Chapter 829: Bai Yue Falls Into the Trap

"That crystal sphere Jiang Yiyu gave you—do you still have it on you? The one where Saintess Qinqin rescued someone, and later your senior brother used a Void-Breaking Talisman to leave."

Ding Huan was confident that, with his perception of Dao韵 laws, he could tell at a glance whether this crystal sphere was real or fake.

"Yes, this is it." As Bai Yue spoke, he had already taken out a crystal sphere sealed with restrictions and handed it to Ding Huan.

Ding Huan took the crystal sphere and swept his divine sense inside.

Inside the crystal sphere, a middle-aged man in yellow robes was thanking a woman in a purple skirt for saving his life.

Then the woman took out a Void-Breaking Talisman and handed it to the man, telling him to leave at once.

After the man expressed his thanks once more, he finally activated the Void-Breaking Talisman and vanished into the void.

"Brother Ding, I've watched this image over and over. The man in yellow is definitely my senior brother Zhong Di, and the woman is Qinqin, the former saintess of the Heavenly Huan Women's Palace.

Whether Qinqin is real or not I can't be sure, but the Dao韵 fluctuation of my senior brother can't be wrong."

Seeing Ding Huan staring at the crystal sphere and watching it repeatedly, Bai Yue spoke up on his own.

Ding Huan ignored Bai Yue and continued to stare at the image crystal sphere, watching it carefully.

After a good while, he looked at Bai Yue: "What cultivation level is your senior brother?"

Bai Yue was taken aback. Though he didn't know why Ding Huan was asking about his senior brother's cultivation, he still answered: "Eight-Turn Saint Realm."

Ding Huan asked in surprise: "Daoist friend Bai Yue, you're already a Saint of the Dao-Creation Realm, and your senior brother is only an Eight-Turn Saint? Is his aptitude that poor?"

Bai Yue shook his head: "No, his aptitude is very good—much smarter than me. The Mortal Dao I initially cultivated was created by him…"

Hearing "Mortal Dao," Ding Huan instinctively looked at Guan Huan.

They both cultivated the Mortal Dao—could they be from the same lineage?

No wonder Zhong Di and Guan Huan were life-and-death friends.

Guan Huan saw what Ding Huan was thinking and hurriedly said: "Daoist friend Ding, although both Brother Bai Yue and I cultivate the Mortal Dao, we're not from the same lineage.

We met in the Lesser Heaven Market. Because we both cultivated the Mortal Dao and got along well, we became friends."

Bai Yue continued: "The reason my senior brother's cultivation speed wasn't as fast as mine is that he got too stuck in a rut…"

"What do you mean?"

Ding Huan asked casually, though this wasn't actually the question he wanted to ask.

Bai Yue sighed: "Back then my senior brother was a dazzling genius who created the Great Mortal Dao. Later I also admired him, which is why I chose to cultivate his Great Mortal Dao…"

"Then he should be your patriarch." Ding Huan said, speechless.

Bai Yue shook his head: "When my senior brother was proving his Dao and becoming a Saint, a problem arose. He found the key to the problem—since one is a mortal, one needs to undergo reincarnation.

On top of that, he was ambushed at the time and nearly perished, so he decisively chose to undergo reincarnation. After reincarnation, he indeed successfully proved his Dao and became a Saint.

When we met, he was already a Seven-Turn Saint, his cultivation slightly stronger than mine. After I learned his identity, I insisted on honoring him as my patriarch.

But he said he was already a reincarnated being, and that what I cultivated was no longer entirely his Mortal Dao, so he only allowed me to call him senior brother.

Later I proved my Dao and reached the Immortal Realm, while he was still hovering at Eight-Turn Saint. I tried to persuade him to switch to cultivating the Mortal Dao I practice.

He was too clever and far too proud—even stuck at the Eight-Turn Saint Realm, he was unwilling to switch to the Mortal Dao I cultivate, and insisted on his own Great Dao."

Ding Huan smiled: "In that case, your talent is still a bit higher than your senior brother's."

Earlier Bai Yue had said Zhong Di was much smarter than him; Ding Huan now understood this was just Bai Yue being polite.

He didn't know Zhong Di personally, so there was no need to be tactful.

Bai Yue shook his head: "No, the Mortal Dao I cultivate wasn't created by me either. It was created by someone else, who can also be considered my senior brother."

Ding Huan had already seen Guan Huan's Mortal Dao, and no longer held much expectation for the Mortal Dao.

So when Bai Yue said he cultivated a different Mortal Dao, he actually didn't pay much attention.

Since a new Mortal Dao was created by Bai Yue's senior brother, it wasn't strange.

"Daoist friend Bai Yue, I'm certain both Jiang Yiyu and that Saintess Qinqin deceived you." Ding Huan set down the image crystal sphere in his hand.

Bai Yue frowned: "There's absolutely no problem with this crystal sphere."

He found it hard to believe he couldn't even tell whether an image crystal sphere was real or fake.

Ding Huan nodded: "The crystal sphere itself indeed has no problem, and the image is real."

"Then what do you mean?"

Not only Bai Yue, but Guan Huan as well looked at Ding Huan in confusion.

After hearing what Ding Huan said, he seemed to feel that there was indeed something off about the image crystal sphere, yet couldn't pinpoint what.

Now that Ding Huan said the image crystal sphere had no problem, he was stumped too.

Ding Huan activated the image crystal sphere again, pointed inside, and said: "The problem lies in the traces of spatial law fluctuation. In other words, the Void-Breaking Talisman is the problem."

These were absolutely not the fluctuation traces produced by a Void-Breaking Talisman.

If Ding Huan hadn't encountered the Immortal-Life Grand Talisman before, and wasn't extremely familiar with the laws of heaven and earth, he too wouldn't have been able to tell.

After all, these were merely Dao韵 fluctuations recorded as an image, not actual fluctuations.

This kind of crystal sphere image can record part of the law and Dao韵 fluctuations, but only an extremely tiny portion.

If it were the complete fluctuation of heaven and earth's rules, let alone Ding Huan, even Bai Yue and Guan Huan would be able to see it.

The commotion of the teleportation in this image crystal sphere was considerable, and the teleportation effect was also identical to a Void-Breaking Talisman.

But the law fluctuation caused by the Void-Breaking Talisman clearly did not tear through the plane.

Ding Huan had studied Void-Breaking Talismans, and could even refine Realm-Breaking Talismans himself.

He naturally knew that when a Void-Breaking Talisman tears through a plane, the spatial law alternation is extremely violent and very clear.

The spatial law alternation of this Void-Breaking Talisman was somewhat fake and obscure—it hadn't even undergone alternation.

How swift and profound is the spatial law transformation of a Void-Breaking Talisman's teleportation? How could there be hardly any alternation?

That was the first point.

Besides this, there was an even bigger flaw.

That is, normally when one is teleported away by a Plane-Breaking Talisman, the Dao resonance around the cultivator's body would be directly overwritten by the plane-transference Dao laws, and not even a trace

would remain.

Unless one is a top-tier great power.

Only a great Dao resonance can override the replacement of the plane-transference Dao laws.

Zhong Di clearly was not that kind of top-tier great power.

When the image crystal ball showed the Plane-Breaking Talisman teleporting Zhong Di away, the great Dao resonance around Zhong Di's body was extremely clear—in fact, that should have been impossible.

So Zhong Di was at most teleported a very short distance, not even qualifying as a Boundary-Breaking Teleportation—how could it possibly be a Plane-Breaking Teleportation?

After Ding Huan's reminder, Guan Huan vaguely understood.

Bai Yue was still a bit unclear on it.

Ding Huan simply said, "I can refine Boundary-Breaking Talismans, and I also have some insight into the refinement of Plane-Breaking Talismans.

I can tell you clearly: the Dao resonance fluctuation when Zhong Di was teleported away was not from a Plane-Breaking Talisman, but a short-distance teleportation."

"I can roughly see it too—this Dao resonance fluctuation really doesn't look much like the teleportation Dao resonance of a Plane-Breaking Talisman," Guan Huan said with a grave expression.

Bai Yue also came to his senses, and his face looked very ugly.

This meant Zhong Di had been harmed.

"I'm going to find that wretched woman." Bai Yue could no longer sit still; he wished he could go look for Jiang Yiyu immediately.

The image crystal ball had been given to him by Jiang Yiyu.

Qin Qin had also been Jiang Yiyu's request.

This wasn't without conditions—he had paid an enormous price.

Because of this, he had given Jiang Yiyu many things, including a Heaven-Born Treasure.

He also owed Jiang Yiyu an enormous favor.

Otherwise, how could he possibly have stepped forward for Jiang Yiyu to help the Divine Maiden Holy Sect arrange territory?

This not only offended people, it also went against his true heart.

Guan Huan stopped Bai Yue:

"Zhong-xiong may not necessarily have met with mishap; perhaps he was teleported somewhere and imprisoned. After all, the Tian Huan Women's Palace was also destroyed, so those women didn't even have time to act against Zhong-xiong.

Also, we cannot go to the Divine Maiden Holy Sect now—we're probably no match for them."

Bai Yue looked at Guan Huan in surprise.

Then how was he rescued?

Guan Huan explained, "Zuo Qiong is at the Divine Maiden Holy Sect, and he very likely has stepped into the Quasi-Fourth Step. If that's really the case, going there would be not just sending ourselves to death, but utterly pointless.

Brother Bai Yue, your injuries haven't fully healed yet—wait until your strength has recovered. As for what to do now, let's still hear Brother Ding Huan's opinion."

Seeing that both Bai Yue and Guan Huan were looking at him, Ding Huan said, "Old

Guan is right—our strength is still a bit too weak right now.

That Zuo Qiong is no simple matter; even if Old Guan and I join forces, we probably still wouldn't be his match. If we push him into allying with Chang Yun, we'd just die faster.

If Zhong Di is still alive, he won't mind waiting a few decades or a century. If Zhong Di has fallen, rushing over there would be utterly pointless.

My meaning is, let's find a place and go into closed-door cultivation to raise our cultivation. Fellow Daoist Bai…"

Bai Yue quickly cupped his fist: "Brother Ding, Old Guan and I are life-and-death friends—just call me by my name. Calling me Fellow Daoist Bai is a bit too distant."

"Alright."

Ding Huan nodded and continued, "Bai Yue, you'd best find a way to prove the Second Step of the Great Dao now.

If I can prove the Immortal Realm here, the three of us joining forces should be able to match that Zuo Qiong."

Bai Yue shook his head: "I know my own situation. After reaching the Dao-Creation Realm, I've already reached the limit. Unless I meet my senior brother, my Great Dao will probably stay stuck here for a long time."

Ding Huan laughed heartily: "It's fine—when the time comes, we'll cultivate together. Maybe I can help you find a solution."

Though Ding Huan spoke quite tactfully, in his heart he believed he should be able to help Bai Yue.

As his cultivation grew higher and higher, he became increasingly clear about the

formation and origin of all things in the universe.

Isn't the Great Dao the same?

The cultivation origin of every Great Dao begins from the endless, boundless fundamental laws.

As long as Bai Yue trusts him and lets him sense the root of Bai Yue's Great Dao, he might be able to use the laws of heaven and earth to find a way out for Bai Yue.

"Brother Bai Yue, if you trust Ding Huan's words, I'm sure—even my understanding of the laws of heaven and earth is no match for Brother Ding Huan."

Guan Huan was an honest man; whatever Ding Huan said, he believed it all.