Hearing this, Li Fan could not help asking curiously, "This junior once carried out a mission alongside Jiang Zhengji. If I recall correctly, both of them are merely at the middle Golden Core stage. How could they escape the pursuit of a Nascent Soul cultivator and so many Golden Core cultivators?"
Zhang Zhiliang narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly explained, "Although the two possess only middle Golden Core cultivation, their minds are in complete sync, and they coordinate seamlessly. What is more, they are deeply versed in the art of combined strikes.
"Their Golden Core dharma manifestations are fluttering white snow and frost-defying red plum blossoms.
"Working in unison, they can produce a Glazed World similar to a Nascent Soul dharma domain.
"When the two join forces, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators can hardly match them."
Li Fan recalled the scene of slaying the red-haired strange beast on the island back then and could not help nodding.
As if remembering something, a faint smile appeared on Zhang Zhiliang's face, and he continued, "Two minor Golden Core cultivators wreaked havoc in their heartland and actually managed to escape unscathed. The Five Elders Association certainly lost face over it and wanted to retaliate.
"Yet they dared not shoulder the responsibility of mobilizing a Soul Formation cultivator and actively igniting a war.
"So they could only quietly dispatch a Nascent Soul cultivator to sneak into the Congyun Sea and vent their frustration on Haitong Island.
"Hmph, that is all the spine the Five Elders Association has," Zhang Zhiliang said disdainfully.
With that, his expression grew stern. "Let us go. Petty as their actions may be, an attack by a Nascent Soul cultivator has indeed inflicted no small loss on Haitong Island.
"The structure of the Island-Protecting Grand Formation was completely ruined, and even the teleportation array cannot be used. We must teleport to the adjacent Youmen Island and fly over."
Under Zhang Zhiliang's lead, it took Li Fan and the others nearly a full day to arrive near Haitong Island.
The island warden had long received word and was waiting here.
"Greetings, Master Zhang!"
Perhaps owing to its proximity to the Five Elders Association's territory, this island's warden was actually a Golden Core cultivator.
He had the build of a burly man, yet his face was pale, seemingly bearing severe injuries.
"This is the warden of Haitong Island, Pei Tuo!" Zhang Zhiliang introduced him to Li Fan and the others.
"Fellow Daoist Pei Tuo has already reached the peak of the Golden Core realm, with one foot in the Nascent Soul realm. During this assault by the Five Elders Association's Nascent Soul cultivator, if not for Fellow Daoist Pei risking everything to activate the Island-Protecting Grand Formation to resist, I fear Haitong Island would have been reduced to ruins."
Pei Tuo waved his hand with a touch of shame. "I was incompetent and do not deserve such praise from the master."
Zhang Zhiliang laughed heartily and did not press the subject further.
"Fellow Daoist Pei, have the mortals on the island mostly been evacuated?" he asked instead.
Pei Tuo nodded. "They have all been relocated to other islands. Master may begin the restoration work at any time."
Zhang Zhiliang swept his gaze across the island below. After a moment, he said, "The extent of the damage is worse than imagined. Rather than slowly repairing it, it would be better to lay it down anew."
As he spoke, without him making any visible move, the sky above Haitong Island suddenly darkened.
A dense expanse of dark clouds gathered from nowhere, and a colossal eye emerged from within the clouds, gazing straight down at Haitong Island below.
Although Li Fan was not the direct target of its gaze, merely falling within the scope of this giant eye's vision made the spiritual energy in his body stall, circulating with immense difficulty.
A surge of panic welled up in his heart, as if all his secrets were being laid bare.
Fortunately, Li Fan's mental fortitude was formidable to begin with, and he had even stood face-to-face with a supreme powerhouse like the white-haired Heavenly Physician.
By comparison, the pressure of the Nascent Soul realm paled considerably.
Li Fan soon returned to normal.
Even so, to avoid drawing attention, he still pretended to tremble with fear just like the other array repairers.
Fortunately, the giant eye in the sky did not linger for long.
A streak of silver radiance flashed across the surface of Haitong Island.
In Li Fan's perception, every trace of the island's surviving formation structures melted and dissolved within this silver light.
In an instant, no trace of formations remained on Haitong Island.
The sky cleared once more, serene and calm. A flicker of envy crossed Pei Tuo's eyes, and he said, "Master Zhang's Dharma Eye Grotto-Heaven has grown even more extraordinary in power."
This was also Li Fan's first time seeing Zhang Zhiliang deploy his grotto-heaven dharma domain. Compared to the Nascent Soul cultivator Li Fan had previously slain whose dharma domain was a volcano, Zhang Zhiliang's Dharma Eye Grotto-Heaven was visibly more than a cut above.
"The formations on the island have been entirely cleared away by me. Next, you will follow behind me and rebuild them," Zhang Zhiliang said to Li Fan and the others.
"At present, our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Island-Protecting Grand Formation is the Tianyuan Creation Formation. The outer formation alone contains 367,800 nodes, each node compounding over a hundred formations.
"What you must do this time is rebuild the outer structure of the Tianyuan Creation Formation.
"As for the inner core formation, with your mastery of the Dao of Formations, it is still too early for you to touch it. I will construct it personally this time."
As Zhang Zhiliang spoke, he tapped at the empty air before him.
A light screen displaying detailed structural diagrams of hundreds of formations unfolded before the group.
"Li Fan, tell us, which basic formations are contained in this diagram?" Zhang Zhiliang called on him.
After studying it briefly, Li Fan answered calmly, "Spirit Gathering Formation, Solid Defense Formation, One Qi Formation..."
Hearing Li Fan's reply, Zhang Zhiliang nodded in satisfaction.
He then proceeded to explain the construction method of the nodes to everyone in detail, one by one.
Pei Tuo also stepped away as if to avoid suspicion, remaining alert on guard.
A full three days and three nights passed before Zhang Zhiliang finished explaining the outer nodes of the Tianyuan Creation Formation clearly.
Although Li Fan could not comprehend all of it immediately, with the aid of the secret art of Unified Spirit of Dao Transformation, he had already committed it firmly to memory.
"Master Zhang, I once happened to read in an ancient text of an ancient formation called the Origin Transformation Rebirth Grand Formation. I wonder what relation it bears to our Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Tianyuan Creation Formation?" Li Fan took the opportunity to inquire.
Zhang Zhiliang started slightly, seemingly surprised that Li Fan would raise this question.
"You are indeed well-read and knowledgeable to know of such an obscure formation," Zhang Zhiliang praised before explaining, "The creation function in the Tianyuan Creation Formation was indeed derived from the ancient Origin Transformation Rebirth Grand Formation.
"It is just that mortals nowadays all harbor immortal-mortal miasma within their bodies, so the formation had to undergo corresponding alterations before it could be used. Its actual effectiveness, however, is far inferior to the past. It is said that the ancient Origin Transformation Rebirth Grand Formation could convert the vital essence of mortals into Longevity Fruits that cultivators could consume.
"Now, only minor effects remain, such as raising the spiritual energy concentration within the formation and nourishing the physical body," Zhang Zhiliang said with a tinge of regret.
Next, he distributed the formation-laying materials and directed everyone to independently construct the formation nodes.
Presented with a free opportunity to hone his skills in laying formations, Li Fan naturally would not let it pass.
He immediately threw himself wholeheartedly into setting up formations.
Up to now, Li Fan had mostly studied formations in theory, with relatively little practical experience in constructing them.
Consequently, at the very beginning, he was still somewhat rusty.
His error rate was also rather high.
Yet before long, Li Fan discovered the absurd power of Unified Spirit of Dao Transformation.
Chapter 219