https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-613-Merging-the-Heavenly-Mechanisms/12542705/
Chapter 614: Unsealing
Chapter 614: Unsealing
Mo Hua had only ever tasted the Thunder Pattern, shattering the skull of his divine sense and extracting the pale golden divine marrow from the head of the ram-horned enforcer.
This "marrow" was similar to the blood of an evil god.
Although there wasn't much, it tasted delightful.
He wondered what it would be like to refine and consume the marrow of a true evil god.
How much stronger would his divine sense become after "eating" it...
Mo Hua pondered, then frowned.
No...
He was getting a little too "carried away"...
Evil gods were probably very powerful and terrifying. If he were to encounter one, he would undoubtedly face unknown dangers.
Even if he wanted to take on an evil god...
He would have to wait until his divine sense was thick enough and his killing intent was strong enough. He would need to plan carefully, prepare secretly, and steal the marrow without anyone knowing, quietly...
It was too early to be thinking about "eating" an evil god...
Moreover, such a thought was not very "respectful" to the evil god.
Mo Hua buried this idea in his heart.
"It's not that I can't afford to eat evil gods, but demons and monsters are a more cost-effective option."
Evil gods were too strong, and it was best to avoid provoking them if possible.
But these demons and monsters were not very strong, and he could easily stew them in a pot. It didn't matter if he consumed a lot of them.
Moreover, by wiping them out, he wouldn't have to worry about them snitching.
Besides, they had targeted Yu'er, so he didn't need to be polite.
Mo Hua glanced at Yu'er, who was sleeping soundly, and couldn't help but think:
What if I keep Yu'er by my side? Would she continue to attract demons and monsters for me to feast on?
That way, I'd have a constant supply of "provisions".
My divine sense would always be enhanced.
It would be like fishing.
These evil and hideous demons and monsters are the "fish".
So to speak, little Yu'er would be...
"Bait"? Mo Hua was taken aback and immediately shook his head, dispelling this impolite thought towards little Yu'er...
Yu'er stirred in her sleep and let out a soft "hmph", seemingly displeased.
Mo Hua couldn't help but chuckle and pat Yu'er's head.
In her sleep, Yu'er sensed a calm and peaceful aura and smiled innocently before falling into a deeper slumber.
Mo Hua continued to stay by Yu'er's side, his divine sense sinking into his sea of consciousness as he continued to simulate the yuan magnetic array and deduce the next Lightning Pattern...
For the rest of the night, no demons appeared.
The next day, Mo Hua practiced his routine cultivation, drew array patterns, and played with Yu'er for a while.
In the evening, he stayed by Yu'er's side again.
The room was empty but quiet, devoid of causal textures, void chains, demons, or monsters. Only the calm night and serene moonlight remained.
This night passed by peacefully as well.
Mo Hua realized that this batch of "leeks" had been harvested, and he would have to let them grow for a while...
The next day, Mo Hua bid Wen Renwan farewell and set off back to Tai Xu Gate.
Little Yu'er still held onto Mo Hua's clothes, reluctant to part.
But compared to before, Yu'er's complexion was much better. Although she looked a little dejected, her eyes had a sparkle, and her face was rosy.
Mo Hua waved goodbye to everyone, and Yu'er imitated him, waving as well.
After Mo Hua left, Wen Renwan fell into deep thought for a long time. Finally, she made a decision and said to Official Shang:
"I want to send Yu'er to Tai Xu Gate!"
Official Shang, who was halfway through drinking his tea, choked and coughed twice. He said helplessly:
"But how...?"
You've certainly come up with an idea...
"I've made up my mind!"
Wen Renwan's eyes shone with determination, indicating that she had thought this through thoroughly.
Official Shang was taken aback, furrowing his brows as he softly asked:
"Yu'er has excellent aptitude, and in the future, she could enter one of the 'Four Great Sects'..."
"Entering one of the Four Great Sects would mean access to superior teachings, connections with fellow disciples, and networking opportunities that surpass the Eight Great Gates."
Wen Renwan shook her head. "I don't care about Yu'er's aptitude or her progress in cultivation. I'm her mother, and all I want is for her to be safe and happy..."
"I don't want her to be too deeply involved in your family's grand plans and karmic fate. I'm afraid..."
Wen Renwan's face paled. "...I'm afraid that one day, I won't be able to see Yu'er again..."
Wen Renwan closed her eyes.
Or perhaps...
Little Yu'er would lie coldly in her arms...
During these days when Yu'er had been plagued by nightmares and looked frail, Wen Renwan often dreamed of such things.
There were even more terrifying dreams...
Wen Renwan's body couldn't help but tremble.
Official Shang held his wife's hand, feeling guilty.
It was his fault as a husband that their son had suffered and their daughter had worried them. However, he still didn't agree with sending Yu'er to Tai Xu Gate.
Official Shang thought for a moment and slowly said, "Wan'er, the reason you want to send Yu'er to Tai Xu Gate is because of... that Mo Hua child, isn't it?"
Wen Renwan didn't hide it and nodded, "Yes, I want Yu'er to stay by Mo Hua's side."
Official Shang's brows furrowed even deeper.
He didn't dislike Mo Hua. On the contrary, he also found the child well-behaved and polite, sincere and lovable. He was grateful to Mo Hua for what he had done for Yu'er.
However, Official Shang had a lingering apprehension about Mo Hua, even...
Trepidation.
He always felt that beneath Mo Hua's innocent gaze lay something uncanny, and within the clarity of his eyes lurked an unfathomable depth.
Even he, the "quasi-head" of the Official Shang family of Qianzhou, who had seen countless people, couldn't see through him.
Official Shang had once considered finding someone to delve deeper into Mo Hua's karmic fate.
This fear was incredibly clear.
Shangguan Yi suddenly thought of Elder Mei from Xuanji Valley.
Elder Mei was the one who, at his request, had lifted the veil of mist, witnessed some kind of causal taboo, and ended up losing his sanity. He had babbled about being bitten by a zombie and turning into one, about mountains of corpses and some great terror, all of which made no sense.
Shangguan Yi didn't know whose fate Elder Mei had calculated to end up in such a state of madness.
But since this person's fate was so terrifying, he must have been proficient in the heavenly machine algorithm, and there was even a possibility that he was one of the masterminds behind the scenes.
And that Mo Hua child was very likely related to him.
Even though Mo Hua himself might not be aware of it...
Shangguan Yi hesitated for a long time before confiding his worries to Wen Renwan.
Wen Renwan scoffed, "That's because you're used to scheming and plotting, so you see causality and calculations in everyone and everything..."
"I think Mo Hua is a good kid."
"If you treat him sincerely, he will naturally treat you sincerely. If you think he's suspicious, it's because you yourself are suspicious..."
Shangguan Yi smiled bitterly. After a moment, his expression turned solemn, and he sighed,
"Think about it carefully. Yu'er was abducted, and so many people couldn't find her, but Mo Hua could. Why is that?"
"The elders said that Yu'er's nightmares are caused by evil karma, and there is no way to cure them."
"But why is it that as soon as Mo Hua arrives, Yu'er can sleep peacefully...?"
"There must be something strange going on here..."
"I'm afraid..." Shangguan Yi worriedly, not finishing his sentence.
Upon hearing this, Wen Renwan's expression also turned solemn. She frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly understanding,
"That's because Mo Hua is Yu'er's 'blessing'!"
Shangguan Yi was taken aback and didn't know what to say.
But Wen Renwan felt more and more that she was right and nodded,
"Mo Hua must have deep blessings!"
"So that's why Yu'er was abducted, and while others couldn't find her, Mo Hua could, and while others couldn't save her, Mo Hua could!"
"Yu'er was plagued by nightmares, and that night, Mo Hua was there too. I saw him fall to the ground, his face pale and ghostly, afflicted by evil spirits. It was clear that he took on the 'disaster' for Yu'er, and that's why he fainted."
"But as I said, Mo Hua has deep blessings, so these 'disasters' couldn't harm him!"
"Mo Hua's blessings are also Yu'er's blessings."
"Yu'er has had a difficult life since she was young. If she wants to grow up peacefully, she must stay by the side of a child with deep blessings like Mo Hua!"
Wen Renwan's tone was firm and well-reasoned.
Shangguan Yi was almost convinced by her argument...
Fortunately, he had some knowledge of causality and evil spirits, and he knew that so-called "blessings" were not that simple.
Shangguan Yi wanted to refuse, "Yu'er is still young, and she's only at the Qi Refining stage. Tai Xu Gate doesn't accept disciples at that stage..."
"She won't be an official disciple, just a preschool boarder..."
"The Tai Xu Gatemaster won't agree to this..."
"With the Shangguan and Wen Ren families being close allies, and Yu'er having such a good spiritual root, how could he refuse? Even if it breaks the rules, he will still accept her..."
"This..." Shangguan Yi felt a headache coming on. He added, "It might hinder Mo Hua's cultivation..."
Wen Renwan paused at that.
Indeed...
She hadn't thought about this.
Mo Hua was probably quite busy with his daily cultivation and wouldn't be able to take care of Yu'er.
After a moment's thought, Wen Renwan came up with an idea,
"I'll send a bodyguard to take care of Yu'er and supervise her cultivation. They won't bother Mo Hua during the day, but if Yu'er is plagued by nightmares and can't sleep, we can trouble Mo Hua to come and take a look..."
Shangguan Yi sighed, "There's no precedent for this at Tai Xu Gate..."
"That's how it was in the past, but now there is," Wen Renwan said.
"My father won't agree, and Tai Xu Gate will probably also put up strong resistance, especially those elders who strictly abide by the sect's rules."
"How do you know if you don't try?"
"Wan'er..."
Wen Renwan said firmly, "I've made up my mind! Yu'er must be sent to Tai Xu Gate!"
Shangguan Yi said, "Yu'er rarely has nightmares these days, so there's no need to go to such lengths..."
Wen Renwan's eyes darkened, "What about in the future?"
Shangguan Yi was taken aback.
With a furrowed brow, Wen Renwan's mood sank as she said in a cold voice, "How do you know that she won't have even more terrifying nightmares in the future?"
"If Yu'er encounters an even stronger and more hopeless nightmare in the future..."
"What will our child do then...?"
Wen Renwan tightly gripped Shangguan Yi's arm, her long fingers turning white.
Shangguan Yi was stunned.
He looked deeply into his wife's eyes and saw the deep affection and fear of some unknown existence, and his heart stirred.
Shangguan Yi nodded gently and said softly,
"Alright, I'll think of a way to send Yu'er to... Tai Xu Gate!"
...
Yu'er didn't know about this yet.
She also didn't know that soon, she would have a "little neighbor".
Mo Hua returned to the sect and continued to research the yuan magnetic array and deduce the next lightning pattern day and night.
It was like getting to know a fellow cultivator without ever having met them...
And this fellow cultivator had an entire family.
Although their appearances differed, they shared a common bloodline and certain similarities. The more he saw, the easier it was to recognize them...
Mo Hua worked patiently and diligently, continually deducing and summarizing until he had recorded approximately a hundred distinct secondary thunder patterns in his jade slip.
His understanding of the secondary thunder patterns also deepened, and he became more adept at blending the Tianji Guise and Derived Calculation.
"Scrolls of Transmission" were still too profound...
After days of research and consultations with senior male and female disciples, as well as exchanges with fellow disciples from families specializing in formation techniques, Mo Hua gradually broadened his understanding of the Bonfire Yuan Magnet Array or similar yuan magnet arrays...
Yuan magnet arrays were the foundation for cultivators' recording, transmitting messages, and passing on their legacies.
Apart from using brush, ink, and paper for recording and transmitting messages, cultivators most commonly used jade slips for recording.
The foundation for all the jade slips in the cultivation world was the yuan magnet array, which was used for displaying, recording, and transmitting text and documents.
Fixed magnetic patterns, secondary thunder currents, variable magnetic patterns, magnetic ink revealing words...
This entire set served as the foundational array for "transmission" spiritual artifacts like the Scroll of Transmission and was also the basis for all cultivation jade slips.
Jade slips preserved legacies through the power of yuan magnet arrays.
Mo Hua recalled the two jade slips that belonged to Elder Jiang.
Those two jade slips most likely recorded the ultimate technique of the Broken Gold Gate sect, the Broken Gold Sword Manual!
However, the jade slips were sealed, preventing any prying eyes.
Unsealing was simpler than restoration.
Mo Hua planned to take a gradual approach to learning and applying his knowledge. He wanted to first utilize his understanding of yuan magnet arrays to unseal the Broken Gold sect's legacy jade slip, and then gradually move on to researching the "restoration" of the Scroll of Transmission...
The Broken Gold jade slip was made of white jade with golden patterns etched along its edges.
Mo Hua took out the jade slip and spent a long evening in his disciple's residence, quietly studying it by himself. Yet, in the end, he still couldn't figure it out...
His predictions were correct.
The Broken Gold jade slip was indeed based on a yuan magnet array, incorporating fixed magnetic patterns, variable magnetic patterns, and using secondary thunder patterns as a "bridge."
The so-called "seal" did involve tampering with the yuan magnet array to conceal the original text within the jade slip.
A "secret pattern" was required to unseal the legacy jade slip.
The essence of this "secret pattern" was, in fact, a "secondary thunder pattern"...
However, it was one thing to have a hypothesis, and another to actually attempt to unseal it. Mo Hua found himself at a complete loss as to where to begin...
Just how was the Broken Gold jade slip "sealed"? And how should it be unsealed? The secret pattern was a secondary thunder pattern, but which type? Without the secret pattern, how could it be unsealed?
"It's so difficult without a legacy to follow; I have to figure this out myself..."
Mo Hua sighed.
He thought for a moment and decided to seek advice from someone.
Mo Hua's original plan was to consult Elder Xu, but after some consideration, he shook his head.
Unsealing and decoding were not something he could discuss with Elder Xu.
As soon as he asked, Elder Xu would surely guess that he was secretly dabbling in something he shouldn't be.
Within the sect, "unsealing" most likely referred to breaking the seal on a legacy jade slip.
This wasn't a good idea, as it could affect Elder Xu's impression of him as a "well-behaved" and "obedient" disciple.
It was obvious that in Elder Xu's eyes, he was a "diligent" and "studious" good disciple.
If Elder Xu were to misunderstand him, that wouldn't be desirable.
Elder Xu would probably never share the sect's secrets with him again...
So, he needed to find someone else to ask.
After much thought, Mo Hua finally found a suitable candidate: Zheng Fang.
Zheng Fang was a descendant of the Zheng family from Zhenzhou.
The Zheng family had a collection of closely guarded legacy techniques that were passed down from generation to generation, and these were genuine thunder pattern formations.
Secondary thunder patterns were a derivative of thunder patterns.
Zheng Fang didn't know how to use thunder patterns, but being born into the Zheng family, he had been exposed to secondary thunder patterns or related yuan magnet formations from a young age, so he was undoubtedly familiar with them.
Mo Hua went to find Zheng Fang.
Zheng Fang held a minor grudge against Mo Hua.
This was because he had lost to Mo Hua.
The difficult-to-learn Zheng family secret technique, although quite basic, had been easily mastered by Mo Hua.
What was even more humiliating was that he, who came from a family known for their formations, had to be taught by Mo Hua and even call him "Junior Brother."
However, he also knew that Mo Hua's formation skills far surpassed his own, so he felt conflicted and didn't like talking to Mo Hua much, and their relationship wasn't very close.
Mo Hua knew that Zheng Fang had a good heart, but his temperament was a bit straightforward, so he decided to flatter him.
He praised the Zheng family, saying their name was "as famous as thunder."
By enduring countless hardships, the Zheng family had managed to preserve the upright and incorruptible legacy of thunder patterns, and their disciples were surely honest and upright as well!
Then he complimented Zheng Fang, saying that despite his young age, he had excellent talent, and his future in formations was limitless...
Under Mo Hua's barrage of flattery, Zheng Fang's resistance crumbled, and the grudge in his heart vanished. Although he tried his best to maintain a stern expression, he couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Zheng Fang and Mo Hua chatted for a while about the Yuan Magnet Array.
Zheng Fang, with his access to the Zheng family's legacy, had a broader perspective, while Mo Hua's self-taught knowledge ran deep.
Both of them benefited greatly from their conversation.
Zheng Fang increasingly felt that Mo Hua, his "junior martial brother," had an extraordinary talent for comprehending formations, and he began to acknowledge him more and more.
Mo Hua took the opportunity to ask, "What if I have a jade slip that I want to seal so that others can't see it? How would I go about doing that?"
"Seal a jade slip?" Zheng Fang asked.
"Mhm," Mo Hua nodded.
Zheng Fang said, "It's actually quite simple. You just need to overlay another layer of 'array pattern' to hide the content and then leave a 'seal pattern' as a key."
"A seal pattern?" Mo Hua was slightly taken aback. "Is it a 'secret pattern'?"
Zheng Fang shook his head. "They're not the same. Usually, only cultivators who don't understand formations or formation masters who aren't proficient in the Yuan Magnet Array would confuse the two and refer to this type of array pattern uniformly as a 'secret pattern'..."
"...but in orthodox legacies, these names are strictly defined and cannot be mistaken."
"'Seal patterns' are used to unseal 'seals,' and 'secret patterns' are used to decrypt 'encryption.'"
"With a sealed jade slip, you can't see the text within."
"With an encrypted jade slip, you can see the text, but what you see is actually a 'disguise'..."
"The two methods are based on the same formation principles, but there are significant differences in their forms..."
Mo Hua exclaimed in realization and praised Zheng Fang, "You know so much!"
Zheng Fang's face reddened slightly, and he felt proud. He poured out his knowledge like beans from a bamboo tube, explaining the concepts of "sealing" and "encrypting" in detail.
Although some of what he said was memorized without a deep understanding, his foundation in these concepts was exceptionally solid.
Mo Hua looked at Zheng Fang with newfound respect.
Indeed, as the saying goes, "Three men walking together, one of them will be my teacher."
Being humble and eager to learn, always asking questions, one is bound to gain something.
Mo Hua returned with a wealth of knowledge and eagerly began to ponder the matter of "unsealing."
The Broken Gold jade slips from the Broken Gold Gate sect were blank on the surface, as if covered by clouds and mist. However, upon closer inspection, one could discern fine magnetic ink dots.
This was the result of the "sealing" process.
Now that he understood the principle, Mo Hua had a direction to work with to find the "seal pattern" and unseal the jade slips.
The method was quite simple.
These two jade slips were old, and Elder Jiang had undoubtedly studied them frequently.
When he studied them, he would have used the "seal pattern" to unseal them.
As long as they were unsealed, there would inevitably be traces of magnetic flow left behind.
While other cultivators might not be able to see these traces, Mo Hua, with his merged Tianji algorithm, could detect some clues.
Detecting the magnetic flow, or secondary thunder currents, was the first step.
Then, based on his experience, he would simplify the secondary thunder currents into secondary thunder patterns.
However, these secondary thunder patterns were simplified by Mo Hua himself and might not be entirely accurate.
Mo Hua would then need to select some similar secondary thunder patterns from his "Secondary Thunder Pattern Library" and try them one by one...
Secondary thunder patterns of the second grade all fell within the same category.
Out of the hundreds of secondary thunder patterns, there would undoubtedly be one that could serve as the "seal pattern" to unseal the Broken Gold jade slip.
If not, it didn't matter; as long as he determined the category, he could make some adjustments and try them one by one.
Furthermore, secondary thunder patterns were not strictly considered array patterns, and there were no standardized rules, so they didn't have to be entirely precise.
As long as the general framework was similar, they could more or less serve as a "seal pattern."
It was like having two keys; even if they were slightly different, they could still unlock the lock.
The only problem was that this process of deduction couldn't be performed on the stele in his sea of consciousness.
He had to attempt the fusion of the Tianji Guise and Derived Calculation in the real world.
Therefore, Mo Hua had to proceed with caution, trying a little bit at a time to avoid overloading his sea of consciousness with amplified calculations and causing cracks in his divine sense...
After several days, Mo Hua, through his merged algorithm, sensed the traces of the secondary thunder currents.
Mo Hua spent half a day simplifying these secondary thunder currents into "secondary thunder patterns."
Then, over the next two days, he searched his jade slip of secondary thunder patterns and found several that were "similar."
Mo Hua used these "secondary thunder patterns" as "seal patterns," trying each one to unseal the Broken Gold jade slip.
The process went relatively smoothly.
After more than a dozen attempts, Mo Hua heard a faint "click," and a weak thunder current seemed to stir, with magnetic currents flowing in response.
At the same time, the cloud-like mist on the Broken Gold jade slip dissipated.
The "indefinite magnetic patterns" used for sealing faded away one by one, revealing five gilded characters at the top of the jade slip:
"Broken Gold Sword Manual!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
