Chapter 396 - Formation Arrangement
Blood Transformation, Heavenly Passage, Spirit Transformation, Engravement; these four realms made up the complete cycle for most people. It was because it was too hard for them to break through even if they tried!
These were like four great mountains, each taller than the next. The farther one traveled along their path, the more difficult it became. It was like a small path carved on top of a cliff, one that was excruciatingly difficult.
Cultivation was hard for the human race in particular. If not for the ancient people carving out a path and imitating the primitive symbols, it was possible that there wouldn’t even be the route that exists today.
The path of humans was full of dangers, one formed from blood and sweat. Generations after generations broke new ground, allowing the path to become wider and wider.
For human cultivators, the four great realms represented everything. Breaking past these was easy to say but nearly impossible to do. Most would only pursue this but forever remain on the road.
Fourteen years old, yet reaching into this fifth great realm; this was simply inconceivable. At the very least, it was a magnificent feat among humans. If this was announced to the rest of the world, it would trigger great commotion.
Formation Arrangement; this is an extremely profound and abstruse realm. Most people who were able to reach this stage were already well past their youth. Time didn’t stop for anyone, so what kind of youth was there left?
Shi Hao stood on a tall peak and gazed down on the boundless great earth. The range upon range of mountains before him were lush green and full of life. The mountain rivers were extremely majestic, as if nothing could stop their flow.
He had finally advanced again. Now, in the wasteland region, he could finally be considered powerful no matter what type of race he was compared to.
Fourteen-year-old King; this was a true supreme youth. This fact wasn’t exaggerated in the slightest bit. It was hard to find a second person like this throughout the entire great wasteland.
Those at the late stage of the Engravement Realm could be granted the title of lord if they were extremely great. Now that Shi Hao broke through his previous realm and entered a higher level, he could naturally discard the word lord and become a king[1].
“Formation Arrangement, this cultivation realm is quite special. It is complex and mysterious, with every person receiving completely different results. Only those that truly comprehend this realm could rise to greatness.”
Shi Hao was speaking to himself. The more he learned, the more he felt that cultivating wasn't easy. After entering this realm, he truly understood how difficult the road before him was.
If the Engravement Realm was a process of imitating other races and carving their symbols in one’s own body, then it could be inferred that Formation Arrangement was an even higher level of refinement where one would truly make use of these patterns.
Formation Arrangement was carving formations within one’s body; what kind of concept was this? Compared to the realm of strength before, this was undoubtedly a crazy difference in strength!
However, those that actually dared to carve great complex formations within their bodies were few in number. Those that did so were all from clans with great inheritances with safe formations that they always used. However, those lacked the heaven defying possibilities of creativity.
Formation Arrangement; this cultivation realm was a clear divider of cultivators. Most people considered themselves successful after carving only a few simple precious technique formations. Only a minute number would push themselves further to form an inexhaustible killing formation.
Once they accomplished this, their fighting strengths would possess a world of difference.
As a result, even if two people are both at the Formation Arrangement Realm, the one that reached the absolute limit will possess far greater strength.
“The Willow Deity said that those that truly understand Formation Arrangement are few. What exactly is Formation Arrangement? It is a type of initiation, an impressive feat. It definitely isn’t just carving some simple formation inside of oneself,” Shi Hao said quietly to himself and carefully began to ponder.
He then leapt off the mountain peak and walked towards Stone Village. He had just broken into the Formation Arrangement Realm, so he wasn’t in any rush to continue cultivating. Instead, he was rather relaxed.
“Uncle Hao, you’ve returned!” A small child with snot running from his nose ran over. Right now, Shi Hao was every child’s favorite person.
It was because he could bring these little fellows into the mountains, allowing them to run around as they pleased in the great wastelands. They could steal from the nests of vicious birds and catch the young of wild descendants.
Zhizhi! On top of the wall, a small purple squirrel continuously made noise. There was a vertical eye between its brows.
Bark! Not far from there, three lightning dogs turned into golden lights and quickly ran around, Even though they were only half a meter in length, their speed was astonishing as they dashed about with lightning lingering around their bodies.
In the air, there were more birds crying out. Scarlet-feathered cranes spread their wings, and despite the fact that they couldn’t fly yet, they glided down from the branches. Their bodies swirled with multicolored light.
Half a year ago, Shi Hao brought these kids into the mountains, bringing back these young creatures. They all matured quite well.
In the future, there really might be a legion of vicious birds and beasts!
“Uncle Hao, when are we going into the mountains again?” Some of the children asked. They all wanted to wander through the great wastelands. For them, visiting those mysterious and dangerous lands was the most exciting.
Not only could they obtain some old medicines and spiritual fruits, they might even pick up a few young beasts.
“All of you need to earnestly cultivate. I’ll bring whoever cultivates faster into the mountains,” Shi Hao said while laughing.
He helped these kids explain the methods of cultivation and gave them pointers for most of the day. Only when it was about time to eat did this group of lively fellows scatter.
The sound of bird cries ran through the air. A few enormous vicious birds descended, bringing with them a powerful gale. It was precisely Big Peng, Violet Cloud, and Little Green, the Green Scaled Eagle’s descendants. However, they have long evolved, and their bloodlines were much stronger now.
These transformations were not unrelated to the Willow Deity. The three birdlings lived by the willow tree and continuously underwent development. They began to awaken their ancestors’ bloodlines.
“Violet Cloud, you guys have to learn carefully. I’m going to teach you all a few things,” Shi Hao said.
The three birds have also grown up. They were powerful, but Shi Hao still felt that they haven’t yet received the primary inheritance of the archaic demonic bird Green Sky Peng, so he had to supplement their teaching.
The very first precious technique he received was from these three young birds. It gave him great enlightenment, and right now, it was time for him to repay this kindness.
The Green Sky Peng and the great Golden-Winged Peng were of a similar race. They were considered the most valiant existences within the descendants of the Kun Peng. Right now, Shi Hao used the Kun Peng’s technique to peel back and reveal the techniques of Violet Cloud and the others!
“This is our ancestor’s technique?!” Violet Cloud and the others were stupefied, and they all became incomparably excited. Even though their bloodlines were revived, the inheritance that was left behind was in fragments and had long become incomplete. However, they were now able to see such a wondrous and world-shocking thing.
During the following days, Shi Hao continuously broke down the demonic bird’s inheritance and engraved it into their hearts, allowing them to slowly comprehend it.
In the end, the great aunt Green Scaled Eagle returned. After listening carefully, she gained profound enlightenment and went into seclusion training.
During the following days, Shi Hao cultivated while also teaching the children. He also divided the precious artifacts he received from the outside world among the villagers.
Zhizhi! A golden streak of light flew over. Hairy Ball had returned together with the big red bird and Second Baldy.
These three would appear and disappear unpredictably, and it could be seen how tenacious they were. They spent their days in the great wastelands in search of the supreme divine treasury.
Shi Hao suddenly thought of something and shot Hairy Ball a look. He learned from the little red bird in the Fire Clan’s ancestral rounds that the mountain treasure ended up in the hands of the Zhuyan. His mind was burning with anticipation.
“Hairy Ball, where did you put the mountain treasure?”
His eyes were burning passionately as he looked at Hairy Ball’s body. He noticed that some of this fellow’s damaged symbols had revived, but other than that, there wasn’t much.
Hairy Ball was rather curious and expressed that it had no idea what Shi Hao was talking about.
In the end, Shi Hao brought it back to that quiet place ten thousand li out. Back then, not a single blade of grass grew in that barren place, but now, it was rich with grass and renewed with life.
This was a dried up great lake, with no more water now. Shi Hao quickly returned to this place and carefully searched around.
There was a hole at the bottom of the lake. Back then, Hairy Ball had been buried right here. Shi Hao was immediately shocked when he came here, because there was someone who had rummaged through it already.
The hard and dry mud was clearly dug out. The deepest parts of this place had been scooped out.
Hairy Ball cried out loudly with zhizhi sounds. It then began to frantically scratch its own fur, as if it remembered something. It sent Shi Hao’s thoughts and said, “My thing was hidden here. It’s gone!”
“Oh no, someone else got to it first!” Shi Hao’s mind sank.
Hou… Hairy Ball was furious. Even though it was only the size of a fist, an incredibly intense fluctuation was released. Its golden hairs all stood on end, and its eyes were fiery red, shooting out two beams of light.
The most shocking thing was that it now had three heads and six arms. The bones within its body continuously moved about and made sounds.
Ah… Hairy ball cried out loudly. It couldn’t restrain its anger.
Shi Hao was dumbstruck, but soon after, he revealed an excited look. Did Hairy Ball return to how it was in the past? It actually revealed this kind of great ability. When he looked carefully, he noticed that its damaged symbols have recovered quite a bit.
“Zhuyan’s precious technique, Three Heads Six Arms divine ability!”
There wasn’t much to be gained here, so Shi Hao returned to Stone Village. He carefully studied Hairy Ball, and even though it didn’t remember what had happened before, its strength increased by a large amount.
“Hairy Ball, teach me your precious technique.” Shi Hao did not let the mountain treasure event get to him, and instead, he seemed rather excited.
“Not bad, the Zhuyan’s body technique is definitely an enlightenment of the highest level.” The Willow Deity spoke.
In the following half a mouth, Shi Hao carefully studied and tried to understand the symbols that Hairy Ball recovered.
Forget the others, just the Three Heads Six Arms divine ability was already exceptional enough and could stir up the entire wasteland region. This was an incredibly powerful precious technique that would make even the eyes of powers in the ancient era red.
Unfortunately, Hairy Ball still didn’t fully recover. Shi Hao obtained a portion of the Zhuyan’s technique, but just this portion alone was already much more powerful than the precious techniques of archaic descendants.
In the following months, Shi Hao earnestly cultivated within Stone Village. From time to time, he would bring the children into the mountains to pick precious medicines and hunt.
During this period of time, he fully cultivated the Zhuyan’s technique. He now had another divine ability!
“Hairy Ball, one day, I’ll be able to help you recover and restore all of your divine might,” Shi Hao said.
Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, another two months passed. Shi Hao was almost fifteen years old. He created a stable foundation and further increased his strength. All of his divine abilities were pushed to their limits.
“Uncle Hao, what kind of fist technique is that?” A naughty brat asked.
“Lightning fist!” Shi Hao laughed and replied. He explained it to them. These were the symbols he obtained from the lightning dogs, which he passed onto the children.
Unfortunately, this kind of technique wasn’t very useful for him. In the end, he mixed it into the Suan Ni technique, increasing the power of the lightning a bit.
Apart from this, there were still a few small divine abilities that he merged together with the important precious techniques he grasped to increase their power.
At the front of the village, eighty one shining willow branches extended from the thick willow tree. They were green and lush as they gently swayed about. They seemed rather indistinct as primal chaos swirled about them.
Under the willow tree, Shi Hao sat with his legs crossed and eyes closed. His mind was focused on studying a piece of beast skin.
This was something that he obtained from the Void God Realm, and recorded on it was the sword intent of a saint. There was also a small world sealed within that he wanted to open and thoroughly study.
Suddenly, the willow tree swayed, and the primal chaos that was being exuded became even more dense. It immediately surrounded this place, moreover, the Willow Deity transmitted sound mentally.
“The great chaos of the wasteland region is coming soon!”
“What?” Shi Hao’s eyes widened. He had always been sitting under the willow tree these days and forgotten about the passage of time. This sudden news left him completely startled. Was this day finally about to arrive?
I translated 王侯 as lord, which is a lower nobility class than just 王, or King. This paragraph is talking about how the 侯 is being tossed from 王侯