**Formation Warfare & Joint Formations**: This chapter is a textbook example of how Xianxia sects fight with numbers. A “joint formation” (合阵) allows multiple cultivators of the same cultivation base to merge their power into a single entity. This is why sects are so terrifying: six Zifu Disciples can form a stable combat formation, and several thousand can rival a Primal Daoist. The Snowdragon Mountain disciples are confident because they *share a common formation technique*. The Ji Clan, by contrast, is using a fixed defensive array (the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation) that requires specific node controllers—more like a siege weapon than a mobile battle formation.
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Definition
**Formation Warfare & Joint Formations**: This chapter is a textbook example of how Xianxia sects fight with numbers. A “joint formation” (合阵) allows multiple cultivators of the same cultivation base to merge their power into a single entity. This is why sects are so terrifying: six Zifu Disciples can form a stable combat formation, and several thousand can rival a Primal Daoist. The Snowdragon Mountain disciples are confident because they *share a common formation technique*. The Ji Clan, by contrast, is using a fixed defensive array (the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation) that requires specific node controllers—more like a siege weapon than a mobile battle formation.
Story context
Fellow Daoists, the siege of Mount Oxhorn has begun! In this chapter, the Snowdragon Mountain coalition—nineteen Zifu Disciples strong—finally arrives at the Ji Clan’s last stronghold. But they don’t just crash through the front gate like reckless barbarians. Their formation expert, Nong Zidao, calmly dismantles the outer illusion maze with a single whip strike (his spirit crane does the heavy lifting, showing off sect-level elegance). The counterplay is immediate: Ji Jiuhuo activates the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation, a five-node defensive array, and the clan makes their final stand preparation by entrusting the two Vassal Tokens to Ji Ning. The stage is set for a high-stakes formation duel, where every misstep means death. Get ready for some tactical Xianxia warfare—this isn’t just about who punches harder, but who out-thinks the other.
Why it matters
This chapter is a masterclass in *positioning*—both literal and tactical. Watch how Snowdragon Mountain’s first wave (twelve cultivators) enters the black fog, tightly packed inside a defensive joint formation. The Ji Clan, meanwhile, has placed their best fighters (including Ji Ning) in the four mobile nodes of the Blackflame Dragon Formation, with Ji Jiuhuo as the core director. The setup promises a clash where individual heroism must bow to collective coordination. Pay close attention to the bit about “if any of us dies… we must have a backup”—that’s foreshadowing that someone *will* fall. Also note that Nong Zidao and Tongyu stay out of the initial probe; they’re waiting to see the formation’s true patterns before committing. This is classic Xianxia pacing: first the pawns test the board, then the masters move.
Quick facts
Source novel
Desolate Era
First appearance
The Vassal Tokens and the Blackflame Dragon
Chapter references
1
Type hints
blackflame dragon prison formation, vassal token, ji jiuhuo