The formation core in the Myriad Manifestations territory corresponded to the section once managed by the Danxiao Ancient Sect.
And the central territory's formation core belonged to the Dizang Gate.
These three sections together outlined the Grand Myriad Spirits Celestial Locking Formation into a single cohesive whole, forming a chain-link defense that shielded the greater half of human territory. Combined with the natural terrain, it created a perfect defensive perimeter.
It had to be said—the person who conceived this formation was an absolute genius.
Actually building it had consumed immeasurable resources and painstaking effort, stretching across countless ages.
Though Jiang Chen had long grasped the general principles, putting theory into practice still meant untangling a web of countless interwoven details. Restoring a formation core was far from simple work.
The Nine Suns Heavenly Sect's core had been Pei Xing's responsibility. As a result, even Venerable Chongxiao, standing nearby, could hardly offer much in the way of input.
He could only carry out instructions.
Every plan of action had to come from Jiang Chen. After all, Jiang Chen was the only one who had a comprehensive understanding of the entire formation. Even Venerable Chongxiao, who hailed from the Danxiao Ancient Sect, might not know every detail of the portion his own sect had managed—let alone provide any meaningful constructive suggestions.
Jiang Chen sat in meditation at the formation core for a full four or five days before gradually arriving at a clear line of reasoning and an overarching plan.
With a solid approach in hand, Jiang Chen finally set to work.
After countless ages, many of the mechanisms within this formation core, along with numerous formation patterns, had either been damaged or had deteriorated with age.
To reactivate this formation, these foundational elements had to be restored.
Jiang Chen was meticulous and thorough, inspecting every single section without overlooking a single detail. For every formation pattern, he carefully tested it, and wherever he found damage, he chose to repair it without exception.
As a result, the restoration work proved extraordinarily arduous.
A full month passed before he had managed roughly half of the job. Seeing how exhausted Jiang Chen had become, Venerable Chongxiao felt rather ashamed.
He offered to help several times, but Jiang Chen shook his head. "This formation core, I need to restore personally. The second and third cores—that's where I'll need your help. I'll be in charge of planning the reactivation strategy."
Restoration was one thing; reactivation was another matter entirely.
Reactivation required all three formation cores to be activated simultaneously. With each core as the hub, spiritual energy would be channeled outward along every formation vein at the same time, so that the entire formation would resonate as one and ignite in a single instant.
It had to be said—the process was immensely complex.
However, once activated, human territory would gain an enormous safeguard—a natural barrier layered over everything they already had.
The advantage that represented was truly staggering.
…
Just as Jiang Chen was methodically proceeding with the restoration work, in the hidden corners of human territory, many undercurrents were stirring—ready to make their move.