Qiu Dragon Soars Past the Riotous Clouds. Setting Sun World Manifestation Cycle
“So, how are we getting in?” asked the dragon vine.
Mu Yu returned to where the pillars were and cast an eight trigrams formation underfoot, spreading its radius up the staircase. Mu Yu summoned Greater Heaven Stage formation foundations to the air for casting several fixed formations, intending to ambush Gui Ximing and rob him.
“Xiaoshuai, give me a hand.”
Xiaoshuai headed to the spot Mu Yu designated and installed the formation foundations into the formation, while Mu Yu installed the Primordial Yin Yang qi.
Mu Yu returned to the barrier and confirmed the energy of the light derived from World Manifestation Cycle Seal above the palace. Since there was no way in from any side on ground level, Mu Yu surmised the only way in was from the top. That was contradictory, though, for flying up would mean entering another formation and losing sight of the formation. He flew up anyway, reasoning it was the only option that was feasible.
“What does, ‘Qiu dragon soars past the riotous clouds. Setting sun world manifestation cycle. Don’t stray’ mean?”
“Translator, any ideas?” Xiaoshuai asked the dragon vine.
“How should I know?” the dragon vine retorted, perking up. “’Setting sun world manifestation’ must be a reference to the golden seal since it has ‘world manifestation’ in its name. ‘Qiu dragon’ refers to a mighty, horned true dragon. Since the phrase has ‘soars past the riotous clouds’, I guess we’re supposed to fly past these white louds around us?”
“Yeah right. What would Reverend Xuan Jizi want you to fly into his territory for? What are you, an esteemed guest or something?” ribbed Xiaoshuai.
“I agree with Xiaoshuai; Reverend Xuan Jizi couldn’t have used a dragon to symbolise anyone. If he’s saying to curl our bodies in order to fly through the clouds… I don’t know… Let’s give it a whizz, I guess?”
Mu Yu folded his body and gazed at the sun in the distance. “Nope, nothing different. Now, what does ‘don’t stray’ mean? If the seal is as dangerous as Xiaoshuai said, Reverend Xuan Jizi should have it heavily guarded instead of easily accessible in case someone uses it to perpetuate evil. We still haven’t addressed the ‘setting sun’ part. How do we see the sun set?”
Mu Yu sat down on a cloud and stared at the sun. “If I’m to venture a guess, we must’ve spent, at least, a day since entering this place, but there’s no means of determining if this sun corresponds with the sun in the real world. As this sun isn’t moving, I’m concluding it’s just a formation’s materialisation. All the formation lines here are too resistant for me to tamper with as I did back at Fortune Ground.”
“Big Earthworm, you reckon that cloud that resembles cotton candy?”
“No.”
“What about the one drifting from the left?”
“It looks as if someone sliced it.”
Mu Yu absentmindedly ran his hand through the cloud the two were referring to and then clapped his hands out of nowhere before jumping up higher.
“Mu Yu, what are you flying all the way up there for?” inquired Xiaoshuai.
Landing back down, Mu Yu simpered. “I understand the hint now. I’ve been so focused on the sun that I neglected the clouds around us. The shapes of these clouds aren’t random; they are moving around as an eight trigrams diagram. I suppose Celestial Staircase inspired the idea. The sun usually sets around 5 PM to 7 PM, which ‘joyous, marsh’ spot on the diagram represent! Extrapolating with that information, we have to stand at ‘joyous, marsh’ spot on the diagram when the clouds point at the sun and then make the leap of faith toward the seal. If I’m correct, the seal is the sun! All three phrases make up the procedure to advance.”
“It almost sounds as though the entire scheme was designed specifically for you,” remarked Xiaoshuai. “Who’d be able to figure that out if they weren’t a formation caster?”
“They can. Reverend Xuan Jizi chose that particular hint because he noticed I’m the patriarch of Formation and Talisman Sect. If he met somebody else, he’d give them a different hint. Think back to Fortune Ground. See, everyone sees a different Fortune Ground. Man, I must say, Reverend Xuan Jizi is an incredible formation caster.”
“What clue would I have been given if I came here alone?” queried the dragon vine.
“It would’ve gone way over your head even if he did give you a clue,” Xiaoshuai insulted. “If he was to give me a hint, it’d be, ‘Who is the most handsome in the world?’ I’d then proudly answer, ‘Xiaoshuai’. Then, Reverend Xuan Jizi would teleport me out.”
“All right, you win,” joked Mu Yu, pulling the two over.
Mu Yu spent fifteen minutes deducing the clouds’ trajectories, which was just enough time for the clouds to move to where he needed them. He, bending at the hips, popped off the ‘joyous, marsh’ spot. Paying attention to the changing energy around him, he was in front of the palace doors by the time he knew it.
The doors were darn heavy, so Mu Yu forced the door ajar and crept in. Gui Ximing, who was standing at a tall platform and desecrating the eight trigrams text on it – presumably to fetch the real World Manifestation Cycle Seal floating in the centre – shifted his gaze Mu Yu’s way. They dismissed the emotional sigh-like sound emitted from the text that vanished, staring at each other, instead.
“How’d you get in?”
“Handsome people don’t need help getting in. Someone as ugly as you won’t ever comprehend it,” declared Xiaoshuai.
“I can’t just let you take what you want,” replied Mu Yu, initiating a fight since he could tell Gui Ximing couldn’t pause what he was doing to defend himself.
“Sixth, Seventh, steal his soul for me. We just happen to be one short,” ordered Gui Ximing.
Mu Yu activated Gentle Wind Interlinked Hearts Formation, spurring Xiaoshuai into action.
“I’m the godfather of twin extermination. Two serves of Xiaoshuai’s Lightning Blast coming right up!”
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