A Sudden Intuition

Yuanshi's abrupt halt immediately drew the attention of his two brothers beside him.

"Second Brother, what's wrong?"

Sect Master Tongtian was the most impatient of them all. In a flash, he appeared at Yuanshi's side,

his eyes blazing as he too gazed at that empty stretch of sea, his face filled with curiosity and excitement.

"Did you find some amazing Treasure?

An Innate Spiritual Root?

A Spiritual Treasure that hasn't been born yet?

Or perhaps some Ancient Secret Realm hidden down there?

We all get a share if we see it, Second Brother!"

Rubbing his hands together, he was already prepared to dive down and explore at once.

Laozi also slowly turned, his clear gaze falling upon Yuanshi's slightly solemn profile.

He said nothing, merely watched in silence,

while the faint Yin-Yang Qi circulating around him seemed to slow by the slightest degree.

Yuanshi seemed not to hear Tongtian's noisy questions. At that moment, all his attention was immersed in that inexplicable sudden intuition.

The feeling was profoundly mysterious. It was neither a warning of a Calamity Tribulation nor the pull of a Spiritual Treasure coming into being.

It was more like... some vague "variable" deeply connected to his own Dao Path had quietly emerged from the unseen.

A tiny stone had been cast into the River of Destiny, yet the ripples it stirred had precisely touched his Dao Heart.

He had always valued rules and revered Order,

striving for clarity and thoroughness in all things. What he loathed most was this sort of vague, uncontrollable feeling.

"Do not be impatient."

His thin lips parted slightly, and those two words served as his response to Tongtian's questioning.

Then,

he swiftly raised his right hand, his five fingers long and jade-like,

tracing profound trajectories through the air, drawing the Spiritual Qi around him into motion and gathering it at his Fingertips!

In an instant,

a glimmering light bloomed from his Fingertips. Countless dense, intricate phantom Runes containing the ultimate truths of the Great Dao flickered in and out of existence.

Even the surrounding space warped slightly,

as though invisible counting rods were rapidly arranging and combining themselves, deducing the hidden tracks of the heavenly mechanism!

Yuanshi's expression was grave, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

He stared fixedly at the Fingertips forming his calculations,

trying to seize a trace of a clue from the chaotic heavenly mechanism and determine the source of this sudden intuition.

Seeing this, Tongtian immediately shut his mouth.

Though he was impulsive, he knew what mattered. He understood that Second Brother was employing a Mysterious Deduction Method and could not be disturbed.

Yet his eyes remained wide and round, darting back and forth between Yuanshi's calculating fingers and the depths of the East Sea.

He scratched at his ears and cheeks, his heart itching unbearably, wishing he could burrow inside and see everything clearly for himself.

Laozi remained calm, though his gaze grew slightly more serious.

However, only a few breaths later.

The brilliant Immortal Light at Yuanshi's Fingertips suddenly trembled, as though it had struck an invisible yet incomparably heavy wall!

The flickering phantom Runes abruptly became chaotic and blurred,

then flashed several times like a guttering candle in the wind.

With a soft pop, they all dissipated!

The aura around him also surged violently,

and that formerly crystal-clear sensation of sudden intuition

now became like flowers seen through mist or the moon reflected in water, its true source impossible to grasp any longer.

"Hm?"

His handsome brows instantly furrowed into a deep crease,

the surprise on his face growing stronger, mixed with a trace of disbelief.

"How strange!"

He gathered his focus once more, and the light at his Fingertips grew even brighter.

He even drew upon the power of the Innate Pure Qi Crystal between his brows. Jade Purity Divine Light shone brilliantly in his eyes as he attempted to forcefully pierce through the fog.

Yet the result remained the same!

The heavenly mechanism seemed completely shrouded by an impenetrably dense mist of Chaos,

as though some extraordinarily exalted and unfathomable power had quietly concealed and distorted it.

No matter how he urged his magic power or used his Nascent Soul to calculate,

all he could perceive was a blur of Chaos.

He could only vaguely determine that the "variable" which had triggered this sensation lay somewhere in the extreme depths of the East Sea.

Beyond that, its origin, foundation, fortune or misfortune, and what exactly it was...

he could calculate none of it, see through none of it!

"I... cannot calculate its origin?"

Yuanshi withdrew his hand, and the Immortal Light at his Fingertips faded.

He lowered his head and looked at his faintly trembling fingers,

his tone filled with deep confusion and a nearly imperceptible... sense of frustration.

He, Yuanshi, one of Pangu Orthodox, born sacred. Though his mastery of deduction was not as unfathomably profound as Eldest Brother's,

he had always believed there were few beings in the Prehistoric World capable of completely obscuring his perception.

Yet this inexplicable sensation had actually left him empty-handed today. It was simply unbelievable!

"You can't calculate it?"

At once, Tongtian's curiosity clawed at him like a hundred scratching paws.

"Even you can't calculate it, Second Brother?

Then it must be some incredible Treasure!

Maybe it's a Chaos Relic, naturally capable of concealing the heavenly mechanism!

Try calculating again, Second Brother! Or should we just go look for it directly?

It's somewhere in this part of the East Sea anyway!"

He rubbed his fists together eagerly, itching to begin searching the sea for a needle at once.

Only then did Laozi slowly speak. His voice was calm and placid, yet his words struck straight to the heart of the matter.

"The heavenly mechanism is Chaotic, neither auspicious nor ominous, both true and false. The time for Karma has not yet come; forcing it will yield nothing."

His gaze was distant,

and he seemed to have sensed the unusually firm and peculiar Barrier obstructing Yuanshi's deduction as well, but he had no intention of investigating further.

In his view, beneath the Heavenly Dao, all things had their destined course.

When the time came, everything would naturally become clear.

Yet Yuanshi pressed his lips together, and that trace of frustration on his face was swiftly replaced by stubborn defiance.

Such was his innate temperament.

The more something could not be calculated or seen through, the more he wanted to understand it and bring it within the bounds of comprehension.

Moreover, this sensation faintly resonated with his Dao Heart. It could not have arisen without cause.

"Eldest Brother's words are indeed reasonable."

Yuanshi nodded slightly, acknowledging Laozi's judgment.

But then his tone shifted, and his eyes became even sharper and more resolute.

"Yet this sensation came suddenly and faintly accords with my Dao.

Still, it remains vague and unclear. If I cannot determine its source, it may become a burden upon my heart and hinder my cultivation.

Since it is in the East Sea, I must investigate it thoroughly, no matter what."

He straightened the already immaculate lapels and cuffs of his robes. His usual dignity and seriousness returned, making it clear that he had no intention of giving up.

"Tongtian,"

he said, looking toward Third Brother, who had long since grown impatient.

"Calm yourself.

Let your brother settle his mind and make another careful calculation.

This time, I must exert my full strength. Perhaps I may glimpse a trace of its true form."

With that, he actually sat cross-legged atop the Auspicious Cloud, closed his eyes, and formed the Jade Purity Seal with his hands.

The Innate Pure Qi Crystal between his brows shone brilliantly. Jade Purity Immortal Light surged around him like a tide, resonating with the Laws of Heaven and Earth on a deeper level!

He was willing to expend mental strength and magic power, drawing upon deeper reserves to forcibly deduce the heavenly mechanism shrouded by fog!

Seeing this, Tongtian immediately held his breath and focused, not daring to make another sound.

Yet the excitement in his eyes was nearly overflowing.

Laozi also nodded faintly and said no more,

while the faint Yin-Yang Qi around him circulated naturally, invisibly guarding the area and standing watch over Yuanshi.