Definition
A standard joint-attack formation taught to all disciples of the Black-White College, using five cultivators each aligned with one elemental phase to amplify collective defense and power.
Five
A standard joint-attack formation taught to all disciples of the Black-White College, using five cultivators each aligned with one elemental phase to amplify collective defense and power.
Story context
The Immortal estate’s first real death trap snaps shut around our heroes, and the tension ratchets up from “can we hold out?” to “people are dying, right now.” We thought the endless frost arrows were the big threat—turns out, they were just the opening act. Once the eighteen Qiongqi puppets roll in with Primal-level combat power, the situation flips from a grinding attrition war to a sudden, brutal slaughter. And in the chaos, the weakest link snaps: Buyou the Realperson becomes the first casualty. This chapter hits hard because it forces everyone to realize that raw talent and numbers aren’t enough—you need a formation master, and the only one who fits that bill is locked outside.
Why it matters
This chapter is one of those “oh no” inflection points that experienced Xianxia readers can smell from a mile away. The frost arrow barrage was already setting off alarm bells, but the reveal of the eighteen Qiongqi puppets is the true kicker—it tells you that the Immortal estate is not testing these cultivators; it’s actively trying to kill them. There’s a grim satisfaction in seeing the group’s tactical hierarchy stress-test under real pressure: Ji Ning’s analytical calm, Mu Northson’s panic, Shaoyan Nong’s desperate regret. Pay attention to how the chapter frames the difference between “strong in a duel” (full-power sword strikes only stagger a puppet) and “surviving a war of attrition” (the formation has unlimited energy, you don’t). That contrast is going to be the central tension going forward.
Quick facts
Source novel
Desolate Era
First appearance
The Eighteen Qiongqi Puppets
Chapter references
1
Type hints
Qiongqi puppets, frost arrow formation, Primal Daoist combat puppets
Guide tags
Action, Tension, Formation Trap
Appears in chapters
Jump back into the novel from the exact chapter references used to build this glossary page.
Related terms
Explore connected lore, concepts, and glossary entries from the same novel.