Chapter 61: The Living Stake

Cao Chengyu visited as an itinerant cultivator, requesting a recent map detailing the layout of the surrounding mountain ranges.

To an ordinary observer, it seemed he was seeking a place of auspicious feng shui and abundant spiritual energy in which to cultivate.

The renowned Doctor Chen stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes, lost in thought.

Nevertheless, he indicated a particular location to Cao Chengyu.

“This is the highest point in the nearby terrain. You must be wary of the strong, harsh energy that pervades it,” he said. “However, from here, you can survey the lay of the mountains for a hundred miles around. I am no expert in geomancy, so you will have to judge for yourself.”

“No problem,” Cao Chengyu replied with a warm, genial smile.

This old man was not what he appeared. At first, Cao Chengyu had thought him a reclusive elder quietly awaiting the end of his days.

But when he tried to divine his fate with the Minor Six Ren hand seal, the man’s destiny was shrouded, yielding not the slightest clue.

His origins might be mysterious, but the calluses thickly grown on his palms—especially at the base of the thumb—spoke of a soldier returned from the battlefield.

Though he had embarked on the path of cultivation, it was obvious he started late and lacked talent, having reached only the peak of Qi Nurturing in his lifetime.

Such was precisely the system of the Dayue army: common soldiers were eligible to retire between the ages of thirty-four and forty-five, exchanging meritorious service for access to cultivation methods.

Many ambitious mortals joined the army of Dayue for the sake of obtaining such arts.

In a mere instant, countless thoughts raced through Cao Chengyu’s mind.

He remained inscrutable, continuing to converse with Doctor Chen, his words all suggesting he wished to establish a cave abode here for his cultivation.

One who could conceal his destiny from divination, and who had retired from the army—Cao Chengyu could not help but suspect this had something to do with Skytower’s Triple Gold Core transcendence plan. He dared not reveal that he was investigating anything.

No matter what, this Doctor Chen could not be allowed to remain here for long.

Otherwise, danger would be imminent.

Cao Chengyu never underestimated the intelligence of others. He already had flaws in his use of the Minor Six Ren at Skytower. Moreover, his victory over Ning Que in the capital had earned him a reputation as a genius.

And it is geniuses who break the rules.

In a few short months, he had secretly exchanged for the Minor Six Ren hand seal. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss. But if their plan ran into trouble and they investigated, this would be Cao Chengyu’s greatest vulnerability.

So Doctor Chen could not stay, nor could the villagers be made aware—who knew whether some among them were his confidants? Fortunately, he had disguised himself as a Qi Nurturing cultivator at the sixth level.

Outwardly, Doctor Chen had no reason to fear for his life, and apprehending him would not be an easy task.

Given his age and cultivation…

The difference between the initial stage and the peak is merely the quantity of primordial energy—there’s little impact on combat ability; it’s a matter of endurance.

Only upon reaching the Spirit Refining realm, when primordial energy and spiritual energy merge to form true power, does the gap become truly significant.

With each higher realm, the divide grows, becoming an unbridgeable chasm.

For the weak, numbers prevail; the more, the better. So Doctor Chen did not yet feel threatened or see cause to report this directly. Instead, he would probe Cao Chengyu, hoping to earn merit.

He would try, before the end of his life, to cross into the Spirit Refining realm and extend his years by a decade or two.

Such hopes are only human.

Conversely, upon sensing Doctor Chen’s connection to Skytower, Cao Chengyu immediately realized the unusual nature of this place.

This must be a node of the unknown formation—though not too important, or it would not be guarded by one so feeble.

Cao Chengyu resolved to spend three days investigating. If he found nothing, he would rid himself of the old man and slip away.

If he uncovered something, he would decide what to do next.

On the surface, the two men maintained a cordial façade, appearing as host and guest in perfect harmony, but each harbored his own schemes.

A single misstep would mean death.

Doctor Chen, assured by his numbers, did not fear Cao Chengyu and was willing to speak freely so long as his questions did not touch upon core secrets.

The morning’s visit concluded.

Cao Chengyu left the thatched hut and headed up the mountain, followed by several mortal warriors dispatched in secret by Doctor Chen.

Truth be told, though mortal warriors had low ceilings, they could easily best most cultivators in the Qi Nurturing realm.

They relied on raw strength, and those who had trained in martial arts since childhood were naturally more formidable.

Cao Chengyu ascended the mountain, both to demonstrate his stated intentions of seeking a place to open a cave abode and to keep the old man at ease for now.

At the same time, the Minor Six Ren hand seal caused little disturbance when deployed, unlike the Fivefold Solar Fire technique which would warp the flow of spiritual energy. He could now seize the chance to carefully study the earth’s meridians.

He calculated the feng shui node of Dragon Gate Village.

He had long since noticed the mortal warriors trailing him, but chose not to expose them yet.

Before he acted, he needed to eliminate all of Doctor Chen’s followers, allowing not a single one to escape, lest endless trouble ensue.

Having set his strategy, Cao Chengyu focused all his attention on divination, his spiritual sense operating at full capacity as he used the techniques of Qimen Dunjia to analyze the node.

He stood at the highest peak within a fifty-mile radius, his magic shielding him from the fierce energies, softly reciting incantations:

“In Minor Six Ren, sun and moon traverse,
The time above determines the palace, distinguishing the pure.
The twelve zodiac signs clarify the trigrams,
Before the horse, six stars divine fortune and disaster.
Appear!”

A flash of golden spiritual light passed before his mind’s eye.

It was as though the heavens had opened for Cao Chengyu; his gaze swept over every inch of land within sight, finally settling upon a stone bridge in Dragon Gate Village.

This golden spiritual light would be invisible to most, only perceptible to those who had cultivated their soul to a high degree.

Cao Chengyu himself had only acquired this “opened sky eye” after mastering the Minor Six Ren.

Like a geomantic compass, it allowed him to swiftly pinpoint his target.

In his vision, the stone bridge was pitch black, radiating an intense yin energy, thick with resentment—an aura of great evil.

Only when a fearsome ghost was about to be born would such ominous energy gather.

A chill ran through Cao Chengyu as he withdrew his secret art.

His heart grew heavy; if even a node watched over by a mere Qi Nurturing cultivator could harbor such power, then what of the core nodes? Could they encompass entire cities?

And those cities serving as formation eyes—could there be any living souls left within?

Had the royal family of Dayue not opposed this?

The more he pondered, the colder his heart became. When he had accidentally encountered Empress Chiluán, her demeanor gave no hint of awareness.

The ranking list’s description stated plainly that the Empress’s sympathies lay with the common people—she would never have sanctioned this.

It was all too bizarre.

Rubbing his aching brow, Cao Chengyu returned expressionless to the village.

The warriors shadowed him back; one broke off from the group, likely to report his movements.

Cao Chengyu chose a family in Dragon Gate Village and arranged to stay the night.

At a quarter past midnight, relying on his cultivation, he silently slipped beneath the stone bridge, disturbing no one.

He projected his spiritual sense to probe the bridge’s secrets.

A moment later, Cao Chengyu gasped in shock.

“A living sacrifice as a foundation?!”