Chapter 1389: The Formation Elder Appears!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong removed a book from his bosom. This was none other than the ‘Void Movement Technique’ manual he had obtained from that man in black. Wang Chong had browsed through it earlier, but time had been short, and he had not had time to finish.
All was quiet, and there was even some air flow. Other than when the formation shifted, this place was rather safe.
As there was nothing else to do, Wang Chong decided to cultivate the void movement technique while he waited for the Formation Elder.
Those unaffiliated martial artists kept their distance when everything was quiet, and his master was still trying to understand the laws of the formation through the world of energy. For a moment, no one noticed Wang Chong and the void movement technique manual. Even if someone did notice, they only shot it a passing glance before hurriedly looking away.
‘The void is limited while the mind is boundless. When one’s mind is unified, one can travel as skillfully through the void as a master butcher’s cleaver slides through the sinews of an ox!
‘Use the heart to control the mind, the mind to control the body, the body to control space, and all things will be unreachable, and no one will detect you. Thus, this is no simple body movement technique.’
……
As Wang Chong read line after line, he quickly immersed himself into the void movement technique.
These men in black were dangerous, vicious, and extremely mysterious. Their martial arts were truly profound and far more formidable than the majority of the martial arts the people of this era had access to.
Wang Chong quickly began to cultivate according to the prescribed mantra.
This void movement technique had little to do with his internal energy. Thus, cultivating it would not worsen the current situation in his body. This was also why Wang Chong had chosen to cultivate it.
Time slowly passed, and Wang Chong had soon almost completely grasped the secrets of the void movement technique. After all, he was a peak Great General, so it was much easier for him to cultivate this kind of technique.
As Wang Chong was immersed in cultivation, the Demonic Emperor Old Man suddenly said, “It’s here!”
Wang Chong’s heart trembled as he raised his head. Looking up, he saw that after the passage of hours, even that dim and gray sky had begun to darken.
Although it was not possible to determine direction in this vast and complicated formation, one could still see whether it was daytime or night through the color of the sky.
Rumble! A few seconds later, the space began to quake as the formation was once more set into motion.
“Zhang Wenfu, foul brat, where are you?” a voice suddenly resounded, and Wang Chong suddenly sensed a familiar aura coming from his left. Bzz! In a flash of light, a short and proud elder wearing a Daoist robe came walking out of the gray fog.
“Senior Zhou!”
Wang Chong immediately stood up, and at the same time, the Demonic Emperor Old Man strode over, heartily laughing.
“Old rascal, I’ve been waiting for hours! You’re finally here!”
As the Demonic Emperor Old Man spoke, he gave the Formation Elder a vigorous embrace.
“Release me! You old thing, you’re going to wring me to death!”
The Formation Elder was both worried and angry, so tightly embraced by the Demonic Emperor Old Man that his face was red. As he bellowed and cursed, he kicked at the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s kneecaps. As it turned out, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had lifted him up into the air with his vigorous hug.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man heartily laughed before finally loosening his grip.
The Formation Elder glared at the Demonic Emperor Old Man before turning to Wang Chong.
“Hey, kid, you actually dared to play around with Song Yuanyi and Luo Qiyin! You’ve got guts! I suppose that’s to be expected of the Demonic Emperor’s true disciple. You didn’t let down your master’s reputation! This old man underestimated you! Your daring has given this old man a better opinion of you!”
The Formation Elder’s face was brimming with arrogance and seemed to be conveying the message that he now felt Wang Chong worth teaching.
When Wang Chong saw this, he found himself both vexed and amused.
“Yes, this junior accepts your teachings!”
After exchanging these pleasantries, the trio calmed down and began to discuss the situation.
“Old rascal, do you have a plan? Based on the current situation, this formation has already imprisoned seven to eight hundred people, and the longer we stay here, the stronger the formation becomes. I’ve already tried several times, but I haven’t found a way to get out of here!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man looked at the gray fog around them as he spoke.
When those martial artists who had been saved heard these words, they trembled in fear. Everyone knew of the Demonic Emperor’s strength, and if not even he could leave this formation, then neither could they.
“This matter isn’t as simple as you think!”
The Formation Elder had a solemn expression, a hint of concern in his eyes.
“The Origin Immortal Lord’s attainments in the art of formations were far more formidable than I had imagined. This formation has 1024 formation gates in total, with a total of 12,288 permutations. Each time, it shifts in a different way. Just calculating how the formation shifts is already rather complex. I can only calculate a portion, which is why I was only able to determine that we could meet in six hours. But I’m far from calculating a way to leave this place!”
“Why do we have to leave? Why can’t we go into the Origin Immortal Mountain? Do none of you want the Origin Immortal Art?” one of the martial artists curled up in the corner blurted out. Only after he had spoken did he realize that he had been too agitated. To dare mouth off in front of the Demonic Emperor was seeking death!
“Hmph! You idiots!” the Formation Elder suddenly said, turning to face them with an expression that oozed disdain. “Do you still not get it? There is no Origin Immortal Mountain here!”
“Impossible! All of us saw that massive Origin Immortal Mountain.”
“The Origin Immortal Art is the world’s number one art. Such a treasure must definitely be surrounded by dangers. You can’t just obtain treasure without experiencing risk!”
“That’s right! The Origin Immortal Mountain must be in the depths of this formation. As long as we pass through this formation, we can definitely reach the Origin Immortal Mountain!”
The martial artists began to chime in, their desire for the world’s number one art overcoming their fear of the Demonic Emperor.
“Pah, the depths of the formation? What a pack of idiots! Based on the area covered by this formation, if the Origin Immortal Mountain really were inside, it would only be ten feet tall,” the Formation Elder jeered.
Buzz!
The martial artists shuddered at the Formation Elder’s words, instantly struck dumb. An Origin Immortal Mountain that was ten feet tall was naturally impossible. There had to be some sort of problem.
All fell silent. Wang Chong had no comments, but a thoughtful look appeared on his face. He had been in the formation for several hours, and he had used various methods to try and observe it.
The Origin Immortal Mountain simply didn’t exist in this place…
This was something he had already begun to suspect, but only when the Formation Elder had appeared had the truth been exposed.
“How could that be? Everyone saw that massive mountain! It seemed so real! How could it be a fake!? I don’t believe you! I don’t!” one of the martial artists said in wide-eyed disbelief, an extremely stubborn look on his face.
He had traveled a great distance in pursuit of this supreme art, overcoming many dangers and being pursued many times, even getting into fights with many of the martial artists gathered here. After entering this formation, he had suffered from poisonous mist and had been ambushed by others, but he had endured it all so that he could obtain the supreme art and one day become the greatest expert in the world.
But now, the Formation Elder was saying that this was all fake. How could he possibly accept it?
“I don’t believe you, you swindlers!”
The agitated martial artist seemed to go insane, and before anyone could react, he charged into the gray fog.
“Ah!”
The other martial artists couldn’t help but call out in surprise, but a few moments later, he was gone.
“Hmph! Those blinded by greed are only seeking death!”
The Formation Elder coldly grunted before turning back around.
Wang Chong and the Demonic Emperor Old Man had nothing to say. One had to choose their own path. The Formation Elder had already warned him, and if he still insisted on charging headlong into danger, no one could stop him.
“Let’s get back to the formation! I calculated for many hours, hoping to find a pattern to the formation’s shifts, even just a little, but I failed each time. There was also something inexplicably off about my calculations. I get this feeling that there’s someone operating this formation!” the Formation Elder said.
“What?!”
Wang Chong and the Demonic Emperor Old Man trembled, expressions of shock on their faces.
“How could this be?!”
Wang Chong creased his brow and began to think. Such a massive formation should not be something that a human could control. It was more feasible that this formation had been set down by the Origin Immortal Lord several hundred years ago. If what the Formation Elder said was true, this matter took on an entirely different nature.
“Old rascal, are you serious?” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said, his expression grave.
“I also hope that it’s not the case, but I calculated three to four hundred times and felt something fishy each time. I really hope that I’m overthinking things.”
The Formation Elder didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Senior Zhou, I once dabbled in the art of formations. Why don’t you teach me a little, and I might be able to help you with your calculations,” Wang Chong suddenly said.