Chapter 1685: Entering the Dark

Troubles, large and small, came to call after the Formula Academy was established. Although the general public now knew the truth of the situation, that the known expanses constantly faced the gloom in the unknown expanses, people were still afraid.

They were afraid that the Formula Academy would become a second original Hongmeng. After all, Luminary survivors—including the Sun and Moon Sovereign King—were the first batch of disciples at the academy.

Thus, trouble often found its way to the Formula Academy in its early days. It was just minor irritants that made themselves known, since Nihil World Sovereigns and sequence experts wouldn’t lower themselves to such an immature level.

That, however, didn’t prevent their juniors from issuing challenges.

Formula dao had perpetuated through the fourth realm for two hundred years. Many proud practitioners of formula dao had appeared in the Boundless Planes during this time, ones with marvelous achievements in this great dao. They were the ones to throw down the gauntlet and crow that they would defeat the academy’s disciples one by one.

The academy’s disciples didn’t take this colossal provocation lying down. Though it hadn’t been long since the institution’s establishment, veteran formula dao cultivators from Fairylands began transferring to the academy on Mount Astronomia.

Lu Yun’s fifth disciple, Qi Fengyun, was one of the first transfer students.

His cultivation level was humble as it barely reached the standards for the fourth realm. But such an ant as he routed thousands of would-be challengers without breaking a sweat. His reputation grew throughout the Boundless Planes as he proved to be unmatched by anyone in formula dao.

Qi Fengyun gradually became the titular person of the Formula Academy and its head disciple. Other fourth realm cultivators visited the mountain to gaze upon this immensely accomplished person and later joined the academy out of admiration for him.

But when they enrolled, they discovered that this faction was vastly different from the sects and clans they were familiar with. Students had to graduate and leave the academy when they mastered their craft?

What kind of system was this?

Almost every new disciple was stunned by this overarching rule when they noted it.

The academy’s senior council later clarified that the Formula Academy was a school, not a sect. It was a place for all Boundless Planes denizens to cultivate formula dao. The academy’s mission was to benefit the common people, nothing else.

Naturally, no one believed this bullshit. Although many joined the Dao Academy, few were those who truly felt a sense of belonging to it. Most were here to probe what the land of darkness on the other side of Mount Astronomia was like.

Two years after the founding of the Formula Academy, a second academy was established in the planes that were the Central Cluster.

The Star Sect Formula Academy!

Then a third, fourth, and fifth… Numerous academies sprang up around the fourth realm like bamboo shoots after the rain, shifting the landscape of the various planes. With these academies as the focal point, intermediate and elementary academies appeared as well, recruiting the mundane beings of the fourth realm.

These academies differed from the one on Mount Astronomia in that they took the name of the faction that sponsored them, such as the Star Sect, rather than be known as simply the Formula Academy.

Placed on the edges of the fourth realm, Mount Astronomia was a very remote locale. Apart from Nihil World Sovereigns and sequence experts, it was extremely difficult for even Void World Kings to reach the mountain. Thus, Lu Yun set up academies in other parts of the realm for easy access.

At the same time, the other academies raised the profile of the one at Mount Astronomia to the level of a formula dao sacred land. But it was only the beginning for formula dao’s golden age; its true, terrifying capabilities were yet to be revealed. Hence, quite a significant portion of the realm didn’t think much of this fashionably popular path.

It didn’t matter that a new dao had been born and was blossoming in the fourth realm. The only matter that everyone was focused on was that the Formula Academy had inherited everything from the Luminaries and was in charge of suppressing the land of darkness.

The academy’s teachers were of uniformly low cultivation levels—most of them were Void World Kings, so they didn’t elicit attention or spark wariness.

……

Fairylands.

“Are you going to the unknown expanses?” Mo Yi frowned at a Lu Yun who’d suddenly appeared.

Since he’d set the Formula Academy at Mount Astronomia, she could no longer be a teacher there. But that didn’t leave her with nothing to do—there were many inhabitants in this world, so she became a dao beholder and taught her knowledge to those who lived in Fairylands.

She was rather taken aback at hearing Lu Yun wished to head to the unknown expanses. One must be a sequence expert to travel that area. Otherwise, even a Nihil World Sovereign who could fly through the darkness would be brutally attacked and struggle for their life.

A heavyweight of the darkness already had their eyes set on Lu Yun. If he brashly ventured in now and traveled through it, he would likely be attacked by the Curse King and Poison King’s primary bodies.

The safest way to travel was to access sequence, wrap its power around oneself for protection, and infiltrate the darkness to find a world of order in the unknown expanses. Sequence differed from order in that sequence was formed by the collection of countless orders. It seemed to exist for the purpose of deceiving the dark and to fight against it.

“Nah, the land of darkness isn’t a threat to me because I cultivate hell dao.” Lu Yun shook his head and continued gravely, “I can feel that mysterious power creeping into Fairylands and growing stronger by the day. I won’t be able to hold it off for long.”

Once the unknown power seeped through his defenses, it would influence Mo Yi again and force her into the unknown expanses. She would be compelled to search for the Imperial Seal and die with the thing inside. In that case, it was better for Lu Yun to take the initiative and find the seal first.

He’d refined it thirty-three times and left thirty-three marks in it. If he wanted to, he could quickly locate it again.

“I won’t express disapproval since you’ve made up your mind,” Mo Yi nodded. “But I want a life imprint from you. Once you die in the darkness or a world of order in the unknown expanses, I will trade my life for yours. I won’t let you go if you don’t agree to this.”

“Fine then,” Lu Yun nodded as well. He condensed a life imprint out of himself and gave it to Mo Yi. Lu Yun snorted when he saw the Dao King shrug off to the side, “I know that if we have to use the imprint, it’ll be the Dao King who swaps for me.”

Mo Yi’s expression froze. Lu Yun grinned and left Fairylands. After he bid farewell to Qing Yu and the little fox, he came to Mount Astronomia.

“Dad.” Lu Qing stood up to greet his father.

“It’s so strange, why can’t I calculate you?” Lu Yun looked at his son with a slight frown. Lu Qing was still only a Hongmeng potentate, but he could use the third realm’s strength to keep the gloom in check.

“Perhaps my cultivation level is the strength of the third realm to ordinary people, but in the eyes of the darkness, it’s the original Hongmeng,” Lu Qing chuckled.

Lu Yun thought for a moment; this seemed to be the only possible explanation.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?” Jian Bu’er appeared behind Lu Yun and asked with hesitation.

“Don’t worry about it, you should stay here to protect this world. Formula dao has flowered and immortal dao spreads through the fourth realm. Those sleeping monsters will certainly wake up at some point in time. We’ll need you to take care of them then.” Lu Yun waved a hand and plunged into the darkness in front of them.

etvolare's Thoughts

Mo Yi and the Dao King... I don't even want to say they need to get together ASAP anymore lo.

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