Chapter 416: 231_1
Translator: 549690339
“I have something to say. The failure of the hundred throne formation yesterday was not due to the beast breaking through the formation’s strength, rather, they had swallowed thirty thousand spirit stones, but used less than ten thousand to build the formation.”
At this moment, a man stood up, his gaze piercing. He was one of the ten survivors from yesterday’s one hundred throne formation. He held great contempt for the thrones’ sloppy work but knew he would have been ostracized had he not agreed to the formation and contributed his spirit stones at the time.
Along with the spirit stones, a large number of Dharma devices and divine weapons were also swallowed by the hundred thrones, making the formation seem grand but actually flimsy and fragile.
Now he regrets deeply. If they had used all forty thousand spirit stones and over a thousand divine weapons to form the circle yesterday, the disaster would not have occurred. With the hundred thrones and over three thousand people devoured by the demon beast, as one of the lucky ten survivors, he shouldn’t expose this, let alone mention it to anyone.
Otherwise, once the word got out, the three thousand superior families would seek revenge. Since the hundred thrones had perished overnight, the target of revenge would certainly be one of the remaining ten, including himself.
However, the remaining survivors are now in despair, no one is actively constructing the formation anymore. Hence, he has to step forward, present the whole truth to them, instill a glimmer of confidence in the survivors, and persuade them that as long as the formation is strong enough, even millions of demon beasts can be thwarted.
When everyone heard his speech, they were all flabbergasted. They could not imagine such a thing had happened. Until now, everyone had thought that the formation could not withstand the millions of demon beasts; they had never imagined there might have been a reduction in materials, which was utterly childish.
It was a matter of survival, but the hundred thrones dared to misappropriate the spirit stones which were supposed to be used for building the formation for their own benefit. This was not just being irresponsible to others, but also disregarding their own lives. No wonder they all perished yesterday; it was fated.
“Folks, don’t despair. Since we are already in a life-and-death situation, it wouldn’t hurt to make a last-ditch effort. What if the formation can withstand the million demon beasts? Instead of draining our energy here, those who are willing to fight to the end, let’s cooperate. Those who are not, please stay aside.”
The throne’s strong individual didn’t care about the rumors and said solemnly, “If you admit that even combined, the three thousand of you are not as strong as Logan’s formation alone, then you might as well prepare for death; it will at least bring some comfort. We have been lucky to survive two days, why give up on the last day?”
Three thousand people were swayed. Indeed, they had run out of other methods. It would be better to rebuild the formation again, even if it was just to give themselves a fleeting hope, an unrealistic fantasy. This was still better than lamenting and criticizing Logan and Shangguan Bo Wen all day long.
“It’s just that we have used a lot of spirit stones. Even if we put together what three thousand people have, we can only gather one hundred thousand spirit stones, which is still quite insufficient. I think we need at least a million spirit stones for a reliable formation.”
One person sighed and took out ten thousand spirit stones, “I’m tired of playing tricks. This is what I’ve been saving for years. If I use it now, my father will certainly scold me. But in order to survive, I will stop at nothing.”
But as soon as this was said, it immediately drew contemptuous glances. Gathering one hundred thousand spirit stones is insufficient? Yesterday, the alliance of a hundred thrones plus three thousand experts, if fully counted, was only forty thousand spirit stones. Thinking about one hundred thousand is already an extravagance; if it was outside, it was enough to found a school.
This person’s contribution of ten thousand spirit stones earned him respect. It indeed set a good example for others, at least assuring everyone that they were sincere in their efforts to survive and ready to fight.
“I only have fifty spirit stones, but that’s everything I have. Unlike you, I’m not from a great clan, but a lone cultivator. I can’t even earn a few spirit stones a year.”
Subsequently, people followed suit, taking out their spirit stones. After two lead examples, others were no longer hiding their contributions. Within a short time of fifteen minutes, seventy or eighty thousand spirit stones were gathered. Though this number was large, roughly equivalent to a sect’s annual income, it needed to be more secure. At least one hundred thousand spirit stones were required for the formation to be stable.
Someone with a sharp eye examined everyone, “It’s a do-or-die situation now, and there are still some people being calculative, unwilling to contribute all the spirit stones they have. But don’t think about it. Once the formation is broken, even if you have a million spirit stones on you, they will ultimately be buried in this mountain range.”
“I suggest we search everyone. Anyone found not to have contributed all they had should be directly expelled. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic just now, but when it came to contributing the spirit stones, everybody became very shrewd.”
“Calm down. Perhaps some people have not contributed yet, and we are willing to give them an incense time to consider. If, after an incense time, someone is still deceiving us, don’t blame us, the three thousand people, for being ruthless. After all, it’s them who have let us down first, so it would be justifiable to strip them off.”
The angry words from a large crowd made a small part of the crowd tremble. Just now, seeing so many spirit stones already contributed, they thought it wouldn’t matter if one more person did or didn’t contribute, so they only contributed a few spirit stones, thinking no one would notice.
They never thought they would be seen through so quickly. If they were caught by everyone, they knew very well the consequences would be dire; they would lose their lives. The spirit stones on their bodies had become a hot potato, and they were now wondering how to get rid of them quickly.
Luckily, the majority of the people were lenient and gave everyone one more chance to contribute all the spirit stones they had without exception. No one dared to hold back this time. All the spirit stones were handed over. Some who contributed relatively less even threw out their Dharma devices.
Originally, there were only seventy or eighty thousand spirit stones, but after this, the number soared to one hundred and fifty thousand, exceeding the previously estimated number by fifty thousand. This stunned the three thousand people and also made them furious, hinting at how many people had previously not contributed.
Someone sighed with all sorts of emotions, “I have seen the world. I have never seen a formation built with one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones. It’s truly extravagant. In the past, I had only ever seen ten thousand spirit stones, and that was only from major sects. The small ones couldn’t even afford five thousand.”
“Who are you telling? But this has proven one thing. Most of us are from major sects; otherwise, if it was just the loose cultivators, they wouldn’t even have gathered ten thousand spirit stones. However, with one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones as our ceremonial weapons, it seems we don’t have to fear the million demon beasts.”
“Now that we have the spirit stones, the next step is the formation map. A good formation can amplify the power of the spirit stones by a hundred times. Therefore, we have to select the most powerful formation and hope that everyone will not be stingy. Contribute your own formations for selection, and then choose the one for arranging the formation.”