Chapter 606: Chapter 613: Stop Talking! (Second Update)
Ding Chun looked perplexed under Yang Zhen’s stare, his brow furrowed in apparent frustration.
Wen Yuning watched Yang Zhen, who was still eyeing Ding Chun, with curiosity. A strange glint appeared in her eyes as she exchanged a knowing look with Gong Sanhe.
Breaking into laughter, Gong Sanhe said, “You’re joking, Little Li. How could we possibly locate the Heavenly Machine Lock by holding grass?”
Ding Chun shot Yang Zhen a glance, probably feeling awkward to be constantly observed by him. He snorted, joining in, “If holding grass could reveal the location of the Heavenly Machine Lock, then there must be plenty of people who have found the Lock by now. It would have become a common knowledge and the Nine Places of Sky Mechanism would have long turned into eight.”
Seeing Yang Zhen still deep in thought, Wen Yuning asked hesitantly, “Young Master Li, do you actually have a way?”
Ding Chun looked stunned and shot a strange look at Wen Yuning, his face full of suspicion. He then shook his head, stating, “Junior Sister, don’t be fooled by him. If holding grass can reveal the location of the Heavenly Machine Lock, I will grasp some!”
As he spoke, Ding Chun squatted down to grab a handful of grass and raised his head to ask Yang Zhen, “So, did you find the location of the Heavenly Machine Lock?”
Gong Sanhe chuckled and shook his head, “Alright now, Ding Chun, stop messing about. You three step back a bit. Let me have another try.”
“No need!”
Yang Zhen suddenly spoke up, startling Gong Sanhe and the others.
Ding Chun clicked his tongue, ready to stand up, “Look here, aren’t you pushing it a bit too far? Elder Gong kindly showed you the world out there, yet here you are spouting…”
“Freeze!”
Yang Zhen suddenly shouted out, startling Ding Chun. Startled, Ding Chun, who was halfway up, looked at Yang Zhen in confusion. Uncomfortable and constantly getting scared by Yang Zhen, he wanted to stand up and scold him.
Even Wen Yuning was startled and shot a glance at Yang Zhen, about to speak when Yang Zhen already appeared in front of Ding Chun.
“Damn it, yes, don’t move. That’s the perfect pose! Totally brilliant!”
On hearing Yang Zhen’s words, even Gong Sanhe, along with the others, seemed taken aback, casting weird looks at Yang Zhen.
Gong Sanhe was about to say something, but Yang Zhen waved him off.
Next, Yang Zhen walked up excitedly to Ding Chun. Then, pointing in the direction of Ding Chun’s butt, he put his thumb up, grinned, and said, “Found it!”
“Found… found it?”
Ding Chun was watching Yang Zhen with a blank look, then his face turned livid and he tried to stand up, ready to curse.
Damn it, what on earth?
Earlier, he said we could find it by holding grass; now he says you found it by bending your butt?
What could be more ridiculous than this?
Ding Chun refused to believe that Yang Zhen really found the Heavenly Machine Lock using this strange method. Just as he was about to stand up, Yang Zhen thrust his hand over to push him down, uttering, “Hold the grass!”
“Are you cursing again?”
Furious, Ding Chun glared at Yang Zhen and shook off his hand. But seeing the serious look on Yang Zhen’s face, he couldn’t help but shudder.
“You… you really can find the Heavenly Machine Lock?”
“Let’s try,” Yang Zhen grinned and responded, “Hold the grass!”
Ding Chun twisted his head to glance at Gong Sanhe and then at Wen Yuning. With a cold snort he said, “Li Cangxu, if you can’t find…”
“Stop talking. Quickly, hold the grass!”
Yang Zhen stomped on the ground sending a rumbling sound through it, startling Ding Chun into hastily grabbing a bunch of grass.
After seeing Ding Chun grasping the grass, Yang Zhen turned to Gong Sanhe and said, “Elder, lend me your compass!”
“Compass?” Gong Sanhe was stunned, soon after he realized, incredulously asking, “Are you referring to this Heaven and Earth Plate?”
“Call it whatever you want, hurry up, or we’ll run out of time!”
Yang Zhen snatched the compass handed over by Gong Sanhe. His True Essence suddenly erupted from his hand, immediately activating countless array patterns on the compass. Mysterious lights gathered on it, and the surrounding mountains, rivers, and earth coalesced once again.
“Ksitigarbha Skill?” Gong Sanhe’s face hardened; he looked at Yang Zhen with a profound gaze.
Yang Zhen quickly concealed his Ksitigarbha Skill, firing off an extravagant series of incantations that appeared imposing but were actually useless. He circled around Ding Chun, solemnly chanting, “Guided by Dragon Hunting and Separating Gold, we see the twisting mountain, each twist a barrier. Through the eight perilous gates, emerge from the Yin-Yang octagon…
Dammit, those lines should do the trick, right?
Yang Zhen recited a nonsense phrase he’d learned from a movie in a previous life in a low voice and suddenly felt much grander.
“No, this is not Ksitigarbha Skill, this… What kind of technique is this? It’s so mystical?”
Gong Sanhe looked at Yang Zhen with an astonished expression, clearly not understanding the meaning of the words Yang Zhen had been muttering. Nevertheless, the way Yang Zhen called upon the mountains and rivers with a wave of his hand was something he could discern at a glance.
Wen Yuning also looked at Yang Zhen in surprise. She hadn’t expected Yang Zhen to accomplish something that even Gong Sanhe couldn’t. Regardless of whether Yang Zhen could find the Heavenly Machine Lock or not, his dazzling array of mysterious incantations had already left an impression.
The most shocked was Ding Chun. He bewilderedly observed the incredible scene before him, especially when the handful of grass in his hand suddenly drifted in the wind towards his rear, leading him to nearly drop the sentient grass.
Yang Zhen immediately said sternly, “Don’t let go!”
This was not bluffing from Yang Zhen. Dragon Hunting and Separating Gold was a heaven-defying task. When he looked at Ding Chun just now, he was assessing Ding Chun’s Five Elements attributes and their suitability.
If they were unsuitable, Yang Zhen might have had to personally undertake this dangerous endeavor. Luckily, Ding Chun’s body had an earth attribute potential, which was already enough for Yang Zhen to make use of.
Buzz
As soon as Yang Zhen’s voice fell, the compass in his hand abruptly stopped. A dazzling beam of light flashed past, landing on the tiny Mountain and River Map.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath and looked at the expressions on the faces of Gong Sanhe and Wen Yuning. Clearly, he had pulled off a convincing act.
In reality, Yang Zhen had no clue about Dragon Hunting and Separating Gold, and the task of finding the Heavenly Machine Lock still relied on the Ksitigarbha Skill.
However, the Ksitigarbha Skill Yang Zhen employed differed from Gong Sanhe’s. His variation of Ksitigarbha Skill was far superior to what Gong Sanhe had mastered. Combined with Yang Zhen’s deliberate masking of the energy fluctuations from the Ksitigarbha Skill, it would be a miracle if Elder Gong could detect it.
A small red dot suddenly appeared on the majestic Mountain and River Map on the compass. Yang Zhen looked from the top of Ding Chun’s head to his rear, which was roughly ten kilometers away from their current location. This was the location indicated by the miniaturized Mountain and River Map.
Clap!
With a clap from Yang Zhen, a wondrous light suddenly erupted from Ding Chun. The light flickered and resonated with the red dot on the compass in Yang Zhen’s hand, startling Ding Chun.
Just as Ding Chun was about to stand up, Yang Zhen pushed him back down, maintaining his odd position. A moment later, all energy fluctuations ceased. Gong Sanhe looked at the others and hastily asked, “How is it, did you find it?”
“Mission accomplished!” Yang Zhen pointed to the distant mountain and said, “The Heavenly Machine Lock is over there!”
Upon hearing Yang Zhen’s words, Ding Chun, who was still sticking his butt out, exclaimed, “Are you mad? Do you know what kind of place that is?”
“Oh, is there something strange about that place?”
Yang Zhen looked at Gong Sanhe and Wen Yuning, who also had surprised expressions, and wore a puzzled look.
“It’s not just strange, it’s simply…” Gong Sanhe paused, frowning, “Never mind, since it’s there, let’s go take a look.”
“What?” Ding Chun’s face changed, and he exclaimed in astonishment, “Elder Gong, this…it’s too dangerous!”