Chapter 194: First Glimpse of the Puzzle

In an instant, a chill shot from Wang Ping's tailbone straight into his mind, then spread through his limbs and bones. His hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

"...No, calm down."

It took him a long time to settle his thoughts and focus on the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman resting in his mind. The chances of this talisman being defective were slim.

Unless the Great Joy Wisdom King, who had bestowed the talisman upon him, was setting a trap.

But Brahma Cultivators didn't cultivate the Twenty-Four Qi. Why would they bother concealing the specific origin of a Divine Power? It made no sense, making the possibility highly unlikely.

'In fact... it's just the opposite.'

Wang Ping pondered.

'Precisely because this is a Brahma Cultivator technique, it's trustworthy right now. There's no way You Xuexin could betray me after being refined into a protector wisdom consort.'

That left only one possibility.

You Xuexin herself was unaware of the flaws in the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. She had learned this Major Divine Ability from the Secret Record of Divine Abilities on Bliss Immortal Peak.

'Either You Xuexin's memories were altered, or the records in the Secret Record of Divine Abilities were flawed to begin with,' Wang Ping thought. 'If it's the former, the Heaven-Stealing Thief is behind this... That old bastard. Is he really just shearing the same sheep over and over? Targeting me exclusively?'

But no matter how he thought about it, that didn't feel right.

The Heaven-Stealing Thief would have had only one chance to alter You Xuexin's memories: the time she escorted the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman.

And that had happened before the Longxing County incident.

Could the Heaven-Stealing Thief have foreseen the present all the way back then? Absolutely impossible. If he had, he wouldn't have needed to try and kill Wang Ping earlier.

'It has to be the second possibility.'

The records in the Secret Record of Divine Abilities were fundamentally wrong.

He needed to verify it. If true, his deduction was correct. If not, he would have to reconsider the first possibility.

At this thought, Wang Ping reached out to You Xuexin once more.

...

Within the Cave Abode at the Immortal Gate.

You Xuexin opened her eyes and looked into the depths of her sea of consciousness at the character 'Zheng'. Wang Ping's voice rang in her ears, and her delicate brows furrowed.

"Master wants to see the Secret Record of Divine Abilities?"

"That isn't difficult. Bliss Immortal Peak has a dedicated Dharma Transmission Hall that I can freely enter as a true transmission disciple. Which Divine Power does Master wish to see?"

Wang Ping shook his head, offering no answer as he urged, "Don't worry about that. Just go."

"Xuexin obeys."

Without hesitation, You Xuexin stood up and left her Cave Abode. She took to the air in a streak of light, speeding all the way until she landed before a grand pavilion.

The entirety of Bliss Immortal Peak was, in fact, a super-planet of unimaginable scale. The planet's Northern Pole Palace served as the so-called main peak, a place ordinary cultivators wouldn't dare approach. As for the Dharma Transmission Hall You Xuexin had mentioned, it was located just south of the planet's equator.

Retracting her streak of light, You Xuexin walked straight into the pavilion. Her passing stirred up layers of radiant energy, but as the brilliance fell upon her, it softened into a warm, gentle breeze.

This, of course, was the privilege of true transmission.

Had she not been a true transmission disciple, entering this place so carelessly would have triggered the radiance's destructive might, reducing any trespasser to ash on the spot.

Soon, You Xuexin arrived beside a bookshelf within the pavilion. It was marked with the words 'Sun and Moon Lake'—the residence of her master, the Qi Refining practitioner Mingyou. This label meant he had set up this shelf personally, reserving its contents exclusively for the true transmission disciples under his wing.

Beyond this, dozens of other bookshelves filled the surrounding area.

You Xuexin, however, had no right to approach them. Each shelf belonged to a different Qi Refining practitioner, and only their respective true transmission disciples were allowed to view them.

"The Secret Record of Divine Abilities..."

Sharing You Xuexin's perspective, Wang Ping watched her pick up a thin Daoist manual from the shelf, flip it open, and begin reading carefully.

Before long, he spotted his target.

The Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart.

Beneath the name lay its corresponding spells, its cultivation method, and—most importantly—its origin: it came from Heavenly Yang Earth, specifically the Sun-Dwelling Mysterious Rainbow Inconstant Qi.

"Phew...!"

Wang Ping subconsciously let out a long breath. "Just as I thought. The problem isn't You Xuexin; the records in the Secret Record of Divine Abilities are wrong."

But that begged the question: why were they wrong?

'It's absolutely impossible for an Immortal Gate's Divine Power to be recorded incorrectly by mistake. It has to be deliberate... Since that's the case, who wrote this manual? Great Cultivator Mingyou?'

You Xuexin continued turning the pages, quickly finishing the entire Secret Record of Divine Abilities. However, it wasn't until the very end, tucked in the corner of the final page, that Wang Ping spotted a stamped seal. It consisted of six beautifully elegant ancient seal characters. It clearly didn't read 'Mingyou.' Instead, it was a Daoist title Wang Ping had never heard before.

True Person Hanguang Danyang.

True Person? A True Person!

Wang Ping's pupils shrank abruptly. Having broadened his horizons within the Immortal Gate, he certainly knew exactly what the title of 'True Person' signified here.

'A Truth Cultivator!'

Tribulation Transcending, Qi Refining, and Cultivating Truth to ascend to immortality... The Realm above Qi Refining practitioner was Truth Cultivator! Only cultivators who had reached this Realm could title themselves as True Persons!

And only those who attained the absolute pinnacle of this Realm could be hailed as a True Monarch.

Wang Ping never would have imagined that a mere Secret Record of Divine Abilities—one meant as a reference for the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer—was actually penned by a legendary True Person of the Immortal Gate!

"Why?"

Having found his answer, Wang Ping felt a mix of joy and concern. He first instructed You Xuexin to return to her Cave Abode, then sank back into deep thought.

Naturally, he couldn't figure it out on his own.

This involved profound mysteries of the Dao. With his current level of cultivation, trying to comprehend it was like a toad gazing at the moon—completely beyond his reach. Any forced deductions on his part would only result in leaving oneself open to ridicule by experts.

Therefore, he needed outside help.

"Lord Treasure Cauldron!"

Having made up his mind, Wang Ping immediately looked toward the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron beside him and, without hesitation, explained everything he had seen and his resulting doubts.

"Please guide me, Lord Treasure Cauldron."

After Wang Ping finished speaking, the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron fell into a long silence. It wasn't until a good while later that it offered a somewhat hesitant answer:

[The key... might lie with that True Person.]

[In short, if this True Person Hanguang Danyang also cultivated Wu Earth back then, he might have been trying to return the 'human yang earth' to the sequence of heaven and earth.]

"...Ah."

At these words, Wang Ping immediately recalled what Great Cultivator Mingyou had once said: 'The qi of heaven and earth is eternal, while the qi of humanity is separate, unbound by heaven and earth.'

[You know about that?]

The Treasure Cauldron Spirit seemed a bit surprised. [You know quite a lot... That's correct. Due to ancient events, all the qi associated with humanity within the Three Talents broke away from heaven and earth.]

[The ones above in heaven dream of taking it back.]

[This might have been one of their attempts.]

"What do you mean?"

Wang Ping didn't quite understand. How could such a massive upheaval involving the qi of heaven and earth hinge on a mere Tribulation Transcending Second Layer Divine Power? The scale seemed far too small.

[Its small scale is exactly why it makes sense. The 'human yang earth' is the most crucial piece. After separating from heaven and earth, it became as unshakeable as a mountain. It is the hardest to reclaim, leaving almost no opening to exploit. If that True Person truly had such plans, planting a scheme within a Divine Power was the only move available to him. He wouldn't have been capable of executing a scheme on a higher level.]

[As for the mechanics behind it, I can make a rough guess.]

[The key lies in the Heavenly Yang Earth—specifically the Sun-Dwelling Mysterious Rainbow Inconstant Qi. The essence of this qi is true and false, real and illusory; it shifts with endless uncertainty.]

[That True Person deliberately recorded a Major Divine Ability that rightfully belonged to 'human yang earth' under 'Heavenly Yang Earth' instead.]

[This creates a metaphysical confounding.]

[If someone were to actually treat it as a Heavenly Yang Earth Major Divine Ability, successfully cultivate it, and then use it to transcend their life tribulation—or even step into Qi Refining...]

[Then the 'false' would become 'true.']

[From then on, this Major Divine Ability would genuinely belong to Heavenly Yang Earth. It would be the equivalent of stripping away a Divine Power from the 'human yang earth.']

[Although this is still a far cry from returning the entire qi to the sequence of heaven and earth, peeling off even a single Divine Power for its return is an unimaginably massive merit.]

[At least for this True Person, succeeding in this endeavor would guarantee a massive boost in cultivation, vastly increasing his chances of breaking through to the True Monarch Realm in the future.]

[Of course, as I mentioned... this is entirely based on the premise that True Person Hanguang Danyang also mainly cultivates Wu Earth qi. My theories are grounded in the variations of Wu Earth. If his primary qi isn't Wu Earth, but something else entirely, then this might be a completely different, unfathomable scheme altogether.]

Wang Ping listened, utterly dumbfounded.

"Lord Treasure Cauldron... didn't you claim to only understand the 'human yang earth'? But from your depth of knowledge, it seems you know Heavenly Yang Earth like the back of your hand."

[Hehehe... Ahem. Great Rebellion, don't try to flatter me.]

The Treasure Cauldron vibrated slightly.

[This hardly counts as knowing it like the back of my hand. Since both are yang earth, I just know a few of its characteristics. I'm completely in the dark regarding any core Dao secrets.]

"That's completely fine!"

Wang Ping waved his hand excitedly, feeling as though a thick fog had just lifted from his mind. The Treasure Cauldron Spirit's deduction perfectly explained why the Heaven-Stealing Thief had lied!

'The Heaven-Stealing Thief absolutely knew that the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart belonged to human yang earth, not Heavenly Yang Earth. He also knew it was a True Person's scheme! Most likely, he got scared and didn't dare interfere, fearing he'd catch that True Person's attention. That's why he just played along with my words and spouted nonsense!'

In that case—

'The Heaven-Stealing Thief actually had no idea what Divine Power I had learned. Even though he pushed for Uniting Earth to Behold Fire, there was no way he could control everything.'

Plans could never keep up with changes.

'He knew I would definitely cultivate a Wu Earth Divine Power, but he never expected I'd choose the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. That's why his attitude shifted.'

What kind of shift?

Wang Ping recalled their conversation and suddenly felt speechless. 'That old bastard! The moment he heard I cultivated the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, he turned tail and bolted!'

"And to think he put on such a good act back then, talking about a 'pleasant cooperation' and cackling like he had everything in the palm of his hand. He was probably scared out of his wits... Looking at it this way, he likely won't contact me again. At least not until he sees clearly how this scheme surrounding me plays out."

"No wonder he had confidence in me."

"In his eyes, I've likely fallen into a True Person's scheme. With that kind of backing, dealing with a mere inner sect disciple like Xuanyin would be as easy as flipping my hand!"

Then—had he truly fallen into True Person Hanguang Danyang's scheme?

Wang Ping didn't know the answer to that either.

'After all, my magical power isn't Wu Earth; it's Gui Water. My path doesn't align with the Sun-Dwelling Mysterious Rainbow Inconstant Qi, either. Technically, I don't meet the requirements.'

But one thing was certain: the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart was a Divine Power he both could and must cultivate. It brought him nothing but immense benefits without a single drawback.

'If I haven't fallen into True Person Hanguang Danyang's scheme, then I'm perfectly safe. But even if I have, according to the Treasure Cauldron Spirit, he'd still need to groom me into a Qi Refining practitioner for his scheme to succeed. Either way, I don't lose out!'