Cao Rufeng looked at the old man in the grey robe, his eyes full of suspicion. "Wu Laojiu, do you know something?"
Wu Laojiu gazed into the distant east. "It's been nearly two and a half years since that earth-shattering battle in the Demon Realm, hasn't it?"
Cao Rufeng nodded.
Even though they were in the Human Realm.
And they had no idea what had truly transpired in the Demon Realm.
But on the day of the great battle, they had all felt a terrifying power emanating from the east.
The intensity of that battle was in no way inferior to the clashes between the eight Immortal Emperors of the Human Realm back then.
Wu Laojiu, chewing on a watermelon, said, "If someone could move freely within the Demon Realm, if there was a lightning leopard… do you think it could reach the Human Realm in over two years?"
Cao Rufeng frowned. "What do you mean?"
Wu Laojiu: "You know what I mean!"
"You mean Chen Nan is from the Demon Realm?" Cao Rufeng gasped, goosebumps rising all over his body.
Wu Laojiu: "There's a prophecy that a supreme being will appear among the human race, one who can lead humanity to glory!"
"Many believe it to be the Human Emperor!"
"But..."
"The world seems to have forgotten one thing!"
"That person came from the Demon Realm!"
"And unified the Demon Realm!"
A colossal wave surged within Cao Rufeng's heart.
He did know of that ancient prophecy.
And he knew the person in the prophecy came from the Demon Realm.
But he simply didn't believe in prophecies.
He thought prophecies were absurd.
And now...
"It shouldn't be like this. If Chen Nan is truly the one from the prophecy, why is he only at the Mahayana stage of cultivation?" Cao Rufeng asked, puzzled.
Wu Laojiu casually tossed the watermelon rind aside. It landed somewhere, drawing curses.
He then said, "You seem to have forgotten a special constitution."
"The Primordial Sacred Body?" Cao Rufeng's eyes blazed with excitement.
Wu Laojiu: "The Primordial Sacred Body is said to be unable to possess an immortal's physique, but it possesses combat power comparable to an immortal!"
"However, I have also found an ancient formula over the years!"
"It can break the curse of the Primordial Sacred Body!"
"And allow one to possess an immortal's physique!"
Cao Rufeng murmured, "If that fellow is indeed the Primordial Sacred Body, you could help him, give him an opportunity."
Wu Laojiu pouted. "Why should I? Do you know what treasures my ancient formula requires?"
"Spirit herbs from before the apocalypse!"
Cao Rufeng chuckled wryly. "Those are indeed rare."
Wu Laojiu grinned. "However, if he can develop this communication formation, it might not be impossible to give him an opportunity as a side benefit!"
"You're truly cunning!" Cao Rufeng sneered. "However, I advise you not to harbor too many illusions about Chen Nan."
"Even if he is the Primordial Sacred Body, he cannot grasp my understanding of formations!"
"Those were written down in moments of drunken bravado. Even I find them unrealistic after sobering up."
------
"Really?"
"Formations are that magical?"
On the way back, Chen Nan flipped through the formation insights he had purchased from Cao Rufeng for ten low-grade immortal stones.
While he didn't expect them to contain any crucial information!
After reading them, Chen Nan felt as though he had pushed open a door to a new world.
"The formation base is formless, yet possesses spirit!"
"Formations are ever-changing, vast as the sea, ethereal as smoke!"
"Leaving no trace!"
"Yet following a trace!"
"Immortal stones can serve as formation bases!"
"Ores can serve as formation bases!"
"Mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas can serve as formation bases!"
"All things in heaven and earth can serve as formation bases!"
"The sun, moon, and stars can also serve as formation bases!"
------
Chen Nan understood these words.
He was deeply shocked.
He even found it utterly preposterous.
Especially the idea of using mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas as formation bases!
And all things in heaven and earth as formation bases!
And the sun, moon, and stars as formation bases!
It was outrageously unbelievable!
Upon returning, Chen Nan began to enter seclusion.
He wasn't sure if he had any talent for formations.
But what if he did?
If he could truly set up a communication formation, he could instantly become famous and be summoned by the Martial King!
He could even offer the usage rights of the communication formation to them and then leave via a teleportation array.
Yu Fei returned to the Yu Mansion.
She knew Chen Nan would be in seclusion for some time and didn't want to disturb his cultivation by being around him.
------
"Cao Rufeng's personal insights state that formations are ever-changing, leaving no trace, yet following a trace!"
"If that's true, I should be able to sense the formation that envelops this city!"
Chen Nan sat cross-legged, emptying his mind.
He finally entered a state of unity between man and nature.
He felt the world around him.
He felt the people hurrying by on the streets.
He also felt the wind gently blowing through the air.
However!
He did not feel any trace of a formation.
"I cultivated the Great Peng Technique, and my perception of space is far beyond ordinary people!"
"But why can't I feel the fluctuations of the formation?"
Chen Nan opened his eyes.
He was utterly baffled.
If formations truly left no trace yet followed a trace!
Then why couldn't he feel the fluctuations of the formation?
Could it be!
That everything recorded in the book was false?
He walked to the window and pushed it open.
Night had fallen.
Zhongzhou City had become a city that never slept.
The Xiangsi River in the distance, like a fiery dragon, lay quietly there.
Chen Nan casually said, "Weiwei, I obtained a book containing personal insights about formations!"
"The author said that formations leave no trace, yet follow a trace!"
"What do you think about this?"
Yu Weiwei: "Use your eyes to see!"
???
Chen Nan looked at her, his gaze filled with disbelief.
Yu Weiwei: "The great dao is simple!"
Those four words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
Causing Chen Nan to suddenly awaken.
He slowly closed his eyes.
And opened them again.
The scene before him had undergone a drastic change.
The world was bathed in a crimson glow.
"Could this be Zhongzhou City's protective formation?"
Chen Nan knew Zhongzhou City had a protective formation.
It was said to be a level nine formation!
Personally set up by Cao Rufeng!
It was also this formation that had propelled him to fame and made him the Imperial Advisor of the Wu Kingdom.
Although he could see the existence of the formation.
Chen Nan was not happy.
He even felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"The Technique of Observing Qi was taught to me by my master in prison!"
"It was one thing to be able to use it on Earth!"
"But why is it still so effective in the Immortal Realm!"
"To the point where I can even see Zhongzhou City's protective formation?"
Chen Nan increasingly felt that his master's origins were terrifying.
And yet, he knew absolutely nothing about him.
"Never mind, things will work themselves out. Eventually, the truth will be revealed."
Chen Nan took a deep breath.
He concealed the unease that Wu Shan had instilled in him.
Then, he slowly extended his hand, attempting to communicate with the formation using his spiritual power and its fluctuations.
Initially, there was no reaction.
But after a while, streams of formation power, like sprites, flew to his fingertips, twirling and leaping around them.
------
In that secluded courtyard in the northern part of the city.
Cao Rufeng, who had been asleep, suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes filled with terror. "Not good, someone has seized control of the protective formation!"