Mo Huai popped into the light, switching place with his Miasma soldier. He left a parcel of intent into the automoton, ready to return.
Not outside from underground, he found himself in the wilderness, with the occasion fighting heard in the distance.
He smiled, he could detect he wasn't not far from the warfront where the great formation was, which would allow him to contact people faster.
He closed his eyes and listened to where the war seemed loudest and then shot off that direction; flying into the air and following air currents. He reached the airspace needed and immediately sends our his signature, using his status as an Elder to do whatever he wants within reason.
"Command, little Jin," he called.
On the other end, Jin answered while Yan took higher control of the formation; easily done with her experience using her own great formation.
"Master Mo Huai, what do you need?"
Mo Huai wanted to speak to her but decided to be direct, "Give me a connection to any formation experts, and if they aren't needed for fighting redirect them to me. I'll need somewhere that we can turn into a permanent base."
Jin nodded and hummed an approval, normally he would need to ask for permission but since he called her with a special calling, he was invoking his right as an Elder to do his own thing.
He added, "Call this new splinter cell, 'Tri-ground command', and they will be in charge of Elder Di's, and mine actions other than my miasma soldiers who will continue to supplement the war effort."
With that his connection cut and soon after he teleported away to behind the warfront at a reclaimed Yi Sect base.
He nodded and then on a deep breath, filling the room with miasma. The miasma acted as a corrupt in agent which activated upon meeting malicious formations.
After it was done, he sucked it all back in and waited. If everything goes well, soon he shall have various formation experts teleporting to him. He filled the air with a pollen-type miasma which will attach to the host and give them information quickly.
The first popped into the reclaimed building, they felt something touch their shoulder and a barrage of information entered their mind. They parsed it and turned to Mo Huai.
Once nearby they knelt to one knee, "Elder, it would be my pleasure. I think this is a highly plausible idea. Once we have some clues towards the formation we'll start to look into it and deduce and flaws."
"Good, good. In accordance to you being first, I shall give you command. This comes with power and responsibility, you understand?"
"Yes sir! I will try my best to do as you want, and if I realise my weakness, I will look for a suitable replacement, sir!"
Mo Huai smiled, "Already a few more have come, go command them now. Give me your token for a symbol of your authority."
The person took out their personal token, Zhen Wi. Mo Huai noted the name and touched the man's token with his finger, seeping into miasma laws and his mental signature which both synchronised with the token, transforming into one with his stamp of approval. It gave him the authority to do whatever to those lower than the elder the token was given in reason, only used in wartime.
***
Far away, underground, Elder Di and William flew high in the tunnels right beside the purple reversal crystals which made up the formation.
As they got closer, Earth Di noticed the roots split into smaller threads the width of a human deeper underground towards the centre of the radius.
He looked at the crystal, "Since you have an immunity to the crystal's effects, can I ask? Do you know a way to allow us to look deeper without contacting the crystal and being attacked myself?"
William stuck in brows in a furrow for a moment before confusingly tapping the ground, "Isn't this your thing?" He put a fist into the ground and swirled it around, "It ain't hard to think how to do it…carefully."
He pulled out his hand and out came a rock, he tossed it over to Earth Di, "Use your earth cultivation around the crystal and anytime you feel resistance to using it is where the crystal is."
Earth Di pinched the bridge of his nose, "Quite simple but…as you say, it should work, though it will take a lot of laws. I'll look into that." he looked back, "You and the miasma soldier will defend from any Yi Sect members and…"
He reached over to the purple-pink reverse crystals and hovered his hand over it, "Using your techniques, without using a significant amount of your power, look into the base of the formation for any information. No matter how small, it'll be useful for those formation experts Elder Miasma is getting."
…
As they were executing that plan, a sound of shuffling started growing in the tunnel. Earth Di slowed his work and looked to the ground.
Using the golden needle artifact left by Mo Huai, each of the three of them (Earth Di, the miasma soldier, and William) could communicate with eachother no matter the distance.
He used the strong that connects them to ask, "Is it Yi Sect? Is it for us or a different purpose?"
William, on the other side, peered out from a ledge. He was watching the source of the shuffling secretly, determine their doings.
"It seems Yi Sect uses these tunnels to send troops to locations, both the mundane and stronger experts. I've seen an arm of 25-30 level hardening mass soldiers with occasional stronger ones."
Earth Di acknowledged him and continued, "I would suggest either slaughtering them all now or otherwise following them out into the above ground and sending signal to main command."
William squinted his eyes, "No…I have another idea." he stopped responding to anything from the other side and stepped out of hiding.
He floated over to the centre of the tunnel and stayed walking in the air. As he came into view for the army, they have a small glance before refusing march.
From within the crowd, a leader flew up with their hands together, "What does senior need?" he spoke with a perpetual grin.