Chapter 189: Upheaval, Formation Complete
With Liao Qianji and his two companions in position, Lu Xunxian made his move.
With a grand sweep of his hand, Dao Stones flew from his body — a full three thousand six hundred of them — settling into place around the formation.
Each stone had already been inscribed with Formation Runes by Lu Xunxian.
Whether on the Tiansheng Continent, in the Immortal Realm, or in the Dao Realm, deploying a formation required physical vessels inscribed with Formation Runes and a Formation Core to power them.
Exceptionally powerful beings could form arrays with a single thought, though such instant formations were generally limited to lower-tier designs.
Even a formation master of Lu Xunxian's caliber needed vessels strong enough to bear the immense power when deploying a formation capable of sealing the source of the anomaly.
As the Dao Stones landed in their designated positions, Liao Qianji and the other two sprang into action.
The trio began forming seals and chanting incantations. The Dao Stones set before them trembled violently, and moments later erupted with brilliant blue light.
Following the same method, they continued activating Dao Stone after Dao Stone according to plan.
Each activated stone linked to the next, forming chains of formation energy. Once all three thousand six hundred were active, the grand formation would be complete.
As for Lu Xunxian —
His figure blurred, and he appeared at the very apex of the formation.
Looking down from above, all he could see was an abyss of pitch-black darkness — seemingly bottomless.
The instant he arrived at the top, he sensed something. His expression changed abruptly.
"Not good!"
The formation that should have held for another two and a half years was crumbling at a visibly accelerating rate. The sinister Dao power within had turned violently volatile, devouring the formation at an alarming speed.
"The force inside has sensed the danger? There's no time — speed up!"
Lu Xunxian urged them onward.
Liao Qianji and his companions had already noticed the anomaly. Their expressions darkened as they pushed their hands to work faster.
At the summit, Lu Xunxian was far from idle.
With a sweep of his hand, four small flags appeared — azure, blue, white, and black.
These four were genuine Dao Artifacts. Only Dao Artifacts could serve as Formation Cores capable of anchoring a formation of this magnitude.
As Lu Xunxian channeled his power into the four flags, they shot outward and embedded themselves in the four cardinal directions — east, south, west, and north.
The activated Dao Stones erupted with tremendous power, linking to the four Dao Flags and forming an airtight cage.
Below, Liao Qianji and his colleagues were giving everything they had to the formation, but they simply couldn't keep pace with the corrosion.
Before long —
One corner of the formation was eaten away entirely by the sinister Dao power.
"Not good!"
Lu Xunxian's expression shifted sharply. With no time for hesitation, he formed seals and split off a clone to continue the formation work in his stead.
His true body shot toward Zheng Banyu — the closest person to the escaping sinister Dao power.
The sinister force moved with purpose, and even Lu Xunxian couldn't reach Zheng Banyu in time. He could only watch as the power invaded his body.
"AAAARGH!"
Zheng Banyu had no means to resist. In mere moments, the corrosion consumed him entirely. His eyes turned a blood-red, and he became a mindless puppet, devoid of all reason.
At the sight, Lu Xunxian's expression turned grim.
"Banyu!"
In the distance, Wu Zhennian's face contorted with fury, but there was nothing he could do. He could only redouble his speed.
Liao Qianji's expression was grave, his eyes fixed on Lu Xunxian.
The possessed Zheng Banyu launched himself at Lu Xunxian.
Seeing this, Lu Xunxian sighed with resignation and ended Zheng Banyu with a single finger.
He could sense that Zheng Banyu's Divine Soul had been thoroughly devoured. There was no saving him.
The sinister Dao power surged out of Zheng Banyu's body and hurtled straight at Lu Xunxian.
"Senior Lu, watch out!"
Liao Qianji shouted a warning.
He could tell Lu Xunxian was immensely powerful. If he were consumed, the rest of them were as good as dead.
Seeing the sinister Dao power so brazen, Lu Xunxian let out a cold snort.
"You're asking for death."
In an instant, Lu Xunxian condensed a massive palm and swatted the escaping sinister Dao power into oblivion.
Not far from Sun Mountain, Zhu Qingyan and the Vermilion Bird Patriarchs watched with taut expressions. They had all seen the palm strike Lu Xunxian had unleashed.
"Clan Chief, if it were you — could you have blocked that palm?"
One Patriarch turned to Zhu Qingyan. She was, after all, the strongest of the Vermilion Bird Race.
Zhu Qingyan shook her head. "I couldn't. That palm is something even Gu Daoshi probably couldn't withstand."
"What?! That can't be — isn't Gu Daoshi the strongest in the Immortal Realm?"
"So what if he is? Who do you think held a Discourse on the Dao with Gu Daoshi in the first place?"
Zhu Qingyan glanced at the Patriarch who had spoken, her tone flat.
Shock rippled through the assembled Patriarchs. They never imagined the person their Clan Chief had brought back would be this terrifyingly powerful.
But the stronger Lu Xunxian was, the happier they were — it meant a greater chance of suppressing this calamity.
Atop Sun Mountain, Liao Qianji and Wu Zhennian were both stunned beyond words by Lu Xunxian's display of power.
"What are you standing around for? Get back to the formation!"
It took Lu Xunxian's prompting for the two to snap back to reality and frantically pick up the pace.
They weren't much stronger than Zheng Banyu. If the sinister Dao power had targeted either of them, their fate would have been no different.
Fortunately, the sinister Dao power's outburst was limited to that single surge.
In the time that followed, it seemed to have exhausted its strength, settling back down.
Before long, the formation was complete.
Lu Xunxian appeared at the peak of Sun Mountain. With a raised hand, the four Dao Flags began to orbit around him.
"Formation — rise!"
At his command, the four Dao Flags plunged into the mass of sinister Dao power. All three thousand six hundred Dao Stones activated simultaneously, blazing with brilliant blue light that illuminated the entire Vermilion Bird Clan Territory.
In that moment, every Vermilion Bird turned toward Sun Mountain.
Inside her Cave Dwelling, Luo Qianxue seemed to sense something. She stepped outside and looked toward the summit.
But she only glanced for a moment before turning back to resume her cultivation.
She wasn't worried about Lu Xunxian's safety.
Deep in her heart, she held a kind of blind faith in him.
As long as Lu Xunxian took action, there was nothing that couldn't be accomplished.
At the summit, as Lu Xunxian operated the formation, the sinister zone was sealed away completely.
"Senior Lu."
The moment Lu Xunxian stopped, Liao Qianji and Wu Zhennian rushed over.
Zhu Qingyan and the Vermilion Bird Patriarchs hurried over as well. Seeing the sinister zone contained, they all let out sighs of relief.
"Senior Lu, how are things? Are you alright?"
Zhu Qingyan approached, deeply concerned about Lu Xunxian's condition.
Lu Xunxian simply waved her off.
"I'm fine. This formation will keep that sinister Dao power sealed for a trillion years."
"And after a trillion years?"
"After a trillion years? I'll suppress it personally."
In the face of Zhu Qingyan's worry, Lu Xunxian showed not a trace of fear, his voice brimming with quiet authority.
He was only forty years old. Give Feng Qingyu another trillion years of cultivation, and it was impossible to imagine how powerful the Billionfold Repayment would make him by then.
When that day came, resolving this crisis would likely take no more than a single thought.