Chapter Sixty-Four: Shattering the Ninefold Heaven Formation 1

At this moment, Su Su was undergoing the baptism of the White Emperor’s inheritance. Meanwhile, within the clustered peaks of the Jiuyi Mountains, Hao Dan and the Eastern Lord wandered through the Maze of Lost Souls. The so-called Ninefold Heaven and Earth Formation, as its name implied, was a grand array consisting of nine interconnected divine formations, each resonating with the others. Within each curve of the formation lay countless smaller arrays. After days of exploration, Hao Dan had employed all manner of his own mystical arts, yet still could not discover the whereabouts of the River Chart and Luo Book. The Eastern Lord, for his part, was equally vexed. Worldly as he was, when had he ever been so toyed with?

After repeated attempts to unravel the formation, the Eastern Lord was already losing patience. When had he ever felt so powerless—unable to use his magic, forced to endure the grating melody of the array? It was all too clear: the reason they were trapped here was the doing of the River Chart and Luo Book’s own spirit, who could, without even showing itself, manipulate the two of them to death within this labyrinth.

After three days, the Eastern Lord’s patience was completely exhausted. Hao Dan differed from him—in his Da Luo Golden Immortal body, he still needed to eat to replenish his qi; when tired, he rested beneath the trees, and when hungry, he plucked fruit from the boughs. Before them stretched an endless expanse of densely packed mountains, undulating without end. Standing atop a peak, Hao Dan’s mind surged with emotion—how eerily familiar this scene was!

In days past, within the Illusive Spirit Realm, Hao Dan would often stand with Xiao Bailing at the edge of a mountain by the Idle Spirit Palace, gazing out. The realm was teeming with strange beasts and wondrous spirits—cranes, blue phoenixes, vultures, and eagles; all manner of flying spirits filled the skies, and the earth was alive with creatures of every sort. In a single phrase: “No useless grass grows on that land, and no useless spirit is born under that sky.”

The Illusive Spirit Realm dazzled precisely because of this; everything existed within it, making its beauty almost unreal. Compared to the peaks of Jiuyi before him, Hao Dan felt the truth of this more deeply than ever.

A gentle longing rose within him—a yearning deeper than even the ten-plus years he’d spent cultivating on Mount Song. His bond with Xiao Bailing was more than love, deeper than that between master and disciple. In the nearly seven years they shared in the Illusive Spirit Realm, their ties had become inseparable.

The thought of Xiao Bailing’s ever-changing beauty—sometimes cold and aloof, sometimes charming and radiant—made Hao Dan want nothing more than to leave this place. He had been trapped in Jiuyi for days, utterly at a loss. If the River Chart and Luo Book truly were his own magic treasures from the past, they should not be so difficult to subdue. The Eastern Lord, seeing the shift in Hao Dan’s expression, knew well that in this maze his only role was to shield Hao Dan from the formation’s corruption and any sudden attacks—nothing more.

As for how to tame the River Chart and Luo Book, silent for a thousand years, the Eastern Lord had no solution.

Was it possible that Hao Dan would have to traverse every path of the Ninefold Heaven and Earth Formation? The Jiuyi peaks stretched for over a hundred thousand miles—if he had to walk every step, would it not take an age?

Because of the array’s power, any who entered were unable to fly by their own magic. Should they attempt sword-flight or use their spiritual power to fly, they would be thrown out by the formation, rendering all their progress void and forcing them to begin anew.

Such was the tyranny of this formation: once within, one could only proceed on foot. Each of the nine formations required the intruder to trust in their own intuition to choose the correct path. The River Chart and Luo Book were hidden within one of these nine, but after traversing three, Hao Dan had yet to sense their presence.

This thought stoked a flame of anger in Hao Dan’s heart. For a mere artifact to dare toy with its master so—who could remain as calm as he? Not to mention that Hao Dan was the reincarnation of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Had it been the Eastern Emperor himself, would the River Chart and Luo Book dare be so insolent? One glance from Taiyi, and the treasures would have appeared before him, obedient as dogs. Yet, after a thousand years, would the River Chart and Luo Book truly betray their master and seek their own path?

Alas, time changes all things. In a thousand years, much can be altered. When the Eastern Lord first attained spirit form, the River Chart and Luo Book were still mere peerless artifacts, not yet awakened as spirits. A millennium gave them ample time to grow, and Hao Dan was no longer the sovereign he once was; the gulf between them now was vast and unbridgeable.

Thus, the River Chart and Luo Book had long since become true spirits, their power now at least equal to Hao Dan and the Eastern Lord. Their deliberate torment was the spirit’s intention—something the Eastern Lord understood all too well.

Leaning close to Hao Dan’s ear, the Eastern Lord whispered, “A thousand years ago, the River Chart and Luo Book feared your unmatched might. Now, your strength is diminished and insignificant in their eyes, while they possess the power to overwhelm you. To truly subdue them, you must be forceful. Without extraordinary strength to command their respect, I fear we will not easily leave this place.”

“If I were to destroy this formation by force, would you aid me, Eastern Lord?”

Hao Dan paid little heed to the Eastern Lord’s words. All he wanted was to be free of the formation and return to Shangqiu to see Xiao Bailing.

Previously, he had come to Jiuyi only because Su Su had asked and because the Heavenly Soul’s threat left him no choice. Now that the Heavenly Soul was trapped and unable to break free, his mind had returned to its former clarity. The one he most longed for was Xiao Bailing.

Seeing the unyielding resolve on Hao Dan’s face—the innate majesty that needed no anger—the Eastern Lord felt he saw the Eastern Emperor of old returning. Without hesitation, he replied, “Very well! Whatever you decide, I will follow without question!”

“But this is the ancestral array of the Jiuyi demon clans, steeped in history. Are you certain you wish to destroy it?”

“I have returned in this life. What further use is this array to me? Now, it is nothing but an obstacle in my path!”

At some point, Hao Dan’s tone and spirit had changed drastically. He was becoming more and more like the fearless Eastern Emperor Taiyi of the past.

“In that case, the decision rests with you alone!”

A rare and fierce anticipation appeared on the Eastern Lord’s face. Since Hao Dan had not awakened the will of Taiyi, the Eastern Lord dared not interfere with his choices. But seeing Hao Dan’s current aura, he felt the old Eastern Emperor was on the verge of returning.

Without another word, the Eastern Lord summoned forth the Bell of the Eastern Emperor. At his incantation, the bell shot from the formation, swiftly growing larger and larger until it threatened to cover the entire Ninefold Heaven and Earth Formation. The sight was so astonishing that even Su Jing and Su Moran, atop the main peak in the distance, cried out in shock, “This is bad!”

Such an unrestrained display could not go unnoticed. The two, who had been drinking and chatting, leapt to the cliff’s edge and stared at the enormous bell looming over the formation. Their bodies trembled with terror, uncertain what to do.

It happened in the blink of an eye. The two exchanged glances, realizing the uproar this would cause. If Hao Dan and the River Chart and Luo Book clashed and involved the White Emperor’s tomb at the foot of the mountain, the consequences would be disastrous!

After all, accidents always come unexpectedly; nothing ever goes exactly as one wishes. Fate, as always, played its mischievous games. Even the gods of the Thirty-Six Heavens could not foresee all that was to come. At most, they could divine a glimpse—no more. Gods, too, faced rules and restrictions, to say nothing of mortals beneath the nine heavens.