Chapter 761: Secrets of the Heavens
Chapter 761: Secrets of the Heavens
A copper coin lay quietly in Mo Hua's palm, its thin form feeling surprisingly heavy.
Mo Hua's heart was filled with conflicting emotions.
"But..." Mo Hua's confusion grew, "I've searched this storage ring countless times, and there's definitely nothing else inside..."
"How did this coin suddenly appear?"
Where did this coin come from? Did his master intentionally hide it?
Mo Hua rubbed his right thumb, where a simple yet invisible ancient ring sat. Plain and unadorned, it was invisible to all but him, linked to his bloodline after he had offered his blood to the ring.
"Is there another secret to this storage ring?"
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then sighed silently.
Time was running out. He didn't have the luxury to dwell on this mystery any longer. If he delayed further, Ling Hu Xiao and Xiao Mu Tou would be taken deep into the Myriad Demon Valley, never to return.
Even if he wanted to save them, he was powerless to do so.
Mo Hua examined the copper coin in his hand.
Memories flooded his mind.
That's when he realized he had seen his master use this coin before.
Back when they were still at the Five Elements Sect.
When he had used the blank zombie ancestor diagram from the Zhang family to seal the Five Elements Source Pattern, creating the "Five Elements Array Diagram," and showed it to his master.
His master had taken out several copper coins and placed them on the table, arranging them in a profound array that restrained the Five Elements Source Pattern, preventing it from acting out.
At that time, he hadn't understood anything.
He didn't know what the copper coins were or what their purpose was when arranged in an array.
Now, as he reflected on it, he realized that his master had likely set up a heavenly secret formation, using the coins to lock away the causal relationship of the Five Elements Source Pattern, which resembled eyes.
This must have been a form of "Heavenly Secret Calculation."
Holding the coin between his fingers, Mo Hua sensed the residual temperature of memories on its cold surface, feeling both touched and perplexed.
"How do I use this coin?"
He was completely clueless about the profound heavenly secret calculations.
His master had the ability to see through the secrets of heaven, skillfully manipulating them to reverse fortune and misfortune with a flick of his fingers—a skill Mo Hua did not possess.
He had no idea how to even begin learning...
So, he could only "take a gamble"? Mo Hua recalled that others would toss coins and determine fortune and misfortune based on whether they landed heads or tails. Perhaps he should try that?
The night was deep and dark, and the Myriad Demon Valley was filled with bloodshed.
The valley's entrance resembled a massive blood basin, and it seemed that it wouldn't be long before it closed.
"Time is running out. It's now or never..."
Mo Hua held the coin in his palm and silently chanted:
"Heavenly secrets, calculate cause and effect. With this coin, I divine the fortunes and misfortunes of my journey into the Myriad Demon Valley. Heads for fortune, tails for misfortune..."
Mo Hua's pupils deepened, and his divine consciousness transformed, cloaked in three layers of mysterious shadows.
Within his eyes, the patterns of heavenly secrets ebbed and flowed.
Deep within his pupils, a faint golden light appeared.
By merging Heavenly Secret Calculation with Heavenly Secret Stratagem and stimulating his god-like divine consciousness, he used the "coin" as a medium to peer into his own causality.
Mo Hua then snapped his fingers, and the coin flipped in the air, spinning continuously. Everything seemed ordinary at first, but in an instant, a change occurred.
Thick lines of causality entangled the coin, and fortune and misfortune flipped incessantly...
Suddenly, a deep, resonating hum like a grand bell rang out.
Mo Hua's pupils shook violently.
In that moment, the world spun, and the two extremes of yin and yang seemed to separate. It felt as if something had sliced through his sea of consciousness, tearing apart the surface of the world and communicating with the profound and mysterious qi mechanism in the darkness.
Mo Hua felt as if he were witnessing the passage of the sun and moon, the countless stars in the sky, the vast earth, and the myriad lives upon it.
He saw the heavens, the earth, and all creation, the endless cycles of cause and effect converging into a single, majestic "galaxy" that hung in the sky, spanning the heavens and the earth.
It was like the ultimate truth of the universe, dazzling, magnificent, and profound.
In that moment, Mo Hua had an indescribable epiphany.
This "galaxy" of causality was the heavenly secret!
The heavens were the game board, the living beings were the pieces, and the crisscrossing causality flowed into the heavenly secret.
Within the vastness of the heavenly secret, as vast as a galaxy, he was but an insignificant chess piece.
Yet, at the same time, he also sat beside the game board, holding a chess piece in his hand, deciding his own fortune and misfortune...
Through his own calculations of causality, he influenced the heavenly secret...
...
In Dao Province, at the Celestial Pivot Cabinet, an elderly advisor who had been dozing off in front of a chessboard suddenly opened his eyes wide. His gaze, filled with disbelief, held a trace of awe.
"Someone... is using Heavenly Secret Calculation?!"
"True Heavenly Secret Calculation!"
The advisor's eyes trembled, and his heart raced.
That person's lifeline had been severed, their causality cut off, and their vitality extinguished. Who else in this world could use Heavenly Secret Calculation? And who exactly was doing the calculating?!
He looked up at the dark night sky and indeed saw a star constellation, faint but exuding a unique and wondrous light.
"Still so young and inexperienced, not knowing how to conceal themselves..."
The old man sat motionless before the chessboard, feeling a strong urge to calculate the identity of this faint starlight.
To calculate who, after that person's vitality had been extinguished, could still learn the true Heavenly Secret Calculation.
To calculate the "variable" in this heavenly secret, too subtle to perceive...
But in the end, he restrained himself.
The advisor glanced at the table.
On it stood a candlestick holder.
The holder was exquisitely crafted with crane patterns, cloud streams, and flying dragons and phoenixes, looking extremely luxurious and out of place in this simple room.
Inscribed within the holder was a special array.
It was a gift from that talented and brilliant person back when they served as the supervisor of the Celestial Pivot Cabinet, full of vigor and ambition.
But now, the candlestick holder was old and worn from years of use.
Even the candle flame was extremely weak.
The advisor fell silent for a moment, his voice aged and almost inaudible as he murmured,
"The flame is too weak. A slight breeze could extinguish it..."
So, let it burn slowly, bit by bit...
Within the ornate and ancient candlestick holder, the weak flame danced lightly and lively.
The advisor smiled faintly, half in sentiment and half in self-mockery, "I've lived too long..."
"Those older than me have passed away, and those younger than me are gone too. I thought life had lost its luster, and I was just passing the days.
But who would have thought that the world still holds so many interesting things.
As long as I live long enough, I will eventually encounter them..."
After speaking, the advisor felt his drowsiness disappear, replaced by a rare surge of interest.
The advisor played this game alone, yet many participated in this intricate play of strategies.
However, their identities, locations, and intentions remained unknown.
With the ruins of Convergence as the catalyst, and the world as the chessboard, the first game commenced...
The advisor mused with great interest, "I wonder how many years it has been since I last played a real game of chess. I hope my skills haven't rusted..."
He picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board.
After a long period of inactivity, a move was finally made on this residual game.
Near the chessboard, on the table, lay a jade slip containing the proposal for the "Reform of the Four Great Sects" initiated by the four major sects of Qianxue State...
...
At the entrance of the Myriad Demon Valley in Refining Demon Mountain, the copper coin flipped in the air, entangled by the threads of causality, with fortune and misfortune fluctuating until it finally landed in Mo Hua's palm.
It was heads.
Mo Hua was surprised, "It's actually 'fortunate'?"
Moreover, it was straightforward and uncomplicated, without any twists.
The Myriad Demon Valley, a place of 'great fortune'? Mo Hua looked up towards the distance.
In the pitch-black night, the valley was covered with white bones, blood-soaked, and filled with ferocious demon cultivators. The air was heavy with sanguine and sinister demonic energy.
Whose idea of a 'fortunate' place looked like this?
Mo Hua didn't know what to say.
Could he have miscalculated on his first attempt? "But that shouldn't be the case..."
Just now, for that fleeting moment, Mo Hua felt as if he had communicated with the heavenly mechanisms and witnessed the vast web of causality between heaven and earth.
Although it was only for an instant, and he had only caught a glimpse, in that moment, he felt as if he had "penetrated the secrets of heaven, traced the threads of causality, and held the power to decide fortune and misfortune in his grasp." He felt incredibly powerful.
At the very least, in that moment, his calculation of heavenly secrets seemed flawless.
Even if he hadn't predicted it accurately, it shouldn't have been too far off the mark.
"Could it be that the Myriad Demon Valley only appears dangerous on the surface, but is actually a place filled with opportunities and good fortune?"
Mo Hua frowned and thought, "Never mind, regardless, I have to go there anyway."
"Since I've cast a divination and there's no sign of 'misfortune', I might as well go in and take a look..."
The copper coin was left to him by his master.
Even if he didn't believe in himself, he had to believe in his master!
Furthermore, speaking of which, there were originally three demon cultivator elders in the Myriad Demon Valley, and now two of them had left, leaving only one.
In theory, as long as he avoided this remaining demon cultivator elder, the dangers within the valley would decrease significantly.
And the Myriad Demon Valley seemed quite vast.
In such a large valley, he shouldn't be so unlucky as to be caught by this sole remaining demon cultivator elder...
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
On the path of white bones, the coffins containing Xiao Muto and Ling Huxiao were locked onto a cart and being pulled by several demon cultivators, gradually moving further and further away until they were almost out of sight.
Without further ado, Mo Hua set off immediately.
He employed the Little Five Elements Concealment Technique to hide his presence and wrapped himself in the divine formation from the painting, copying the formation sequence from the demon cultivators' black robes. He jumped down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground.
After landing, Mo Hua looked around to ensure there were no other demon cultivators nearby before cautiously stepping onto the white bone path.
The entire path was paved with white bones, making a crunching sound underfoot and giving off an eerie feeling.
However, thankfully, there were no other abnormalities.
Mo Hua continued forward, hiding his presence and concealing his figure as he walked along the white bone path.
The demon cultivator troupe was moving at a slow pace, and after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mo Hua caught sight of the coffin.
The coffin was tightly closed and locked onto the cart with iron chains, surrounded by demon cultivators.
"I need to find a way to sneak in..."
Mo Hua thought for a moment, and his gaze landed on another "demon cart" in the distance, with an iron cage on top containing a Black Bear Demon.
The Black Bear Demon was restrained by chains, its scarlet eyes fierce and filled with rage, its body straining against its bonds.
Mo Hua noticed that the chains binding the Black Bear Demon were inscribed with a formation.
These chains seemed to be regular chains, utilizing the "Golden Lock Formation" from the Five Elements system, and they appeared to be mass-produced.
It seemed that the demon cultivators had "procured" them from certain families... Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, and he stealthily made his way to the front, sticking close to the edge of the White Bone Path, and began tampering with the chains.
The oppressive atmosphere on the White Bone Path kept the demon cultivators' heads bowed in reverence as they walked, and they didn't notice Mo Hua's actions at first.
Ink marks appeared out of thin air, seeping into the chains binding the Black Bear Demon and altering the Golden Lock Formation inscribed on them.
In just a short moment, the formation was broken.
A faint light flashed, and the Golden Lock Formation failed.
The Black Bear Demon, whose ferocity had been suppressed by the chains, suddenly felt its restraints disappear in an instant.
Its eyes flashed with a crimson light, and it unleashed its violent nature.
A savage roar echoed along the oppressive White Bone Path.
The Black Bear Demon tore through its chains, broke open the cage, overturned the demon cart, and lunged at a nearby demon cultivator, biting off half of the cultivator's body.
Chaos erupted immediately.
"What's going on?"
"Damn it, how did this vicious beast break free?!"
"Quick!"
"Capture it!"
A group of demon cultivators immediately transformed, engaging in a fierce battle with the Black Bear Demon.
Mo Hua had already hidden himself far away.
The Black Bear Demon was extremely powerful, even among second-grade demon beasts, and its unleashed ferocity made it extremely difficult to deal with.
More and more demon cultivators were affected by the chaos.
The demon cultivators guarding Xiao Muto and the others had no choice but to join the fight, activating their demon patterns and transforming their bodies to battle the bear demon.
Taking advantage of the intense battle, Mo Hua seized the opportunity to sneak under the coffin cart.
After a while, the chaos subsided, and the Black Bear Demon was subdued.
However, two demon cultivators had perished in the skirmish.
One had half of his body bitten off by the Black Bear Demon.
The other had fallen from the White Bone Path into the blood creek during the fight, and his consciousness had become deranged, rendering him insane.
The other demon cultivators had no choice but to put him out of his misery.
With two deaths, one of the demon cultivators flew into a rage and wanted to slaughter the bear demon, but he was stopped.
"The Young Master said that these demon beasts must be kept alive. Do you want to die if you disobey his orders?"
"But, two people have died..."
Someone coldly smiled, "So what?
A demon cultivator examined the chains.
But they were shattered into pieces, the array patterns on them scattered and broken, leaving the demon cultivator unable to discern anything. He cursed, "Definitely some asshole being careless and not restraining this demon beast properly."
"Fuck, it almost killed me!"
"Next time, whoever dares to be sloppy, I'll flay their skin!"
"Alright!"
The oldest and most powerful demon cultivator among them spoke up with a cold voice, "Let's get going. No more idle chatter."
The group of demon cultivators suppressed their anger and bowed their heads.
"The gates of the Myriad Demon Valley are about to close..."
The demon cultivator spoke with a hoarse voice.
The other demon cultivators threw the corpses of the two dead demon cultivators down the cliff, then reorganized their formation and continued pulling the demon cart along the White Bone Path, heading deeper into the Myriad Demon Valley.
However, they were unaware that a "dangerous" little cultivator had sneaked onto the cart carrying the coffins...
...
In a forest within Refining Demon Mountain, the mountains and rocks were shattered, trees were toppled, and the ground was torn apart as if clawed by a ferocious beast.
The place was littered with remnants of battles between cultivators.
Xun Ziyou's face was solemn, the TaXu Sword floating in front of him. His entire body exuded a chilling sword intent, but his Daoist robe was torn in several places, revealing bloody wounds beneath.
The wounds were even tainted with demonic poison.
Beside him, the elder of Chongxu Gate had a pale face, a bloody gash across his chest and back, along with numerous other injuries. He gripped his sword with a trembling hand, clearly heavily wounded.
Facing them were two demon cultivators in the late Golden Core stage.
One of them had transformed into a bear demon, towering like a small mountain.
The other had a face like a venomous snake, hissing with a forked tongue.
These two demon cultivators also bore varying degrees of injuries, but their robust demonic energy was gradually healing them.
Both sides had been fighting relentlessly, sparing no tricks.
It was a battle to the death, with no room for mercy.
However, with Elder Chongxu heavily injured, Xun Ziyou was practically fighting two against one, which put him at a severe disadvantage.
At this moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Xun Ziyou's eyes turned cold as he asked in a low voice,
"You damned beasts, who exactly are you?"
The two demon cultivators gave him a sinister look but remained silent.
Xun Ziyou pointed his fingers, channeling his Golden Core spiritual energy to its peak. The sword intent around him merged with the sword light, shining like a galaxy of stars.
Within the TaXu Sect, the legacy of the Divine Sword True Manual had been lost, but some fragments of the sword intent remained.
However, cultivating sword intent was inherently challenging.
Xun Ziyou's mastery of sword intent was not flawless.
But at this moment, it was more than enough to deal with these two demon cultivators.
If he didn't go all out and take advantage of his strength as a sword cultivator, deciding the battle with a single strike, they would be in deep trouble.
Xun Ziyou's body was enveloped in sword intent.
The two Golden Core demon cultivators' expressions turned solemn.
Then, they exchanged a sinister smile and decided to take out the heavily wounded Chongxu Gate elder first before dealing with Xun Ziyou.
But just then, the moonlight flickered, the yin energy dissipated, and the demonic aura in the distant forest gradually faded away.
The two demon cultivators suddenly realized that time was running out and they couldn't afford to linger any longer.
The bear-like demon cultivator and the one with a snake-like face glanced at each other and nodded, no longer engaging in the battle and instead fleeing in a certain direction.
Their escape route was neither towards the dense forest nor the Myriad Demon Valley.
Instead, they were heading deeper into Refining Demon Mountain.
At this point, they absolutely couldn't return to the Myriad Demon Valley, or they would be leading outsiders into their lair, a fatal mistake.
Their only option was to head towards the inner mountains.
The inner mountains were treacherous, filled with third-grade demon beasts, providing the perfect hiding place.
Xun Ziyou was about to give chase when he was suddenly stopped by the Chongxu Gate elder.
"Save the people first!"
Xun Ziyou was taken aback.
The Chongxu Gate elder's face was bitter as he said, "I failed to protect Xiao'er..."
Xun Ziyou's eyes narrowed, "What exactly happened?"
The Chongxu Gate elder shook his head, his face pale as paper, and said through gritted teeth,
"I don't have time to explain... We must find him first. If we can't, I will have committed an unforgivable sin. I won't be able to face the ancestors of the Chongxu Gate..."
Xun Ziyou's expression turned solemn as he nodded, "Alright!"
Then he asked, "Where did that child go?"
The Chongxu Gate elder pointed in a direction, "A group of demon cultivators seemed to have captured Xiao'er and fled towards the west..."
Xun Ziyou followed the direction of his finger, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
That direction led straight to the dense forest and, ultimately, the Myriad Demon Valley!
Had the demon cultivators taken Ling Hu Xiao to the Myriad Demon Valley?
Xun Ziyou's pupils constricted, and a bad feeling arose in his heart. Suddenly, he recalled that he, too, had an important mission.
He immediately took out the TaXu Token.
Amidst the life-and-death battle with the two powerful demon cultivators, he had been too focused to pay attention to the token.
Now, he immersed his spiritual sense into it and was greeted by a flood of messages:
"Elder Xun, are you alright...?"
"Are you back?"
"Elder Xun, something big has happened!"
"The demon cultivators captured Ouyang Mu from the Tai Ah Gate and Ling Hu Xiao from the Chongxu Gate, and they're heading towards the Myriad Demon Valley..."
"Hey, Elder Xun, are you there?"
"I'll try to sneak into the Myriad Demon Valley first..."
Xun Ziyou's scalp went numb, and his face turned ashen.
He was done for; he would also have committed an unforgivable sin, failing the ancestors of the TaXu Sect...
His hands trembled slightly as he sent a message to Mo Hua, "Mo Hua..."
"Are you alright...?"
"Have... you entered the Myriad Demon Valley?"
There was a moment of silence before a response came from the other side.
Xun Ziyou's heart sank, and he felt like he had fallen into an ice cave, his hands and feet turning cold.
Just when he was on the verge of despair, the TaXu Token trembled.
Xun Ziyou's heart, which had almost stopped, skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head to look.
On the TaXu Token, a message from Mo Hua appeared:
"Yes, I've successfully sneaked in!"
"Everything is safe."
Below the message, Mo Hua had used magnetic ink to draw a smiling face: :)
.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
