The Heaven-Deceiving Art

Chapter 44: The Heaven-Deceiving Art

Back in the little house, Ning Ye eagerly sent his mind into the Thousand Mechanism Hall.

When he entered the Sumeru House, a vast space opened before him, stretching beyond sight. It felt as though the entire Nine Palaces Mountain could fit inside.

For now, aside from the things he had obtained from Xuanyu Pavilion, there was nothing else here.

In their haste, Ning Ye and Tianji had grabbed whatever they could, without knowing which of Xuan Mulang's treasures they had taken. Now he searched through them one by one.

He found twenty-two bottles of pills, all excellent cultivation medicines. They weren't especially rare, but they were at least useful—and the most valuable things among the haul. With these pills, Ning Ye's cultivation speed would surely increase greatly.

There were also four magical artifacts, two magic treasures, and some rare resources.

The artifacts and treasures were useless to him, no matter how good they were. Some of the rare resources, on the other hand, were quite worthwhile.

One piece of wood heart drew Ning Ye's attention in particular.

It was unmistakably a piece of Green Sheep Wood heartwood.

Green Sheep Wood was one of the seven divine trees beneath heaven. It was said that Ancestor Qingmu's magic treasure had been made from it. With a spell, he could turn a sea of sand into a forest. Alas, despite possessing a power that reached the heavens, nothing in the mortal world seemed to change as a result.

Xuan Mulang was Ancestor Qingmu's disciple, so this was probably a gift from his master. Ning Ye hadn't expected it to end up in his hands.

Now this really was a fine thing. It was hailed as the source of wood-based magic, so its value was self-evident.

Ning Ye hadn't expected that his and Tianji's frantic looting would turn up something so good. He couldn't help feeling delighted.

Most importantly, besides being made into a weapon, it could also be used for mechanisms, arrays, puppets, and the like. That would be somewhat wasteful, but at least it would be harder to trace.

With the Green Sheep Wood heartwood, Ning Ye was satisfied. He was about to leave the Sumeru House when he spotted a broken stone tablet in the distance.

He hadn't thrown this tablet in. It had been here all along.

Ning Ye walked over. Though broken, the tablet was ancient and mysterious. One glance made his mind reel, as though he had fallen into a bewildering illusion.

This is... Ning Ye was shaken. Then it suddenly dawned on him.

A fragment of the Myriad Manifestations Map?

There was actually a fragment of the Myriad Manifestations Map inside the Sumeru House.

The Myriad Manifestations Map was the greatest illusionary treasure beneath heaven, one of the ten divine artifacts of the Thousand Mechanism Hall. It had been shattered after the ancient war, but now a fragment was right here in the Sumeru House.

Ning Ye circulated the Heavenly Mechanism Heart Method and reached for the fragment. With a thunderous boom, countless runes rose from it.

With a casual wave, the fragment flew out of the Sumeru House and into the sky, where it unfurled into an enormous scroll. The scroll was blank, but rows of text appeared upon it.

Ning Ye recognized the runes. They were the ancient Heavenly Mechanism script recorded by the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.

The words read:

"The way of heavenly mechanisms begins with perceiving the profound! Probe the hidden workings of heaven and earth, glimpse the mysteries of the Great Dao! Thus, among the Thousand Mechanism Hall's treasures, the Xuanji Ruler stands first!"

"Next comes creation: create the myriad beings of heaven and earth, transform the myriad things of the universe. Thus, among the Thousand Mechanism Hall's treasures, the Throne of Creation ranks second."

"Next comes the myriad manifestations: conjure the sun and moon, bring forth the myriad beings, the past and the future, the wonders of heaven and earth—all are contained within it. It is the foundation of the Thousand Mechanism Hall and the root of all magic."

As he read the runes one by one, Ning Ye finally gained a true understanding of the Thousand Mechanism Hall.

His eyes shone. He threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahaha! So that's how it is! Now this was worth the trip!"

Just as the runes said, the way of heavenly mechanisms began with seeing through hidden mysteries. Thus, in the ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect, the Xuanji Ruler was regarded as the foremost treasure of the Thousand Mechanism Hall. It had no use in combat, but could measure the secrets of heaven and unravel the boundless Great Dao. It was the first thing an immortal seeking the Dao needed.

Next came the Throne of Creation and the Myriad Manifestations Map. The former created the real, while the latter created the illusory. Only by combining the two could one reach the foundation.

The Kunlun Mirror came after them.

The Kunlun Mirror could traverse time and space, so in theory it should have ranked first.

But for one thing, its limits were severe. It could truly cross space, not time. Even when it came to foreseeing the future, its effects were far weaker than one might imagine, so its actual power was limited. For another, immortals pursued the Dao of Heaven to its utmost. To them, the most meaningful treasures were those that let them glimpse its deepest secrets. That was why the Xuanji Ruler, despite having the least use in combat, ranked first.

In the end, this came down to a difference in values.

As for the fragment of the Myriad Manifestations Map here, it recorded a lost technique of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect.

The Heaven-Deceiving Art.

Of the ten divine artifacts of the Thousand Mechanism Hall, all but the Sumeru House corresponded to a unique immortal art. Nine divine artifacts, nine immortal arts—together, they were known as the Nine Heavens Divine Arts. Only these arts could control their corresponding artifacts.

The art hidden in the Myriad Manifestations Map was the Heaven-Deceiving Art.

At its core, the Heaven-Deceiving Art was an illusion technique, but it held countless subtleties. Paired with the Myriad Manifestations Map, it could conjure anything beneath heaven, its wonders endless.

No wonder this thing had appeared here. When the Thousand Mechanism Hall shattered, some ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect expert must have used the last of his strength to hide the fragment recording the Heaven-Deceiving Art, along with an overview of the sect, inside the Sumeru House.

After the Heavenly Mechanism Sect was destroyed, most of the Nine Heavens Divine Arts vanished with it. Only one ancestor, who had mastered the Heaven-Questioning Art, sensed disaster coming and made preparations in advance, preserving that art. Two incomplete Nine Heavens Divine Arts had been left behind as well.

That was why the Heavenly Mechanism Sect had fallen from the supreme sect of the mystic world to a small school that knew only divination and fortune-telling. Yet even with the Heaven-Questioning Art, they lacked the Kunlun Mirror, making it difficult to put the art to use. When they finally found the Thousand Mechanism Hall, they discovered it was bound to Ning Ye—and still couldn't use it.

Xin Ranzi was kindhearted and unwilling to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. So he carefully trained Ning Ye, hoping that one day he would combine the Heaven-Questioning Art with the Kunlun Mirror, find the remaining fragments, and restore the Heavenly Mechanism Sect. Instead, he brought disaster down upon the sect.

And now Ning Ye had found the Heaven-Deceiving Art. Though it was incomplete, it could still be used.

Perhaps this was exactly what Ning Ye needed most—the Heaven-Deceiving Art itself could conceal the secrets of heaven.

Unlike the Heaven Stealing Art, which corresponded to the Heaven-Hiding Prison, the Heaven Stealing Art was domineering and overwhelmingly powerful. Anyone imprisoned within it was as good as having severed himself from heaven, unable to draw on any power. Its essence was not to conceal the secrets of heaven, but to keep you from touching any mysteries of heaven and earth at all. Concealing those secrets was merely a side effect.

The Heaven-Deceiving Art was different. Its essence was illusion, and deception was its specialty. It didn't make an opponent unable to see; it made him see only what I wanted him to see.

With the Heaven-Deceiving Art, Ning Ye could resume cultivating the Heavenly Mechanism Sect's techniques without worrying that the Black and White Divine Palace would uncover the secrets of heavenly mechanisms within him. He also wouldn't have to worry about the Heaven Stealing Art ceasing to work four years from now.

That was good. The only downside was that splitting his focus to cultivate would slow his own progress. Still, with the resources from Xuan Mulang and Wang Sen, that should make up for it.

Ning Ye was considering his next move when he suddenly sensed something stirring inside the hall.

It was the Kunlun Mirror!

Ning Ye hurried out of the Sumeru House and returned to the main hall.

There was only one thing that could trigger a response from the Kunlun Mirror—the artificial rockery that had been stained with Ning Ye's blood.

He activated the Kunlun Mirror. A stream of light flashed across its surface, and Ning Ye saw Chi Wanning standing beside the rockery.

It was late at night, and all was still. The world lay silent.

Chi Wanning stood beside the rockery and gently pressed it a few times. A small opening appeared inside.

She reached into the opening and took out something—a little booklet. After examining it carefully and confirming that nothing was wrong, she hesitated, then bit her lip. The booklet crumbled to ash and vanished.

Then she simply left.

Unfortunately, she was cautious, and even with the Kunlun Mirror's help, Ning Ye couldn't make out what the booklet was.

After thinking it over, Ning Ye lit a Soul-Lodging Token. "Replay. Show it again!"

The Kunlun Mirror replayed the scene. This time, however, the Soul-Lodging Token let Ning Ye change his angle and look at the booklet from Chi Wanning's point of view.

This time, he saw it clearly. His body shuddered. "It was actually..."

Ning Ye stood stunned for a long while. At last, he understood, and couldn't hold back his laughter. "Interesting, interesting... No wonder... Good! Good! This is wonderful!"

After making several discoveries in a row, Ning Ye was in high spirits. The scene shifted, and now he was looking into the Inspection Hall.

Something this major had happened, so the Inspection Hall couldn't possibly be at peace. He wanted to see how they planned to respond.

"Troubled times, indeed!"

Inside the Inspection Hall, Fu Dongliu patted his forehead and sighed.

Two major incidents had happened within two days, leaving even Fu Dongliu with a headache.

His superiors had given him strict orders: find the culprit within ten days.

But his opponent was cunning and had left no clues. Where was he supposed to look?

Fu Dongliu had the Heart-Eroding Technique. If he didn't mind the damage, he could interrogate everyone one by one, eroding their hearts and taking their souls. The problem was that everyone in Green Wood Hall was a heaven's favorite. If he examined them one by one with the Heart-Eroding Technique, even the geniuses might end up fools—and their Ancestors would never let him get away with it.

What was he supposed to do?

Just then, a disciple hurried in and whispered something to Fu Dongliu.

Fu Dongliu looked surprised. "What brings him here? Let him in."

A figure clad from head to toe in a black robe entered the hall.

"What brings you here?" Fu Dongliu asked, gesturing for the other man to sit.

As he spoke, the man in black slowly lifted the cloth from his head.