Chapter 839: Divine Calculator and the Prohibition of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 841: The Diviner and the Taboos of Heaven and Earth

Mountains undulated and thousands of peaks towered, forming a magnificent congenital bagua diagram imprinted on the ground.

Stone mountains predominated, with ancient trees occasionally rooted among the rocky peaks, appearing even greener. One or two faint orchids filled the valley with fragrance, making the place incredibly serene.

The group ventured dozens of miles deep, all exercising caution. The Diviner was considered a remarkable figure of his generation, and his reclusive dwelling was quite eerie; one could easily get lost if they mistakenly entered its complex formations.

The heavenly secrets were unclear, a chaotic void. This was the result of the Old Blind Man's repeated divinations with tortoise shells. He could discern nothing, as if it were a place where heaven and earth had not yet opened.

"The tomb raider isn't here," the Black Sovereign said. "Otherwise, I'd let him dig a tunnel. With my guidance, the path would be unobstructed."

After traveling over a hundred miles, a dense fog appeared, so thick that figures were invisible within a few meters. It was very strange; the mountain was utterly silent and desolate.

Among them, Ye Fan wasn't the only one who had mastered the Celestial Eye. The Black Sovereign's third vertical eye, when open, could also see hundreds of miles, but now it couldn't pierce through the fog.

The gray mist rose eerily, as if they had arrived on the Road to the Yellow Springs, gradually approaching the Nine Hells, about to push open a forbidden door.

"Why do I feel like we're walking to our own deaths? Step by step towards the underworld," Li Tian said.

"Yes, it feels like we're on a one-way path, about to open the gates of hell," Yan Yixi also had this illusion.

There was no path ahead; a door appeared, waiting to be pushed open. Cold air rushed into everyone's pores, chilling their bodies.

"Did a portal really appear?" The Old Blind Man's heart sank. He tried divination again, but the result was still fruitless.

"This is an ancient formation that obscures heavenly secrets," the big black dog said, baring its teeth. It felt it had met its match and began to ponder carefully.

"Open your Divine Maiden Cauldron. A Human Saint's weapon can block heavenly secrets," the Old Blind Man said, unconvinced. He asked Yan Yixi to take out the cauldron and cast a hexagram inside it.

The sacred cauldron was unadorned and naturally ancient, but with a slight activation, it became crystalline, transforming from ordinary to splendid. The tortoise shells fell with crackling sounds, finally revealing a divination.

"The path ahead is extremely ominous!" The Old Blind Man frowned.

"This is not simple. This person is proficient in array patterns and ancient methods; a formidable opponent," the big black dog said, its expression becoming solemn.

"It's not just about array patterns. He truly can divine and calculate, and he already knows we've arrived," the Old Blind Man said.

There were countless array patterns throughout history, but very few grasped their essence. The Diviner was undoubtedly a peerless master, his skill reaching perfection, capable of reshaping heaven and earth.

"We've met our match!" The big black dog bared its teeth and forcefully crashed through the portal ahead, as if opening the gates to the Nine Hells. Various wailing sounds emanated from the front.

"It's all an illusion, don't worry, everyone. Watch how I break it," the big black dog said, inserting various formation flags, as well as necessary materials like phoenix earth and star stones, to alter the array.

After a long wait, the portal vanished. The area ahead became open, even the mist thinned, revealing a stone forest.

"With this Sovereign in charge, there's no formation that cannot be broken," the Black Sovereign boasted shamelessly.

"Be careful. He can divine heavenly secrets; he knows more than just this," Ye Fan warned, telling it not to get carried away.

The big black dog strode in proudly and nonchalantly, head held high, saying, "You can rest assured when I handle things."

The others exchanged glances. Was this dog reliable? With its demeanor, wouldn't something go wrong if they followed it in?

"Woof, woof, woof!"

In just an instant, the big black dog, having entered the stone forest, had all its black fur standing on end, as if struck by lightning, and it fled out.

"Damn it, woof, it's haunted!" The big black dog fled for its life, its bald tail held high, so high it could serve as a flagpole if a flag were attached.

"Clatter, clatter..."

Chains rattled violently as a disheveled old woman rushed from the depths of the stone forest. Her limbs were pierced by chains, and she pursued the Black Sovereign, her white hair dancing wildly, her expression ferocious.

"Teach..." The Black Sovereign shrieked. Its bald tail was seized and bitten by the old woman, causing all its fur to puff up and stand on end.

"Boom!"

Seeing this, Ye Fan quickly acted, summoning the Vajra Bracelet. It transformed to the size of a millstone, shining with dazzling silver light, piercing the heavens and earth as it struck the old woman's body.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

The chains continued to clang. The old woman was sent flying, crashing deep into the stone forest. Her body did not break in half, and she let out a low growl.

The Black Sovereign fled as if its life depended on it, its fur bristling. "She scared this Sovereign to death! How did she just suddenly appear?" it exclaimed.

The others were speechless. This scoundrel had definitely brought it upon himself. Just moments ago, he was full of confidence and boasting shamelessly, only to be chased out by the scruff of his neck.

"Damn it, this Sovereign was bitten by a person!" After calming down slightly, the Black Sovereign immediately began stomping its feet, exasperated. "For tens of thousands of years, no one has dared to bite me!"

This was indeed true. Ordinarily, it was the one doing the biting; even Ye Fan, when he first met it, was bitten by the dog more than once, leading to a period of immense resentment.

"Why don't you bite her back?"

"Me? Bitten by a ghost, should this Sovereign bite a ghost back?" The Black Sovereign was quite indignant. Then it added, "It's not my area of expertise. We should call that fat tomb-raiding rogue; this is his field."

Li Tian mumbled, "I thought the saying was, 'If you're bitten by a dog, don't bite the dog back.' Isn't that it?"

"What do you mean?" The big black dog bared its teeth and, with a snort, bit Li Tian.

"Damn it, why are you biting me? That old woman is waiting for you to bite her."

"Stop fooling around. We've entered the Diviner's trap. This isn't a stone forest at all; it's an underground grotto," the Old Blind Man said.

Ye Fan's heart tightened. He observed carefully with his Celestial Eye, then gasped. The array patterns were so incredibly ingenious that they could even deceive the Celestial Eye. This was truly an unparalleled divine formation.

Unknowingly, they had entered an underground world, a grim and silent grotto. Ahead was a stone chamber where an old woman, like a vengeful spirit, was chained and struggling constantly, trying to rush towards them.

"This Sovereign was tricked. Breaking the array just now was real, but mainly, after taking a step, we were teleported underground, and the surrounding illusions deceived us," the Black Sovereign said.

"This is an ancient corpse, unparalleled in power during its life, now transformed into a Yin soldier. It was imprisoned here. This mountain area is truly not simple," the Old Blind Man said.

"The teleportation array platform is in the old woman's stone chamber. That's the only life gate of the ancient formation. We must eliminate her to escape this underground world," the Black Sovereign said.

"Leave it to me," Yan Yixi said, holding the Divine Maiden Cauldron. With a gentle shake, the ancient great saint's weapon slowly revived, then shot out a ray of fire.

"Boom!"

This old woman was a perfected king in life. After turning into an Yin soldier, her physical body was terrifyingly sturdy and indestructible. However, under the Divine Maiden Cauldron, she immediately turned to dust.

Returning to the surface, the dense mist still lingered, a vast gray expanse. The sky was completely invisible, as if they had entered the underworld.

"This Sovereign is putting in twelve parts of spirit; I guarantee no mistakes this time," the Black Sovereign said.

They weren't worried; after all, they had the Divine Maiden Cauldron – a weapon forged by Emperor Hengyu for the Human Desire Dao Ancestor. It was nearly the strongest among non-Imperial weapons.

"Hmm, this is not simple. Chaos energy swirls around; this place is quickly becoming a primal land," the Old Blind Man said.

"It's where dragon veins converge," Ye Fan's heart stirred. "Let me lead the way," he said. With that, he walked forward, his feet flashing with Source Heaven Dao patterns. The earth itself shifted and moved constantly, and various array patterns were being dismantled.

The Black Sovereign watched, dumbfounded. "Kid, you're good! To be able to decipher divine formations like this... You must lend me the Source Heaven Book to read."

"Have you reached the realm of a Source Heaven Master?" the Old Blind Man asked, also surprised.

"There's still a ways to go, and even reaching that realm isn't the end. I've seen Ancestor Zhang Lin's Source Arts, which absolutely transcend those of a Source Heaven Master. At that level, Source Arts become Dao principles, comparable to those of a Saint."

At that moment, as Ye Fan transformed mountains, rivers, and earth veins, the great mountains rumbled and shifted continuously, opening a grand path. The scene was astonishing.

Only then did he stop, not daring to act rashly, because the array patterns ahead were too profound. He was not yet a Source Heaven Master and dared not make reckless moves.

"Good heavens, this is... a corner of an Emperor's array pattern! The Diviner actually knows so much!" The Black Sovereign was astonished. Only after long contemplation did it act.

This time, the big black dog became ruthless, directly inscribing a corner of the Wu Shi Killing Array, launching a powerful attack to break open the dense Dao patterns.

Within this stone mountain, the aura of an ancient Great Emperor permeated, and an endless aura of slaughter rose, sweeping across the Nine Heavens.

"This is difficult. This old man truly knows a lot. He's using various famous arrays, ancient and modern, to complement and bring out the full power of this corner of the Emperor's array pattern."

The big black dog stood upright, wearing a pair of large floral shorts. One large paw was crossed over its chest, while the other continuously stroked its chin as it pondered for a long time.

"Boom!"

However, at that moment, the ancient array patterns ahead suddenly vanished, two great mountains moved aside, and a broad, clear path appeared. All the mist in the mountains also disappeared.

"Huh, they've given up their defenses? Did they concede defeat?" The Black Sovereign was surprised and uncertain, fearing a trick.

At the end of the road, a pair of children timidly came forward, speaking softly and weakly, "Please stop attacking. Our Ancestor invites you in."

They were a boy and a girl, both about eleven or twelve years old, dressed in Daoist robes, with red lips and white teeth, very beautiful, and possessing an innate spiritual aura. They didn't seem like mortals, but rather like Daoist children from the immortal realm.

"These two..." The Old Blind Man's face immediately lost color. He almost rushed forward to hug the two children, scaring the pair of jade-like Daoist children into retreating.

"What's wrong?" Ye Fan asked.

"These are spirit children, naturally born for divining heavenly secrets. They are rarely seen in thousands of generations. With two children born together, even if they reveal heavenly secrets, they have a way to resist calamities," the Old Blind Man said excitedly.

The boy and girl were beautiful and delicate, like a pair of siblings, as their eyes and brows were very similar. Hearing this, they both retreated a few steps, a little frightened.

"Our Ancestor invites you in," they whispered.

"The Diviner is truly extraordinary, to be able to find even such spirit children. It's defying the heavens," the Old Blind Man marveled.

Ahead, there were no grand palaces or vast cave dwellings. It was a tranquil pure land, with beautiful scenery.

Flowing springs and flying waterfalls, lush green vines, small bridges over streams, pavilions and small pagodas, a return to nature.

Deep within a bamboo forest, there were a few thatched huts, embodying simplicity, like an immortal paradise beyond the mortal world, making people ponder and gaze in wonder.

In front of the thatched huts, an old Daoist priest with white hair and beard sat cross-legged on a futon. Seeing the group arrive, he rose and said, "Distinguished guests have graced my humble abode. Please forgive me for not coming out to greet you."

This was truly a remarkable figure of his generation, possessing an ethereal aura, untouched by the mortal world, as if he did not belong to this mundane realm. The group had originally come to hold him accountable, but now they all became unusually calm.

The Diviner invited them to sit, then chanted a Daoist salutation, saying, "This humble Daoist knows why you have come."

"Of course you know," the big black dog said. "Your lineage has schemed against us in countless ways, and now it's time for reckoning."

"The person you are looking for is the father of these two children; he passed away two years ago," the old Daoist priest sighed.

Behind him, the beautiful young siblings, with their red lips and white teeth, immediately had their eyes turn red. They wiped away tears with their wide Daoist robes, appearing timid and pitiful.

Back then, one of the Diviner's senior disciples had extensively divined Ye Fan's fate. If Pang Bo hadn't returned the God-Beating Whip to him in time to conceal his aura, he would have been captured by people from the Yin-Yang Sect.

"Who are you trying to fool? How could it be such a coincidence?" the Black Sovereign didn't believe it.

"This humble Daoist does not speak falsehoods. There are things in this world that cannot be divined, and heavenly secrets that cannot be revealed, otherwise one will surely incur divine retribution," the Diviner said sadly.

The Old Blind Man nodded. As someone in this field, he naturally understood the various taboos.

"This humble Daoist is also soon to face calamity. Likely, after you depart, a great disaster will befall this place. I have lived my life cautiously, but in the end, I still revealed some heavenly secrets and said things I shouldn't have, and now I am about to face retribution. These two children can inherit my legacy; you may take them, please treat them well."

Ye Fan and the others were stunned. They hadn't expected to come here and hear the Diviner make arrangements for his impending death, which was contrary to their original intention.

At this moment, they all felt a hint of reverence. This was undoubtedly a remarkable figure of his generation; putting aside his cultivation, his various methods of divining heavenly secrets alone were probably unparalleled throughout history.

"Ancestor, don't abandon us! Father has already left, woo woo..." The two children cried loudly.

The Diviner had taught over a dozen disciples, almost none of whom had met a good end. Only two or three were still alive, but their situations were also precarious.

"It was my fault. I only saw their talent, but I didn't pay attention to their character. None of them could strictly discipline themselves. They divined heavenly secrets but couldn't keep them hidden, speaking them out, and thus brought great disaster upon themselves." The Diviner, normally aloof and otherworldly, shed tears, making the sight particularly unusual and moving.

The father of these children was his youngest disciple, possessing exceptionally high talent and aptitude. Due to a great favor received from the Yin-Yang Sect, he had divined everything about Ye Fan over a decade ago to assist them.

"Divining for a single person shouldn't incur divine retribution, should it? Did he just pass away like that?" the Old Blind Man asked.

"Divining for one person is naturally not a problem. It's because he divined into a forbidden domain that he suffered calamity," the Diviner sighed.

"The ancestor of the Northern Region's Source King lineage was one step away from becoming the sixth Source Heaven Master in history, but misfortune befell him in his later years. On a late night two years ago, various wails and ghostly cries echoed throughout their family. That ancestor disappeared, and my father was invited to help divine what happened. But on that very night... woo woo..." The two children cried loudly as they spoke.

"Source Heaven Master..." Ye Fan's heart trembled. This curse was difficult to break. After so many years, even someone who was just one step away from reaching that realm suffered misfortune in his later years, greatly moving Ye Fan.

"In this world, some words truly cannot be spoken carelessly, or great disaster will strike," the Diviner said mournfully.

"Did your senior disciple divine all the secrets of a Source Heaven Master's later years?"

"And what heavenly secrets have you revealed that will cause you to face a great calamity?"

Everyone was very eager to know.

"I couldn't endure the loneliness and divined the secrets of ancient Great Emperors, which naturally brought about great disaster," the Diviner said.

"Boom!"

The moment his words fell, a roar echoed between heaven and earth, and a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, destroying the thatched hut. In its place, a bottomless black hole appeared, terrifyingly deep.

The two children cried in terror, trembling like startled fawns. They huddled together, appearing pitiable.

"You see? My great calamity is approaching; I could face retribution at any moment," the Diviner smiled, as if he had seen through everything in the world, and looked up at the boundless sky.