Chapter 382: Sixty-Four Hexagram Domain 28 |
Wu Qingyu was skeptical. "Which girl's family?"
Chen Tang thought for a moment. "He hasn't said yet. He told me that 'solitary yin doesn't grow, solitary yang doesn't last,' which means he's feeling lonely. Only with the mutual spitting and swallowing of yin and yang can he become stronger."
Wu Qingyu looked worried. "Let's just hope he doesn't end up as womanizing as his grandfather."
Chen Tang said, "I think he's more like me—single-minded in love."
"I hope so."
Chen Shi continued to delve into yin-yang mutual spitting and swallowing, forgetting to eat and sleep. In just a few days, he had grown visibly thinner, which pained Wu Qingyu. She said to Chen Tang, "How about we betroth the girl in his small temple to him? She might be a bit older, but our Little Ten isn't young anymore either. If we count the eight years he spent in the underworld, he's already twenty-one."
Chen Tang replied, "But that girl is mute."
Wu Qingyu was about to speak when suddenly a strange tremor came from the yellow earth slope, causing an inexplicable panic in everyone's hearts. Wu Qingyu looked toward the yellow earth slope but saw nothing unusual.
Just as she was wondering about it, Chen Tang's face changed slightly. He stepped sideways to shield her. "Chen Wu's Heaven-Earth Variation."
Patriarch Qiongyang let out a soft exclamation and walked out from her palace, gazing toward the yellow earth slope. Puzzled, she said, "Chen Yindu's rebellious son, what is your Little Ten up to?"
Wu Qingyu's cultivation was too low to perceive the spatial changes around them, but Chen Tang was a Great Perfection Return to Emptiness realm cultivator, and Patriarch Qiongyang was a pinnacle expert at the Great Perfection of the Great Ascension Realm. To their eyes, although Huangpo Village appeared normal, the surrounding heaven and earth had become extremely bizarre.
They saw that Huangpo Village was now floating in the sky, suspended in midair with nothing supporting it. Floating beside it was the yellow earth slope outside the village!
This was precisely the Heaven-Earth Variation from Creation Little Five's Three Ghost and God Startling Variations!
Just now, when Chen Tang had shielded Wu Qingyu, he had used his supreme divine power to counter the Heaven-Earth Variation, preventing Huangpo Village from falling under its influence.
Originally, only the yellow earth slope should have been floating in the sky, not Huangpo Village. It was precisely because Chen Tang had blocked it and broken the Heaven-Earth Variation that both Huangpo Village and the yellow earth slope ended up floating in the sky together.
The reason this strange phenomenon occurred was because the ground where the yellow earth slope stood had become the sky, and the sky had become the ground.
However, to ordinary people, heaven and earth still appeared normal. This was mainly because the person executing the Heaven-Earth Variation had no hostile intent and hadn't unleashed any offensive techniques. If he had used offensive means, he could have pressed the earth directly onto people, crushing them all to dust.
Or, with a wave of his hand, he could have hurled everyone into the nine heavens above.
"It is indeed Chen Wu's Heaven-Earth Variation, but much weaker! The one executing it isn't Chen Wu. Could it really be Little Ten?"
Chen Tang was bewildered. He thought to himself, "Could he have comprehended Chen Wu's Heaven-Earth Variation?"
The Heaven-Earth Variation was derived from Granny Sha's Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Art. Granny Sha had passed it to Creation Little Five, who had comprehended the Heaven-Earth Variation from it, surpassing the teacher.
The Heaven-Earth Variation was extremely powerful. With this single ghost and god domain, Creation Little Five's control over space was terrifyingly strong, and he feared nothing even when surrounded by multiple attackers.
Just as Chen Tang thought this, Huangpo Village and the yellow earth slope returned to normal. It seemed Chen Shi had dispersed the Heaven-Earth Variation domain.
"Wasn't he meditating on yin-yang mutual spitting and swallowing?"
Chen Tang felt confused. How could meditating on yin-yang mutual spitting and swallowing lead to comprehending the Heaven-Earth Variation?
"That's also possible," Patriarch Qiongyang said. "On the path of cultivation, people often stumble into unexpected discoveries. For example, back when your father was studying the art of passing through walls, he ended up comprehending the spell of 'a step away, a world apart.' When he was studying techniques to break seals, he comprehended the secret of sealing."
Chen Tang was still confused. "Could it be that my father learned it wrong?"
Patriarch Qiongyang felt quite displeased with him. She thought to herself, "What a bookworm. It seems the woman who gave birth to him was clever but not wise."
After comprehending the Heaven-Earth Variation, Chen Shi still didn't come down from the yellow earth slope. Instead, he continued to sit under the Old Willow Tree. Another day passed, and suddenly, wind and fire rolled around Huangpo Village. The wind fanned the flames, which burned fiercely as if they would incinerate the entire earth!
Xun Wind combined with Li Fire, covering dozens of miles!
The villagers were terrified, but as long as they didn't leave the village, they were in no danger.
Chen Tang raised an eyebrow. "Wind-Fire Variation? Wind and fire correspond to thunder and water in the Eight Trigrams respectively. How can wind and fire combine to form a ghost and god domain?"
After a moment, the wind and fire subsided.
The people of Huangpo Village went outside and saw that everything was as it had been before—the mountains were green, the waters were clear, with no sign of the terrifying wind and fire burning the wilderness.
By the afternoon, suddenly the wind howled like thunder, and vast floodwaters surged. Wind and water merged together like a roaring storm that swirled around Huangpo Village, shaking the heavens and deafening all!
Within that wind and water, the earth was ripped apart and shattered, mountains and rivers were submerged and eroded into finer and finer shapes, trees were ground to dust—it was horrifying!
The villagers were terrified until the wind and water stopped. The outside world returned to normal, the earth was not shattered, the mountains and rivers were not eroded, and the trees were all still there.
Chen Tang frowned. "Wind-Water Variation doesn't correspond to anything in the Eight Trigrams either. Wind corresponds to thunder, water corresponds to fire, mountain corresponds to marsh, and earth corresponds to heaven. That's the correct sequence."
By evening, another change occurred. This time, it was the Wind-Mountain Variation!
Gale-force winds moved mountains, crashing them into each other. The tiny mountain village seemed as if it could be ground to dust at any moment!
But the villagers had grown accustomed to the strangeness. Yuzhu even planned to go out and gather some firewood. Laughing, she said, "It's all fake! An illusion!"
Nannan quickly tugged at the young woman's sleeve, shaking her head to signal her not to go out.
"Nannan, this is an illusion." Yuzhu smiled. "Don't believe me? I'll show you."
She picked up a duck and tossed it out of the village. Laughing, she said, "Look, the duck will come back just fine."
The duck flew into the Wind-Mountain Variation. Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, two enormous mountains squeezed the duck flat. The Xun Wind blew, and the duck's bones and flesh dissolved away.
"Once the wind stops, you'll see that the duck is perfectly fine." Yuzhu said confidently.
A moment later, the Wind-Mountain Variation dissipated. Yuzhu went out to look for the duck, but there wasn't even a single duck feather to be found.
Only then did she realize how dangerous it was.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew. The earth outside the village was slowly shifting. Lines and streaks crisscrossed the ground, winding and twisting as if they had turned into giant snakes or earth dragons slithering in different directions, presenting an eerie and unpredictable scene.
Patriarch Qiongyang gazed toward the yellow earth slope and murmured, "His talent is too high. Meditating on yin and yang, and yet he was able to comprehend so many variations. No wonder the Celestial True God bestowed the unparalleled Innate Dao Embryo upon him..."
Chen Tang sought her guidance. "Senior Qiongyang, I can understand the Heaven-Earth Variation, the Wind-Thunder Variation, the Water-Fire Variation, and the Mountain-Marsh Variation. But I can't make sense of the Wind-Mountain Variation, the Wind-Fire Variation, or the Earth-Wind Variation."
Patriarch Qiongyang glanced at him. "Why must the Eight Trigrams variations be based on opposition?"
Chen Tang asked, "What do you mean?"
Patriarch Qiongyang didn't answer, secretly pleased with herself. "That woman isn't as clever as me."
Chen Shi's comprehension grew faster and faster. Soon, he had grasped the Wind-Marsh Variation, the Mountain-Water Variation, the Earth-Water Variation, the Thunder-Water Variation, and many other variations, dazzling the onlookers. It seemed that when one key point was understood, a hundred others opened up!
Even Patriarch Qiongyang couldn't help but sigh inwardly. "This comprehension is even more heaven-defying than Chen Yindu's back in the day."
Granny Sha lived not far away in Gangzi Village. She, too, sensed the commotion and arrived early. Watching the various domains blooming around the yellow earth slope, she was utterly captivated.
"Sha Qiutong, you cultivate the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Art, but I bet you never imagined there were so many aspects of this skill you had never explored," Patriarch Qiongyang's voice came over.
Granny Sha smiled sweetly. "Your Thunderous Great Vigor Mantra probably isn't complete either, is it?"
The two women looked at each other, both somewhat surprised. "How is she still so young?"
Patriarch Qiongyang walked closer. "Is Chen Tang your son?"
Granny Sha showed a look of disgust and spat. "Nonsense! He's your son!"
Patriarch Qiongyang looked surprised. "I thought he was yours, since he's so dumb. If he's not yours, then whose is he?"
"Just because you gave birth to him doesn't mean he'd be smart!"
Granny Sha sneered. "I have nothing to do with Chen Yindu. Don't drag me into your jealous squabbles. Old Chen had so many lovers, I don't know which one he fathered children with."
Patriarch Qiongyang looked her up and down, showing surprise. "Your cultivation has improved quickly. You've reached Spirit Refining, haven't you? In your lifetime, you should be able to open the Realm of Emptiness and achieve Return to Emptiness."
Granny Sha smiled. "Thanks to you, I've already made full preparations to break through to Return to Emptiness. I've prepared the Three Lives Stone. You're twenty-four years older than me, right? You've reached the peak of the Great Ascension Realm, haven't you? I'll slowly catch up to you, and in the end, we'll both be at the Great Ascension Realm."
Patriarch Qiongyang smiled gently. "But right now, you're no match for me."
Granny Sha smiled lightly. "In the underworld, I can personally send you to be reborn."
Just then, Chen Shi unleashed the final ghost and god domain of the Eight Trigrams and didn't execute any more.
The two women stopped bickering. They saw that on the yellow earth slope, a sun was slowly rising from the other end, illuminating the surroundings and making Huangpo Village as bright as day. The sun moved, and as evening fell, a bright moon rose into the sky, hanging there with its pure radiance, untouched by any hint of demonic energy.
On the yellow earth slope, the sun rose and set, and the moon rose and set. The sun's movement gave the little slope the four seasons, while the moon waxed and waned, going through its cycles of fullness and emptiness.
Everything seemed so natural.
Chen Shi walked down from the yellow earth slope and returned to the village. Chen Tang was the first to greet him. "Did you comprehend yin-yang mutual spitting and swallowing?"
Chen Shi shook his head. "Not yet. I still can't achieve yin-yang mutual spitting and swallowing. I can only barely use yin-yang purgation to protect myself from heaven and earth."
Chen Tang nodded gently and encouraged him. "Your realm is still low right now. There are higher realms you haven't touched yet—how to refine the spirit, how to return to emptiness, how to cultivate to the Great Ascension. The insights into Spirit Refining, Return to Emptiness, and Great Ascension are vast, and the understanding of the Dao is deeper. When your accumulation is sufficient, everything might naturally fall into place."
Chen Shi praised him. "Dad, you really know a lot. If not for your guidance and Black Pot's, I wouldn't have been able to comprehend the Ghost and God Variations of the Eight Trigrams so quickly."
Chen Tang's expression didn't change. "After all, I've eaten a few more years of rice than you. I have a bit more experience."
Granny Sha walked over. "Little Ten, you were meditating on yin and yang. How many Ghost and God Variations did you comprehend from the Eight Trigrams?"
Chen Shi said, "Thirty-six variations."
Granny Sha looked puzzled. "Why thirty-six?"
Chen Shi explained. "First, there are the eight variations of Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Marsh. Then, there are the twenty-eight variations like Heaven-Wind, Heaven-Mountain, Heaven-Earth, Heaven-Thunder, Heaven-Fire, and Heaven-Marsh."
Granny Sha thought for a moment. "When Old Chen and I were searching the ruins of the True King's Era, we found some ancient records. They said that the Eight Trigrams are divided into the Former Heaven and Latter Heaven forms. The Former Heaven has eight trigrams, and the Latter Heaven has sixty-four trigrams. Your thirty-six variations clearly don't match the sixty-four Latter Heaven variations."
Chen Shi pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He smiled. "I've got it! There's yin and yang, but there can also be yang and yin. The Heaven-Wind Variation could also be the Wind-Heaven Variation. The shift from Heaven to Wind is completely different from the shift from Wind to Heaven. By the same logic, the Heaven-Mountain Variation corresponds to the Mountain-Heaven Variation, and the Heaven-Fire Variation corresponds to the Fire-Heaven Variation. That gives fifty-six variations. Add the eight variations of Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Thunder, and that's sixty-four ghost and god domains."
Granny Sha sighed. "You've already grasped the essence of this technique far better than I have. I'm no match for you."
She felt a bit disappointed. She had taught both Creation Little Five and Chen Shi, and both had surpassed the teacher in their comprehension of the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Art.
Granny Sha glanced at Chen Tang and felt a little relieved. "I taught Ah Tang too, but he didn't comprehend nearly as much. He's even worse than me."
The next morning, a man dressed as a servant arrived at Huangpo Village, requesting an audience with the top scholar.
Chen Tang said to Chen Shi, "He's the one who's been watching you all this time. We've been watching him for quite a while too."
Chen Shi met the man. He introduced himself as a retainer of Yang Bi's household and said, "My young master would like to invite you to the Upper Realm for a gathering, to fulfill the promise made that day."
Chen Shi asked, "Has Yang Bi already cultivated to the Unity realm?"
The retainer replied, "My young master has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. He exercises authority on behalf of the ancestral masters of the Upper Realm, coordinating various forces, and seldom cultivates. However, due to the upcoming duel with you, he went into seclusion. When he emerged, he had already reached the Unity realm. He has been immersed in the Unity realm for a hundred days, seeking guidance from the ancestral masters of past generations. His cultivation is now unfathomably deep."
Chen Shi smiled. "Yang Bi has put a lot of thought into our battle."
The retainer said, "I have never seen my young master put this much thought into anything before. My young master ordered me to set up watch around Huangpo Village and report everything about you truthfully. Every time my young master heard of your progress, he felt immense pressure and did not dare to challenge you. Only today has he made up his mind to fulfill the promise made that day."
Chen Shi was astonished. Yesterday, while meditating on yin and yang, he had instead comprehended the ghost and god domains of the sixty-four hexagrams. The commotion had been enormous, and the retainer must have reported this to Yang Bi. If Yang Bi knew that his cultivation and strength had greatly increased yet still dared to challenge him, did Yang Bi have confidence that he could win?
"I already thought I was unmatched in the Unity realm. How does he have such certainty of victory?"
Chen Shi raised an eyebrow. Was the inheritance of the Upper Realm truly that formidable?
"When can we depart?" he asked.
The retainer bowed slightly. "Any time is fine."
Chen Shi informed Chen Tang about the matter. Chen Tang's heart tightened. He spoke solemnly, "We must guard against others. I'll go with you!"