Free Web NovelChapter 305: Chapter 304: Gu Zhao Distributes Treasures, the Bagua Formation is Formed
Time really flies when you’re focused on a task.
Aside from occasionally traveling back to the modern world, Gu Zhao had been in peaceful, closed-door cultivation at Daluo Palace. Nothing much was happening in the modern world, and things were proceeding as planned in the Otherworld. So, two months passed in the blink of an eye. It was only when he emerged from his seclusion that he realized sixty days had already gone by.
"No wonder legends say Immortals enter seclusion for sixty years at a time," Gu Zhao remarked with a sigh. "When you’re truly engrossed in Cultivation, you lose all track of time."
"You’re only in your twenties and you were in seclusion for sixty-odd days. Listening to you, it sounds a bit like you’re trying to sound profound for the sake of it," Taoist Yan Song said with a laugh.
"Is that so?" Gu Zhao smacked his lips, then asked, "How are things on our end?"
Taoist Yan Song replied, "Senior Brother Jing Hong and Junior Brother Jing Fa have both crossed the five-hundred-year threshold. They want to participate in this battle too."
Gu Zhao was surprised. "How did they get so fast too?"
"It wasn’t that fast," Taoist Yan Song said with a laugh. "We were much faster back then. It’s just that we had already cleared out the area around Changping Prefecture, so the two of them had to cross Wuya Ridge and head to Celestial Spring Prefecture in Yazhou to kill a Great Demon. That’s how they finally earned enough Evil Qi to break through."
Gu Zhao nodded, then shook his head. "They’ve only just broken through. It’s better for them to stay here and guard the sect. I’ve made some preparations this time. I only need to bring eight people with me."
Taoist Yan Song raised an eyebrow. "What have you prepared?"
Gu Zhao smiled and nodded. "I’ve refined a few Magical Treasures to help you all form an Eight Trigrams Array. The plan is to trap the Netherfire Sect Leader and that Five Flames Venerable and kill them right in their He Yan Mansion headquarters."
Taoist Yan Song’s eyes lit up. "Do I get one too?"
Gu Zhao nodded and sent a message through the Five Thunders Order in his Sea of Consciousness. "Martial Uncle Yi Hong, Martial Uncle Ming Yu, Martial Uncle Jing Feng, Martial Uncle Yan Ling, Martial Uncle Qingyuan, Martial Uncle Shen Hao, and Martial Uncle Yu Zhang, please return to Daluo Palace immediately.
Martial Uncle Jing Hong will temporarily go to the Daluo Temple in Bai Shi Prefecture, and Martial Uncle Jing Fa will temporarily go to the Daluo Temple in Qianshan Prefecture. Martial Uncle Ming Chong and Yunyang are to return and guard Cuiluo Mountain’s Daluo Palace."
The Sect Leader gave the order, and the Daoist Venerables replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"
...
Daluo Palace, Three Pristine Hall.
Gu Zhao sat calmly in the main hall. Streaks of light flashed across the horizon, and in less than half a day, Taoist Yi Hong, Taoist Ming Chong, Yunyang, and the others—nine people in total—had returned to Daluo Palace.
The moment Yunyang stepped through the door, he couldn’t help but say, "I want to go too! You’re going to attack the Nether Fire Sect’s headquarters. What if there are others left outside who coordinate a pincer attack with those inside?"
Gu Zhao shook his head. "I’ve prepared an Eight Trigrams Array that requires eight people. It can seal off that entire section of the world. If anyone tries to break the array from the outside, we can easily expand it to trap them inside as well."
Yunyang raised an eyebrow. "Is it that powerful? It sounds a lot like that Two Primes Micro-Dust Array."
Gu Zhao was speechless. "I’m not that incredible. That array transforms micro-dust into the primordial universe. Our Nine Palace Eight Trigrams just seals off a space."
"Doesn’t the Great Dragon-locking Array also seal off space?" Yunyang asked, since he didn’t understand.
"The Great Dragon-locking Array does seal off space, but it basically just uses a Dragon-locking Light Curtain formed from Spiritual Qi to brute-force it. This time, we’re setting up an array right on their doorstep. The Great Dragon-locking Array doesn’t have enough energy, and the Netherfire Sect Leader is an expert. It definitely wouldn’t be able to trap him."
Gu Zhao explained, "But this Eight Trigrams Array can circulate power through its formation to borrow and redirect force. It can absorb and neutralize an opponent’s attack, or even convert it into a counterattack. It’s much more flexible."
Yunyang understood. "But since this Eight Trigrams Array is so flexible, does that mean it can only be cast by people?"
"Correct." Gu Zhao nodded. "And we can use Magical Treasures as the array cores to reduce the pressure on ourselves."
Yunyang’s eyes lit up. "There are Magical Treasures too?"
Gu Zhao chuckled and patted the gourd at his waist, then said to Yunyang, "None for you."
Yunyang was speechless and feigned annoyance. "So you’re intentionally not taking me, aren’t you?"
Gu Zhao laughed heartily. "Just stay and guard the sect with Martial Uncle Ming Chong. If we find anything good from the Nether Fire Sect, I’ll save a share just for you."
With the joking done and the mood set, Gu Zhao finally turned to the others. "During my seclusion these past few days, I prepared an Eight Trigrams Array and refined a few Magical Treasures, which are perfect for the Martial Uncles who will be going into battle."
"Martial Uncle Yan Song."
"Here."
"This is the Taiyi Fan. It can amplify Wind Techniques, making it a perfect match for your Taiyi Wind and Fire." Gu Zhao took a palm leaf fan from his gourd and handed it to Taoist Yan Song.
"Martial Uncle Ming Yu."
"Here."
"This is the Thunderwood Sword. Its main material is that Thousand-Year Thunderstruck Wood Heart from the warehouse. It’s perfect for casting the Tai Chi Thunder Concealment Book." Gu Zhao took out a Wooden Sword with a blade only a foot and a half long. It was meant for casting spells, not for combat.
"Martial Uncle Qingyuan."
"Here."
"This is a Tai Chi Sword. It’s made of top-grade submarine steel, but the hilt is inlaid with an Old Ao Primordial Pearl. The Tai Chi Sword embodies both hardness and softness, which is perfect for you." This time, what Gu Zhao took out was a weapon glinting with a cold light.
"Martial Uncle Yu Zhang."
"Here."
"Thank you for teaching me the Northern Emperor Technique. This is a Celestial Pig Ruler, engraved with the Celestial Pig Divine Curse. It can amplify the power of your curses." What Gu Zhao handed to Taoist Yu Zhang looked like a traditional Taoist Sect Magical Artifact, a Celestial Pig Ruler, but the abundant Spiritual Qi told everyone that this was a truly powerful Magical Treasure.
"Martial Uncle Yan Ling."
"Here."
"This Seven-Colored Jade Ruyi is for you. Compared to the other Magical Treasures, this Jade Ruyi has no special features, but it can increase the power of your Taiyi Divine Light by a fair amount." Gu Zhao took another palm-sized Jade Ruyi from his gourd. It shimmered with seven colors under the sun, having been refined from the Spiritual Jade in Daluo Palace’s warehouse.
"Martial Uncle Yi Hong’s Yanyue Saber is sharp enough as it is, Martial Uncle Shen Hao’s Flowing Gold Fire Bell is immensely powerful, and I don’t have a better replacement for the prison-suppressing Magical Treasures in Martial Uncle Jing Feng’s three Divine Prisons, so I didn’t prepare anything for you three," Gu Zhao said with a smile.
The three old Daoists laughed heartily and waved their hands dismissively.
Gu Zhao stood up. "Let’s go to the back mountain. I’ll explain the positions and rotational shifts of the Eight Trigrams Array. We’ll spend the next few days familiarizing ourselves with it, and then we can set out."
"Alright!" the Daoists all agreed in unison.
...
The Eight Trigrams are Qian, Kun, Zhen, Gen, Li, Kan, Dui, and Xun. They correspond to eight trigram symbols and also to eight directions.
The Eight Gates are Rest, Life, Harm, Obstruction, Scenery, Death, Fear, and Open. They correspond to the eight directions of the trigrams and are also the fundamental positions in Qi Men Dun Jia.
The Eight Trigrams, Eight Gates, and eight directions interweave, rotate, and switch positions, creating five hundred and twelve variations. When combined with timing, terrain, and a three-dimensional spatial structure, while not infinitely complex, breaking through the gates and the array is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Fortunately, everyone was already an accomplished cultivator. After practicing for just three days, they had all mastered the various transformations by heart.
And then...
Target: The Nether Fire Sect headquarters at He Yan Mansion in Yongzhou. Move out!
