Li Muzhan asked, "Master, do you have any superior jade? I'd like to take some." "What do you need that for?" Long Jingyue inquired.

Li Muzhan chuckled, "I have a slight understanding of talismans and formations; I wish to try something." "You know about talismans and formations?" Long Jingyue asked, astonished. Li Muzhan nodded, "A little bit.

It's somewhat different from the formations of today, and I'm unsure of its power. I'll give it a try." "You inherited knowledge of the formations?" Long Jingyue’s eyes widened with excitement.

"Truly?" She herself didn't know the origin of the Inheritance Flower; it was meant to neutralize the danger of such inheritances, and the flower might well be a thousand years old. Perhaps formations weren't lost back then.

If Wuji had obtained the talisman and formation inheritance, it was surely a blessing from heaven. Li Muzhan nodded with a smile.

This was the best cover. How could he possibly say he was self-taught, or that he came from another world?

The art of formations in this world had been lost. Long Jingyue immediately composed her excited expression, stating solemnly, "Wuji, this news must never leak out.

Remember this, remember this!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Master, I understand. A treasure brings calamity!" The power of the formations was astonishing, yet they ultimately vanished and were lost.

The reason for their disappearance remained shrouded in mist, and no one could truly explain the cause. Li Muzhan surmised that the loss of the formations must be connected to the martial arts masters.

They feared the formations the most, wishing for their complete disappearance, perhaps even secretly conspiring to eliminate the formation masters. If they learned that a formation master had reappeared, they would certainly not stand idly by and might join forces for another scheme.

Vigilance was necessary. "It’s good that you understand!" Long Jingyue slowly nodded.

"Fortunately, residual formations are left behind in all sects, so even if you deploy them, others won't suspect." Li Muzhan asked, "Does Master know the reason the formations were lost?" "I don't," Long Jingyue replied. "Don't trouble yourself with that.

Just make sure you never tell anyone; pretend they are legacy talismans left by our Tianyuan Pavilion!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Yes, I understand." Long Jingyue let out a breath and smiled again, "The power of the formations is astonishing. With these, you are like a tiger given wings.

But remember to conceal it carefully!" Seeing her persistent nagging, Li Muzhan felt no impatience and simply nodded with a smile. "Enough, I won't say more!" Long Jingyue waved her hand, sighing, "Go forth and face the world.

If things go poorly, hide within Tianyuan! ...

How much jade do you need?" Li Muzhan replied, "The more, the better!" Long Jingyue pondered for a moment, "Follow me!" She rose gracefully and left the main hall, then turned toward the rear, arriving at her small courtyard, and walked straight into her bedroom. Li Muzhan followed silently.

She entered the bedroom and went directly to the bed, then flung back the bedsheet. Li Muzhan was surprised and smiled, "Master sleeps on a jade bed?" "How is it?" Long Jingyue asked.

Li Muzhan stepped forward to touch it. The white jade felt warm and moist, smooth to the touch, as if a layer of watery energy circulated within.

He nodded in admiration, "Good jade!" "Take as much as you need!" Long Jingyue offered. "I'll just get a different bed!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Master, then I shall not be polite; give it all to me!" "Your appetite is quite large!" Long Jingyue gave him a sidelong glance.

"Take it!" Li Muzhan cheerfully packed up her bedding. Soon, the bed was cleared.

He took his long sword and lightly sliced the jade bed a couple of times, neatly dismembering it into several sections. He carried them one by one back to his own courtyard.

Long Jingyue watched from the side, offering no help. Li Muzhan happily transported all the jade back to his residence, then erected a sign at the entrance bearing the words 'Secluded Cultivation,' and began to focus intently on talisman crafting.

The qi of heaven and earth here was dense, making the power of the formations immense. However, the greater the formation's power, the more arduous the carving of the talisman script, and the fiercer the backlash.

Every stroke of a character became several times harder. Since acquiring the Soul-Transforming Palm, he had begun to temper his spirit, making it increasingly tough and resilient.

The Heaven-Man Divine Illumination Scripture enhanced his spirit, while the Soul-Transforming Palm honed it; the two complemented each other perfectly. His spirit was now exceptionally robust, allowing him to control the talisman scripts with ease.

A talisman that once required an hour to carve now took only half an hour. He possessed the Spirit Constancy Talisman, and when tired, he practiced the Heaven-Man Divine Illumination Scripture.

He refrained from using the Boundless Bright Heart Sutra unless he was utterly exhausted; the Scripture increased his spirit, whereas the Boundless Bright Heart Sutra only recovered it. When he emerged from his seclusion, three days had passed.

Over two hundred formation talismans were carved, forming two massive piles that one person could not possibly carry. The moment he emerged, he acted immediately, disregarding the deep night, and went directly to the main hall to find Long Jingyue.

Led by her, he descended into Tianyuan. Long Jingyue guided him to a cave in Tianyuan, then left him alone to proceed inward.

After entering, there was another cavern, and following the passage downward along a slope, the cave was pitch-black, evoking inexplicable despair and fear. Li Muzhan’s spirit was powerful, unaffected by the environment.

He walked for about four or five li when the darkness gradually gave way to light ahead, followed by a blinding radiance. Li Muzhan sped up with a smile, plunging into the water.

A massive buoyancy immediately pushed him up to the surface; it was a pool. Li Muzhan observed with his Eye of Void.

This was a valley located south of Tianyuan Pavilion, heavily concealed by forestation, making it an excellent hiding spot. He climbed out of the pool and gently shook his robes; water droplets scattered, and his clothes instantly dried.

A bright moon hung high in the firmament, slowly turning and casting down silver radiance, shrouding everything nearby in a veil of white, hazy and mysterious. His movements were ghost-like as he drifted into the woods, appearing and vanishing, quickly reaching the vicinity of Tianyuan Pavilion.

Then, without a sound, he cast down jade talismans one by one. A total of one hundred and eight jade talismans were thrown down, encircling the perimeter of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

He then perched on a tree and activated the formation, named the Qiankun Chaos Formation. The circulation of the heaven and earth qi above subtly altered, slow and minute, imperceptible to any observer.

A thin mist began to slowly form, drifting like silver threads from a whisk. Gradually, the mist thickened until the members of the Qinghe Sword Sect, who initially paid it no mind—as mist in the night was common—found it too dense to see their surroundings.

Moonlight could not penetrate it, and even those ten paces away were obscured. Such thick fog was abnormal.

They immediately became vigilant, looking around anxiously, breathing the air deeply, but no matter how loudly they called out, they heard no reply. At this point, they all sensed trouble.

Some agitatedly swung their swords, fearful that someone might approach, as being in the fog seemed to dull their senses. As martial arts masters, their five senses were exceptionally keen; this sudden dullness felt like returning to the state before they began their cultivation.

While swinging their swords, they dared not move their feet, as this situation made friendly fire too easy. After calling out fruitlessly for a while, they finally resorted to using their sword scabbards to probe the ground ahead.

Li Muzhan abruptly slipped into the mist, silently closing in on them. Sword light flashed; every strike disabled one person's Dantian.

He utilized the grand heavenly formation to seal their five senses. Combined with his technique for concealing his aura, by the time they reacted, Li Muzhan's sword was already upon them.

He was truly unstoppable; these top masters were utterly defenseless and were swiftly culled by Li Muzhan. Li Muzhan drifted away.

The jade talismans dissolved into powder, swept away by the wind, merging into the soil without leaving a trace—all within the span of a single cup of tea. This Qiankun Chaos Formation was originally a mediocre formation, sustained for only a short time.

For a formation master to set up such a grand array required one hundred and eight pieces of fine jade, and carving one hundred and eight formation talismans was far from an easy feat; another person might not complete it in a year, and the resulting backlash was terrifying. Furthermore, this formation only dulled the acuity of the five senses, casting them into chaos, possessing little outright lethality; generally, no one bothered to deploy it.

When he first learned this formation, he never imagined there would come a day when he would need it.