Volume One: The Turmoil of Yan and Yun Chapter 85: Myriad Stars and Celestial Phenomena (Part Six)

After a short while, Feng Qi stood up. Though his wounds had not fully healed, he had recovered most of his strength. Even though he had already broken through the Myriad Phenomena, a lingering sense of unease persisted—a sense that something was deeply amiss.

From the moment he had stepped into the Celestial Array of Myriad Phenomena and Stars, this feeling had haunted him. Whether it was the initial Myriad Phenomena or the later Celestial Signs, both felt unfinished, as if the array’s vast power had been forcibly restrained. Feng Qi could not believe Li Jin Xing would willingly suppress the array’s might for his sake. Confident as he was, he knew that in Li Jin Xing’s eyes, he was little more than an insignificant ant.

So why was this happening?

He gazed up at the myriad stars, his fingers unconsciously touching his chin. Had Feng Yang been present, he would have recognized this as Feng Qi’s habitual posture when pondering a difficult problem.

“Since this is an array, it must follow the principles of arrays,” Feng Qi murmured. “The power within an array should be conserved; it can neither arise from nothing nor vanish without trace. This, too, aligns with Li Jin Xing’s Dao.”

But this thought only led him back to the beginning: the array clearly held the weight of a thousand mountains—why did it seem so weak in execution? Where had all that power gone?

Squinting, Feng Qi watched the stars in silence, considering that this was where the array began. Casting his gaze about, he seemed to glimpse the peril and turbulence beneath the surface—perhaps, he thought, this was where the array ended.

Rubbing his eyes, he found the process vexing. With his current cultivation, he could not trace the array’s workings from start to finish; to force it would be unwise.

Was there another way?

Feng Qi looked at the night sky, wondering if he could treat the entire starry expanse as the array’s diagram. If so, perhaps the stars could serve as its banners?

If they were banners, why was the division between light and dark so distinct? And how could the connection between light and darkness be unraveled?

He shook his head, dismissing this line of reasoning.

Light and dark, so clearly divided...

Feng Qi started, lifting his eyes once more. One bright, one dark—were these not the Two Principles? The Two Principles beget the Four Manifestations, which perfectly matched the four supreme divine beasts of the Myriad Phenomena. The Four Manifestations beget the Eight Trigrams... Feng Qi stroked his chin, now and then pressing his lips with thumb and forefinger.

“I entered through the Gate of Birth; Birth corresponds to Ken, the Dog.

Ken corresponds to Zhen, the Dragon, the Wounded Gate.

Zhen corresponds to Li, the Pheasant, the Scenery Gate.

Li corresponds to Qian, the Horse, the Open Gate.

Qian corresponds to Ken, the Dog, the Birth Gate.”

“If I follow this pattern, does it not mean that half the array’s power remains unused?”

Feng Qi reasoned that whoever laid this array would never abandon half its strength without cause, which meant his deduction was likely mistaken.

Then how could this be explained?

Should he analyze it from the perspective of the Myriad Phenomena? Or fit the Myriad Phenomena within the Eight Gates? But the Myriad Phenomena had already been broken—how could he determine its precise place?

“Heavenly Radiance is Scenery, the Nine Suns.

Heavenly Aid is Restraint, the Straight Talisman.

Heavenly Charge is Wounded, the Great Yin.

Heavenly Duty is Birth, the Soaring Serpent.

Heavenly Water is Rest, the Six Harmonies.

Heavenly Heart is Open, the White Tiger.

Heavenly Pillar is Shock, the Black Tortoise.

Bird and Ruin is Death, the Nine Yin.”

Feng Qi recited these to himself, then shook his head. “Perhaps the approach is correct, but the direction is wrong. Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, are the mother of all things. All things are born between Heaven and Earth, water and fire are the sources of all, yin and yang their foundation; wind and thunder set them in motion, shaping mountains, rivers, and seas.”

“Open, Death, Wounded, Restraint, Rest, Scenery, Birth, Shock—this is the true order.” He pondered silently, unconsciously stepping in rhythm with the formula.

With each step, heaven and earth responded: towering waves, ten suns blazing, the underworld yawning open, rain of fire falling from the sky...

Feng Qi paid these visions no mind, though they wounded him more and more severely.

Since he had fixed his destination, there was no need to waste strength along the way.

As he passed through ever greater illusions, his injuries deepened, but his eyes shone ever brighter.

When he finally crossed the last layer of the Iron Hell, he could not restrain a smile and whispered, “Break!”

In an instant, all illusions vanished, and the starry sky faded, revealing the true night above.

In that night, a single brilliant star shone.

The Imperial Star of the North.

Feng Qi gazed up at it, sensing something missing. Only after a moment did he realize—the imperial dragon’s aura was gone.

In the past, the Imperial Star had always been shielded by that aura, but now... it had vanished!

“I never thought you’d actually break the array.” A ghostly voice spoke nearby.

It was Shui Dongliu.

At his side, the Crown Prince’s face was pale, drenched in cold sweat.

“What happened?” Feng Qi asked.

“Not long after you entered the Celestial Array of Myriad Phenomena and Stars, the imperial dragon’s aura dissipated almost entirely. His Highness realized the Dragon Soaring Array was linked to the Celestial Array, and tried to warn you. But he was burned by the Fire of Departure upon entering, and suffered grievous harm.”

Feng Qi’s face darkened.

Shui Dongliu chose his words carefully. “Though I know your potential is extraordinary, the Celestial Array of Myriad Phenomena and Stars is not something any mortal can break.”

Feng Qi replied, “I was confused before, but now I understand.”

“What happened?” Shui Dongliu pressed.

Feng Qi recounted every detail of breaking the array; Shui Dongliu’s expression grew increasingly grave.

“It seems now,” Shui Dongliu sighed, “that the power which vanished from the Celestial Array was used to unravel the Dragon Soaring Array. I did not expect Li Jin Xing’s true aim to be here.”

“Using the stars to isolate and divide the Imperial Star, then forming eight arrays with the River of Stars to disperse the imperial dragon’s aura bit by bit...” Feng Qi frowned. “There’s only one person I can think of who could accomplish this.”

Shui Dongliu protested, “The Master of the Pavilion is never weaker than others.”

Feng Qi’s gaze was sharp as a blade. “Only the Master of the Wandering Pavilion could do this!”

Shui Dongliu hesitated, forcing a smile. “You underestimate Li Jin Xing.”

Feng Qi replied, “To set such an array outside Wuyang City... Do you take the mighty cultivators in the capital for fools?”

Shui Dongliu seemed partially convinced, his tone incredulous. “But why? The Pavilion Master has no motive! And even if he did, why did neither the Divine Emperor nor the Wind Guard stop him?”

Feng Qi replied, “You’ll have to ask the Divine Emperor for that.”

After a pause, he added, “Assuming he survives this ordeal.”

...

...

With the breaking of the Celestial Array of Myriad Phenomena and Stars, the foundational dragon’s aura of the Dragon Soaring Array was completely dispersed, and its suppressive hold on the Netherlock Tower vanished in an instant.

The faces of the assembled powerhouses changed dramatically.

The Divine Emperor swept up Master Dianmo and vanished in a flash.

Zhetian and Shiye vanished even faster.

The Netherlock Tower groaned under the sudden strain, a crack appearing, then rapidly spreading across its surface.

It was as if a flawless porcelain vessel had been shattered.

A thunderous explosion echoed through Wuyang City. A black curtain, shimmering with a ghostly light, shot up like a waterfall into the sky, from which countless soldiers of the underworld surged forth.

“To arms!” the Divine Emperor bellowed.

With that, he charged headlong at the invaders, his true target the Underworld Emperor hidden within the black curtain, greedily devouring the world’s essence. The moment the curtain had burst open, the Divine Emperor had sensed no fewer than ten mighty cultivators of the Dao, but the most terrifying of all was the Underworld Emperor himself, who appeared as a youth.

From him, the Divine Emperor sensed the aura of a Dao utterly concealed.

The Hidden Dao!

...

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