The air in the secret passage was thick like congealed grease; every breath required immense effort to force that rust-scented air into the lungs.

There was no sound of wind, only the dull echoes of dozens of boots on the slick greenstone slabs and the rapid, suppressed panting held deep in throats.

Su Ming walked at the front, the long sword in his hand long since blunted, its surface caked with a mixture of purplish-black insect blood and dark red human blood.

He did not look back, just mechanically moved his legs forward.

Zhao Tiji's final posture—using his back to brace against the stone door—was like a red-hot nail, hammered irrevocably into the depths of his mind.

But he could not stop.

Behind him, Lu Jun and the others moved like a group of soulless zombies, their steps mechanical.

No one spoke. No one dared to look back at that now-closed stone door.

"We're here."

A sliver of light appeared ahead.

It was not the white light of an exit, but a heart-palpitating dark gold, mixed with unstable spiritual energy turbulence, seeping through the crack of a half-ajar stone door.

The stone door was carved with intricate formation lines, which were now flickering erratically between brightness and dimness.

Su Ming took a deep breath, his lungs stinging from broken ribs, but his face remained expressionless as he reached out and pushed the door open.

*Boom—*

A vast and chaotic wave of spiritual pressure surged out, causing Lu Jun and the others to stumble backward. Only Su Ming remained firmly rooted in place, his cyan robe flapping violently in the gust.

*Creak—*

The heavy stone door slowly swung open. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A wave of heat mixed with violent spiritual energy fluctuations rushed out, as if he had pushed open the mouth of an erupting volcano. Lu Jun and the others behind Su Ming instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces, staggering back on unsteady feet.

Su Ming did not retreat.

He narrowed his eyes, his pupils rapidly contracting in response to the intense light, allowing him to see the scene beyond the door.

The sight that met them stole the breath from everyone's lungs.

It was a massive spherical space, the core forbidden area of the Spiritual Hub Hall.

Embedded in the vaulted ceiling were hundreds of night pearls, simulating the celestial constellations of the Northern Border. But now, most of those pearls representing the star mansions had shattered, their light extinguished, like pairs of blinded eyes gazing lifelessly downward.

The floor was not made of stone slabs, but was a huge, three-dimensional "miniaturized topographic formation map of the Northern Border's mountains, rivers, and strategic points."

Mountains, rivers, passes, earth veins… every detail was vivid and lifelike.

Yet now, this magnificent map of the land was marred by horrifying cracks.

Dark red spiritual fluid, like blood, seeped from the fissures, staining the originally cyan-green "mountains and rivers" into a mottled, chaotic mess.

At the very center of this shattered landscape, a millstone-sized black magnetic star core hovered in the air.

A withered, skeletal old man sat cross-legged upon this star core.

Elder Mo.

The once-majestic Grandmaster of Formations now had his ritual robes reduced to ashes. His skin was desiccated like old tree bark, clinging tightly to his bones. His eye sockets were sunken deep, but within them, his eyes, amidst the pale golden flames, were clear as a bottomless pool of icy water.

Those flames were not ordinary fire; they were the "Dan Fire" manifested by a Golden Core cultivator burning their origin and overdrafting their soul power.

He was burning himself alive.

Using his own life, he was forcibly suppressing this formation on the verge of total collapse.

"You've arrived."

Elder Mo's voice was very soft, devoid of its former bell-like resonance, yet it pierced clearly through the cacophony of spiritual energy explosions around them, entering each person's ears.

Su Ming's body swayed slightly.

The moment he saw Elder Mo's wretched state, the torrent of fury, grief, and helplessness that had been building in his chest since Zhao Tiji's death surged up like a breached dam, nearly suffocating him.

But he quickly bit the tip of his tongue.

The sharp pain kept him lucid. He knew now was not the time to break down.

Su Ming took a deep breath, strode across the flowing spiritual fluid on the ground, reached the edge of the formation map, and knelt on one knee, clasping his fists in salute.

"Disciple Su Ming, following orders, has led the team to break through and arrive here."

His voice was hoarse, thick with the smell of blood. "Squad Leader Zhao Tiji… fell in battle. The outer defensive line… has completely collapsed."

Elder Mo's gaze slowly swept over Su Ming, then glanced at Lu Jun and the others huddled trembling by the doorway. There was no sorrow, no joy in his eyes, only a desolate understanding that seemed to have seen through everything.

"To make it this far… is no easy feat."

Elder Mo's finger twitched slightly, pointing behind him.

There stood seven massive stone pillars, which should have held seven life lamps, representing the seven Golden Core cultivators who controlled the seven stars' formation cores.

Now, all seven lamps were extinguished.

"The Seven Stars require seven Golden Cores to guard them. Now, within the pass, only this old man and Wu Miao remain among the Golden Cores."

*Cough… cough-cough!*

He was suddenly wracked by a fit of coughing, spraying specks of blood tinged with golden light onto the formation map before him, instantly burning several charred holes into that patch of "mountains and rivers."

"The insect swarm has developed sentience. They have seen through our true state." Elder Mo gasped for breath, a mocking twist appearing at the corner of his mouth. "The higher-ups had a contingency plan long ago: The pass may fall, but the Formation Hub must not be lost. If the situation becomes untenable, then burn the formation foundations, overturn the earth veins, and perish together with the enemy, never allowing the secrets of the formation to fall into the hands of the Demon Tribe."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun's legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground, his face as pale as paper.

"An… empty shell?"

All along, everyone in Iron Wall Pass had believed the border defense formation was impregnable, their final bastion. But now, the formation's master himself was telling them it was merely a hollow shell.

Su Ming jerked his head up, staring at Elder Mo's face, illuminated flickeringly by the flames.

"You intend to detonate the Spiritual Hub Hall?"

Su Ming's mind reeled with shock.

This was the truth.

The so-called steadfast defense had been, from the very beginning, a doomed rearguard action destined for destruction.

"Then Steward Wu, he…" Lu Jun couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice.

Elder Mo's gaze sharpened like torches, sweeping over Lu Jun and instantly silencing him.

"Wu Miao must lead the remaining troops in a rearguard action on the surface, creating the illusion of a breakout, ensuring mutual destruction to buy a sliver of chance for those 'seeds' evacuating through the West Gate."

Elder Mo paused, his gaze finally settling back on Su Ming, his expression growing complex.

Elder Mo's eyes were like two awls, boring into Su Ming. "This old man must remain here. Only with my remnant Golden Core as the catalyst can I fully ignite the embers of the earth veins, completely detonate the three thousand *li* of earth veins beneath Iron Wall Pass, and deal a crippling blow to the insect swarm's foundation."

Su Ming gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

This was war.

No miracles, only calculations paid for with lives.

"Why me?" Su Ming finally voiced the question.

Since it was a certain-death situation, since everything was to be destroyed, why go through all the trouble to have him bring people here?

Elder Mo looked at Su Ming, a faint trace of approval flashing in his eyes.

"Because the only one who can take the 'Border Defense Formation Hub True Seal' away is you."

Su Ming's head snapped up. "This disciple's cultivation is lowly. Senior Brother Lu Jun is from the Yi-3 Battalion…"

"It has nothing to do with cultivation level!"

Elder Mo suddenly interrupted sharply, his voice carrying an indisputable authority. "This seal possesses spirit, its nature is close to the origin of the path of formations. Those mediocrities who only know rote memorization and rigid adherence to rules, even if they are at the peak of Foundation Establishment, would only cause the seal to self-destruct if they forcibly carried it!"

He stared at Su Ming, his originally turbid eyes erupting with astonishing brilliance.

"You studied the Star Attraction Lines, created the Spiderweb method. Though crude and simple, even somewhat unorthodox…" Elder Mo took a ragged breath, "…you grasped a sliver of the true essence of the path of formations: 'responding to opportunity and adapting, using simplicity to govern complexity.'"

"Formations are alive, not dead."

"This seal… might accept you.

"Do you know why this 'Border Defense Formation Hub True Seal' is more important than the pass itself?"

His withered finger slowly traced in the empty air. The pale golden Dan Fire flowed at his fingertip, actually materializing a phantom image of a map of the ten-thousand-*li* northern border defense.

On the map, dozens of points of light were scattered like stars along the long border line. Each point of light represented a border defense fortress similar to Iron Wall Pass.

"For ten thousand years since its founding, the Cloud Hidden Sect has established seventy-nine border defense great formations across the Northern Border. Iron Wall Pass is but one of them."

Elder Mo's voice grew low and solemn.

"These great formations appear independent, but in reality, they share the same origin. They are all variants of an ancient formation based on the 'Zhou Tian Star Array' and connected by the 'mountains, rivers, and earth veins' as its network. Between them…"

His finger swept across the map. Suddenly, countless extremely fine, almost invisible threads of spiritual light connected the points of light.

"…there are hidden veins linking them."

Lu Jun gasped in shock. Su Ming's pupils also contracted sharply.

They finally understood.

"This 'Border Defense Formation Hub True Seal' not only carries the secrets of three hundred years of formation operation for Iron Wall Pass, but also contains the shared 'formation principle origin' of all seventy-nine great formations."

A cold light burned in Elder Mo's eyes.

"If the Demon Tribe obtains this seal, given the knowledge of their ancient monsters who have lived for who knows how many years, it's not impossible for them to reverse-engineer the weaknesses of all the border defense formations."

"By that time—"

He was seized by another coughing fit, bloody foam tinged with golden light spraying out.

"By that time, the ten-thousand-*li* defense line of the Northern Border will be riddled with holes! All seventy-nine passes will become mere facades!"

"Insect plagues can be resisted. Passes can be lost. Even an entire region can be temporarily abandoned. But if the Demon Tribe masters the method to break our formations…"

Elder Mo stared fixedly at Su Ming, enunciating each word clearly:

"That will be the beginning of a calamity leading to the extinction of our race."

"Master…" Su Ming called out in his heart.

"Take it."

Lin Yu's voice was somewhat low, carrying a hint of a sigh. "If you don't accept it, he won't be able to rest in peace."

Su Ming took a deep breath, hesitated no longer, stepped forward, and extended both hands.

"This disciple… accepts the command!"

Elder Mo said no more.

He formed a strange hand seal with both hands. At his chest, the burning Golden Core fire violently collapsed inward.

*Hum—*

The entire underground space emitted a groan of unbearable strain.

A hazy ball of starlight emerged from Elder Mo's chest. It was only fist-sized, yet it seemed to contain phantom images of mountains, rivers, and stellar trajectories within, so heavy it caused subtle distortions in the surrounding space.

As this ball of starlight left his body, Elder Mo's already flame-wreathed form instantly withered further. The pale golden flames abruptly dimmed, like a candle guttering in the wind.

"Hold out your hands."

Su Ming gritted his teeth, presenting his hands in a cupped position.

The ball of starlight slowly drifted down. The moment it touched Su Ming's palms, there was no physical sensation. Instead, it transformed directly into a stream of light and drilled into his palm.

*Boom!*

Su Ming felt as if a mountain had been shoved into his mind.

A vast, sorrowful, indescribably heavy torrent of will and intent instantly breached the defenses of his Consciousness Sea!

It was ten thousand years of border defense history.

It was the silhouettes of countless formation masters carving runes in wind and snow, the despair of each shattered formation, the furious roars of countless people burning their lives to protect the land behind them.

"Ahhh—!"

Su Ming's eyes widened, blood instantly seeping from all seven orifices. His entire body was pressed hard against the ground by an invisible giant hand, the stone slabs beneath his knees cracking into a spiderweb pattern.

"Guard your Spiritual Platform! Don't try to read that information! Treat it like a rock! Seal it away!"

Lin Yu roared frantically within the Consciousness Sea. A surge of cool soul power rushed out recklessly, forming a barrier that desperately protected Su Ming's teetering core of soul power.

Su Ming clenched his jaw so hard a crisp cracking sound echoed in his mouth—the sound of teeth breaking.

He could not pass out.

If he passed out, he would truly die.

He desperately circulated the *Like Water Art*. The spiritual energy within his body became like a resilient, layered net, wrapping around that rampaging torrent of will and intent, compressing and sealing it bit by bit.

He didn't know how long it lasted. Perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.

That terrifying impact finally slowly subsided, condensing into a dim star that floated quietly in the depths of Su Ming's Consciousness Sea.

Su Ming gasped for breath, his whole body drenched as if just pulled from water, sweat and blood dripping onto the ground.

"Good… good seedling…"

Elder Mo's voice was now as faint and ethereal as a wisp of smoke.

His body had begun to turn translucent; his lower half had even started to merge with the formation core's black magnetic material below.

"If Heaven does not cut short your path… when you achieve the Golden Core realm… nurture it with your heart and spirit, and you will naturally receive its legacy…"

Elder Mo lifted his head with great difficulty, his gaze passing over Su Ming to the tottering stone door.

Outside, the dense thudding sounds had turned into piercing scraping noises. That was the sound of countless dark golden beetles gnawing at the defensive formation lines on the stone door.

"Remember, Su Ming."

Elder Mo called his name for the last time.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smile uglier than weeping, yet filled with immense relief.

"A formation master guards not the formation, nor these few stones… but the multitude of living beings behind the formation."

Elder Mo's hoarse voice reached Su Ming's ears: "The teleportation formation will send you to Black Pine Forest! At the southernmost end of Black Pine Forest, there is a small hut. Inside the hut is a secret passage leading directly to 'Eagle Beak Cliff' thirty *li* away! At the base of the cliff is a hidden outpost of our sect. Show this seal to seek aid!"

"If the outpost is already lost… then head south! Never look back!!"

"Go!"

With the utterance of that final word.

Elder Mo mustered the last bit of strength in his entire body. His withered sleeve suddenly swept through the air.

*Whoosh—*

A gentle yet irresistible, violent spiritual energy materialized out of thin air, sweeping up the collapsed Su Ming, Lu Jun, and the wounded soldiers, hurling them directly toward an inconspicuous small teleportation formation at the side of the hall.

The runes on the teleportation formation had long been activated in advance by Elder Mo and now emitted a faint white glow.

Su Ming's body was airborne. In the instant he fell into the teleportation formation, he whipped his head around.

In his field of vision.

That old man sitting cross-legged at the center of the formation core, that skeletal, withered figure, now erupted with a radiance brighter than the sun.

He saw Elder Mo give him a slight smile.

It was relief, an entrustment, and a final farewell.

Immediately after.

That ball of light exploded.

Not outward, but downward, plunging fiercely into the unfathomable depths of the earth veins!

Elder Mo transformed into a soaring pillar of light, merging completely with the entire Spiritual Hub Hall and the violent earth vein spiritual energy deep underground.

*Rumble—*

A roar emanating from the depths of the earth's crust echoed forth.

It was the earth bellowing in fury, the prelude to the forced detonation of three thousand *li* of earth veins.

Su Ming's eyes were bloodshot. In the final moment before the teleportation formation's light swallowed his vision, he saw that sturdy stone door finally burst open under the insect swarm's assault.

A tide of countless dark gold flooded into the hall.

But before that martyr's light, all ferocity and greed turned to flying ash.

*Hum.*

White light flashed.

The image frozen in Su Ming's eyes was that brilliant pillar of light.

It was Elder Mo's final formation.

A nameless formation, yet one sufficient to bury hundreds of thousands of the insect swarm alongside him.

...

The world spun.

The intense spatial tearing sensation nearly dismembered Su Ming's already severely injured body.

When his feet finally touched solid ground again, an icy, bone-piercing wind laden with snowflakes viciously blasted into the collar of his robe.

*Cough-cough-cough…*

Su Ming knelt in the snow, coughing violently, each cough bringing up flecks of clotted blood.

"We're out…"

Lu Jun looked around blankly.

They were in a concealed mountain hollow, surrounded by towering black pine forests.

In the distance, that majestic Iron Wall Pass had now become a giant torch.

Even from dozens of *li* away, they could still feel the earth-shattering spiritual energy fluctuations.

That was the tremor of collapsing earth veins.

Su Ming did not speak. He just pressed a hand tightly against his chest.

There, the "Formation Heart Seal" that had merged into his body was faintly warm, heavy as a burning piece of charcoal, branding his heart.

It was the life of Zhao Tiji, the life of Elder Mo, and the lives of the tens of thousands of heroic souls of Iron Wall Pass.

"Instructor Su… where… do we go?"

Lu Jun wiped the tears from his face, looking at Su Ming with lost, panicked eyes.

Su Ming slowly closed his eyes, sealing all the grief and tears within, along with the sky-filling flames of fire, into the deepest recesses of his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, only a clarity bordering on ruthlessness remained in his gaze.

It was the clarity belonging to a practitioner of the Way of Survival, and the resolute determination of one who bears a legacy.

"South."