Chapter 1462: First Try at the Formation

After returning from the valley where Mi Yu resided to his temporary dwelling, Fang Chen took a moment to review his team.

He had three Tribulation Realm cultivators, two third-transformation immortals, one fourth-transformation immortal, one fifth-transformation immortal, and one sixth-transformation immortal. According to Ji Gang, including Fang Chen himself, the eight of them would be sufficient to deploy the Formation Technique.

They were the core force, and most of the power for the Formation Heart Immortal Technique would come from the various expedition teams that accompanied them.

"Daoist Fang, we should first make a trip to the Expedition Stars. Each Expedition Star has about a thousand Immortal Boats, and we need to visit several of them to confirm the accompanying pioneering teams. This will save some effort later on," suggested Little Immortal Honglian.

Fang Chen nodded lightly. "You're right. We saw the Immortal Boat Formations of Core Disciple Li and the others before. They needed about five to six thousand Immortal Boats to unleash enough power. But I'm just worried that if we keep traveling back and forth, we might miss the departure time. Senior Sister and the others should have considered this already. I suspect the Expedition Stars have already received the news, and the Immortal Boats from the various stars might have already arrived at the outside of the Enlightenment Star, waiting for us."

Little Immortal Honglian thought for a moment and agreed with this reasoning.

A familiar voice rang out outside the cave, "Is Core Disciple Fang here?"

Fang Chen opened the cave door to see Yu Tiange, Nanming Shaoze, and others standing at the entrance.

When they saw that Little Immortal Honglian was also present, they exchanged surprised glances.

Core Disciple Hong is here too?

Everyone clasped their hands in greeting. "Core Disciple Fang, Core Disciple Hong."

Fang Chen invited them in to sit, and after chatting for a while, Nanming Shaoze couldn't hold back and whispered, "Fang Core, is your expedition team still in need of people...?"

Yu Tiange and the others looked at Fang Chen with anticipation.

"This expedition is fraught with danger. Are you sure you want to join us?" asked Fang Chen, smiling. "My expedition team isn't very large right now. If you wish to come along, it's fine with me."

Upon hearing Fang Chen's approval, the group couldn't have been happier. They knew all too well the dangers of the expedition. Even someone as powerful as the senior sister had been targeted. But danger always came with opportunity, and those who could reach Enlightening Star often had ambitions.

After Yu Tiange and the others left, Little Immortal Honglian suggested that she act as Fang Chen's training partner so he could familiarize himself with the operations of the Black Dragon Boat.

Fang Chen nodded, his expression serious. "Indeed, we should familiarize ourselves in advance."

***

Above the Enlightenment God Palace, Fang Chen stood on the Black Dragon Boat, quietly sensing his current state. Little Immortal Honglian's Black Dragon Boat was several miles away from him, with half of it shrouded in mist. The Black Dragon Boat seemed like an upgraded version of the Candle Dragon Ship, with improvements in every aspect. For example, the attack formations, defense formations, and spirit-gathering formations were all top-tier. Even its star map was far more complete than that of the Candle Dragon Boat.

Fang Chen's immortal essence surged within him. Due to the Formation Heart, it felt as though he had established a special connection with the Black Dragon Boat at that moment. When he touched the Black Dragon Boat, it felt like he was touching his own body.

I am the Black Dragon Boat, and the Black Dragon Boat is me?

As the thought surged through his mind, Fang Chen suddenly felt waves of immense immortal essence stirring. Indeed, even without the Immortal Ship Formation, as long as the core disciples of the Enlightening God Palace had a Black Dragon Boat, their individual combat strength could be significantly boosted. After all, this immense immortal essence didn't stem only from Fang Chen; it also came from the Black Dragon Boat itself.

His immortal essence had already surpassed others of his realm, and with the Black Dragon Vessel amplifying it, its density multiplied several times over.

After familiarizing himself for about half an hour, Fang Chen signaled to Little Immortal Honglian that he was ready. The two began to spar in the air above the Enlightening God Palace. Their battle caused quite a stir, but ordinary external cultivators, upon seeing the Black Dragon Boat, dared not get too close. Soon, several other Black Dragon Boats appeared nearby. Nanming Ruyue stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he observed the battle.

The two combatants were in perfect sync, testing their skill in controlling the Black Dragon Boat. Therefore, they did not activate the offensive formations of the Black Dragon Boat and focused instead on their speed and agility.

Little Immortal Honglian manipulated the Black Dragon Boat to move at a speed nearly impossible for the naked eye to track, transforming it into a sharp blade, attempting to sever Fang Chen's Black Dragon Boat.

However, each of these lightning-fast strikes was easily dodged by Fang Chen, who then counterattacked from tricky angles.

"Fifth Brother, it looks like Junior Brother Fang and Junior Sister Hong have already gained a preliminary mastery of the Black Dragon Boat," said Li Shanzi with a half-smile from a nearby Black Dragon Boat.

Nanming Ruyue nodded lightly. "To be this agile in such a small area and handle everything with ease, controlling the residual force of the attacks to avoid affecting the surroundings, it's clear they've already gained a preliminary grasp of the Black Dragon Boat."

"But the real key is whether they are proficient with the Immortal Boat Formation. That is the crucial factor," replied Li Shanzi. "They've both been selected for the team and will be heading to Ancient Forbidden Zone No. 97 for the expedition. If they aren't familiar with the Immortal Ship Formation, they'll have a hard time unleashing the true power of the Black Dragon Boat."

Nanming Ruyue said with a faint smile, "There will be plenty of opportunities on the way for them to get familiar with it."

Li Shanzi chuckled. "I think it might be best to let them familiarize themselves with the Immortal Boat Formation today."

He then called out in a loud voice, "Anyone who has no tasks, come over and summon your Immortal Boats."

His voice echoed throughout the Enlightening God Palace. Many external cultivators rushed over. Even those with tasks at hand set them aside temporarily.

Before long, several thousand Immortal Boats had gathered beneath Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian. Some were Candle Dragon Boats, some were Flying Dragon Boats. They were all part of the Earth Dragon series.

Li Shanzi's voice rang in their ears, "Start with a thousand Immortal Boats, and try to form the Black Dragon Formation. Focus on feeling the Formation Heart."

Seeing that, Little Immortal Honglian immediately closed her eyes. In an instant, a faint green energy surged from her feet into the Black Dragon Boat. Immediately, the Immortal Boats below started to gravitate toward her.

Immortal Boat Formation, huh...

Fang Chen's thoughts stirred, and the image of the Black Dragon Formation appeared in his mind.

Soon, many Immortal Boats began to gather toward him as well.

In less than three breaths, the two Black Dragon Boats had transformed into two miniature Black Dragon Formations. They couldn't compare to the massive formations that Li Shanzi and the others had once used, nor could they match the power of the Black Dragon Formation created by the senior sister.

Even so, once the two miniature formations formed, the fifth-transformation immortals present felt immense pressure.

This was still without the expedition teams being on board the Black Dragon Boats. If their teams were present, these miniature Black Dragon Formations might even have the strength of an early-stage sixth-transformation immortal.

Next, what the onlookers saw were two "Black Dragons" battling in the air. Fang Chen's Black Dragon Formation was initially a bit stiff, but after exchanging a few hundred moves with Little Immortal Honglian, his control gradually grew smoother.

Fang Chen stood firmly on the Black Dragon Boat, his feet anchored.

"So this is what it feels like to control the Immortal Boat Formation..."

No matter how turbulent the Black Dragon Formation became, his body remained motionless.

At that moment, in his mind, the influence of the Black Dragon Boat extended out to over a thousand Immortal Boats. It was as though every single Immortal Boat had become a part of the Black Dragon Boat itself. The power of the Immortal Boats, along with the strength of the expedition team members aboard, could now all be wielded by him.