The method for laying down a Space Formation had been passed on by Yang Yan, and Yang Kai had long since mastered it to perfection.
If any other Formation Master were to attempt the same feat—even someone of Nanmen Dajun's caliber—it would likely take three to five months and considerable trouble, since the process involved the laws and mysteries of space. The person constructing it would need to work through exhaustive calculations before they could even begin.
But Yang Kai was different. He was already well-versed in the Space Laws, and his attainment in the power of space was extraordinarily high. Setting up such a formation gave him an almost unfair advantage.
Under Ji Yao's watchful eye, in merely half a day, the rough framework of a formation had taken shape. Piece by piece, Void Spirit Crystals and Void Spirit Jade were melted down and set into place by Yang Kai, refining and perfecting the framework until it gradually approached completion.
A full day later, Yang Kai made the final adjustments to smooth away the last rough edges, and only then did he gently exhale.
"Done?" Ji Yao asked in an even tone, though undisguised shock flickered in her beautiful eyes.
She might never have eaten pork, but she had certainly seen a pig run.
The Space Formation was one of the most difficult formations to construct. She had heard that building one required vast amounts of manpower, resources, and energy, and that even now, only a scant handful of people in the entire Star Boundary possessed the ability to lay one down.
Yet Yang Kai had accomplished it in a single day. A Space Formation now stood within the Forbidden Ice Lake, displayed right before Ji Yao's eyes.
"Done." Yang Kai nodded firmly, circling the Space Formation to examine his handiwork with clear satisfaction.
Although he hadn't constructed one in many years, picking it up again had come easily. It seemed that some things, once learned, were never forgotten.
The Space Formation before them occupied an area of roughly ten zhang across, making it a small-to-medium formation capable of transporting no more than ten people at a time. The formation base was buried deep underground, and the formation disc was inscribed with countless intricate runes of unparalleled profundity. The formation gate stood white as jade, seeming to open onto the void of the Nine Hells.
On the formation base, well over a hundred grooves had been carved—these were for inserting Source Crystals. Only with Source Crystals embedded could the Space Formation be activated.
"Where does it lead?" Ji Yao asked curiously.
Yang Kai shook his head with a smile. "It doesn't lead anywhere. Right now, it's an independent Space Formation."
"Independent…" Ji Yao was taken aback. "Then what's the use of it?"
A Space Formation had always required connections to other formations in order to serve any purpose. If a warrior wished to use a Space Formation to travel from one place to another, both locations needed to possess linked nodes to achieve teleportation.
An independent Space Formation was completely useless.
"It's useless now, but in a few days, it will be," Yang Kai said with a grin.
Ji Yao didn't know what he was scheming, but seeing his mysterious demeanor, she could only hold her questions.
"Take me to Ice Heart Valley's Space Formation and teleport me to the point closest to the Eastern Region. I need to visit the Ancient Land," Yang Kai said, turning to look at Ji Yao.
Ji Yao's eyes glimmered at the words, and she nodded gently. "Follow me."
She knew perfectly well why Yang Kai was heading to the Ancient Land—to bring back reinforcements. The Asking Heart Sect currently boasted overwhelming strength, with thirty to forty Emperor Realm experts and two Third-Order Emperor Realm powerhouses among their ranks. Ice Heart Valley's current forces alone stood no chance of resisting them. If war truly broke out, it was doubtful that many in the valley would survive.
But if Yang Kai could return with reinforcements from the Ancient Land, the situation would be entirely different. Ji Yao had witnessed the power of those Demon Kings and Sacred Envoys with her own eyes—any single one of them was no weaker than Feng Xuan.
On the way, Yang Kai spoke up. "I won't be going to bid farewell to Elder Bing Yun. Please relay my regards. Within one month at the shortest, two at the longest, I'll definitely return. Your valley's sect-protecting grand formation should hold until then."
"Very well," Ji Yao nodded softly.
"Also…" As he spoke, Yang Kai produced a jade slip. His spiritual sense surged as he inscribed information into it, then he tossed it to Ji Yao. "Take this and pass it on to Ice Heart Valley's disciples. Have them practice diligently during this time."
Ji Yao accepted it with curiosity and scanned its contents briefly. Her delicate frame trembled. "What formation is this?"
The jade slip did not contain some powerful secret art, but rather an inconceivably profound formation—a coordinated combat formation. Ji Yao herself possessed a powerful Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation and considerable knowledge, so she recognized its worth at a single glance.
With the aid of this formation, Ice Heart Valley's disciples could multiply their strength severalfold.
"The Black Tortoise Seven Sliver Formation," Yang Kai replied. "It was the sect-guarding formation of the Eastern Region's Black Tortoise Sect."
This formation had been taught to him years ago by Qin Zhaoyang of Maple City. Back then, when Maple City had been besieged by demonic energy, they had scraped together seven Dao Source Realm cultivators to form the Black Tortoise Seven Sliver Formation and venture outside to investigate—only to suffer near-total annihilation.
That disastrous outcome was not due to any flaw in the formation itself, but because the participants' cultivation was insufficient and their hearts were not unified.
After all, the Black Tortoise Seven Sliver Formation had been the premier formation of the Eastern Region's Black Tortoise Sect. Once seven people linked into the formation, they could attack and defend with equal effectiveness. Their defensive power, in particular, would soar dramatically.
Unfortunately, the Black Tortoise Sect had somehow offended the Sacred Spirit Shi Huo, who came storming through their gates. Even with the full might of the entire sect, they could not withstand the assault, and the sect was brutally annihilated.
The ancestors of the Qin family in Maple City had once been powerhouses of the Black Tortoise Sect. After its destruction, they had drifted south and eventually settled in Maple City. Alas, the Qin family had declined with each generation, to the point that even a Dao Source Realm cultivator had become a rarity in their ranks. As for the Emperor Treasure known as the Myriad Swords, no one remained capable of wielding it—a truly lamentable state of affairs.