Chapter 72: Excavating a Star
Two Star-Sealing Stones clashed repeatedly, their Star Force colliding in a ceaseless cycle. As Mu Ran released his grip, the stones continued their relentless impact against each other, never halting.
“Self-perpetuating?” Wang Jie murmured in astonishment.
Mu Ran nodded. “Yes. The essence of Formation Dao is automation. The most fundamental connection in formations lies in frequency, which you can consider as a measure of how it disrupts the void of a region. Do you see it yet?”
Wang Jie scrutinized the phenomenon for a moment before tentatively speaking. “The force of the strikes is the same.”
Mu Ran gave an approving nod. “Not quite—the key is not in the force, but in the frequency. When I draw Star Force from the first Star-Sealing Stone to strike the second, the second retaliates with the exact same force. The two stones will continue this endless exchange until their Star Force is completely depleted.”
Realization dawned on Wang Jie. “So this is Formation Dao?”
Mu Ran scoffed and shook his head. “This is merely a foundational principle. Formation Dao is far more intricate. Do you know why formation masters are so highly revered?”
Wang Jie honestly shook his head.
In response, Mu Ran retrieved a small, lifeless ant from his storage ring and casually tossed it between the two colliding Star-Sealing Stones. In an instant, the ant was obliterated, reduced to nothing.
“To a formation master, cultivators are no different from that ant. As long as the formation’s power is strong enough, it can disregard cultivation realms and annihilate any foe.” His voice grew solemn, the heavy words echoing within the confines of the spaceship.
Wang Jie, however, was fixated on Mu Ran’s storage ring, his thoughts derailed by a more mundane curiosity. [Does this guy seriously carry around ants?]
Mu Ran’s gaze flicked toward him, and Wang Jie quickly feigned awe. “Th-this is incredible!”
Satisfied, Mu Ran smiled. “Alright, now that you understand the basics, your task is simple: attack the planet and bury the formation stones—that is, the Star-Sealing Stones—in the designated locations deep within its core. It’s a straightforward job. These kinds of laborious tasks aren’t suited for formation masters like me.”
Wang Jie hurriedly nodded in agreement.
During their journey to the destination, Wang Jie flattered Mu Ran at every opportunity, managing to extract more knowledge from him in the process. He learned of the difference between Star-Sealing Stones and Star Artifacts. According to Mu Ran, while they seemed distinct, high-level formation masters could use Star Artifacts as formation stones, or even replace them with cultivators or Cosmic Giant Beasts.
Wang Jie immediately declared Mu Ran to be such a high-level master.
Mu Ran humbly waved off the praise—before handing Wang Jie a Star-Sealing Stone.
Examining the stone, Wang Jie sensed the Star Force within, though it wasn’t abundant. If he could inject Star Force from a Star Artifact, it would be much more potent. This thought led him straight back to Mu Ran, where another round of flattery left Mu Ran dizzy with self-satisfaction.
“The Star Force inside a Star-Sealing Stone? It’s naturally occurring, of course! I don’t have the ability to infuse Star Force into them. Just like Star Artifacts, their materials originate from the cosmos, carrying Star Force just as celestial bodies do. Of course, there are exceptions—such as Celestial Refinement Masters—but they’re rare and not worth discussing. You cultivate Lock Force, so you wouldn’t understand, but any Star Force cultivator seeks to claim as many planets as possible. Every star contains Star Force—the only difference is how much.”
“Whether it’s Star Artifact materials, Star-Sealing Stones, or planets—they all naturally contain Star Force.”
“This is common knowledge. At least, in our domain. I’ve heard that powerful figures in certain realms can transform themselves into celestial bodies, absorbing Star Force from the universe. Such beings could likely imbue Star-Sealing Stones with Star Force at will…”
Mu Ran spoke at length, and Wang Jie found himself enraptured by the possibilities, as though Mu Ran himself yearned for such mastery.
By the time their spaceship reached the designated planet, Wang Jie had already deepened five of his seal marks to dark gray. His supply of Cataclysm Materials was running low. The further he progressed, the more resources he consumed. [I should have stocked up back at the Silver Radiance Imperial Capital…]
Mu Ran gestured to the barren planet. “This is the one. It’s not particularly large. Dig downward—straight to the planetary core, but stop where I tell you. Remember, the destruction must not extend beyond a three-meter radius. In other words, you must carve a direct tunnel straight to the core.”
By now, Wang Jie and Mu Ran had grown somewhat familiar with each other over the past few days. Squatting down, Wang Jie ran his fingers over the planet’s surface. Honestly, it would be easier for the Silver Radiance Empire to use technology for this. Why bother with cultivators?
He voiced this thought, only to receive the vague reply: “Formation Dao is profound. You wouldn’t understand.”
Mu Ran continued, “A normal Ten-Seal Lock Force cultivator would take about two days to reach the required depth. Don’t rush it. Stick to my instructions—if your destruction spreads beyond a three-meter radius, the Star Force will become distorted.”
“Understood, leave it to me, Master Mu Ran.”
Mu Ran nodded in approval, signaling him to begin.
Wang Jie gazed down at the planet beneath his feet before slowly rising into the air. [A three-meter precision limit? This is delicate work.]
Given time, a Ten-Seal Lock Force cultivator could grind down an entire planet, but that was a slow process. The Star-Breaking Realm, however, was defined by the ability to obliterate a planet in a single strike. Two vastly different concepts.
Wang Jie estimated that if he went all out, he might be able to attempt a one-shot planetary destruction—but now wasn’t the time for such experiments.
One of the materials needed for his Sword Step technique was Star-Gazing Sword Style: Annihilate Stars. This was the perfect chance to test it.
Gripping his sword, Wang Jie thrust downward with a single, decisive strike.
In the distance, Mu Ran’s eyes lifted in surprise. “What an excellent sword technique.”
Wang Jie had not unleashed the full might of the Star-Gazing Sword Style. This sword technique rivaled the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger, an ultimate art lost even to the Armor One Sect. If revealed, it would surely draw covetous eyes. Thus, what he exhibited now was barely a tenth of its true power.
Even so, Mu Ran was astonished.
A single thrust pierced over five thousand meters into the planet’s depths—while holding back.
This planet was much smaller than Blue Star. Based on calculations, if they were to reach the designated location within two days, they would need to tunnel through over a thousand kilometers each day. A typical Ten-Seal cultivator would require an hour of rest and recovery after executing a full-powered strike. Even if they did not stop to rest, each attack would need to devastate over forty kilometers in length to meet the requirement.
That was the standard for a normal Ten-Seal cultivator.
“This is all the damage you can manage?” Mu Ran frowned, glancing at the abyss below. “At this rate, you’ll take half a month.”
Wang Jie replied, “Rest assured, Great Master. I was merely testing. The pace will increase.”
Mu Ran nodded. “I hope so. Don’t waste my time.”
“My apologies, Great Master.”
Once Mu Ran retreated to a distance, Wang Jie wielded his sword once more. This time, his strike carved a path over twenty kilometers deep.
Mu Ran raised an eyebrow. Not bad.
Truthfully, the two-day deadline was set against the standards of the Frost Radiance Sect’s Ten-Seal cultivators. Ordinary cultivators of the same level would need at least ten days. But with Wang Jie’s current power, five days would suffice—an impressive feat.
Five days… Yes, that was acceptable.
What he had not mentioned was why he had Wang Jie excavate rather than relying on the Silver Radiance Empire’s technological weaponry. The reason was simple: those weapons had been redeployed elsewhere. He wasn’t the only one setting up formations; many others, all secretly summoned from the Frost Radiance Sect, were also at work.
Setting up a formation required more than just speed in breaking through the planet—it depended on the speed of the Formation Daoists themselves.
They were preparing the Double Tip Formation. Simply dropping a Star-Sealing Stone into the depths wouldn’t suffice.
Mu Ran needed three to five days to set up the formation, depending on his state. Given that timeline, having a Ten-Seal cultivator break through the planet was ideal. The other Formation Daoists could finish their tasks in a single day and had the luxury of using technology.
The faster they worked, the more formations they could set.
With a lack of technological weapons, Mu Ran had to make do—he was only permitted a single cultivator for brute labor. And that cultivator couldn’t be too efficient, or else it would make him look incompetent.
Seeing Wang Jie’s capabilities, Mu Ran felt reassured. This could proceed at a steady pace.
However, he quickly realized he had underestimated the young cultivator.
Wang Jie’s strikes were not particularly destructive compared to some, but his attack frequency was astonishing. While others needed an hour of rest after each full-powered blow, Wang Jie only needed half an hour—or even less. Sheer persistence compensated for any lack in raw power.
Watching Wang Jie swing his sword relentlessly, Mu Ran grew uneasy.
Yet, he couldn’t say anything.
[Is this guy a beast? How does he consume so little energy?]
For an entire day, Wang Jie continued using the Star-Gazing Sword Style to carve through the planet’s crust. Standing before the bottomless chasm he had created, he nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Mu Ran. “Great Master, by this time tomorrow, I will have broken through.”
Mu Ran forced a smile, gritting his teeth as he praised, “Not bad… not bad.”
Encouraged, Wang Jie raised his sword and slashed again.
Mu Ran took a deep breath. He needed to hurry—he couldn’t afford to become a laughingstock.
What was supposed to be an easy mission had turned into an intense competition.
The next day, Wang Jie completed his task two hours ahead of schedule. He looked expectantly at Mu Ran, as if waiting for praise.
Mu Ran, still not finished on his end, glanced at the young cultivator, then at the endless void below. “Are you certain the destruction hasn’t spread beyond control?”
“Rest assured, Great Master, absolutely not.”
“Double-check.”
“Great Master, I—”
“You don’t understand the gravity of this matter. Go inspect it. Even the slightest error could lead to irreversible consequences.”
Wang Jie studied Mu Ran, then glanced at the depths below. He had a nagging feeling that this so-called Great Master had some unspoken concerns.
“Understood.”
As Wang Jie leapt down to inspect the tunnel, Mu Ran exhaled in relief and resumed his work.
It took Wang Jie an entire day to complete his inspection—there was no helping it, the passage was simply too long. By the time he returned, Mu Ran had just finished his task.
Nearly three days in total.
“All right, if there are no issues, let’s lower it.”
Wang Jie examined the Star-Sealing Stone before them. It was slightly larger than the one he had been given before, but the difference was barely noticeable. Its purpose was clear—it had to be placed within the planet’s core. This was formation work… but for whom?
“Next, the neighboring planet.”
Wang Jie turned his gaze to the adjacent celestial body and understood.
The two planets formed the foundation of the formation. And then, he recalled what he had previously seen—the Oblivion Ants. If his guess was correct, this formation was designed to target something traveling between these two worlds.
Boarding their spacecraft, he and Mu Ran set course for the neighboring planet. Along the way, Wang Jie studied the Star Map, his heart tightening at what he saw.
They were at the Silver Radiance Empire’s border.
Beyond the Star Map, there was only empty space—this could mean only one thing.
They had reached the edge of the Star Chain.
The Silver Radiance Empire belonged to the Third Nebula’s Frost Radiance Star Chain. The adjacent region? The Ninth Star Chain.
Given the formation they had just set up… and the presence of forces from the Frost Radiance Sect… there was no need to guess.
War was coming.
And by the looks of it, it was a war between the Frost Radiance Sect and the Ninth Star Chain.
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