Chapter 34

"Qin Yu, what is written on this sixth pillar?"

"The inscriptions here record some of the activities of the Entropy Clan, but there's nothing particularly noteworthy."

After the two of them finished reading the sixth pillar, Mo Yongxin, hearing Qin Yu's words, was about to head towards the seventh pillar when Qin Yu suddenly held her back.

"The first six pillars are fine, but the last three must not be touched."

"What do you mean by 'must not be touched'?" Mo Yongxin tilted her charming face, her almond eyes filled with confusion as she stared at Qin Yu, waiting for his explanation.

"These nine stone pillars form an array, and the last three pillars are the triggers for the array. The ground beneath our feet is actually a series of hidden traps. If we take a wrong step, we will be trapped in the array, just like these people."

Qin Yu pointed at the skeletons on the ground. In fact, from the moment he first saw the nine pillars, he had suspected they were part of an array. As they walked, he finally figured it out by the time they reached the fourth pillar.

The Nine Stars and Three Talents Array is a very ancient array, a combination of two arrays. The Nine Stars are on the outside, and the Three Talents are on the inside, controlling the changes between the Nine Stars. Those who understand arrays know that one generates two, two generates three, and three generates all things. Three is the number with the most variations. To break the Nine Stars and Three Talents Array, one must first break the inner Three Talents Array, which is extremely difficult.

"These Japanese people probably didn't die just from fighting the millipedes; half the reason might be that they triggered this array."

Qin Yu had also tested the millipede's attack power. With proper caution, it could be subdued, especially by a group of soldiers whose combat effectiveness far exceeded his own.

"What should we do now? We have to pass through the remaining pillars to reach the altar." Mo Yongxin frowned, completely clueless about arrays and unable to offer any suggestions.

"Do you have anything made of gold or silver?" Qin Yu pondered for a moment before suddenly asking.

"Will this platinum earring do?" Mo Yongxin, hearing this, turned her head and took off an earring to ask.

"Yes."

Qin Yu took the earring from Mo Yongxin, glanced at it, and saw that it was a delicate piece with a gemstone embedded, emitting a greenish hue, clearly quite valuable.

"Heaven generates water in the north with the number one, Earth generates fire in the south with the number two, Heaven generates wood in the east with the number three, Earth generates metal in the west with the number four, and Heaven generates earth in the center with the number five. Yang cannot exist without its counterpart, and Yin cannot exist without its partner, so they must be paired. Earth generates water in the north with the number six, paired with Heaven's one, Heaven generates fire in the south with the number seven, paired with Earth's two, Earth generates wood in the east with the number eight, paired with Heaven's three, Heaven generates metal in the west with the number nine, paired with Earth's four, and Earth generates earth in the center with the number ten, paired with Heaven's five."

Mo Yongxin stood in place, her almond eyes fixed on Qin Yu's movements. She saw him moving around, muttering to himself, occasionally stopping to look around, pondering for a while, and then continuing to walk.

Each time Qin Yu stopped, he placed an object. He took out a water bottle, a piece of wood, a spark, and even placed her earring in a certain spot.

Qin Yu's method to break the Nine Stars and Three Talents Array was based on the Five Elements Generation Method. According to this method, everything in the world can be represented by the numbers one to five, and the numbers six to ten are the completion numbers. These five numbers are the root of everything, and any change is bound by the Five Elements. This is like saying the Five Elements Generation Method is the outline, and the array is the plot. No matter how complex the plot, it is ultimately based on the outline.

"Done." After placing the five objects, Qin Yu returned to Mo Yongxin and instructed, "I will now walk towards the remaining pillars. Pay close attention to the five objects on the ground representing the Five Elements. If any of them move, shout out the corresponding element."

"Okay!"

Mo Yongxin nodded to show she understood. Qin Yu then stepped forward. As he approached the seventh pillar, Mo Yongxin noticed that the flame from the torch, which he had placed on the ground, suddenly flickered violently. She quickly shouted, "Fire!"

Qin Yu paused, hearing Mo Yongxin's words, and stopped moving forward. He took seven steps to the left, as fire corresponds to the west and the number seven. After these seven steps, he continued forward.

"Water."

"Water corresponds to the north and the number one." Changing direction, Qin Yu took a step north.

"Metal."

"Metal corresponds to the south and the number nine!"

"Fire."

"Fire corresponds to the southwest and the number two."

...

Each time Mo Yongxin shouted, Qin Yu's position changed. After a short while, he had taken over a thousand steps, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The more times Mo Yongxin shouted, the longer he paused to think, and by the end, he was pausing for over a minute each time.

"Just a little more." Mo Yongxin was also anxious for Qin Yu. They had already passed eight pillars, and the final one was not far away. Just a few more steps, and they would reach the altar.

"Wood, should it be the number three in the east, or the number eight in the northeast?" Qin Yu lifted his left foot, hesitating, afraid to step down. The Nine Stars and Three Talents Array was too complex, and the calculations for the Nine Palaces were extremely difficult to complete.

"Let's take a chance!" There was no turning back now. After spending so much time and effort, Qin Yu didn't want to give up. He lifted his left foot and took three large steps to the east.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" After taking three steps, Qin Yu carefully observed the surroundings. Seeing no abnormalities, he let out a long sigh of relief. After these three steps, he had completely crossed the ninth pillar.

In front of him, nine chains converged above the altar, and the entire altar was covered in intricate inscriptions. Without hesitation, Qin Yu climbed the stone steps to the altar platform.

"This is...?"

Qin Yu's mouth dropped open. On the platform was a jade plate filled with golden liquid, emitting a rich, intoxicating aroma. In the liquid, tiny blood-red creatures were slowly swimming.

Qin Yu's approach startled the creatures in the plate. The creatures, which had been swimming slowly, suddenly became frenzied, turning the entire plate into a sea of blood-red, losing its previous golden hue.

"Using Dragon Crystal Liquid to nurture these... this is truly damn luxurious!"

He couldn't blame himself for swearing. Dragon Crystal Liquid is the essence of the dragon vein, and each drop is incredibly precious. The Entropy Clan, however, was using a whole plate of Dragon Crystal Liquid to nurture these unknown red creatures.

Dragon Crystal Liquid is a pure substance that cannot tolerate any impurities. People who obtain it usually store it in jade containers to prevent its miraculous effects from dissipating. Now, this plate of Dragon Crystal Liquid, nurturing these red creatures, had already lost much of its effectiveness.

"What are these red creatures, and why are they so important to the Entropy Clan that they would use such precious Dragon Crystal Liquid to nurture them?" After calming down, Qin Yu began to think. If the Entropy Clan was willing to use such a precious substance, these red creatures must be extremely important to them, far more valuable than the Dragon Crystal Liquid itself.

The red creatures were about the size of a fingernail, moving in clusters. Qin Yu couldn't distinguish their heads from their tails and couldn't observe their detailed features. Fortunately, he had a set of keys in his pocket. He picked up a longer key and dipped it into the liquid, intending to scoop one up for a closer look.

With the key, he managed to scoop out three or four red creatures, which landed on the stone platform. He couldn't blame himself; the creatures were small and moved quickly, and he had only scooped them up from where they were clustering.

The few red creatures jumped a few times on the platform and then became still. Qin Yu, not daring to touch them with his hands, used the key to pick up one of them and brought it close to his eyes for observation.

"Did they die so quickly?" Qin Yu was surprised. The red creature had become still after only a short time outside the golden liquid. However, this made it easier for him to observe.

The red creature was a few centimeters long. If it were a fish, it would have scales, but it didn't. It was entirely blood-red. After careful observation, Qin Yu finally distinguished the head, which had two red whiskers, similar to antennae, but they were so fine that he might not have noticed them without repeated observation.

Just as Qin Yu was observing the red creature, a black figure suddenly darted out from a corner, rushing to Mo Yongxin's side. Before she could react, the figure's left hand grabbed her neck from behind, and the other hand pulled out a triangular dagger, pressing it against her throat.

"Ah!" Mo Yongxin, suddenly attacked, couldn't help but scream. Her cry caught Qin Yu's attention, and he quickly turned around to see a man in black holding Mo Yongxin by the neck.

"It's you." Qin Yu's face turned grim as he spoke.

"Yes, it's me. Bring me that jade plate, or I'll be rude to Miss Mo!"