Chapter 45: Ziwei Star Fighting Array
With the death of King Tieyi, Li Anran was finally able to put his obsession to rest.
As for those disciples, if he has the opportunity to come down to earth in the future, he will give them some opportunities to compensate them.
If there is no opportunity, then that's it.
Although these disciples died because of him, they were orphans and refugees themselves. If he had not rescued them, they would have probably starved to death or died of disease.
Li Anran felt only slightly apologetic towards them, but did not feel much guilt.
Time flies and another half month has passed.
The prison was as peaceful as ever, without even a new prisoner arriving.
Li Anran originally thought that after Boss Kang went back and expressed his feelings to Yang Jian, Yang Jian would come to find him soon.
However, after waiting for almost a month, there was no movement.
Li Anran couldn't help feeling a little anxious.
In the mortal novels that I read in my previous life, high-level cultivators could see through the cultivation level of low-level cultivators at a glance.
But in the world of Journey to the West, this is not the case.
Li Anran has read the life stories of so many prisoners, including many celestial immortals, mysterious immortals and even the golden immortal of King Yuxiong, but none of them has this ability.
There should be no monsters like the one that the Monkey King encountered on his journey to the West.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be so bold as to fight with the monkeys.
Li Anran really wanted to know how Yang Jian did this, was it through perception, magic or his divine eye?
How many people can do this?
Only after knowing this can he take countermeasures.
However, judging from the fact that the Jade Emperor sent Taibai Jinxing to urgently summon Yang Jian for an audience that day, and the fact that Yang Jian had not dealt with those immortals who were guilty of crimes with solid evidence for so many days, he must have been preoccupied with an important and urgent matter.
However, it was not convenient for Li Anran to go find him at this time. He could only suppress his anxiety, stay in the prison honestly, and work hard to improve his strength.
After revisiting the cultivation experiences of the gods and monsters in the prison, Li Anran also figured out one thing -
Without sufficient foundation support, cultivation is a slow and tedious process. Without investing dozens or hundreds of years of time, there will be no results.
Instead of investing his time and energy into cultivation, he might as well use it to learn spells, formations, alchemy, and refining, and transform them into system-recognized skills as quickly as possible.
The most reliable, convenient and quickest way to improve your cultivation is through experience points.
Then, the soldiers and generals in the prison discovered another characteristic of their boss:
Practice is extremely hard!
From morning to night, twelve hours a day, unless there is something to deal with, he will stay in the quiet room of the Heavenly Prison to practice!
He is totally unlike other gods. He is free and easy every day, either visiting friends or discussing metaphysics and philosophy. He is a complete cultivation maniac!
The harvest is naturally extreme.
In just one month, a lot of new content has been added to Li Anran's skill bar.
Tai Chi Formation (Level 3), Liang Yi Formation (Level 3), Four Symbols Formation (Level 3), Five Elements Formation (Level 3), Yin Yang Soul Locking Formation (Level 2), Golden Gate Iron Locking Formation (Level 3)...
The grades of these formations are generally between level three and level four.
However, this does not mean that the upper limit of these formations is this, but that the upper limit of the formations Li Anran learned from the immortals' lives is only to this extent.
It's just like the sixth-level spell of Soul Bringing and Generals that he understood from the incomplete sermon, but after listening to the complete sermon, it was upgraded to the seventh level. It's the same principle.
Li Anran did not hesitate to use this experience and upgraded all the formations to the maximum level in one go.
Because there are connections between different formations, if one is improved, the understanding of the other will also improve.
Li Anran used less than two million experience points in total to upgrade more than seventy formations to the maximum level.
This in turn promotes the improvement of the formation level.
In the end, all formations were generally upgraded by one level to the fourth level.
Li Anran's attainments in the art of formation have also reached an extremely high level.
Li Anran stopped his retreat, stood up and walked out of the Heavenly Prison, observing the Heavenly Prison Palace from above.
The aura of evil and resentment surrounding the Tianlao Palace is extremely dense, but once you leave the Tianlao Palace, the evil aura will drop drastically, which is obviously not a normal phenomenon.
Soon, Li Anran discovered the clue.
The buildings of Tianlao Palace were not built randomly, but were arranged according to the Ziwei constellations.
At the positions corresponding to the fourteen main stars, a corresponding building was built. For example, Wu Qu corresponds to the martial arts training ground, Wen Qu corresponds to the study, and so on, so as to seal the evil spirit in the Tianlao within the scope of the Tianlao Palace.
"interesting."
Li Anran didn't understand it before, but now that he has made some achievements in the art of formations, the more he looks at it, the more wonderful it seems to him, and he is completely immersed in it.
Time passed by unknowingly, and half a month had passed in a flash.
Li Anran's eyes were dull, but in his mind, there seemed to be thousands of stars flowing.
Among them, the fourteen main stars representing the Ziwei constellation suddenly shone brightly and connected with each other, exploding outwards as if the universe was just opened, as if to assimilate and submerge everything.
When all this reaches its limit.
Li Anran suddenly opened his eyes and came back to his senses.
In the skill column, there suddenly appeared a new formation.
Ziwei Xing Dou Fa Yuan: Level 6. Current level: Level 1. 21/100.
"Upgrade the Ziwei Star Fighting Formation to level five."
Li Anran's mind moved, and one million experience points were invested. Countless understandings and insights about the Ziwei Star Fighting Formation suddenly flooded into his mind.
After a moment, Li Anran opened his eyes, and thousands of stars surged in his eyes, then quickly converged and disappeared.
The gap between high-grade formations and low-grade formations is far greater than he imagined!
The gains that this Ziwei Star Fighting Formation alone brought him almost exceeded the sum of all the formations he had previously comprehended!
Li Anran descended from the clouds, returned to the prison's quiet room, and waved his fingers in the air.
Rays of golden light followed his fingers and stopped in mid-air, and finally formed a small Ziwei Star Fighting Formation with a diameter of two meters around him!
There is rich spiritual energy in the formation, but there is not the slightest bit of evil or resentful aura!
"It's done!" Li Anran smiled lightly.
The reason why the Heavenly Prison is the place that the heavenly soldiers and generals are most reluctant to come to is because the evil and resentful aura in the Heavenly Prison is deeply rooted!
When they get here, it is basically equivalent to the end of their cultivation and the end of their life. They can only endure the hardship until their lifespan runs out and they are reincarnated.
This is also the reason why many monks and heavenly soldiers would rather go to the front line to fight than come to the heavenly prison to be jailers!
But with the Ziwei Star Fighting Formation, everything is different!
There is little work to do in the Heavenly Prison and people are idle, so one can practice cultivation at will. It can definitely be considered a first-class place in heaven!
However, the Heavenly Prison is an important place where the Heavenly Court detains prisoners, and this matter has to be reported to the Temple of the God of Justice!
"Perfect!"
Li Anran found a suitable reason, and without saying a word, he rode a auspicious cloud and flew towards the Temple of Justice.
Unlike other palaces in heaven, the Temple of Justice hangs alone outside the nine heavens. It is dark and gloomy, and the silence is filled with deep loneliness and a bone-chilling chill.
As soon as Li Anran approached, he was stopped by the grass-headed god guarding the gate.
Li Anran said: "Li Anran wants to see the God of Justice. Please inform him."
The grass-headed god on the left had been in the Heavenly Prison before and knew Li Anran. He said respectfully, "Please wait a moment, God of Prison." Then he turned and entered the Temple of the God of Justice.
Not long after, he came back and said, "Prison God, please follow me." He led Li Anran all the way inside.
Other palaces in heaven, even the Heavenly Prison Palace, were built extremely luxuriously, with red doors and green windows, golden walls and red steps, and a myriad of rosy clouds and auspicious auras.
However, the architectural style of the Temple of Justice highlights simplicity. There are no jade pillars or golden bridges, no exotic flowers or plants. The entire structure is black with silver patterns, without any decoration.
Why does this Temple of Justice feel even more deserted than the Heavenly Prison?
Li Anran noticed that the Temple of Justice was empty.
The guards were all grass-headed gods under Yang Jian, but there were only a few dozen of them.
When they reached the inner hall door, the Grass Head God stopped and said, "Master Prison Warden, the front is not for me to enter."
"Thank you for your hard work." Li Anran thanked him and walked into the inner hall.
Yang Jian, dressed in dark uniform, sat behind a desk with two thick stacks of clan files in front of him.
"Second Master." Li Anran bowed respectfully.
Yang Jian nodded slightly and asked, "Brother Li, what is the matter that brought you to me today?"
Li Anran felt inexplicably a little weird, but he still respectfully reported to Yang Jian that he had comprehended the Ziwei Star Fighting Formation and wanted to set up a place on Tianlao Star for the heavenly soldiers to practice.
Li Anran said, "Second Master, I have not been in heaven for long, and I don't know if this is in accordance with the rules, so I came to ask for your advice."
Yang Jian looked at Li Anran in surprise. After a while, he exclaimed: "Brother Li is indeed a man of virtue. He is admirable."
It is rare that Li Anran could comprehend the Ziwei Star Fighting Formation, but it is even more surprising that he is willing to set up a training place for the heavenly soldiers.
In the Three Realms, there are many ways to isolate evil and resentful energy, and there are many gods who are capable of solving this problem.
However, no god has ever been willing to spend so much effort for a group of heavenly soldiers!
The most they could do was seal this evil and resentful energy in the Tianlao Palace to prevent it from affecting the outside world!
Li Anran quickly waved his hands and said, "Second Master, you are overpraising me! I am not that noble! It is just because I was also a Heavenly Soldier and suffered from the evil spirit of the Heavenly Prison, that I want to help them to the best of my ability! I really don't deserve such praise from you, Second Master!"
Yang Jian shook his head and said, "Being able to help others within one's ability is already a rare virtue in the world! Even though there are many gods in the sky, there are only a few who can do this! However..."
Yang Jian changed the subject and said, "After all, the Heavenly Prison is an important place in the Heavenly Court, where the most important criminals from the three realms are imprisoned. I need to report this matter to His Majesty first, and ask His Majesty to make a decision. General Li may have to wait for a few days."
"It should be so." Li Anran quickly said that there was no problem, but the strange feeling in his heart became stronger.
The Yang Jian in front of me was too polite to me!
There's something wrong with that kind of politeness that comes with a sense of distance!
Previously, Yang Jian had been frank with him, revealing his biggest secret, and confessing his distrust of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, his worries about his future circumstances, his concerns about the Three Holy Mothers, and even asked him to take care of the Three Holy Mothers.
They didn't say how close their relationship was, but at least they shouldn't have such a distant attitude amidst politeness!
There is something wrong with the Yang Jian in front of me!
And the problem is very big!
Li Anran probed: "Second Master, I have thought about what you said before. My cultivation is still too weak now. I am afraid it will take some time before I can do it."
Yang Jian said: "It's okay. Just do your best."
Oh shit!
Li Anran's heart tightened, and he almost instantly determined that the Yang Jian in front of him was a fake!
But soon, he calmed down again.
There are only two possibilities for the fake Yang Jian in front of him.
The first is the transformation by the criminals.
The second was instructed by Yang Jian.
If it is the former, he is definitely no match for it, and exposing it would mean death!
If it is the latter, then the purpose is definitely to cover up the fact that Yang Jian is not in Heaven, and he cannot reveal it either!
Li Anran said: "I will do my best to live up to your trust!"
He had been accustomed to being an expressionless person for some time. Although his mind was full of thoughts and he was extremely shocked, he did not show any emotion on the surface.
The fake Yang Jian obviously didn't notice anything wrong. He said "hmm" and asked, "Anything else? If not, you can go back! I still have so many files to review!"
"I'll take my leave."
Li Anran left the Temple of Justice calmly, and gradually made a judgment in his mind.
Rather than believing that Yang Jian was a transformed villain, he was more inclined to believe that this fake Yang Jian was created by Yang Jian himself.
Firstly, because this is the Temple of the God of Justice, there are not many people who have the ability and courage to transform into Yang Jian and commit fraud.
Secondly , there are only dozens of grass-roots gods in the Temple of Justice, and none of the Meishan brothers and Xiaotian Dog are here.
It is very likely that Yang Jian went to the mortal world to do something unspeakable, so he left this fake Yang Jian here to pretend.
No, it’s not something that cannot be told!
Li Anran thought of the day when the Jade Emperor sent Taibai Jinxing to urgently summon Yang Jian.
What Yang Jian is doing now should have been instructed by the Jade Emperor!
Otherwise, he shouldn't lead so many soldiers and horses. Moreover, the Heavenly Court holds a court meeting every five days. Without the Jade Emperor's approval, this fake Yang Jian would have been exposed long ago!
"Is he going to capture the Seven Sages again?"
Li Anran was secretly guessing in his heart.
"If that's the case, then we're probably dealing with the Bull Demon King and the others!"
Ever since the monkey caused havoc in Heaven, the majesty of Heaven has been completely lost and demons in the three realms are rampant.
However, the most famous and powerful ones among them are the remaining six saints!
Now the King of Yu Monkey has been captured.
Among the remaining five saints, the Dragon Demon King and the Monkey King each became a king and dominated one side.
Yang Jian should not have to use such a covert method to deal with one of them.
Only the Bull Demon King, the Lion King and the Peng Demon King, who are all in Xiniu Hezhou and support each other, pose the greatest threat to the Heavenly Court.
Li Anran thought again of the time when the Monkey King went to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures. The three golden-winged Peng eagle brothers occupied the Lion Camel Ridge in the Lion Camel Kingdom. The Bull Demon King was disheartened and indulged in alcohol and sex, and the Peng Demon King disappeared.
From this perspective, it is not only the Heaven that can deal with the Bull Demon King and the Three Sages, but at least Lingshan as well.
Perhaps because Heaven and Lingshan were afraid that the other monsters would unite together and become enemies, or perhaps for other reasons, they were reluctant to take direct action against Bull Demon King and his three companions.
Thus, the golden-winged Roc, the yellow-tusked old elephant and the green-haired lion monster used the name of monsters to deal with the Lion King and occupied Lion Ridge.
Yang Jian hid his true identity and dealt with either Bull Demon King or Peng Demon King.
There might even be another powerful person involved.
"…It can't be Nezha…"
Li Anran couldn't be sure.
But judging from the content in Journey to the West, Nezha is indeed the nemesis of Bull Demon King.
Following this line of thought, Li Anran thought of the series of monsters that escaped from heaven or Lingshan Mountain to the mortal world during the journey to the West.
There are only so many of them in the world, and the number of famous mountains and rivers is limited!
Every time they occupied a hill, they would kill the monster that previously ruled the hill!
"If this is true, then Heaven and Lingshan are too cruel!"
Li Anran took a breath of cold air.
Monsters eat people, monks kill monsters, this is the cycle of nature, it doesn’t matter what means are used!
The key point is that the golden-winged Roc ate up all the civil and military officials in the Lion Country in one breath!
The Heavenly Palace and Lingshan knew that the Golden-Winged Dapeng had committed such a huge sin of killing, but they turned a blind eye to it, which was already condoning the evil!
If they are behind all this, then the sin is even greater!
This person's heart is so dark and cruel!
Li Anran once again felt the cruelty of the world of Journey to the West.
Looking at the bright and auspicious sky with rays of light rising, he felt an eerie and terrifying feeling, as if an invisible net was covering his head, making him feel cold all over and unable to sit still!
Li Anran increased his speed, returned to the Heavenly Prison, and began to practice.
Only the improvement of strength can give him a sense of security!
