Jiang Chen focused his attention, drawing on every scrap of knowledge about formations he possessed. Yet when it came to this particular array, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he understood it only in the vaguest terms.
"What exactly is the purpose of this formation existing here?" He racked his brains, trying to discern what meaning the formation held.
"If it were a sealing formation, it would need to exhibit the hallmarks of one. But this formation clearly lacked those characteristics. It was definitely not a sealing array. An offensive formation? That wouldn't be placed deep in the Black Nightmare Mountain Range either. A defensive formation? Protecting the mountain range? That didn't seem right either."
Jiang Chen's mind was flooded with all manner of thoughts. He ran through every conceivable hypothesis, only to arrive at the dismal realization that none of them held up.
His thoughts raced: "Every formation must exist for a reason. Look at how the people of Dongyan Island treated this forbidden zone — they regarded it with immense importance, which only makes the formation's purpose all the more significant. But what kind of formation is it?"
He couldn't figure it out. This was one formation he simply could not decipher. For Jiang Chen, this was an absolute first. With all the memories and knowledge he had accumulated, to be stumped like this was an utterly unprecedented encounter.
"Am I really going to be forced to use the Space-Time Seal and return to the Six Inheritance Palaces?" Jiang Chen stared, stricken, at the colossal stone formation before him.
His mind flashed back to his first arrival on Dongyan Island — the long journey that had followed, all the hardships he had endured, all the experiences he had gathered.
Was everything going to fall apart at the last step?
Jiang Chen refused to accept it. He had calculated carefully. After days of traversing the Black Nightmare Mountain Range, he had already crossed more than half of it.
If he could pass through this area and press onward, crossing the entire mountain range was not beyond hope. And if he managed to cross the Black Nightmare Mountain Range, that would mean he could potentially reach its far side — the outer edges of Dongyan Island.
If that happened, there would be a real chance of escaping the island entirely.
Scenes from his time on Dongyan Island flashed through his mind again and again. Then, without warning, a particular image surfaced.
That day, in the archives of Sin City, he had been studying the map of Dongyan Island.
Yes — the map of Dongyan Island.
Jiang Chen suddenly felt as though inspiration was hovering right before him, something he could grasp if only he reached out his hand.
His heartbeat quickened.
The Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil turned its gaze upon the formation once more.
The formation's stones were arranged with deliberate variety — some high, some low, some deep, some shallow. The more Jiang Chen studied it, the more familiar it seemed. The enormous formation gradually coalesced into a single image, and before his eyes it slowly overlapped with the map he had seen.
"This formation — it was actually laid out based on the overall map of Dongyan Island?" Jiang Chen was stunned. He studied it with intense concentration.
The deeper he examined it, the closer he came to shouting out in excitement. This colossal stone formation was, in fact, a three-dimensional map like a sand table — a representation of Dongyan Island's entire structure!
"What did this mean? A formation constructed according to Dongyan Island's overall framework — what was it trying to convey?" Jiang Chen pressed his analysis further.
"Could it be..." A bold, almost reckless thought flashed through his mind, setting his blood racing. "Could this formation actually be the core mechanism controlling all of Dongyan Island? Every formation on the island — all of them governed by this central hub?"
The possibility electrified him.
The more he deduced, the more convinced he became, because every detail pointed in that direction.
Truth be told, this type of formation was not something Jiang Chen had never encountered. He simply hadn't recalled it in the moment.
In ancient times, there had been many powerful formations that controlled vast stretches of territory, unifying them into a single integrated array. Their core hubs were always hidden with extreme cunning.
The so-called core hub was, in essence, the formation eye of the entire system — the central point that governed the whole array. If the core ceased to function, the entire formation would collapse.
And this colossal stone formation, buried deep within the Black Nightmare Mountain Range and designated as a forbidden zone where no one was permitted to set foot — what did that signify?
It meant that Dongyan Island did not want this area exposed to anyone's eyes.
Which meant that this place, this stone formation, had to hold extraordinary significance.
"It must be so." Jiang Chen's blood ran hot as he stared at the formation, his heart pounding wildly. "If I could destroy this formation, wouldn't that mean every restriction on Dongyan Island would lose its meaning? The island's bindings would vanish, and it would cease to function as a place of exile! The millions upon millions of people imprisoned here would all have a chance to flee!"
The moment this thought took hold, a surge of wild impulse surged through him.
"If the powerful cultivators of Dongyan Island discovered that the border seals had failed, every one of them would attempt to break free and escape. And that would be an enormous advantage for my own escape."
With so many people fleeing at once, how many forces could Dongyan Island possibly deploy to suppress them?
The island's rule endured only because it was built on the premise that no one could leave. Because escape was impossible, no one dared to openly rebel against the General Warden's Office.
Once you offended the General Warden's Office, there was no running — you could flee, but you had nowhere to hide.
So the true terror of Dongyan Island did not lie in the General Warden's Office. It lay in the island's restrictions, in the power that bound everyone to it.
If people realized those chains were broken, who would care about the General Warden's Office anymore?