Chapter 188: Liao Qianji, The Seal
Seeing Lu Xunxian come to a halt, Zhu Qingyan grew anxious.
"Senior Lu, can you resolve this?"
If even Lu Xunxian couldn't handle it, she was truly out of options.
Lu Xunxian studied the site for a moment, then nodded.
"It's not an insurmountable problem. I can manage it — barely."
Had he not yet broken through to the Dao Practitioner Realm, his abilities might not have been enough.
But now that he had grasped the Dao to a certain degree, he could sense that the force within the formation was an entity related to the Dao itself.
That was precisely why he could deal with it — if only barely.
Hearing that Lu Xunxian could resolve it, Zhu Qingyan finally breathed.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Find me two top-tier Immortal Formation masters."
Lu Xunxian's solution would also employ a formation.
After all, he couldn't unleash power at the Dao Practitioner level here. The moment he did, he would be forcibly expelled from the Immortal Realm.
Therefore, the only option was to use a formation.
Zhu Qingyan's eyes lit up, and she glanced toward the distance.
"Senior Lu, as it happens, the Alliance Master of the Immortal Formation Alliance and his two Vice Alliance Masters have been here helping my Vermilion Bird Race reinforce the formation. They could assist you."
With that, she headed toward the group in the distance.
Lu Xunxian followed, and before long they stood before a gathering of powerhouses.
They were all Immortal Emperors. At the forefront were one at the Late Immortal Emperor Realm and two at the Mid Immortal Emperor Realm.
They were currently attempting to stabilize the formation before them.
But the rate of corrosion far outpaced their efforts, making their work ultimately futile.
Still, from the skill they displayed while stabilizing it, their attainments in formation craft were clearly exceptional.
"Clan Chief, you've arrived."
As Zhu Qingyan approached, the Vermilion Bird Patriarchs and elders gathered around her.
Zhu Qingyan acknowledged them with a nod, then turned her attention to the three elders in the distance, her expression grave.
But before she could speak, Lu Xunxian stepped forward. With a single wave of his hand, he stabilized the formation.
That one move drew every pair of eyes in the vicinity straight to him.
The eldest of the three formation masters' eyes practically blazed with light. Like a vigorous youth catching sight of a stunning beauty, he charged over without a shred of restraint.
"What magnificent formation attainment! Might I ask your esteemed name, Senior? This junior is Liao Qianji, Alliance Master of the Immortal Formation Alliance."
"A name is just a label. Call me Profound Immortal."
Lu Xunxian waved dismissively, keeping his tone understated.
Which only made Liao Qianji admire him more. Now that was how a true master carried himself.
"Alright — time is short and the task is heavy. From here on, follow my lead. Assist me from the flanks as I set up a formation to seal this area."
"Seal it? You mean even you can't actually resolve the problem here?"
Zhu Qingyan, standing nearby, hesitated at the word "seal."
"No, I can't. Unless you can bring a Dao Venerable here, there's simply no way to resolve it."
Lu Xunxian gazed at the sealed zone. The existing formation was transparent before his eyes; everything within lay bare.
At the center of the sealed zone was a torn spatial rift, from which bizarre and sinister Dao power continuously seeped outward.
Without deploying Dao power of an equivalent level, eliminating it was impossible.
At his current strength, the best Lu Xunxian could manage was to seal it.
Zhu Qingyan fell silent.
A Dao Venerable. Forget a Dao Venerable — they couldn't even secure the services of a Dao Practitioner.
Seeing that a seal was the extent of what Lu Xunxian could accomplish, she pressed no further.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands, Daoist Lu."
Zhu Qingyan clasped her fists respectfully.
Lu Xunxian nodded, then turned to Liao Qianji and his two companions.
Formation masters were rare in the Immortal Realm, let alone top-tier ones. The three of them effectively stood at the absolute pinnacle of formation craft in the entire Immortal Realm.
After a moment's thought, Lu Xunxian placed a finger on each of their foreheads, transmitting the design of the formation he intended to deploy directly into their minds.
They would need to assist him throughout, after all.
Upon receiving the formation's blueprint, Liao Qianji and his two colleagues' eyes erupted with light.
"So that's how it works... I never knew such a formation existed."
"Good heavens — Daoist Lu's formation attainment is leagues beyond ours. We bow in utter defeat."
But at that moment, one of the Vice Alliance Masters — Wu Zhennian, a cultivator at the Mid Immortal Emperor Realm — furrowed his brow.
"Daoist Lu, your formation is undeniably extraordinary. However, some of the materials it requires seem excessively rare. I doubt the Vermilion Bird Race can procure them."
At Wu Zhennian's remark, Liao Qianji and the other formation master, Zheng Banyu, grew solemn as well.
With their level of attainment, they could see clearly that the materials in Lu Xunxian's formation were far from ordinary — likely beyond anything the Immortal Realm could produce.
But Lu Xunxian waved their concerns away.
"Since I've designed the formation, the materials are on me."
The stakes concerned the entire Immortal Realm, and the materials weren't excessively precious to him. Providing them was no great matter.
With that, Lu Xunxian swept his hand and produced several peculiar stones radiating a terrifying Dao Resonance.
The instant the stones appeared, the entire Vermilion Bird Clan Territory shuddered on the verge of collapse — as though it could not bear the presence of such overwhelming objects.
It took Lu Xunxian etching minute isolation formations onto the stones before the disturbance subsided.
"What are those?"
The sight of the stones sent a tremor through Zhu Qingyan's heart.
She could feel them exerting a tremendous pull on her. Had she not controlled herself, she might have lunged to seize them.
"Dao Stones. Objects imbued with the aura of the Great Dao. Only they can serve as the foundation for the formation I'm about to deploy."
Lu Xunxian's tone was calm, but his words shattered the composure of everyone present.
"So these are Dao Stones... Daoist Lu, does that mean you—"
"I merely obtained them by chance. Now — time is of the essence. Let's focus on the formation."
Lu Xunxian steered the conversation back on track and fixed Liao Qianji's group with a serious look.
"Are you ready? If not, take a few more days. Once you've fully internalized the formation's design, we can begin."
Liao Qianji thumped his chest with confidence.
"Rest easy, Senior Lu. My formation attainment may not match yours, but I can certainly handle an assist."
"That's right, Senior Lu. Let's begin."
Zheng Banyu and Wu Zhennian echoed the sentiment.
Seeing this, Lu Xunxian turned to Zhu Qingyan and the Vermilion Bird Patriarchs.
"What comes next will be extremely dangerous. All of you should withdraw."
The Patriarchs heeded the warning without protest. After witnessing Lu Xunxian's capabilities, they had placed their full trust in him.
Zhu Qingyan, however, lingered with worry on her face.
"Be careful."
"I will."
Lu Xunxian nodded. After Zhu Qingyan departed, only he and Liao Qianji's group remained atop Sun Mountain.
"Prepare yourselves. I'm about to begin."