Chapter 143 : Evil Formation
Chapter 143: Evil Formation
Li’s Teahouse.
Zhao Changge joked, “Now that we’ve eaten and drunk, if you still don’t ask, the teacher will be leaving.”
“What should I ask?” Xu Lingling’s gaze shifted between Chen Beiwu and Teacher Zhao.
“What else could it be other than a formation problem?” Zhao Changge chuckled, her eyes moving toward Xu Lingling and Xu Ziqing.
They always said that when a woman pursued a man, it was like crossing only a thin veil.
Yet what she hadn’t expected was that Xu Lingling, being the treasured daughter of True Person Xu, actually failed to win Chen Beiwu.
Indeed, the children nowadays valued emotions far too much.
If she were Xu Lingling, upon meeting a Dao companion she liked, she would have long since seized the initiative, cutting through the tangle decisively—even if it meant tying him up and throwing him onto her own bed.
As for matters of affection, those could always be cultivated later.
Xu Ziqing quietly sipped a cup of tea.
The Dao of Formations was an area she was entirely unfamiliar with, so she saw no need to interrupt.
“Teacher Zhao, I came across an incomplete formation in an ancient book…” Chen Beiwu explained as he handed over his recorded summary of a Third-Tier Heavenly Formation prototype to Zhao Changge.
She opened the booklet, gave it a cursory glance, and her brows furrowed slightly.
Five minutes later, Zhao Changge exhaled a heavy breath, her gaze fixed intently on his eyes. “Where did you dig up this ancient formation?”
“The Twelve-Hour Old Goods Trading Market in Anyi County, Wuyan Prefecture.” Chen Beiwu asked doubtfully, “Is there a problem?”
“You lucky brat! Not only has your cultivation surged forward, but you even managed to stumble upon a treasure in a bargain hunt.” Zhao Changge’s tone carried amazement, without a hint of suspicion.
Though many stalls in the Immortal Alliance’s old goods markets sold counterfeits or fakes disguised as antiques, some genuine treasures did surface from time to time.
“What treasure?” Xu Ziqing grew interested.
“An incomplete ancient Third-Tier Heavenly Formation!”
At those words, both Xu Ziqing and Xu Lingling’s eyes widened in surprise.
After all, the Immortal Alliance’s higher-ups advocated that, on Sky Abyss Star, the most mainstream and most valuable formations were always Heavenly Formations, followed only after by Human Formations.
“Yes, that’s right.” Zhao Changge nodded slightly. “This formation’s conception is rather intriguing. It seems to have taken inspiration from the Ancient Beidou Seven Luminaries Heavenly Formation, attempting to link the stars of the heavens through formation patterns, evolving heavenly killing intent to suppress evil spirits.”
“However, this incomplete formation is riddled with vague and unclear conjectures. There isn’t even a single formation diagram.
“From this, it’s evident that its creator was most likely only a Second-Tier Formation Master, not a Third-Tier one—hence they failed to perfect the formation.”
“Such incomplete Third-Tier Heavenly Formations are fairly common on the Immortal Alliance’s official website. They have some reference value but can’t fetch a high price. At best, it could be exchanged for a set of Foundation Establishment Five Spirits.”
Hearing this, Chen Beiwu’s eyes filled with respect.
Teacher Zhao was indeed worthy of being a top student who had graduated from the Lianhua Formation Sect. With just five minutes of study, she had seen through Qian Yuan’s secrets.
To break through his ancestor’s grave-guarding formation, Qian Yuan had tried many methods, one of which was using formations to counter formations.
And three-quarters of the information Chen Beiwu provided came from the life’s work of Qian Yuan’s ancestor researching that grave-guarding formation.
“Then, Teacher, can you break this formation?” Chen Beiwu pressed.
“This kind of formation is far too remote for you. Why do you want to attempt breaking it?” Zhao Changge was puzzled.
“This is the highest-grade formation I’ve ever had access to. Even if I can only grasp one percent, my formation attainments will soar.” Chen Beiwu smiled faintly.
‘These youngsters nowadays, so ambitious—always pushing themselves harder for no reason.’
Though she grumbled inwardly, Zhao Changge held nothing back and patiently explained the entire conception of the grand formation.
By the time she reached the end, a sudden spark flashed in her mind, and she realized something.
‘Wait, something’s wrong with this formation!’
Zhao Changge quickly flipped back through the booklet, rereading it carefully, and her expression grew grave.
“If this formation is read in reverse, it becomes—Greedy Wolf devours the Moon, forging bones with the stars.”
“Wuqu shatters the stars, forging armor with the soul.”
“Po Jun defies calamity, opening spirit with life.”
“That’s right! This isn’t a formation to suppress evil spirits at all. It’s a Third-Tier Evil Corpse-Refining Formation that uses the sun, moon, and stars to evolve the Ziwei Constellation Star Map!” Zhao Changge declared solemnly.
At those words, Chen Beiwu’s pupils contracted.
This grave-guarding formation… was a corpse-refining formation?
Could it be that Qian Yuan’s ancestor, unwilling to accept the exhaustion of his lifespan, intended to refine himself into a corpse, to live once more?
One had to know that Qian Yuan’s ancestor had been a Golden Core True Person of great renown in the Blazing Flame Mountain Range.
If such an existence were to reawaken as a zombie, it would surely be an opponent beyond the reach of mere Foundation Establishment cultivators.
“With only three years left until the Immortal Exam, you have no need to waste time on these sinister formations.” Zhao Changge warned.
This was no longer the ancient era—Sky Abyss Star was enveloped by the Nine Heavens Star-Sealing Boundary Immortal Formation.
Without permission from the Immortal Alliance’s three great institutions, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch possessing such a formation could not draw upon the power of the Beidou Seven Stars, much less use the Ziwei Constellation as a corpse-refining crucible.
For Chen Beiwu, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, to study such a formation was nothing but a waste of time. Better to spend those hours on cultivation.
“Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Zhao. I thought I had stumbled upon something remarkable.” Chen Beiwu nodded, immediately resolving not to study it further.
After leaving Li’s Teahouse and seeing Teacher Zhao off, Chen Beiwu turned to take his leave of Xu Lingling and Xu Ziqing.
“Shall we go fish at Still Abyss Lake for a while?” Xu Lingling invited.
“No.” Chen Beiwu waved his hand, rejecting her cleanly and turning to leave without hesitation.
Watching Chen Beiwu’s retreating figure vanish from sight, Xu Lingling sighed. “Ziqing, have you noticed that Beiwu has changed a lot lately?”
“Changed how?” Xu Ziqing smiled, then countered, “Don’t tell me you’re planning to give up?”
Xu Lingling’s body froze, and she feigned confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Lingling, who was it that once said Chen Beiwu looked very handsome?” Xu Ziqing blinked playfully.
“That was me being young and foolish, blinded by appearances.” Xu Lingling retorted stiffly.
Xu Ziqing’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Oh? So what you mean is, now that you’re older, you’re no longer swayed by appearances?”
“Of course. At least for today, I’m not. As for the future… who can say?”
Xu Lingling suddenly wrapped her arm around Xu Ziqing’s neck, frightening her so much that cold sweat formed at her temples.
She feared that Lingling might snap her rival’s neck on a whim.
…
Returning to the entrance of his residential complex, Chen Beiwu happened to run into Chen Qin, just coming back from work.
She wore a long dress, her face marked with weariness she could hardly conceal.
“Good afternoon, Xiao Wu.” Chen Qin greeted him as she passed by.
“Qin-jie, do you have any recommendations for where to hear the Cleansing Spirit Melody you mentioned before?”
Chen Beiwu recalled her earlier reminder—that after breaking through the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, listening to the Cleansing Spirit Melody could slightly increase the chances of breaking into Foundation Establishment. For those with extraordinary talent, it could even trigger an epiphany, elevating them by a minor realm.
He had no shortage of Spirit Yuan now. It was the perfect time to experience the legendary Genius Testing Melody, to see if he truly was a cultivation prodigy.