave walls and opening up a relatively spacious area.

He took out a silver stone plate about the size of a palm, its entire body suffused with a faint rosy glow, having the toughness of paper yet a metallic feel.

"How is this so similar to the Source Heavenly Book?"

Ye Fan sensed the stone plate's aura, then observed its appearance, discovering it seemed to be the same kind of divine material as the Source Heavenly Book he held! Yang Zhu made ready, returned to the altar, sat at its center, and offered the silver stone plate, suspending it before him.

The Wushi Scripture circulated, probing the source; when he again looked at this place, formation lines covered the heavens above and the earth below.

The formation lines flowed like clouds and water, the brushstrokes sharp, possessing a unique charm; upon close inspection, it's not hard to see that the 'Immortal' character inside the Bronze Immortal Palace was written by the same hand.

Yang Zhu's blood surged forth, the imperial Dao laws within flashing like successive thunderbolts galloping, like roaring sea tides unceasing in the ears, as if ten thousand steeds were thundering by, rumbling loudly.

How profound the Great Emperor formation lines are; ordinary people could never hope to fathom their principles and essences, let alone copy them.

Anything related to the character 'emperor'—whether imperial weapons or killing formations—cannot be approached by anyone but an ancient great emperor! However, Yang Zhu, relying on his imperial bloodline, could naturally comprehend it; moreover, he possesses a complete Wushi Killing Formation, left to him by his father.

He often observed it, gaining immense benefit.

Yang Zhu raised a finger and began carving in midair; his movements were extremely slow, as if his hand bore the strength of ten thousand pounds, each tiny shift consuming enormous energy.

The sea of bitterness was rapidly depleted, yet quickly restored again, this cycle repeating over and over.

"No wonder he's ruthless—indeed exquisite!"

The Big Black Dog stared unblinking, fixed on Yang Zhu's hand movements, daring not to miss a thread, for otherwise it would be a great loss.

After spending a full hour, Yang Zhu managed to copy a stroke the size of a fingernail cap onto the stone plate; even so, it was quite extraordinary, the plate faintly acquiring a different kind of aura.

Half a day… one day…

Time slowly passed; during it, Yang Zhu became increasingly adept, his speed increasing considerably, while carving he also gained some insight.

Every movement of Yang Zhu tugged at the great trend of heaven and earth; the formation lines trembled slightly, releasing an aura that erodes the ages.

"How is this so similar to the Ancient Forbidden Zone?"

Ye Fan's scalp tingled, his whole body shivered; having entered the Ancient Forbidden Zone many times, he was all too familiar with the sensation of life force ebbing away!

But in those years, he personally witnessed experts of mighty caliber; upon entering, their life force swiftly ebbed, in the blink of an eye exhausted, finally turning to ash.

Had they not drunk the Divine Spring to resist the 'wasteland's' erosion, they would have long since died of old age inside.

"Look at you, acting all unsophisticated—just ancient times……"

The Big Black Dog had wanted to show off, but upon hearing the rest, he immediately wilted; not to mention Ye Fan, even he felt that scalp‑exploding palpitation.

They stared at each other; in the end, nobody said anything more, silently observing Yang Zhu's every move.

(End of chapter)