Chapter 1390: Bizarre Formation! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
While Elders Fang and Du had still been around, Wang Chong had learned a little about formations from them, and in the apocalyptic era, Wang Chong had also interacted somewhat with formations. It was just that he had never had any systematic education. However, Wang Chong undoubtedly knew more than the common person with regards to formations.
”This… Fine. In any case, I couldn't think of an idea after this long, so there's no harm in you trying. It's better than doing nothing.”
As the Formation Elder spoke, he extended a finger. Swish! A bolt of energy flew through the air, and as the Formation Elder's finger moved, it began to draw out a formation on the ground.
This was a gigantic circular formation with more than one thousand formation gates and more than ten thousand permutations. Completely drawing out such a massive formation was almost impossible. Even the Formation Elder could only draw out something thirty to forty percent similar.
But this was already rather astonishing and would certainly alarm many people if it ever got out. After all, the Origin Immortal Lord had been the greatest formation master of the Central Plains.
Moreover, these ancient formations had already been lost, so the Formation Elder had obtained this rough estimate of the formation's shape through his own deductions.
”It's great that you have some foundation, but this is still a formation left behind by the Origin Immortal Lord. How much you can comprehend will depend on yourself. I can only give you a rough explanation.
”The art of formations is one of constant transformation, but none of the shifts are ever far from the base. All formations essentially share the same foundation, the eight gates of Life, Pain, Rest, Stop, View, Death, Alarm, and Open. As long as you can grasp the key shifts of these gates, you should theoretically be capable of opening up all formations, though that's only theoretically.”
The Formation Elder continued to write on the ground, lecturing Wang Chong on the changes in formations while also providing some supplementary knowledge.
The Formation Elder had never been a good teacher, nor did he have the time to devote to teaching a disciple. However, the Formation Elder had already busied himself over this formation for many hours with little progress, so he had nothing better to do except teach Wang Chong.
Moreover, even if he didn't care for the monk, he had to care for the Buddha. It was better to get into the good graces of the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
”So, each of the eight gates corresponds to 128 formation gates of this formation with 1536 permutations?” Wang Chong finally said after listening to the Formation Elder's explanation.
The Formation Elder's face froze upon hearing these words, and he looked strangely at Wang Chong.
He had only roughly explained the basics to Wang Chong, but Wang Chong had already been able to deduce something like this, far surpassing his expectations. Such comprehension was truly incredible.
This kid isn't just good at martial arts! He also has tremendous talent when it comes to formations!
As this thought flew through the Formation Elder's mind, he shot a glance at the Demonic Emperor Old Man. At that moment, he suddenly had a strange idea.
A momentary silence ensued, during which the Formation Elder calmed down so that he could continue lecturing Wang Chong about formations.
”The Open Gate, Rest Gate, and Life Gate are auspicious gates and are generally not that dangerous. The Death Gate, Alarm Gate, and Pain Gate are inauspicious gates, and if you enter the formation gates corresponding to them, you'll be in grave peril. Entering the gates of the Death Gate is particularly dangerous, and you generally won't come out alive. As for the Stop Gate and View Gate, they are rather balanced, between the auspicious and inauspicious gates. They aren't that dangerous, but they aren't that safe either. You and your master are currently in the Rest Gate.
”The Rest Gate is the gate of recuperation. In a formation, the formation gates are constantly changing. Once inside, if a martial artist doesn't die, they'll be exhausted from trying to survive, as there's simply no time to rest. Only in the Rest Gate can one get a chance to catch one's breath. In these formation gates, you can meditate and recuperate, recovering your Stellar Energy. This was also why when your master got in touch with me through the world of energy, I told him not to leave. This formation was the creation of the Origin Immortal Lord, and it uses the energy of the world. Once you leave the Rest Gate, even someone as strong as your master will be in grave danger.”
The Formation Elder spoke in an extremely grave tone. This formation was far more dangerous than anyone could imagine. Not even the Demonic Emperor Old Man would dare to say that he was safe in here, much less anyone else. Even a master of formations like the Formation Elder could only guarantee his own safety.
When moving from his current position to this one, he had felt like he was treading on thin ice. Otherwise, he would have never taken such a long time.
”But, Senior Zhou, according to your explanation, as the Rest Gate is an auspicious gate, there should be no danger here at all. Yet not long ago, we were attacked by the formation within the Rest Gate. This doesn't seem at all like the place for rest and recuperation that you say the Rest Gate should be,” Wang Chong said, his brow creased.
”Heh, I wasn't finished yet. For you to quickly notice this is not bad, not bad!”
The Formation Elder stroked his beard, casting a praising glance at Wang Chong as he nodded.
”The Rest Gate isn't as simple as you think. It's only less dangerous when compared to the other formation gates, but it's not completely free of danger. Once you enter a wondrous formation like this, there is no position that is completely unchanging, completely safe. As they say, pull a hair and put the entire body into motion. The moment you enter the formation, you set off a chain reaction. Only by finding the Life Gate can you leave.
”The Rest Gate is about rest and only rest. You can't just stay there forever. At the Rest Gate, there will be a shift every twenty hours, a point where the place is beset by traps and poison gas. This is unavoidable.”