Fu Xuanxing and the others returned with a group of unconscious cultivators.
Heng Hua stood at the bow with his eyes closed, while Zhou Xiao and Xiaoyu guarded him carefully at one side, not daring to disturb him.
Fu Xuanxing asked, "Wh... what is he doing?"
"He has entered an epiphany."
Zhou Xiao looked at Fu Henghua, then turned to Fu Xiangfeng. "Does this young friend possess the Wisdom Heart talent as well?"
Fu Xiangfeng lowered his eyes and bowed his head. "Wisdom Heart is a rare talent in my family. In our generation, only one person has awakened it."
So it was not?
Yet seeing the youth's extraordinary comprehension, Zhou Xiao felt no matter how he looked at it that this had to be the legendary Heaven-Penetrating Wisdomheart. Among their Beyond-the-World Immortal Sects, that was the talent best suited to becoming an elder who passed down teachings.
After a while, Heng Hua opened his eyes and bowed to Fu Xuanxing. "Thank you." Then he turned and headed inside.
"If you want to deduce a technique, use this." Zhou Xiao tossed him a palm-sized Golden Puppet.
Heng Hua thanked him again and hurried back into the cabin.
Fu Xuanxing called, "Hey—you're leaving just like that? What about these people?"
Xiaoyu walked over. "Lock them up first. We will deal with them after Young Master finishes deducing his technique."
"Can't we use a few more Golden Hoops? Those things are quite useful."
Xiaoyu reproached him, "Young Master only has three tightening hoops in total. These people are not worth using them on."
When Xu Wenyu heard that there were only three, his expression immediately darkened.
Was he not the only one who had tasted this bitterness?
Heng Hua returned to his room, and the Jade Crab clattered after him.
The Heart Ape entered the Golden Puppet and worked with Heng Hua to jointly deduce the Creation's Epoch-Reunion Art.
Using the master and four disciples to match the Five Elements, metal, wood, and earth were the most obvious. Journey to the West often used Golden Lord and Wood Mother to represent Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. In the book, Sha Seng was known as "Lady Huang."
Lady Huang was the deity of the spleen palace—earth.
As for the Mind Horse, the Little White Dragon, and Tang Monk Jiang Liuer, their classifications were difficult to determine.
The Mind Horse corresponded to the earthly branch Wu, which was fire.
Jiang Liuer—flowing river, as the name implied—was water.
On the surface, Tang Monk was water and the Mind Horse was fire, each falling into its proper place.
But the Mind Horse was a dragon and stirred water. Tang Monk came from the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa, and thus ought to be fire. Moreover, that arrangement followed the mutual generation and restraint among the master and disciples.
Fire restrained metal—Tang Monk restraining Sun Wukong.
Metal restrained wood—Sun Wukong restraining Zhu Bajie.
Earth restrained water—Sha Seng holding back the Mind Horse.
Thus, regardless of how Tang Monk and the Little White Dragon were assigned water and fire, Heng Hua could reasonably fit them into cultivation and compose the fourth layer of the mental art.
But once these two sets of methods were created, neither counted as a proper Heavenly Book-level art. They could only rank among the Earth Canon Immortal Arts.
Clearly, this was not the orthodox cultivation of the Creation's Epoch-Reunion Art.
Not until he saw Fu Xuanxing just now did a spark of insight flash through Heng Hua's mind, making him suddenly understand.
Why did he have to study the Five Elements of the master and four disciples?
Within the Five Elements lay mutual generation and mutual restraint—how could that determine the names of master and disciples? Besides, there were three martial brothers and four people in the master-disciple party. Why force the Mind Horse in merely to make up the Five Elements?
"I originally planned to use the master and four disciples plus the Mind Horse to complete the number of the Five Elements. I would make Five Elements Mountain the formation, with the five spirits each taking a position, achieving the cyclical flow of Five Elements yin and yang. Yet I forgot that the Five Elements were born from Taiji yin and yang; it was a step-by-step process."
Thus, Heng Hua cast aside the principles of the Five Elements and redefined the cultivation of the third Foundation Establishment mental art according to his own understanding.
Tang Monk was "Taiji." Taiji gave birth to yin, yang, and the Five Elements; it was the root of the Dao.
The three disciples were divided into three, yet secretly corresponded to the Five Elements.
That was right. The three martial brothers alone could make up the Five Elements.
Apart from Sha Seng, Golden Lord and Wood Mother each led another path, preparing for the Golden Core harmonization of Kan and Li, dragon and tiger.
As Chapter Thirty-One said: "Metal follows and wood submits, achieving the true fruit; Heart Ape and Wood Mother unite their cinnabar essence."
Metal gave birth to water, becoming Kan. Wood gave birth to fire, becoming Li.
When Golden Lord and Wood Mother harmonized Kan and Li, why was there any need to pair the holy monk with the Mind Horse?
At a single thought, the Heart Ape took the initiative to deduce the second layer of the Creation's Epoch-Reunion Art.
Beneath towering Five Elements Mountain, the Heart Ape gathered in its restless thoughts.
The holy monk came from the west, using the principle of Taiji to dissolve Five Elements Mountain and take in the Heart Ape as dharma power, refining the mystery of essence, qi, and spirit.
Watching the art evolve, Heng Hua nodded repeatedly.
"This is right. Although the second-layer mental art I originally deduced released the Heart Ape, Five Elements Mountain remained unbroken. That mountain stayed in the Niwan Palace, serving as the foundation of the Five Elements grand formation. It seemed to lay groundwork for forging the core later, but in truth it was bloated and clumsy, no longer possessing the wonder of a Heavenly Book."
Now, with the principle of Taiji, Five Elements Mountain was shattered. The Heart Ape escaped and became Golden Lord, appearing all the more nimble and alive.
Immediately after, the Golden Puppet's dharma power surged into flames.
Samadhi Fire appeared. The third layer—the Mind Horse.
At this stage, the chaotic thoughts of the Heart Ape and Mind Horse were used to hasten the nurturing of Samadhi Fire. The entire process first refined fire, then stirred water, following the principle of water and fire aiding one another.
As the art was deduced, the fiery qi surrounding the Golden Puppet gradually softened.
"Tang Monk is the master, the root of Taiji. The White Dragon Horse serves as a bridge, using water and fire to participate in yin and yang. Through the bridge of yin and yang, Taiji gives birth to the Five Elements on its own."
The Golden Puppet deduced the fourth layer.
The Mind Horse transformed into a dragon, dividing water and fire.
Golden Lord fused with water essence. By the Five Elements' principle of mutual generation—metal giving birth to water, water giving birth to wood—it gave rise to Wood Mother.
As the saying went: "When metal follows wood, all becomes one; wood cherishes metal's benevolence and ever displays it. Master and guest have no gap between them; three exchanges and three unions hold Mystic Subtle Realm."
Once Wood Mother formed, she drew upon the force of fire essence and, together with Golden Lord, governed the four elements, achieving the form of yin and yang, Kan and Li.
Heng Hua murmured, "Among the Five Elements, metal and water are yin; wood and fire are yang. Yet the lord is yang, while the mother is yin. According to alchemy, Golden Lord is yang within yin, while Wood Mother is yin within yang. Thus, embrace Kan and Li, water and fire, to form the Golden Core—the union of yin and yang."
But beyond the yin and yang of water and fire, Lady Huang was needed at the center.
As the saying went: "Water and fire mingle, each with its destined bond; all depends on Earth Mother matching them as they should."
Fire gave birth to earth. After nurturing Wood Mother, Lady Huang appeared last.
Lady Huang was also called Yellow Sprout. In alchemy, it represented that spark of spiritual opportunity when the Golden Core first formed. Only after Kan and Li were harmonized could Yellow Sprout germinate and Core Formation begin.
"Golden Lord takes fire's essence, Wood Mother obtains water's essence. Wukong and Bajie work together as yin and yang, while Sha Seng harmonizes them from between. This is the principle of the Five Elements."
At this point, the three brothers matched the Five Elements, beginning with metal and ending with earth, generation after generation without cease.
And when the three brothers took Tang Monk as their master, it was the Five Elements returning to and transforming into Taiji.
Once the art's deduction was complete, Heng Hua threw back his head and laughed.
Faintly, he heard furious thunder above the Nine Heavens.
But the lightning did not fall. After all, he had only calculated the central thesis of the technique. The true detailed art would need time to be carefully refined.
Retracting the Heart Ape, Heng Hua went outside and returned the Golden Puppet to Zhou Xiao.
Seeing the Five Qi circulating within the Golden Puppet, Zhou Xiao said in surprise, "You actually deduced it all the way to Foundation Establishment Perfection?"
With all Five Elements complete, it already bore the signs of a False Core.
"It is a pity that neither of us has the time at present. Otherwise, I could help you refine innate Five Elements and imitate Li Nanxing in cultivating an Outer Dao False Core."
After examining it, Zhou Xiao handed the Golden Puppet back to Heng Hua.
"Keep it. This Golden Puppet has a marvelous use. The realm of the technique you deduced can condense within it into a seed of Dao intent. When needed, use dharma power to activate that Dao intent, and it can unleash a strike equivalent to that realm."
Heng Hua froze. "A cultivation puppet can be used this way too?"
"It is how the puppets of the Golden Direction Water Region are used. In Central Heaven, I have heard there is even a method that uses puppets to create External Incarnations."
Zhou Xiao deliberately boasted of the central three water regions, hoping to stir Heng Hua's yearning and draw him into the Mysterious Subtle Sect.
But Heng Hua's heart was set on restoring the Heavenly Book. How could he have any mind to visit the Mysterious Subtle Sect and study the Immortal Art of Two Modes?
He could only pretend not to understand Zhou Xiao's words.
In the end, Zhou Xiao helplessly abandoned the subject.
"What do you plan to do with these people?"
"I do not have enough tightening hoops on me. Lock their Niwan Palaces first. Xiaoyu, go cut off their hair and make hair puppets. We will need them tomorrow."
Zhou Xiao frowned. "Witchcraft to suppress and overcome?"
Using their hair to control their lives and force them to work?
"No. It is our mystic sect's Sprinkling Beans to Create Soldiers."
Heng Hua took Wei Lingzheng's lock of hair and tossed it into the water. "Transform!"
The waves roiled, and a golden-armored Dao Soldier with features resembling Wei Lingzheng emerged.
He smiled. "Beans can become soldiers, so naturally a cultivator's hair can as well."
"Though it only possesses dharma power for a quarter of an hour, it can imitate thirty percent of the original's battle strength. If certain unorthodox arts are used, injuries suffered by the Dao Soldier can even be transferred to the original body."
Though Heng Hua spoke vaguely, Zhou Xiao's broad experience allowed him to immediately understand the method's use.
If one obtained a lock of an enemy's hair and made a hair puppet, then sent it to fight the original body, any injury the original inflicted upon the hair puppet would appear upon himself. With the enemy afraid of breaking the rat's vessel, victory would come easily.
"Witchcraft from Central Heaven, Golden Fang, and Xuanyu is rather rare. There are no such things as hair puppets. Looking at this, it resembles more the methods of the Yuanming Waters. Tongjun, you truly know a great deal."
Heng Hua modestly demurred a few times. Inwardly, he said, Of course Tongjun understands witchcraft. Her mother came from the Yuanming Waters and inherited the arts of gu poison.
Fu Xiangfeng watched Xu Wenyu from the other side. Seeing Wei Lingzheng's hair-puppet Dao Soldier, he was secretly astonished.
"When did Little Six ever deal with Wei Lingzheng? He even cut off the man's hair?"
Wei Chongwei led a group of Wei Family members to the Immovable Reef, where Heng Hua and the others had set up their boat market.
By then, all the cultivators had departed, and the island was utterly empty.
Wei Chongwei silently recited an incantation, attempting to gather the traces of aura left behind by the Fu Family and use them to seek their trail.
But Heng Hua was meticulous. How could he possibly leave behind such an enormous flaw?
After searching for quite a while, Wei Chongwei accomplished nothing.
"The Fu Family is certainly cautious. But—"
He waved his whisk, and his dharma power became a skyful of clear dust that blanketed the reef island.
Soon, Wei Lingzheng and the others saw the clear dust reconstruct itself in the air, recreating the boat market from dawn.
"Uncle, this is?"
"This is one of my secret trump cards. Just watch."
Wei Chongwei stared intently at the Lesser Sumeru Dust Illusion Art.
Heng Hua appraising treasures, Qingxi seizing the fan... every event was replayed one by one.
At last, they saw the direction in which the Colorful-Luan Spirit Ship had departed.
"That way. Pursue them."
Wei Chongwei's voice was somewhat weak.
The Lesser Sumeru Dust Illusion Art was an exceedingly profound method.
The Sumeru illusion it created could not only trace back the past, but also open heaven and earth to create a genuine world of its own. Naturally, it consumed immense dharma power.
Wei Chongwei had merely restored several hours of time, yet seventy percent of his dharma power had already been drained.
Ten li away, the Jade Dragonfly Vessel drifted over.
Fu Liuhui had followed Heng Hua's trail to this stretch of waters.
From afar, she saw the clear dust above Immovable Reef and immediately stopped.
"Wei Family members?"
Quick-witted as ice and snow, she instantly guessed their intentions.
"They want to divine Sixth Brother's whereabouts?"
The young woman hurriedly steered her spirit vessel away, seeking a way to warn Heng Hua.
Because the distance was too great, Fu Liuhui could not use the Wind-Sound Technique to warn him. She could only choose witchcraft.
"Then... let him get a nosebleed. If Sixth Brother senses it, he will surely trace my whereabouts in reverse. Then he can notice the Wei Family's movements."
They were siblings raised together, after all.
The moment Fu Liuhui cast her spell, Heng Hua immediately sensed someone using a curse to harm him.
Tracing it back with divination, he not only discovered Fu Liuhui's little trick, but also sensed the Wei Family party upon Immovable Reef.
"Greed, anger, delusion, love, hatred, desire, aversion. This must be that path of 'hatred's hardship,' yes? Hm? There seems to be another group as well?"
Heng Hua cast a spell to calculate, vaguely sensing a thread of demonic qi approaching Fu Liuhui.
Without hesitation, Heng Hua used a minor witch curse on Fu Liuhui as a warning. Then he ignited the Wei Family members' hair and used a substitution method to invert their fates with his own, luring them into conflict with the Heavenly Demon Lineage.
Watching Heng Hua work his magic from the side, Zhou Xiao silently calculated what was happening.
Suddenly, his expression changed. "A successor of the Heavenly Demon in Dragonreach Waters is coming to trouble you?"
"Heavenly Demon? The Demon Palace?"
Heng Hua immediately thought of the demonic cultivation art he had been studying. Could they have learned that he possessed the Demon Palace's supreme mental art and come to trouble him?
Zhou Xiao was also beating a drum in his heart. Heavenly Demon... if they learn that the demonic beast I possess is a supreme treasure of the Demon Palace, will they not alarm the entire Demon Palace?
Aboard the Jade Dragonfly Vessel, Fu Liuhui felt a stabbing pain in her little finger and swiftly drove the Jade Dragonfly Vessel away.
The moment she departed, demonic cultivators from the Profound Heart Altar arrived. By chance, they ran into Wei Chongwei's party, who were preparing to leave.
"Heavenly Demon?"
"Wei Family?"
By instinct, both sides brought out their various magical treasures.
The next chapter will also be delayed until eight tonight. Regular scheduled updates will resume tomorrow!
Before you continue