Chapter 294: Layers of Mysteries, the Third True Person!

Inside the grand hall, Wang Ping lowered his eyes, lost in deep thought.

"when wind follows, all things proceed smoothly."

His intuition told him this was the most crucial clue, a phrase revealing some vital truth. Yet, a thin mist seemed to shroud his sea of consciousness.

He could neither penetrate its meaning nor see it clearly.

The following sentence, however, was much easier to grasp: "Minor prosperity; advantageous to advance; advantageous to see the great man... Beneficial for taking action, and beneficial for seeking an audience with a major figure."

Recalling every piece of intelligence he had gathered so far, thought flickered in Wang Ping's eyes. 'The mastermind using Kunyun's diary to pass this message wants me to act immediately and encourages me to meet a major figure... Does this refer to Heavenly Yin Metal and that Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master?'

That made no sense.

Even setting aside the Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master, the method of breaking the deadlock via Heavenly Yin Metal was intelligence he had acquired solely through the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron.

Even his own recollection of how he had obtained this information was blurry, his memories evidently obscured to sever the related karma.

How could the other party possibly know?

'Then again, it's not impossible. Since they are higher cultivators, major figures starting at the tier of a True Person, perhaps my every move has been watched from the very beginning...'

Wang Ping let out a sigh.

He suddenly remembered that the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, as a Qi Refining First Tier Spiritual Treasure, was actually unprotected. A True Person could directly interfere with it!

'Although a True Person can't enter the Eight Trigrams Furnace without the protection of national destiny like Dashun Taizu, if they simply cast their gaze to observe, could my experiences within the Cauldron Interior Grotto-Heaven truly escape their sight? Ultimately, the Treasure Cauldron is just a Spiritual Treasure.'

Wang Ping really didn't dare to be too optimistic.

Perhaps even at this very moment, someone was staring right at him, waiting to see what choice he would make... Damn it, couldn't he have a little privacy?!

'Even taking a huge step back, if the mastermind sent this message fully aware of my trump cards, should I actually trust them?'

The core issue lay in who had delivered the message.

'If this is related to Kunyun, could it also be the Wood Qi Daoist Master? That Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master? That makes no sense. He could have just spoken to me directly last time.'

Beating around the bush like this was completely pointless.

'The other faction related to wood qi is the Immortal Prescription Courtyard. But that's not right either. If it were the Immortal Prescription Courtyard, why didn't they speak to me through Xianfu?'

First going through Xuanlongzi, then having Xuanlongzi bring Kunyun's diary, only to leave these two sentences in the journal—they were hiding entirely too deep.

The more Wang Ping thought about it, the more confused he became, utterly unable to guess the identity of the mastermind behind these two sentences... until he snapped out of his daze, only to see that the two phrases in the diary in his hands had vanished. In their place were dense, rambling speculations and nonsense.

This looked much more like Kunyun's insights into the Xun Trigram.

"Hmm?!"

Wang Ping's eyes brightened instantly, and his previously heavy mood suddenly soared. 'Burn after reading? The words I just saw were concealed by someone?'

This was a completely unexpected delight.

If his every move was under surveillance, there would be no need for this kind of burn-after-reading trick. It would just be a pointless cover-up.

But since the mastermind had done it, it meant that—at the very least—these two sentences weren't visible to everyone. It was a secret, highly likely that only he could see and know it... That changed things. At the very least, this action showed a hint of sincerity in trying to help.

"Phew...!"

Wang Ping let out a long breath, as if trying to exhale all his chaotic thoughts. Then, he looked at the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron beside him and abruptly formed a hand seal.

'Concealing Mystery to suppress the mechanism, obscuring karma and masking results.'

Concealing Mystery!

The supreme profundity of the Treasure Cauldron acted like a layer of murky light, shrouding Wang Ping's memories and rapidly erasing the two sentences he had seen in Kunyun's diary.

'I'll set it up in advance. Unless I meet someone who can recite those two sentences from Kunyun's diary, this memory won't be restored. This will sever the karma.'

This was also an added layer of insurance.

Since the mastermind had chosen secrecy, he would naturally cooperate to the end, preventing those True Persons who were staring at him and using him as a pawn from noticing anything amiss.

A moment later, the Treasure Cauldron vibrated with a faint hum.

When Wang Ping opened his eyes again, he had regained his calm. He no longer remembered the two sentences he had seen earlier; he only recalled the final conclusion he had drawn:

'Regarding the matter of Heavenly Yin Metal, I can take action. I must do it. Then, trying to seek out that Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master through the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode is also worth an attempt... But I can't just contact this single person. Since I've decided to meet a major figure, I might as well go all the way and meet every major figure!'

Wang Ping stood up.

At this point, not a shred of hesitation remained in his heart, leaving only firmness and resolve. 'I'll start with Xianfu. There should be a True Person backing him as well!'

...

Outside the Unified Mind Hall in the Dashun Imperial Palace.

A figure suddenly materialized. It was Wang Ping, who had directly traversed the void using the profundity of Land-Walking. He raised his eyes, his gaze rippling slightly.

In his vision, what surged outside the entire Unified Mind Hall was shockingly the national destiny of Great Shun, massive to the extreme. It was many times stronger than when the Old Emperor was on the throne. However, this was normal. After all, in the two and a half years since taking the throne, Xianfu had eradicated long-standing abuses, using the mighty power of the immortal dao to propel humanity forward.

It was only natural for the national destiny to be strong.

Yet compared to this, Wang Ping was far more concerned with another issue. 'After Dashun Taizu, Xianfu is the second person capable of receiving the protection of the national destiny.'

In other words, he had no limitations.

Although his own cultivation base hadn't reached the tier of a Qi Refining practitioner or a True Person, under the protection of the national destiny, he could perfectly serve as a transit station for mighty power.

Both Qi Refining practitioners and True Persons could strike indirectly through him.

Just as Dashun Taizu had previously borrowed the Old Emperor's body to strike within the Eight Trigrams Furnace with the mighty power of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal, this was actually feasible.

Then the question was:

'Has anyone ever acted by borrowing Xianfu's body?'

Wang Ping couldn't be sure. Theoretically, even if one could attack through Xianfu, under the protection of destiny, Qi Refining practitioners and True Persons still couldn't interfere with the mortal realm.

Unless the target was a Spiritual Treasure or an existence of equivalent tier.

Thinking of this, he almost subconsciously recalled every one of his encounters with Xianfu.

By the time he came back to his senses, Wang Ping was already standing at the entrance of the Unified Mind Hall. He saw the doors to the hall wide open, and a youth leaning against the frame, looking at him with a smile.

He was dressed in luxurious robes, exuding an air of nobility.

It was Xianfu.

"Junior Brother Dousheng is here."

Xianfu spoke up first, seemingly having long expected Wang Ping to come see him. After speaking, he stepped aside, gesturing for Wang Ping to enter with a completely amiable appearance.

"..."

Seeing this, Wang Ping didn't hesitate. He immediately stepped forward and strode into the Unified Mind Hall, subsequently hearing the heavy thud of the doors closing behind him.

Right after, Xianfu's voice continued, "The Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron has recognized its master. Junior Brother's fortune and talent are indeed top-tier in this world. The Immortal Physique that Junior Brother Kunlun spent monumental effort to cultivate, Junior Brother achieved with ease. If word of this gets out, who knows how many disciples will die of envy."

"Oh?" Wang Ping's heart stirred slightly.

He wasn't surprised that Xianfu could perceive his Heaven-Bearing Immortal Physique. Instead, he cared far more about Xianfu's other statement: Kunlun of Biyang's actually also cultivated an Immortal Physique?

'That's right.'

'It has been less than a year since he reincarnated, and this was evidently meticulously arranged. Perhaps it was specifically to use this opportunity to cultivate an Immortal Physique.'

His methods were similar to how the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron forged an Immortal Physique, though obviously not as simple and direct as a Spiritual Treasure. The process was much more cumbersome.

At the same time, Xianfu continued, "That Immortal Physique of Junior Brother Kunlun is called the Ghost Axe Immortal Physique. It was meticulously crafted by the Ghost Axe Corpse-Liberation Immortal, perfectly aligning with the variations of the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi. The natural law contained within this Immortal Physique is named 'reversing heaven and turning back the sun.' It holds a fair bit of profundity."

'reversing heaven and turning back the sun'?

At these words, Wang Ping immediately furrowed his brow, subconsciously thinking of that Major Divine Ability that had left an incredibly deep impression on his memory, unforgettable to this day:

"Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning Sundial?"

Thinking back to that year, he had once managed to kill You Xuexin, only for Mingyou to descend from the sky and use this Major Divine Ability to reverse time, forcibly resurrecting her.

"Junior Brother is quite experienced and knowledgeable!"

Xianfu chuckled. "That's right, the Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning Sundial is the divine ability version of 'reversing heaven and turning back the sun.' The effects aren't much different; both harness the profundity of fire qi."

"As for Junior Brother Kunlun's 'reversing heaven and turning back the sun,' if used normally, it just lets him examine traces of the past. However, if he goes all out, reversing time within a small radius shouldn't be a problem. But in terms of combat power, your Clasping Mountains and Leaping Seas is still superior."

Hearing this, Wang Ping's eyebrows slightly arched.

'Exposing my Immortal Physique with a single sentence. Does this mean he also understands the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, or are he and the True Person behind him giving me a show of strength?'

The two of them strode further into the hall.

Inside the Unified Mind Hall, Xianfu didn't sit in the seat of honor. Instead, he stood to the side, leaving the highest seat empty, before turning back to look at Wang Ping:

"I wonder what Junior Brother seeks in coming here today?"

Wang Ping's expression grew solemn at the question.

Since things had reached this point, it was naturally impossible for him to back down. Moreover, Xianfu's attitude was perfectly clear. Therefore, he immediately lowered his head and bowed toward the seat of honor, saying, "I request an audience with the True Person."

Boom!

As his words fell, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck inside the grand hall. Wherever his gaze landed, he saw that under the veil of Great Shun's national destiny, the empty seat of honor had become a blinding expanse of blazing white.

It was lightning.

It was the two yin and yang qi, the thirty-six lightning decrees, the voice of heaven and earth. It was a shifting, and also a rebirth—a trigram image of two yin lines above and one yang line below.

Some unimaginable, indescribable, and vast mighty power—guided and concealed by Xianfu's use of Great Shun's national destiny—crashed down from a higher dimension. Finally, taking a form comprehensible to mortal eyes, it appeared before Wang Ping. The boundless imagery ultimately coalesced into a human figure.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, facing away from Wang Ping.

Ink-black long hair tumbled down to his waist, the ends bound by a golden ribbon. His figure was tall and slender, and because his face couldn't be seen, it was impossible to tell whether this person was a man or a woman.

In that moment, only sudden realization filled Wang Ping's heart.

No words were needed. His peerless spiritual intelligence had already allowed him to instantly grasp the identity of the person before him, as if heaven and earth themselves were chanting his name:

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan.