Chapter 436: Three Possibilities

"The Immortal of Time has a terrible knack for naming things. He came up with the Name of Early Heaven Eight Trigrams, while the latter three were christened by this Immortal herself. Tell me, don't the names I bestowed sound far more pleasing to the ear?"

The Immortal Fairy’s contributions to the Eight Trigrams theory were not merely confined to waving flags and shouting encouragement; she had actually participated in the most crucial step of all: the naming process.

Lu Yang nodded against his better conscience: "...Indeed, the names of the latter three are quite popular and easy to understand."

"The Eight Trigrams theory is an orthodox branch of time magic. To say it encompasses all phenomena in the universe is no exaggeration. Early Heaven observes the past, Today governs the present, and Tomorrow divines the future. These three represent the past, present, and future, forming an inseparable whole."

"As for Acquired Heaven, it represents the unpredictable and distant future, where whatever is divined is merely one possibility among many. It is the hardest to master. Even the Immortal of Time himself dared not claim he could predict events of the remote future, for the variables are simply too vast."

"Deploying a formation using the Eight Trigrams theory is a strategy mapped across the dimension of time itself, which is why cultivators of the same realm find it nigh impossible to deduce a way to break it."

Hearing the Immortal Fairy explain it this way, Lu Yang felt the prestige of the Eight Trigrams theory instantly restored.

"No wonder the formation masters argue endlessly over Early Heaven and Acquired Heaven without ever reaching a conclusion. It turns out they haven't even crossed the threshold." Lu Yang had inadvertently solved a conundrum that had plagued the world of formations for three hundred thousand years.

To say nothing of how to apply Early Heaven and Acquired Heaven, they had not even grasped the correct direction; this was a theory of time magic.

If Lu Yang were to publish these research findings, it would undoubtedly send shockwaves through the formation world, and even Old Man Ba, a master of the craft, would have to serve him tea and pour his water.

Time magic was obscure and difficult to comprehend, the most arduous magic to learn under the heavens. Even with a talent as formidable as the Immortal Fairy's, she had only managed to learn how to predict the weather.

And with a talent as formidable as Lu Yang's, he had only managed to learn how to "predict a future that would never happen."

Meanwhile, the various formation masters were still squabbling over what kind of formation was being deployed in Hanshui City and what its theoretical basis could be.

"Enough, stop this clamor!"

Governor Lü roared, finally intimidating the bickering formation masters into silence.

If they were allowed to continue their dispute, the Dayu cultivators would have fully activated the formation before these masters could ever argue their way to a conclusion.

"Master Fang, you are a master of Early Heaven. According to your theory, what is the purpose of the formation deployed by the Dayu cultivators, and how should it be broken?"

Master Fang cut an ethereal and transcendent figure, his three strands of white beard lending him quite a dignified air: "For the time being, I have not discerned the purpose of the city's formation."

"But the key to breaking it lies in the formation eye. In my view, the eye is located at the Hundred Flowers Restaurant. The urgent priority is to seal off the restaurant. If there are fierce ghosts inside, it will validate my hypothesis!"

Governor Lü turned to another formation master: "Master Miao, you are a master of Acquired Heaven formations. In your view, what is the purpose of the formation deployed by the Dayu cultivators, and how should it be broken?"

"The formation in Hanshui City possesses the power to reverse Acquired Heaven and invert Yin and Yang, though I know not what it intends to invert. The key to breaking it is also the formation eye. What puzzles me is that the location of the eye sits right at the entrance of the Corpse Driving Sect. There should be a fierce ghost serving as the eye there, perhaps possessing the ability to conceal itself, hiding right under the nose of the Corpse Driving Sect!"

Master Miao knew it not, but Governor Lü knew that with Huang Ming acting as a mole within the Corpse Driving Sect, planting a fierce ghost as a formation eye would be no difficult task.

"Master Ren, what about you? You claim this is neither an Acquired Heaven nor an Early Heaven formation, but rather the Dayu cultivators subverting Yin and Yang?"

"Precisely. Yin and Yang are thrown out of balance, a myriad of ghosts march, and chaos reigns in the city. I only wonder what the Dayu cultivators intend to seize this opportunity to accomplish. Our current strategy must be to accelerate the elimination of these fierce ghosts."

Governor Lü fell into deep thought. Master Ren did not know what would happen if chaos consumed the city, but he did. Hanshui City was the core of Huang Province. If Hanshui City fell into chaos and the people's hearts grew unsettled, it would shake the very power of the dynastic providence of the entire province.

"Do any other masters offer a different insight?" Governor Lü looked toward the remaining formation masters who had not yet spoken.

The other masters shook their heads; their views generally fell within these three schools of thought. Seeing no other possibilities, Governor Lü swiftly made his decision and began assigning tasks to everyone: "Resolving the Early Heaven and Acquired Heaven theories is not difficult. Sect Master Qiu, I must trouble you to head to the Hundred Flowers Restaurant to investigate and see if there is any anomaly."

If the Hundred Flowers Restaurant truly was the formation eye, it would certainly harbor a malicious ghost of the Great Ghost King rank, making it exceedingly perilous.

Governor Lü counted it a blessing that Qiu Jin'an had come to Hanshui City; he was a tremendous boon.

For a hazardous location like a formation eye, it would be safest to dispatch a team of three to five Soul Integration stage cultivators. Yet at this moment, how could he spare so many of that realm for the restaurant? Fortunately, Qiu Jin'an alone could match three to five Soul Integration cultivators.

"Very well, I shall go at once," Qiu Jin'an accepted the task, perfectly calm and unhurried.

He did not feel in the least that there would be any danger even if the Hundred Flowers Restaurant proved to be the formation eye.

"As for the matter of the Corpse Driving Sect, since Sect Master Lu is in secluded cultivation, let Elder Gai thoroughly investigate the entire sect!"

Governor Lü summoned a subordinate, ordering him to rush to the Corpse Driving Sect to explain the situation immediately.

With Sect Master Lu in seclusion, Elder Gai was the sect master in all but name.

Governor Lü did not send Zhao Po to deliver the message; Zhao Po's cultivation was too low and his speed too slow, and they needed to race against the clock.

Immediately after, he summoned Huang Province's Sima, An Ping: "Old An, we cannot rely solely on the disciples of the Corpse Driving Sect to do the work. Deploy more manpower and conduct a carpet search. We must resolve the ghost calamity in Hanshui City in the shortest time possible!"

"Understood!"

Once all matters were assigned, Governor Lü breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

Governor Lü did not forget to arrange for Lu Yang and his three companions: "Hanshui City is unsafe right now. You four shall stay at the manor for the time being. When this matter concludes, I will request Sect Master Qiu to escort you back."

The four of them offered to go out and help slay ghosts, but Governor Lü felt their identities were too special. If anything befell them, it would be difficult to account to the Dao Seeking Sect. He firmly refused, leaving Lu Yang and his companions with no choice but to remain at the governor's manor.

"What? You say Huang Ming is a Dayu cultivator who dispersed his cultivation to train anew!" When Elder Gai learned of this, the veins on his forehead bulged, and he flew into a thunderous rage.

The back mountain of the Corpse Driving Sect shook; that was where his true body resided.

Huang Ming was a Dayu spy, yet he had brazenly taken first place in the grand sect tournament. This was practically a stain upon the Corpse Driving Sect, an embarrassment to anyone who spoke of it!

"Governor Lü's request for a self-investigation is giving our sect a chance. Search thoroughly! We must search with absolute rigor!"

Elder Gai summoned the other three elders and informed them of the matter. Their reactions mirrored his own; they had to comb through the Corpse Driving Sect from top to bottom to see if Huang Ming had left any traps behind.

"Oh? Meng Tian and Huang Ming can no longer be reached. I sensed Soul Integration cultivators clashing outside the city. Did Meng Tian expose himself, fight with Great Xia cultivators, and get captured?"

"If that is the case, our plan will soon be brought to light. Since it has come to this, we can only strike first to gain the upper hand."

Within a secret chamber, a figure slowly rose to his feet, a confident smile curling at the corners of his lips.

And from his body radiated a powerful aura that not even those at the peak of the Soul Integration stage could possess.

The second update is at eleven o'clock.

(End of chapter)