Three Possibilities

"Immortal Suiyue was terrible at naming things. He came up with Early Heaven Bagua, but the names of the latter three Baguas were given by this immortal! Aren't the names this immortal chose much nicer than his?" The Immortal Fairy's contribution to Bagua theory had not merely been cheering from the sidelines; she had even taken part in the most crucial stage: the naming. Lu Yang nodded against his conscience. "...Indeed. The names of the latter three Baguas are simple and easy to understand." "Bagua theory is an orthodox time spellcraft. To say it encompasses all phenomena under heaven is no exaggeration. The Early Heaven Bagua observes the past, the Today Bagua grasps the present, and the Tomorrow Bagua divines the future. These three represent antiquity, the present, and the future, forming a single whole. "The Later Heaven Bagua, on the other hand, represents the unpredictable distant future. What it divines is merely a possibility, making it the most difficult to master. Even Immortal Suiyue wouldn't dare claim he could predict events of the distant future—there are simply too many variables. "Deploying an array with Bagua theory means plotting across the dimension of time, which is why cultivators of the same rank find it nearly impossible to deduce a way to crack it." Hearing the Immortal Fairy explain it like this, Lu Yang felt the Bagua theory's prestige instantly return. *No wonder the array masters have argued endlessly over Early Heaven and Later Heaven Bagua without any results. It turns out they haven't even stepped through the doorway yet.* Lu Yang had unwittingly solved a conundrum that had perplexed the array world for three hundred thousand years. Never mind how to apply Early Heaven and Later Heaven Bagua—they hadn't even headed in the right direction. This was a theory of time spellcraft! If Lu Yang were to publish these research findings, it would undoubtedly shock the array world, and even Old Ba, an expert in arrays, would be serving tea and pouring water for him. Time spells were obscure and difficult to comprehend, the hardest magic under heaven to learn. Someone as exceptionally talented as the Immortal Fairy had only managed to learn weather forecasting. And someone as exceptionally talented as Lu Yang had only learned how to "predict a future that will not happen." At that moment, the array masters were still arguing over what kind of array had been deployed in Hanshui City and what its theoretical foundation was. "Enough! Stop shouting, all of you!" Provincial Governor Lü roared, finally silencing the bickering array masters. If he truly let them keep arguing until the Great Yu cultivators actually activated the array, they still wouldn't reach a conclusion. "Master Fang, you are a master of Early Heaven Bagua. According to your theory, what effect does the array laid down by the Great Yu cultivators have, and how should it be cracked?" Master Fang bore the demeanor of a transcendent immortal, his three wisps of white beard lending him an air of distinction. "For now, I have not yet discerned the function of the city's array. "The key to cracking it lies in the array eye. In my view, the array eye is located at the Hundred Flowers Restaurant. The urgent priority is to seal off the Hundred Flowers Restaurant. If there are fierce ghosts inside, it will prove my hypothesis!" Provincial Governor Lü turned to another array master. "Master Miao, you are a master of Later Heaven arrays. In your view, what is the effect of the array laid down by the Great Yu cultivators, and how should it be cracked?" "The array in Hanshui City possesses the power to reverse Later Heaven and overturn yin and yang, though I cannot say what it seeks to overturn. The way to crack it also lies in the array eye. What puzzles me is that the array eye is situated at the entrance of the Corpse Driving Sect. A fierce ghost serving as the array eye should be there—perhaps possessing concealment abilities, hiding right under the nose of the Corpse Driving Sect!" Master Miao did not know, but Provincial Governor Lü knew very well that with Huang Ming acting as an insider, planting a fierce ghost as an array eye would not have been difficult. "Master Ren, what about you? You claim this is neither a Later Heaven array nor an Early Heaven array, but rather the Great Yu cultivators subverting yin and yang?" "Precisely! An imbalance of yin and yang, a march of myriad ghosts, and complete chaos throughout the city. What remains unknown is whether the Great Yu cultivators intend to take advantage of this chaos to achieve something. The best course of action right now is to accelerate the extermination of the fierce ghosts." Provincial Governor Lü pondered. Master Ren did not know what would happen if the city fell into chaos, but he did. Hanshui City was the core of Huangzhou; if Hanshui City fell into chaos and public morale wavered, it would shake the power of national destiny for the entire province. "Do any other masters offer a different perspective?" Provincial Governor Lü looked at the other array masters who had not yet spoken. The array masters shook their heads; their views fell within these three possibilities as well. Seeing no other possibilities, Provincial Governor Lü swiftly made his decision and began assigning duties. "Resolving the Early Heaven and Later Heaven theories is not difficult. Sect Master Qiu, may I trouble you to head to the Hundred Flowers Restaurant to investigate and see if there is anything amiss?" If the Hundred Flowers Restaurant was indeed the array eye, there would certainly be a vicious ghost at the level of a Great Ghost King, making it exceedingly dangerous. Provincial Governor Lü felt fortunate that Qiu Jin'an had come to Hanshui City; he was an immense asset. For a perilous place like an array eye, the safest and most prudent approach would be to dispatch a team of three to five Body Integration stage cultivators. But where could they spare so many Body Integration experts to go to the Hundred Flowers Restaurant right now? Fortunately, Qiu Jin'an alone was worth three to five of them. "Very well, I shall go at once," Qiu Jin'an agreed, calm and composed. He did not feel in the least that there would be any danger, even if the Hundred Flowers Restaurant truly were the array eye. "As for the matter with the Corpse Driving Sect... Sect Master Lu is in closed-door cultivation, so let Elder Gai conduct a thorough search throughout the sect!" Provincial Governor Lü summoned a subordinate and ordered him to rush to the Corpse Driving Sect to explain the situation. With Sect Master Lu in seclusion, Elder Gai was the de facto sect master. Provincial Governor Lü did not send Zhao Po to deliver the message; Zhao Po's cultivation was too low and his speed too slow, whereas every single second counted right now. Immediately after, he summoned the Huangzhou Sima, An Ping. "Old An, we cannot leave all the work to the disciples of the Corpse Driving Sect. Bring in more men to conduct a carpet search. We must resolve the ghost infestation in Hanshui City in the shortest time possible!" "Understood!" Once all duties were assigned, Provincial Governor Lü exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling considerably more at ease. He had not forgotten to look after Lu Yang and his companions. "Hanshui City is not safe right now. You four should remain here at the governor's manor for the time being. Once this matter is settled, I will ask Sect Master Qiu to escort you back." Lu Yang and the other three offered to go out and help slay ghosts, but Provincial Governor Lü felt their status was too special. If anything happened to them, he would have no way to explain it to the Dao Seeking Sect, so he adamantly refused. Left with no choice, Lu Yang and the others stayed at the governor's manor. *** "What?! You're saying Huang Ming is a Great Yu cultivator who dispersed his cultivation to cultivate anew?!" When Elder Gai learned of this, veins bulged across his forehead in explosive fury. The rear mountain of the Corpse Driving Sect trembled—that was where his true body resided. Huang Ming was a Great Yu spy, yet he had brazenly taken first place in the sect competition! This was an utter disgrace to the Corpse Driving Sect, a laughingstock if word ever got out! "Provincial Governor Lü asking our sect to investigate itself is giving us a chance. Investigate! A thorough investigation must be carried out!" Elder Gai summoned the other three elders and informed them of the matter. Their reactions matched Elder Gai's: they absolutely had to scour the Corpse Driving Sect from top to bottom to see what tricks Huang Ming might have left behind. *** "Oh? Contact has been lost with both Meng Tian and Huang Ming. I sensed a clash between Body Integration cultivators outside the city. Did Meng Tian expose himself, fight Great Xia's cultivators, and get captured by Great Xia? "If so, our plan will soon come to light. In that case, we can only strike first to seize the initiative." Inside a secret chamber, a shadowy figure slowly rose, a confident smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. And from his body emanated a terrifying aura beyond anything even a peak Body Integration stage cultivator could possess.