Chapter 523: The Five Elements Storm Array

“This…”

Shui Miao couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Where had he been impetuous or restless? This was truly a misunderstanding!

Indeed, this formation didn’t seem to reveal any obvious secrets—nothing but clouds, and more clouds.

Wait a second…

Suddenly, Shui Miao recalled the previous Fire Holy Hall and wondered if these clouds might actually be transformed from water-element immortal energy.

The problem was, Master Bufa had only allowed observation with the eyes, forbidding the use of spiritual senses. Therefore, there was no way to identify the nature of these clouds.

No time to think further—better to enter and check things out first.

As Shui Miao stepped into the formation, the clouds ahead shifted. Suddenly, a figure identical to himself emerged from the mist.

It felt as if the clouds had transformed into mirrors!

Witnessing this, Shui Miao didn’t act rashly. He stood quietly, observing the mirrored version of himself. It felt exactly like facing a mirror—this reflection was staring back at him, mimicking every movement precisely.

As Shui Miao turned sideways, another mirror appeared, and again, his mirrored self appeared within it.

“Break through the formation quickly.”

Suddenly, Master Bufa’s voice echoed in Shui Miao’s mind.

Shui Miao blinked, wondering, How exactly do I break this? Smash the mirrors?

He reached out and touched an invisible wall of mirror energy.

“Senior, can I use any method I want?” Shui Miao asked hesitantly in his mind.

Master Bufa’s voice responded immediately, “Whatever skills you have, go ahead and use them.”

“Alright then!”

At once, Shui Miao activated his Soul Devouring Force, spreading it outward. This force was relentless, capable of corroding and devouring anything. Soon, it had consumed a massive amount of immortal energy, and the mirrors began to collapse one by one.

“This… this Soul Devouring Force is too sinister! It doesn’t follow the rules at all!” Seeing half the formation destroyed in an instant, Master Bufa was shocked and immediately urged Shui Miao to stop. “You can’t break the formation like this! Although you might destroy it, you won’t learn anything. In the end, you’ll still know nothing about formations!”

“This…”

Shui Miao couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. How was he being impatient and restless? This was downright unfair!

He truly couldn’t see anything remarkable about this formation—nothing but clouds and mist, over and over.

Wait a moment…

Shui Miao suddenly recalled the previous Fire Sanctuary and wondered if this mist might be formed from water-based immortal power.

The frustrating part was that Bufa only allowed him to use his eyes to observe, forbidding the use of spiritual sense to perceive, making it impossible to identify the attributes of the mist.

No matter—he might as well go inside and take a look.

As Shui Miao stepped into the formation, he immediately noticed the mist ahead beginning to change. A figure identical to himself emerged before him.

It felt as though the mist had turned into a mirror!

Seeing this, Shui Miao didn’t dare act recklessly. He quietly observed the version of himself in front, feeling as if he were truly facing a mirror—because the reflection was also watching him, mirroring his every move.

When Shui Miao turned around, mirrors appeared on his sides as well, each reflecting his image.

“Hurry up and break the formation.”

Bufa’s voice suddenly echoed in Shui Miao’s mind.

Shui Miao blinked, wondering how to break it. Should he shatter the mirrors?

He reached out and touched an invisible mirror-like wall.

“Senior, can I use any method?” Shui Miao asked, feeling somewhat uncertain.

Bufa’s voice responded immediately, “Use whatever skills you have. Don’t hold back.”

“Alright!”

With a thought, Shui Miao activated his Spirit Devouring power, allowing it to spread in all directions. The Spirit Devouring force was indestructible, capable of corroding and consuming everything. In no time, it had devoured a vast amount of immortal spiritual power, and the mirrors began to crumble.

“This… this Spirit Devouring power is too sinister! It doesn’t follow any rules!” Bufa was astonished to see Shui Miao destroy half the formation in an instant. He hurriedly told Shui Miao to stop, “You can’t break the formation like this. Although you’ll destroy it, you won’t learn anything. In the end, you’ll still know nothing about formations.”

“…”

Shui Miao felt a wave of embarrassment and swiftly retracted the Spirit Devouring power. Although he was somewhat indignant, he acknowledged that Bufa had his best interests at heart and chose not to linger on the matter.

Bufa, considering that his teaching method might have been too detailed and problematic, shook his head and said, “Forget it, I won’t go into too much detail. I’ll teach you the general principles of the formation. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me directly.”

“Great! Thank you, Senior!”

Understanding the principles was exactly what Shui Miao wanted.

With a casual wave of his hand, Bufa restored the formation to its original state: “This is known as the Wind Cloud Five Phases Formation. While it may appear simple, its power is extraordinary. It encapsulates the profound mysteries of all formations. Wind and clouds represent the fusion of Yin and Yang spirits, containing spiritual power of every attribute. The ‘Five Phases’ signify the formation’s ability to bewilder humans, ghosts, immortals, spirits, and monsters—meaning everything within the three realms falls under its dominion. This illustrates its deep and formidable nature. Its primary function is to block intruders, keeping the weak at bay while permitting only the strong to enter. The main technique involves creating mirror images. To dismantle it, one must possess sufficient strength.”

“Senior, let me try again!”

Shui Miao decided not to use the Spirit Devouring power and instead focused on experiencing the Wind Cloud Five Phases Formation.

“Never mind. I’ll teach you the layout of the four layers here and some basic knowledge of formations. You can slowly comprehend it on your own!” With a thought, Bufa transmitted a stream of divine insight into Shui Miao’s memory. As Shui Miao’s thoughts churned, he became deeply immersed in the intricacies of the formation.

In truth, Bufa was growing tired of explaining.

Continuously elaborating on these matters was indeed quite tedious.

For someone like Shui Miao, who knew nothing about formations, every little detail needed to be taught, and taught meticulously. If not explained thoroughly, he wouldn’t understand. Yet, teaching in such detail was incredibly time-consuming. Considering that he had lived over a thousand years longer than Shui Miao and had vast amounts of knowledge to impart, Bufa felt overwhelmed at the thought of how much effort it would take. The mere idea gave him a headache.

So, he decided to leave the material for Shui Miao to comprehend on his own.

Shui Miao emerged from Bufa’s mental imagery and began pondering the structure of the formation, dividing his attention between contemplation and observation.

With all the knowledge Bufa had implanted in his memory, Shui Miao’s thoughts shifted rapidly. In his mind, stars moved, mountains and rivers transformed, and a Wind Cloud Five Phases Formation took shape. After carefully reflecting on it, Shui Miao was surprised to discover that the so-called profound formation was not as mysterious as he had thought. When he didn’t understand it, it seemed incredibly profound, but once he grasped it, he realized its simplicity.

To set up a formation, one first needed spiritual power, immortal power, or even some special types of energy.

Shui Miao referred to these energies as the “power source.”

He felt that setting up a formation was like building machinery, where the power source functioned as the engine.

Of course, the method of storing power in a formation was unique. Sometimes, it was just a spirit stone or a talisman, but for long-term use and maximum effectiveness, it was best to use a magical treasure to store the power. Moreover, some high-quality treasures contained artifact spirits, which could significantly enhance the formation’s power.

Besides the power source, the foundation of the formation was its layout.

The foundation of a formation was like the framework of machinery. Once power was transmitted, the foundation would operate according to its specific arrangement. Naturally, the layout of the foundation was highly complex and difficult to comprehend, embodying all the wisdom of the formation master. The more meticulous the arrangement, the more flawless the formation would be.

However, after studying the intricate layout of the formation, Shui Miao paused and couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

Seeing Shui Miao laugh, Bufa quickly asked, “Shui Miao, why are you laughing? Have you already grasped the profound mysteries of these formations?”

“Not exactly. I just had a sudden realization. These formations are indeed incredibly profound, but they’re not impervious. People tend to focus habitually on the formation itself, overlooking the source of its power. If I used my Spirit Devouring power to directly seize the treasure supplying the power, the formation would collapse on its own.” Shui Miao was full of confidence in his Spirit Devouring power.

“This…” Shui Miao’s reasoning was sound, and given his Spirit Devouring power, this method of breaking formations was indeed feasible. After a pause, Bufa reminded him, “Shui Miao, you must understand two things. First, the location of the formation’s core treasure is usually well-hidden, often in the most critical and heavily guarded part of the formation. Second, the core treasure is undoubtedly the finest magical treasure within the formation. Trying to subdue it would be exceptionally difficult!”

“As long as I can locate the core, the Spirit Devouring power should be able to devour and refine it.” Shui Miao had great faith in his Spirit Devouring power. A thought occurred to him: “Senior, how about we use this method to break the formation at the Fire Sanctuary?”

Realizing that his teaching methods might have been too detailed and perhaps flawed, Master Bufa shook his head and said, “Forget it. I won’t explain things in such detail anymore. I’ll teach you the general principles of formations. If you don’t understand something, just ask me directly.”

“Great! Thank you, Senior!”

That was exactly what Shui Miao wanted—the underlying principles.

With a wave of his hand, Master Bufa restored the formation to its original state. “This is called the ‘Five Elements Wind and Cloud Formation.’ At first glance, it seems simple, but in reality, it’s extremely powerful. It integrates all the profound mysteries of formations. ‘Wind and Cloud’ here represent the fusion of Yin and Yang energies, encompassing all types of spiritual forces. The ‘Five Elements’ refer to the formation’s ability to confuse humans, ghosts, immortals, spirits, and demons. In other words, everything within the Three Realms falls under its influence. This shows the formation’s profound intricacy and immense power. Its main function is to block intruders—keeping the weak outside while allowing only the strong to enter. It mainly achieves this by creating illusions. To break through it requires sufficient strength.”

“Senior, let me try again!”

Shui Miao decided not to use the Soul Devouring Force this time and instead experience the Wind and Cloud Five Elements Formation properly.

“No need,” Master Bufa replied. “I’ll directly impart to you the methods of setting up the four layers of this formation, along with some basic formation knowledge. You can contemplate them on your own.”

With a thought, Master Bufa transmitted a stream of divine consciousness into Shui Miao’s mind. Instantly, Shui Miao’s thoughts settled deeply into the study of formations.

In truth, Master Bufa had grown a bit weary.

Constant explanations were indeed exhausting.

Teaching someone like Shui Miao—who understood practically nothing—required explaining every single detail. If he didn’t explain thoroughly, Shui Miao wouldn’t understand. But explaining everything in detail was extremely time-consuming. Thinking about how he had lived over a thousand years longer and had countless things to teach, Master Bufa felt a headache coming on.

So, he decided to simply pass the knowledge to Shui Miao and let him figure it out on his own.

Shui Miao withdrew from Master Bufa’s mental transmission and began contemplating the formation’s structure with focused concentration.

With all the formation techniques stored in his memory, Shui Miao shifted his consciousness, envisioning shifting stars and changing landscapes, eventually forming a complete Wind and Cloud Five Elements Formation in his mind. After careful analysis, he was surprised to realize that these supposedly profound formations weren’t that complicated after all. Before understanding, they seemed mysterious, but once understood, they were actually quite simple.

To set up a formation, one first needed spiritual energy, immortal energy, or even some special forces.

Shui Miao referred to these as “power sources.”

He thought of formations as similar to machines, where the power source was like an engine.

Of course, the way power was stored in formations was unique. Sometimes it was just a spirit stone or a talisman. However, for long-term use and maximum power, it was best to store the power source in a magical treasure. High-quality treasures often contained a spirit within, which could significantly enhance the formation’s power.

Besides the power source, the foundation of the formation was also crucial.

The foundation was like the framework of a machine. Once the power was transmitted, the foundation would operate according to a specific arrangement. Naturally, arranging the foundation was extremely complex and difficult to understand. It contained all the wisdom of the formation’s creator. The more precise the arrangement, the more flawless the formation.

However, after studying the complicated layout for a while, Shui Miao stopped and smiled slightly.

Noticing his smile, Master Bufa quickly asked, “Shui Miao, why are you smiling? Have you already grasped the profound secrets of these formations?”

“Not really,” Shui Miao replied. “I just had a sudden thought. These formations are indeed profound, but not invincible. People usually focus only on the formation itself, neglecting its power source. If I use the Soul Devouring Force to directly absorb the treasure that serves as the power source, the formation would collapse on its own.”

Shui Miao had full confidence in his Soul Devouring Force.

“This…” Master Bufa hesitated. What Shui Miao said made sense, and with his Soul Devouring Force, this method was indeed somewhat feasible. After a pause, he reminded him, “Shui Miao, you must understand two things: first, the location of the formation’s core treasure is usually extremely difficult to find, hidden in the most critical and heavily guarded area. Second, the core treasure is always the most powerful magical artifact within the formation. Trying to seize it won’t be easy at all!”

“As long as I can locate the core, the Soul Devouring Force should be able to absorb and refine it,” Shui Miao said confidently. Then, a thought struck him. “Senior, how about we use this method to break through the grand formation in the Fire Holy Hall?”