Immortality Through Array Formations

Chapter 341 - 339: Checks and Balances_1

Mr. Zhuang said with a reverent expression,

”This Formation contains the true laws of the Heavenly Dao. Under the Formation, all beings are equal; regardless of one’s status or level of cultivation, any transgression against the prohibitions of this Formation will lead to their annihilation without distinction.”

”Therefore, this Formation is also named: ’Heavenly Dao Formation’!”

”Heavenly Dao Formation...”

Mo Hua murmured to himself, imprinting this name deeply in his mind while also feeling hopeful.

He hoped that one day he himself would be able to draw such a formation that reached through heaven and earth.

Unable to help himself, Mo Hua asked, ”Then, sir, who drew this Formation, was it an Immortal?”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, ”At the very beginning of the establishment of the Taoist Court, this Formation already existed. No one knows the origin of this Formation, and no one knows by whose hand it was created. The person who drew this Formation, even if not an Immortal, must at least be a powerful Cultivator who has stepped onto the path of immortality.”

”Thus, people also call this Formation the Innate Large Formation, implying that it existed naturally since the beginning.”

”The Taoist Court has established the hierarchy of state boundaries based on this Heavenly Dao Formation. The Large Formation of a particular state boundary determines what realm is limited and will be given an assessment.”

Mr. Zhuang sighed, ”However, Cultivators who know about the ’Heavenly Dao Formation’ are few and far between.”

”Even many Formation Masters do not believe that this vast sky is actually a Large Formation.”

Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask, ”Is it because there is no inheritance, so they do not know?”

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, ”Even with records of inheritance, they don’t believe.”

Mo Hua was startled, ”Why?”

Mr. Zhuang pointed to the sky and asked Mo Hua, ”What can you see in this sky?”

Mo Hua tilted his head back and gazed at the sky for a long time until his neck grew sore, then hesitantly said,

”There are clouds...”

”What else?”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”Nothing else.”

Mr. Zhuang nodded,

”Indeed, nothing else... there are no Formation Patterns, no Formation Pivot, not even knowing what the Formation media is, and no Formation eye. How can one say it’s a Formation then?”

”Sir, can you not see it either?”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and said with a gentle smile, ”Like you, I cannot see anything either...”

”Not just me; there are Cultivators in this Cultivation World who have deeper cultivation and profounder Formation knowledge than I do, and they cannot see anything either.”

”If nothing can be seen, and nothing is there, then how can it be called a Formation?”

”But aren’t there records in the Tao Cultivation Canon?” asked Mo Hua.

”Records in the world can have errors, and Tao Cultivation Canon should not be fully trusted,” Mr. Zhuang explained.

”I see...”

Mo Hua nodded, then looked up at the sky again, sensing the boundless expanse and the ethereal cloud trails, as if they contained infinite and ever-renewing mysteries.

With a dawning understanding, Mo Hua declared with conviction,

”Sir, this must be a Formation!”

Mr. Zhuang smiled slightly, ”Why?”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”I don’t know, but I feel that it is.”

Mr. Zhuang was surprised for a moment, then patted Mo Hua’s head gently and said,

”A Formation Master’s intuition is an understanding of the Heavenly Dao, and sometimes it’s very important. I hope that one day you really will be able to discern the Formation from this sky...”

Mr. Zhuang’s expectations filled Mo Hua with earnestness, and he nodded seriously.

He then asked with curiosity,

”Sir, if there really is a Heavenly Dao Formation in this sky, what is the purpose of this Large Formation, or rather, what is the significance of such a law of the Heavenly Dao?”

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze sharpened, and he spoke gravely,

”Heavenly Dao’s balance.”

Mo Hua seemed to have an insight, but couldn’t fully comprehend it all at once.

Mr. Zhuang looked up at the vast sky and slowly said,

”Like you, I also believe that the Heavenly Dao Formation exists. It’s just that our Cultivators’ Divine Sense is not enough and our knowledge of Formation is too shallow to see it.”

”Assuming the Heavenly Dao Formation truly exists...”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and continued,

”Then if state boundaries are not assessed and cultivation is not limited, without the balance of the Heavenly Dao Formation, what would the Tao Cultivation World be like?”

Mo Hua thought for a while, then cautiously offered, ”Would it be chaotic?”

”What would cause the chaos?” Mr. Zhuang asked again.

”Would it be because the power of Cultivators is unrestricted?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded,

”Never overestimate humanity. Humans are a species that would kill for gain, for spite, or even simply for pleasure.”

”Without cultivation restrictions, high-level Cultivators would wantonly slaughter those of lower levels.”

”People’s Taoist Heart is never firm; it is restless, wavering, indulgent, like duckweed on the surface of the waves, tossing with the current, with no fixed place. Even the most upright person can be tempted by evil thoughts.”

”Among a hundred high-ranking cultivators, even if only one harbors evil thoughts, it is a disaster for the lower-ranking cultivators.”

”Without the Heavenly Dao balancing the power, high-ranking cultivators can easily massacre the lower-ranking ones.”

”Qi Refinement cultivators might face slaughter from Golden Core, Feather Transformation, or even Heaven Void cultivators, leaving them utterly defenseless.”

”It is not uncommon for a Golden Core to massacre a city, a Feather Transformation to massacre a realm, or a Heaven Void to massacre an entire state.”

”Some leaders of the Demon Path also act without any inhibitions. For the sake of refining a Magical Treasure, they might sacrifice the lives of all beings within a state boundary...”

Mr. Zhuang sighed and continued, ”The strength of the Cultivation World lies in its high-ranking cultivators, yet its future depends on those at the bottom.”

”Once the lower-ranking cultivators are wiped out, leaving no one to follow, the Cultivation World will inevitably decline.”

”If this continues, the entire Cultivation World will be destroyed by slaughter in an instant.”

”But with the restriction of the Heavenly Dao Formation, high-ranking cultivators dare not act recklessly. Only then do low-ranking cultivators have a chance to survive, to thrive, and thus, the Cultivation World can flourish endlessly...”

Mo Hua nodded, beginning to understand the significance of the Heavenly Dao’s balance.

Take Tongxian City for instance, which is within a Second-Grade Prefecture Border. If some Foundation Establishment cultivators cause trouble, other Foundation Establishment cultivators will handle it, or at worst, Qi Refinement cultivators will unite against them.

But without the Heavenly Dao balance, once violated by high-ranking cultivators, they would have no way to resist, no matter what.

Mo Hua then asked:

”However, if a Taoist Demon arises, wouldn’t the cultivators within the same state boundary also be powerless to resist?”

Because a Taoist Demon’s Blood Qi is too strong and they can strengthen themselves by killing others, they are, in a way, ”endlessly multiplying” as well.

”Yes,” Mr. Zhuang nodded. ”Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. With the Heavenly Dao Formation, we can restrain high-ranking cultivators, but that also makes Taoist Demons invincible in a realm;”

”Without the Heavenly Dao Formation, though there are ways to subdue a Taoist Demon, it allows high-ranking cultivators to commit boundless slaughter...”

”When comparing two evils, we choose the lesser one. The havoc wrought by a Taoist Demon may destroy one jurisdiction, but rampant killing by cultivators could destroy the whole Cultivation World.”

Mr. Zhuang let out a long sigh, speaking with profound significance:

”After all, in this world, the ones who kill the most are always humans, not Monster Beasts.”

The ones who kill the most are always humans, not Monster Beasts...

Mo Hua felt a complex mix of emotions upon hearing this.

After pondering for a long time and hesitating for a while, Mo Hua eventually asked the question he cared about the most:

”Is there a way to deal with Feng Xi?”

Having grown up in Tongxian City, he couldn’t bear to see the cultivators of Tongxian City move to a desolate wilderness and become displaced.

Nor could he bear to see Tongxian City destroyed by Feng Xi’s calamity.

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua with a touch of relief in his eyes, ”You already have an idea, don’t you?”

”Yes,” Mo Hua nodded. ”The only way to deal with Feng Xi is through a Large Formation...”

From the canons Zhang Lan provided, he knew of clans and sects that had used Protective Sect Arrays to subdue Big Demons.

Mo Hua looked up at Mr. Zhuang with a hopeful gaze, ”Sir, can I learn the Large Formation?”

Mr. Zhuang showed a momentary wistfulness.

He knew this day would come, but he had not expected it to come so soon...

Mo Hua, at the Qi Refinement Realm, wanted to learn the Large Formation.

That wasn’t unusual.

The Large Formation is the ultimate goal for all Formation Masters. Every Formation Master in the world wants to learn it.

Even if one cannot be the main Formation Master of a Large Formation, merely participating and adding a few Patterns is already a great honor.

But what made Mo Hua different was, he truly qualified to learn the Large Formation.

His Divine Sense strength, control over Divine Sense, experience in Formation, and proficiency were all top-notch among first-grade Formation Masters.

But the Large Formation is not so simple...

Mr. Zhuang sighed, ”You need to think it through.”

”I’ve thought it through!” Mo Hua nodded.

”You don’t understand,” Mr. Zhuang shook his head, his expression turning serious as he slowly said:

”The Large Formation is the most complex, most difficult, and requires the greatest construction effort among all Formation types. It is not something you can learn just because you want to, nor can you build it alone.”

”Building a Large Formation requires a tremendous amount of manpower and resources...”

”The formation media of the Large Formation need to be crafted by Artifact Refiners, built by Craftsmen; the Formation Pivot, you could learn to draw yourself, but within the Large Formation the thousands of Single Formations cannot all be completed by you alone, you will need the help of other Formation Masters.”

”There’s also the need for resources; the materials to build the formation media, the Spiritual Ink to draw the Formation Patterns, and the Spirit Stones to activate the Formations are all in immense quantities.”

”Furthermore, the Formation Pivot of the Large Formation is extremely challenging with a high consumption of Divine Sense. It’s not something you can easily master.”

”Most crucially...” Mr. Zhuang’s expression grew heavy as he looked at Mo Hua and said slowly:

”Even if you pour all resources into building the Large Formation, what if it still cannot withstand Feng Xi? What if despite exhausting all these resources and Spirit Stones, Feng Xi cannot be subdued? What will the cultivators of Tongxian City do then? In such a scenario, relocating the city would hardly be possible, how will they survive?”

”Have you considered all these things?”

With each statement Mr. Zhuang made, Mo Hua’s heart cooled a degree, and he couldn’t help but look down, disappointed and dejected.

Mr. Zhuang gently touched Mo Hua’s head again and said softly:

”Think these matters through, then decide whether or not you want to learn and build the Large Formation.”