Chapter 21

Li Puxiang's fingers flew as he silently recited the incantations, “Yi Geng starts at Wu Yin, Bing Xin starts at Geng Yin, Ding Ren starts at Ren Yin, Wu Gui starts at Jia Yin...” His left thumb quickly arranged the stars on his palm.

The more he calculated, the darker Li Puxiang's face became, and his hands couldn't help but tremble, “Now, the Purple Star stands alone at noon, the Seven Killers lurk in the temple, the Breaker lies in wait in the wild, the Greedy Wolf rises in the northwest, the banner of Chiyou sweeps across the sky, and Mars wavers! This is a sign of great turmoil in the world! Could it be that the Great Wei Dynasty cannot escape the fate of a three-hundred-year cycle of prosperity and decline?”

He quickly ran back to his room, took out the compass he had used for decades, and began to walk the steps of the celestial chart, moving swiftly around the observatory, “I must have been mistaken just now! Arranging the stars on the palm is not as accurate as using the compass! Let me calculate again!”

After circling the observatory nine times, Daoist Li Puxiang suddenly threw away the compass, collapsed to the ground, and burst into tears, “From now on, the world will be filled with troubles! Poor the people of the land, they will suffer again!”

“Can we, as cultivators, stand idly by and watch the people suffer? Today, I will risk my decades of cultivation to try!” After a few sobs, Daoist Li Puxiang sat up again, carefully picked up the compass, and took out the sword, seal, and other ritual objects from his room. He then brought out an altar and placed fruits, incense, and candles on it.

He bowed deeply to the altar, silently reciting, “Disciple Li Puxiang, for the sake of the people, will perform this act that defies heaven today! I hope that the ancestors of my sect will protect me for the sake of the people! If heaven wishes to punish me, I, Li Puxiang, will bear it alone, even if it means the destruction of my body and soul!”

After saying this, Li Puxiang lit the incense and candles, performed the grand three-kneel nine-kowtow ritual, and then respectfully picked up the brush he had used since his youth, which was made from the hair of the ears of thirty-six wolf leaders and the thousand-year-old lightning-struck peach wood from the western slope of Mount Tai. He dipped it in the cinnabar made from the finest Chenzhou sand, and carefully wrote the sacrificial text on the yellow paper, stamped it, and burned it.

He then took out the sword and compass, recited the mysterious and ancient incantations, and began to circle the observatory again. On the first circle, a gentle breeze arose, and the candle flickered. On the second circle, dark clouds covered the moon, and wolves howled in the night. On the third circle, the sky darkened, and birds left their nests. On the fourth circle, his breathing became difficult, and he felt restless. On the fifth circle, the candles and lamps went out, and a strong wind howled. On the sixth circle, a heavy rain fell, like swords and knives. On the seventh circle, thunder roared, and hail fell from the sky. On the eighth circle, his vision blurred, and he felt dizzy and about to fall...

When Li Puxiang reached the ninth circle, everything before his eyes turned gray, and a mouthful of blood rose to his throat. Each step he took felt like walking on a mountain of knives and a sea of fire! He bit his tongue hard and, relying on his memory, tried to complete the last circle!

Almost there, just three more steps! He had been observing the stars from this platform for over thirty years and could accurately calculate the distance even without seeing it!

Right foot forward, left foot following, he took another firm step, two more to go! He bit his tongue to stay awake and took another step!

Only one step left! Completing this step would ensure twenty more years of peace for the world using the secret techniques of his sect! At this moment, the hail and rain grew heavier, striking Li Puxiang's body, making the compass crackle, and the strong wind blew his clothes over his face, blocking his nose and mouth, making it impossible for him to breathe!

Defying heaven indeed angers the heavens, but I still have the strength to take this last step! Li Puxiang shakily lifted his foot for the last time, about to step onto the observatory!

Suddenly, the sky brightened like daylight, and with a loud thunderclap, a bolt of lightning struck the sword in Li Puxiang's hand, making it as hot as a branding iron. The compass in his other hand exploded, and the magnetic needle grazed his left eye and disappeared. Li Puxiang's vision went black, and he fell backward, ultimately failing to complete the last step...

In Qiantang Prefecture, at the foot of Feilai Peak in a small village, the farmers who had worked all day had already finished their dinner. Mischievous children were pestering their grandfathers to continue telling stories of mountain spirits and wild monsters. A woman at the village entrance was scolding her husband for being useless, and a butcher at the village end was sitting at his doorstep, sharpening his butcher knife with a basin of water. A ragged monk with a palm leaf fan was lying under a tree, using a wine gourd as a pillow, sound asleep.

Suddenly, the monk seemed to notice something and opened his eyes, looking in the direction of the capital with a sad expression, “Sigh, fellow Daoist, why do you do this? The way of heaven has its own rules, and those who defy it have never had a good end! Well, well, we have known each other for many years, and I cannot let you die!”

After saying this, the monk got up, drank the wine in the gourd in one gulp, and walked forward with the fan, his tattered straw shoes dragging behind him. He disappeared into the forest in no time, leaving only a few strange verses floating in the night air, “... Suddenly a madman sharpens his knife at night, the imperial star wavers, and Mars rises high...”

In Langya Commandery, on the Qingxiang Tower, a gaunt scholar was looking into the distance, “Great turmoil is coming! How should the Langya Wang clan respond? In times of chaos, to ensure the continuation of our clan, we must choose a wise ruler to follow! When heaven unleashes its killing intent, the stars shift; when earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and snakes rise! Now, the Seven Killers are pressing, and the Purple Star is dim, a sign of a change of dynasty!”

The scholar's eyes darted around, looking at the capital, then the northeast, and briefly at the southeast and west, finally sighing, “Sigh, the signs of a rising dragon are already here, but among so many, who is the true dragon? And who is just a false dragon leading the way?”

“Well, well! Such a high-stakes gamble should not be made too early! I will select a few young descendants from the clan, change their names, and send them to various places. They will join the true dragon when it rises!” This has always been the way for great families to ensure their survival, even if it doesn't guarantee their peak, it ensures the continuation of their lineage.

“Shaman, what is the meaning of the strange celestial phenomenon tonight?” A man in animal skins with a fierce appearance knelt at the tent door, trembling.

“There will be great turmoil in the Central Plains! May the spirits of our ancestors protect us, for this is the perfect time for our tribe to rise!” A hoarse and distant voice came from inside the tent. The man stood up, looked up to the sky, and laughed, gripping the curved knife at his waist.

Such events were happening in many places, and many people with extraordinary abilities were peeking into the future through the strange phenomena of the night. But Li You did not notice any of it and was still troubled, pondering how to deal with the imperial jade seal he had brought back by chance.

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