Chapter 1030: Futile Struggle; The Black Nail (I)
Chapter 1030: Futile Struggle; The Black Nail (I)
The contingency left behind by a Monarch was, unsurprisingly, brilliant. As long as the Flesh Ganoderma's main body remained alive, the Grand Formation of Soul Hooks and Spirit Nails would continue operating indefinitely. The formation drew directly upon the immense life force contained within its body, using that power not only to sustain itself but also to bind the Flesh Ganoderma's soul. A wise man once said that the body is just a shell, a prison house of the soul; in this case, the statement was literally true. The Flesh Ganoderma's flesh had become a cage, and its soul was prisoner. As long as the body was alive, the formation could never be broken.
Ordinarily, a formation of this level would have been far beyond the capabilities of Adepts like Luo Chen and Devil's Cloud to break. However, after countless years of imprisonment, the Flesh Ganoderma had devised a solution. Since the formation's strength depended entirely on the life force within its body, weakening that life force would naturally weaken the formation as well. Once the formation had deteriorated enough, they could act from both inside and outside simultaneously, transferring its true soul into Ding Yi's body. The moment the formation lost its target, it would collapse on its own. After that, all that remained was to reclaim the main body and reunite it with the soul.
The plan sounded simple when explained conceptually, but in practice, every step required immense time and resources. Fortunately, after all those years, it had finally put together everything it needed.
The Flesh Ganoderma spoke calmly. "The Golden Altar Rebirth Formation happens to be a natural counter to a wood-attribute entity like me. As long as we work at it little by little, we can gradually wear the formation down. Once it's weak enough, my soul will be able to break free."
Behind it, Devil's Cloud moved among the thirty-six golden altars, activating the formations one after another. At the heart of every altar sat a low-grade enchanted treasure serving as the formation's core. Altogether, there were thirty-six enchanted treasures. They were only low-grade, but the size of the arrangement was staggering. Furthermore, every one of those treasures was of the metal attribute, making them ideally suited to restraining the Flesh Ganoderma.
Yet even those treasures represented only part of the preparation. The Flesh Ganoderma had also handed Devil's Cloud an entire storage pouch filled with top-grade spirit stones, along with several metal-attribute supreme-grade spirit stones.
Since the grand formation had not yet been fully prepared, Luo Chen still had some time to spare. While marveling at the scale of the undertaking, he asked, "Was Ding Yi really willing to spend so much of his savings?"
The Flesh Ganoderma kept its eyes closed as it answered in a muffled voice, "Of course not. He spent every waking moment trying to free himself from my remnant will. Buying Dustfall Pills from you was just another futile attempt. But no matter how hard he struggled, he could never truly let go."
Luo Chen frowned. "Let go of what?"
A faint smile appeared on the Flesh Ganoderma's face. "Me, of course! Flesh Ganoderma has always been a famous spirit medicine. People say it can revive the dead and regrow flesh from bare bones! Well, those stories are obviously exaggerated, but the life force contained within my main body is real. As I told you earlier, it stems from the Law of Wood. Did you really think Ding Yi came to the Land of Fallen Devils to rid himself of my influence? He came because he wanted my main body! He wanted to refine it into a spirit medicine and use it to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm."
Luo Chen was momentarily stunned. Looking at the jelly-like mass before him, he actually found every one of its words believable. The life force contained within that body was so immense that even his fourth-tier Archaic Beast physique seemed insignificant in comparison.
The Power of Wood...
The phrase lingered in his mind as he watched Devil's Cloud complete the final preparations for all thirty-six Golden Altars Rebirth Formations. Moments later, Devil's Cloud let out a low shout, and a golden light surged skyward before descending onto the Flesh Ganoderma's main body.
The light had barely neared the Flesh Ganoderma's main body when it began to writhe violently. As a wood sprite, it was naturally restrained by metal, and that triggered an instinctive resistance. Before it could move further to break free, however, the remnant will hidden within Ding Yi seized control and forcibly crushed its resistance.
Whoosh!
The white sphere shuddered beneath the golden light. As its aura steadily weakened, a lump of flesh slowly separated from the main body, as though an invisible knife were cutting it away.
Seeing this, Luo Chen immediately activated his Spirit Eyes. Since the Golden Altar Rebirth Formation was designed to weaken the prison by draining the Flesh Ganoderma's life force, the detached flesh was only the first sign of success. What he truly wanted to see was the Grand Formation of Soul Hooks and Spirit Nails itself. Sure enough, as more life force was stripped from the main body, the formation binding it also loosened slightly.
Not far away, the Flesh Ganoderma raised its voice. "Not enough! Fellow Daoist, continue!"
Devil's Cloud was quick to act and activated the next formation, sending waves of golden light upon the Flesh Ganoderma's main body. To keep the body from resisting, the remnant will push itself to the limit as well. Its expression grew increasingly twisted as the strain mounted, yet it never relaxed its control.
At first, Luo Chen's attention remained fixed on the subtle changes within the formation. As the process continued and more life force was stripped from the Flesh Ganoderma, those changes became increasingly apparent. The longer he observed, the more clearly he began to glimpse the principles underlying the formation.
Heaven Refiner had extracted the Flesh Ganoderma's life force and transformed it into seven phantom golden nails stained with rust, using them to pin down its seven spirits. At the same time, the body itself had been turned into a prison to confine its three souls. The two complemented one another perfectly, forming a seamless whole.
Could I create something like this myself?
The thought arose naturally as he continued studying the formation. Countless insights flooded Luo Chen's mind as he tried to extrapolate from the fragments he could understand and grasp even a sliver of the formation's mysteries. Yet the deeper he delved into it, the more confused he became. He could not understand how something as tangible as life force could be transformed into an intangible power capable of restraining the soul. Truthfully, the seven phantom golden nails alone were already far beyond the limits of his understanding.
Perhaps Han Zhan could do it?
The thought surfaced in Luo Chen's mind, and after hesitating for a moment, he turned toward Han Zhan and asked.
Han Zhan replied, "I can't do that either. Turning something tangible into something intangible touches on the power of Laws. To be honest, if the Flesh Ganoderma hadn't been helping from the inside and you hadn't damaged the foundation of the formation, you never would have broken it. Still, observing this formation has given me a few ideas..."
Luo Chen's interest was piqued. "What kind of ideas?"
"If I knew for certain, they wouldn't be just ideas anymore. Anyway, right now, it's just a vague thought. I don't even know whether it's right or wrong." Han Zhan chuckled. "What now? Are you thinking of recreating this formation?"
Luo Chen shook his head. "I wouldn't dare."
Han Zhan laughed and let the matter drop. "Neither would I. But one thing is clear. This formation is built on a principle we don't truly understand yet, and we can't really grasp its nature. But that doesn't mean we can't make use of it. Cultivators do that all the time. We know how to use plenty of things without knowing why they work."
The explanation was somewhat abstract, but Luo Chen was no longer the ignorant Qi Refinement cultivator he had once been. Although he could not fully grasp Han Zhan's meaning, he could more or less follow the Sage's train of thought.
"Are you talking about something like the Woodrot Go Stone? An enchanted treasure related to the divine soul?"
"Not bad." Han Zhan gave him a look of approval. "That's exactly what I mean. As you well know, treasures like that are extremely rare. Even though my sect specializes in divine soul cultivation, we don't have a single soul-type treasure ourselves. That's one of the main reasons I was never able to fully master Soul Split."
Luo Chen silently committed the information to memory. If even Han Zhan's Soul Split mastery was being held back by the lack of an appropriate treasure, then the importance of such items was self-evident. Reflecting on his own situation, he found the statement reasonable. Soul-type enchanted treasures were notoriously rare, especially defensive ones. Offensive ones appeared from time to time within the cultivation world, though most were of mediocre grade. And as it happened, he had one such means on him already.
Mirror Flower Water Moon was a powerful illusion spell capable of trapping opponents without them even realizing it, but its greatest weakness was that it relied on Luo Chen's divine soul directly. Once it failed, the backlash would fall upon him without mercy. Because of that risk, he rarely used it against stronger opponents unless he was left with no other choice. Against cultivators of the same realm, there was even less reason to rely on it, as his other techniques were already more than sufficient.
Over time, the illusion spell he had painstakingly brought to Perfected Mastery and embedded within his eyes had become somewhat awkward to use. But that was not because he didn't want to use it; what he lacked was a safe way to do so. He needed a substitute, an external object that carried no risk of backlash. This was the only way to patch the weakness in his divine soul attacks. In fact, if he could grasp even a little of the principle behind this grand formation and channel it through an external medium, perhaps he could replace Mirror Flower Water Moon entirely.
With that thought in mind, Luo Chen studied the formation even more carefully. His Spirit Eyes remained fixed upon it without blinking, to the point that they began to feel dry.
Time passed slowly in this fashion. Deep within the cave of the Fallen Devil Abyss, more than half of the thirty-six Golden Altar Rebirth Formations were activated. The metal-attribute supreme-grade spirit stones had long since been exhausted, and even the storage pouch filled with top-grade spirit stones was nearly empty.
The changes on the Flesh Ganoderma's side were even more obvious. Its main body had become incomplete and looked quite battered. Of the seven golden nails that had pinned it in place, four had vanished, while the remaining three had grown so faint that they seemed ready to dissipate at any moment. Meanwhile, the remnant will occupying Ding Yi's body was in no better condition. It looked like a candle struggling against the wind; it bent down in exhaustion, and it even faintly. Beads of sweat the size of pearls rolled down its face and shattered against the ground. The strain required to suppress its main body's resistance was plainly visible.
Buzzzz...
When another golden nail dissolved, the Flesh Ganoderma let out a muffled groan and slowly said, "Fellow Daoist Azure Yang, prepare."
"Mm."
Luo Chen's response was brief, but the Flesh Ganoderma said nothing more. Instead, it let out a low growl and formed a spirit seal. In the next instant, clusters of ganodermas and patches of green moss flew into the cave from every direction and converged upon Ding Yi's body. These were fragments of power the Flesh Ganoderma had deliberately severed from its main body over the past years to weaken the restraint upon itself. Now, all of them were being recalled and gathered together on Ding Yi's body as a reserve source of strength.
"Hm?"
Luo Chen let out a soft sound of surprise as the spirit light of his protective barrier flickered. He could vaguely sense tiny things moving outside it, things too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Before he could investigate further, the Flesh Ganoderma spoke again. "Don't resist them. Those are fragments of power I separated from myself. Later, when you activate the Spirit Obstruction Formation, the Grand Formation of Soul Hooks and Spirit Nails may attack you. If these are attached to you, it won't treat you as an enemy."
Luo Chen looked on doubtfully.
The Flesh Ganoderma lowered its voice. "This is a struggle between me and the formation. If it detects an outsider getting involved, you could easily get caught in the crossfire. It's safer if you carry my aura."
Luo Chen pressed his lips together and dropped his protective barrier, allowing those invisible particles to settle upon him. Extending his divine consciousness, he discovered that they were countless microscopic particles.
Spores?
The thought had only just crossed his mind when activity erupted nearby. He turned toward Devil's Cloud and saw that another formation had been activated.
***
Time flowed on, and before anyone realized it, years had slipped away. When the final formation lit up within the cave, the long operation finally reached its end. The Flesh Ganoderma's eyes were filled with anticipation. It could clearly be felt that the power of the grand formation had been weakened to its absolute limit. Though its main body had been shattered time and again throughout the process, the soul that had slumbered for countless years was finally on the verge of freedom. Only the final step remained.
While the last formation continued operating, Devil's Cloud suddenly spoke. "We've come this far. It's time for you to tell us how to enter the inheritance grounds, isn't it?"
The Flesh Ganoderma seemed to have expected this all along. It showed little surprise, though a trace of annoyance flashed across its face. "You're far too impatient..."
Even so, it still transmitted the answer through divine consciousness.
Luo Chen paid little attention to the exchange. His own task was about to begin; whether the escape succeeded or failed would depend largely on his Spirit Obstruction Formation and its ability to block the pursuit of the Grand Formation of Soul Hooks and Spirit Nails.
A moment later, Devil's Cloud's expression became uncertain after hearing the explanation. "Inside the vortex? Are you trying to trick me? That place is unimaginably dangerous. I can feel it even from here."
This time, he spoke aloud rather than through divine transmission, allowing Luo Chen to hear everything.
The Flesh Ganoderma replied in a deep voice, "As long as you follow the technique I taught you and activate the enchanted treasure you prepared beforehand, you'll be able to enter the inheritance grounds safely. I have no reason to lie to you."
Devil's Cloud hesitated for a moment before a look of resolve gradually settled over his face. "Alright. I trust you wouldn't lie about something like this."
The moment he finished speaking, he completed the final hand seal. A golden axe flashed through the air and chopped downward. Nothing visible happened, yet all three felt a sharp crack reverberate deep within their hearts.
Then, the final phantom nail shattered.
"Azure Yang, now!"
The Flesh Ganoderma let out a thunderous roar and pressed a finger against its forehead. A violent gale immediately swept through the cave as an enormous soul slowly emerged from its shattered body. The soul was so solid that it seemed almost tangible. As it materialized, the sound of rattling chains echoed through the cave. Countless phantom chains tipped with hooked barbs remained embedded throughout the massive soul, and every inch of progress was painfully slow as the hooks dragged against the soul and resisted its escape. Even so, the massive soul continued advancing toward Ding Yi's body.
Luo Chen could not help swallowing at the sight. The heck?! Is this the soul of a fifth-tier sprite? It hardly looks like a soul anymore. It's even starting to take on physical form.
The shock lasted only a moment before he activated the Spirit Obstruction Formation. Under his control, the formation enveloped the Flesh Ganoderma's soul like a huge veil. Under the formation's effect, the weakened hooks and chains were peeled away, one after another, and left behind. Freed from those bindings, the enormous soul continued moving forward.
At last, it emerged from the Spirit Obstruction Formation and slowly merged with Ding Yi's body.