Chapter 835: Battle Formation

Wang Qingshan, a registered disciple of a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator, possessed potential no less than Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. However, Ye Haitang had interacted with Wang Qingshan very few times, so she was quite curious about her cousin.

Wang Qingjing shook her head, saying, "No, Seventh Brother is said to be in secluded cultivation at the Taiyi Immortal Sect. It's been over ten years; I don't know if he has emerged yet." She was also unsure of Wang Qingshan's whereabouts, only knowing that he was cultivating in seclusion at the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

Just then, a deep horn sound suddenly emanated from Wang Qingjing. She took out a transmission conch, activated it with a hand seal, and a somewhat familiar voice instantly sounded: "Eighth Sister, how have you been?"

"Seventh Brother, you've emerged from seclusion?"

"Yes, Qiuming and I are just outside the Spirit Herb Garden. Ask Haitang to open the barrier and let us in."

Hearing this, Ye Haitang stood up and said, "I'll open the barrier and invite Cousin Qingshan in."

Soon after, Wang Qingshan and Wang Qiuming appeared before them.

"Qiuming, you've advanced to the Core Formation stage? That's wonderful!" Feeling the powerful aura emanating from Wang Qiuming, Wang Qingjing's face lit up with joy. The Wang family now had six Core Formation cultivators, and the stronger the family, the greater her chance for revenge.

"If it weren't for Seventh Uncle's help, I probably wouldn't have been able to advance to the Core Formation stage," Wang Qiuming said with a wry smile, humbly.

Wang Qingshan smiled faintly and said, "We're family; there's no need for such talk. I didn't really help you that much. Besides, for me to form my Core, Ninth Uncle also provided a lot of assistance, even helping me refine flying sword artifacts. By the way, Qingjing, are Ninth Uncle and Ninth Aunt on the island? We just arrived from the Eastern Wasteland."

"Father and Mother aren't here. They left over a year ago and should be back soon. Seventh Brother, why was your seclusion so long this time? Also, how are the clansmen in the Eastern Wasteland?"

Wang Qingshan didn't hide anything and briefly explained the situation of the clansmen in the Eastern Wasteland. Upon learning that Wang Qingshan had integrated some of the clansmen, Wang Qingjing was very pleased.

"Oh, right, what stage is Ji Yun at in the Foundation Establishment realm now? Is she doing well?" Wang Qingshan suddenly remembered something and asked casually. Wang Jiyun was one of the Four Sons of Azure Lotus. She fortunately escaped a disaster and was sent to Silver Serpent Island. Wang Qingshan had even given her guidance in sword cultivation back then.

"No, she's still at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. I asked Qiuming, and he said it was Father and Mother's instruction. Besides Ji Yun, there's a group of stronger clansmen who are also being kept at the Qi Refinement stage. Qiuxin often drills them, forming various battle formations. I'm not sure what Father and Mother are planning."

Wang Qingshan immediately became interested upon hearing this and asked, "Where are they now? I'd like to go see." This time, Wang Qingshan couldn't stay in the Red Moon Sea Region for too long since he had come to the South Sea. He wanted to guide the younger generation, as the family's legacy depended on its young clansmen.

"They're currently drilling on Martial Practice Peak! I'll accompany you to see them!"

Wang Qingshan shook his head and said, "No need. You all can chat with Qiuming. He'll be staying in the South Sea to develop, so I'll go by myself."

Not long after, Wang Qingshan arrived at the foot of a several-hundred-zhang-tall peak, where he could hear shouts and cries. At the base of the mountain stood a stone stele several zhang high, with a line of small characters carved on it: "Martial Practice Peak, Unauthorized Entry Prohibited."

Martial Practice Peak was protected by multiple layers of restrictions. Wang Qingshan took out a sound transmission talisman, whispered a few words into it, and tossed it up the mountain. Soon, Wang Qiuxin jogged down the mountain, his body's excess flesh jiggling up and down.

"Seventh Uncle, you're here." Wang Qiuxin currently possessed a cultivation of the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. If he cultivated to the ninth level, he would be able to attempt breaking through to the Core Formation stage.

"Qiuxin, I heard from Eighth Sister that you're drilling clansmen here, so I came to take a look."

"Seventh Uncle, your nephew has been drilling them for a while; please take a look and give some pointers."

Wang Qiuxin invited Wang Qingshan up the mountain to observe the clansmen's drill. Before long, they arrived at a large bluestone plaza halfway up the mountain. Over fifty clansmen were gathered on the bluestone plaza, most of them Qi Refinement cultivators.

Forty Qi Refinement cultivators were arranged in teams of eight. Among them, eight young cultivators wielded their flying swords, unleashing a vast expanse of sword qi that merged into a single giant sword, over ten zhang long. This giant sword furiously attacked a massive red shrimp. The red shrimp's body was covered in wounds and couldn't withstand the giant sword at all; its body was pierced through.

The Wang family had a dedicated Martial Arts Hall, which trained talents in combat. All the Qi Refinement cultivators present were disciples of the Martial Arts Hall. Eight Qi Refinement cultivators were divided into two groups of four. They each controlled second-tier puppet beasts to attack a second-tier demonic beast. Eight Qi Refinement cultivators controlled spirit beasts, spirit insects, and spirit birds to attack a red frog about a zhang in size, which was a second-tier demonic beast. Eight clansmen, holding various musical instruments, attacked a huge, entirely white toad, which was also a second-tier demonic beast.

"Qi Refinement cultivators are already engaging in combat with second-tier demonic beasts? Are the family's requirements for Qi Refinement clansmen so high now? If I'm not mistaken, these are battle formations, right?" Wang Qingshan commented casually.

Puppet formations were actually a type of battle formation, involving multiple people attacking together with various permutations. Battle formations weren't secret arts; immortal cultivation sects or families all trained in them. However, for a battle formation to become truly effective in combat, it required extensive training, and the cultivation levels of each cultivator needed to be relatively similar. To enhance practical combat abilities, battle formations often practiced with real combat, which was quite dangerous. Entering the Illusionary Demon Pagoda for training was comparatively less risky.

"Yes, they are battle formations. Grandfather specifically instructed me to drill them. They can form teams of three, four, or eight, and working together, they can kill second-tier demonic beasts," Wang Qiuxin said with a smile. These forty Qi Refinement clansmen had been drilling for five years. Their monthly cultivation resources were greater than those of other clansmen. Furthermore, each of them received a bottle of Soul Nurturing Pills every three months to strengthen their spiritual sense, mainly to facilitate the control of puppet beasts. The four battle formations were divided into Sword Formations, Beast Formations, Puppet Formations, and Sound Formations. The Sword Formation had the strongest attack, while the Beast Formation was best for sustained combat. They had all practiced Puppet Formations, meaning all forty of them could set up Puppet Formations, even multiple sets.

Wang Qingshan nodded. Since these were instructions from Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, there must be something special about them.

A deep horn sound emanated from Wang Qingshan. He took out a transmission conch, activated it with a hand seal, and Wang Qingjing's somewhat joyful voice rang out: "Seventh Brother, Father and Mother are back! We're all in the Spirit Herb Garden. Come over here! Father said there's something important to discuss."

"Alright, I'll be right over."

Soon after, Wang Qingshan appeared in the Spirit Herb Garden. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had returned, and Wang Qingling was also there. After a few casual greetings, Wang Changsheng brought up the main topic: "I discovered a Yellow-grade secret realm. It requires five Core Formation cultivators to open it. Qiuming will stay behind, and the five of us will lead the team to open the realm and let the Qi Refinement clansmen enter to seek treasures."