Chapter 210: Ding Huan's Divination

Ding Huan left Purple Cloud Valley with Seeing Yan Mei and Lao Liu, without encountering the slightest obstruction.

"Brother Huan, where are we going?" The moment they left Purple Cloud Valley, Seeing Yan Mei asked.

"No rush. Let me find a place to rest first, then we'll talk." Ding Huan chuckled.

Seeing Yan Mei asked in confusion:

"Brother Huan, we killed Gong Hua. If the Gu Sect Master sends people to hunt us down, isn't it dangerous not to leave sooner?"

Ding Huan said nonchalantly:

"That's because you don't understand Gu Mo as a person. How should I put it? He's a naive bundle of contradictions.

If I hadn't killed Gong Hua, under the pressure of Gong Hua and the others forcing him to abdicate, he might very well have actually made a move against me.

Now that I've killed Gong Hua, he won't come after me instead—even if he clearly knows it was me who did it.

In his eyes, only those who can be used by him are useful. The dead are utterly meaningless, and he won't waste any time on a dead Gong Hua."

Lao Liu looked at Seeing Yan Mei and said impatiently:

"Just listen to Brother Huan. You talk way too much nonsense."

Seeing Yan Mei snorted:

"What would a monkey like you know."

He had previously been quite afraid of this Lao Liu, after all Lao Liu could slap him to death with one palm.

After he cultivated the Great Wasteland Divine Jade Art, his strength rose rapidly, and he was now at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

Don't be fooled by Lao Liu being equivalent to the ninth layer of Qi Refining—he really wasn't afraid of Lao Liu anymore.

Lao Liu was also quite helpless. Its spiritual root had all been resolved by Ding Huan, and being unable to reach Foundation Establishment was also beyond its control.

The key was that what it was currently cultivating was also an ordinary technique. Who could blame it—its aptitude was poor, so it could only cultivate a poor technique.

No, it had to find time to chat with Brother Huan. It couldn't just stay stuck at this low-level realm forever, could it? After all, it could even speak now.

The reason Ding Huan didn't leave immediately was mainly because in the process of his divination, Purple Cloud Valley had no future.

Although the divination result was extremely vague, he would never mistake a blank screen for a future. That patch of emptiness could be guessed at a glance.

Even if Purple Cloud Valley had the slightest influence on the future, the divination screen would carry some grey shadows; it couldn't possibly be a clean, extreme blank.

In other words, despite the strategies he had previously given Liu Yinzhu, Purple Cloud Valley still had no future.

Since Purple Cloud Valley had no future, Liu Yinzhu might also have no future.

He had also done a divination on this. Liu Yinzhu's strength was greater than his, so the divination result was naturally terribly vague. But likewise, he could still see that the future Liu Yinzhu was a complete blank in his divination.

Now he planned to make a trip to the Jiuyinmen, and based on the Jiuyinmen's location, divine the outcome for the Jiuyinmen.

After finishing the divination, he would return to the outskirts of Purple Cloud Valley. If there was a chance, he would save Liu Yinzhu; if not, then he could only let it be.

If not for Liu Yinzhu, he could never have become a third-tier Array Master, nor a third-tier Artifact Refiner, let alone quietly cultivate at Morning Glow Peak to the late Star Cloud stage.

No matter how much he knew or how fast he learned, without resources it was impossible.

Liu Yinzhu had introduced him to a deal—saving Gu Mo earned him a hundred thousand sect contribution points.

All those contribution points had been exchanged for materials, which became the foundation for his artifact refining and array path studies.

Being able to take down Gong Hua was half thanks to his array path.

Gong Hua's strength was too great. If not for his protective array shielding him, Gong Hua could have easily killed him before the poison took effect.

The Jiuyinmen was only a few hundred li from Purple Cloud Valley, with the Zi Yuan Mountain Range in between.

Ding Huan controlled the flying ship and quickly arrived outside the Jiuyinmen's sect.

Upon reaching the Jiuyinmen, Ding Huan understood why the Jiuyinmen never forgot its desire to wipe out Purple Cloud Valley.

The Jiuyinmen's sect location was deficient in yin and yang qi, innately lacking in the five elements, with its fortune tinged with gloom.

Ding Huan didn't know whether the people of the Jiuyinmen could see these things.

Even if they could see part of it, Ding Huan still couldn't figure out why the Jiuyinmen would establish its sect in this place.

"I didn't expect the Jiuyinmen to be so close to Purple Cloud Valley. I've heard of this Jiuyinmen sect before."

Seeing Yan Mei couldn't help but remark as she gazed at the distant Jiuyinmen.

"Has the Jiuyinmen ever gone to the Mortal World to recruit disciples?" Ding Huan asked while pulling out array flags to set up a formation.

Seeing Yan Mei shook her head:

"No, they didn't. This time, the sects that went to the Mortal World to recruit disciples didn't even amount to one-fifth of the entire Dao Cultivation World.

The biggest sect to go to the Mortal World for recruitment was the Yanyue Sect, and the Yanyue Sect might not even make the top ten in the Dao Cultivation World."

Ding Huan set up the divination grand array in a few quick moves.

His strength was limited. To divine an unfamiliar Jiuyinmen, he could only rely on the Great Divination Art combined with the divination grand array.

In less than half a shichen, Ding Huan swiftly packed up the divination grand array and summoned his flying ship.

"Let's go. We're changing locations."

This time Seeing Yan Mei didn't ask, just quickly boarded the flying ship with Lao Liu.

Ding Huan controlled the flying ship and soon arrived at the foot of a mountain where not a single weed grew.

The spot where Ding Huan stopped was at a fork shaped like the character '凹'.

"This should be the Zi Yuan Mountain Range, right? I heard cultivation here can yield twice the result with half the effort, though I don't know if it's true."

Seeing Yan Mei couldn't help but remark as she looked at the completely bare mountain peak before her.

"This must be the Zi Yuan Mountain Range. I'm going to set up formations here. Later, you and Lao Liu will each hold an array flag and follow my instructions, then launch a sneak attack."

Ding Huan said.

"Who's coming?" Seeing Yan Mei asked curiously.

"I don't know either. I only know someone might come here. There's a good chance neither of you will have to act."

As Ding Huan spoke, he took out array flags and began setting up the grand array.

In fact, if it came down to Seeing Yan Mei and Lao Liu taking action, his entire plan would already have failed.

During Ding Huan's calculation just now, the future of the Nine Sounds Sect remained equally blurred.

The future of the Nine Sounds Sect had not yet reached complete emptiness, but it was infinitesimally close to it.

This means that during their mutual annihilation, both the Nine Sounds Sect and the Purple Mist Valley suffered devastating losses.

If that's the case, he had no reason to leave.

With the Purple Mist Valley destroyed, he could take advantage of the situation and remain within it to cultivate.

The Nine Sounds Sect was about to be wiped out itself; it would have no attention to spare for the Purple Mist Valley.

But he must set up the array properly—ideally, uncover the method to activate the Purple Mist Valley's Mountain-Sealing Array.

Otherwise, if others coveted the Purple Mist Valley, he wouldn't be cultivating there—he'd be trapped like a fish in a barrel.

As for whether the Nine Sounds Sect would be destroyed, Ding Huan cared not at all.

The reason he set up arrays here was solely to save Liu Liu Yinzhu's life.

After the Nine Sounds Sect breached the Purple Mist Valley, countless disciples and elders were killed or wounded.

Liu Liu Yinzhu escaped the sect, but in Ding Huan's calculation, she could not escape—after being pursued, even the blurred images vanished.

That meant Liu Liu Yinzhu was caught and killed.

During his calculation, Ding Huan saw the place where Liu Liu Yinzhu's future vision disappeared as a blurred mountain peak.

A mountain peak with not a single blade of grass—wasn't this the bare, barren Zi Yuan Zhongshan right before him?

He chose this depression because, from the outside, only this route led here; everywhere else led straight up the mountain.

Even if Liu Liu Yinzhu were foolish, climbing the mountain would only kill her faster.

Entering this depression offered two branching paths: one leading up the mountain, the other leading to another route.

Ding Huan knew that both Lao Liu and Seeing Yan Mei had only average concealment techniques, so he had them stay in the final hidden spirit array he had set up.

He himself had set up a binding array, a killing array, an illusion array, a fire array, a defensive array, and a poison array at this depression.

All these arrays were then concealed beneath a hidden array.

Ding Huan, influenced by the Cold Ghoul, created the illusion array; inspired by the Hidden Jianshan, he crafted the poison array using its toxins.

After completing all these arrays, it was already the fourth day.

He wasn't in a hurry; according to his calculation, the great battle should occur today.

Several hours remained before Liu Liu Yinzhu arrived.

In those few hours, he could also study the arrays.

After killing Gong Hua, Ding Huan became increasingly certain his own strength couldn't rise quickly—he could only survive here by relying on arrays.

…

Purple Mist Valley, Sect Grand Hall.

At this moment, nearly ten thousand disciples, elders, and officers had gathered here.

This nearly accounted for ninety-nine percent of the Purple Mist Valley's population; only a few disciples assigned to the kitchen, spirit herb tending, or general sect duties had not come.

It was the sect master's order: a pre-battle mobilization assembly.

Gu Mo stepped onto the temporary altar and gazed at the ten thousand disciples, feeling a pang of emotion.

If Elder Pu Jun hadn't been murdered, the Nine Sounds Sect wouldn't have dared launch a full-scale attack on the Purple Mist Valley even with ten thousand times the guts.

And that elder Chang of the sect—he consumed vast amounts of cultivation resources every year and did nothing when the sect's survival hung in the balance; he was far too selfish.

Fortunately, Ding Huan saved him once. Otherwise, the Purple Mist Valley wouldn't have stood a chance against the Nine Sounds Sect—it would have been better off surrendering outright.

"All disciples of the Purple Mist Valley, since our sect's founding, we have never bullied minor sects. When the Nine Sounds Sect was far weaker than us, we never oppressed them."

"But now, the Nine Sounds Sect has treacherously murdered our elder Pu Jun and seized our Zi Yuan Zhongshan."

"That's not enough—they now seek to seize our very home, the Purple Mist Valley. Can we tolerate this?"

"No!" Ten thousand voices shouted in unison.

Gu Mo roared louder:

"That's right! To take our Purple Mist Valley, they must march over the corpses of every single one of our disciples!"

"They must march over my corpse as sect master—otherwise, the Purple Mist Valley will not yield an inch!"

The ten thousand shouts rang with heroic fervor.

Gu Mo waved his hand:

"Light Gao Xiang—let the Liezulie Sect protect our Purple Mist Valley."

Jia Sha and Liu Liu Yinzhu, having received their orders, immediately lit thick Gao Xiang incense sticks on either side of the hall.

Though the hall was large, the sheer number of incense sticks quickly filled the entire space with swirling smoke.

Fortunately, everyone present was at least a Qi Condensation disciple; otherwise, they might have suffocated in this dense, thick incense.

"I, Gu Mo, hereby promise all disciples of the Purple Mist Valley: after this battle, every disciple who fights will receive generous rewards."

"Qi Condensation peak disciples who earn sufficient battle merit will be rewarded with a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Similarly, Foundation Establishment peak disciples who earn sufficient battle merit will receive the True Star Pill to refine their True Core."

"Boom!" As Gu Mo continued to rally the Purple Mist Valley disciples, the sect's protective array suddenly emitted a thunderous roar.

Gu Mo froze, then realized—he had received false intelligence. The Nine Sounds Sect had launched its attack one day early.