The terrain rose and fell, a thousand peaks soaring upward, forming a tableau of the primordial Eight Trigrams branded upon the earth — a magnificent and grand sight.
Stone mountains predominated, with occasional ancient trees rooted between rocky crags, their deep green all the more vivid by contrast. A stalk or two of secluded orchid filled the valley with delicate fragrance — an atmosphere of extraordinary stillness.
The group pressed dozens of li inward, none daring to be careless. The Divine Reckoner was also considered an extraordinary figure of his age, and the place where he had chosen to live in seclusion was highly peculiar — those who blundered into its arcane formations might become hopelessly lost.
The Heavenly Mechanism was obscured, a vast chaos — this was the result of the Old Blind Man’s several attempts to divine with a tortoiseshell. Nothing could be made out, as though they stood in a place where heaven and earth had not yet opened.
“If only the tomb raider were here — otherwise let him dig a passage, and with this Emperor’s knowledge to guide him, the road ahead would be completely unobstructed.” The Black Emperor said.
After advancing more than a hundred li, fog rose — thick and heavy, obscuring everything beyond a few meters. It was deeply uncanny. The mountains were utterly hushed, without a single sound.
Among their company, not only Ye Fan had cultivated the Heavenly Eye — the Black Emperor opened his third vertical eye and could also gaze across hundreds of li into the distance, yet at this moment it could not pierce through.
The gray mist rose with an eeriness that defied reason, as though they had come upon the road to the Yellow Springs — each step drawing closer to the Nine Depths of the Underworld, as though they were about to push open a door of forbidden things.
“Why do I feel like I’m walking straight to my own death — step by step into the land of the dead?” Li Tian said.
“Indeed — it feels like walking a road of no return, as though we are about to open the gates of hell.” Yan Yixi shared the same illusion.
Ahead, the path had vanished. A doorway appeared, awaiting people to push it open. The hairs on everyone’s skin stood up, cold air seeping inward through every pore, their flesh going cold.
“Has an actual door truly appeared?” The Old Blind Man’s heart sank. He attempted to divine once more — and again came away with nothing.
“This is an ancient formation, concealing the Heavenly Mechanism.” The big black dog said, baring its teeth, feeling that it had met a worthy adversary, and began to examine the situation with careful deliberation.
“Open your Divine Daughter Cauldron — a weapon of a great human sage can cut off the Heavenly Mechanism.” The Old Blind Man refused to concede, and asked Yan Yixi to take out the cauldron and cast the divination within it.
The holy cauldron was unadorned and naturally simple, but at the slightest activation it would become crystalline and radiant, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. The tortoiseshell fell with a series of cracking sounds, and at last a hexagram emerged.
“The road ahead is a great omen of misfortune!” The Old Blind Man furrowed his brow.
“This is no simple matter. This person has mastered formation scripts and is versed in ancient methods — a worthy opponent.” The big black dog said, its expression turning grave.
“It is not merely a matter of formation scripts. He truly can pinch and calculate — he already knows we have come.” The Old Blind Man said.
Ancient and modern formation scripts were beyond count, but those who had grasped their essence were far too few. The Divine Reckoner was without doubt a figure of the absolute pinnacle — profoundly skilled, capable of changing the very heavens and earth.
“We have met our match!” The big black dog bared its teeth, and with a powerful charge smashed open the door ahead — as though it had thrown open the Nine Depths of the Underworld, and all manner of wailing sounds came pouring in from before them.
“It is all illusion — no need to worry, everyone. Watch how this Emperor breaks through it.” The big black dog hurled in all manner of formation banners, along with phoenix soil, astral stones, and other necessary materials for breaking formations, and altered the formation’s configuration.
After waiting a long while, the doorway vanished. The way ahead opened wide, and even the fog had thinned, revealing a stone forest.
“This Emperor takes the field — there is no formation this Emperor cannot crack.” The Black Emperor boasted shamelessly.
“Be careful. He can extrapolate the Heavenly Mechanism, and what he knows is surely not limited to this.” Ye Fan reminded it — warning it not to get carried away.
The big black dog was imperious, swaggering forward with head held high. “When this Emperor handles things, you can rest easy.”
The group exchanged glances. Could this dog be trusted? With its temperament, could they follow it in without something going wrong?
Woof! Woof! Woof!
In just an instant, the big black dog that had entered the stone forest suddenly stood with every black hair on its body bristling straight up, as though it had been struck by lightning, and came fleeing back out.
“What the— woof! There’s a ghost in there!” The big black dog fled for its life, its bare tail held high and stiff — hoist a flag on it and it would make a fine flagpole.
Clank clank clank!
Iron chains rattled violently as a disheveled old crone came charging out from the depths of the stone forest, her four limbs pierced through by chains, in pursuit of the Black Emperor — white hair flying wildly, expression ferocious and twisted.
“Oww!” The Black Emperor screamed. The old crone had seized its bare tail and taken a bite out of it, and every hair on its body stood up in a bristling puff.
Boom!
Seeing this, Ye Fan moved at once, offering up the Golden Seal — it expanded to the size of a millstone, its silver light blazing, shattering heaven and earth as it slammed squarely into the old crone.
Clank clank clank!
The iron chains rang incessantly as the old crone was sent flying horizontally, smashing into the depths of the stone forest. Her body had not been split in two — she let out a low, guttural screech.
The Black Emperor had fled out in a state of utter terror, every black hair on its body still bristling. “This Emperor was scared half to death — how did she just suddenly appear like that?”
The group was all speechless. This scoundrel had absolutely brought it on itself — supremely self-confident and boastful just moments ago, and now chased right back out with someone on its tail end.
“What the — this Emperor was bitten by a person.” The Black Emperor, somewhat calmer now, immediately began hopping about in fury. “Not in however many tens of thousands of years has anyone dared bite me!”
That was certainly true. In ordinary times it was always it that bit others — even Ye Fan, when he had just come to know it, had been bitten by this dog no small number of times, and had harbored a sky-full of grievances about it for a period.
“Then go bite back.”
“I’d die of fright — I was bitten by a ghost, and now I’m supposed to go bite the ghost back?” The Black Emperor was thoroughly indignant, and then said: “This falls outside this Emperor’s professional specialty. The fat tomb-raiding thief should have been called here — this is his area of expertise.”
Li Tian muttered: “I seem to recall the saying is ‘just consider it a dog bite — you wouldn’t go bite the dog back,’ or something to that effect.”
“What do you mean by that?” The big black dog bared its teeth and gave Li Tian a bite.
“What the — why are you biting me? Save that for the old granny over there.”
“Enough of this. We have entered the Divine Reckoner’s trap. This is no stone forest at all — it is a stretch of underground stone caves.” The Old Blind Man said.
Ye Fan’s heart clenched. He carefully observed with his Heavenly Eye and then drew in a sharp breath of cold air. The formation scripts were so ingenious they could even deceive the Heavenly Eye — this was without question a peerless divine formation.
Without realizing it, they had entered an underground world — a stretch of stone caves, densely sinister and dim. Up ahead was a stone chamber, and an old crone like a malevolent ghost was bound in iron chains, struggling incessantly, trying to charge toward them.
“This Emperor fell for it. Breaking the formation just now was genuine — the main thing is that after taking that step I was transported underground. The illusory surroundings then deceived all of us.” The Black Emperor said.
“This is an ancient corpse — formidably powerful in life, now transformed into a spectral soldier, imprisoned here by someone. This stretch of mountain terrain is truly no simple matter.” The Old Blind Man said.
“The teleportation formation is inside the old crone’s stone chamber. That place is the one and only life-gate of the ancient formation — she must be eliminated before we can escape the underground world.” The Black Emperor said.
“Leave it to me.” Yan Yixi spoke up. Holding the Divine Daughter Cauldron in her hands, she gave it a gentle shake — the weapon of the ancient Great Sage awakened slowly, and then shot forth a single strand of firelight.
Boom!
In life, this old crone had been a peak-stage royal, and after transforming into a spectral soldier, her physical body had become indestructible to a terrifying degree — yet beneath the Divine Daughter Cauldron, she was instantly reduced to fine dust.
Upon returning to the surface once more, the fog was still thick and heavy — a murky gray expanse, the sky completely invisible overhead, as though they had come to the land of the dead.
“This Emperor is operating at twelve parts alertness. This time there will definitely be no mistakes.” The Black Emperor said.
They were not particularly worried, after all — they had the Divine Daughter Cauldron in hand. A weapon refined for the Ancestor of Cultivating the Dao by the Heng Yu Great Emperor: one might say it was, if not the strongest below a sovereign weapon, then very close to it.
“Remarkable — Primordial Chaos energy swirls here. This place is on the verge of becoming primeval ground.” The Old Blind Man said.
“This is where dragon veins converge.” Ye Fan’s heart stirred. He said: “Let me lead the way.” And so saying, he walked forward. Source Heaven Dao patterns flickered beneath his feet — the very earth shifted and changed positions in an endless reshuffling, and all manner of formation patterns were dissolved.
The Black Emperor watched with its jaw dropped. “The young fellow is quite capable — to break divine formations this way. I absolutely must borrow the Source Heaven Scripture for a look.”
“Have you attained the realm of a Source Heaven Master?” The Old Blind Man also asked in astonishment.
“There is still some distance to go. And even upon reaching that realm, it would not be the endpoint — I have seen the Source Arts of Ancestor Zhang Lin, which absolutely transcend the Source Heaven Master tier. Upon reaching that level, the Source Arts become Dao principles, on par with sages.”
In that moment, Ye Fan transformed into a landscape of mountains and rivers, the great mountains rumbling and shifting in endless movement, parting to open a broad path — a breathtaking sight.
In the end, he stopped short, not daring to act rashly, for the formation patterns ahead were too profound and abstruse. He was not yet a Source Heaven Master, and dared not move carelessly.
“Heavens — this is… a corner of a Great Emperor’s formation pattern. The Divine Reckoner actually knows this much!” The Black Emperor was shocked. It pondered at length before finally making a move.
The big black dog gave it everything this time, directly carving out a corner of the Wushi Killing Formation, and launched a powerful offensive to force open this densely layered field of Dao patterns.
Across this stretch of stone mountains, the aura of an ancient Great Emperor permeated the air, and endless killing intent rose up, sweeping across the nine heavens above.
“This is difficult — this old fellow knows a truly staggering amount. He has used all manner of famous ancient formations as supplementary support, pushing this corner of the Great Emperor formation pattern to its absolute limit.”
The big black dog stood upright in a large floral-patterned short trousers, one large paw folded across its chest, the other continuously rubbing its chin, thinking for a very long time.
Boom!
However, at that very moment, the ancient formation patterns ahead suddenly vanished. Two great mountains shifted apart, revealing a broad open road — and all the fog throughout the mountains dissolved entirely.
“Hmm — they’ve abandoned their defenses. Can it be they have conceded?” The Black Emperor was uncertain and apprehensive, fearing some trick lay within.
At the end of the road, a pair of children came forward timidly and hesitantly — delicate and frail as they gently opened their mouths and said: “Please stop your attacks. Our Ancestral Master invites you inside.”
One was a boy and one a girl, both appearing to be around eleven or twelve years old, wearing Daoist robes, lips red and teeth white, very beautiful, and possessed of an innately ethereal quality — unlike ordinary people, resembling spirit-child attendants from the immortal realm.
“These two…” The Old Blind Man’s expression changed dramatically on the spot. He nearly lunged forward to embrace the pair of children, startling the jade-like Daoist children and making them step back nervously.
“What is it?” Ye Fan asked.
“These are spirit children — born to extrapolate the Heavenly Mechanism. In a thousand, even ten thousand generations, such a pair is rarely encountered. Born together as two, even the act of revealing Heavenly Secrets has a means of withstanding the tribulation.” The Old Blind Man said excitedly.
The beautiful, fair-skinned boy and girl looked like siblings, for their brows and the corners of their eyes bore a strong resemblance. Upon hearing this, they both took a few steps back, looking somewhat frightened.
“Our Ancestral Master invites you inside.” They opened their mouths in small voices.
“The Divine Reckoner is truly no ordinary figure — even spirit children such as these have been found by him. This is truly defying the heavens.” The Old Blind Man exclaimed in admiration.
Up ahead, there was no grand palace or soaring hall, nor any vast cavern dwelling. Instead there was a stretch of tranquil and pure ground, its scenery beautiful.
Flowing springs and flying waterfalls, verdant vines and creepers, a small bridge over a flowing brook, a pavilion and a small kiosk — a return to nature.
In the depths of a bamboo grove stood several thatched cottages — simple and returning to true simplicity, like a secluded immortal realm beyond the world, inviting the mind to wander and muse.
Before the thatched cottages, an elderly Daoist with snow-white hair and beard sat in a cross-legged position on a rush cushion. Seeing the group arrive, he rose and said: “Distinguished guests have come to my door. Forgive me for not having gone out to welcome you.”
This was without question a remarkable figure of his age — possessed of an immortal air, untouched by the mundane world, seeming not to belong to this realm of red dust. The group had come as an armed party seeking to settle accounts, yet at this moment they all, in a most unusual fashion, grew quiet and calm.
The Divine Reckoner invited the group to be seated, recited a Daoist salutation, and said: “This poor Daoist knows what you have come for.”
“Of course you know — your lineage has plotted and schemed against us time and again, and now the reckoning has come.” The big black dog said.
“The person you seek is the father of these two children. He passed away two years ago.” The elderly Daoist let out a long sigh.
At his back, the eyes of the beautiful little sibling pair — lips red, teeth white — immediately reddened. They wiped their tears with the wide sleeves of their Daoist robes, appearing very fragile and pitiable.
In those past days, one of the Divine Reckoner’s prized disciples had carried out meticulous calculations against Ye Fan — had Pang Bo not returned the Divine Whip to him in time to conceal his vital energy, he would have been seized by the people of the Yin-Yang Sect.
“Who would believe that? How could the timing be so convenient?” The Black Emperor refused to accept it.
“This poor Daoist would not speak falsely. There are things in this heaven and earth that must not be extrapolated, and there are Heavenly Secrets that must not be revealed. If they are, heavenly punishment will surely follow.” The Divine Reckoner said with a heavy heart.
The Old Blind Man nodded. He was a person of this same field, and naturally understood the various forbidden things within it.
“This poor Daoist will also be meeting with calamity before long. Most likely, after you depart, great misfortune will descend upon this place. I have been careful and cautious all my life, yet in the end I have still revealed some Heavenly Secrets — said things that should not have been said — and am about to meet my tribulation. These two children may inherit my mantle. You may take them away, and I ask that you treat them well.”
Ye Fan and the others were in a daze. They had not expected that coming here they would hear the Divine Reckoner settling his final affairs — it was contrary to their original purpose.
At this moment, they all felt a degree of reverence. This was without question a remarkable figure of his age. Setting aside his cultivation, his various means of extrapolating the Heavenly Mechanism alone were probably enough to shake both ancient times and the present.
“Ancestral Master, please don’t leave us — Father has already departed, sob sob…” The two children wept loudly.
The Divine Reckoner had taken in more than a dozen disciples, and nearly all of them had not met with a good end. Only two or three were still alive in this world, and even they were in precarious circumstances.
“It is my fault. I only valued their aptitude but neglected to assess their character — none of them were people who could strictly discipline themselves. They would calculate out the Heavenly Mechanism, yet could not keep it hidden, and spoke it aloud — and so in the end, great calamity fell upon them all.” The Divine Reckoner, who transcended mundane affairs entirely, shed tears as they rolled down his face — and this made the sight feel all the more extraordinary, moving everyone present to the depths of their hearts.
The father of these pair of children had been his youngest disciple, possessed of extraordinary aptitude and talent. Because he had owed the Yin-Yang Sect a great favor, he had extrapolated everything about Ye Fan more than a decade ago, lending them his assistance.
“Surely merely calculating one person’s fate should not invite heavenly punishment — yet he departed this world because of it?” The Old Blind Man asked.
“Calculating one person’s destiny is naturally of no consequence. It was because he extrapolated a forbidden domain that he met with calamitous disaster.” The Divine Reckoner sighed.
“The founding ancestor of the Northern Region’s Source King lineage — he was one step away from becoming the sixth Source Heaven Master in history, only to encounter ill omens in his later years. In the small hours of a night two years ago, all manner of wailing sounds and ghostly cries echoed throughout their clan. That founding ancestor vanished. My father was invited to help extrapolate the cause — and in that deep night… sob sob sob…” The two children wept even as they spoke.
“A Source Heaven Master…” Ye Fan’s heart gave a jolt. This curse could not be broken — after so many years had passed, even a person who had come within one step of reaching that realm had encountered ill omens in his later years. It stirred great agitation within him.
“In this world, there are truly things that must not be spoken carelessly, for to do so invites great calamity.” The Divine Reckoner was deeply saddened.
“Did that disciple of yours extrapolate the various secrets of the Source Heaven Master’s later years?”
“And what Heavenly Secrets did you yourself reveal that now threatens you with great tribulation?”
The group pressed urgently.
“I could not endure the solitude and extrapolated the secrets of an ancient Great Emperor — it is only natural that I have invited great calamity.” The Divine Reckoner said.
Boom!
The moment his words fell, a thunderous boom rang out through heaven and earth, and a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, blasting apart the thatched cottage. In its place appeared a pitch-black hole of unfathomable depth — terrifying beyond description.
The two children were so frightened they wept loudly, trembling like startled deer, clinging to each other, looking utterly pathetic and wretched.
“Do you see? My great calamity is nearly upon me — the tribulation may fall at any moment.” The Divine Reckoner smiled, as though he had seen through all the things of the world, and lifted his eyes toward the boundless sky above.