The Nine Micro Flying Flower Formation had consumed a staggering two to three billion Holy Ling Shi. This was an enormous project — truly jaw-dropping in its scale.
Such a sum would be impossible for a third-rate sect to produce, and even a second-rate sect would struggle to come up with that much. Only a first-rate sect possessed that kind of spending power.
But even for a first-rate sect, pouring two to three billion into a single formation was still extraordinarily extravagant.
After all, formations were consumables. Without continued investment over time, their power would gradually decline.
So these two to three billion Holy Ling Shi were merely the initial investment. The next phase would naturally require far less.
The main formation framework was already complete. It would sustain itself for several decades. Only after those decades, if gaps appeared in the Ling Shi supply within the formation, would further investment be needed.
But that follow-up cost would never be anything outrageous.
Ling Shi were one thing. The process of actually setting up the formation was something else entirely.
It was like having all the ingredients ready — whether you could produce a fine meal still depended on the chef's skill.
And this Nine Micro Flying Flower Formation was undoubtedly a test of Jiang Chen's ability.
Jiang Chen had studied the Dao of formations in his previous life, and in this one, he had received the heritage of the Danxiao Ancient Sect. His foundational knowledge was more than sufficient.
Now, all the challenge lay in the actual inscription of the formation.
The Nine Micro Flying Flower Formation was one of the ten great formations of the Danxiao Ancient Sect, holding an immensely significant position within it.
The Celestial grade was merely the formation's primary form. In truth, the Nine Micro Flying Flower Formation possessed even deeper, more profound configurations — one called the Hundred Micro Flying Flower Formation.
That formation was one of the Danxiao Ancient Sect's paramount formations from antiquity, a true Celestial-tier formation.
Such a formation was something Jiang Chen wouldn't dare contemplate at this stage.
The Ling Shi it would require would need to be tripled or quintupled — and that was a conservative estimate. The total could easily soar to twenty billion.
That figure was something even the current Jiang Chen could not produce.
So for now, he could only strive to perfect the formation's primary form.
As long as this Nine Micro Flying Flower Formation was brought to perfection, defending against two or three Great Emperors would pose little difficulty. However, if several Great Emperors attacked together, ceaselessly and without rest, the formation would need constant replenishment of Ling Shi.
In the end, it could come down to a war of attrition.
Of course, Jiang Chen would never let things reach that point.
After all, he still possessed trump cards capable of slaying Great Emperors. It was just that such trump cards were best reserved — they were too precious, and every use diminished them.
It took a full half month before the formation's basic framework was erected by Jiang Chen. With the foundation in place, the rest came more easily.
It was simply a matter of enriching the formation and filling it with spiritual energy.
Naturally, Jiang Chen insisted on doing it all himself. This was work no one else could handle on his behalf — he needed to ensure the entire formation was flawless.
A month passed, and the formation was finally complete.
Now, the area within several dozen li of the Young Master's Manor formed the formation's core defensive zone, while its outer defensive perimeter could extend to a radius of a hundred li.
This meant the formation's influence covered over half of Peacock Sacred Mountain.
Jiang Chen did not publicize his construction of the formation. Apart from a select few within the Young Master's Manor, the outside world knew nothing of it.
Once the formation was established, Jiang Chen invited the Peerless Great Emperor and his wife up the mountain.
Lady Yun's injuries — Jiang Chen already had a general sense of what was needed.
First, she would need to undergo purification in the Wood Spirit Spring. The purifying power of the Wood Spirit Spring was irreplaceable by any other means.
Purification and restoration — those were the Wood Spirit Spring's two great virtues.
The Wood Spirit Spring belonged to the wood element and was inherently a wellspring of vibrant, flourishing life.
Lady Yun had never experienced such pure spring water, and she relished it immensely. She spent a full seven days undergoing purification in the Wood Spirit Spring, gradually dispelling most of the hidden damage within her body.
Of course, the Wood Spirit Spring alone could not completely eradicate the root of Lady Yun's ailment. That required Jiang Chen to employ other methods.
Jiang Chen had devoted considerable thought to this and ultimately devised a treatment plan tailored to Lady Yun's condition.
A dual approach: medicinal pills taken internally, combined with powerful true essence to refine and purge the affliction.
Of course, during this process, Jiang Chen would need the Peerless Great Emperor to lend his strength. Jiang Chen's own cultivation was insufficient to carry out such a massive undertaking with true essence alone.
The Peerless Great Emperor would never refuse to help heal his own dao companion. Under Jiang Chen's guidance, he worked with the utmost care.
And the treatment began to take effect.
Half a month after Lady Yun came up the mountain, the root of her ailment had been essentially eradicated.
The sight left Lady Yun in a state of near disbelief. She had always believed that this hidden damage would remain with her for the rest of her life, tormenting her endlessly.
She never imagined it would finally be cured here in the Glazed Glass Royal City.
The Peerless Great Emperor's eyes reddened. "Brother, I'll say it again — in the future, between the two of us, whenever you need anything, you need only call on me. My life is yours."
All these years, Lady Yun had suffered the agony of her hidden wounds. The Peerless Great Emperor had found it more painful than any suffering of his own. Now, seeing his dao companion freed from that torment, his heart was overwhelmed with emotion.