The Primordial Era: Starting with Becoming a Disciple of the Queen Mother of the West

Chapter 114 Comprehending the Shangqing

Xuan Yao settled in the Palace of the Northern Star Lord, and thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye.

Time stands still in the mountains, and seasons pass unnoticed amidst the starry sky.

Inside the palace, rows of pale blue starlight lamps flickered in accordance with the cycle of the heavens, while outside, the vast Milky Way flowed silently. Unless one was deliberately calculating, even a being of the highest caliber would find it difficult to perceive how much time had passed.

Xuan Yao remained unperturbed.

He sits upright on the jade altar in his quiet room every day, drawing the power of the Northern Stars into his body.

The star power was deep and profound, containing the primordial essence of water and earth, which slowly flowed into the acupoints throughout the body.

After entering the body, it was guided into the spleen and kidney palaces, where it was gently nourished by the five vital energies of Taiyi in the chest.

Five-colored light appeared and disappeared behind him. The earth element was as heavy as a mountain, the water element was as clear and moist as a spring, and the three elements of metal, wood and fire flowed continuously, generating each other, and there was a faint sign of harmony.

During his spare time from cultivation, Xuan Yao took out the scroll of green jade slip given to him by Daoist Duobao.

This book, titled "Essentials of Shangqing Formation Techniques," is not the fundamental formation diagram personally transmitted by the Tongtian Sect Master, but it is the culmination of many years of accumulation by the Shangqing lineage. The formation principles contained within are complex and infinitely varied.

Xuan Yao probed into it with his divine sense and saw countless array patterns intertwined and spread out in his sea of ​​consciousness. Sometimes they were like spring rain nourishing things, hiding vitality, and sometimes they were like sword energy sweeping across the sky, their sharpness pointing directly at the flaws.

He remained calm and patient, carefully studying each word and deducing it layer by layer, verifying the Shangqing formation principles with his own knowledge.

The essence of the Shangqing Formation, in the final analysis, lies in the word "intercept".

The so-called interception is not about forcibly seizing or brute forcefully breaking through the formation, but about seizing that one usable opportunity within the grand scheme of things.

To enter the infinite with the finite, to break the infinite with the finite.

No matter how formidable your formation or how meticulous your secrets, as long as you find the escape route, you can take advantage of the situation and turn the tables.

In his past life, Xuan Yao traveled to Dongkunlun and personally witnessed the wonders of the operation of the three realms.

Later, at the wedding ceremony in the outer heavens of the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Zhou Tian Star Array was seen suppressing the primordial chaos, with stars forming rivers, creating a magnificent spectacle.

In terms of the foundation of array formations, he had already accumulated considerable knowledge.

Now that he is in the Northern Heavenly Star Lord Palace, he observes the movement of the stars every day and has received the essential guidance of the Shangqing Array Principles. Many of his old doubts have gradually become clear, like clouds parting and the moon shining brightly.

One day, while meditating, Xuan Yao suddenly felt a jolt in his mind and finally grasped that spark of inspiration.

The Heavenly Gang Fiend Array he originally practiced was somewhat modeled after the Zhou Tian Star Array, aiming to make each fiend flag resonate with the star positions in the sky.

However, this formation used to be based on the earth's vein energy, and although it had fierce power, it was inevitably limited by the terrain.

If the Earthly Fiend Qi is used as the body, the power of the stars as the guide, and the Shangqing "Intercept" method is integrated, so that the formation can generate its own vitality and change, then the formation can be further improved and truly give birth to the prototype of a small world.

Once the decision was made, Xuan Yao no longer hesitated.

He left most of the battle flags in the veins of Qinghei Mountain to nurture them, using the mountain's energy to cleanse and refine their malevolent intent.

Fortunately, he had brought several main flags with him, which he could use to test the method first.

With a flick of his sleeve, Xuan Yao sent out three main battle flags that flew out and hung in mid-air in the quiet room.

These three evil flags are entirely dark gold, with black light emanating from their surfaces.

Xuan Yao formed a hand seal, and the power of Taiyi surged out like a tide, drawing down the starlight from the dome, transforming it into wisps of Northern Heaven Star Power, all of which fell into the flag.

Then, he flicked his fingertip and the Southern Bright Fire ignited. The fire was clear and bright, neither too hot nor too cold, yet it could remove impurities and illuminate the array patterns.

Using this fire as a brush, Xuan Yao gradually imprinted the variations of the character "截" from the Shangqing Formation into the patterns on the flag.

This time, the ritual is no longer the same as before, which only focuses on the circulation of evil energy and the connection with the earth's veins.

In addition to the thirty-six Heavenly Generals, he added seventy-two "Intercepting Gates" that could be opened and closed at any time.

Each gate corresponds to a star node deep within the starry sky.

Once the formation is activated and the gate is opened, the corresponding stellar essence can be temporarily intercepted and replenished into the formation.

In this way, the Heavenly Gang Fiend Array no longer relies solely on the earth's spiritual energy. As long as there are stars above and fiendish energy below, the array can draw upon the power of the starry sea to sustain its foundation, and its power will no longer be confined to a single mountain or place.

The refinement of these three main banners took Xuan Yao hundreds of years of painstaking effort.

Once the last array pattern was stabilized, the black and gold colors of the flag blended together, faintly reflecting the phantom of stars, and Xuan Yao felt a sense of joy.

He withdrew his magic power, got up and walked out of the Star Lord Palace, and went to the void outside the palace to test the formation.

With a wave of his sleeve, three dark gold banners grew longer in the wind and spread out under the starry sky in an instant.

The flag exuded a menacing aura like churning ink clouds, and amidst the flickering black and gold light, the shadows of the northern stars could be faintly seen within it.

Xuan Yao stood in the void and let out a soft shout.

"open."

As soon as he finished speaking, the gates on the flags lit up one by one.

The surrounding stellar energy, seemingly drawn by the force, transformed into streams of dark blue starlight, converging towards the evil flag.

The Heavenly Gang Killing Qi and the Northern Heaven Star Power intertwined within the array patterns, first clashing with each other, then gradually merging together, and finally transforming into a half-illusory, half-solid dark blue light curtain that covered the entire starry sky within a hundred miles.

Within the light curtain, starlight forms the warp and malevolent energy the weft, circulating in a natural and orderly fashion.

The external gale-force winds, thunder, and fire struck it, only stirring up a faint trace of light, which was instantly worn away by the star-like and evil energies within the formation.

Xuan Yao stood with his hands behind his back beneath the light curtain, gazing at the scene of intertwined stars and evil spirits before him, his mind clear and serene.

He knew that his Heavenly Dipper Life-Giving Array had finally broken free from the old limitations of being based on the earth and had begun to develop its own foundation.

This current power is naturally far inferior to the Demon Court's true Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array.

But the most difficult part of the great path is finding the right direction.

Now that the road is open, all that remains is to work diligently and wait for the right opportunities and circumstances.

During the years I cultivated in the Northern Star Lord's Palace, the starry sea was not entirely desolate.

Demon court officials and deities often come to visit.

Most of these people had heard that Donghuang Taiyi had publicly praised the new Dharma Protector Star Lord in the inner palace of the Sun God Palace, so they came to Beitian under the guise of visiting colleagues to make their presence known.

Those who came had different intentions. Some brought rare treasures to show their goodwill, some tried to probe Xuan Yao's true strength through their words, and some had only come to ask for a few cups of the Enlightenment Tea in the Star Lord's Palace because they had heard that it was quite extraordinary.

One day, a fire official from the Southern Heaven came to visit, carrying two jars of Starfire Immortal Wine.

After several rounds of drinks, the star official, seemingly unintentionally, mentioned that the Demon Court intended to wage war against an ancient demon in a certain place in the Western Wilderness.

During the conversation, the conversation repeatedly circled back to Xi Kunlun and then focused on Xuan Yao, the guardian star lord, clearly trying to gauge his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yao simply smiled, picked up the teacup, and drank the spiritual tea inside.

He spoke gently, saying that he had just arrived at the Demon Court and usually only used star power to temper his foundation, and knew very little about warfare and killing.

With just a few words, the topic was gently steered away, neither appearing cold nor leaving any room for criticism.

Xuan Yao always treated these constantly coming and going demon court officials with courtesy.

The rules he set for himself were simple.

Visitors are welcome, and those who bring gifts should be given in return. Casual conversation is fine, but no promises should be made.

If a star official sends him special products from the starry sea, he will reciprocate by giving him a few drops of diluted Fuzhi Dew.

If anyone tries to probe the power of the Demon Court, he will vaguely gloss over it with the principle of virtue and tranquility, never giving anyone ammunition to criticize him.

It should be noted that although the Demon Court is at its peak, it is also riddled with factions and its true nature is unpredictable.

As a disciple of Xikunlun, Xuanyao held the title of Guardian Star Lord. It was enough for him to maintain a certain presence within the Demon Court.

Cultivating good relationships, avoiding personal grudges, and not getting involved in open or covert struggles are the proper ways for a virtuous cultivator like him to find peace and security amidst the turmoil of countless eons.