The chess game played in this chapter is a classic Xianxia tactical trope: **The Duel of the Formation Master.** If you only have raw power (Xu Li is a Wanxiang Adept with a powerful seal), you can be beaten by a clever formation. Raw strength means nothing if you can’t find your enemy. This is why cultivators of wisdom and insight are so highly valued. The real battle here isn’t Xu Li vs. the Ji Clan; it’s Nong Zidao vs. the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation. His ability to “lead” (引领) the process—decoupling the illusion (the netherworld energy) from the attack (the dragon) with the brute force of the Wanxiang Adept—is a textbook example of how a Zifu-level formation expert can neutralize a formation that should be out of his weight class.
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Definition
The chess game played in this chapter is a classic Xianxia tactical trope: **The Duel of the Formation Master.** If you only have raw power (Xu Li is a Wanxiang Adept with a powerful seal), you can be beaten by a clever formation. Raw strength means nothing if you can’t find your enemy. This is why cultivators of wisdom and insight are so highly valued. The real battle here isn’t Xu Li vs. the Ji Clan; it’s Nong Zidao vs. the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation. His ability to “lead” (引领) the process—decoupling the illusion (the netherworld energy) from the attack (the dragon) with the brute force of the Wanxiang Adept—is a textbook example of how a Zifu-level formation expert can neutralize a formation that should be out of his weight class.
Story context
We have a brand-new, terrifying variable on the battlefield, fellow Daoists! The Ji Clan's desperate gambit—relying on the mighty Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation to trap their enemies—just hit a major snag. Nong Zidao, the formation expert who escaped last chapter, is back! And he has brought a Wanxiang Adept with him: True Immortal Xu Li. This chapter is all about the calculus of a siege. It opens with Nong Zidao calmly dismantling the Black Mist Illusion Formation from the outside like he was taking out the trash, exposing the Ji Clan to the full view of their predators. The conversation between the invaders is a masterclass in tactical arrogance—a Zifu Disciple explaining the rules of engagement to a Wanxiang powerhouse. The Ji Clan, now trapped within a sealing formation that prevents any escape, must confront their mortality. They formally structure a last stand, funneling all their hope onto Ji Ning's shoulders. The stage is set for a desperate, no-holds-barred clash between a clan's fragile hopes and the overwhelming, cold-blooded machinery of the Snowdragon Mountain sect.
Why it matters
Buckle up for the storm that's about to break. This chapter is the long, tense inhale before a nuclear explosion. The power balance is set: Xu Li is a tank, Nong Zidao is the scout who can strip away your defenses, and the other Zifu Disciples are the cleanup crew. The Ji Clan, on the other hand, has everything riding on a hybrid fighter who can't even take a punch from a Wanxiang Adept's prime artifact without his defensive magic robe helping.