Glimpse Through the Crack

Chapter 46: A Glimpse Through the Cracks

Hongjun's voice, expounding the Dao, still flowed through the great hall of Zixiao Palace, but Taiyi's mind was no longer focused on the profound techniques of "uniting the Three Corpses" or "harmonizing the Origin."

Three months.

Ever since refining the three fragments of Karma Reversal and gaining the abilities to disrupt Heavenly Secrets, confuse karma, and possess Causality Vision, Taiyi had been doing only one thing for the past three months—

Cautiously probing.

Probing the boundaries of these three abilities, probing the limits of Hongjun's tolerance, probing the "cracks" in this world.

At this moment, he sat with his eyes closed, his expression no different from the other disciples listening to the sermon, a slight frown on his brow as if he were on the verge of enlightenment. In reality, his Causality Vision had already been quietly activated, and his "new eyes" were "seeing" another side of this world in a way ordinary beings could not comprehend.

The great hall, in his eyes, was no longer a palace constructed of bricks and stones.

It was a nexus point within a vast, intricate, and dazzlingly complex "web of karma."

Hundreds of karma threads of varying thickness and color rose from each person in the hall, piercing the dome of Zixiao Palace and extending into the unfathomable depths of the Heavenly Dao, or connecting to various existences in the Great Wilderness. These threads were not static; they writhed, intertwined, and collided like living creatures, undergoing subtle adjustments and reorganizations every moment.

Taiyi's gaze first fell upon Zhunti.

This future Saint of the West sat on the fifth cushion, hands clasped, a compassionate expression on his face. But in Causality Vision, the main karma thread connected to him—that thick, dark gold line linking the cushion to his future Saint position—was trembling slightly. The surface of the thread was covered in fine cracks, particularly near the cushion, where they were most pronounced. Tiny, gray-black "karma debris" occasionally flaked off from these cracks and dissipated into the void.

These were the traces left by Taiyi's "toppling of the cushion" three months ago.

The traces were being slowly repaired by some force—Taiyi could "see" a faint, colorless, and transparent "Order Force" flowing from the depths of the Heavenly Dao, attempting to mend the cracks like glue. However, the repair speed was slow, and something stubborn, like a "foreign object," seemed to remain deep within the cracks, hindering complete healing.

"Is it because I used the 'confuse karma' ability?" Taiyi mused inwardly.

After that incident, he had quietly attempted a rudimentary use of "confuse karma," targeting the thread between Zhunti and the cushion. Although the effect was weak and lasted only an instant, it seemed to have left behind some kind of persistent "contamination."

He shifted his gaze to Jieyin.

Jieyin's karma thread was tightly intertwined with Zhunti's, almost indistinguishable. But Taiyi noticed that at the most deeply entangled "node" between their karma threads, a small area was unusually dim, even somewhat ethereal. Within that area, the direction of the karma threads had deviated slightly, no longer following their predetermined trajectories.

"Is this... a 'loophole' seen by Causality Vision?" Taiyi's heart stirred.

He focused his gaze, attempting to decipher the anomalous area.

His vision penetrated the surface, delving into the internal structure of the karma thread. It was not solid but woven from countless finer, fiber-optic-like secondary karma threads. Under normal circumstances, these threads were arranged in an orderly fashion, flowing ceaselessly. But in that anomalous area, the arrangement of the threads was chaotic; some were even broken and knotted, forming a tiny "void."

The void was not large, about the size of a needle tip, but it was undeniably real.

Through this "void," Taiyi vaguely "saw" something else—

Not the Order Force of the Heavenly Dao, not the flow of karma, but something deeper, more essential... a "background."

It was pure "disorder," the "backside" of rules, the ever-present "Chaos Background" beneath the logic of the Great Wilderness world's operation. At the edge of the void, extremely fine, gray-black mist slowly seeped out, attempting to erode the surrounding karma structure, but it was quickly neutralized and annihilated by the flowing Order Force.

"So that's how it is..." Taiyi suddenly understood.

The order of the Heavenly Dao was not a flawless, monolithic steel plate. It generated "friction" during its operation, leaving behind "wear and tear," forming subtle fissures. Most of these fissures were fleeting, automatically repaired by the Order Force. But some, due to various reasons (such as external interference, internal conflicts, logical paradoxes), would temporarily persist, becoming "loopholes" in the network of order.

And his Causality Vision could, to a certain extent, "see" these loopholes.

Perhaps... the "confuse karma" ability he had just acquired was essentially the act of artificially creating similar "karma loopholes" in a short time and within a small area?

This discovery made Taiyi's heart pound.

If he could find the loopholes more precisely, or even actively create them, would that mean he could pry open a sliver of space for manipulation under the strict surveillance of the Heavenly Dao?

He suppressed his excitement and continued his observation.

This time, he turned his gaze to the great hall itself—Zixiao Palace.

In Causality Vision, this place where the Dao Ancestor preached exhibited a peculiar "duality."

Its material substance still existed—bricks were bricks, tiles were tiles, jade paved the floor, and golden pillars supported the sky. But at the same time, it was also a vast "field" composed of pure "order." This field, with Hongjun on the high platform as its core, radiated outward, enveloping the entire hall. Within the field, all karma flow became more orderly, more "regular," as if an invisible hand were constantly sorting and adjusting it.

But even within this core order field, Taiyi could "see" several discordant points.

In the northwest corner of the hall, at the base of a Coiled Dragon Golden Pillar, the flow of the karma field showed an imperceptible "vortex." The Order Force, flowing past that point, seemed to detour slightly, as if an invisible obstruction existed there.

At the connection point of a certain star position in the Star Chart on the dome, the intertwining of karma threads was too complex, forming a small "stagnation zone" where the flow speed of the Order Force was noticeably slowed.

On the jade floor directly beneath Hongjun's Dao seat, there was an extremely fine, almost invisible "crack," extending from the edge of the Dao seat to the seventh row of cushions. At the crack, the scene seen by Causality Vision appeared somewhat "ghostly," as if reality had undergone a subtle displacement there.

These were the "order loopholes" of Zixiao Palace itself.

Perhaps it was due to the imperfect fusion of architecture and Dao resonance, perhaps the immense power emanating from Hongjun's sermon caused localized order overload, or perhaps... for some other reason.

But regardless, they existed.

Taiyi took a deep breath and slowly withdrew his Causality Vision.

Just maintaining this deep observation for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea left his Primordial Spirit feeling somewhat fatigued, as if he had undergone an intense deduction. This ability consumed a great deal of mental energy and could not be used for extended periods.

He refocused his attention on Hongjun's sermon.

The Dao Ancestor's voice remained calm, currently discussing the crucial point of severing the second corpse: "...The second corpse is entrusted by using the first corpse as a bridge. Those who have severed their good thoughts can use the good corpse to harmonize their evil thoughts; those who have severed their evil thoughts can use the evil corpse to temper their obsessions. The slightest deviation in this balance can lead to a thousand-mile error..."

Everyone in the hall listened with rapt attention, many showing expressions of sudden enlightenment, clearly having grasped something.

Taiyi was also listening, but his thoughts had already drifted to another realm.

Three months of probing had given him a preliminary understanding of his new abilities:

Disrupting Heavenly Secrets was like a "mist," capable of shrouding one's own destiny trajectory, making those who tried to deduce it feel like they were looking through fog. The strength of this mist was related to his cultivation and the "price" he was willing to pay (likely involving the consumption of that forbidden power). Currently, he could only interfere with deductions below the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level, and he could not maintain it for long.

Disrupting karma is more like a "small knife," capable of "cutting," "twisting," or "tying" karma threads within an extremely short time and a very small range. This ability consumes more energy; at his current cultivation level, unleashing it fully would likely leave him drained for several days. However, its effect is more direct—if used at a critical moment, it might alter certain "fated" outcomes.

As for Causality Vision... it's a "new pair of eyes" for observing the world. It doesn't directly change anything, but it allows him to "see" what ordinary people cannot: the web of destiny, the flow of opportunities, the shadows of calamities, and... loopholes in order.

These three abilities are all related to "karma" and all run counter to "order."

They are not meant to "conform" to the Heavenly Dao, but rather to... "leverage" it.

"So, what should I do next?" Taiyi pondered silently in his heart.

Continue to hide carefully, slowly increase his cultivation, await the arrival of the Calamity, and seek a sliver of hope in the gaps of the shifting order—this was the original plan.

But now, he saw "loopholes."

Tiny fissures that exist in the present, within Zixiao Palace, and on the karma threads of the Saints.

These fissures might be small and fleeting, but they are real "operable spaces."

Could he... make some preparations before the Calamity arrives?

For instance, secretly plant something in that "void" within Zhunti's karma thread? Or perhaps, tamper with those areas in Zixiao Palace where the flow of order is obstructed? Or, observe the karma structures of other future Saints more deeply, searching for their individual "weak points"?

The moment this thought surfaced, Taiyi's heart skipped a beat.

It was too bold.

Under the Dao Ancestor's gaze, in such a core radiation zone of the Heavenly Dao as Zixiao Palace, performing such minor actions... was akin to dancing on the tip of a knife.

But...

He slowly raised his head and looked at Hongjun on the high platform.

The Dao Ancestor sat as before, his grey robes serene, his gaze lowered, as if immersed in his sermon, aware of everything within the hall yet seemingly indifferent.

Taiyi suddenly recalled the fragmented information transmitted by that dark golden eye during the refinement of the shard:

[Order operates... ceaselessly... yet all things have an end... Calamity restarts... Yin and Yang invert... Karma is disrupted... Heavenly Dao surveillance... reduced to a minimum...]

Heavenly Dao surveillance would be reduced to a minimum.

But that was during the Calamity.

What about during normal times? In this moment of stable order?

Was Hongjun's "gaze" all-weather and without blind spots?

Taiyi didn't believe so.

The Heavenly Dao might be close to omniscient, but Hongjun was a "Harmonizer," not the "Heavenly Dao itself." He needed to preach, to cultivate, to maintain the operation of Zixiao Palace, to sort out the order of the Great Wilderness... his attention must be limited.

And within Zixiao Palace, there were hundreds of listeners, each with their own fluctuations in karma, cultivation, and thoughts. These chaotic "signals" themselves would create interference.

So, if his actions were subtle enough, hidden enough, could he... accomplish something within Hongjun's blind spot?

Like a drop of ink falling into a rushing river, it would be instantly dispersed, diluted, and unnoticed.

This idea, like wild grass, grew wildly in Taiyi's heart.

He knew it was dangerous, but he also knew that passively waiting for the Calamity was equally dangerous. Perhaps even more dangerous—because the variables then would be too great, and he might not have the ability to seize that fleeting opportunity.

Rather than pinning all his hopes on that uncertain "gap" in the future, it was better to start now, attempting to carve out his own "observation holes" and "fulcrums" in the solid wall of order.

Even if they were only the size of a needle point.

With this thought, Taiyi made up his mind.

He closed his eyes again, reactivating his Causality Vision, but this time, his target was very clear—

The "vortex" of order at the base of the Coiled Dragon Golden Pillar in the northwest corner of the hall.

He carefully separated an extremely subtle wisp of his divine sense, mixed with a trace of the recently refined, incredibly dilute taboo power (from the Karma Reversal shard), like the gentlest spider silk, and slowly drifted towards the vortex.

The divine sense did not directly touch the vortex but circled around it, feeling the rhythm of the Order Force's flow, searching for the most imperceptible "fluctuation gap."

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

At the exact moment Hongjun finished a section, paused slightly, and prepared to begin the next—

Taiyi's divine sense moved.

It flicked lightly like a swimming fish, entering the "gap" in the flow of Order Force, and attached itself to an extremely tiny area on the edge of the vortex where the karma structure was slightly loosened.

It caused no ripples.

It altered no order.

It simply remained there, leaving an "imprint."

A minuscule, almost non-existent "imprint" composed of Taiyi's Origin divine sense mixed with taboo power. This imprint possessed no active function; its sole purpose was to serve as an extremely faint "coordinate" and "sensory extension point" when Taiyi needed it in the future, allowing him to "observe" the karma flow in this small area more clearly.

Having completed this, Taiyi immediately severed most of his connection with that wisp of divine sense, retaining only the most obscure trace of induction.

The entire process took less than half a breath, consuming a negligible amount of taboo power.

He held his breath, concentrating, and waited.

One breath, two breaths...

Hongjun's voice rang out again, beginning to explain the taboo of nurturing the Primordial Spirit after severing the Three Corpses.

The Dao Ancestor's gaze did not sweep toward the northwest corner.

Within the palace, the flow of the order field showed no abnormal fluctuations.

Success.

Taiyi let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, but didn't dare to relax in the slightest. He knew this was only the first step, the most insignificant one. The "imprint" left behind was fragile, liable to be washed away by the Order Force at any moment, or detected by Hongjun.

But at least, he had proven that even under absolute, stringent surveillance, there was still room for maneuver, as long as one was careful enough, patient enough, and... understood the laws governing the operation of order.

He slowly withdrew his Causality Vision and began to listen intently to the sermon.

However, in his heart, an even bolder, and more meticulous plan, was slowly taking shape.

There were still two years and nine months left for the sermon at Zixiao Palace.

During this time, he not only had to digest the Great Dao imparted by Hongjun and consolidate his own cultivation, but also... to silently leave more of his own "imprints" and "footholds" in this core land of the Heavenly Dao.

To lay the first, insignificant cornerstone for the future, which was bound to come, a future of resisting the script of the Heavenly Dao.

On the high platform, Hongjun's gaze seemed to, or perhaps not, sweep over the northwest corner of the great hall for a moment.

But soon, he returned to the content of the sermon.

As if he had noticed nothing.

Or perhaps, as if everything was within his grasp.

The sound of the sermon continued to flow steadily through the great hall.