Chapter 145: Formation 1
Formations, in fact, can be divided into human formations and Dao formations. The human formation, a method of arrangement developed in later generations to counter the enemy, will not be discussed here. Luo Xuanyi wasn't trying to learn the human formation, but the Dao formation, known as the Dao.
Unlike human formations, Daoist formations were believed to be the ultimate in ancient human celestial communication. They allowed humans to fly with the swift steps of Xiyan, shift the positions of the eight stars, and even summon wind and rain from the gods. In short, the development of Daoism is closely linked to the celestial beast Xiyan and the Venerable Xingji.
In the most ancient times, those who could harness the energy of heaven and earth were called cultivators. They gradually progressed through Qi training, foundation building, and the Golden Core stage, until, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, they suddenly found themselves unable to advance any further. It wasn't until the first cultivator comprehended the heavens and earth, refining the Dao of the Sword, and opening up the Refining Void realm that the Sword Cultivation lineage became the most prominent among all cultivators, with many reaching the Refining Void realm. Even today, the Sword Cultivation lineage remains the most prominent sect within the righteous path.
At that time, cultivating immortality prioritized the Dao, so naturally, no one would change their methods just to reach the Refining Void Realm first. The ancestor of the Formation Dao, Venerable Xingji, researched how the Dao of the Sword opened up the Refining Void Realm. After three hundred years of painstaking study, as her life drew to a close, she suddenly experienced enlightenment, breaking through the Refining Void Realm's mystique and realizing all the Daoist techniques required to break through it, ascending to the Refining Void Realm.
She said that the stars and sunlight in the sky are all living, breathing beings. The Dao of heaven and earth is not a figment of imagination, but a living, breathing celestial beast. The so-called "refining the void" dilemma is simply a cultivator's failure to grasp this truth, believing that the Dao of heaven and earth is unbreakable and unchangeable. A sword cultivator, with a single sword in his mind, slashes heaven and earth, and Tiansheng Po Dao is the first to break through the Dao among all Daos, yet he cannot explain the reason. Once one understands that the Dao can break through heaven and earth, everyone can enter the realm of refining the void.
Upon realizing this, she was instantly chosen by Heaven. According to records, "A divine light shone down from the sun, and the spirit of Master Xingji soared into the sky. Three silent flashes of lightning flashed across the sky, and Master Xingji transformed into the Dao and was absorbed into the sun. His dying body, retracting the divine light, transformed into a celestial beast with a face like a withered tree, five legs like horse hooves, smoke rising from its hooves, and three tails on its back. As the celestial beast returned to heaven and earth, white willow catkins fell from its face."
"The white willow catkins first numbered eight, and the celestial beast suddenly took to the air with great lightness, moving as if following the heavenly and earthly positions. Then the catkins numbered twenty-four, then forty-eight, and finally, after reaching one hundred and eight, the sky was covered with catkins. The celestial beast transformed by Master Xingji let out a soft hum, then stepped into the air and disappeared. Later generations revered Master Xingji as the founder of formations, and the celestial beast transformed from his flesh body was called Xiyan."
People at the time recorded Xiyan's steps, believing them to be a way of teaching the Dao. Sure enough, after a cultivator left, his form changed. Originally, one had to fly on a sword, but now, simply learning Xiyan's steps could allow one to travel a thousand miles a day. By imitating the number and position of the willow catkins, the original Dao formation was formed.
After tens of thousands of years of dedicated Dao formation research, the first to emerge were light body techniques and escape techniques. Although these techniques also mobilized the spiritual energy of heaven and earth according to the eight directions, they did not require in-depth study of Dao formations and were very versatile.
In this way, the functions of assisting oneself are separated and one focuses on using the formation, thus becoming a formation cultivator.
Formation cultivation, a lifelong pursuit of yin and yang, the art of suppressing heaven and earth, is the most complex of all. Unlike other cultivators, formation cultivators must constantly forget the existence of the laws of heaven and earth in order to manipulate the stars and sunlight for their own benefit. The space created by formation cultivation obscures the laws of heaven, thereby secretly carving out a realm of their own.
Therefore, compared to other cultivators, formation cultivators are more likely to develop their own unique styles. Depending on their individual understanding, some use formations directly against the enemy, aiming for a calm and effortless performance; others are more discreet, deploying formations in advance to kill without being noticed. Since formations are often extremely powerful, and since formation cultivators' understanding of the Dao generally exceeds their own realm limits, even illusionary formations can easily go awry. Therefore, formations are not meant to be used in a limited way; they must be used to ensure a decisive defeat.
For example, in the immortal sect competition among the six major alliances, Yifeng the hermit who practiced formations had no chance to participate, and of course no rewards, so he could only sit on the side and watch.
The Dao of Formation not only emphasizes one's own understanding of the formation, but also crucially, the formation flags, which serve as a substitute for white willow catkins to harness the sunlight from the stars. After all, a cultivator's own strength is like an ant trying to shake a tree compared to the Dao of Heaven. Using formation flags to deploy formations can subtly harness the power of the celestial smoke, ensuring the success of the formation.
There are strict limits on the number of flags a formation can command. The lowest level of formation enlightenment is eight flags. Even Ji Ye, the most powerful formation master among human cultivators, used only 108 flags in his formation to resist the oncoming ghost realm. However, legend among formation masters abounds that those who reach the true realm can unleash countless flags like Xiyan, disregarding the strict limit on the number of flags. However, whether this is true or not is unknown.
Refining a formation flag required meeting numerous requirements; it wasn't like Luo Xuanyi imagined, where you could just buy a ready-made formation flag. A cultivator's formation flag was like a sword cultivator's own natal sword; they needed to achieve unity of purpose before they could deploy their formation.
When crafting their formation flags, a typical formation practitioner would select a portion of themselves as the "flag bone," whether it be a single drop of blood or a shaving of flesh. Only the main flag, the centerpiece of the formation, must contain a portion of the practitioner's own soul. With the main flag in place, the other flags can be lost without concern; they can be replaced with new ones at will. If the main flag is destroyed, the practitioner will be instantly slain by the heavens. This has been the most baffling fact for formation practitioners for millennia. After all, they haven't committed any crimes against nature, so they must strictly guard the main flag.
Aside from the flag bone, which requires a portion of one's own body, other materials can be purchased or gathered from hunting. Countless combinations are possible, with no set recipe; it all depends on the individual's individual creativity. It's generally determined by spiritual roots, then by one's temperament. Ji Ye possesses a wood spiritual root. Initially, he primarily used forest trees to perform formations. Later, after killing too many righteous enemies, he, in a fit of rage, used the righteous cultivators he had killed as formation flags, imbuing his formation with a hint of evil.
In reality, they viewed formation flags as simply "throwing things together according to my ideas, and somehow turning them into usable formation flags." Weapon cultivators would strike them down on the spot. However, the resulting formation flags were generally oddly shaped. More sophisticated formation cultivators would modify them further to create proper magical instruments.
So, how could a formation cultivator achieve enlightenment before being able to refine their own formation flags? This is where another convenient method developed by formation cultivators comes in: the formation disk. This disk can store basic formations, typically requiring eight to twenty-four flags, in a palm-sized box, ready for immediate use. Formation disks are disposable and expensive to produce. They only contain spatial enemy formations or retrieval formations capable of resurrecting the dead. Furthermore, only formation cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage can inscribe on a disk, making it extremely expensive.
By observing and understanding the Dao essence of the formations left by the cultivators on the formation disk, the cultivators can accelerate their understanding of the Dao of formations. Also, since formation cultivators do not need to cultivate a special mental method, only need to understand the Dao of formations, the daily expenses are relatively high, so formation cultivators usually practice other methods to earn spirit coins.
Luo Xuanyi thought carefully and decided she could use her own dead energy to form the core of the refining flag, using the original ghost fire as the main core. As for the materials, Luo Xuanyi thought she could learn from Ji Ye. As a treacherous cultivator who absorbed evil thoughts, human flesh and blood would be most suitable for her. It could also process the residual materials left over from her cultivation, killing two birds with one stone.
The most important thing now was to cultivate while still possessing the living souls and evil thoughts, achieving a breakthrough in the Peach Blossom Realm to fulfill her vision. Luo Xuanyi summoned Wang Taiyuan's will-o'-the-wisp and the immense evil thoughts, and began to focus on her cultivation. Simultaneously, within her body, the newly possessed soul, Unlucky Guy No. 2, also began to help Luo Xuanyi achieve a breakthrough.
This chapter is boring. It sets the tone for Sister Yi's future cultivation of the Dao of Formation. You won't have to go through so much trouble in the future (Sister Yi really can't change the Dao of Formation anymore. I feel like I've made up so many things hh I'm going bald from thinking about it
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