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“Strange.”
Having walked through the Earth Sacrifice level for so long, Qi Lin noticed that something was increasingly wrong.
The surrounding scenery seemed to be unchanging and maintained just about the same appearance as before. The mountains, streams, plans, and fields were all like a quiet landscape portrait. Qi Lin felt he was under an illusion, as if he had walked in the wrong place.
According to logic, the Earth Sacrifice level should have a path that lead to the final Heaven Sacrifice level.
But as far as the eye could see, Qi Lin was unable to find anything that could possibly be considered an entrance.
The duo stopped to rest. Su Xuesha cultivated while Qi Lin took out the journal that Wu Gu had given him. The Ten Shamans had not actually entered the Heaven Sacrifice level. They also apparently ran into difficulties, for the journal recorded a “marsh without water, that is, kun.1 The gentleman will thus sacrifice his life to succeed in his endeavor.” This was the kun trigram, one of the Four Great Inauspicious Trigrams. The one who received this would fall into a kun state, where all endeavors failed. It was necessary to stick to the correct path and bide for an opportunity.
In the end, the Ten Shamans ran out of patience waiting for this opportunity and dismissed thoughts of entering the Heaven Sacrifice level.
“However, this time, the Ten Shamans have mustered a large force. Perhaps there is something mysterious inside…” Qi Lin sat down and carefully pondered, organizing a network of events. In his mind, he saw every detail.
“The kun trigram, kun…” Qi Lin muttered to himself, and an idea vaguely took shape.
…
Meanwhile, the Ten Shamans Of Spirit Mountain halted their advance in front of a wide structure for sacrifices.
With Wu Xian as the leader, the other seven Wu’s stood in each of the directions, forming an array around the empty structure.
“Was there not an abnormality, are we not in a hurry to the Heaven Sacrifice level? What are you all doing?” Yang Jian frowned, not understanding their actions. “Should we not be be in a hurry to find the entrance?”
“The Earth Sacrifice and Heaven Sacrifice levels are worlds apart. There is no entrance.” Wu Xian opened her eyes, her tone flat.
“No entrance?”
“The Earth Sacrifice level has greatly inauspicious qi. The kun trigram’s form traps it, and to dispel this trigram, the only way is to wait. Marsh without water, that is, kun. The gentleman will thus sacrifice his life to succeed in his endeavor.” Wu Xian slowly said.
Yang Jian showed displeasure and asked that she speak plain.
“This place is the Earth Sacrifice level. To reach the Heaven Sacrifice level, it is necessary to offer tribute. We have drawn in so many cultivators. So long as these cultivators who have trained in Primordial True Qi die here, their True Qi and souls will merge with the inauspicious form. When the sacrifice is complete, we can the use the power of the ‘illusionary feather’ to enter the Heaven Sacrifice level.” Wu Peng explained.
“Are you certain?” Yang Jian was still skeptical of geomancy.
“The Shaman Clan’s geomancy knows all under Heaven. Yang Jian, you should not look down on it.”
Yang Jian pursed her lips and shook her head: “The Immemorial Royal Family was fond of the mystery within mysteries of geomancy, but what is the point.”
The Ten Shamans were silent.
Yang Jian sat to the side and quietly observed them: “Now wonder you all were so bold as to dare reveal the illusionary feather to everyone. It turned out you already knew they were unable to proceed.”
“Of course, those greedy cultivators are nothing more than tributes for the White Emperor.” Wu Xian faintly grinned.
Yang Jian was indifferent to the life and death of other people, but this Changliu had actually been been so ceremonious and mysterious, she was left very curious. This place’s layers of mechanisms, myriad traps, mysteries in mysteries, if not for the Great Shaman Clan that had some understanding of geomancy, perhaps no one would be able to dispel it.
White Emperor Shaohao was among the Five Emperors that shook the world, and she was dressed in white armor that surpassed snow, clear as ice and clean as jade, an absolute beauty.
Her gaze could freeze all marvels in the world.
Yang Jian was honestly unable to understand why this woman who awed the Primordial would construct such an elaborate ruin in a remote corner of the Western Sea. Could it be merely to conceal the peerless mount, the “Illusionary Flying Snow?”
Vaguely, Yang Jian felt there was apparently an even more mysterious existence inside.
This mystery even already surpassed her interest in hunting the Great Sage Equal Of Heaven.
…
On an ocean in the Earth Sacrifice level, Western Sea God Yan Zi quietly floated atop the surface. The surrounding seawater transformed into dragons that guarded her and swam around her. The Western Sea God Cult’s deacons Fuyunzi and others watched from afar.
The Western Sea God Cult’s acolytes hurried to and fro, relaying all information about the Earth Sacrifice level.
“What is the matter, how are the Ten Shamans?”
“Reporting to Lord God, they apparently are already preparing to bide their time.”
“En.”
“Lord God, is the entrance to the Heaven Sacrifice level unable to be opened even with Lord God’s Divine Energy?” Fuyunzi asked.
“This place is too mysterious, and it uses the secret arts of the Immemorial Royal Family. This Lord God still needs more time to comprehend at the current stage…” Pausing, Western Sea God Yan Zi said: “However, there is no helping it. So long as we enter the Heaven Sacrifice level, This Lord God can fully grasp this Divine Energy…Hmph.”
“Lord God is wise.”
The others were deferential as they stood to the side.”
“Prepare the ‘Divine Image.'”
“As you command.”
…
Unaware of bloom, unaware of wither, unaware of the flow of time.
In his long deliberations,, it seemed a century had passed in the blink of an eye. Qi Lin slowly opened his eyes – The upper trigram was dui, dui was marsh; the lower trigram was kan, kan was water. Water seeped to the bottom of the marsh, and the middle of the marsh was barren. This was the kun trigram’s form. The gentleman that saw this trigram should use this hardship to improve himself, to become stronger even in weakness, and to sacrifice even his own life to realize his ambitions.
So it turned out that the kun trigram is related to water, after all.
Qi Lin comprehended this bit. His pores opened, firstly to release true qi like a stream, then form a river and billows. The perfectly round Golden Core Fourth Trigram behind surprisingly flowed like a river.
“You already refined the Fourth Trigram from the Origin Taiji Pill.” Su Xuesha was somewhat astonished at Qi Lin’s rapid comprehension.
“En.”
Qi Lin nodded. The “marsh” trigram of Golden Core was already complete.
Qi Lin flipped open the journal in his hands. This journal’s records were very detailed. Other than the records of the Ten Shamans’ entry route, there were also some records of spirit medicines, ores, and valuable Demon Beasts. However, because some of these spirit medicines, ores, and Demon Beasts originated from the Primal Chaos Heavenly Court period, the Ten Shamans’ records were limited. As he flipped through them, a fish’s name entered Qi Lin’s eyes.
“Ranyi!!”
Ranyi.
In the Yingdi Mountains, where the water flowed and pooled at Lingyang Marsh, there were many Ranyi fish. They had fish bodies, snake heads, and six feet. They had eyes shaped like horse ears and were ill-suited as sustenance.
“That’s not right, the Classic of Mountains and Seas says that the Ranyi can guard against disasters. Since this place is greatly inauspicious with a kun trigram, perhaps these Ranyi can help.” Qi Lin brainstormed and very quickly devised a way to open the path.
And according to the kun trigram’s imagery, dui on top and marsh on bottom, its relation to water, the Ranyi just so happened to be in the water.
“Su Xuesha, let’s go to the river.” Qi Lin noticed this mystery and could hardly conceal his delight.
“What for??” Su Xuesha asked.
“En, let’s go for a dip together!”
“…”
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