Book 8: Chapter 3: Root Formation (3)
Dyon’s expression was incomparably calm as he scanned the Star Force army, but inwardly, he felt that the situation was incredibly grave.Even the weakest expert here was of the sixth order. This alone was enough to show just how talented half-sprites were. The Water Mist Sect could only scrounge up a sixth order legatee after years of searching, yet the Star Clan actually had thousands of them. Not just that, but they were all of the peak celestial grade.To make matters worse, all of these warriors were led by a woman whose prowess was even greater than her beauty. Dyon could immediately tell that Cativa was a 9th Order expert of the 12th celestial realm. She was only a step away from becoming a pseudo-dao expert!“True God Sacharro.” Empress Aspirant Cativa spoke out. “We’d rather not bully a talent on your level. We’re quite aware of how shameless it is to send us old people after a youth like yourself, but you should also understand that the prestige of a Clan is highly important to it. Though we disrespected your Demon Generals first, you only have yourself to blame for not being present then.“You now have one of two choices. You either fight it out with all of us here and end up with nothing, or you can take a step back. We have no problem with you controlling three gold danger zones as it is in fact your turn to do so. However, the Star Clan must have one of the nine. Which is your choice?”Dyon calmly looked toward Cativa.Even knowing that Dyon could at most match her in strength, Cativa felt a shiver tear its way through her spine. Those eyes, they were the eyes of a man who would never take a step back. There was no compromise, no room for discussion. They had crossed his bottom line.In that moment, a formation core appeared in Dyon’s palm.Back on Soul Rending Peak, the greatest form of protection they had were their formation cores. With them, an elder or Master wielding them could have an explosive increase in strength scaling to how much their souls could withstand. It was a trump card the likes of which could only be matched by the greatest of clans and sects.This formation core, however, wasn’t the same as the one Soul Rending Peak controlled. Instead, this was a formation core Dyon created after studying the original.Dyon’s clone realized after months of intense studying that the formation core was actually a portable formation of sorts. It took a large-scale formation as a base, then made them mobile.The formation core Soul Rending Peak used to give their experts a boost had a so-called ‘Root Formation’. This root formation was known as the [Nature’s Order] formation. It was able to take power from the surroundings, similar to the abilities a celestial, but on a much larger scale. What the formation core did was act as a link to the main formation, allowing it to be used at a further distance away.The trouble was that creating the formation core of a root formation required the equivalent of reaching the One with Self realm of a martial technique. Simply put, one needed to understand a formation and recognize it no matter how many permutations it had or adjustments were done to it. They should be able to draw and recreate this formation in their sleep!It took Dyon’s clone, even with Dyon’s level of soul path talent, 6 months to create the formation core for a single root formation! And the formation he chose?… It was the [Infinite Heart] formation!In that moment, 10 000 puppets appeared from nowhere, shocking Cativa. These number of puppets, they were double the number of Star Force members they had brought!The puppets of the Demon Sage Tower were works of pristine art… Unlike the flashy silver and gold sentries that defended the celestial doors, these puppets glowed a calm, soothing violet.The material that coated their exteriors were completely see-through, revealing the hidden mechanisms inside. It looked like the gorgeous gears of a watch, ticking away to perpetually provide power.It was almost a shame to make them fight at all… However, Dyon wasn’t worried about them becoming damaged. These were puppets from the Immortal Plane, if they could be damaged by mortal realm cultivators so easily, they might as well not exist at all!The formation core glowed within Dyon’s hands, shooting out 10 000 tentacle-like lines to connect with each puppet. In that moment, 10 000 peak celestial auras pierced through the Star Force’s momentum.Without even another glance, Dyon left the formation core in the air. It was as though he was taunting them… You want my formation core? Come and get it.Cativa became flushed with rage. He believed that he could deal with them with puppets? And what kinds of puppets were these? Why were they so beautiful?Even still, Cativa calmed herself. These puppets could delay them, but not for very long. Everyone knew that puppets performed below their optimal strength. They simply didn’t have the flexibility or intelligence of humans.A first-grade puppet would perform like a second-grade warrior at best. And, those first grade puppets were incredibly rare and expensive. Let alone 10 000 of them, a single clan, even on their Star Clans level, would have a dozen at most. Maybe only those outer quadrant clans and sects might have a few hundred.Unfortunately for them, the Star Force would soon find out that these puppets weren’t normal by any stretch of the imagination… Even though Dyon wasn’t controlling them, didn’t the Demon Sage Tower have an item spirit?!Dyon’s body flashed as he charged toward the Heavenly Sword Guild.By his calculations, the energy source of his [Infinite Heart] formation could only power 10 000 peak celestial puppets for 12 hours. After those 12 hours were up, the energy source would dry up and Dyon would never be able to call out his puppets here again. He had already tapped into all the energy sources within a million-kilometer radius, yet he only received 12 hours in return…Still, this would give him valuable time he needed. With one army dealt with for now, he still had three others to deal with!