Chapter 79 of 100

Chapter 79

21 min read5,135 words

In the dead of night, when everyone was either meditating or sleeping, Lin Fan was halfway through his meditation on the bed, about to fall asleep, when he suddenly thought of Xiefengzi. He then pushed open the wooden window slightly and saw Xiefengzi still sitting facing the wall. A master like this must have a disciple like this; Xiefengzi's character was tenacious, and he did not discount a single word of the old patriarch Li Huo's. This indirectly indicated that Li Huo's descent upon the Purple Flute Hall must have been a ruse. However, even knowing it was a ruse, he did not know where the ruse lay.

Lin Fan just thought about it casually; the affairs of the Purple Flute Hall were not his to worry about, and he had no such mood. He only knew that Xiefengzi was from the Li Huo Sect, and the Li Huo Sect was vengeful and narrow-minded. On the Great Snow Mountain, he and Ximen Shuai had teamed up to severely injure Xiefengzi, and Xiefengzi must have remembered it. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for him to be so flustered and make a wrong move just by hearing his voice calling his name.

Lin Fan was about to fall asleep when he suddenly felt a red glow from the east. He pushed open the door and looked eastward, only to see a mountain thirty miles away engulfed in flames.

"Fire!" several disciples of the Purple Flute Hall shouted, waking everyone up.

Everyone went outside and looked eastward. The fire was very fierce. In the mountain forest, once the pine forest caught fire, it would be difficult to control. However, for cultivators, a few water spells would easily extinguish the fire. How could such a scene have been created?

Gu Yan said, "Let's go and see."

Lin Fan and two others flew toward the burning mountain. Lin Fan looked back and saw that Xiefengzi, who was facing the wall, remained unmoved, ignoring the noise and commotion, while his master Li Huo's door was tightly closed.

Many disciples had already gathered near the burning mountain. From a distance, they could see the figures of people flying amidst the firelight. Bai Mu said, "This is not good. The fire is on Lao Mountain, where the Library Hall is located."

Lin Fan asked, "Isn't there an array formation in the Library Hall?"

Bai Mu nodded, "Because there is an array formation, the fire can burn so fiercely."

As they flew closer, Zhang Tongyuan had already arrived and entered the fire without a word. In the sea of fire, the Library Hall's Bagua formation was visible, and a white light from the Bagua formation reflected onto Zhang Tongyuan. Bai Mu nodded and said, "It's actually the Taiji Nine Palace Diagram. The Taiji Nine Palace Diagram is an ancient treasure that can set up the Taiji Nine Palace Array. It does not require human control; once invaded, the array will activate, and anyone who enters the array will be attacked. The Library Hall of the Purple Flute Hall is the most numerous and exquisite in the world, and it has never been stolen in thousands of years, thanks to the Taiji Nine Palace Diagram."

In the white light, Zhang Tongyuan wielded his sword, attacking left and right. Bai Mu said, "Zhang Tongyuan has entered the Nine Palace Military Array." The Nine Palace originally refers to nine numbers arranged in three rows, with three numbers in each row. The sum of the numbers in the diagonal and straight lines is the same. Later, it evolved, and it is said that someone evolved it into a 1999 horizontal and vertical line, with the sum of the diagonal and straight lines being the same.

The Nine Palace Diagram is not the Eight Array Diagram. The Nine Palace Diagram has no dead ends or living paths. No matter which path one enters, it is the same. To break the array, one must calculate the numbers. For example, in Zhang Tongyuan's military array, ten cities are surrounded, and one must break through the correct city. Otherwise, it will become eleven cities, and one must break through the correct two cities. The remaining nine cities must conform to the Nine Palace calculation to break the array. Generally, those who are not proficient in array formations find it difficult to break the array. However, this array has no lethal power; it only aims to trap the enemy. Even if Zhang Tongyuan cannot break out, his life is not in danger.

The only person in the Purple Flute Hall who can close the Taiji Nine Palace Diagram is the sect leader, who holds the sect leader's token and can enter without obstruction. Zhang Tongyuan rashly entered and was trapped, which reminded everyone not to be reckless. To extinguish the fire, the array must be closed first; otherwise, neither the grandmasters nor the magical swords and spells can enter the Taiji Nine Palace Diagram. Such a mountain protection array is not something a single expert can counter.

The sect leader lived on Xiaoyun Peak, far from Lao Mountain, and could not see the fire directly. After being informed by a disciple, he set out. Zhang Tongyuan was trapped for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the sect leader, Ziyun Zhenren, arrived near the burning mountain. He looked around, whispered a few words to the sect leader of Ziyang Sect, and then entered the Taiji Nine Palace Diagram. He held a golden token, and the array did not activate.

A close confidant of the Ziyang Sect's sect leader bowed and said, "Four Daoist brothers, please return to Yingke Mountain. This is a minor matter, and we can handle it. We dare not trouble the Daoist brothers to take action."

Gu Yan said, "More people mean more strength. Once the Taiji Nine Palace Array is closed, the fire will definitely invade the Library Hall..."

Lin Fan interjected, "Since that's the case, we will take our leave."

Gu Yan was puzzled, and Lin Fan gave him a look. Gu Yan remembered the instructions of Qian Yu Zhenren and nodded, leaving the burning mountain with the four of them. Apart from them, all the onlookers from the Purple Flute Hall were asked by the Ziyang Sect disciples to return to Yingke Mountain.

Lin Fan said, "This Ziyun Zhenren is not afraid of us causing trouble, but he is afraid that we might take advantage of the closing of the Taiji Nine Palace Array."

Ye Wushuang was dissatisfied, "A dog biting Lü Dongbin."

Bai Mu, on the other hand, defended Ziyun Zhenren, "The foundation of the Purple Flute Hall is the Library Hall, which is controlled only by the sect leader. Even among the disciples of the Purple Flute Hall, many covet the books in the Library Hall. Look at the Library Hall, a nine-story pagoda, with each floor having a Taiji Nine Palace Diagram restriction. Without permission, one cannot enter other floors. This is to prevent the disciples from being greedy and overreaching."

Lin Fan added, "This is also a good way to maintain Ziyun Zhenren's position as sect leader." Only the sect leader can close the array and grant the disciples access, which is equivalent to controlling all the disciples.

Bai Mu did not contradict, "The Purple Flute Hall's downfall lies in the previous sect leader and the eight sects agreeing to a system where they listen to orders but not to announcements. If the Ziyang Sect cannot control the Library Hall, how can it control the eight sects? It is a helpless move. Ziyun Zhenren is also quite ambitious, wanting to reclaim the power of the eight sects and unify them. Unfortunately, he is unwilling to delegate power, and the eight sects would not easily trust him."

Ye Wushuang said, "Then the Li Huo Sect offered to become a subordinate sect of the Purple Flute Hall, and Ziyun Zhenren was naturally pleased, as it provided more leverage in controlling the eight sects."

Right or wrong, the eight sects listen to orders but not to announcements, and the suspicion of them will inevitably arise. This is a historical legacy issue caused by internal strife. Now, the other eight sects have almost no interaction with the Purple Flute Hall, like independent sects. However, because the sect leader controls the Library Hall, they dare not establish their own sects, as they would lose the qualification to enter the Library Hall.

Ziyun Zhenren closed the Taiji Nine Palace Diagram and immediately summoned a water dragon to protect the Library Hall, preventing the mountain fire from invading. The close disciples of the Ziyang Sect entered and began to cast spells to extinguish the mountain fire. When Lin Fan and the four others returned to Yingke Mountain, the mountain fire had been largely extinguished. Lin Fan was puzzled, "This fire seems to be man-made."

It was not Zhengyi Mountain, and he was not roasting a wild rabbit or something; how could a fire suddenly break out? Moreover, it directly triggered the Taiji Nine Palace Array, trapping the protecting disciples in the array and preventing them from providing aid.

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