Chapter 1051: Reverse Heavenly Formation

This vast and fierce force, like a raging tide, appeared before me even before it made a move.

The spirit-soul swayed, and just as it was about to flee, its vision blurred. Where the force tore through the lava, layers of buildings appeared in its sight, like a mirage.

"It's indeed below..."

No sooner had the thought arisen than it felt the crushing force descend upon it, unable to resist, tumbling upwards.

Boom! Immediately after, the Golden Origin Cauldron above was propelled by the force, shooting straight out of the magma and violently crashing against the seal above, emitting a sound like a great bell.

Fortunately, the artifact had advanced to a mid-tier Saint artifact, and its power had been released, preventing further amplification. Otherwise, that single blow would have been enough to flay it alive, if not kill it.

"Dean Zhang..." "Teacher Zhang!" Seeing the burst of power that sent the Golden Origin Cauldron flying out, everyone waiting outside jumped in alarm and rushed over in unison.

"Oh no..." Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

Inside the cauldron, there was only his physical body. If everyone surrounded it, with their strength, they would certainly discover his spirit-soul, and it would be difficult for him to return then!

Once discovered, how would others view a dignified Dean of the Master Teacher Academy who was actually cultivating spirit-soul techniques?

But if his soul didn't return, with only his physical body remaining, it would be no different from a dead person. What if these guys thought he had died and, in their grief, cremated him?

Even if they didn't do that, his physical body, without thought or consciousness, would fight when it encountered danger. If it really started fighting them and happened to kill a few... that would also be a major headache.

Filled with anxiety, he was about to rush out of the lava but stopped himself, quickly sending a message to the Golden Origin Cauldron.

Master Wu, Guild Leader Han, and the others were all Saint 4-dan experts. Their spiritual sense could sweep through the area, and if the spirit-soul came out, they would definitely notice it. The best solution was to make the cauldron re-enter the lava.

"Come back!" The thought was transmitted.

"No, it's too dangerous..." The Golden Origin Cauldron shook continuously.

Seriously? It had only been down for a short while and almost got dismantled. It wasn't stupid enough to run back to its death.

Seeing an artifact so terrified of death, Zhang Xuan felt like his lungs were about to explode from anger.

What the heck...? So many master teachers aren't afraid of death, yet you, a Saint artifact, are scared half to death. It's just ridiculous when you think about it.

"As long as you come over, I'll find a way for you to reach the Spirit Disunion realm!"

Left with no choice, Zhang Xuan had to offer an incentive.

Although this fellow was somewhat afraid of death, its loyalty was unquestionable.

"Spirit Disunion realm? Really?" The Golden Origin Cauldron suddenly leaped up.

The Spirit Disunion realm for Saint artifacts is different from that of humans. For humans, it means their primordial spirit leaves the body and can travel millions of kilometers at night. For Saint artifacts, however, reaching this realm means their spirituality becomes clearer and is already as powerful as a primordial spirit. Although they cannot leave their form to roam, they can already control shape-shifting and grow limbs!

Although quite ugly and strange, it's equivalent to having an autonomous life, which for a Saint artifact, is definitely a huge step forward.

"Rest assured, I always keep my promises!" Zhang Xuan said.

While it's difficult to help a Saint artifact advance, it's not impossible. He still had the Golden Crystal Profound Stone left by Wu Yangzi. As long as he could refine and integrate it into the artifact's body, making it advance would be effortless.

Of course, this item was extremely difficult to refine; ordinary ground fire couldn't do it at all. It was even unknown if the lava below could accomplish it.

"Okay!" Hearing the promise, the Golden Origin Cauldron no longer paid attention to the surrounding crowd. With a shriek, it charged towards the lava below.

"This..." Seeing the artifact's sudden erratic behavior, rushing towards the lava again, everyone was stunned, looking at each other, completely puzzled.

Plop! After entering the lava, Zhang Xuan controlled his spirit-soul, quietly returning to his physical body. Only then did he fly out of the cauldron and return to the crowd.

"Teacher Zhang, are you alright...?" Everyone looked at him with great concern.

"I'm fine!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Just now, I discovered many platforms and buildings down below. If I'm not mistaken, the ruins are directly beneath us!"

"How deep?" Master Wu couldn't help but ask.

"Well... by visual estimation, about a hundred meters!" After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xuan said.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, given his abilities, that distance should be fairly accurate.

"One hundred meters?" Everyone's expression changed. Master Wu had only entered about forty meters and nearly died. One hundred meters... was simply an impossible task!

Knowing where the ruins were but being unable to enter—what was the difference between that and not knowing at all?

"Do you have a solution?" Master Wu looked at Guild Leader Han, only to see him shake his head, a bitter smile on his face.

It was impossible to enter such depths.

"I have a method..." After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan said.

"Oh?" Everyone looked over in unison.

"The energy just now was extremely powerful. When it impacted with full force, the lava separated. This means that once the energy impacts, a vacuum will appear in the lava, forming a passage wide enough for people to pass through... We can take advantage of this time to enter!"

Zhang Xuan said slowly.

The reason the spirit-soul was able to see the scene below just now was precisely because the lava had separated. At that moment, as long as one was fast enough, one could completely rush down.

"This method is good, but... it's almost impossible to accomplish!" "Indeed, this force is so powerful that even the Golden Origin Cauldron couldn't withstand it and was directly propelled out. Wanting to go against the current... how is that possible!"

Guild Leader Han and Master Wu exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.

Although the method was good and seemed to be the best option currently, unfortunately, it couldn't be done.

With such powerful force, if they were to truly enter it, it would be good enough not to be torn apart on the spot, let alone go against the current and cover a distance of a hundred meters in a short time. It was utterly impossible.

Even if they could advance, what if they only made it halfway and the lava closed in? They would truly be dead for sure.

"Going against the current is indeed difficult... But what if we enter by following behind the force?" Zhang Xuan said.

"Following behind the force?" Everyone was puzzled. This force was rushing upwards from below; how could they follow behind it?

"Dean Zhang means... to gather this force using a special formation and then attack downwards from above?" Guild Leader Han seemed to understand and couldn't help but say.

"Exactly!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"But... this would only be more dangerous," Guild Leader Han quickly said. "This energy is so immense; if we fail to gather it properly, it could easily collapse..."

"Formation gathering?" "Even greater force?" Hearing their conversation, everyone else also understood, and their expressions all changed.

They had witnessed the incredibly powerful force surging from below with their own eyes. Gathering it and redirecting it to attack the lava below... if successful, it would be fine, but if it failed, everyone would probably be blasted to death on the spot.

"Then do you have any other solution?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"I..." Guild Leader Han stiffened, unable to speak.

There truly was no way to enter one hundred meters of deep lava. This might be the best method.

"The seal is already closed, we can't get out, and if we can't enter the ruins, we die. Rather than that, we might as well give it a try!" Zhang Xuan said.

Everyone nodded. They had no other option now and only could risk it. Otherwise, staying here would also be a dead end.

"What should we do?" Everyone was a Master Teacher, decisive in their actions, and had come with a resolve to die. They quickly finished their discussion and looked over in unison.

"It's simple: you give me all your seven-star formation flags, then follow my command uniformly. At that time, everyone will enter the Golden Origin Cauldron, and we'll charge in!"

Zhang Xuan said.

The Golden Origin Cauldron was a Saint artifact that could change size. It could hold three to five people, or even thirty people, without appearing crowded at all.

If everyone flew chaotically, some would be fast and some slow. It would be better to stay inside the Golden Origin Cauldron, firstly for safety, and secondly for greater speed.

"Alright!" Hearing the plan, everyone nodded.

Many people had seven-star formation flags, especially Guild Leader Han, who had the most on him. Zhang Xuan took them and counted over five hundred, unable to help but nod.

This many would surely be enough.

Currently, the most important thing was how to set up a formation capable of gathering such violent power from below.

The level couldn't be too low; it needed to be at least peak seven-star.

"Guild Leader Han, you are the head of the Qingyuan Empire's Formation Master Guild," Zhang Xuan said, looking over. "Do you have any books on formations or formation diagrams on you?"

"Formation books? I have quite a few..." Hearing him ask for books, Guild Leader Han was startled for a moment, and couldn't help but be a little dazed.

They were about to set up a formation; why would he need books?

"Take them all out..." Zhang Xuan instructed. "If anyone else has books on formations, they can also take them out. The formation we are about to set up is of great importance; even I dare not be negligent. I need to review them thoroughly to find the right direction!"

Zhang Xuan said, looking around.

"Okay!" Everyone knew the stakes were high and no longer demurred, taking out the books on formations they had brought.

Han Xu was indeed worthy of being the Guild Leader of the Formation Guild; he had an abundance of books, thousands of them specifically on seven-star formation masters. And with what others contributed, the total even exceeded ten thousand.

Zhang Xuan's eyes swept over these books, and their contents immediately imprinted into his mind, forming a Heavenly Dao Formation.

His consciousness continuously studied the newly formed secret manual, while he himself flipped through the books one by one, pretending to study them.

An hour later, the seven-star Heavenly Dao Formation was completely mastered and integrated.

"Alright, I've found the method. You can put the books away now!" After giving the instruction, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and meticulously thought it through. Soon, a formation appeared in his mind.

After learning the seven-star Heavenly Dao Formation, his understanding of formations had already reached peak seven-star, even comparable to some early-stage eight-star formation masters.

If he then designed it according to the terrain, it would be much easier.

"Setting up a peak seven-star Heaven-Reversing Array should suffice," he mused, "however... this formation has extremely high demands on the soul. With my current strength, I cannot set it up yet..."

Zhang Xuan frowned.

In the current situation, setting up a peak seven-star Heaven-Reversing Array should be able to completely resolve it. However, this formation has extremely high requirements for soul power. He was only at the 'From Saint' level, and even if he could fight above his rank, he was only comparable to Saint 2-dan. He was still a long way from being able to set up this formation.

"Unless... my spirit-soul can advance further..." A thought stirred in his heart.